Smash Con 2023 has been a hype event so far thanks to a stacked Combo Contest and an entertaining Smashies Awards show. Here are some of the best moments from the Smashies this year.
The Smashies are meant to celebrate the competitive Super Smash Bros. community and what makes it special despite Nintnedo’s refusal to acknowledge it. The passionate community is what has kept this grassroots esports scene alive and Smash Con recognized some of the most prominent faces with the Smashies.
You can watch the full show here. Here are some of our favorites.
The best commentary moment went to Smash Con 2022 when confetti accidentally shot out in the middle of the Finals. The hilarious moment saw confetti fall all around in a premature celebration after Enrique “Maister” Solis took a match from a young player maining the much-hated Steve.
The issue is that Maister didn’t win yet — and ended up not winning at all. But the confetti became a symbol of hate for Steve mains, seeming like a celebration of the overpowered character losing a match. It was also seen as a celebration of Maister winning a Finals match with Sora, becoming the first person to do so at an S-tier tournament.
The King of Popoffs himself, Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma, presented the award for best Ultimate popoff. Popoffs are a big part of Smash culture — it’s common for winners to jump up and make a big scene when they get a W. The award went to the best Ness in the world, Japanese pro Gakuto “Gackt” Ito.
During the award show, Gackt popped off after winning the event, including spinning and jumping onto the stage. The original popoff that won him the award included him falling off of a chair but immediately getting up and jumping around the venue.
This special award goes to someone in the Smash community who does a lot for the esports scene, “above and beyond what is expected of them.” Despite being shut down by Panda Global and Nintendo, the award was given to Beyond the Summit for its continued efforts to create an organized Smash competitive scene. The organization announced it was shutting down last year.
Even though he didn’t show up for this year’s Combo Contest, the best N64 combo award went to former best N64 Yoshi in the world, Prince. The talented N64 player has won the Combo Contest four times and has cemented himself as an unstoppable force in the combo scene.
It wouldn’t be Smash without some salt. The community is known for its endless salty behavior but some moments were a bit more dramatic than others. This time, the saltiest moment was rewarded to Joseph “Mang0” Marquez for his constant rivalry with SSMBRank. When he was placed third last year, he had a Twitter meltdown that has yet to be defeated.
Smash Con 2023 continues this weekend, culminating with the Top 8 in Melee and Ultimate on Sunday. Tune in on Twitch. The full schedule can be viewed here.
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