OCEANSIDE — More than 800 gamers, including some of the world’s best esports players, gathered near Oceanside pier last weekend to compete at Wavedash 2022, a first-of-its-kind Super Smash Bros video game tournament.
The two-day event filled the Junior Seau Beach Community Center on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7 with competitors sporting unique gamertags battling it out over their choice of two games: Super Smash Bros Melee played on the older Nintendo GameCube console, or Super Smash Bros Ultimate on Nintendo Switch.
Super Smash Bros is a Nintendo crossover fighting game series featuring characters from throughout the company’s decades-old catalog of video games.
Oceanside resident and Top Shelf Esports organizer George Taylor told The Coast News the competition was his first esports tournament with more than 300 participants and the first time introducing Smash Ultimate.
“It’s the first time any of us organizers held a tournament this size,” Taylor said.
Taylor helped organize the event alongside Top Shelf Esports founder Gerardo Caballero, Jahaziel Aguilera and Vance Christopher.
While hundreds of Smash fans gathered in person, the tournament, sponsored by Logitech and beastcoast, also streamed matches between some of the world’s top players on Twitch, an interactive live-streaming platform for gamers.
Florida resident and professional gamer Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma, considered one of the greatest Smash Melee players ever, smashed a chair on the ground in celebration on Sunday after defeating Jake “Jmook” DiRado, of New York, in the Smash Melee grand finals at Wavedash.
“I burned a lot of calories that tourney,” Debiedma told The Coast News.
The win was Debiedma’s second major victory this summer after winning the Canadian Smash championship in early July at Get On My Level 2022 in Toronto.
On the other side of the competition, first-time competitor Kristen Edmonds was experiencing the excitement of Super Smash Bros Ultimate, a game she had played for years for fun with her friends.
“I’ve been playing Smash Bros since I was a very young child,” Edmonds said. “I stuck around with the series until Ultimate – it’s just a lot of fun hanging out with friends, and that would be our go-to game.”
Edmonds, a University of Southern California student, traveled to Oceanside for the tournament thanks to encouragement from her local friend, Alex Vogl.
“I’m excited to watch (Edmonds) play,” Vogl said. “I know she’s a good player.”
Professional gamer Spencer “Scend” Garner took home the $6,270 grand prize for Smash Ultimate after defeating Nicko Bonilla.
In doubles, Umar “Umarth” Sohi and Joseph “Azel” Resplandor won Smash Melee. Garner, and his partner Chase, ranked 2nd in the SoCal 2022 power rankings, won Smash Ultimate.
Despite a power outage earlier on Saturday causing a hiccup in the setup process, the tournament stayed on pace. It was a learning experience for Taylor and the others, but the organizers are currently working on plans for a second tournament.
“You’re going to encounter problems, so it just comes down to how well you deal with those problems at a moment’s notice,” Taylor said.
