Smasher:ESAM: Difference between revisions

| 2ndotherssb4    = Mewtwo

| retiredssb4    = Corrin

| winningsssbm    = ~$1,975.86

| winningsssbb    = ~$10,403.25

| winningsssb4    = ~$31,261.55

| winningsssbu    = ~$23,869.91

| rankingssb4    = [[PGR 100|Panda Global Rankings 100]]: 17th

| bestrankingssbu = [[Fall 2019 PGRU]]: 14th

| bestresultssbu  = 1st / 421 at {{Trn|Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code|g=SSBU}}

| realname        = Eric Lew

| birthday        = 17

'''ESAM''' is a ''Smash'' player from Miami, Florida who is considered the greatest Pikachu player of all time across three Smash titles. He is also a notable [[commentator]], a member of the [[Smash Back Room]], a former member of the [[Unity Ruleset Committee]], and a former [[tournament organizer]], having previously hosted the Zero Ping series.

In {{forwiiu}}, ESAM was also a {{SSB4|Pikachu}} main, considered the best Pikachu player in the world; he also had a {{SSB4|Samus}} secondary, and was one of the best Samus players in the world alongside {{Sm|IcyMist}}. ESAM was ranked 1st on the final [[Oklahoma Power Rankings|Oklahoma ''Smash 4'' Power Rankings]] and 17th on the [[PGR 100|Panda Global Rankings 100]]; he was also formerly ranked 2nd on the [[South Florida Smash 4 Power Rankings]].

At the beginning of ''[[Smash 4]]'', ESAM was invited to [[Sky's Smash 4 Invitational]] where he lost to {{Sm|FOW}} 0-2 in winners. In losers he defeated {{Sm|Trela}} 2-1, {{Sm|Zinoto}} 2-0, FOW 3-0, and {{Sm|ZeRo}} 3-1 before losing to {{Sm|Mr. R}} 1-3 and placing second.

At [[Super Smash Con 2015]], ESAM defeated {{Sm|DKwill}} 2-0, and {{Sm|Nairo}} 3-2 before losing to ZeRo in a very close set in winners finals, 2-3. He would then defeat Nairo 3-1 in losers finals before losing his rematch with ZeRo 0-3 in grand finals, where he used Yoshi in Game 2. ESAM later traveled to California for [[Paragon Los Angeles 2015]], where he defeated {{Sm|Angbad}} 2-0 and Zex 2-0 before losing to {{Sm|6WX}} 0-2. In losers he defeated {{Sm|AC}} 2-0 before losing to {{Sm|SlayerZ}} 1-2 and finishing at 13th place. In October, ESAM traveled to Michigan for [[The Big House 5]]; he also entered Smashfield Weeklies 9 which was happening before the event. At the weekly, he defeated {{Sm|Megafox}} 2-1, Abadango 2-0, and {{Sm|Ally}} 3-2 before Ally defeated him 3-1 in both sets of grand finals. At The Big House 5 itself ESAM defeated {{Sm|smasher1001}} 2-0, and {{Sm|Shel}} 2-0 to make it into top 32. In Top 32, ESAM defeated Trela 2-0 before losing to Dabuz 0-3 and being eliminated by ZeRo 1-3 and ultimately finishing at 9th place.

To finish off the year, ESAM entered [[Frame Perfect Series]] where he defeated {{Sm|Day}} 2-0 to make it out of pools. In bracket ESAM lost to {{Sm|DJ Jack}} 1-2. In losers ESAM defeated Day 2-0 again, {{Sm|Ryo}} 2-1, {{Sm|Manny}} 3-2, and {{Sm|Fatality}} 3-1 before being eliminated by DJ Jack 3-1 finishing in 4th place.

[[File:ESAM at BEAST 6.jpg|thumb|150px|ESAM at B.E.A.S.T. 6]]

His short win streak was ended at [[Midwest Mayhem 3]], where he lost to Tyroy 0-2 in winners quarters. In losers bracket he defeated MVD 2-1, {{Sm|BoScotty}} 3-0, and {{Sm|Ksev}} 3-1 before being eliminated by {{Sm|False}} 2-3 and ultimately finishing in 4th place. At [[Low Tier City 4]] ESAM lost to {{Sm|Hyuga}} 1-2 in bracket. In losers he defeated {{Sm|Aerolink}} and {{Sm|MJG}} to make top 8 losers side. In top 8 he defeated {{Sm|P2P with Gibus}} 3-0 before being eliminated by Hyuga 1-3. At [[CEO 2016]] ESAM defeated {{Sm|Mister Eric}} 2-0 to make it out of pools. In top 64 he defeated {{Sm|Wrath}} 2-1 before losing to Dabuz 0-2 and being eliminated by {{Sm|Saj}} 1-2 and placing 17th. At [[EVO 2016]] ESAM was upset by {{Sm|NickC}} 1-2 in pools. In losers he eliminated {{Sm|Sinji}} 2-0, Falln 2-0, {{Sm|DJ Jack}} 2-0, and {{Sm|HIKARU}} 2-0 before being eliminated by Trela 1-2 and finishing at a disappointing 25th place. At Trail Gaming League 8, ESAM took the tournament defeating {{Sm|Seibrik}}, NickRiddle, and MVD, but not before MVD reset the bracket. At [[Super Smash Con 2016]], ESAM defeated {{Sm|Rayquaza07}} 2-1 in round 2 pools before losing 0-2 to {{Sm|Ryo}} and {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, finishing at an all time low of 33rd place. However, he performed well in Melee, getting 13th and defeating {{Sm|lloD}}, {{Sm|Zhu}}, and {{Sm|Westballz}}.

Late November and early December, ESAM had by far his best performance of the year. At Kings of the North, he took first place defeating {{Sm|Skorpio}} 2-0, {{Sm|yeti}} 3-1, and JJROCKETS 3-0 and 3-1. At [[UGC Smash Open]], he defeated {{Sm|James}} 2-0 and {{Sm|Salem}} 3-1 to make it out of pools. In top 48 he defeated {{Sm|VoiD}} 3-2 and CaptainZack 3-0 to make top 8 winners side. In winners semis he narrowly lost to Abadango 2-3. In losers quarters he defeated VoiD 3-2 again and Nairo 3-1 before being eliminated by Abadango 3-0 finishing with a very respectable 3rd place.

ESAM notably won [[Smashadelphia 2017]], defeating Dabuz 3-1 in winners finals. In grand finals, he lost the first set to Dabuz 1-3, but ultimately won the second set 3-2.

Prior to the release of ''Ultimate'', ESAM was already hyping up {{SSBU|Pikachu}}'s potential in the new game, noting the new combos the character could perform thanks to its new neutral air. ESAM proved his opinions right at {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}}, where he placed 2nd out of over 500 players and falling only to {{Sm|MVD}}.

Sticking with Pikachu, ESAM began the first ''Ultimate'' season with a strong 7th place finish at {{Trn|GENESIS 6}}, defeating {{Sm|Ally}} and {{Sm|Tweek}} along the way. This, however, initially seemed as an outlier: despite consistently placing top 8 at a regional level during that season, including winning {{Trn|Battle of BC 3}} over Ally, ESAM saw mediocre results on a national level, placing 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}, 33rd at {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}. He also struggled against the {{SSBU|Peach}} matchup and notably lost two sets against the up-and-coming Peach player {{Sm|MuteAce}}. Both his results and his struggle against Peach, however, did not deter ESAM, and he continued to lab Pikachu to try and bring out its true potential. This potential was shown at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}}, where ESAM ran through Ally, {{Sm|Cosmos}}, {{Sm|Nairo}}, and even {{Sm|MkLeo}} to ultimately place 3rd, his best tournament run of the season. ESAM capped off the first season with a 9th place at {{Trn|CEO 2019}}, where he finally overcame the Peach matchup by defeating MuteAce. Due to these performances and wins, ESAM was ranked 16th on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]].

Despite these setbacks, however, ESAM ended up seeing his best season yet, largely due to his performances at both {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}} and {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 2}}. At Glitch 7, ESAM tore through the entire tournament, defeating Nairo, Tweek, and Light twice to win the tournament, marking his first victory at a major tournament. At Summit, ESAM once again defeated MkLeo as well as {{Sm|Dabuz}} and {{Sm|Zackray}}, but fell to his bracket demons MuteAce and {{Sm|Maister}} to place 5th. These results, as well as his victory at the Canadian regional {{Trn|Rising Stars at EGLX 2019}}, once again cemented him as a top 20 player, and he rose two spots on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], placing 14th.

Coming off of a rather inconsistent season, ESAM began the third season looking better than ever, placing 3rd at {{Trn|Glitch 8 - Missingno}} and 4th at {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}. The season, however, was cut short due to the [[COVID-19|COVID-19 pandemic]], which brought tournament play online for a full year. This did not hinder ESAM, as his character was largely unaffected in the online metagame. Although underperforming at {{Trn|The Quarantine Series Opening Invitational}}, he placed 9th at [[Tournament:The Quarantine Series: Minor Tournament 1|the next Quarantine Series tournament]], defeating {{Sm|Kola}}. His final, and best, notable placement was at {{Trn|The Box}}, where despite being upset by Gos, he made a grueling Loser's run, defeating {{Sm|Sparg0}} and {{Sm|Epic_Gabriel}} along the way, to ultimately place 4th. These results allowed him to be ranked 14th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5]], mirroring his Fall 2019 PGRU placement.

Although ESAM was rather inactive at WWR-ranked tournaments in the following season, he returned during the seventh season, mostly to participate in online tournament circuits. He qualified for {{Trn|The Pandemic Anniversary Series}} by winning the second qualifier, {{Trn|Return to Subspace: ONLINE}}, over {{Sm|Capitancito}}, and saw another top 8 placement at the fourth qualifier, {{Trn|Collision Online 2021}}. He then qualified for the {{Trn|SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals}} by placing 2nd at {{Trn|SWT: NA Southeast Ultimate Online Qualifier}}, losing to {{Sm|Vendetta}} twice. His final notable tournament of the online era was at {{Trn|Pandemic Anniversary Series: Finale}}, where he once again placed top 8. Although he did not attend that many tournaments, ESAM's results at the notable tournaments he did attend helped him be ranked 18th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7]].

Ultimately, however, ESAM fell short of these expectations, as he failed to come close to the run he had at Glitch 8.5. Despite being seeded first at {{Trn|Super Smash Con: Fall Fest}}, he fell short significantly by losing to {{Sm|ApolloKage}} and {{Sm|IcyMist}} to place 17th. Although he came out of Round Robin on the winner's side at {{Trn|SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals}}, he fell to {{Sm|Kola}} and {{Sm|Wrath}} to place 7th, failing to qualify for the [[Tournament:Smash World Tour 2021 Championships|championship tournament]]. His final two tournaments - {{Trn|Mainstage 2021}} and {{Trn|CEO 2021}} - also ended in disappointment: despite placing top 16 at both tournaments, he failed to make any notable upsets. These placements dashed away any hopes for ESAM to be the best player in the post-pandemic metagame, and by the end of the year, he was ranked in the A-tier (or top 13) on the [[PGRUContenders North America]] - below other players who had won major tournaments that season such as {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}} and Kola - and 18th in the world on the [[OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse]].

==Playstyle==

In neutral, ESAM plays aggressively due to the plethora of quick and safe options that often lead into a combo, which he will take to the furthest hit. His movement is also exemplary and improved upon in Smash 4 using [[Bidou]], with emphasis on [[perfect pivoting]] and [[Quick Attack]] canceling. This, along with his aggressiveness, allows him to continously pressure his opponent and force them offstage to where, with Pikachu's many options, he will edgeguard them and attempt to take their stock. However, if he cannot play aggressively, usually against players that can counter his aggression or stall the match to their pace, he can play campy and spammy, utilizing Pikachu's [[Thunder Jolt]] to limit his opponents options and force them to approach.

However, this limits himself as well as he cannot utilize his aggression to full potential resulting in him being suppressed and unable to take back control of the match. When he cannot find an opening or cannot edgeguard, ESAM [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE1IyGZgLOs lacks the ability to find a way back into the match] unless he regains the momentum to quickly fight back. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lqgPD_-rnQ His edge guarding and edge trapping ability] is phenomenal especially against characters with weak or lackluster recoveries. He utilizes [[Thunder]] to limit his opponent's options and Pikachu's quick multi-hit aerials to cover large spaces to where the opponent is continuously forced stage. Now, in ''Ultimate'', with the inclusion of Pikachu's [[down air]] [[spike]], ESAM has another option to finish off an opponent.

==Tournament placings==

!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|{{Trn|DIME 15|g=SSBM}}||June 13th, 2015||2nd||—||—

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|{{Trn|TGC 7|g=SSBM}}||April 9th, 2016||1st||—|||—

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner

|-

|-

|{{Trn|Zero Ping Monthlies|g=SSBB}}||August 15th, 2009||3rd||—||—

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|{{Trn|Tournament:Final Battle|Final Battle|g=SSBB}}||January 17th, 2015||2nd (Split)||2nd (Split)||MVD

|-

|-

|}

!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|{{Trn|Infinity and Beyond! 58|g=PM}}||June 11th, 2015||7th||—||—

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner

|-

|-

|}

|[http://shoryuken.com/2015/01/11/kumite-in-tennessee-15-streaming-live-from-murfreesboro-tennessee/ Kumite in Tennessee 15]||January 9th-11th, 2015||2nd||1st||{{sm|Reflex}}

|-

|-

|[https://smashboards.com/rankings/events/smash-4-our-sins-2-singles.6654/?id=8 Smash 4 Our Sins 2]||March 21st, 2015||1st||—||—

|{{Trn|GENESIS X|g=SSBU}}||February 16th-18th, 2024||65th / 1,506||7th / 302||MVD

|-

|}

[[Category:Oklahoma smashers]]

[[Category:Newfoundland smashers]]

[[Category:Samus players (SSB)]]

[[Category:Samus players (SSBM)]]