image credit: Waulk
Since the beginning of the year, Glutonny has oscillated between being the patron of Europe, the standard-bearer of an entire region, to that of a colossus with feet of clay, undermined by a new generation. This weekend the player Solary managed to silence all the critics with a breathtaking performance during the Genesis.
The international boss
Before we talk about the Genesis again, let’s take a quick look back at 2021. At the end of the year, the Community Effort Orlando (CEO) took place, where Glutonny finished second, one of his best performances on Uncle Sam’s land. Only, part of the American community was not convinced, and advanced a legitimate argument: the absence of many toplayers. Indeed if the CEO is still renowned as a tournament even on Smash (without it being as important for the SSBU scene as for other fighting games), many of the expected toplayers have withdrawn because of the COVID. Tweek, Maister, Light, Marss, and Dabuz cancel their participation. Best result for Gluto certainly, but to defeat without danger, we triumph without glory. No matter, the Frenchman was not impressed, and achieved a small feat a few months later, during the Summit Invitational: beating MkLeo, the world number 1.
This time, the feat was undeniable, but the Summit remains an invitational tournament. While Glutonny’s legitimacy regarding both his participation and his performance has never been disputed, the Summit lacked a bit of salt, that smell of sulfur where the slightest error can make you quit the competition. No invites or safety nets for last weekend’s Genesis. Everything is going well, until entering the top 8, when Gluttonny’s Wario finds MkLeo on his way. 0-3 and direct as a loser, the return to reality is difficult. But Glutonny gets up. Sisqui falls under Wario’s farts without taking a sleeve, then comes the revenge of the CEO 2021. Gluttonny finds himself opposed to Kola, who had beaten him in the final. This time, the victory goes to the Solary player who eliminates his former executioner. Zomba and Light then fall, and Glutonny finds himself facing Sparg0, the world No. 2, just behind MkLeo. The French still thwarts the forecasts, and climbs into the grand final. However MkLeo will again end the hope, but not the dream. One day, it is he who will be on the second step and who will contemplate Glutonny.
The sensei on the national scene
If Glutonny has confirmed his status on the international scene with his last two performances, his domination at home remains shaken. Raflow has already put him down, and since then, the young BMS prodigy is no longer the only one to have brought down Gluttonny during national tournaments. Would the Solary player be less involved in a national tournament? Or quite simply, is he more studied by his adversaries? Probably a bit of both, because on the European continent Gluttony remains the man to beat. We must also salute the state of mind of the player, who does not hesitate to do everything to raise the overall level in Europe. Even if he justifies this choice by saying that the stronger his adversaries are geographically close, the more he will be able to progress on his side and compete with Americans and Japanese, force is to recognize that Gluttonny works as much for the Smash scene as for his personal interest.
esports
This weekend the French community of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has long debated the different ways to cheer on a player during a match, and coaching during sets.