Phase 2 of the Smash World Tour began on July 31 with the SWT South America Ultimate Regional Finals. The event was mired in some controversy, as the tournament was played out and the bracket was leaked before VGBootCamp’s broadcast on Aug. 1.
Even so, here’s a breakdown of the major takeaways from the circuit’s first, and potentially only, online Regional Finals.
Br1 AV becomes the first Ultimate Global Finalist
Bruno “Br1 AV” Assemany claimed first place at the SWT South America Ultimate Regional Finals, punching his ticket to the in-person Global Finals later this year. As a WWR-ranked Wi-Fi warrior, Br1 AV was the favorite to win going into the event. Still, his road to victory was far from easy.
Br1 AV defeated Jhéeremy “Ran” Pradenas 3-1 before his hardest match of the tournament in winners quarters. There, Javier “LinkEa” González forced him to Game 5. While at a deficit in Game 5, Snake main Br1 AV planted a risky C4 on LinkEa, hoping to blow it up and end his stock before it could fall off and kill Br1 AV instead. The plan worked as LinkEa’s final stock exploded away and Br1 AV advanced into top eight.
Br1 AV had a smoother run from there, as he won each of his remaining sets 3-1. He defeated Kenneth “Keen” Hanss and Joseph “jjcat00” Velez to reach grand finals on winners side. There, he faced Mr. Game & Watch main Julian “Frido” Bastias in a match-up that could have proven difficult for his Snake. But, Br1 AV was able to rely on his secondary Steve instead, enabling him to beat Frido and win the tournament.
So even if i lose early in the final bracket I'll feel accomplished with all of this
My set with linkea was extremely close, if i lost that maybe i wouldn't even reach top 4 lol
So I'm very happy that i got the chance to compete in the final bracket— Br1 AV (@Br1_AV) August 2, 2021
Frido pilots Mr. Game & Watch to second place
Frido slightly underperformed at the online qualifier, finishing in third place as the No. 1 seed. This time around Frido bounced back with a slight overperformance, placing second as the No. 3 seed at the SWT South America Ultimate Regional Finals.
The Mr. Game & Watch Main kicked off his run with 3-1 wins over Lucas “Lukitu” Fedele de Azeredo and Jorgito “Toon” Farias. However, he suffered an upset loss to jjcat00 in winners semis.
Despite this setback, Frido continued to perform well in the losers bracket. He eliminated Diego “Ghoul979” Alejandro Tarazona Montañes and Julio “Anality” Morla, winning both sets 3-1. In addition, Frido overwhelmed jjcat00 in their losers finals rematch, winning 3-0.
With a clean 3-0 in LFs, we're about to showcase Grand Finals!@Br1_AV [W] vs @FridoSSB
Watch Grand Finals here:
📺 https://t.co/ojC4lPQmWo pic.twitter.com/rHx1elVDj0— Smash World Tour 2022 (@SmashWorldTour) August 1, 2021
Jjcat00 upsets some of South America’s best at the SWT Regional Finals
Jjcat00 had one of his best performances to date at the SWT South America Ultimate Regional Finals. While he was modestly seeded seventh going into the event, jjcat00 upset some of the best competitors in South America en route to third place.
The Samus main started the tournament with an expected 3-1 win over Bernardo “OZN~Tales” Vejar. Then, in winners quarters, jjcat00 upset No. 2 seed Anality. Taking advantage of Samus’ complex movement and her powerful Charge Shot, he managed to overcome Anality with a commanding 3-0.
Afterward, jjcat00 trumped No. 3 seed Frido in winners semis. After landing a strong up-throw to finish off Frido’s stock in Game 4, he came away with a 3-1 win. While he faltered against Br1 AV and Frido in his last sets, jjcat00 still established himself as one of the best online players that South America has to offer.
He got the grab, which means our Winner's Finals will be @jjgato200000 vs @Br1_AV!
But first, loser's side of Top 8 is coming back on stream! #SWT2021
📺 https://t.co/uUa6pil35u pic.twitter.com/9lRmOJM3wE— VGBC (@VGBootCamp) August 1, 2021
