Japanese players will play Smash Ultimate JRWI & 2GG in Carolinas
2GGaming announced that four Japanese players will attend Just Roll With It! 11 and 2GG: Grand Tour – South Carolina. These players are Yuta “Abadango” Kawamura, Takuto “kameme” Ono, Ishiguro “Raito” Tetsuya, and Tsubasa “Tsu” Takuma.
2GG: Grand Tour – South Carolina is a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament organized by 2GGaming to highlight the talent in the Carolinas. It is likely the first of multiple tournaments 2GGaming will host in little-known regions. The event will take place in Charleston June 15 – 16.
Hey Carolina do we have a treat for you
Thanks to @TrademarkEC, Team Japan which consists of @Abadango @kameme8808 @raito_ssb & @tkmtbs will be attending BOTH #JRWI & #GrandTourSC which includes a $5K pot bonus!https://t.co/SFzSgZRWEe pic.twitter.com/6OJVMEYJDQ
— 2GG (@2GGaming) May 28, 2019
2GGaming received criticism for scheduling its event over Just Roll With It! 11, a Raleigh, North Carolina regional that was already scheduled for June 15. However, 2GGaming reached a compromise with JRWI tournament organizer Kamaran “Kam Steele” McClanahan. 2GGaming’s South Carolina event will host all of Doubles on the first day and all of Singles on the second day. As a result, players interested only in Singles will have the opportunity to attend both events. 2GGaming will also reimburse $10 to players who attend both events, incentivizing players to make the drive from North Carolina to South Carolina.
Putting the Carolinas on the map at JRWI
Just Roll With It! 11 is poised to be North Carolina’s most significant Super Smash Bros. Ultimate event yet. Alongside the Japanese players, JRWI will feature out-of-state talent like Davon “Promaelia” Crawley, Reia “Blank” Drucker, and Tyler “Squerk” Wells. Many of North Carolina’s top players are also registered for the event, like Jared “Lazyboredom” Hubbard and Kevin “Kresent” Habel.
2GG: Grand Tour – South Carolina has received little support compared to JRWI. Only a few notable players are registered for the event besides the Japanese players brought in by 2GGaming. Among these are John “Rango” Rinyu and Kam Steele. These low registration numbers come in spite of a $5,000 pot bonus exclusive to the South Carolina event. Some players, like Blank, may choose to skip the 2GG event because of the organization’s poor planning initially.
Japanese talent
All of the Japanese competitors attending 2GGaming’s South Carolina event had great success in Smash 4. Abadango was ranked no. 13 all-time in Smash 4 on the Panda Global Rankings 100. His tournament results have been less noteworthy in Ultimate. Nevertheless, Abadango has placed in the top 6 of Japanese tournaments like Umebura SP 3 and EGS Cup.
As the champion of S tier Umebura Japan Major 2019, kameme is undoubtedly looking for an opportunity to excel in the United States through JRWI. He placed a mediocre 25th at his first American major, Frostbite 2019. Even so, in 2019 kameme has wins over players like Raito and Takuma “Tea” Hirooka.
Raito has had strong results ever since he came to the States to compete at Come to Papa 3. He placed in the top 4 at Umebura Japan Major 2019 and Sumaboto SP 4. Raito has beaten players like Brian “Cosmos” Kalu and Toshimasa “Choco” Hayakawa.
Tsu first entered the national spotlight at Frostbite 2017. There, he placed 2nd and played famous sets against Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios. He has yet to have such an international breakout in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, only placing 65th at Frostbite 2019. However, Tsu did place 5th at Umebura Japan Major 2019, his first major top 8 in Ultimate.
