Hi everybody. I made it back home safe and sound. I just want to say that you have a wonderful community and that everybody here is great. Even if I don't talk a lot in-person, I am very glad to have talked with some of you about some stuff, and it was an honor to have played everyone I did.
I am terrible with remembering people though, so please forgive me if I don't match face with gamertag. So much was/is still going throuh my mind, but that will not deter the memories I will have from this place and having the spend the day with your lovely community.
First off, let me just say that with such a beautiful and historic city, it really shouldn't be that much a surprise that everybody was as welcoming and friendly as they were. Though I was sort of worried because my mother has got to be up there for most overprotective mother out there and that I would have to do some explaining/make-ups afterwards, but on the contrary your behavior has finally assured my mother that the smash community in general can be a very great group to be around and it's because everyone that I may be able to do more trips like this out of state. I want to personally thank you, as my local community has... shall we say, died off? I still play with a couple of people every now and then but it's not enough to make a difference, nor does it inspire me to practice all that much.
I'm just glad I did as well as I did. In all due honesty, I expected to get ***** because I have heard good things about the Texas community, and as for the pressure that comes with competitive play I probably thought I would not be at my prime. On the contrary though, I amazed myself and surpassed my expectations, even if I may still be somewhat disappointed that I could not join the grand finals and have a chance to time out my Steakfather. Regardless though, just because I managed to 2-0 a lot of you does not do this community justice in terms of the skill-level this community has to offer. All the matches I played were amazing, and even the ones I lost could've probably went in anybody's favor.
I am so sorry I did not take any pictures though! It did not cross my mind that I would want to have something other than Youtube videos to cherish the memory of having come to this place, but I am still happy that I met everyone anyway and I did manage to capture some of you passing by the T.V. or whatever. I was probably also too busy playing those recorded matches, as well as watching some of you play and duke it out. It kind of reminds me of Vegas back in '09 when everybody played to have fun and of course get better.
I want to wish your community prosperity in the years to come, and I also want to wish you all luck in reaching you dreams; whatever they are, for as long as you play this game and thereafter. I could not have asked for anything more out of you because I pretty much did everything I wanted to.
Now that I have that out of the way, I can get shout-outs going, and I was really looking forward to doing them. Again though, my memory is just awful, so please don't feel insulted if I don't remember your name, I have not, and will not forget how two of you for example helped me in getting food, because my mother and I took a taxi and the nearest restaurant certainly wasn't walking distance; besides that I was freaking hungry. :< They don't lie when they say everything is bigger in Texas, now I understand why a lot of, if not all of you, can't really be bothered to travel out of state. Going to the nearest city with competition much be a hassle all of it's own, and getting back too I'd imagine.
You know what would've been nice though? Drive-by Steakhouses. I had to settle for Burger King, but if I had a Steak for dinner, I might've been able to do better though. Oh well, no johns.
I should Get the general shout-outs out of the way, because for example, somebody asked me "Hey Kinzer, are you power-ranked in your state?" and I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an honest question, and either way, I will say this:
No, no I am not power-ranked, and for many reasons. Some of them are my assumption but there are other, and perhaps much better reasons for that.
For one, I am just an average player. Power rankings are for professional players, a level of which I have not reached as of yet.
Two, I'm pretty sure my local power-rankings were run in a circle of friends, so just because I'm not well known and my personally is counter-productive for socializing I probably didn't talk to enough panel-lists to go over some things and discuss how the rankings would be formed. Reason I believe this is well...
I hope nobody from here reads this, but take for example Kokaloo. I doubt a lot of you have heard of him, he's probably more recognized out of state. He's a Zero Suit Samus player. On his own he is pretty good but he has some things to work on. Why do I say this?
I beat him clean the last time we played. There is a serious problem if me, an average Sonic player, manages to take out who is as of the latest update is 5th/4th(?) on the local power-ranking. The same goes for Xero who is a local Olimar player, difference is I played this guy much more often and our score is more even. I'm not sure if he's power-ranked still but he was, and I wouldn't surprised if he still is. Our sets is probably in my favor but God is this matchup so Gay, probably just because of the character and what he can do to Sonic. Regardless, I will not lecture you all on a detailed description, since I know some of you can't be bothered to play either character or keep up with their metagame.
I
could be wrong on that though, after all one of, if not the best Sonic in the nation, lives here, so maybe if you all want to have an easier time hit me up on AIM and I'll tell you what I know, no problem.
Anyway, I think another reason that I'm not power-ranked could be because I don't perform as well as I should for how much I know about this game, and because I don't(can't) travel out of state and play people and make a name for myself it may seem kind of "off" to have a random nobody on the local power-ranking. When Vegas was active, the higher-ups did everything they could to make this city look legit, and it was; really. Maybe now that my 18th birthday is coming up and I'm becoming an adult I'll start being able to do more of what I want, and right now that is to join Espy, along with the other well-respected Sonic mains, in representing this character with all our heart. I myself am not done, I just wish that my local community wasn't.
Who called out the song Espy had on his Wii on Pokemon Stadium I? Good call. It's been a while since I've played Adventure II, I think I should fix that soon.
Did somebody ask for a trash-talk thread on the Sonic boards? Done.
Who was trash-talking the matches between me and Espy? Good stuff~! <3
Hmm~... Was that it? I suppose so, Burger King too good. Burger King does what McDon'talds?
/lame.
Regardless, I'll save the best(Read:longest) specific ones for last, so~:
21: Tofer - I watched some of your matches. Peachy.
21: 610 - Good games man. Don't worry about being ridiculed on YT, if anybody says anything nasty about you I'll see to it the comments get deleted. It's all just memories of being here.
21: Riza - Ah, forgive me. I couldn't keep track of you. I was wandering all over, I think I played you though. Good games.
21: Big Boss - Almost took out Turbo, right? Luckily that was just almost. ^.- No I'm kidding, that's a legit Snake.
21: Omega - SAWNIK?! WHY~?! If only you showed up earlier or something! I'm sorry we didn't play either, would've been amazing no doubt.
16: Laurel - You're the Marth player correct? You were unlucky, I had played my apprentice with Marth before I left and I kind of figured that if I move around a lot with Sonic I may be able to give Marth players a good amount of trouble since it's hard to space with so much pressure even from across the stage. What a shame this did not help me against Nike, but it's whatever.
16: CBF - Forgive me, I did not watch or see much of you either.
16: Cloud - You play Ike? That's legit. It's not often I get to play an Ike, elt alone one worth their salt. Our set was real close. I might've lost if I hadn't mained Ike before I moved on.
16: Candy - Tasty. Aside from that, I really can't say much. Again, I'm sorry.
16: Slush - You played that Cyan Yoshi, correct? Augh~, you gotta work on getting around spam. I don't even play Yoshi and I wanted to cry. I believe that you are better than that~! You can do it!
13: Paw - Those boobies... Uhm, I mean, I watched your matches, and they were close~. Good stuff. Would've been nice to play a different Zero Suit Samus player since those are a rarity to begin with.
13: Kyro - Ah~, Ness~. I think I have FOW to thank for this, because I certainly would've been caught off-guard if I didn't bother to analyze this character and find out what to do in certain moments and in certain places. Still can't do the chaingrab, but I guess I don't have it in me to play gay.
13: Jay -Puppy? I don't play against Wolf players either. Seems like San Antonio's got it all when it comes to the cast.
9: Pyledriver -Again, what is it with me and not even introducing myself to everybody individually? I really feel bad when all I can say are excuses. :/
9: Rob - And again. I would just go with the same, but I know better than to make assumptions, and since I know nothing else, I guess I can say thank you for coming and making my experience richer.
9: Oreo - Glad to see Lucario still gives me trouble after all the work I put into trying to counter this character. -_- Don't mind me though, you did what you had to do, now if you can work out the habits I might've caught on midmatch I would've lost. That's pretty much the deal-breaker in this MU, if I can't do that it's lost.
9: RedShadow - I did see a Wario player, I suppose that would be you. It really would've been nice to play you, the only Wario player I know of that's close to me is a Melee player so~... Anyway though, I kind of saw that you gave up when you lost to Marth. Please don't let it get to you, I believe Wario has the stuff he needs to avoid losing in that matchup, I'm sure all you gotta do is play this game a bit more and you'll be a force to be reckoned with.
7: Sonic King - I couldn't wait to get to you! The only thing I disliked about meeting you was that I would have to play you in-bracket, and send you to losers. I really dislike it when I have to play another fellow Sonic player in-bracket when I am trying to help everybody that wants to chase the same dream reach it. Don't ever lose faith in yourself Turbo, you have so much potential and I think I'd cry if I ever had to read something like a going-away speech. All you need to do is get rid of that ugly rolling habit and you'll already make a huge leap for the better, I guarantee it. I am so glad I played friendlies with you and watched you play, I really want to see you get better and that nasty habit you have right now is not doing you any favors when I saw you get punished for it time and time again. I am also glad that you live so close to Espy, he can help you so much and I'm sure he doesn't mind this kind of thing at all; but I cannot speak on his behalf so I'm just going off the impression I got while I was there.
7: Suspect - Oh my goodness was a set we played out! I was overhearing a couple of you guys make fun of West Coast DI too, I don't think they watched me play your Diddy, or Nike for that matter. Especially you, allowing me to live to 247% IIRC. That's not something you should let a Sonic get away with! In any case though, I thought you had moved away from Texas, you mind telling me the story? I am curious. If it's tl;dr though, I just want to say very good games.
5: KoN - Meat Knight?
5: Kinzer - What is this? Some Random Sonic Guy from Nevada, makes his mom book a last minute trip to some place to play a child's game with a bunch of other dudes, and worst of all manages to place shy of the money? I hate your guts, and you don't deserve any of the pot from the money to get that Reisen plushie you wanted for your birthday when you don't deserve it. Why do you even play Sonic? He's a bad character and you should feel bad and perhaps reconsider picking up a better character so it shows more that you suck at this game and nothing you could do would make you place in the money. </3
4: Castro - I eat Peaches for breakfast, lunch, and I'd say dinner too if I wasn't eating Steak that time! If Turbo here didn't beat you I would've had I not lost to KPrime or Nike Om-Nom-Nom-Nom.
3: Nike - Playing you was fantastic, and thank you for making the most of the money match. You've taught me that I still have a little bit to learn before I can start taking names. When I lost to you in bracket, I had thought that I made some conscious mistakes that if I played you again I would've fixed and had you beat. I am not disappointed in any bit to have been proven wrong.
2: K Prime - You remind me much of Z when we played. and playing you was like playing him. I always manage to get closer with every session but for whatever reason I can never take a set off. I suppose it's due to one too many grabs and Thunder kills. You are a very good player, please keep going on with that, and perhaps push it even further. Pikachu is a fun matchup even if some of the things that go down are ridiculous, it forces me to think and play different in a way that I want to look out for so I can find ways of getting better. I wish I could've recorded the set between you and Espy but the camera ran out of memory. I will have to settle for watching and analyzing it on Youtube, but it just isn't the same as being there in-person.
1: Espy - The champ himself. Espy, what an honor to have met you, come to your house, and even play you for a bit. Your family is very understanding with smashers, and I love to see that. I also enjoyed it here thanks to the atmosphere. So chill. And I'm afraid of the choice of words I make when I compliment you, for I fear that not only would they be inaccurate, but they just might not be able to describe the amount of respect I have for you now. For as long as I've known you to be around, I have always looked up to you for inspiration and you have given me more than enough reasons to improve my Sonic before I decided I was too bad of a player to quit. However, watching you play live and in-person is entirely different than watching you on Youtube. The sheer amazement of watching you do things that I have thought before as unfathomable, is nothing short of mind-blowing. You truly have ascended to a level above and beyond. The song that comes to my mind thinking about it that could best fit the situation would be "Un-Gravitify." It looks to me as if not that you have conditioned these guys to play against a Sonic, but simply you have trained them to take out anybody that isn't worthy of claiming the first spot, and I certainly have a bit of a ways to go.
I am surprised though, you probably had the best of San Antonio come to this tournament, and I exceeded my own expectations for myself, even if I had that small glint of hope that I'd be able to win. This was a Steakfest afterall, it would have been an insult to not have played at my best, and maybe then some more. The only regret I have with the tourney was that there weren't more "Sonic" next to peoples' names, but I suppose having that happen is but a wet dream, even in a tourney dedicated to the very hedgehog himself. I have to find some way to get better, I want to make you, and everybody else proud, when they believe in me. I not only have respect for you, but everybody else as well, I did not expect to get this much encouragement coming here, being that I am not from San Antonio. I don't even care if all the trash-talking towards your own community was a joke, it is good to know that I had somebody, or some people behind me and wanting me to follow in your footsteps and do great things with Sonic.
I believe I may already be living my dream though. My skill as a player cannot unfortunately match my knowledge as somebody who looks extensively into this game, and therefore I find equal joy in helping others chase the same dream. This goes for everybody, no matter how hopeful or hopeless they seem.
Tails has honestly lost a lot of hope in himself, but the thing that keeps me trying to help him, among others, is that I see myself when I look at others. Somewhere deep down I know that there lies a little voice or person that tells the individual that they are capable of pulling off the most phenomenal of things. Sometimes though it is easy to forget that, and it is certainly much easier to spend time regretting the mistakes we "should not" have made. Point-being though, it is these imperfections that bring out the best of people o try to correct them and reach infinite possibility. You, Espy, are probably the closest thing for somebody to have a free mind and do things that others would deem risky or outright stupid. When I played those friendly matches with you, I actually had to be careful about my choice of recovery, because if I left myself too open you would go out and pursuit me, and I would be lucky to avoid your assault. I never would've in my wildest dreams thought that I would be more frightened of playing against another Sonic player before I would be terrified of playing any of Sonic's "bad" matchups.
And frankly, it is because of you that I am now convinced that not only am I able to do stuff if I put my mind to it, but my hopes for Sonic have risen another step. Granted, my hopes for him were always high, but now I am only more assured that Sonic is only limited by the player behind the controller, and you do not disappoint. One day, I want to reach this level of control, surpass that, reach whatever level you may be on at the time, surpass that, and become the new "beacon of hope" for the Blue Blur. Pretty big shoes to fill, but If I don't have a dream to chase I begin to lose sight of what makes me happy, and I need something to drive me to go onwards for as long I set my eyes on monumental achievements.
Thank you so much, for everything. I don't think even these long write-ups get everything I want to say, but for now I have to go with this.
One last thing I want to say though, specifically to you. I'm sorry Kita had to call you and get me your number to force me to call you to ask if you wanted to do anything Sunday. Not that I have anything against you, but I assume that you have a life to live, and I don't think you wanted to spend it with somebody who doesn't even really talk. Besides that, I promised my mom that I would go touring the city with her if she took me here. Kita's a troll, you don't even want to see the Reisen hentai he keeps showing me every night. :<
...Or maybe you do, since she's a bunny girl. I'm sure you two would get along better than we could. It's all good though, really I enjoyed myself here, and perhaps some day I may come back when I have my own money and I am my own individual, not legally bound to a guardian. For now though, my sights are on Maryland/Virginia, and then Utah. Nothing here in Vegas anymore. :/
Kinzer - Awesome Sonic. Beat Espy in a friendly! Zomg!
YESH~!
5: Kinzer - we didnt get to play, but thanks for coming :>
Thank you. I'm truly sorry we didn't get to play, our matches would've been fun I know it.
5 Kinzer- did you tell the sonic boards how you beat espy in friendlies lol
I just did. ^.-
And 3 Sonic's in top 8. That's just not right....
Tell me about it. WTF is with all these characters that don't start with an 'S' and end in a 'onic,' or even "Sawnik?"
Kinzer Hyping your friendlies against Espy was so funny x) Nevada > Texas!!
Lolwut? I'm da bess?
Kinzer - Amazing Sonic, man. I loved watching it.
Thank you, I try my best to please.
5: Kinzer- Our first pool match was amazing o.o wish we had gotten to play more.
Tell me about it.
Kinzer: It was great to finally meet another Sonic from OoS. You have potential, you just need modification and experience. Try not to rush in so recklessly, your aggressiveness will be your own undoing.
Thanks so much Espy, this means a lot coming from you. I did not think I played aggressively since my problem is usually not abusing/creating enough opportunities, but I guess in this case I went about it the wrong way. Thank you for noticing, I'll try to work on it asap. Oh BTW, could you show me the thread where you have that Spring > Jab-lock thing? I'm going to look into it myself and I'll try to incorporate it into my game. I can't promise I'll get it down anytime soon though, I still have trouble DDPing as some may have noticed during my matches.
Oh Also, before I forget, I was kind of fun showing you some tough love with my new brother. XD It must've been difficult when you got two of the same character you're playing and the opponents know what you're doing (somewhat) and how to punish it (somewhat).
Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but Kita no longer owes you sex after this. I took the ****** for him, and I'm glad I at least managed to get one back for him.
...Still though, I am terribly sorry you had to deal with this troll***. I don't even know how you can owe somebody you've never met in-person, halfway across the U.S., sex. Lol@that. He continued/continues to deny his debt though, but I got him now that I'm back home.
i am mad at myself, i did stupid things and lost where i shouldn't have
Kinzer - gg, i didn't expect an aggressive sonic at ALL, but patience is indeed a virtue and wow@beating espy in a friendly haha. ;p
Channel that anger into something that makes you want to correct the kinks in your style. I know you'll find a way.
And thank you, I'm probably just as surprised as everybody else who was expecting Espy to have me on lock. Or maybe not, did anybody out there actually think I'd do amazing, except maybe for Daddy since it's kind of expected from a father? XD
anyone mind giving me some feedback on my Ike to help me? .-.
If you could work on edgeguarding better, you'd probably be more solid than you already are. Good stuff~!
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