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N-Philes: How do you practice for a Smash tournament? What do practices consist of?Teflon: You might pick up new characters in the chance you face someone that will annihilate your character. You gotta be up with the scene and know who everyone is playing as, and who they have the most experience playing against. For example you could work on your short hop blaster with Falco, or practice a rarely played stage. Both will make you better, and give you an advantage that you might need to win against your opponent.
N-Philes: When the practices pay off and you win the coveted championship round, what does it taste like?
Teflon: Like really good pizza.
You're looking at some of the best Melee fighters in the Midwest.
N-Philes: Mmmmm, I know what you mean. T-dawg, be honest, how has Melee impacted your life? Good? Bad? Any regrets?
Teflon: No regrets. Other than I didn't go to more OOS [out of state] tourneys. It's taught me a lot about organizing lots of people.
N-Philes: Okay, so the game is still the number one selling GameCube game ever and sales are still going up. What are your expectations for the Nintendo Revolution version of Smash Bros.?
Teflon: It's gonna be hot as hell. I've heard rumors of some of the best Smashers play-testing the next one before it comes out. I hope that will be the case because that would mean a much more balanced Smash Bros. than we already have! Maybe Bowser will be a viable tourney pick...
N-Philes: We won't hold our breath on that one. It's probably about that time to wrap things up and play more Smash Bros.. Last words of wisdom?
Teflon: Every Melee fan should participate in at least one tourney before they die. It's an experience you'll never forget. You're not better than Ken. And team attack off is stupid. Play me and my teammate and I'll show you why.
N-Philes: Word. Anything else? Anything at all?
Teflon: Snap Pop, DA, CC, skypal, Michigan, Tavo and Pedro, GET AT ME DOGS.
N-Philes: Thanks and all for letting us interview you and stuff.
Teflon: Where's my money?
Do you have what it takes to make it to the end?
In our own words...
So how did we like the experience of participating in an official Super Smash Bros Melee tournament? Super Ondrey Brothers — you have the floor.
James O: You can't replace the experience you get from face-to-face multiplayer battle. You simply cannot. With today's online multiplayer games, most of the time you have no idea who you're playing or where they're from. But even if you do, there's hardly any opportunity to build camaraderie and as a result, the excitement and pressure levels are much lower in comparison. There's something special about sitting next to your buddies while you duke it out all the while heckling each other with brilliant taunts.
It's just not the same when playing a game online, and these guys at the tournament get that.
I think these Smash tournaments are awesome for the gaming community and I'd hate to see them become non-existent simply because they can be played across the internet.
But when you really get right down to it, it's not about the experience you get from playing Smash Bros. at a tournament, it's the experience you get from chumming around with a bunch of people who happen to take in interest in something that you do.
Oh and if you ever plan on attending a Smash tournament, you better PRACTICE for about 983 hours.
Want to be the best? Then you have to play the best.
John: The rushes of adrenaline you get when competing at Smash tournaments (or any other competitive tournaments) are what make the entire experience so worth it. All the preparation and practice is put to the test as soon as you grab that controller. If you're a noob to game tournaments, chances are you'll be so nervous during your first game that your hands will be shaking. It happens to the best of everyone. It's so awesome. And if you can overcome your nervousness and bear down to pull off at least one huge combo, one knockout, or one victory, then everything was so worth it.
It's funny how much you'll learn and become better at Smash after going to one tournament. Everyone agrees, even if you lose every match, pick up Smash two days later and you're almost twice as good as you were before the tournament – which only makes you want to go to another one.
Craving to participate in an official Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament for yourself? Head on over to the Smash Boards to find a tournament near you. Be sure to frequently check the monthly calendar and regional message boards for any updates. Good luck, you're going to need it.
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