Washington’s premier Super Smash Bros. Ultimate regional turned major as 640 competitors flocked to Port Priority 6 over the Halloween weekend. The American major saw four Mexican residents make it to top eight, with the best player in the bunch finishing in first place.
Here’s an overview of Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez Perez’s victory and other important takeaways from the tournament.
MkLeo is back in the tournament winning business
Anything worse than first place is an underperformance for MkLeo, the incumbent No. 1 player in the world. As a result, his recent second-place finishes at Smash Ultimate Summit 3 and Glitch 8.5, while impressive by anyone else’s standards, fell short of MkLeo’s own aspirations. He bounced back by winning Low Tide City at the beginning of Oct. and sought to keep up his winning pace at Port Priority 6.
MkLeo cruised through most of the bracket without much difficulty. In top 64, he defeated Mario “Klaatu” Marckwordt 3-0, Spencer “Scend” Garner 3-1 and Santiago “Chag” Perez 3-0. Then in winners semis, MkLeo dominated Abraham “BigBoss” Slane Parra 3-0, with BigBoss only taking two stocks across the entire set.
MkLeo’s run through a gauntlet of his fellow Mexicans reached its climax against Edgar “Sparg0” Valdez. He beat Sparg0 3-1 in winners finals, then faced him again in grand finals. MkLeo lost the first two games of that set, putting him in a position where he was all too comfortable. As Ultimate fans have come to expect, MkLeo pulled off the reverse 3-0 against Sparg0 to win the tournament. His win streak is now up to two. MkLeo will undoubtedly look to extend that streak at Mainstage 2021.
I won port priority 6! @T1 #T1WIN
I really wanted to win this tournament so im very happy right now 😳
Also wanted to mention that im very proud of my friends ❤️— LG | MkLeo (@Mkleosb) November 1, 2021
Mexico’s next rising star cracks top eight for the first time
The Mexican Smash Ultimate scene has undergone a renaissance on the international scale since quarantine. Players like Sparg0 and Chag have made top eight at offline majors for the first time. After months of consistently solid performances, Mexico’s next up-and-comer, BigBoss, finally joined their ranks in top eight at Port Priority 6.
BigBoss kicked off top 64 with a 3-1 upset over Guillermo “Stroder Ame” Martinez Jr. Afterward, he defeated Caleb “Chronos” Filler 3-2 and “Mystery Sol” 3-0, dodging upsets against the players who had already caused some of the biggest upsets of the tournament. With these wins, he secured his spot on winners side of top eight.
Though he suffered a tough loss at the hands of MkLeo, BigBoss still had enough gas in the tank for one more upset. He faced Lui$ in losers quarters, starting the set with a three-stock against Lui$’s Palutena. Lui$ managed to win Game 2 after switching to Fox, but BigBoss retaliated with another win in Game 3. Though BigBoss faced a percent deficit in Game 4, he managed to land a Gyro toward the edge of the stage, setting up for one of R.O.B.’s signature early Arm Rotor kills. As a result, he eliminated Lui$ 3-1 before falling 3-0 to Tweek for a fourth-place finish.
4th at Port Priority 6, I can't believe it, I was looking for a top 8 and I ended up get in 4th place just behind the top 3 in the world, this motivated me to keep going and work harder. I don't have the words to thank all the people who support me. See you at Mainstage!
— CS3/AoR|MKBigBoss (@MKBigBoss_SSBU) November 1, 2021
It’s a good day to be an Incineroar main
Despite Incineroar’s ability to rack up massive damage and find quick kills, thanks to his Revenge and Alolan Whip moves, few players have piloted the character to substantial success on the national stage. However, Port Priority 6 marked a big breakthrough for the character. Two of Incineroar’s best representatives managed to break into top 16 at this event.
The lesser-known of the two, Washington’s Mystery Sol, actually had the better performance. A streak of unexpected upsets carried him all the way to winners quarters before he dropped his first set to BigBoss. Up to that point, he had beaten Dom “Domnique” Williams 2-0, Jestise “MVD” Negron 3-2 and Javier “Javi” Balderas 3-2. Mystery Sol’s run ultimately ended in ninth place after he lost 3-0 to Lui$.
I went from 255th drowning in pools at riptide to 9th at port. What a fucking come up I am so proud of myself. I know I can top 8 one day but for getting 9th at my third major ever, we take those. Ggs everyone see ya at Genesis!
— Mystery Sol (@mystery_sol) October 31, 2021
Likewise, Mexico’s Skyjay had one of his strongest performances to date en route to 13th place at Port Priority 6. After defeating Jonas “JoJoDaHoBo” Ashby 2-0, Skyjay earned a 3-2 win against Matt “Elegant” Fitzpatrick. Then, he lost 3-2 to Troy “BassMage” Waters, with whom he had won Doubles the day before. Finally, Skyjay eliminated Robert “Myran” Herrin 3-0 before losing another five-game set to Nicholas “Ned” Dovel.
Ending the run ar 13th, losing to bassmage and ned, game 5 both of them and with wins over myran and elegant, i could've done better but im so happy for finally not only top 32, but top 16 in a major! Lets keep the good work, until mainstage! pic.twitter.com/4OxRtdV12I
— Skyjay (@Skyjay2301) November 1, 2021
