Smash was in the air as the Golden Pirates held their largest-ever e-Sports tournament on February 29^th, hosting over 40 gamers to battle-it-out through Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In an unsurprising victory, Besitos (Jo Garza) took first place, while Mr. Flurber (Nolan Winsman) secured second by defending SU’s honor against a Concordia upset from BBX (Jacob H.)

In addition to the typical Single Player bracket, this Valentine’s themed event expanded to include a Doubles Tournament, which held 28 players and accounted for some of the most dramatic storylines of the night. Goons (Jo Garza, Sage Clay) were the hairpin champion, barely defeating Team 3-0 (Nolan Winsman, Olga B.), who smoothly dominated DinoCrew (Cayden Couchman, Christian Carroll) earlier in the night.

In a surprising twist, the entire Concordia University e-Sports team showed up to Southwestern’s tournament. Perhaps it was to scout out competition for the upcoming SCAC e-sports tournament at Schreiner University. More likely, it was because Concordia team member, Christian Carroll, was visiting Cayden Couchman, his cousin and SU Freshman, currently ranked 2^nd in the SU league. However, let it be known that the entire Concordia e-sports team showed up in their uniforms… Familial support? Probably. A passive challenge? You best believe.

In a huge Doubles Bracket upset, Team 3-0 did just what they said they would do and won 3-0 against the cousin duo, Dino-crew. However, the final set proved more of a challenge for Team 3-0, as they took on Goons. The head-to-head escalated to game five, meaning both teams secured two wins and game five determined the victor. After inflicting some brutal damage, Goons secured their victory, claiming first place in the Doubles Bracket.

The Singles Bracket consisted of many of the same names as the Doubles. The biggest shock to the rankings came from the absence of ScrubDaddy (Cayden Couchman), notoriously known as the “Bracket Deamon” who left early to perform in Southwestern’s production of Little Women. His absence opened a spot for Mr. Flurber (Nolan Winsman) to defend Southwestern against Concordia player BBX (Jacob H.) Mr. Flurber took second place which left Besitos (Jo Garza), the undefeated champion, to “go sicko mode” and claim first. The real question remains: will Winsman be able to hold off adversaries and hang on to his second-place title when Couchman returns?

This Smash tournament allows for some intriguing insight into Southwestern’s gaming community and the storylines they tell. Catch the Golden Pirates tabling within the next few weeks to advertise their next Smash tournament and prepare for the upcoming SCAC e-Sports tournament on March 27^th. Come support and decide for yourself if the consistent wins we see at our school tournaments are enough to make a smash in the local university scene, as well!