Panel: DT | MaxKiNG, DT | Jai2go, DT | Trucks, UG | Wingy and Shop
“Graphic by DT | Jai2go (click here for more)”
The Top 10
It’s that time again, PR reveal time is here and it has been a cracking season. All time player highs, upsets, new players and more have made for an amazing Season 8. But without further ado, let’s get to the top honours of this season!
1. Ja-Nox | Twitter
This season has ushered in a new era of dominance in the Launceston Smash Scene with Ja-Nox arriving and taking over the first place finishes in every tournament he’s attended so far. While his patient, defensive playstyle with his main Incineroar had seemed unassuming to many players he quickly showcased his dominance and only dropped a single set this season. Ja-Nox has established that he is the player to beat going into the next season!
2. Trucks | Twitter
The stalwart of the Launceston Smash Scenes top rankings, Trucks returns with another solid placement this season. Not quite retaining his spot as #1 but is currently the only player to take a set off of Ja-Nox, our current #1, and also has won the most tournaments this season. Trucks’ solid Pokemon Trainer has shown new adaptations and changes every week which has kept him at the top of the scene. He has shown interest in Kazuya and will be looking to make a statement with a new main character next season.
3. UG | Gerald | Twitter
While his biggest motivator, Battle Arena Melbourne 11, has unfortunately been put on hold due to the Covid-19 crisis, Gerald has still shown the solid and unmovable playstyle we have come to know and love from him. His sturdy Chrom has earned him some fantastic wins and placings with the second most tournament wins of the season. Gerald has also continued to play Sephiroth and has used it to great effect, sometimes taking games where it looked like he was struggling on his other swordsman. Despite no big majors in the near future, we hope to see Gerald continue his winning ways into the next season!
4. Cohen | Twitter
Cohen has officially announced his retirement from competitive Smash, capping off his final season with a 4th placing on the PR, and the only player (until Ja-Nox showed up) to have a positive record over this season’s #2 and last season’s #1 ranked player; Trucks. While we are sad to see Cohen leave the stage of competitive Smash, we are grateful that he still wants to be part of the community and will continue to provide commentary and assist with the Stream. Cohen has been a huge part of the Smash Community in Launceston for the past 7 years and has been part of Launceston’s 5 Ultimate Gods since the game's release.
5. DT | Jai2go | Twitter
This season Jai2go has maintained his winning ways even though he has been out of state for a majority of the season. An early season tournament victory and good Head to Head matchups with other members of the PR have landed him a 5th place this season. Jai2go has made a late season main swap, to Fox, and continues to show huge improvement every week. Due to Covid-19 restrictions Jai2go will be unable to return to his studies on the mainland next season, but we secretly don’t mind as he’ll be here to play for that whole time!
6. UG | Wingy | Twitter
After a season of many ups and downs, Wingy has managed to earn the 6th place on this season’s PR. She has shown time and again that she has what it takes to hang with the upper echelons of the Launceston Smash Scene, taking at least a set off of every player (barring Ja-Nox) and showing some impressive placings. She has also stepped up into an assistant Tournament Organiser role and we couldn’t be more proud, she continues to be one of the pillars of the Launceston Smash Community.
7. Shop
This season, Shop has made a good amount of appearances at tournaments and, like Wingy, has taken at least a set off of every player (bar Ja-Nox). Shop has pulled a couple of tricks, like his Robin, out of the bag this season but the ever present King K. Rool has been a mainstay in his arsenal. Shop has had some very impressive placings as well, maintaining a consistent performance over the season.
8. UG | Mr. President | Twitter
Over the course of this season Mr. President has had a bit of a wild ride. After deciding to take a bit of a break from Smash, to practicing more in preparation for BAM11, to sparing appearances after it being postponed. Regardless of his current situation, Mr President is always a threat to a tournament run. His solid Daisy, Pyra/Mythra and the occasional RNGesus blessed Hero pick has led him to be a player you should never sleep on as he can and will take all your stocks. One Thwack at a time.
9. UG | LargeMarge | Twitter
Despite maintaining their ranking being similar to last season, LargeMarge has improved in spades over the last few months. Their insistence in improving has really showed, seeking out other players for advice and practice while also shifting their mentality to one of constant improvement. This culminated in a huge 3-0 victory over this seasons #4, Jai2go, in one of the final tournaments of the season. While this is a big achievement for LargeMarge, we can be sure that they will only be looking for more achievements to add to this list.
10. Sadlife
Capping off the PR this season, Sadlife returns to claim his place as the PR gatekeeper. His swordies (Lucina, Marth and Ike) have defended his honor this season as he remains to be a player to beat. Solid matchups and decent placings have allowed him to hang onto his spot and round out the PR. After his attendance at Battle Arena NightClub (replacing BAM this year) and being able to chat and grind with lots of the top players in the country, we are excited to see what Sadlife will do this season!
Honourable Mentions
Player
A new player (pun literally unavoidable) this season, Player has shown some unorthodox play which has earned him some set wins over some of the PR players in quite surprising fashion. His King Dedede seems to be the stalwart of his roster and we are excited to see his progress into the next season.
Heaven | Twitter
Only tournament attendance stopped Heaven from being in the conversation for a PR spot this season. She has recently started attending tournaments again and her precise Pit arrow play has been a wonder to behold. Many players stated “I didn’t know Pit’s arrows could move like that!” We hope that Heaven meets the attendance requirement of 3 tournaments this season and she becomes a worthy contender for a PR place.
DT | MaxKiNG | Twitter
Our resident TO hits the HMs section of the PR this season. While much of the season wasn’t standout for MaxKiNG his Snake play has been improving slowly. This capped off with a run through 2 top 5 PR players in rounds 1 and 2 of one of the latter tournaments of the season, which is no mean feat. We are excited to see if he can continue this momentum into next season.
Gandlaf | Twitter
Capping off our Honorable Mentions section is Gandlaf. A tournament mainstay, Gandlaf has shown a new main to go along with his ever present Link this season in Wolf. Gandlaf has put up some solid performances this season with a few victories over some PR players. We are excited to see how he does going into the next season!
