Smasher:Steeler
| Steeler | |
|---|---|
| Character info | |
| Brawl main | Pokémon Trainer |
| Smash 4 main | Charizard |
| Ultimate main | Pokémon Trainer |
| Team info | |
| Crew(s) | Wichita Crew |
| Rankings and results info | |
| Most recent ranking |  Southern Kansas Power Rankings: 9th |
| Winnings |  ~$750 |
| Personal and other info | |
| Real name | Sam |
| Location | Kansas 
|
| Miscellaneous info | |
| Skill |  Professional (retired) Semi-professional (retired) Professional |
Steeler is a dedicated Pokémon Trainer main in the Midwest region, and one of the only tournament players, if not the only player, to actively and exclusively main Pokémon Trainer or Charizard in each of their iterations.
He was once considered to be one of the best Brawl Pokémon Trainer mains in the Midwest and Southwest. Steeler was very active in the Pokémon Trainer community and was at one time in charge of matchup discussions. He placed fairly high in Kansas tournaments and retired after placing 33rd at MLG Dallas 2010.
Steeler returned to the scene upon the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as a Charizard main. Despite the disappointment of losing the Pokémon Trainer team and experimenting with other characters, he was most proficient with Charizard throughout his career. Although he did not achieve the same level of notoriety as before, he was formerly ranked as high as 2nd on the Wichita Smash 4 Power Rankings and had wins over players such as Mr. Doom, exJORDANary, and CrazyColorz5.
Steeler is currently a Pokémon Trainer main, having been reunited with his full team from Brawl. He began his Super Smash Bros. Ultimate career in the Columbus, OH region, and achieved honorable mention on the Winter 2019 Columbus Power Rankings before moving back to Kansas. Since then, he has been active in that tournament scene and placed on every South Kansas Power Ranking to date. His most notable wins thus far have been over MJG, ilikepieinmouth, and Very Freezer.
Playstyle
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
He personally preferred to use Squirtle and Charizard through out his matches, using Ivysaur more sparingly due to the Pokémon's sub-par tether recovery. Squirtle was by far his best Pokémon, being a very powerful force against most opponents; his Charizard was capable of doing very well against tougher characters such as Meta Knight. He had been known to use Ivysaur for specific matchups but generally avoided the character.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Steeler used his experience from Brawl to transition into playing Charizard as a standalone character. He was well-regarded for playing at a deficit and making comebacks by abusing Charizard's weight and power, while committing to a calm and controlled playstyle despite playing from behind. When custom moves were legal, he was a vocal advocate of the Dragon Rush variation, which accounted for a lot of the issues he had with Flare Blitz. Once custom moves were banned, Steeler showed a tendency to shy away from Flare Blitz for offensive purposes due to its high risk and unreliable hitbox, even to his slight detriment. This reticence continues to this day in SSBU.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The hallmark of his playstyle in SSBU is the uncanny resemblance to his playstyle in Brawl. He is most comfortable using Squirtle to rack up damage and Charizard to tank stocks and secure KOs, especially after the nerfs to Ivysaur in patch 4.0.0. Despite his pessimism for Ivysaur, he is still more than willing to use it in many edgeguarding scenarios and will rely on it in certain matchups. Regardless, the combination of Squirtle, his favorite Pokemon and most desired Smash fighter, Charizard, his Smash 4 main and comeback machine, and Ivysaur, drastically improved from Brawl and dangerous in its own right, have combined to make Steeler a tournament threat in his region.
Tournament placings
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Koast v3 | March 14th, 2010 | 17th | 13th | Radium |
| Phase 10 | June 26th, 2010 | 25th | 9th | P4 |
| SLAST | July 10th, 2010 | 17th | 3rd | Domo |
| SLAST v2 | September 18th, 2010 | 33rd | 9th | Typ_Ex |
| MLG Dallas 2010 | November 5th-7th, 2010 | 33rd | — | — |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVO 2015 | July 17th-19th, 2015 | 257th | — | — |
| Nexus | July 23rd-24th, 2016 | 49th | 25th | Regulating_Mofo |
| No Man's Land | March 18th, 2017 | 33rd | 5th | Regulating_Mofo |
| Arcadian Fury | September 9th, 2017 | 25th | — | — |
| Arcadian Fury 2 | April 7th-8th, 2018 | 17th | — | — |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergence 3: The Return Of Steeler | April 20th, 2019 | 9th | 7th | Clel |
| Emergence 5: The Fight For The Crown | July 20th, 2019 | 2nd | 4th | Clel |
| Raise the Steaks | August 31st, 2019 | 17th | 9th | Clel |
| River Rumble | October 5th, 2019 | 33rd | 17th | Clel |
| Wave The Wheat 2019 | October 19th, 2019 | 9th | 2nd | Mr. Doom |
| Sweet Spot 6 | February 15th, 2020 | 33rd | — | — |
| Heartland Showdown 2020 | March 7th-8th, 2020 | 33rd | — | — |
