The return of offline Super Smash Bros. Melee is quickly approaching, as Smash Summit 11 will take place from July 15-19. Over the past week, community members have voted for their favorite players to help them secure a spot at the prestigious in-person invitational.
Now, voting is completed and six competitors have received invitations to the event. Here’s a breakdown of the Smash Summit 11 vote-ins.
Smash Summit 11 vote-ins: Hungrybox
Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma is no stranger to the Beyond the Summit studio. He has competed at every Smash Summit besides the first. However, this Summit marked the first time Hungrybox did not receive a direct invitation to participate in the tournament.
Despite his prominence within the Smash community, it was not a given that Hungrybox would be one of the Summit 11 vote-ins. He livestreamed a subathon leading up to the vote-in period, during which he raised money to purchase votes. Hungrybox had an emotional response upon learning he would compete at his first in-person Melee major in well over a year.
Throughout the online era, Hungrybox suffered from mediocre results. He may look to reclaim his status as the best player in the world starting at Smash Summit 11.
.@LiquidHbox breaks down crying after getting into this latest edition the @BTSsmash Smash Summit 11.
LAN is back. pic.twitter.com/aFeEek9Pop
— Tisch (@tischphotos) July 1, 2021
LSD
Though Logan “LSD” Dunn has long been considered one of South Carolina’s best Melee players, he rarely traveled out of region. However, LSD shined during the Slippi era, defeating players like Hungrybox, Johnny “S2J” Kim, Zachary “SFAT” Cordoni and more online.
Now, LSD will get to test his skills against some of the best players in the world offline as a Smash Summit 11 vote-in. Notably, this marks his first time traveling to the West Coast of the United States for a Melee major.
https://twitter.com/LSDSSBM/status/1410674998902247429
Axe
Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson is one of three players to compete at every Smash Melee Summit, along with Joseph “Mang0” Marquez and Justin “Plup” McGrath. While Mang0 and Plup qualified for Smash Summit 11 through the Summit Champions League, Axe had to earn a spot as a vote-in.
For years, Axe has been a fan favorite due to his flashy play with Pikachu, a character no one else has successfully used at the highest level. At Summit, he will team with Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto, who is similarly the lone top-level representative for Yoshi.
Like Hungrybox, Axe experienced a dip in results during online tournaments. As a result, the odds will be against him as he tries to repeat his Smash Summit 8 victory.
:') let's freaking go, @TempoAxe 💙⚡
Thank you to everyone who voted! pic.twitter.com/yK5Fl0P1KX
— Tempo (@Tempo_Storm) July 4, 2021
Aklo
Much like LSD, Dawud “Aklo” Rahman has been a threat within his region for years. Even so, he remained little known to the broader Melee community since he never competed outside of New York. But, he rose to national prominence through netplay tournaments as he defeated the likes of Hungrybox, S2J and Avery “Ginger” Wilson.
Aklo is known not only for his calculated Fox play, but also for his unorthodox use of the low tier Link as a counter pick. He will frequently play as Link on Final Destination against characters who could chain grab his Fox. Link has helped carry him to victory in sets against LSD and Arjun “lloD” Malhotra.
Aklo is a multi-Smash game extraordinaire, also finding success in Smash Ultimate and Project M. Nevertheless, he will look to make his biggest splash at Smash Summit 11, his first offline Melee supermajor.
I am at a loss for words. I've literally dreamed of this since I was a child. Those who supported me deserve all the credit for this. I saw everyone who supported me, whether they had small or large followings. I will do you proud, I promise. ❤
— Nouns | Brotherhood | Aklo (@NotAklo) July 3, 2021
n0ne
Whether you know him as Bond, Wizzyfan or Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby, rest assured one of Melee’s most explosive Captain Falcon mains will attend Smash Summit 11 as a vote-in. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, n0ne’s results were trending upward, including a top-eight finish at Genesis 7.
His strong results continued into the online era, as n0ne established himself as a contender for top five in North America. While he has had more modest performances in 2021, n0ne remains one of Melee’s most active competitors and streamers. Currently, n0ne is the only Captain Falcon main confirmed for Summit, as he beat out fellow Falcon players S2J and Justin “Wizzrobe” Hallett in the voting process.
hey
see u at summit 🙂
— n0ne (@n0ned) July 5, 2021
yingling
Nick “yingling” Yingling was perhaps the most unexpected of the Smash Summit 11 vote-ins. He will be the first person to compete at a Smash Melee Summit despite never receiving a spot on the global top 100 rankings.
Nevertheless, yingling is a prominent Melee community member and perhaps best known as one of the organizers of the Smash Camp tournament series. As a result, he received unprecedented support during his Summit campaign. Numerous players adopted his Twitter profile picture and changed their profile names to “I am Nicholas Yingling.”
While yingling will undoubtedly be the underdog at the tournament, many people have congratulated him for what they considered the most effective Smash Summit campaign to date.
GONNA REPLY TO DMS AND MESSAGES AND DO CAMEOS AND TBH ONCE MY ADRENALINE IS GONE AND IVE CALMED DOWN THAMK YOU LITERALLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY FUCKINT HEART HOLY FUCKING SHIT I LOVE YOU ALL WHO SUPPORTINT ME TWITTTER WONT LET ME MAKE A LONGER TWEET TO THANK EVERYONE pic.twitter.com/K32mQ83FO8
— NICK YINGLING (10-6) (@zNickYingling) July 5, 2021
