Smasher:ESAM
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 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 ShinyMark. ESAM is currently ranked 18th on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7, 45th on the OrionRank 2022 North America, and 82nd on the OrionRank 2022; he was formerly ranked 1st on the Oklahoma Ultimate Power Rankings and 35th on the PGRU v3 NA.
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, ESAM was also a Pikachu main, considered the best Pikachu player in the world; he also had a Samus secondary, and was one of the best Samus players in the world alongside IcyMist. ESAM was ranked 1st on the final Oklahoma Smash 4 Power Rankings and 17th on the Panda Global Rankings 100; he was also formerly ranked 2nd on the South Florida Smash 4 Power Rankings.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, ESAM was a Pikachu and Ice Climbers co-main, and was considered the best Pikachu player in the world and one of the best Ice Climbers players in the world. ESAM was ranked at the 0 position on the final Florida Brawl Power Rankings, and was formerly ranked at the 0 position on the Carolina Brawl Power Rankings and 6th on the 2014 SSBBRank.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, he is a Samus player with a Fox secondary and is considered one of the best Samus players in the United States. ESAM was formerly ranked 4th on the South Florida Melee Power Rankings and 68th on the 2016 SSBMRank.
In Project M, ESAM is also a Samus and Pikachu player, and was considered one of the best Samus players in the world, alongside Plup.
ESAM regularly teams with MVD in doubles, and the pair are considered one of the best doubles teams in the world. They formerly lived in the same city in Oklahoma and regularly practice against each other.
On June 24th, 2015, alongside MVD and SS, ESAM was signed by Panda.[1] ESAM left the team after over 7 years, on January 15th, 2023.[2] On March 31st, 2023, ESAM was signed by 26 Rising.[3] His contract would end 3 months later on July 1st, 2023.[4]
Tournament history[edit]
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2010 MLG Pro Circuit[edit]
ESAM rose to fame when he placed 4th at MLG Orlando 2010. He lost to ADHD early in winners' bracket, but made a long run through losers' bracket, defeating players such as Candy, Fatal, and DieSuperFly, before being eliminated by Tyrant in losers' semis. He placed 8th at MLG Columbus 2010, defeating CO18, Choice, and Tyrant in losers' bracket after losing to Lee Martin in winners' bracket, before being eliminated by Dojo in losers' top 8, and 9th at MLG Raleigh 2010, defeating MVD and CO18 in winners' bracket before losing to Felix and NickRiddle. Lastly, he placed 4th at MLG DC 2010, losing to Havok in winners' bracket, but defeating NickRiddle, Lee Martin, Tyrant, Ally, and mikeHAZE to make it to losers' semis, where he lost to Mew2King.
By this time, ESAM had become recognized for his solid Pikachu play. Due to his great placings throughout the MLG 2010 circuit, ESAM received second seed in the championship bracket at MLG Dallas 2010, behind Ally. He lost to Gnes in winners' finals 1-3 and then proceeded to lose to Tyrant 1-3 in losers' finals, placing 3rd in the championship.
2011 to 2013[edit]
At Pound V, ESAM defeated Ally 2-1 in winners' bracket before losing to Anti 0-2 in winners' semis. He eliminated UltimateRazer 2-0 in losers' quarters, but lost to Ally 1-2 in a rematch in losers' semis, placing 4th. He placed 17th at WHOBO 3, losing to MVD 0-2 in winners' bracket and Illmatic in losers' bracket, and 9th at GENESIS 2, defeating Zex and Rich Brown in winners' bracket, before losing to Mew2King 1-3 in winners' bracket and Zex in a rematch in losers' bracket.
ESAM placed 4th at Apex 2012, defeating RAIN in winners' bracket before losing to Otori. In losers' bracket, he defeated Gnes, UltimateRazer 2-1, and Kakera 2-1, before losing to Nietono 0-3 in losers' semis. The last two matches of his set against Kakera are known as two of the greatest Ice Climbers ditto matches in Brawl history.
At SKTAR, ESAM defeated Salem 2-0, Nakat, Anti 2-1, and Ally 2-1 to make it to winners' finals, where he lost to Nairo 1-3. In losers' finals, he defeated Vinnie 3-0, including an Ice Climbers ditto victory. He lost to Nairo 0-3 in grand finals, placing 2nd. ESAM also won his first national in August 2012 at WHOBO 4. He defeated Denti, MJG, Kain, and Will in winners' bracket to make it to winners' finals, where he defeated Gnes 3-2. In grand finals, he defeated Ally 3-1.
At Apex 2013, ESAM defeated Leon 2-1 in winners' bracket, before losing to Anti 1-2. He defeated Suinoko in losers' bracket before being eliminated by Mr. R, finishing at 13th place. He attended SKTAR 2 later that year, where he lost to Tyrant 1-2 early in winners' bracket, and then made a run through losers' bracket, defeating Atomsk, Xzax, and Ally 2-1, before being eliminated by ZeRo 0-2 in losers' top 8, placing 7th.
2014 to 2015[edit]
At Apex 2014, ESAM defeated Salem and Tyrant in winners' bracket, and then defeated ZeRo 2-0 in winners' semis, including a 3-stock in game 2 whilst at only 22% damage. In winners' finals, he lost to Nairo 1-3, and he was then eliminated by ZeRo 0-3 in a rematch in losers' finals, placing 3rd. ESAM also entered Project M singles at the event, and placed 9th, defeating players such as OkamiBW, Eli, and Plup, before losing to Sethlon 0-2.
ESAM placed 3rd once again in Brawl singles at SKTAR 3. In winners' bracket, he defeated Leon and V115 2-0, as well as Ally 2-1 in winners' semis, in a set that went down to the last 5 seconds of game 3, with ESAM getting the final KO with a forward smash. In winners' finals, he lost to 9B 2-3, and then he was eliminated by Nairo 1-3 in losers' finals. ESAM also placed 4th in Project M singles, defeating Mango, ZeRo, and Zhime 2-0 in winners' bracket, before losing to Emukiller 1-3 in winners' semis. He defeated Armada 2-0 in losers' quarters before being eliminated by Mew2King 0-3 in losers' semis.
At CEO 2014, ESAM placed 9th in Project M singles, losing to Wizzrobe 0-2 in winners' bracket and NickRiddle 0-2 in losers' bracket.
At Super Smash Con, ESAM finished 2nd in Brawl singles. He beat MVD 3-0 in winners semis before losing to Mew2King 3-0 in winners finals. In losers' bracket, he defeated Nairo for the first time ever, 3-1 in losers finals. He lost 3-0 in a rematch with Mew2King in grand finals, where he went Samus in Game 2 and Bowser in Game 3.
Smash 4[edit]
At the beginning of Smash 4, ESAM was invited to Sky's Smash 4 Invitational where he lost to FOW 0-2 in winners. In losers he defeated Trela 2-1, Zinoto 2-0, FOW 3-0, and ZeRo 3-1 before losing to Mr. R 1-3 and placing second.
To start out 2015, ESAM entered Final Battle where he defeated Rich Brown in winners before losing to Larry Lurr. In losers, he defeated Bloodcross and SlayerZ before being eliminated by Zex and placing 5th. His next major event was CEO 2015, where he defeated Trela 2-0 and Dabuz 2-1 before being sent to losers 1-3 by ZeRo and eliminated by Larry Lurr 1-3 and netting another 5th place finish. He later attended EVO 2015, the largest smash tournament at the time where he defeated 8BitMan 2-0 and Regi 2-1 before being sent to losers by Abadango 1-2. In losers, he defeated SS 2-0 before being eliminated by Ally 1-2 and finishing at 7th place.
At Super Smash Con 2015, ESAM defeated DKwill 2-0, and 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 Angbad 2-0 and Zex 2-0 before losing to 6WX 0-2. In losers he defeated AC 2-0 before losing to 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 Megafox 2-1, Abadango 2-0, and Ally 3-2 before Ally defeated him 3-1 in both sets of grand finals. At The Big House 5 itself ESAM defeated smasher1001 2-0, and 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.
He finished 3rd in Smash 4 singles at MLG World Finals 2015. In winners' bracket, he beat NickRiddle 3-2, GrimTurtle 3-0, and Nairo's Dr. Mario 3-1 in winners semis before falling to ZeRo 3-1 in winners finals. He then lost a rematch with Nairo's Dr. Mario 3-0 in losers finals, where he switched to Samus in Game 3 after losing twice in a row with his Pikachu.
At Tipped Off 11, he defeated iPunchKidsz 2-0, and Leaf FC 2-0 to make it out of pools. In top 32 he defeated Kodystri 2-0, ScAtt 2-0, and Vinnie 3-1 before losing to ZeRo 1-3 in winners finals. In losers finals, he defeated Vinnie 3-1 again before being eliminated by ZeRo 3-0 and ultimately finishing 2nd.
To finish off the year, ESAM entered Frame Perfect Series where he defeated Day 2-0 to make it out of pools. In bracket ESAM lost to DJ Jack 1-2. In losers ESAM defeated Day 2-0 again, Ryo 2-1, Manny 3-2, and 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 Aarvark 2-0 and S2H 2-0 to make top 16. In top 16 he defeated falln 2-1 before losing to K9sbruce 1-3 in winners semis. ESAM was then defeated by Tyrant 2-3 and placed 5th place at his own tournament. At GENESIS 3, ESAM defeated Rice 2-0 before being upset by Teb 1-2 in round 2 pools. In losers' bracket, he defeated J! 2-1 and Seagull Joe 2-0 to make top 32. In top 32 he eliminated RIN 3-0 and 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 Jbandrew in top 32. In losers bracket he defeated 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 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.
At B.E.A.S.T 6, he finished 3rd in Smash 4 singles defeating vyQ 2-1. and cyve 2-0 to make top 8 winners side. In winners semis he defeated wilksy15 2-0 before losing to Mr. R 2-3 in winners finals and being upset by iStudying 2-3 in losers finals. He also placed 9th in Melee singles defeating Vanity Angel 2-1 in winners and Baxon 3-1 in losers. He also teamed with MVD to win Smash 4 doubles over Mr. R and cyve.
At Shots Fired 2, ESAM defeated Venom 2-1 to make top 32. In top 32 he lost to ANTi 2-0 and in losers he defeated C3PO 2-0 before being eliminated by Ranai 1-3. At Pound 2016 ESAM defeated Camalange 2-1 to make it to round 2 pools. In round 2 he defeated Wizzrobe 2-1 before losing to Marss 1-2. In losers bracket he defeated Raptor 2-0 to make top 16 where he defeated NAKAT 3-0 and was eliminated by Ally 2-3 and placing 9th. At TGC 7, ESAM was upset by CaptainZack 0-2 in pools. In top 32 he defeated RunC.T. 2-0, GrimTurtle 2-0, L.U.C.Y 2-0, Pugwest 2-0, and Karna 2-0 before being eliminated by his teammate MVD 0-2 and finishing in 5th place.
ESAM was able to end his losing streak by taking first at Paradigm Shift, defeating Fatality 3-0 in winners finals and grand finals. He also won Combo Breaker 2016 defeating smasher1001 2-0, Skorpio 2-0, Dekillsage 3-0, JJROCKETS 3-2, and Tyroy 3-2.
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, BoScotty 3-0, and Ksev 3-1 before being eliminated by False 2-3 and ultimately finishing in 4th place. At Low Tier City 4 ESAM lost to Hyuga 1-2 in bracket. In losers he defeated Aerolink and MJG to make top 8 losers side. In top 8 he defeated P2P with Gibus 3-0 before being eliminated by Hyuga 1-3. At CEO 2016 ESAM defeated Mister Eric 2-0 to make it out of pools. In top 64 he defeated Wrath 2-1 before losing to Dabuz 0-2 and being eliminated by Saj 1-2 and placing 17th. At EVO 2016 ESAM was upset by NickC 1-2 in pools. In losers he eliminated Sinji 2-0, Falln 2-0, DJ Jack 2-0, and 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 Seibrik, NickRiddle, and MVD, but not before MVD reset the bracket. At Super Smash Con 2016, ESAM defeated Rayquaza07 2-1 in round 2 pools before losing 0-2 to Ryo and Dark Wizzy, finishing at an all time low of 33rd place. However, he performed well in Melee, getting 13th and defeating lloD, Zhu, and Westballz.
ESAM saw a return to form starting at Shine 2016, where he defeated 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 ZeRo 1-3. In losers finals he defeated Dath 3-2 before being eliminated by ZeRo 0-3 in grand finals. At Trail Gaming League 9 he defeated True Blue, Saj 2-0, Wormynugget 2-1, dyr 3-0 and 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 Frozen 1-2 in round 1 pools. In losers he eliminated Puppeh 2-0 and Ned 2-1 before losing to CaptainZack 1-2 and placing yet another 33rd place. At Trail Gaming League 10, ESAM defeated Xaltis 2-0 and 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 JDB! 2-3 in winners quarters. In losers bracket, he eliminated Seth 3-1 to make top 8 losers side. In top 8, he eliminated Nero 3-0, 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 Skorpio 2-0, yeti 3-1, and JJROCKETS 3-0 and 3-1. At UGC Smash Open, he defeated James 2-0 and Salem 3-1 to make it out of pools. In top 48 he defeated 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.
At Don't Park on the Grass, ESAM was upset by Snickeldorf 0-2 in pools and after a long losers bracket run was eliminated by Captain L 0-3 finishing out the year at 9th place.
At the start of 2017, ESAM attended Smash Conference LXIX where he defeated Myran 2-0 before losing to Samsora 1-2 in winners quarters. In losers bracket ESAM defeated Child 2-1, NickRiddle 2-1, Wormynugget 2-0, and Mew2King 3-2, before being eliminated by Samsora 1-3 starting off the year with a solid 3rd place.
ESAM later traveled to California for 2GGC: GENESIS Saga and GENESIS 4. At 2GGC: GENESIS Saga ESAM was defeated by Zenyou 1-2 in winners finals of their pool. In losers he defeated Jingen 3-0 before being eliminated by Dabuz 0-3 and finishing at 25th place. At a pre-GENESIS 4 Mega Smash Mondays, he lost to Tyrant 1-2 and was sent to losers. In losers, he defeated Marss 2-1, Javi 2-1, and Tyrant 2-1, before losing to MkLeo 0-3 and finishing in 4th place. At GENESIS 4, ESAM was upset by AeroLink 0-2 in winners finals of their round 1 pools. In losers, ESAM went on a losers bracket run defeating False 2-0, Mr. ConCon 2-1, Samsora 2-1, Ito 2-0, Earth 3-1, and Chag 3-0 before losing to ZeRo 1-3 and finishing at 13th place.
In February ESAM was invited to Niconico Tokaigi 2017. At the event he defeated Kameme 2-0 before falling to Kirihara 1-2 and KEN 0-2 to finish 9th.
ESAM was invited to PAX Arena at PAX East 2017 where he lost to Larry Lurr 2-3 in winners. In losers he defeated Pink Fresh 3-2 and Marss 3-1 before losing to Dabuz 1-3 en route to a 4th place finish.
At Frame Perfect Series 2, ESAM defeated dyr 2-0 and Cashmere 3-1 on his way to winners quarters. His run ended at 9th place with back to back losses to Kirihara 0-3 and Salem 2-3.
At 2GGC: Civil War, ESAM placed 17th, outplacing many upset top players. His run started with a very close 2-1 victory over Raffi-X to make it out of pools. In top 96 ESAM lost to Kirihara 0-3 sending him to the losers bracket where he defeated ImHip 3-0 to make it into top 32. His true accomplishment at the tournament was that he finally took a set from Ally. After losing game 1 with Mewtwo, he then opted with the low-tier character Samus, and took 3 straight games from Ally in dominant fashion. His run was then ended by HIKARU's Donkey Kong in a 1-3 set loss.
At Dubai x VG Bootcamp, ESAM placed 1st, defeating Fairess 2-0, Pugwest 3-0, Marss 3-1 and MVD 3-2.
At the Florida national CEO Dreamland, ESAM defeated Bloodcross and NAKAT 2-1 as well as Larry Lurr 3-1 and VoiD 3-2 to make top 8 winners side. Once in top 8 ESAM fell to ZeRo and Dabuz both 1-3 and ultimately finished in 5th 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.
Best Pikachu returns[edit]
Prior to the release of Ultimate, ESAM was already hyping up 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 Don't Park on the Grass 2018, where he placed 2nd out of over 500 players and falling only to MVD.
Sticking with Pikachu, ESAM began the first Ultimate season with a strong 7th place finish at GENESIS 6, defeating Ally and 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 Battle of BC 3 over Ally, ESAM saw mediocre results on a national level, placing 65th at Frostbite 2019, 33rd at 2GG: Prime Saga, and 25th at Pound 2019. He also struggled against the Peach matchup and notably lost two sets against the up-and-coming Peach player 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 Get On My Level 2019, where ESAM ran through Ally, Cosmos, Nairo, and even MkLeo to ultimately place 3rd, his best tournament run of the season. ESAM capped off the first season with a 9th place at 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 Low Tier City 7 and EVO 2019, losing to players who weren't ranked on the PGR at that time. His performances at other supermajors such as Super Smash Con 2019 and 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 Glitch 7 - Minus World and 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 Dabuz and Zackray, but fell to his bracket demons MuteAce and Maister to place 5th. These results, as well as his victory at the Canadian regional 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 Glitch 8 - Missingno and 4th at GENESIS 7. The season, however, was cut short due to the 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 The Quarantine Series Opening Invitational, he placed 9th at the next Quarantine Series tournament, defeating Kola. His final, and best, notable placement was at The Box, where despite being upset by Gos, he made a grueling Loser's run, defeating Sparg0 and 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 The Pandemic Anniversary Series by winning the second qualifier, Return to Subspace: ONLINE, over Capitancito, and saw another top 8 placement at the fourth qualifier, Collision Online 2021. He then qualified for the SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals by placing 2nd at SWT: NA Southeast Ultimate Online Qualifier, losing to Vendetta twice. His final notable tournament of the online era was at 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.
Brief contender for the best[edit]
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 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 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 Super Smash Con: Fall Fest, he fell short significantly by losing to ApolloKage and IcyMist to place 17th. Although he came out of Round Robin on the winner's side at SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals, he fell to Kola and Wrath to place 7th, failing to qualify for the championship tournament. His final two tournaments - Mainstage 2021 and 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 Light and Kola - and 18th in the world on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
Decline[edit]
The first half of ESAM's 2022 was rather uneventful, as he only attended 3 notable tournaments: GENESIS 8, Combo Breaker 2022, and Battle of BC 4. He only had a single top 50 win -- 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 Mii Brawler throughout most of the tournament,[5] 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 Shine 2022 and Lost Tech City 2022, defeating MuteAce in the latter event, he placed lukewarmly at The Big House 10 and 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 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 Santa Paws, with his only top 100 player win being 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 ShinyMark throughout 2023 and into 2024, who eventually replaced ESAM as Pikachu's primary top-level representative.
Playstyle[edit]
ESAM is characterized for heavy aggression, with the ability to quickly switch into a campy and defensive playstyle. He is also known for his prowess in edge guarding and combo game with Pikachu, who he has mained across most of the Smash titles.
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 lacks the ability to find a way back into the match unless he regains the momentum to quickly fight back. 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.
Rankings[edit]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
SSBMRank[edit]
| Ranking | Time Period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSBMRank 2013 | January - November 2013 | 93rd |  |
|
| SSBMRank 2014 | January - October 5th, 2014 | 100th | |
|
| SSBMRank 2015 | 2015 | 81st | |
|
| SSBMRank 2016 | January 15th - December 4th, 2016 | 68th |  |
Florida Power Rankings/South Florida Power Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2015 | 4th | |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
RetroSSBBRank[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 9th |  |
|
| 2011 | 13th | |
|
| 2012 | 4th |  |
|
| 2013 | 20th | |
|
| 2014 | 6th | |
SSBBRank[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSBBRank 2014 | 6th | |
Florida Power Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2010 | 4th | |
|
| October 2010 | 2nd | |
|
| April 2011 | 1st | |
North Carolina Power Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2012 | 1st | |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]
Panda Global Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Time Period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGR v1 | January 2015 - May 2016 | 14th |   |
|
| PGR v2 | May - December 2016 | 27th | |
|
| PGR v3 | January 7th - June 18th, 2017 | 18th |   |
|
| PGR v4 | June 24th - December 3rd, 2017 | 21st | |
|
| PGR v5 | December 23rd, 2017 - July 1st, 2018 | 21st | |
|
| PGR 100 | January 20th, 2015 - November 18, 2018 | 17th | |
OrionRank[edit]
| Ranking | Time Period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OrionRank 2016 | March 15th - December 18th, 2016 | 16th | |
|
| OrionRank 2017 | December 24th, 2016 - December 24th, 2017 | 15th | |
|
| OrionRank Mid-Spring 2018 | January 1st - May 1st, 2018 | 17th | |
|
| OrionRank 2018 | January 1st - December 2nd, 2018 | 24th | |
Oklahoma Power Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2018 | 1st | |
|
| Fall 2018 | 1st | |
Florida Power Rankings/South Florida Power Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2015 | 1st | |
|
| Summer/Fall 2016 | 1st | |
|
| January 2017 | 1st | |
|
| Winter 2017 | 1st | |
|
| Q2 2017 | 1st | |
|
| Q3 2017 | 1st | |
|
| 2018 | 2nd | |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
Panda Global Rankings Ultimate[edit]
| Ranking | Time Period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2019 PGRU | February 1st - July 7th, 2019 | 16th |  |
|
| Fall 2019 PGRU | July 13th - December 15th, 2019 | 14th | |
|
| PGRUContenders NA | 2021 | A | |
|
| PGRU v3 NA | March 1st - June 13th, 2022 | 35th |  |
OrionRank Ultimate[edit]
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OrionRank Ultimate: Six Months In | January 5th-June 30th, 2019 | 18th | |
|
| OrionRank 2019 | January 5th-December 15th, 2019 | 14th | |
|
| OrionRank Pre-Quarantine | December 27th, 2019-March 15th, 2020 | 8th | |
|
| OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse | April 2020-December 19th, 2021 | 18th | |
|
| OrionRank Mid-Year 2022 | December 22nd, 2021-June 26th, 2022 | HM | |
|
| OrionRank 2022 | December 22nd, 2021-December 18th, 2022 | 82nd | |
Wi-Fi Warrior Rank[edit]
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5 |
January 11th-June 29th, 2020 | 14th | |
|
| Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7 |
January 2nd-June 30th, 2021 | 18th | |
OrionRank North America[edit]
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OrionRank North America Top 200 | January 2019-March 2020 | 8th | |
|
| OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse North America | June 2020-December 19th, 2021 | 11th | |
|
| OrionRank 2022 North America | December 22nd, 2021-December 18th, 2022 | 45th | |
LumiRank North America[edit]
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LumiRank 2023 North America | December 19th, 2022-December 17th, 2023 | 139th | |
Oklahoma Power Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2019 | 2nd |  |
|
| Q2 2019 | 1st | |
|
| Q3 2019 | 1st | |
|
| Q4 2019 | 1st | |
Florida Power Rankings/Central Florida Power Rankings[edit]
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2023 | 5th | |
Tournament placings[edit]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smashathon | May 19th, 2007 | 7th / 22 | 2nd / 8 | Rexx |
| Doodah 3 | December 29th, 2007 | 4th / 41 | 7th / 16 | Phanna |
| Gigabits 1/12 | January 12th, 2008 | 9th / 24 | 7th / 29 | Phanna |
| FAST 1 | July 17th-20th, 2008 | 13th / 78 | — | — |
| Winterfest | December 18th-20th, 2009 | 9th / 63 | — | — |
| GENESIS 2 | July 15th-17th, 2011 | 41st / 228 | — | — |
| Apex 2013 | January 11th-13th, 2013 | 33rd / 336 | — | — |
| Geeksboro 3 | November 2nd, 2013 | 2nd / 44 | 1st / 13 | PPMD |
| Apex 2014 | January 17th-19th, 2014 | 49th / 629 | — | — |
| Smash Carolina 3 | March 1st, 2014 | 1st / 30 | 1st / 10 | Starlord |
| Shell Shocked XV | May 10th, 2014 | 4th / 64 | — | — |
| CEO 2014 | June 27th-29th, 2014 | — | 4th / 40 | ZeRo |
| Tipped Off 10 | September 20th-21st, 2014 | 13th / 175 | 3rd / 44 | Axe |
| DIME 15 | June 13th, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| Paragon Los Angeles 2015 | September 5th-6th, 2015 | 17th / 547 | — | — |
| The Big House 5 | October 2nd-4th, 2015 | 25th / 1,317 | — | — |
| Tipped Off 11 | November 7th-8th, 2015 | 5th / 336 | 17th / 70 | Junebug |
| Frame Perfect Series | November 21st, 2015 | 5th / 49 | — | — |
| GENESIS 3 | January 15th-17th, 2016 | 65th / 1,828 | — | — |
| B.E.A.S.T 6 | February 19th-21st, 2016 | 9th / 410 | — | — |
| Tiger Smash 4 | March 26th-27th, 2016 | 2nd / 75 | 3rd / 23 | Starlord |
| TGC 7 | April 9th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Summit 2 | April 21st-24th, 2016 | 13th / 16 | 7th / 8 | Ice |
| DreamHack Austin 2016 | May 6th-8th, 2016 | 17th / 398 | — | — |
| Combo Breaker 2016 | May 27th-29th, 2016 | 4th / 118 | — | — |
| Low Tier City 4 | June 18th-19th, 2016 | 4th / 294 | 2nd / 51 | Hungrybox |
| CEO 2016 | June 24th-26th, 2016 | 65th / 678 | — | — |
| Smash @ Xanadu Wednesdays 7/6 | July 6th, 2016 | 1st / 66 | — | — |
| EVO 2016 | July 15th-17th, 2016 | 513th / 2,372 | — | — |
| Super Smash Con 2016 | August 11th-14th, 2016 | 13th / 940 | — | — |
| The Smash House | September 23rd-25th, 2016 | 5th / 16 | 4th / 7 | FlaminRoy |
| The Big House 6 | October 7th-9th, 2016 | — | 17th / 323 | Kage |
| Gamers Fight Cancer | October 22nd-23rd, 2016 | 2nd / 34 | 1st / 13 | Mojo |
| Smash the Record 2016 | November 11th-14th, 2016 | 65th / 390 | — | — |
| ASH@WIT #85 | November 18th, 2016 | 3rd / 62 | — | — |
| Smash Conference LXIX | January 7th, 2017 | — | 5th / 18 | Hungrybox |
| DreamHack Austin 2017 | April 28th-30th, 2017 | — | 5th / 66 | Hungrybox |
| DreamHack Montreal 2017 | September 8th-10th, 2017 | 9th / 212 | 4th / 65 | Dizzkidboogie |
| DreamHack Denver 2017 | October 20th-22nd, 2017 | — | 13th / 64 | Joey |
| Flatiron 3 | April 21st, 2018 | 33rd / 316 | 17th / 86 | Joey |
| Combo Breaker 2018 | May 25th-27th, 2018 | — | 4th / 16 | Joey |
| DreamHack Austin 2018 | June 1st-3rd, 2018 | 13th / 393 | — | — |
| Low Tier City 7 | July 12th-14th, 2019 | — | 13th / 48 | Joey |
| Ludwig Ahgren Championship Series 4 |
January 29th-30th, 2022 | 129th / 2,422 | — | — |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAST 1 | July 17th-20th, 2008 | 33rd / 122 | 17th / 46 | NickRiddle |
| Zero Ping Monthlies | August 15th, 2009 | 3rd | — | — |
| Winterfest | December 18th-20th, 2009 | 17th / 89 | 7th / 31 | MVD |
| MLG Orlando 2010 | April 16th-18th, 2010 | 4th / 184 | 13th / 45 | MVD |
| MLG Columbus 2010 | June 4th-6th, 2010 | 8th / 250 | 9th / 64 | MVD |
| MLG Raleigh 2010 | August 27th-29th, 2010 | 9th / 148 | 4th / 42 | MVD |
| MLG DC 2010 | October 15th-17th, 2010 | 4th / 174 | 5th / 42 | MVD |
| MLG Dallas 2010 | November 5th-7th, 2010 | 3rd / 182 | 4th / 48 | MVD |
| Pound V | February 19th-21st, 2011 | 4th / 151 | 3rd / 48 | MVD |
| WHOBO 3 | March 18th-20th, 2011 | 17th / 139 | 9th / 50 | MVD |
| WHOBO 3 LT | March 18th-20th, 2011 | 7th / 47 | 1st / 21 | Poltergust |
| GENESIS 2 | July 15th-17th, 2011 | 9th / 197 | 4th / 64 | MVD |
| Apex 2012 | January 6th-8th, 2012 | 4th / 400 | 13th / 128 | MVD |
| SKTAR | July 14th-15th, 2012 | 2nd / 140 | 5th / 52 | Mekos |
| Smashed Together | July 28th, 2012 | 1st / 37 | 2nd / 11 | MVD |
| WHOBO 4 | August 4th-5th, 2012 | 1st / 96 | 2nd / 39 | MVD |
| WABA | November 10th, 2012 | 1st / 103 | 5th / 32 | Mink |
| Apex 2013 | January 11th-13th, 2013 | 13th / 338 | 17th / 110 | MVD |
| Xanadu Games Harlem Shake Edition | February 23rd, 2013 | 2nd / 16 | 1st / 8 | ZeRo |
| SKTAR 2 | August 3rd-4th, 2013 | 7th / 141 | 17th / 45 | MVD |
| Apex 2014 | January 17th-19th, 2014 | 3rd / 370 | 3rd / 114 | MVD |
| Smash @ Xanadu Tuesday 5/6 | May 6th, 2014 | 2nd / 14 | — | — |
| NickRiddle & 8Bitman's May Brawl/PM Monthly | May 17th, 2014 | 3rd / 10 | — | — |
| SKTAR 3 | May 31st-June 1st, 2014 | 3rd / 97 | 3rd / 30 | MVD |
| Tournament:Final Battle | January 17th, 2015 | 2nd (Split) | 2nd (Split) | MVD |
| Super Smash Con 2015 | August 6th-9th, 2015 | 2nd / 121 | 13th / 23 | MVD |
| Super Smash Con 2016 | August 11th-14th, 2016 | 65th / 151 | — | — |
Project M[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smash @ Xanadu Monthly - 2/23 | February 23rd, 2013 | — | 1st / 9 | PPMD |
| Apex 2014 | January 17th-19th, 2014 | 9th / 382 | — | — |
| Smash Carolina 3 | March 1st, 2014 | 1st / 43 | 1st / 15 | Atlas |
| Smash @ Xanadu Tuesday 5/6 | May 6th, 2014 | 2nd / 46 | — | — |
| Shell Shocked XV | May 10th, 2014 | 1st / 43 | 1st / 9 | Seagull Joe |
| NickRiddle & 8Bitman's May Brawl/PM Monthly | May 17th, 2014 | 1st / 13 | — | — |
| SKTAR 3 | May 31st-June 1st, 2014 | 4th / 256 | 4th / 64 | MVD |
| 'No JEANS' | June 7th, 2014 | 1st / 19 | 3rd / 5 | Teachable |
| Infinity and Beyond! 58 | June 11th, 2015 | 7th | — | — |
| CEO 2014 | June 27th-29th, 2014 | 9th / 255 | 5th / 34 | MVD |
| Tipped Off 10 | September 20th-21st, 2014 | 5th / 100 | 2nd / 18 | MVD |
| Frame Perfect Series | November 21st, 2015 | 4th / 29 | — | — |
| Shots Fired 2 | March 5th-6th, 2016 | 9th / 109 | 5th / 28 | Strong Bad |
| Smash @ Xanadu Wednesdays 7/6 | July 6th, 2016 | 1st / 29 | — | — |
| Smash 'N' Splash 3 | June 2nd-4th, 2017 | 97th (DQ) / 319 | 17th / 76 | MVD |
| Smashadelphia 2017 | June 23rd-25th, 2017 | 17th / 100 | 9th / 18 | Pixel |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smash Carolina V | October 4th, 2014 | 1st / 51 | — | — |
| Xanadu Smash 4 Invitational | November 6th, 2014 | 9th / 16 | — | — |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sky's Smash 4 Invitational | November 20th-22nd, 2014 | 2nd | 1st | Nairo |
| Sm4sh @ Arcade Oddyssey 11-28-14 | November 28th, 2014 | 1st | — | — |
| Sm4sh @ Arcade Oddyssey 12-26-14 | December 26th, 2014 | 1st | — | — |
| Kumite in Tennessee 15 | January 9th-11th, 2015 | 2nd | 1st | Reflex |
| Final Battle | January 17th, 2015 | 5th | 9th | MVD |
| Smash 4 Our Sins 2 | March 21st, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Versus Smash 4 Weekly 5/7/15 | May 7th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| 2015 Versus EVO Qualifier | May 16th, 2015 | 1st | 13th | PRETTYWING |
| Versus Smash 4 Weekly 5/21/15 | May 21st, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| Versus Smash 4 Weekly 5/28/15 | May 28th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Tampa Never Sleeps | May 31st, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Versus Smash 4 Weekly 6/4/15 | June 4th, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| Shockwave 33 | June 10th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Versus Smash 4 Weekly 6/18/15 | June 18th, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| CEO 2015 | June 26th-28th, 2015 | 5th | 5th | MVD |
| EVO 2015 | July 17th-19th, 2015 | 7th | 17th | MVD |
| Super Smash Con 2015 | August 6th-9th, 2015 | 2nd | 3rd | MVD |
| Paragon Los Angeles 2015 | September 5th-6th, 2015 | 13th | — | — |
| Smashfield Weekly #9 | October 1st, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| The Big House 5 | October 2nd-4th, 2015 | 9th | 4th | MVD |
| MLG World Finals 2015 | October 16th-18th, 2015 | 3rd | — | — |
| Tipped Off 11 | November 7th-8th, 2015 | 2nd | 2nd | MVD |
| Frame Perfect Series | November 21st, 2015 | 4th | 2nd | MVD |
| Hot Import Nights Tournament #4 | December 26th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GGT: ESAM Saga | January 9th, 2016 | 5th | 2nd | ZeRo |
| GENESIS 3 | January 15th-17th, 2016 | 13th | 17th | MVD |
| PAX Arena | January 29th-31st, 2016 | 7th | 5th | MVD |
| TGC 6 | February 6th, 2016 | Top 8 | 3rd | MVD |
| B.E.A.S.T 6 | February 19th-21st, 2016 | 3rd | 1st | MVD |
| Shots Fired 2 | March 5th-6th, 2016 | 13th | 4th | MVD |
| Salt in the City 3 | March 12th, 2016 | 1st | 4th | Starlord |
| Tiger Smash 4 | March 26th-27th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Romano_Loxley |
| Pound 2016 | April 2nd-3rd, 2016 | 9th | 4th | MVD |
| TGC 7 | April 9th, 2016 | 5th | 2nd | MVD |
| Paradigm Shift | May 21st-22nd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | NickRiddle |
| Combo Breaker 2016 | May 27th-29th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| Midwest Mayhem 3 | June 4th, 2016 | 4th | 1st | MVD |
| Low Tier City 4 | June 18th-19th, 2016 | 5th | 3rd | MVD |
| CEO 2016 | June 24th-26th, 2016 | 17th | 13th | MVD |
| Smash @ Xanadu Tuesdays 7/5 | July 5th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| EVO 2016 | July 15th-17th, 2016 | 25th | — | — |
| Trail Gaming League 8 | August 6th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Super Smash Con 2016 | August 11th-14th, 2016 | 33rd | 17th | MVD |
| VSGC Weekly 8/18 | August 18th, 2016 | 4th | — | — |
| Shine 2016 | August 26th-28th, 2016 | 2nd | 2nd | ZeRo |
| Trail Gaming League 9 | September 10th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| The Big House 6 | October 7th-9th, 2016 | 33rd | 7th | MVD |
| Trail Gaming League 10 | October 15th, 2016 | 3rd | 1st | MVD |
| Gamers Fight Cancer | October 22nd-23rd, 2016 | 3rd | 2nd | MVD |
| Ignition #55 | November 2nd, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Poplar Creek Bowl Weekly #72 | November 3rd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| Midwest Mayhem 5 | November 5th, 2016 | 3rd | 1st | MVD |
| Smash the Record 2016 | November 11th-14th, 2016 | 1st | 2nd | MVD |
| Kings of the North V | November 19th-20th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | JJROCKETS |
| UGC Smash Open | December 2nd-4th, 2016 | 3rd | 7th | MVD |
| Don't Park on the Grass | December 17th-18th, 2016 | 9th | 1st | MVD |
| VSGC Weekly 12/22 | December 22nd, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| VSGC Weekly 12/29 | December 29th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Conference LXIX | January 7th, 2017 | 3rd | 3rd | MVD |
| 2GGC: GENESIS Saga | January 14th, 2017 | 25th | 2nd | MVD |
| Mega Smash Mondays 81 | January 16th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| GENESIS 4 | January 20th-22nd, 2017 | 13th | 7th | MVD |
| Niconico Tokaigi 2017 | February 11th-12th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| VSGC Weekly 2/23 | February 23rd, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Choctaw Festival of Gaming | March 3rd-5th, 2017 | 1st | ??? | ??? |
| PAX Arena at PAX East 2017 | March 12th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| VSGC Weekly 3/16 | March 16th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Frame Perfect Series 2 | March 18th-19th, 2017 | 9th | 3rd | MVD |
| 2GGC: Civil War | March 24th-26th, 2017 | 17th | 7th | MVD |
| Dubai X VGBootcamp | March 31st-April 1st, 2017 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| VSGC Weekly 4/6 | April 6th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| CEO Dreamland | April 14th-16th, 2017 | 5th | 7th | MVD |
| DreamHack Austin 2017 | April 28th-30th, 2017 | 5th | 3rd | MVD |
| TGL Monthly 15 | May 6th-7th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| Riot | May 20th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| Backthrow Thursdays #12 | May 25th, 2017 | 2nd | 1st | MVD |
| Combo Breaker 2017 | May 26th-28th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| Smash 'N' Splash 3 | June 2nd-4th, 2017 | 5th | 3rd | MVD |
| TGL Monthly 16 | June 10th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | MuteAce |
| CEO 2017 | June 16th-18th, 2017 | 17th | — | — |
| Smashadelphia 2017 | June 23rd-25th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | WaDi |
| UNLOCKED | July 1st, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Divided | July 8th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| EVO 2017 | July 14th-16th, 2017 | 49th | — | — |
| DreamHack Atlanta 2017 | July 21st-23rd, 2017 | 9th | 5th | MVD |
| Low Tier City 5 | August 5th-6th, 2017 | 4th | 3rd | Mekos |
| Super Smash Con 2017 | August 10th-13th, 2017 | 13th | 7th | MVD |
| Shine 2017 | August 25th-27th, 2017 | 13th | 5th | MVD |
| DreamHack Montreal 2017 | September 8th-10th, 2017 | 2nd | 4th | MVD |
| Smash the Record 2017 | September 14th-17th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| GameTyrant Expo 2017 | September 29th-October 1st, 2017 | 17th | 7th | MVD |
| The Big House 7 | October 6th-8th, 2017 | 25th | 5th | MVD |
| DreamHack Denver 2017 | October 20th-22nd, 2017 | 5th | 1st | MVD |
| Too Hot to Handle | October 28th-29th, 2017 | 3rd | 2nd | MVD |
| 2GGC: MkLeo Saga | November 4th, 2017 | 17th | 7th | MVD |
| Super FamiCon 2017 | November 19th, 2017 | 2nd | 5th | Mekos |
| GENESIS 5 | January 19th-21st, 2018 | 7th | 2nd | MVD |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #18 | January 24th, 2018 | 7th | — | — |
| EVO Japan 2018 | January 26th-28th, 2018 | 13th | — | — |
| Frostbite 2018 | February 9th-11th, 2018 | 65th (DQ) | 9th | MVD |
| EGLX 2018 | March 9th-11th, 2018 | 3rd | 2nd | MVD |
| Courtyard Clash #1 | March 26th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| Courtyard Clash #2 | April 9th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Flatiron 3 | April 21st, 2018 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| No Moore Johns 36 | April 27th, 2018 | 1st | 1st | MVD |
| No Moore Johns 38 | May 11th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| Get On My Level 2018 | May 18th-20th, 2018 | 13th | 4th | MVD |
| Combo Breaker 2018 | May 25th-27th, 2018 | 3rd | 1st | MVD |
| DreamHack Austin 2018 | June 1st-3rd, 2018 | 2nd | 2nd | MVD |
| No Moore Johns 41 | June 8th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| No Moore Johns 43 | June 22nd, 2018 | 3rd | — | — |
| CEO 2018 | June 29th-July 1st, 2018 | 33rd | 5th | MVD |
| No Moore Johns 46 | July 13th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| No Moore Johns 47 | July 20th, 2018 | 2nd | 1st | MVD |
| Low Tier City 6 | July 27th-29th, 2018 | 3rd | 3rd | MVD |
| EVO 2018 | August 3rd-5th, 2018 | 13th | — | — |
| Super Smash Con 2018 | August 9th-12th, 2018 | 33rd | 7th | MVD |
| Sooner Smash Dojo #72 | August 31st, 2018 | 2nd | 1st | MVD |
| DreamHack Montreal 2018 | September 7th-9th, 2018 | 4th | 5th | MVD |
| Sooner Smash Dojo #75 | September 28th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| The Big House 8 | October 5th-7th, 2018 | 2nd | 5th | MVD |
| Sooner Smash Dojo #77 | October 12th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| DreamHack Atlanta 2018 | November 16th-18th, 2018 | 5th | 3rd | Fatality |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 Placement | 2v2 Placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don't Park on the Grass 2018 | December 15th-16th, 2018 | 2nd | 1st | MVD |
| Resurgence 3 | December 26th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| The Grind Fridays 60 | January 18th, 2019 | 1st | 2nd | MVD |
| Glitch 6 | January 20th, 2019 | 13th | 3rd | MVD |
| GENESIS 6 | February 1st-3rd, 2019 | 7th | 3rd | MVD |
| Ultimate Shockwave 11 | February 20th, 2019 | 2nd | 1st | MVD |
| Frostbite 2019 | February 22nd-24th, 2019 | 65th | 2nd | MVD |
| Ultimate Nimbus | March 3rd, 2019 | 2nd | — | — |
| Mega Smash Mondays 179 | March 3rd, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Full Bloom 5 | March 23rd-24th, 2019 | 4th | 2nd | MVD |
| Battle of BC 3 | March 30-31st, 2019 | 1st | 2nd | Captain L |
| 2GG: Prime Saga | April 13th-14th, 2019 | 33rd | 17th | VoiD |
| Pound 2019 | April 19th-21st, 2019 | 25th | 7th | MVD |
| Goodwill of Orange County's Charity Invitational | April 27th-28th, 2019 | 5th | — | — |
| Thunder Smash | May 5th, 2019 | 5th | — | — |
| Get On My Level 2019 | May 17th-19th, 2019 | 3rd | 3rd | MVD |
| Combo Breaker 2019 | May 24th-26th, 2019 | 5th | 1st | MVD |
| DreamHack Dallas 2019 | May 31st-June 2nd, 2019 | 3rd | 1st | MVD |
| CEO 2019 | June 28th-30th, 2019 | 9th | — | — |
| Low Tier City 7 | July 12th-14th, 2019 | 17th | 4th | MVD |
| EVO 2019 | August 2nd-4th, 2019 | 25th | — | — |
| Super Smash Con 2019 | August 8th-11th, 2019 | 9th | 4th | MVD |
| Shine 2019 | August 23rd-25th, 2019 | 9th | 9th | MVD |
| DreamHack Montreal 2019 | September 6th-8th, 2019 | 2nd | 1st | Marss |
| The Grind 92 | September 13th, 2019 | 2nd | — | — |
| Glitch 7 - Minus World | September 14-15th, 2019 | 1st | 3rd | MVD |
| The Big House 9 | October 4th-6th, 2019 | 13th | 33rd | MVD |
| Thunder Smash Thursday! #20 | October 10th, 2019 | 3rd | — | — |
| Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas | October 12th-13th, 2019 | 9th | — | — |
| Rising Stars at EGLX 2019 | October 18th-20th, 2019 | 1st | 1st | tamim |
| Smash Ultimate Summit 2 | October 24th-27th, 2019 | 5th | — | — |
| DreamHack Atlanta 2019 | November 15th-17th, 2019 | 9th | 5th | MVD |
| Mango's Birthday Bash | December 7th-8th, 2019 | 1st | 2nd | Plup |
| The Grind 110 | January 17th, 2020 | 9th | — | — |
| Glitch 8 - Missingno | January 18th-19th, 2020 | 3rd | 1st | MVD |
| GENESIS 7 | January 24th-26th, 2020 | 4th | 7th | MVD |
| Salt Water Smash 173 | February 20th, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series Opening Invitational |
March 29th, 2020 | 17th | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series: Minor Tournament 1 |
April 18th-19th, 2020 | 9th | — | — |
| BUK CAKES INVITATIONAL 1 |
April 30th, 2020 | 3rd | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series: Major Tournament 1 |
May 2nd, 2020 | 9th | — | — |
| The Box |
May 8th-10th, 2020 | 4th | — | — |
| King of WiFi Random Characters |
May 30th, 2020 | 33rd | — | — |
| Fight For Rights: An East Coast Edition Charity Event |
June 14th, 2020 | 4th | — | — |
| Get On My Line 2020 |
July 25th-26th, 2020 | 7th | — | — |
| Maister's RNG Invitational |
September 25th, 2020 | 4th | — | — |
| GOML North American Open: Southeast USA |
September 26th-27th, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| GOML North American Open: Finale |
November 7th, 2020 | 5th | — | — |
| Gaming For Tots |
December 12th, 2020 | 25th | — | — |
| The Host Up Invitational 2 |
February 27th, 2021 | 5th | — | — |
| Return to Subspace: ONLINE |
April 10th, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| CUP Smash’s Charity Tournament |
April 17th, 2021 | 9th | — | — |
| Proving Grounds Invitational |
April 22nd, 2021 | 5th | — | — |
| Collision Online 2021 |
April 24th, 2021 | 7th | — | — |
| King 2021 |
May 2nd, 2021 | 2nd | — | — |
| SWT: NA Southeast Ultimate Online Qualifier |
May 15th-16th, 2021 | 2nd | — | — |
| Pandemic Anniversary Series: Finale |
May 29th, 2021 | 7th | — | — |
| The Grind 156 | September 24th, 2021 | 3rd | — | — |
| Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code | September 24th-26th, 2021 | 1st | 4th | Zomba |
| Super Smash Con: Fall Fest | October 15th-17th, 2021 | 17th | — | — |
| SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals | November 6th-7th, 2021 | 7th | — | — |
| Mainstage 2021 | November 12th-14th, 2021 | 13th | 1st | MVD |
| CEO 2021 | December 3rd-5th, 2021 | 7th | — | — |
| GENESIS 8 | April 15th-17th, 2022 | 25th | 3rd | MVD |
| Combo Breaker 2022 | May 27th-29th, 2022 | 9th | — | — |
| Battle of BC 4 | June 10th-12th, 2022 | 9th | 1st | MVD |
| Panda Cup Online Qualifier: Southeast USA 2 |
August 4th, 2022 | 1st | — | — |
| Shine 2022 | August 26th-28th, 2022 | 7th | 5th | yonni |
| Lost Tech City 2022 | September 30th-October 2nd, 2022 | 9th | — | — |
| The Big House 10 | October 7th-9th, 2022 | 17th | — | — |
| DreamHack Atlanta 2022 | November 18th-20th, 2022 | 13th | 4th | MVD |
| GENESIS 9 | January 20th-22nd, 2023 | 65th | 7th | MVD |
| Collision 2023 | March 10th-12th, 2023 | 33rd | 9th | MVD |
| MAJOR UPSET | April 1st-2nd, 2023 | 33rd | 7th | FireThePyro |
| Combo Breaker 2023 | May 26th-28th, 2023 | 5th | 1st | MVD |
| CEO 2023 | June 23rd-25th, 2023 | 7th / 513 | — | — |
| Super Smash Con 2023 | August 10th-13th, 2023 | 33rd / 2,607 | 9th / 567 | MVD |
| Santa Paws | December 8th-10th, 2023 | 13th / 181 | 2nd / 24 | ShinyMark |
| GENESIS X | February 16th-18th, 2024 | 65th / 1,506 | 7th / 302 | MVD |
| Cirque Du CFL 3 | March 9th-10th, 2024 | 13th / 225 | 4th / 49 | MVD |
| Supernova 2024 | August 8th-11th, 2024 | 65th / 2,281 | 17th / 497 | MVD |
Controversy[edit]
Hypocrisy allegations[edit]
ESAM has made several statements in the past deemed hypocritical by numerous members of the Smash community. On July 16th, 2020, Technicals would make a video about ESAM describing some of these instances [1].
Throughout the years 2012 to 2014, ESAM would say multiple racial slurs on websites such as Smashboards and on NAKAT's stream [2]. One of the comments, "go boxing ring", has since become a meme in the community. Since then, however, ESAM has harassed multiple people for doing similar acts. This includes Bocchi, who was 15 when she said slurs, whereas ESAM was 22. ESAM also notably called for people to harass Kiyarash over a screenshot of someone using his username to say multiple slurs. In the past, he had done the same thing to FOW and MJG when false allegations were made about them. After the Kiyarash incident, ESAM then made a tweet criticizing other Smash players for "supporting cancel culture" and for trying to actively harm someone's image despite his previous actions [3].
ESAM would eventually make a video called "Accountability" apologizing for his actions [4]. He would also make a Twitter thread where he would apologize to MJG and FOW for promoting the false claims made about them. This section, in particular, was criticized heavily as ESAM also mentioned that he will keep believing every victim who makes a story [5].
On November 17th, 2020, ESAM would reply to Epic_Gabriel, sending an extremely vulgar Tweet in response to him winning an offline local during a pandemic. [6] After Tweeting this, he received a huge amount of backlash for "being too harsh" on Gabe and for not saying anything when his brother NickRiddle was also attending locals during the pandemic.
Libel allegations[edit]
On August 14th, 2011, ESAM would come out against Mew2King claiming that he should be banned while spreading rumors about him masturbating to hentai on random people's beds [7]. Mew2King would later confirm that ESAM's allegations were false due to health conditions which made it impossible for him to perform said actions [8].
On July 2nd, 2020, amidst a wave of sexual harassment allegations in the community and while D1 was under scrutiny for his conduct with KTDominate, ESAM posted his side of the story, where he talked about how he had denounced D1's actions and refused to forgive him until KTDominate did, which took place years after the incident.[6] In July 2021, however, D1 released a statement via Medium, as well as a video version on YouTube, to address the allegations against him, this time with more context and evidence for his side of the story. One of the screenshots provided was a conversation with ESAM in 2017, where ESAM conceded that he knew D1 didn't have any malicious intention, contradicting what ESAM had said a year prior.[7]
Trivia[edit]
- ESAM is NickRiddle's younger brother.
- In ESAM's YouTube video "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Why Samus?", he explains that his tag comes from a combination of his name "Eric" and "Samus" since Samus was the first character he mained in Melee and is one of his favorite video game characters. When ESAM was around the age of 5, he used to bond with his father by watching him play Super Metroid, which birthed his love for both the Metroid series and Samus.
- ESAM is also a top Divekick player, and he won the Divekick event at CEO 2014.
- ESAM is the subject of a number of memes within the Smash community in reference to his bald head; he has sometimes gone by the alias "Mr. Clean", and it is common for spectators in tournament streams to point out his presence by merely mentioning that "ESAM is bald".
- Due to his attitude and tendency to immerse himself in drama, ESAM is seen as a controversial figure in the Smash community. He is well noted for starting confrontations with other players in social media, and for having questionable or unpopular opinions, particularly his insistence on Pikachu being one of the best characters in Smash 4. The latter point has also started a meme in the Smash community as "#ESAMOpinions", being used to refer to any stance that is not widely shared.
- Ironically enough, he sometimes uses said hashtag to denote how his opinion might not be widely shared in its entirety.
- He also has a noted tendency to have his opinions be reversed on him, especially in regards to his opinions on characters.[8]
- ESAM is the most prominent user of the Bidou control scheme in Smash 4; however, since he does not use Bidou for any character other than Pikachu, this sometimes causes him to have multiple control schemes in tournament, especially when controlling other characters such as Samus.
- ESAM is a member of a YouTube channel called Games Over Easy, where he plays games alongside fellow smash professional MVD.[9] As of December 2018, the channel has not uploaded any videos since Ultimate's release.
- On April 19th, 2019, ESAM infamously lost a $500 money match against Samsora at Pound 2019, with Samsora winning 10-1 and both competitors subsequently joking about the match together on Twitter.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Florida smashers
- South Carolina smashers
- Oklahoma smashers
- Newfoundland smashers
- Samus players (SSB)
- Samus players (SSBM)
- Pikachu players (SSBB)
- Ice Climbers players (SSBB)
- Samus players (PM)
- Pikachu players (PM)
- Donkey Kong players (PM)
- Pikachu players (SSB4)
- Samus players (SSB4)
- Mewtwo players (SSB4)
- Corrin players (SSB4)
- Pikachu players (SSBU)
- Ice Climbers players (SSBU)
- Mii Brawler players (SSBU)
- Arcade controller players
- VIP players
- Livestream commentators
- Tournament organizers
- YouTubers
- Back Room members
