Smasher:Axe

Axe
Character info
Melee main	Pikachu
Other Melee characters	Falco, Young Link, Fox, Marth
Project M mains	Marth, Pikachu
Other Project M character	Falco
Team info
Crew(s)	Tempo Storm
Former crews	AGC, Mortality eSports, Most Valuable Gaming
Rankings and results info
Most recent ranking	2015 SSBMRank: 9th
Winnings	~$18,982.22
Personal and other info
Real name	Jeffrey Williamson
Birth date	April 7, 1991
Location	Avondale, Arizona
Miscellaneous info
Skill	Top professional Top professional

Axe is a smasher from Sierra Vista, Arizona, who currently lives in Avondale, Arizona. He primarily mains Pikachu, being considered the best Melee Pikachu player in the world, and also uses Falco, Young Link, Fox, and Marth at a professional level. He also plays Pikachu in Project M. Since his first national in 2009, GENESIS, Axe's play with Pikachu has drawn a lot of attention, as he has placed in the top eight of large nationals several times and has beaten many of the best players in the world with Pikachu. Axe is widely credited for Pikachu's movement up the tier list, changing from a mid-low tier character to a solid mid-high tier character. He is currently ranked 1st on the Arizona Melee Power Rankings and 9th on the 2015 SSBMRank.

Axe was picked up by Mortality eSports on July 9th, 2014, but ultimately left the team on April 9th, 2015. He was picked up by Tempo Storm alongside Westballz on July 2nd, 2015, and currently is on that team.

Tournament history

2009-2010

Axe's breakout performance occurred at GENESIS in 2009, where he defeated Jman 2-1 in the second round of winners' bracket, who was considered one of the best players in the United States at the time. However, he did not make a long run after that, losing to Raistlin and then to Linguini, placing 33rd at the tournament. Axe later surprised many by placing 17th at Pound 4, where he defeated PPMD (then known as Dr. PeePee) 2-0 in winners' bracket, before losing to Mango and then to Linguini once again.

Axe later attended Apex 2010 and defeated Blunted Object in winners' bracket before losing to Armada 0-2. He made a stellar run through losers' bracket, defeating RaynEX, Cyrain, DaShizWiz, and Jman before losing to Armada 1-2 in losers' quarters, ending his run at 5th place. By this time, Axe had surprised many by taking sets off of top players using what was usually considered a mid-low tier character at the time.

2011-2013

Axe placed 4th at Pound V, defeating Colbol, Remen, and Cactuar 2-0 in winners' bracket before losing to Armada 1-3 in winners' semis. He defeated Hax 2-1 in losers' quarters, with a 3-stock victory in game 3, before losing to Hungrybox 0-3 in losers' semis.

Axe did not perform as well at the nationals he later attended, although he was still able to hold his own against top players. He placed 17th at GENESIS 2, losing to MacD 1-2 in the first round of winners' bracket, and then defeating PewPewU 2-0 before losing to Shroomed 0-2, and 33rd at Apex 2012, losing to StriCNYN3 1-2 in the first round of winners' bracket, and then defeating Linguini in losers' bracket before losing to Darc 0-2.

Later in 2012, he placed very highly at MELEE-FC10R Legacy, where he reached 3rd place. At said tournament, he made it to the final round-robin bracket, where he defeated SFAT 3-0, Kage 3-2, Kels 3-1, Darkrain 3-1, and Hax 3-1, but lost to Hungrybox 0-3 and Mango 0-3. He once again placed 3rd at Kings of Cali, where he made a long run through losers' bracket after losing to Westballz 0-2 in the third round of winners', defeating Lucky, Fiction, SFAT 2-1, S2J 2-1, PewPewU 3-0 (with a 4-stock lead at the end of game 3), and Shroomed 3-1, before being taken out by PPMD 2-3 in a last game, last stock situation in losers' finals.

At Apex 2013, Axe defeated G$ and then S2J 2-0 in winners' bracket before losing to Overtriforce 0-2. He then took out Tope and Javi 2-0 in losers' bracket before losing to Hax 0-2, placing 9th. He also placed 7th at Kings of Cali 2, losing to Fly Amanita 2-3 in winners' quarters and to SFAT 2-3 in losers' top 8.

At EVO 2013, Axe defeated Reno 2-0 and Bladewise 2-0 in the winners' quarterfinals pool, before losing to Mango 1-2. He then defeated Fiction 2-0 in the losers' quarterfinals pool to secure a spot in the losers' semifinals pool, where he was knocked out by Shroomed 1-2, ending his run at 13th place.

Pre-summer 2014 season

Axe placed 9th at Apex 2014, defeating Zhu 2-0 and PewPewU 2-0 in the second round of pools after losing to Leffen 1-2. He was taken out by Hungrybox 0-2 in losers' finals of the pool.

Axe later placed 7th at Pat's House 2, losing to Mew2King 0-3 in winners' bracket and to SFAT 0-3 in losers' top 8, and 4th at Super SWEET, defeating KirbyKaze 3-1 in winners' quarters before losing to Mango 1-3 in winners' semis, and then defeating Kels 3-0 in losers' quarters before losing to Mew2King 0-3 in losers' semis.

MLG Anaheim 2014 and EVO 2014

Although Axe had previously maintained high placings at nationals, he surprised many with an extremely stellar performance at MLG Anaheim 2014 in the summer of 2014. In the open winners' bracket, he defeated Ken 2-0 to secure one of the four available spots in the championship pools. In his pool, he defeated Hax 3-1, Colbol 3-0, Remen 3-0, s0ft 3-0, and Mew2King 3-2 in a large upset, although he lost to Leffen 1-3 and PPMD 2-3. Seeded in losers' bracket in the championship bracket, he secured a spot in the top 8 by defeating Lucky 3-0. However, Axe's largest upset came shortly after; in losers' top 8, after losing the first game against Hungrybox, he closed out the set 3-1, before losing to Mew2King 0-3 in a rematch in losers' quarters, ending his run at 5th place.

Axe managed to repeat this performance at EVO 2014. In the winners' quarterfinals pool, he defeated HugS 2-0, J666 2-0, and ChuDat 2-0, before losing to Mango 1-2 in a set that went down to the last stock. He made it into the top 8 by defeating Plup 2-0, and then proceeded to eliminate Silent Wolf 2-1 in losers' top 8, including a 4-stock in game 3 that took only 56.51 seconds to complete. Axe then lost to Armada 1-2 in losers' quarters in a set that went down to the last stock, placing 5th once again. By this time, many considered Axe to be one of the "Demi-Gods" (along with players such as Leffen, Hax, and Westballz), as he had taken sets off of three of the "Five Gods" (PPMD, Hungrybox and Mew2King), and individual games off of the other two (Mango and Armada).

Post-summer 2014 season

At Zenith 2014, Axe placed 4th in Melee singles. He lost to Wizzrobe 1-2 in winners' quarters, though he still managed to defeat Swedish Delight 2-0, The Moon 2-1, and Nintendude 2-1 to make it to losers' semis, where he lost a close set to Zhu 2-3. Axe also placed 2nd in Melee doubles with ZeRo, losing to Mew2King and Hax in winners' finals, then winning a close set against Zhu and Cactuar in losers' finals before losing to Mew2King and Hax again in grand finals.

At the Apex 2015 qualifier Tipped Off 10, Axe placed 5th in Melee singles and 4th in Melee doubles, teaming with ESAM. In Melee singles, Axe beat Wizzrobe 3-1 to enter Top 8 in winners' side, but later lost to Hungrybox 1-3 in winners' semis, and to Colbol 0-3 in losers' quarters to end his run.

At the Midwest major The Big House 4, Axe placed rather low at 9th in Melee singles, 5th in Melee doubles (teaming with SFAT), and 13th in Project M singles. In Melee singles, Axe defeated Colbol 2-1 to reach winners' quarters, but then lost to Mew2King 0-3. In the losers bracket, Kels performed a surprising upset on Axe, where Axe fell 1-3 and did not reach top 8. In Melee doubles, Axe and SFAT faced Colbol and DoH in winners' quarters and lost 0-2. They then defeated Zhu and Cactuar 2-0 to reach top 8, and Wizzrobe and Gahtzu 2-0 to reach losers' quarters. The team then lost to Leffen and Hax 1-3. In Project M singles, Axe was sent to losers' bracket by Hungrybox 1-2. He defeated DJ Nintendo 2-0 and VaNz 2-1 to reach top 16, but was then beaten by Seibrik 0-2.

Early 2015

At the Apex 2015 qualifier Paragon Orlando 2015, Axe placed 7th in Melee singles and 7th in Melee doubles with Westballz. Axe was able to reach winners' quarters by beating Shroomed 2-0. He then faced Mew2King, where he lost 0-2 and was sent to the losers bracket. He was able to eliminate SFAT to reach top 8, but was later eliminated himself, by Leffen in a close 2-3 set. In Melee doubles, Axe and Westballz reached winners' quarters only to lose to Leffen and MacD 0-2. They defeated Wizzrobe and Gahtzu 2-0 to reach top 8, but then they were eliminated by Colbol and Harriettheguy.

At a local tournament held by MVG, Axe reached winners' finals against Mew2King in Melee singles, and lost 1-3. He reached grand finals for a rematch, and was able to take 2 consecutive sets off of Mew2King, the second set being a 3-0.

At Apex 2015, Axe placed a somewhat disappointing 13th place in Melee singles. He lost early in bracket to SFAT, beat Colbol 2-1, but then lost to Shroomed 0-2, being double eliminated by NorCal residents.

At Sandstorm, Axe placed a phenomenal 3rd place in Melee singles, and 4th in Melee doubles with Forward. He was able to take down Leffen for the first time in winners' quarters 3-1. He then made an unexpected feat by defeating Mango 3-2 in Top 8. Axe was then defeated 0-3 by Armada, and eliminated by Westballz in a 1-3 set. In Melee doubles, Axe and Forward defeated Hungrybox and Silly Kyle 2-1 to reach top 8. The team was later defeated 0-3 by Leffen and MacD and sent to the losers bracket. Axe and Forward then beat Taj and Wobbles 2-0, and then were eliminated by Hungrybox and Silly Kyle in a losers' semis rematch.

Late 2015

At the Eclipse tournament, Axe faced Armada in Top 8. He won the first and third game in a best out of 5 set, he went to game 5 to a last-stock match and was defeated 2-3. He finished 3rd in what was the largest European tournament of all time. Despite this he won the doubles tournament along side Plup in which they won 3-1 against Leffen and Ice.

At DreamHack Winter 2015, he paired up with Hungrybox to win the doubles tournament.

Tournament placings

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Tournament	Date	1v1 placement	2v2 placement	Partner
GENESIS	July 10th-12th, 2009	33rd	33rd	Tag
Pat's House	November 14th-15th, 2009	9th	—	—
Pound 4	January 16th-18th, 2010	17th	13th	Taj
Apex 2010	August 6th-8th, 2010	5th	7th	Taj
Don't Go Down There Jeff	December 18th, 2010	17th	5th	Taj
Pound V	February 19th-21st, 2011	4th	13th	Pluto the Planet
Zenith 2011	May 28th-29th, 2011	3rd	1st	Kage
GENESIS 2	July 15th-17th, 2011	17th	5th	Taj
Fuck Your Johns	January 5th, 2012	1st	—	—
Apex 2012	January 6th-8th, 2012	33rd	13th	Pluto the Planet
Northwest Manifest	March 24th-25th, 2012	5th	2nd	SFAT
MELEE-FC10R Legacy	August 12th-14th, 2012	3rd	3rd	Kage
Kings of Cali	November 10th, 2012	3rd	5th	OkamiBW
Apex 2013	January 11th-13th, 2013	9th	25th	Pluto the Planet
Kings of Cali 2	April 13th-14th, 2013	7th	4th	OkamiBW
NorCal Regionals 2013	August 26th-28th, 2013	9th	—	—
Project AZ Melee	June 1st, 2013	1st	2nd	Pluto the Planet
EVO 2013	July 12th-14th, 2013	13th	—	—
Southwestern Justice	November 24th, 2013	1st	2nd	Pluto the Planet
Kings of Cali 3	December 14th-15th, 2013	4th	3rd	OkamiBW
Apex 2014	January 17th-19th, 2014	9th	9th	Kage
Southwestern Justice 2	February 22nd, 2014	1st	5th	Tag
SoCal Regionals 2014	February 28th-March 2nd, 2014	4th	—	—
Mayhem 3-8	March 8th, 2014	1st	2nd	OkamiBW
Pat's House 2	May 24th-25th, 2014	7th	4th	OkamiBW
Super SWEET	June 7th-8th, 2014	4th	5th	Drephen
MLG Anaheim 2014	June 20th-22nd, 2014	5th	9th	OkamiBW
EVO 2014	July 11th-13th, 2014	5th	13th	Pluto the Planet
Zenith 2014	August 2nd-3rd, 2014	4th	2nd	ZeRo
Tipped Off 10	September 20th-21st, 2014	5th	3rd	ESAM
The Big House 4	October 4th-5th, 2014	9th	5th	SFAT
Forte 2	December 20th-21st, 2014	2nd	4th	Tai
Smash the Target	January 3rd, 2015	1st	1st	Medz
Paragon Orlando 2015	January 17th-18th, 2015	7th	7th	Westballz
MVG Super Smash Bros. Tournament	January 25th, 2015	1st	—	—
Apex 2015	January 30th-February 1st, 2015	13th	17th	Tagless Kyle
Aftershock	March 28th-29th, 2015	1st	1st	Wobbles
Sandstorm	April 18th-19th, 2015	3rd	4th	Forward
Press Start	May 9th-10th, 2015	3rd	5th	Medz
EVO 2015	July 17th-19th, 2015	7th	5th	Medz
Smash Factor 4	July 24th-26th, 2015	2nd	2nd	Medz
Low Tier City 3	August 1st-2nd, 2015	3rd	1st	Mew2King
Super Smash Con	August 6th-9th, 2015	3rd	—	—
Paragon Los Angeles 2015	September 5th-6th, 2015	5th	—	—
HTC Throwdown	September 19th, 2015	9th	5th	Ken
The Big House 5	October 2nd-4th, 2015	17th	9th	Westballz
MLG World Finals 2015	October 16th-18th, 2015	3rd	2nd	Chillin
Smash Summit	November 7th-8th, 2015	7th	5th	Kage
Eclipse	November 14th-15th, 2015	3rd	1st	Plup
Kickstart 4	November 22nd, 2015	2nd	3rd	Siren
DreamHack Winter 2015	November 26th-29th, 2015	9th	1st	Hungrybox
GENESIS 3	January 15th-17th, 2016	4th	4th	Hungrybox
PAX Arena	January 29th-31st, 2016	4th	4th	Gahtzu
Rubicon 7	February 27th, 2016	1st	1st	Prince Abu
Battle of the Five Gods	March 17th-19th, 2016	14th	—	—
Pound 2016	April 2nd-3rd, 2016	25th	5th	DoH
Full Bloom 2	April 16th, 2016	2nd	3rd	Voorhese
Smash Summit 2	April 21st-24th, 2016	7th	5th	Wobbles
Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo	April 29th-May 1st, 2016	5th	7th	Prince Abu
DreamHack Austin 2016	May 6th-8th, 2016	7th	—	—
CEO 2016	June 24th-26th, 2016	5th	2nd	Plup
EVO 2016	July 15th-17th, 2016	17th	13th	Medz
Super Smash Con 2016	August 11th-14th, 2016	4th	17th	Wobbles
Shine 2016	August 26th-28th, 2016	5th	7th	Kage

Project M

Tournament	Date	1v1 placement	2v2 placement	Partner
MELEE-FC10R Legacy	August 12th-14th, 2012	4th	1st	Vro
Project AZ	June 1st, 2013	1st	—	—
Salvation	June 22nd-23rd, 2013	2nd	—	—
Southwestern Justice	November 24th, 2013	3rd	2nd	Neon
Apex 2014	January 17th-19th, 2014	17th	—	—
Southwestern Justice 2	February 22nd, 2014	2nd	1st	K9
Super SWEET	June 7th-8th, 2014	5th	—	—
The Big House 4	October 4th-5th, 2014	13th	—	—
Forte 2	December 20th-21st, 2014	—	4th	Tai
Aftershock	March 28th-29th, 2015	4th	2nd	Aero
Sandstorm	April 18th-19th, 2015	Top 3	5th	Medz
Dismantle	May 31st, 2015	9th	—	—
Low Tier City 3	August 1st-2nd, 2015	3rd	2nd	iPunchKidsz
Battlefield4PM	December 13th, 2015	3rd	—	—

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Tournament	Date	1v1 placement	2v2 placement	Partner
MELEE-FC10R Legacy	August 12th-14th, 2012	—	3rd	PikaChad

Trivia

• It was a joke within the Arizona and California Smash communities that there needs to be a tournament match to decide the best person named Jeff - SilentSpectre or Axe.
• Axe is the subject of a meme in the Melee community concerning his resemblance to pop artist Drake. This came about when someone in the Arizona region took a picture of Axe working at the department store Walgreen's, then used that picture to make a page on Facebook titled "Walgreens Drake," proclaiming that the two look very similar. People familiar with the Smash scene quickly found that page and pointed out that it was in fact the professional Melee player, and linked to that page on other social media, causing the moniker "Walgreens Drake" to become very widespread.

• After Axe 4-stocked Silent Wolf at EVO 2014, commentator Prog made a reference to this meme: "That was emphatic... that was amazing. Mortality! Are you watching? This boy, Walgreens Drake, says Take Care; you guys can Thank Me Later!"

• Axe has defeated 4 of the members of the top 6, defeating Mew2King at Zenith 2011, Hungrybox at MLG Anaheim 2014, and both Leffen and Mango at Sandstorm.
  • He has also defeated PPMD at Pound 4, but PPMD was not in contention for "god status" at the time, with Axe also not counting the win.

External links

• SmashBoards public profile
• "The AXE Effect", his combo video