Raymond Calderon III
Photo/ Mutlimedia Editor
After a six-week stretch of battle taking place over four events, Texas A&M University-San Antonio has named the final eight competitors in the TAMUSA Esports SSBU 1v1 Fall 2020 Smash Series tournament.
The competitors, who include A&M-San Antonio students and local players from off campus, will vie for bragging rights as well as a chance to win the grand prize of the tournament that concludes with a championship event on Nov. 14.
The grand prize for the champion is a custom TAMUSA esports Nintendo Pro Controller and the title of TAMUSA SSBU Champ of fall 2020.
The top three competitors will also receive a medal based on their rank.
The championship will be an in-person, double-elimination format, ensuring multiple matches for each competitor, according to head coach Travis Yang.
A viewing party will be held online from 1-7 p.m. on Nov. 14 through the program’s Twitch account.
The finalists and their gamertags are:
- Carlo Ramirez, 22, aka Saljay
- Edmund Maldonado, 23, aka EnDGame21
- Sebastian De Hoyos, criminal justice junior, aka TheSeabass
- Pedro Contreras, kinesiology senior, aka Boxerslim
- Andrew Selby, aka Tsunami
- Mateo Gomez, computer information system senior, aka Nomer
- Edgar Farias, aka Edge
- Christopher De Leon, cyber security sophomore, aka Faust
The events took place in the Student Lounge showing the talents of students as well as locals in the San Antonio area as they battled it out with their favorite Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The tournament saw about 15-20 players competing in the events, hosted to promote the university’s esports program.
“Offering an open tournament, it gives us a chance to meet with gamers on campus and around San Antonio to have them experience competitive gaming and to ask us questions about esports and if they have an interest in the program,” Annabella Deleon, the team’s assistant grad student, said.
The tournament is a total points system, meaning for each event, each competitor earns points for a total amount at the end of the four events.
The points system was as follows: first place earns 300 points. Finishing second place earns 200 points while third and fourth place gained 125 points each. Rounding out the top eight places would earn 80 points each competitor.
“I’ll play in any tournament,” De Hoyos said. “I want to get better no matter what. These tournaments are fun. These tournaments are for students to be involved.”
The first event was held on Sept. 5, where “Saljay” held the best record for the day at 8-1, followed by “Boxerslim” and “Edge,” both with a 4-2 record.
The second event of the Fall 2020 Smash Series, hosted on Sept. 26, saw “Saljay” holding on to the No. 1 spot yet again with a 4-0 record. However, new names rounded out the top three. “EnDGame21” finished second for the day at 5-2 and “TheSeabass” ended at 2-2 to take the third spot in the standings.
The third event, on Oct. 10, saw “Saljay” all but guarantee his spot in the finals, finishing with a 5-0 record.
On Oct. 24, the last event before the championship match, “Saljay” dropped only his second match of the tournament, finishing with a 5-1 record and taking yet another No. 1 spot in the standings for the day. “EnDGame” finished 5-2 and “TheSeabass” finished 4-2 for the day.
After the final qualifying event, the leaderboard was as follows: “Saljay” more than doubled the next closest competitor’s points with his total of 1,200. “EnDGame21” ended with 550 points, followed closely by “TheSeabass” with 525 points closing out the top three.
“Boxerslim” earned 400 points and “Tsunami” finished with 260.
There is a tie for the last three slots in the championship match, with the final spots going to “Nomer,” “Edge” and “Faust,” each finishing with 240 points.
“A tournament is usually serious, but this one has been nothing but fun,” Gomez said of the tournament qualifier matches. “Of course, there is an aspect of not wanting to lose. Past that, I see people exchanging ideas, offering commentary and all gathering around to share a great time in front of the screen as we watch the finalists battle it out.”
For more information, visit the team’s Facebook page, visit @tamusaesports on Twitter or tamusaesports on Instagram and Twitch.
