The Otterbein esports team saw a lot of success after their first semester of competition last fall, but while the Valorant players set a record of 9-0 and the Overwatch 2 players went 8-1, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team had a much different first-look at competition.
The full esports team holds a record of 25-14, but the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players won zero sets out of the seven they competed in and didn’t win a single game in the process.
Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a platform fighting game released in 2018 for the Nintendo Switch. When competing in the game, players must knock their opponent off of the main platform three times to win a game. In an esports competition, winning two games means winning a full set.
One factor that adds difficulty to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the way the game handles online play. According to The Gamer, online tournaments for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are difficult due to Nintendo’s lack of dedicated servers for the game causing input delays no matter the user’s internet speed. Fighting games in particular require incredibly precise inputs to play optimally.
Assistant coach Alex Gunnerson works mostly with the Smash Bros. players. He says issues arise during a game due to the input delays “all the time."
“We do have one online set up where we get some online practice, but for the most part we’re against each other," Gunnerson said. “Because there’s lag, slower characters get a huge benefit."
He also mentioned that he notices players with faster paced characters struggling more with online play due to the input lag.
“I really need to emphasize how technical [Super Smash Bros. Ultimate] is,” Gunnerson said.
Other schools that compete have to work with the server limitations as well. In addition to input lag, simple lack of experience in general also appears to factor into the poor record last fall.
For instance, Otterbein played a set against Shenandoah University in Smash Bros. on Nov. 7 last year. This was just the seventh match in Otterbein program history, which is miniscule compared to Shenandoah, who has had a competitive esports team since 2018 and has offered academic esports majors since 2019.
Gunnerson says that each Smash Bros. player at Otterbein is new to competitive esports, but that’s not necessarily negative.
“This team is all new, and it’s really cool how new they are,” Gunnerson said.
Coachability and a drive to get better seems to be a benefit of new players as well. First-year Smash Bros. player Josh Hill believes the most successful part of the team’s first semester was the comradery.
“I think it helped us get better at the game collectively. We all share tricks of the trade and bounce ideas off each other,” Hill said.
Despite the inexperience that comes with being a first-year program and the frustrating parts of the game they play, there seems to be a positive energy from the Smash Bros. players.
The esports Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team will begin play this semester when they face Ashland University on Thursday Feb. 13. The match and others in the future, can be watched online at the Otterbein esports Twitch page.
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