Interviews with top 3 from SXC2k15

Okay so over the weekend there was this huge tournament with a lot of talent there fighting for a ticket to Genesis 3. The tournament was held in Adelaide and called SXC2k15. I managed to take some time and interview the top 3 finishers for this massive event. Here's what they had to say!

GHOSTBONE

Maribro: First of all, massive congratulations on winning the tournament and of course, winning those flights to Genesis 3. How'd it feel when you took that last stock?

Ghostbone: Well I was so focused on the game, my immediate thoughts were relief that I got the right read for the kill haha. I was confident going into that game so I was just glad I could pull it off.

M: Yeah to be honest you didn't seem as emotional as Jezmo which is funny considering who had just won the thing! Have you ever travelled internationally before or will this be your first time? What would you like to get out of this once in a lifetime opportunity?

G: Yea I don't get as emotional as someone like Nikes or Jezmo do.

G: This will be the first time I've travelled outside Australia, I guess my aim will just be to get as much game time against the top players of the world and learn as much from them as I can. Hopefully I can use that to improve the skill of Australian smashers when I return home as well.

M: Sounds like some great goals you have there. Is there any top player in particular that you're looking forward to meeting and playing against?

G: ZeRo i guess haha. Just the best Smash 4 player, and it's no coincidence that I main Sheik/Diddy, his two mains. I try and emulate ZeRo's gameplay as much as I can as it seems to be the most effective way to play the game, so actually playing against him should be an amazing learning experience.

M: Yeah I could certainly tell there was a bit of ZeRo in you. Any plans to emulate him more by wearing the iconic scarf and glasses?

G: Nooooope

M: Haha good to keep your own identity :P. You've obviously travelled interstate a couple of times this year and your placings weren't as good as what you managed yesterday. What do you think changed that meant you brought that number 1 home?

G: Well for BAM, i was pretty rusty and wasn't really going in it to win. Was just going to play against people and have fun. There were no training montages beforehand so to speak.

G: For the CouchWarrior's monthly, I feel like I just didn't play at my peak, and I made some iffy character choices. It was also sort of a reconnaissance mission, to figure out how the top Melbourne players played and if I lost to them, why I was losing. And really that trip helped a lot, I reflected and optimised my gameplay a lot based on how I lost there, and along with just making sure all my tech skill was on point and applying some new stuff that I'd seen on US streams I managed to take the victory.

G: I'd specifically prepared for basically every top threat that was coming to SXC, so I was really happy to see that practice come to fruition.

M: Of course! It always feels good to see that hard work and determination pay off. Who do you think was closest to taking a set off you?

G: Waveguider definitely.

G: I mean it went to game 5 so obviously it was literally the closest, but just in terms of going back and forth between games. We were both adapting constantly through the set and it was a lot of fun to play because of that. And I was definitely the most relieved once I won that set. Even when I was so far ahead in the last game, I knew Waveguider was really good at closing that lead with just a few hard reads, which he's really good at getting.

M: Yes I caught the tail end of that set, was really intense

M: Obviously a lot of people will be wondering how you made it to be arguably Australia's best player. What kind of training do you do?

G: Watch a lot of US gameplay, play online occasionally for matchup experience, and practice tech skill in training and vs mode. Also just going to as many meets and tournaments as I can

M: So overall you've been a dominant force in the SA scene all year. How would you rate this chapter of your smash life?

G: It's been good, I've been trying to motivate people in SA to improve and go to events as much as possible over the last year. Smash 4's obviously made the scene grow a tonne which is really nice.

M: Yeah it's always good to see a scene grow in size. Last of all, any goals or aspirations for the year ahead?

G: Hmm, mostly just keep the SA smash scene going, and I guess do well at Uni (doing bachelor of Science atm)

M: Alright Ghost, thanks for your time. Congrats on your massive achievement. Any last words?

G: No problem, thanks again :D. I guess shoutouts to everyone who travelled over to SA, they made the tournament what it is, and shoutouts to people in SA who came, supporting the scene and cheering for me and Nikes in finals

J

JEZMO

Maribro: Okay I'd like to start off by wishing you congratulations on your 2nd place. Must have felt good placing so well after your losers run. Tell me more about that amazing 7 win streak you had.

Jezmo: Thanks very much! It was an incredible feeling. Considering I started pretty poorly day 1, it was good to sort of come back and prove to myself that I can compete with Australia's top players.

M: I think a lot of people had you as favourite to win the event. How much pressure was that?

J: It wasn't too bad, actually. It wasn't as bad as the pressure I put on myself. I was feeling sick with nerves for days before the event just because I wanted it so much. Nerves and pressure is always easier when you get to the event and start playing sets, though.

M: Yeah pressure on yourself can be really hard to handle, you could tell it definitely affected Nikes. Speaking of which, I'd just like to mention how great it was that you spoke to him mid-set when he was clearly on tilt to try and get him back up to his best. Can you tell us a little bit about what you said?

J: I was a little bit hyped up at the time, so I might not remember exactly. I told him that he had been training under waterfalls (a reference to a Facebook post he made about the amount of practice he'd been doing), and I told him that if he wanted to go to Genesis as much as he said he did, he'd have to play as well as we both knew he could. And I believe I lastly told him to stop focusing on his winners final set versus ghost and to just play the set at hand.

M: Great sportsmanship! I hope other players show this level of respect to their fellow players as you did in that moment. Speaking of being hyped up, that Falcon match against Ghost was something else. You genuinely looked like you were on top of the world and having a ball. What was going through your head at the time?

J: Well, I think I had to just prove that QLD is THE Falcon state lol! Nah, I think by that point the set was more or less over. He beat me twice in the Diddy ditto and at that point, I was just having fun and wanted to entertain people a little. The fact that I managed to get a win with him, and to finish the game with a sneaky Perth, was pretty awesome.

M: I think Perth holds that honour as the Falcon state considering I'm in the processes of organising a Falcon only tournament ;). Speaking of Ghost's Diddy, were you surprised by the choice of character?

J: I was. I was actually pretty confident against Sheik or MK, but it was really smart to go Diddy. Dittos are really weird and (warning: johns alert) I have no experience in that ditto. I'm pretty sure SA has had a fair amount of Diddy's, so he probably had a fair bit of experience. He just played fantastically and it was a really intelligent pick, in my opinion.

M: Next, I've heard that you play with a crew tag, specifically KH. Can you tell us a little bit about what that is and what it means for you to be in that crew?

J: I suppose it's a very casual crew. One of my best friends (Kuroganehammer/Aerodrome) founded the crew, and I've known him for years. Being able to support him as he tries to sort of brand the KH tag, is a really good feeling. A lot of good friends of mine are on the crew, and I'm glad that I could do them proud.

M: Yeah crews are great fun, I have one of my own actually which you've probably heard of.
Okay, lastly, what do you think next year holds for you in terms of smash? any goals?

J: I'm considering going to Genesis 3, but outside of that, not too many plans. I'm considering picking up Melee more seriously, and trying to branch out and play a lot more characters in Smash 4. Hopefully keep entertaining people and improving at the game. Who knows, maybe even win a major?

M: Sounds like you're just taking things easy, good to see you're not too stressed about it. Anyway, thanks for your time and once again well done on your amazing result!

J:Thanks very much for YOUR time, and for doing stuff like this for our scene. Take it easy and have a good one! Cheers

NIKES

Maribro: Okay first of all congratulations on you're amazing placing! How does it feel to have placed top 3 at a major?

Nikes: Thanks so much, it really feels amazing considering how stacked of a tournament this was, I decided I just wanted to get top 8 and if I somehow managed that then I'd be completely happy considering the competition...in no way did I expect or deserve to get top 3, but I'm extremely grateful on how it turned out. There were so many other players who were more deserving of my placing rather than me, but upsets happen

M: Yeah you did amazingly. That was a tough bracket run you had going into winner's finals but you sure upset a few players!

M: So obviously I've seen you playing with the tag LHC on stream and a few people were probably wondering where that comes from and what it means for you?

N: LHC stands for Lonely Hearts Crew, it's a growing crew that mostly consists of Perth players as it originated from there, but it also has members from other states in Australia as well.
Being in a crew really means a lot to me, you get to support each other and feel like you're a part of something special, and the boundless support I've received from everyone in the crew is amazing to have. It gives you something extra and more meaningful to play for, and the bonds you make from being a member of a crew are always strong since everyone looks out for each other like family. :)

M: Obviously a lot of people would be wondering about your character loyalty. Do you play any other characters? And if so what would make you pull it out in tournament?

N: Nah, I strictly only play Yoshi in tournament and I'll never switch out to another character just because the going gets tough, it goes the same for every other Smash game too. Because I want to become the best Yoshi main, I feel that switching to another character would just be taking the easy way out and negate all my effort and dedication I've put into solo maining Yoshi all this time.

M: That's fair enough man, good to see a really dedicated main! My next question is, what drew you to Yoshi in the first place?

N: I grew up with a Snes, and Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island were the first games I ever played, so Yoshi's always had a really special spot in my heart ever since I was young, it's kind of almost a nostalgia thing haha. And, as Yoshi is loyal to his friends in the games, I want to replicate that and continue to remain loyal to him smile emoticon

M: That's great! Always interesting to see why people main the character they do. Okay last question. You've placed top 3 at a major, you've beaten some of the finest players in Australia and you've solidified yourself as one of the best in the country. Where do you see yourself going from here?

N: If I can still somehow manage save up for Genesis 3 then I'll be going to that as I've always desperately wanted the chance to rep Yoshi in the US and bring him some results, but if not...I'll just keep pressing on in Aus and just keep trying my best, quite likely travel around the country for different upcoming majors and do what I can here :).

M: Alright well we'll wrap things up there. Thanks so much for your time Nikes and once again congratulations!

N: Thanks again, have a good one!