Ultimate QLD40 1 - Player profiles

Methodology - The ranking of the top 40 players in Queensland for the period of FNS 199 (3/5/19) to July Ranbat (27/7/19). The biggest contributing factor is the set and game results that each player holds against the top 50 competitors in the state. Next is the results that each player has against the competitors that fall outside of the top 50. And finally there is a small emphasis on recency and sprinkling of opinion to help split extremely close rankings. Interstate results will not be included. To be eligible each player must have accumulated 10 points of attendance over the period. Tuesday Night Fights are worth 1 point, Friday Night Smash are worth 2 points and Ranbat are worth 3 points. Stats and rankings compiled by BattleDolphin and Ben Gold. Write ups by Mittens.

Listed in the order of ranking, players tag, main character and their win-loss set count against the rest of the top 40

QLD 40

1 # SadHour = Snake / Lucina = 69-11
The man to beat. SadHour is currently the top spot of the PR and is quickly closing in on 5 months of not dropping out of top 8 at a tournament in QLD. While the Robin from Smash 4 may be a relic of days gone by, the tactician nature of the character certainly lives on. An utterly cerebral player who will constantly be crunching numbers, covering options and forcing opponent’s actions mid set. He is calculating and mentally seems untiltable. His terrifying top tier combo of Snake and Lucina sets up two different flavours of walls and will nary cause a gap to appear in their barriers. With a dominating record over Shadrew, the answer to the Spammage uprising and rarely a single game dropped to a non-PR player there’s little debate over who the current king of QLD is.

2 # Ben Gold = Bowser / King K.Rool = 46-16
The winner of the biggest Smash event in Australian history and best King K.Rool player in the world. The BAM 2019 champion is as every bit of a hurricane of a human being as the myths lead you to believe. But the artist formerly known as Mr L finds a way to parlay that lifestyle of insanity into an extremely unorthodox “it would be sick if this works” play style that has netted him wins over Extra, Tru4, JDizzle and the state of Queensland. Doing three Down Smashes in a row sounds like the worst option possible but this maniac just seems to make it work. Currently in the process of trading out his low tier King of the Kremlings for a High tier King of the Koopas, Ben Gold’s concentrated flavour of insanity doesn’t look to be watered down any time soon.

3 # Shitashi = Megaman = 46-12
The granddaddy of QLD Smash. As the man that created Ausmash.com and incorporated the ELO system it’s fair to say that Shitashi has more data on every player in the country than anyone else. And with a competitive record that harkens back to 2008 he’s also got a terrifying 11 years of experience with the franchise. Shitashi’s legendary playstyle that has affectionately been referred to as “campy as shit” is dreaded country wide. Every new player is a new boss for Megaman to overcome and when you’re dragged deep into a game 10 grand finals reset you’ll quickly learn that no one has more stamina than Shitashi. With his incredibly consistent results throughout the years it comes to no surprise that he is currently within the top three of QLD and smart money says that isn’t going to be shaken up any time soon.

4 # Shadrew = Ken = 60-25
In more Smash highlight compilations than any other Queenslander, Shadrew is the best Ken in Australia. His quiet demeanor juxtaposes his quite frankly absurd advantage state where a single mistake can end in what we affectionately refer to as a “Shaddy Daddy Combo.” Unbelievably calculated, Shadrew will comb through VODs and refuse to make the same error twice. Make no mistake at his 4th place on the current PR, he has defeated everyone above him multiple times and if he was placed top spot next season it would shock exactly zero people. Just don’t follow him on Twitter - the Ken combos he retweets will keep you up at night.

5 # Ari = Ike = 66-38
Kicking off his Smash career in the twilight of Smash 4 there was a lot of expectations for how far Ari would go when he began Ultimate at the same time as everyone else. Ari has Nair Uair’d those expectations through the ceiling and has landed at number 6 on the current PR. One of the most passionate players in the scene, the devilishly handsome Ari devours any tech that’s available and has a big smile while doing so. A very strong mix-up game has made his solo Ike a terrifying wall to run into in bracket. With wins over SadHour, Shadrew, Shitashi and essentially every other player in QLD, there is no doubt that he has reached “top guy” status.

6 # Spammage = Ice Climbers = 63-30
The upstart 14 year old from the Gold Coast is currently turning heads with his meteoric rise. His 11th placing on the PR doesn’t tell the full story of his absolute tear he’s been on within the last month with a bonkers 5 tournaments won. Spammage’s masterful use Ice Climber’s desyncs, Blizzard and parrying literally has Facebook group messages discussing how the heck we’re going to break this wall. His last month’s hit list looks like a who’s who with SadHour being the one consistent chink in his armour. And before you call him a gimmick - His solo Popo is still out there cleaning up stocks. If this momentum can be maintained we’re looking at a top five in QLD without a doubt.

7 # Flex = Metaknight = 41-21
Life, Death and Flex on the PR. Flex has been in the last 14 PRs and is about to hit an uninterrupted 4 years of being considered one of the ten best players in QLD Smash. The transition to Ultimate began with a scenic route through some experimental character choices but Flex’s Metaknight has yet again proven to be the scariest edge-guarder in all of Queensland. Currently ranked 5th on the PR, Flex is often viewed as a gatekeeper to the tippy top despite having monster wins over SadHour, Ben Gold, Shadrew and Shitashi. With a full plate as the main TO in QLD it’s phenomenal that Flex has maintained a position as consistent as he has. But you’ve got to wonder if Flex is content on being the constant or does this story culminate with the coronation of him completely conquering Queensland.

8 # Negima = Mii Swordfighter / Inkling = 43-27
“Ugh I came 3rd tonight. I would have rather have come 4th because this amount of prize money is embarrassing. I’d rather have nothing.” Negima is one of the biggest characters in the QLD scene without a doubt. His absolute lack of inhibition has rubbed many players the wrong way but once you realise a mid-set quote like “Thanks for the Rage dickhead” has zero venom behind it you come to learn that he is just a cartoonish villain to be enjoyed rather than endured. While his eccentric personality fits his eccentric character choice of Mii Swordfighter you’d be surprised to find that he’s actually quite conservative in game. He'll take his characters strengths and lean into them as much as he can without pushing them out of their comfort zone. With significant wins over SadHour, Shadrew and Spammage there’s no debate whether he’s earned his spot on the PR. The biggest question is whether the cure to his recent inconsistency is found in the other characters he’s been flirting with or if it’s in staying faithful to the Swordfighter.

9 # ClassicJono = Ridley = 9-12
Gone are the days where ‘doing a ClassicJono’ meant SDing at crucial moments. Shelving his Smash 4 Pikachu for the terrifying space demon Ridley, Jono has reached new heights in Smash Ultimate by scoring 6th place on the current PR. As one of the safest players in QLD you’ll slowly unravel to Ridley’s perfectly spaced aerials and tilts while Jono stays calm and collected in game (while still exploding with some of the best pop-offs outside of the game). The 411 founder has taken sets off almost every big name in the state and with the recent addition of a Palutena to his arsenal Jono looks primed to continue his momentum.

10 # Gus = Pokemon Trainer = 13-8
The premiere Pokemon Trainer of Queensland. What elevates Gus is how balanced his mastery is of each of his character’s components. While most players follow the flow chart of Squirtle > Ivysaur > Charizard for each stock Gus can mix and match the three to the different roles that he needs at that one time. The amount of times he’s killed with his extremely polished Charizard at dummy low percents is nuts and bucks the trend of how most play Trainer. And he’ll let you know with a cheeky taunt here and there to get inside your head. The one thing that has plagued Gus throughout Ultimate is his inconsistent attendance which has resulted in some questionable losses when you compare how high some of his heights have been. As Gus continues to quietly work on his bag of secondaries and consistently gets opportunities to play in a tournament setting it’s only a matter of time before he climbs back into the single digits of PR.

11 # Nicc = Pikachu = 16-12
The story of The Tortoise and The Hare is an apt comparison to the competitive career of Nicc. There have been many instances where a new player has burst onto the scene and found great success immediately but Nicc took things a little slower. Starting off on Smash 4 when it began to taper out, Nicc toiled away and barely scraped in on the 2017 QLD40 landing right on number forty. But he stuck it out and after stringing together some good wins he finally made it onto a PR, albeit an Honourable Mention. He used this as motivation and then made it on proper for the next three iterations with his current position at a lofty 7th place. This slow and steady career trajectory certainly parallels his playstyle where Nicc leans into a defensive mindset with the goal to safely poke and zone. He’ll dictate the pace of the match and has found significant success amassing wins over SadHour, Linoone and Shadrew within the past few months. Nicc has been a success story thus far and it’s clear that this story is far from over. It’s exciting to see at what place this Tortoise finally ends this marathon.

12 # SiqNiq = Roy = 37-30
Considered the posterboy of the up and comers crew of BaM, SiqNiq can be considered the posterboy of up and coming players in general. Niq certainly channels the spirit of Smash legends past ala Jezmo and Fool with his overwhelmingly smothering play style. He will explode out of the gate and suffocate you with beautifully intricate combos that will get you from zero to fifty before you had time to choose an option. His Roy and pocket ZSS have amassed a decent body count with wins over Shitashi, Spammage and Ari with many game 5 scenarios with a decent chunk of the PR. Currently sitting at an Honourable Mention on the PR it feels like a no brainer that SiqNiq will be sitting on the PR proper by the end of the year.

13 # Joz = Lucina = 37-29
Many a bracket run has come to a screeching halt due to the wall that is Joz. Considered as QLD’s gatekeeper, Joz is the clear line in the sand that sorts the high level players from the rest of the pack. His Lucina is ridiculously solid on many fundamental levels. Ledge traps, trumps, conditioning, you name it and Joz has it. What makes Joz stand out is how strong his Lucina’s movement is, weaving gracefully in and out while keeping a perfect Fair sized space between the players at all times. Joz has a smattering of PR wins over players like Gus and Negima alongside quite a number of game 5 sets against players like Shitashi and Shadrew solidifying his position as an Honourable Mention on the current PR. The QLD scene is improving so fast that at times it can feel like you’re getting better but still moving backwards in rankings. Joz continues to set the pace but you’ve got to believe that he’s itching to just start sprinting and leave the gatekeeping role behind him.

14 # Churropon = Joker = 23-14
Don’t let his Waifu fueled Twitter feed fool you, Churropon is not to be slept on. As QLD’s premiere Joker Churropon has exploded onto the Honourable Mentions list since the release of his Phantom Theif. Managing to use all of Joker’s strong movement options it can often feel impossible to swat Churropon as he buzzes around you. Not content with whittling you down Churro has the tendency to suddenly shift gears mid set and clean up early stocks with an unexpected Side B Ladder or something equally aggressive. Starting off with a couple of big wins over Ari, ClassicJono and Gus, we’re currently at a two month drought against PR. Will we see Churropon break this dry spell or will he be stuck in Honourable Mentions limbo for another couple of months?

15 # Cajeck = Palutena = 28-24
Top spot on the Gold Coast Regional PR for good reason. Outside of the looming Spammage threat, Cajeck has had his region on lockdown since the game launched. Ten first place rankings and four first place rankings at the Surfers Paradise and Currumbin weeklies respectively. And if he’s not coming out on top he’s likely goofing off with secondary characters and still copping top three. His Palutena is silky smooth with perfectly spaced aerials putting on the pressure until she puts you away with a Dair spike or Fsmash which really shouldn’t work as well as they do. Cajeck has spanked everyone in the region including big wins over 4Par, Ben Gold and Flex. The only thing stopping Cajeck from being on the State-wide PR is his lack of travelling at this point. A sleeping threat that will happily chase you out of his yard.

16 # Verse = Pokemon Trainer = 28-25
Another top prospect player. Member of the up and comer crew BaM and Pokemon (Trainer) Master. In sharp contrast to fellow PT player Gus, Verse hones in on each individual Pokemon’s strengths and pushes them as hard as he can. He’ll often aim to pester you into a defensive playstyle with his slippery Squirtle and then use Ivysaur to wrap up stocks. And of course there’s always a ballsy Flare Blitz around the corner to really keep you on your toes. This push and pull of a playstyle has amassed a largely consistent record of only dropping to PR level and getting a W on Nicc, Negima and SiqNiq. A contender for Honourable Mentions in future PR and definitely one to keep an eye on.

17 # Bigfatelli = Fox = 16-23
Spending as much time fighting on Twitter as he does in Smash, the former Dr Ellis is a loud and proud member of The 411. Best known for his inability to commit to a character you’ll never know which of the 70+ roster cast you’ll be facing off against. His playstyle will vary considerably depending on what roll of the dice you get that night. It could be the hyper agro Fox or the Kirby who’s top goal is to time you out. After a strong start with 14th on the first season of PR, LargeObeseElli currently sits unranked after dropping a couple of tough sets. But with wins over Shadrew, Flex and Negima there’s no doubt that when he’s on, he’s on. There is certainly some bite to that bark.

18 # DFS = Pikachu / Inkling = 26-28
DFS feels like he’s constantly on the verge of breaking out. He’s never made PR or even Honourable Mentions but season after season you always hear his name in discussions. His Win/Loss record shows an interesting statistic - he has a noticeable gap in his win rate when facing other players that share his home region of the Sunshine Coast. His Pikachu and Inkling are very movement heavy and are fond of going for those fade back FSmash punishes. Have his local training partners clued into his strategy that has amassed him victories over SiqNiq, Cajeck and Curtain? When DFS figures out the chink in his armour look forward to him breaking out and finally getting his name on that sweet sweet PR.

19 # Weeb = ROB = 23-24
Weeb has had a bit of an odd run in Ultimate. Started off with an explosive 10th on the first PR season with solo Snake only to drop him wholesale seemingly out of the blue for ROB. There were certainly some growing pains but Weeb’s Robotic Operating Buddy has really found it’s stride in the last month or so. Playing more of a boxing game than most ROB players Weeb will happily get in your face with DTilts and a randy Side B. With notable wins against Negima and DFS and managing to take two games off Spammage all within the past few weeks it’s apparent that all of the pieces of this character shift are finally coming together and perhaps it’s only a matter of time until Weeb cracks that PR list again.

20 # Crimson = Palutena / Wolf = 8-7
One of the longer tenured players with competitive data that stretches back to January 2015. Crimson has found success throughout the years with two placings in PR for Smash 4 and currently sits as an Honourable Mention in the latest season of PR for Ultimate. Crimson’s appearances have been a bit sparse over the last few months but he’s still managed to net wins over SadHour, Nicc and Ari with his Palutena pinning her opponents to either the ledge or the sky. With a couple of recent tough losses on his plate it may appear that Crimson’s trajectory is on the downward but if history is any indication, he's more than capable of having a monster bracket run out of the blue.

21 # Kaboose = Incineroar = 14-16
The Space Cowboy from the Gold Coast has taught everyone to learn the Incineroar match up or die trying. Currently ranked 3rd on the Gold Coast Regional PR, Kaboose has found solid success with his mix of crisp fundamentals and big thick lad call outs. Playing against heavies such as Incineroar or Kaboose’s secondary Ganondorf is always a stressful ordeal and with wins over names such as Flex, Cajeck and DFS he’s shown that he can make even some of the best players crack. As this relatively fresh player continues to polish his solid fundamentals we could see a terrifying force looming over the QLD PR.

22 # UMKO = Diddy Kong / Mii Gunner = 14-22
“He’s just standing there menacingly doing nothing!” UMKO refuses to play at any speed but his own and if he wants the match to come to a crawl it most certainly will. UMKO will cheerfully take a percentage lead and play the turtle game letting his opponent approach and overextend. His Diddy Kong and Mii Gunner’s item play is what has led this gameplan of letting his adversary frustrate themselves into submission. With wins over SadHour, Ari and Crimson it shows that no one is immune to this unconventional approach (or lack thereof).

23 # Conso = Captain Falcon / Dr Mario = 16-16
Brother of Weeb, Conso takes a very different approach to his projectile loving sibling. Conso loves his matches intense, his combos strings long and his spikes spicy. A big believer in letting his opponent beat himself Conso will flit around his opponent with empty hops and dash dancing waiting for an overextension which he’ll capitalise on to it’s fullest potential. Whether it be his Falco, Falcon or Dr Mario he’s netted some big wins including Negima, Joz and Verse. With his ability to capitalise on every mistake in a big way you’ve got to play very intelligently against Conso or he’ll dance all over you.

24 # Zyphenor = Greninja = 19-18
Considered as one of the most technically proficient players in Queensland it can often feel like Zyphenor is playing chess while you’re stuck with plain old checkers. Known best for his Greninja and Sheik dazzling competitors with Twitter combos and thick reads, Zyph also houses deep pockets with a Lucario, Metaknight and other surprises. The demand that such a technique heavy playstyle requires is apparent with uneven results with some oof loses sitting alongside hefty wins against Ari and Negima. If the time and motivation to push this playstyle comes together it’s equally exciting as it is terrifying to see how high Zyphenor can climb.

25 # Kwaksy = Ness = 29/33
If you can look past him being part of the filthy Ness plague that QLD is presently experiencing you’ll find yourself a player that’s got a heck of a lot of momentum right now. With wins over Linoone, Gus and Negima as well as game 5 sets against Ari and Flex his Ness is schmoovin. With an emphasis on using his PSI BOI’s tricky movement to weave around opponents and hitting fat combos outside of the traditional bread and butter strings it’s no wonder he’s racking up the body count right now. It’s unsure what has lit this fire under Kwaksy but he’s currently setting QLD ablaze and doesn’t look to be slowing down. Even if he is a Ness player.

26 # BattleDolphin = Mii Swordfighter / Ness = 40/57
No one person has been busier than BattleDolphin since Ultimate launched. Whether it be competing seriously at a FNS, testing out some secondaries at a Gold Coast weekly or working behind the TO desk at a RanBat, if there’s an event on then BD is probably there. Formerly known as a Jigglypuff devote we’ve seen BD branch out in to all manner of different characters this time around including the fabled BD-Deedeedee. With such a huge amount of events attended it’s no surprise that BD has dropped a couple of tough losses but when his win record has Spammage, Cajeck and Toketchan on it you know you can’t sleep on him. I can't sing his praises enough, he'll roll you out and you'll have to do the saddest fist pound while he goes on to the rest of the bracket.

27 # Truth = Snake = 17-26
For the longest time Truth was always heralded as the best Ultimate player that QLD has that doesn’t actually own a Switch. His win loss record didn’t make sense for someone that didn’t have full access to the game with him frequenting 9th on Redemption bracket and sprinkling in some huge upsets over players like ClassicJono, Joz and Crimson. His character choice would change on an almost weekly basis with Truth somehow mastering a wide cast of fundamentals. The phrase ‘he’s nuts’ gets thrown around a lot around here, but Truth is nuts! And this chapter of Truth’s career culminated with the QLD community pooling together their money and buying Truth a Switch and Smash in an utterly heartwarming moment. If he could reach number 27 on the QLD40 without the console imagine how far he’s going to go now.

28 # KaiDASH = Kirby / Mii Brawler = 34-50
QLD’s low tier hero. Flitting between Kirby and the equally under powered Mii Fighter, KaiDASH continues to prove that the ability of the player trumps all. Through his dedication to his oddball characters he’s managed to push them quite far with some of his combos and conversions looking silky smooth. In being one of the players with the highest rate of attendance he faces the double edged sword of running into some big wins and tough losses. But his recent wins over Bigfatelli, Truth and Iroh are nothing to scoff at. And his 3 for 3 win rate over current Honourable Mention Churropon and games taken off Shitashi and Spammage are some serious stock raisers. The skeptical stance would be to pick stronger characters but KaiDASH has more than proven that it's not the weapons but instead the hands that hold them which make them truly dangerous.

29 # Wildermold = Inkling = 15-22
Currently ranked 5th on the Gold Coast Regional PR this slippery little Inkling is carving a decent little place on the Goldy. Constantly zipping about with Inkling’s strong agility Wildermold has polished his character’s movement options to a pretty damn shiny state. Holding onto advantage phase as long as he can off a grab as well as sporadic but very effective use of the roller has netted him some solid wins against Mittens, Kwaksy and Kaboose. Still lacking that big PR win Wildermold is quietly cementing his spot in the 20s but if he can get the rest of his kit up to the level of his movement you’ll soon see this Inkling looking hella fresh.

30 # Iroh = Captain Falcon = 21-40
They say that the greatest battle is the battle that occurs within the self. When it comes to Iroh that statement has considerable weight. Iroh is a player that always seems to be having an internal struggle about his own abilities and constantly hits walls when he’s on the verge of breaking out. Trading his Smash 4 Fox for Ultimate’s Falcon, Iroh plays a beautiful game of keep away until he lands his explosive advantage. Whether it be a misinput or a weak read there always seems to be one banana peel being slipped on set after set where Iroh can be up a game on a top level PR player but then manages to let the victory slip out of his fingers. The fact that he can get to the stage where he’s beaten Day, Flex and Churropon shows that he has considerable skill and just requires some fine tuning to finally bring the whole picture together.

31 # J-Dot = Dr Mario = 10-18
The essence of schmoovin. J-Dot manages to make the bulkier less agile version of Mario seem like a violent ballet dancer with his nuts wave bouncing. Dropping the Fox from Smash 4 and leaning entirely into his prescriber of punishment has given J-Dot some solid success with wins over Cajeck, SiqNiq and BattleDolphin. The biggest thing that’s hurting J-Dot’s ranking is his tendency to stay within the Gold Coast region so while he’s ranked 4th on his regional PR he’s somewhat unproven against the biggest boys that Brisbane has to offer. But if he can get out more and not run into the same Spammage/Cajeck combo constantly he’ll be schmoovin past being the best Dr Mario in his postcode towards being the best Doc in the state

32 # squidfist = Wii Fit Trainer = 23-50
The softly spoken Squidfist is a new face to the Smash scene and is the sleeper member of the up and comer BaM crew. He’ll let his Wii Fit Trainer do the talking for him with strong use of deep breathing and volleyball combos amassing bonkers damage. Typically found at the top of Redemption Bracket results, Squidfist has recently amassed a decent collection of wins over players such as Joz, Loki and Toketchan. As a player with a very high skill ceiling Squidfist is one to watch.

33 # Loki = Snake = 14-43
With a name that brings upon imagery of the God of Mischief, Loki’s fiendish use of Snake’s arsenal is at the very least a little bit cheeky. Constantly improving his explosives game, Loki loves to fill the battlefield with all sorts of nonsense to misbalance his opponent. Recently incorporating more grabs into his gameplan his overall C4 and USmash heavy gameplay has gotten a breath of new life. Amassing recent wins over Ari, Zeus and Weeb this is one player to keep an eye on.

34 # Sifo = Greninja = 11-19
Sifo may seem like a new face to many but he’s actually been around since the Smash 3DS days. Achieving 9th place on the second Smash 4 PR, Sifo essentially took two years off before returning back into the fold at Ultimate’s launch. Known to flit between a few characters, its arguable that his Greninja and it’s intense shield pressure has gotten him some of his strongest wins. But with such a variety of characters it’s somewhat difficult to prepare yourself for a set against Sifo because you never know what you’re walking into. His hit list includes SiqNiq, BattleDolphin and and Kwaksy. But his love list is even more impressive as he melted the Queensland scene’s hearts by being one of the main components in the push for getting fellow player Truth a Switch. Although the pulls of real life adulthood can often get in the way you can not afford to sleep on Sifo lest he uses you as a stepping stone back into that sweet PR.

35 # Swate = ROB = 19-33
One of the founding members of the up and comers BaM crew, Swate waves the ROB flag high with pride. As a devourer of information you’ll often hear Swate offer up super specific match up tips and frame data about his proud little robot. And it shows with some of the huge conversions that he can suddenly explode with, taking you on a bumpy ride from zero to fifty in a single string. You’ll often find Swate polishing off stocks with ROB’s hard to hit but maximum reward grab game rather than playing the slow and steady game. Some of the more notable wins include Toketchan, DFS and Kwaksy with the very first event of the grading period including huge victories over Ari and Cajeck. If Swate can tap into whatever was going on in that first event of the grading period then he’s sure to stand out from the super competitive level that he’s currently at.

36 # MetaBhreat = Ridley =12-32
American born and Zebes battle hardened. MetaBhreat somewhat unsurprisingly rocks the MetaRidley as his weapon of choice. And he plays Ridley exactly how he should be with microspacing, safe aerials and aggressive off stage. Nonplussed about being put off stage MetaBhreat makes recovering as Ridley look like a breeze with careful use of down angled UpB to ward off any interception attempts. A strong grasp of fundamentals helps MB stand out amongst the competitive mid level with victories over SiqNiq, Kwaksy and KaiDASH to hang his hat on. With fundamentals already at such a solid level it wouldn’t surprise me to see MB jump ahead about ten ranks overnight and never look back.

37 # Supa = Link = 11-20
Our second of two American born players, Supa’s Link feels more like a trapper than a swordy. With masterful use of Z drop and a wealth of knowledge regarding launch angles you’ll be fighting Supa’s bomb as much as you’ll be fighting him. But when it’s time to get close and personal Supa will show that his master sword isn’t just for show with some cheeky Bair confirms. Supa has largely traded victories with similar leveled players but one fateful night he mowed through Verse, Zyphenor and Iroh in succession. As Supa further develops his item heavy playstyle we might see killer bracket runs more often than once in a blood moon.

38 # Milis Cara = King Dedede = 11-51
Big hair, big personality and a big fat penguin king. Milis Cara’s devotion to The Perfect One is truly admirable. Often considered a bit of a joke character this King Dedede has gone on to trounce many an unsuspecting victim with it’s ballsy Jet Hammer and Dair spikes. Milis has been stuck in the hyper competitive 40s range that QLD boasts but his absolute monster victory over Ben Gold in recent weeks had his stock popping as much as the crowd watching the Kaiju Battle of a set. With potential to rise against the glut of super promising mid level players there’s a lot of eyes on Milis to see what his next big move will be.

39 # Tom = Donkey Kong = 10-19
Tom that plays Donkey Kong, not to be confused with Omta who’s real name is Tom who also plays Donkey Kong (who falls under inactive this grading period), seems to be one of the names on everyone’s lips at the moment. His fairy floss pink DK and it’s deadly offstage game is drawing a lot of parallels to Flex’s legendary Smash 4 DK but Tom is proving to be his own man by somehow not making DK’s disadvantage state utter trash. Abusing his super armour moves constantly it can feel like the balance of a game against Tom can drastically swing at any moment. In recent weeks we’ve seen wins over Nicc, Crimson and DFS which shows that this scary gorilla is just getting started and to expect big explosive things in it’s future.

40 # Talie = Zelda = 9-46
One of the voices of QLD you’ll commonly find Talie and his radio perfect pitch narrating many a match on the Tournameta stream. But don’t let his well dressed aesthetic fool you, this man’s Zelda will pull you apart if you let your guard down. One of the more aggressive Zelda players you’ll see lots of lightning kicks and ballsy Farore’s wind callouts to polish off stocks. The tail end of the QLD40 is unbelievably competitive but Talie just sneaks in with a monster victory over Spammage that left him about as shocked as everyone else watching. With this win occurring within the final week of the recording period all eyes are on Talie to see what big upset is next.