Smash Bros - Spring ‘21 in Review

Written by Josh Klausmeier

MEQUON, Wis. - Super Smash Bros is viewed as one of the greatest video games Nintendo has ever created. It is the game where you can pick Mario and Luigi, two brothers that have always fought together, and make them fight against each other. It is the game where feuds are settled between friends. Super Smash Bros has one of the most dedicated fan bases, ranging from little kids that are just discovering video games to middle-aged people that play for nostalgia. Super Smash Bros also has a massive fan base, making it one of the most competitive games in the collegiate scene.  

Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) Esports, directed by head coach Lewis Smith, took part in the collegiate scene for Super Smash Bros. The dedicated players CUW esports had on their team were DJ "Daxo" Ford, Kurtis "Dragon" Polodna, Nathaniel "Kosaq" Quezada, Micah "Rockson55" Chillman, and Gideon "Gid' Cain.  

The CUW Super Smash Bros team was planning on competing in the PlayVS League, the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Battle Leagues, and the Maryland Esports Training Arena (META) Solos League. However, due to complications with Nintendo having issues with third-party companies allowing to host Super Smash Bros events, the seasons for the PlayVS and NACE Leagues ended before it even began. This didn't stop the CUW Super Smash Bros team from forming their own competitive season. 

The CUW Super Smash Bros team decided to take this time to focus on individual and team growth and made sure that even though they weren't competing, they were still practicing and improving. I had the opportunity to chat with Team Captain, Micah, about the season and he said, "Every player's evolution in both skill and composure from the beginning of the season to the end was incredible. It makes me proud to have been a part of this program and excited to see what it does next." 

The team still competed in the META Solos League which all five players from CUW competed in, and all five players made the playoffs. CUW Super Smash Bros also competed in crew battles against other teams that they scheduled themselves. A crew battle in competitive Super Smash Bros is two teams of 4 players. Each player has 3 leaves, making it 12 total lives for the team. One player from each team fights each other until one player loses their 3 lives. The winner of that fight stays fighting until they lose their 3 lives. The first team to take all 12 lives from the opposing team wins. 

The schools that CUW played against for the crew battles were Immaculata University, Lincoln Land Community College, Concordia University Ann Arbor, MSOE, University of California – Irvine, and the University of North Carolina – Wilmington. CUW ended the crew battles season with 4 wins and 2 losses.  

Micah will be the only player from the team not returning next season. Micah will be missed, but one of the strengths of this team going into next season is the depth of talent this Super Smash Bros team has. They spent all season training and focusing on improving, which will be a major advantage when they jump back into the traditional Fall season.