Another Summit voting season has come and gone, and six more players have secured spots at one of Beyond the Summit’s prestigious invitationals. With a still-rising prize pool of over $153,000, Smash Ultimate Summit 3 already has the second-largest prize pool in Smash history and could very well surpass the record Smash Summit 11 set last month.
Here’s an overview of the six vote-ins fans chose to compete at Smash Ultimate Summit 3.
Smash Ultimate Summit 3 vote-ins: Aaron
Though Aaron “Aaron” Wilhite has entered major Smash tournaments since 2015, he has more recently skyrocketed in popularity as a streamer and content creator. In addition, he has done so while continuing to make strides as a competitor. At InfinityCon, the United States’ first post-quarantine Smash Ultimate major, Aaron placed fifth by defeating May “Mystearica” Peterson and Nicholas “Ned” Dovel.
While Aaron, then known as “dyr,” mained Diddy Kong during Smash 4, it took some time for him to return to the character in Smash Ultimate. He initially tried the likes of Inkling and Joker before finally settling on Diddy Kong, alongside a new R.O.B. secondary. Aaron will undoubtedly look to show off the improvements he made as a player over quarantine as a Smash Ultimate Summit 3 vote-in.
can't process this feeling. not on some garnering sympathy shit, i've really come from poverty and have been down so bad. to build this all myself… it is an inexplainable feeling.
ended my 148 hour long stream. i really wish that my mom was here to see this. thank you guys
— Moist | Aaron (@AaronFGC) August 12, 2021
VoiD
James “VoiD” Makekau-Tyson has competed at every Smash Ultimate Summit tournament so far. However, Smash Ultimate Summit 3 will mark his first time attending as a vote-in. VoiD earned his spots at the first two Summits thanks to his high placements at their respective qualifier tournaments, a testament to his skill as a player.
However, his method of entry isn’t the only distinction that will make this Summit unique for VoiD. At the previous events, he relied mostly on Pichu. Before the character was nerfed, VoiD was a top 10 player and the undisputed best Pichu in the world. Now, VoiD has instead been playing mostly Sheik. Despite the downgrades Sheik received in the transition from Smash 4, VoiD may have what it takes to prove she can still compete at the highest levels of play.
FIRST TIME GETTING VOTED INTO SUMMIT BABY
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO https://t.co/msBuHzAsXU pic.twitter.com/kkoX6rk8XZ
— Void (@gsmVoiD) August 12, 2021
Atomsk
Trevor “Atomsk” Hirschen is a long-time Smasher who found success in multiple Smash titles since 2009. He was previously one of the best Super Smash Bros. Brawl Dedede mains in the world, placing top eight at multiple Brawl majors. Atomsk didn’t enter many Smash 4 tournaments, instead prioritizing Melee. As a Jigglypuff main, he made top 64 at Melee tournaments like Super Smash Con 2019 and Shine 2019.
More recently, Atomsk has been improving at Ultimate, with his online results earning him the No. 39 spot on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v6. His offline results have also been trending upward. He defeated John “Axiom XL” Smith, “Quidd” and Kevin “AoS” Daniel Diaz en route to third place at CROSSxUP in July of 2021. Of course, Atomsk will face some of his stiffest competition yet when his Dedede competes as a vote-in at Smash Ultimate Summit 3.
As I sit here and realize my AC is broken and has been blowing 86 degree air at me this whole time I just wanna say thank you endlessly to every single one of you that supported my campaign in any capacity. Means the world to me. Without any of y’all there couldn’t have been this
— Atomsk (@Atomsk92) August 14, 2021
Riddles
After coming to Maryland to enter The Comeback in July, Michael “Riddles” Kim was robbed and left temporarily unable to return home to Canada due to a delay in his COVID-19 test result. The experience left him determined not to come back to the United States anytime soon. And yet, the allure of attending Smash Ultimate Summit 3 as a vote-in was too tempting for Riddles to pass up.
Riddles has already cemented himself as a top 50 offline player and a top 10 online player with Terry. However, his use of the recently-released Kazuya makes Riddles a bit of a wild card. While his results with the new character have been inconsistent so far, Riddles may have what it takes to pilot Kazuya to his best tournament performance yet.
Everyone, thank you so much for the support throughout this journey. I was honestly v close to giving up but we pulled through somehow. Thank you, truly.
In the meantime, vote #Kola4Summit
— Liquid | Riddles (@RiddlesMK) August 14, 2021
Charliedaking
Charlie “Charliedaking” Antoun has been one of SoCal’s strongest players since the days of Smash 4. He currently sits at the top of the region’s most recent power rankings. Across Ultimate’s lifespan, he has beaten numerous high-level opponents, including Ramin “Mr.R” Delshad, Matt “Elegant” Fitzpatrick, Guillermo “Stroder” Martinez Jr., Jestise “MVD” Negron and more.
In July, Charliedaking traveled to France and placed third at Super Smash Stadium Édition Football. However, Smash Ultimate Summit 3 will mark his return to major in-person competition in the United States.
— Charliedaking🌙 (@CharlieHaruno) August 16, 2021
Kola
With over 184,000 votes, Kola “Kolawole” Aideyan surpassed Nick “yingling” Yingling’s record for the most votes in Smash Summit history. Despite entering the tournament as a vote-in rather than an invitee, Kola is a potential favorite to win Smash Ultimate Summit 3.
Previously, Kola was considered the best online Smash Ultimate player in the world. Once offline competition returned, he placed first at InfinityCon, defeating Antony “MuteAce” Hoo, Aaron, Robert “Myran” Herrin and Ned in the process. Kola also won the Maji Georgia Invitational and Typhoon Saga 2021. Across these two events, he won sets over Carrington “Wrath” Osborne, Griffin “Fatality” Miller, Khalil “Mugen” Malik and Leon “Sonido” Green, among others.
Smash Ultimate Summit 3 will feature some of the best players in the world, meaning Kola will face some of his toughest opponents since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, his impressive offline results thus far suggest he’s a solid pick to excel at this tournament.
https://twitter.com/Kola_irl/status/1427351008678658051
