Super Smash Bros. Meleehas been a considerable critical and commercial success for Nintendo, as a result, it is a popular game amongst fighting game fans because of its mechanics as well as its varied character selection 19 years later. Whilethere are many fighting gamesto choose from,Super Smash Bros. Meleeremains popular. There is more of a focus on online tournaments now that players are encouraged to stay indoors and with added attention to aSuper Smash Bros. Meleetournament, an issue with its verification of players was exposed.
TheSuper Smash Bros. Meleetournaments have been no stranger to dramabut the latest issue which had a well-known player pretend to be someone else is certainly a new event. At the moment, it is not clear how the player was discovered but opinions have been split on whether they were entitled to have fun or if it spoiled the experience and legitimacy of the Ronda Rumble tournament.
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Using the account of a friend, Justin “Plup” McGrath, who is ranked at 8th in theSuper Smash Bros. Meleeworld rankings, entered the Ronda Rumble tournament as FortniteFred42. The relatively small Ronda Rumble offered a humble $200 prize pool and the team was set to be in with a chance of winning. When McGarth was discovered he and his teammates were kicked out of the competition as it has a policy of no smurfing, which is the practice of a highly skilled player pretending to be a lower rank for easy competition. McGarth went on to explain his side of the story in a profanity riddled statement, “We were planning on just, like, f****** alternating for random people and just like playing whatever we wanted, smurfing the f*** out of the tournament.” The player went on to add “It was bad ass. Every f***** time I took a stock I was, like, taunting. It was so f***** funny. Oh my god, I loved it.”
Audiences are torn about the practice, some feel it was a cheeky thing to do while others have taken a more stern approach and believe it has damaged the integrity of a small competition that players were enjoying. It is clear that McGarth had a good time and the tournament has now reinstated Rishi Malhotra who was knocked out by the player. The issue now seems to be resolved, and players can return toone of the most technicalSuper Smash Bros.gameswithout concerns about smurfing players.
Super Smash Bros. Meleeis considered one of the best fighting games in the last twenty yearsand there are plenty of tournaments at the moment. Despite being an old game, the tournaments are proving to be an entertaining way for players and viewers to stay indoors. Many will hope that future tournaments won’t be impacted by smurfing again, while others may have been impressed and McGarth and may begin to follow his content.
