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 '''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.
-He was considered the best ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' {{SSBU|Pikachu}} player in the world prior to the pandemic, and is still currently one of the two best Pikachu players in the world alongside {{Sm|ShinyMark}}. ESAM is currently ranked 18th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7]], 45th on the [[OrionRank 2022/North America|OrionRank 2022 North America]], and 82nd on the [[OrionRank 2022]]; he was formerly ranked 1st on the [[Oklahoma Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|Oklahoma ''Ultimate'' Power Rankings]] and 35th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]].
+He was considered the best ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' {{SSBU|Pikachu}} player in the world prior to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], and is still currently one of the two best Pikachu players in the world alongside {{Sm|ShinyMark}}. ESAM is currently ranked 18th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7]], 45th on the [[OrionRank 2022/North America|OrionRank 2022 North America]], and 82nd on the [[OrionRank 2022]]; he was formerly ranked 1st on the [[Oklahoma Power Rankings#Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|Oklahoma ''Ultimate'' Power Rankings]] and 35th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]].
 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]].
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 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.
-To start out 2016, ESAM was flown out to California to attend [[2GGT: ESAM Saga]]. At the tournament, he defeated {{Sm|Aarvark}} 2-0 and {{Sm|S2H}} 2-0 to make top 16. In top 16 he defeated {{Sm|falln}} 2-1 before losing to {{Sm|K9sbruce}} 1-3 in winners semis. ESAM was then defeated by {{Sm|Tyrant}} 2-3 and placed 5th place at his own tournament. At [[GENESIS 3]], ESAM defeated {{Sm|Rice}} 2-0 before being upset by {{Sm|Teb}} 1-2 in round 2 pools. In losers' bracket, he defeated {{Sm|J!}} 2-1 and {{Sm|Seagull Joe}} 2-0 to make top 32. In top 32 he eliminated {{Sm|RIN}} 3-0 and {{Sm|Manny}} 3-0 before losing 3-2 to Nairo, who lost the first two games with Dr. Mario before winning three in a row with Zero Suit Samus. At [[PAX Arena]], ESAM was upset 1-3 by {{Sm|Jbandrew}} in top 32. In losers bracket he defeated {{Sm|Mew2King}} 3-2 to make top 8 losers side. In top 8 he lost to Vinnie 1-3 and finished in 7th place. At [[TGC 6]] ESAM defeated {{Sm|Mew2}} 2-0 and Jbandrew 2-0 to make top 8 winners side, however top 8 was canceled and the pot was split evenly among the remaining 8 competitors.
+To start out 2016, ESAM was flown out to California to attend [[2GGT: ESAM Saga]]. At the tournament, he defeated {{Sm|Aarvark}} 2-0 and {{Sm|S2H}} 2-0 to make top 16. In top 16 he defeated {{Sm|falln}} 2-1 before losing to {{Sm|K9sbruce}} 1-3 in winners semis. ESAM was then defeated by {{Sm|Tyrant}} 2-3 and placed 5th place at his own tournament. At [[GENESIS 3]], ESAM defeated {{Sm|Rice}} 2-0 before being upset by {{Sm|Teb}} 1-2 in round 2 pools. In losers' bracket, he defeated {{Sm|J!}} 2-1 and {{Sm|Seagull Joe}} 2-0 to make top 32. In top 32 he eliminated {{Sm|RIN}} 3-0 and {{Sm|Manny}} 3-0 before losing 3-2 to Nairo, who lost the first two games with Dr. Mario before winning three in a row with Zero Suit Samus. At [[PAX Arena]], ESAM was upset 1-3 by {{Sm|Jbandrew}} in top 32. In losers bracket he defeated {{Sm|Mew2King}} 3-2 to make top 8 losers side. In top 8 he lost to Vinnie 1-3 and finished in 7th place. At [[TGC 6]] ESAM defeated {{Sm|Mew2}} 2-0 and Jbandrew 2-0 to make top 8 winners side; however, top 8 was canceled, and the pot was split evenly among the remaining 8 competitors.
 [[File:ESAM at BEAST 6.jpg|thumb|150px|ESAM at B.E.A.S.T. 6]]
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 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}}.
-ESAM saw a return to form starting at [[Shine 2016]], where he defeated {{Sm|Manny}} 3-0 to make top 8 winners side. In winners semis he defeated Mew2King 3-1 to move onto winners finals where he lost to {{Sm|ZeRo}} 1-3. In losers finals he defeated {{Sm|Dath}} 3-2 before being eliminated by ZeRo 0-3 in grand finals. At Trail Gaming League 9 he defeated {{Sm|True Blue}}, {{Sm|Saj}} 2-0, {{Sm|Wormynugget}} 2-1, {{Sm|dyr}} 3-0 and {{Sm|Zinoto}} 3-1 en route to a first place finish. However ESAM fell back down in results at [[The Big House 6]] where he lost to {{Sm|Frozen}} 1-2 in round 1 pools. In losers he eliminated {{Sm|Puppeh}} 2-0 and {{Sm|Ned}} 2-1 before losing to {{Sm|CaptainZack}} 1-2 and placing yet another 33rd place. At Trail Gaming League 10, ESAM defeated  {{Sm|Xaltis}} 2-0 and {{Sm|Child}} 2-0 before falling to False 0-3 in winners finals and MVD 1-3 in losers finals. At [[Midwest Mayhem 5]], ESAM was upset by {{Sm|JDB!}} 2-3 in winners quarters. In losers bracket, he eliminated {{Sm|Seth}} 3-1 to make top 8 losers side. In top 8, he eliminated {{Sm|Nero}} 3-0, {{Sm|JJROCKETS}} 3-2, and MVD 3-2 before falling to Zinoto 1-3 in losers finals.
+ESAM saw a return to form starting at [[Shine 2016]], where he defeated {{Sm|Manny}} 3-0 to make top 8 winners side. In winners semis he defeated Mew2King 3-1 to move onto winners finals where he lost to {{Sm|ZeRo}} 1-3. In losers finals he defeated {{Sm|Dath}} 3-2 before being eliminated by ZeRo 0-3 in grand finals. At Trail Gaming League 9 he defeated {{Sm|True Blue}}, {{Sm|Saj}} 2-0, {{Sm|Wormynugget}} 2-1, {{Sm|dyr}} 3-0 and {{Sm|Zinoto}} 3-1 en route to a first place finish. However, ESAM fell back down in results at [[The Big House 6]] where he lost to {{Sm|Frozen}} 1-2 in round 1 pools. In losers he eliminated {{Sm|Puppeh}} 2-0 and {{Sm|Ned}} 2-1 before losing to {{Sm|CaptainZack}} 1-2 and placing yet another 33rd place. At Trail Gaming League 10, ESAM defeated  {{Sm|Xaltis}} 2-0 and {{Sm|Child}} 2-0 before falling to False 0-3 in winners finals and MVD 1-3 in losers finals. At [[Midwest Mayhem 5]], ESAM was upset by {{Sm|JDB!}} 2-3 in winners quarters. In losers bracket, he eliminated {{Sm|Seth}} 3-1 to make top 8 losers side. In top 8, he eliminated {{Sm|Nero}} 3-0, {{Sm|JJROCKETS}} 3-2, and MVD 3-2 before falling to Zinoto 1-3 in losers finals.
 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.
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 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]].
-ESAM's second season was somewhat similar to his first. ESAM's result once again saw several dips as he underperformed at both {{Trn|Low Tier City 7}} and {{Trn|EVO 2019}}, losing to players who weren't ranked on the PGR at that time. His performances at other supermajors such as {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}} and {{Trn|Shine 2019}} were solid, however it was because of relatively easy brackets, and he failed to make any notable upsets.
+ESAM's second season was somewhat similar to his first. ESAM's result once again saw several dips as he underperformed at both {{Trn|Low Tier City 7}} and {{Trn|EVO 2019}}, losing to players who weren't ranked on the PGR at that time. His performances at other supermajors such as {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}} and {{Trn|Shine 2019}} were solid; however, it was because of relatively easy brackets, and he failed to make any notable upsets.
 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.
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 ===Brief contender for the best===
-ESAM was absent during the first few months of the metagame's transition back to offline. When he returned, however, he returned with a bang. At {{Trn|Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code}}, ESAM defied expectations by once again tearing through the bracket in a similar vein to his Glitch 7 run, however this time he also defeated {{Sm|MkLeo}} twice - both times in the fourth game - to win the tournament, marking his second major victory. Following this run, many players began to consider ESAM as a potential candidate for the best player in the world, especially since many players in the United States also considered Pikachu to be one of the best characters in the game.
+ESAM was absent during the first few months of the metagame's transition back to offline. When he returned, however, he returned with a bang. At {{Trn|Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code}}, ESAM defied expectations by once again tearing through the bracket in a similar vein to his Glitch 7 run; however, this time, he also defeated {{Sm|MkLeo}} twice - both times in the fourth game - to win the tournament, marking his second major victory. Following this run, many players began to consider ESAM as a potential candidate for the best player in the world, especially since many players in the United States also considered Pikachu to be one of the best characters in the game.
 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]].
 ===Decline===
-The first half of ESAM's 2022 was rather uneventful, as he only attended 3 notable tournaments: {{Trn|GENESIS 8}}, {{Trn|Combo Breaker 2022}}, and {{Trn|Battle of BC 4}}. He only had a single top 50 win -- {{Sm|Tweek}} at GENESIS -- and failed to place top 8 at any of the three tournaments. Due to his low activity, he was relegated to an Honorable Mention on the [[OrionRank Mid-Year 2022]], with his Combo Breaker 2022 result being ignored due to his perceived "sandbagging" with his new secondary {{SSBU|Mii Brawler}} throughout most of the tournament,<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://old.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/vm4hqg/orionrank_ultimate_2022_midyear_update_honorable/ie2egv5/?context=3|title=ESAM's exclusion from OrionRank 2022 Mid-Year}}</ref> and was ranked 35th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]], a significant drop from his top 13 placement on the PGRContenders list. Likewise, his second half was also barren as he attended a total of four notable events with mixed results: although he placed well at {{Trn|Shine 2022}} and {{Trn|Lost Tech City 2022}}, defeating {{Sm|MuteAce}} in the latter event, he placed lukewarmly at {{Trn|The Big House 10}} and {{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2022}}. In spite of the low activity, ESAM had enough events to be ranked on the [[OrionRank 2022]], however due to an overall mediocre season, he was only ranked 82nd.
+The first half of ESAM's 2022 was rather uneventful, as he only attended 3 notable tournaments: {{Trn|GENESIS 8}}, {{Trn|Combo Breaker 2022}}, and {{Trn|Battle of BC 4}}. He only had a single top 50 win -- {{Sm|Tweek}} at GENESIS -- and failed to place top 8 at any of the three tournaments. Due to his low activity, he was relegated to an Honorable Mention on the [[OrionRank Mid-Year 2022]], with his Combo Breaker 2022 result being ignored due to his perceived "sandbagging" with his new secondary {{SSBU|Mii Brawler}} throughout most of the tournament,<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://old.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/vm4hqg/orionrank_ultimate_2022_midyear_update_honorable/ie2egv5/?context=3|title=ESAM's exclusion from OrionRank 2022 Mid-Year}}</ref> and was ranked 35th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]], a significant drop from his top 13 placement on the PGRContenders list. Likewise, his second half was also barren as he attended a total of four notable events with mixed results: although he placed well at {{Trn|Shine 2022}} and {{Trn|Lost Tech City 2022}}, defeating {{Sm|MuteAce}} in the latter event, he placed lukewarmly at {{Trn|The Big House 10}} and {{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2022}}. In spite of the low activity, ESAM had enough events to be ranked on the [[OrionRank 2022]]; however, due to an overall mediocre season, he was only ranked 82nd.
-ESAM's OrionRank 2022 placement remains the last time he was ever ranked on a global scale, in part due to his lower activity at a national level and increasingly worsening results. Throughout 2023, he attended a total of seven events, placing no higher than 33rd at the four majors he attended while also underperforming at the superregional {{Trn|Santa Paws}}, with his only top 100 player win being {{Sm|BeastModePaul}}. In addition, for the first time ever his title as the best Pikachu player was challenged and even taken away from him, due to the rise of {{Sm|ShinyMark}} throughout 2023 and into 2024, who eventually replaced ESAM as Pikachu's primary top-level representative.
+ESAM's OrionRank 2022 placement remains the last time he was ever ranked on a global scale, in part due to his lower activity at a national level and worse results than previous years. Throughout 2023, he attended a total of seven events, placing no higher than 33rd at the four majors he attended while also underperforming at the superregional {{Trn|Santa Paws}}, with his only top 100 player win being {{Sm|BeastModePaul}}. In addition, for the first time ever, his title as the best Pikachu player was challenged and even taken away from him, due to the rise of {{Sm|ShinyMark}} throughout 2023 and into 2024, who eventually replaced ESAM as Pikachu's primary top-level representative.
 ==Playstyle==