Apex (tournament)
Apex was an annual esports tournament held in New Jersey that is focused on Super Smash Bros. The event's first incarnation was in 2009 with Jesus "Jman" Fernandez as the champion of Super Smash Bros. Melee and Elliot "Ally" Carroza-Oyarce as champion of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Each year the event grew with more competitors entering. Apex 2014 garnered 629 entrants and was the 2nd largest tournament for Melee at the time after EVO 2013. Though the tournament initially focused on Brawl, the feature game has since switched to Melee due to its popularity.[1] In 2010, an event for Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 was added. In 2014, the fan modification of Brawl, Project M was added for singles only. Project M has recently been removed as an official event out copyright concerns under Nintendo of America[2] sponsorship and Third Party relations.
Game | Super Smash Bros. |
---|---|
Founded | 2009 |
Founder | Johnathan Lugo (resigned) |
Country | United States |
Most recent champion(s) |
|
Most titles | Adam "Armada" Lindgren (3 titles) (SSBM: 2012, 2013) (PM: 2014) |
Official website | Apex |
Apex 2015 was officially sponsored by Nintendo of America[2] and was the largest tournament for Super Smash Bros. in history until it was surpassed by EVO 2015.[3][4] Apex has been nicknamed the "Super Bowl of 'Super Smash Bros.'" by Ben Lindbergh of Grantland.[5] As of 2016, Apex is no longer considered a major tournament.[6]
History
Apex was founded in 2009 by Johnathan Lugo, known by his alias "Alex Strife", as a Super Smash Bros. tournament. The tournament also hosts side events which include fighting games such as Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, Tekken, and others.
2009
Apex 2009 was hosted at the Clarion Hotel Palmer Inn in Princeton, New Jersey. The tournament featured Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Melee, and Brawl+. Melee singles was won by Jman and doubles was won by Mew2King and Jman. Brawl singles was won by Ally and doubles was won by Ally and Mew2King. Brawl+ singles was won by ChuDat. In Brawl crews, MD/VA won.
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Jesus Fernandez | Jman | Fox |
2nd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Marth, Sheik, Fox |
3rd | Daniel Rodriguez | ChuDat | Ice Climbers |
4th | Aziz Al-Yami | Hax | Captain Falcon |
5th | Roustane Benzeguir | Kage | Ganondorf |
5th | Charles Meighen | Cactuar | Fox |
7th | Bobby Scarnewman | Scar | Captain Falcon |
7th | Hazz | Fox |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Snake |
2nd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Meta Knight |
3rd | lain | Ice Climbers | |
4th | Jason Bates | Anti | Meta Knight |
5th | Trevor Hirschen | Atomsk | King Dedede |
5th | Kelvin Quezada | Ksizzle | Meta Knight |
7th | Wyatt Beekman | ADHD | Diddy Kong |
7th | Antoine Sledge | Anther | Pikachu |
2010
Apex 2010 was hosted in New Brunswick, New Jersey at Rutgers University–New Brunswick's College Avenue Student Center. It featured Melee, Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. 64. It also featured the Brawl mods Brawl+ and Brawl-.
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Juan Debiedma | Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
2nd | Adam Lindgren | Armada | Peach |
3rd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Sheik, Marth, Fox |
4th | Kevin Nanney | Dr. PeePee | Falco |
5th | Jeffrey Williamson | Axe | Pikachu |
5th | Robert Wright | Wobbles | Ice Climbers |
7th | Jesus Fernandez | Jman | Fox |
7th | Julian Zhu | Zhu | Falco |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Larry Holland | DEHF | Falco |
2nd | Brood | Olimar | |
3rd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Meta Knight |
4th | Lee Martin | Lee Martin | Lucario, Meta Knight |
5th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Snake |
5th | lain | Ice Climbers | |
7th | Tetsuhisa Kosaka | RAIN | Falco, Meta Knight |
7th | Trevor Hirschen | Atomsk | King Dedede, Ice Climbers, Wario |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Will Engel | Sensei | Fox |
2nd | Michael Brancato | Nintendude | Captain Falcon |
3rd | Joe Franks | m3gav01t | Captain Falcon |
4th | Jerry Liu | valoem | Pikachu |
2012
After a one-year hiatus, Apex 2012 returned to New Brunswick, New Jersey at Rutgers University's College Avenue Student Center. It featured Melee, Brawl, and 64. Melee Singles was won by Armada and doubles by Armada and Mew2King. Brawl was won by Otori in singles and Otori and Kakera in doubles. Smash 64 was won by SuPeRbOoMfAn and doubles was won by Isai and Nintendude. In Melee USA v the World, USA won by a massive 8 stocks. Brawl was set to have a crew battle, but it was cancelled due to time constraints. The tournament was criticized because Brawl did not have enough setups, causing delay in pool matches and necessitating the cancellation of the crew battle.
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Adam Lindgren | Armada | Peach, Young Link |
2nd | Juan Debiedma | Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
3rd | Joseph Marquez | Mango | Falco, Fox |
4th | Javier Ruiz | Javi | Fox |
5th | Kevin Nanney | Dr. PeePee | Falco |
5th | David MacDonald | KirbyKaze | Sheik |
7th | Aziz Al-Yami | Hax | Captain Falcon |
7th | DaJuan McDaniel | Shroomed | Dr. Mario |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Ishikawa Kenta | Otori | Meta Knight |
2nd | Yuta Uejima | Nietono | Olimar |
3rd | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
4th | Eric Lew | ESAM | Ice Climbers, Pikachu |
5th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Snake |
5th | Ishikawa Shota | Kakera | Meta Knight |
7th | Timothy Campos | UltimateRazer | Snake |
7th | Wyatt Beekman | ADHD | Diddy Kong |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Daniel Hoyt | SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Fox |
2nd | Isai Alvarado | Isai | Link |
3rd | Jaime Rodriguez | JaimeHR | Captain Falcon, Fox, Samus |
4th | Kefit | Pikachu | |
5th | Michael Brancato | Nintendude | Pikachu, Mario |
5th | Will Engel | Sensei | Pikachu, Fox |
7th | Joe Franks | m3gav01t | Captain Falcon |
7th | Julius Vissing | King Funk | Captain Falcon |
2013
Apex 2013 was again hosted in the College Avenue Student Center at Rutgers University featuring Melee, Brawl, and 64. As a way to spread appeal, McLeodgaming hosted a kiosk for people to play the newest version (at the time) of Super Smash Flash 2. It also featured USA v The World crew battles for both Melee and Brawl. In addition, Melee had The Links v The Stinks crew battle, in which a team of seven Links challenged team of six well known low tier mains and were joined by "The Final Boss," Kage, to a crew battle.
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Adam Lindgren | Armada | Peach, Young Link |
2nd | Kevin Nanney | Dr. PeePee | Falco, Marth |
3rd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Marth, Sheik |
4th | Joseph Marquez | Mango | Fox, Falco |
5th | Juan Debiedma | Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
5th | DaJuan McDaniel | Shroomed | Dr. Mario |
7th | Aziz Al-Yami | Hax | Captain Falcon |
7th | David MacDonald | KirbyKaze | Sheik |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Saleem Young | Salem | Zero Suit Samus |
2nd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Meta Knight |
3rd | Ishikawa Kenta | Otori | Meta Knight |
4th | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
5th | Jason Bates | Anti | Meta Knight |
5th | Takeshi Gomota | Mikeneko | Marth |
7th | Samuel Buzby | Dabuz | Olimar |
7th | Ramin Delshad | Mr. R | Marth |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Nico Watanabe | Kikoushi | Kirby |
2nd | Isai Alvarado | Isai | Mario |
3rd | Daniel Hoyt | SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Fox, Pikachu |
4th | Akio Tamowo | Ruoka Dancho | Captain Falcon, Luigi |
5th | Jaime Rodriguez | JaimeHR | Captain Falcon, Fox |
6th | Hugo Morgan | Sensei | Pikachu, Fox, Captain Falcon |
7th | Dennis Keith | Kefit | Pikachu |
8th | Nangoku | Ness |
2014
Apex 2014 was hosted at the DoubleTree hotel in Somerset, New Jersey featuring Melee, Project M, Brawl, and 64.
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Kevin Nanney | VGBC|Dr. PeePee | Falco, Marth |
2nd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Sheik, Marth, Fox |
3rd | Joseph Marquez | MIOM|Mango | Falco, Fox |
4th | William Hjelte | Leffen | Fox |
5th | Juan Debiedma | CT|Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
5th | Colin Green | Colbol | Fox |
7th | Joshua Davis | SS|S0 ft | Jigglypuff |
7th | Shephard Lima | Fiction | Fox |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
2nd | Gonzalo Barrios | CT|ZeRo | Meta Knight |
3rd | Eric Lew | ESAM | Pikachu, Ice Climbers |
4th | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Meta Knight |
5th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Meta Knight, Snake |
5th | Wyatt Beekman | ADHD | Diddy Kong |
7th | Eric Legesse | Tyrant | Meta Knight |
7th | Vincent Cannino | Vinnie | Ice Climbers |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Adam Lindgren | CT.EMP|Armada | Pit |
2nd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Fox, Marth, Mewtwo |
3rd | Larry Holland | DEHF | Falco, Fox |
4th | Brandon Nunnenkamp | Rolex | Snake |
5th | Jeremy Westfahl | Fly Amanita | King Dedede |
5th | Alexander Maguire | Sethlon | Roy |
7th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Ike |
7th | Rob Dickson | Oracle | R.O.B. |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Isai Alvarado | CT|Isai | Jigglypuff |
2nd | Moyashi | Pikachu, Kirby | |
3rd | Daniel Hoyt | SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Fox, Pikachu, Kirby |
4th | Arturo Hernández | Mariguas | Captain Falcon, Pikachu |
5th | Eduardo Tovar | tacos | Captain Falcon, Yoshi, Kirby |
5th | Justin Hallett | CT|Wizzrobe | Yoshi |
7th | Ruoka Dancho | Captain Falcon, Kirby | |
7th | Jaime Rodriguez | JaimeHR | Fox, Captain Falcon, Samus |
2015
Apex 2015, which ran from January 30 to February 1, included Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 64, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Guilty Gear Xrd, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Killer Instinct. It was initially hosted at Clarion Hotel Empire Meadowlands in Secaucus, New Jersey and featured the first Melee tournament with over a thousand entrants with 1037 players participating.[7] Super Smash Bros. for Wii U included over 800 entrants.
The tournament was officially sponsored by Nintendo and included a playable demo of Splatoon.[8] Apex dropped Brawl fan mod Project M from its 2015 lineup and all of its qualifiers.[9] Streaming for fangame, Super Smash Bros. Crusade, has also been denied.[10] Lugo alleged he received death threats for the dropping of Project M from some members of the community.[11][12] In January 2015, Lugo announced he was stepping down from Apex after multiple media reports alleging sexual harassment by tournament attendees.[13][14]
After a fire alarm was accidentally set off on the morning of January 30, fire marshals discovered that parts of the hotel were in violation of safety codes. The marshals removed access to the ballrooms, which had a partially collapsed roof.[15] The main tournament was delayed for a day and was moved 40 miles away to the Garden State Convention Center in Somerset, New Jersey.[16]
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Kevin Nanney | EG|PPMD | Falco, Marth |
2nd | Adam Lindgren | [A]|Armada | Peach, Fox |
3rd | William Hjelte | Leffen | Fox |
4th | Joseph Marquez | C9|Mango | Fox, Falco |
5th | Masaya Chikamoto | VGBC|aMSa | Yoshi |
5th | Juan Debiedma | Liquid|Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
7th | David MacDonald | EMG|KirbyKaze | Sheik |
7th | DaJuan McDaniel | Shroomed | Sheik |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Gonzalo Barrios | ZeRo | Diddy Kong |
2nd | Samuel Buzby | PL.XFIRE|Dabuz | Olimar, Rosalina and Luma |
3rd | Ramin Delshad | LLL|Mr. R | Sheik |
4th | Wesley Alexander | 6WX | Sonic |
5th | Yuta Uejima | DtN|Nietono | Sheik |
5th | Jason Zimmerman | PL.MVG|Mew2King | Diddy Kong |
7th | Yuta Kawamura | Abadango | Pac-Man |
7th | Jestise Negron | AO.CT|MVD | Duck Hunt, Little Mac |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Daniel Hoyt | TEG|SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Pikachu |
2nd | Eduardo Tovar | tacos | Yoshi, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff |
3rd | Justin Hallett | COG|Wizzrobe | Yoshi |
4th | Arturo Hernández | Mariguas | Pikachu, Kirby, Captain Falcon |
5th | Abacus Zilch | TR3G|LD | Fox |
5th | KeroKeroppi | Kirby, Pikachu | |
7th | Yoshua Castilllo | SF|Dext3r | Pikachu |
7th | Javier Romero | Fireblaster | Yoshi, Mario |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Boreal|Ally | Snake |
2nd | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
3rd | Jestise Negron | AO.CT|MVD | Snake |
4th | Saleem Young | CT|Salem | Zero Suit Samus |
5th | Vishal Balaram | V115 | Zero Suit Samus |
5th | Vincent Cannino | PL.XFIRE|Vinnie | Ice Climbers |
7th | Ufuk Fidan | cyve | Diddy Kong |
7th | Takeshi Shimizu | Shimitake | Pikachu |
2016
After the controversies surrounding the 2015 event, there were doubts over the future of the Apex tournament. However Andre "Bifuteki" Augustin announced that the event would continue under his leadership.[17] Apex 2016 was the seventh edition of the Apex series which took place on June 17–19, 2016 under the new management of the Bifuteki crew.[18] The event was considerably smaller the previous incarnation and even had to cancel its Brawl event due to low turnout.[19]
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Samuel Buzby | Dabuz | Rosalina |
2nd | James Makekau-Tyson | CLG|VoiD | Sheik, Mewtwo, Fox |
3rd | Yuta Uejima | DNG|Nietono | Diddy Kong |
4th | Jason Zimmerman | FOX.MVG|Mew2King | Cloud |
5th | Tyler Martins | Marss | Zero Suit Samus |
5th | Kelsy Medeiros | Circa.HoH|SuperGirlKels | Sonic |
7th | Gavin Dempsey | DMG|Tweek | Cloud |
7th | James Wade | DMG|James | Cloud, Diddy Kong, Luigi |
Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Jason Zimmerman | FOX.MVG|Mew2King | Sheik, Marth |
2nd | James Lauerman | Mafia | Peach |
3rd | Ryan Coker-Welch | CT|The Moon | Marth |
4th | Hendrick Pilar | DJ Nintendo | Fox |
5th | John Daily | GG|Minty | Samus |
5th | Nick Stango | Stango | Marth |
7th | Michael Serpico | PudgyPanda | Ice Climbers |
7th | Bryan Somaiah | Kaeon | Fox |
References
- Chris Higgins (26 January 2015). "The battle for best brawler continues at Apex 2015". Red Bull. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Steve Watts (2015-01-09). "Nintendo Sponsoring Smash Bros. Tournament". IGN. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Omar Sohail (2015-01-16). "Super Smash Bros. Tournament start date Jan. 30; : Nintendo to sponsor Apex 2015 tournament". Christian Today. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Rob Crossley (2015-01-12). "Super Smash Bros Tournament Endorsed by Nintendo". GameSpot. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Lindbergh, Ben (2015-02-18). "Fight Club: Catching a Beating at the Super Bowl of 'Super Smash Bros.'". Grantland. Retrieved 2015-04-07.
- "www.ssbwiki.com/Apex".
- Garrett Jutte (2015-01-25). "Apex 2015 Will Be the Biggest Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament Yet". Guardian Liberty Voice. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Jason Gallagher (2015-01-21). "Rumor Patrol: Nintendo to Show Off Surprise Game at Apex 2015?". Game Rant. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Joe LoGuidice (November 17, 2014). "Project M expunged altogether from Apex 2015, including Salty Suite". Esports Heaven. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
- Chris Priestman (2015-01-26). "Super Smash Bros. Fan Project Told Not To Stream During Apex 2015". Siliconera. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Ian Walker (2015-01-12). "Apex 2015 Becomes Largest Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament of All Time, Registration Extended One Day". Shoryuken. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Ian J. Barker (2014-11-10). "Fighting game organizer targeted with death threats". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Daniel Lee (2015-01-20). "Melee It On Me – Alex Strife steps down from Apex". MeleeItOnMe. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Schreier, Jason (2015-01-20). "Smash Tourney Organizer Steps Down Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations". Kotaku. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- Schreier, Jason (2015-01-30). "Smash Tournament Relocates After Hotel Violates Safety Codes". Kotaku. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
- Wilson Conde (2015-01-30). "Apex 2015 video gaming tourney moved after Secaucus hotel cited for fire code violations". NJ.com. Retrieved 2015-01-31.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2016-06-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Apex Series (2016-01-25). "Apex Series". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
- "www.dailydot.com/esports/apex-2016-super-smash-bros-brawl-cancellation/".