The Championship bracket at MLG Dallas features some of the most revered names in smash. Here is a quick preview of all the likely second round pro bracket matchups!
(Disclaimer: So far at these MLGs, NOTHING has gone according to plan, and with names such as Gnes, Dojo, and TKD all in attendance, you can pretty much count on upsets occurring. The following matchups are simply based on seeding points, and the assumption that the higher seed will advance to the second round of bracket.
1. Ally vs Fatal
Ever since Brawl’s release, Ally has been universally regarded as the best snake. Ally has been fairly consistent in the MLG circuit, placing 2nd twice, 8th once, and 17th another time. Recently, however, such a title has been put into question due to the recent success of Fatal. Fatal recently 2-0ed M2K at MGC in Vegas, and is looking to ride the momentum of his MGC performance, as well as his MLG DC performance (where he placed 5th out of 174, taking out names such as NinjaLink, Tyrant, and MikeHAZE). While dittos don’t mean everything, a win from Fatal would be quite a statement.
2. ESAM vs Atomsk
The MLG circuit has given ESAM, a relatively unknown pikachu prior to MLG Orlando, a chance to prove that he’s one of the best players in the nation. ESAM has consistently placed very high at every event, taking out names such as Ally, Tyrant, and Lee Martin along the way. ESAM has tons of tricky setups that he utilizes to trap his opponents into bad situations, which has helped him get as far as he has. Atomsk, on the other hand, has a variety of characters he knows how to play at a top level, including MK, ICs, and DDD. Atomsk has come very close to top 8 at every single MLG event, but hasn’t quite broken through. Will this be the time Atomsk finally gets a big win and launches himself into top 8, or will ESAM continue his dominant streak through MLG?
3. Lee Martin vs Nick Riddle
Lee Martin and Nick Riddle are both looking to bounce back strong after very sub par performances at MLG DC. Lee Martin’s MK is very unique. He opts for random opportunities to hit his opponents, and lands attacks in situations which you wouldn’t expect him to attack. Nick Riddle has a very similar style, and has developed an excellent pressure game with ZSS. This MU will simply come down to who’s spacing is better, and if ZSS can do a reasonable job recovering against MK without taking too much damage.
4. Tyrant vs Rich Brown
The last time these two players fought was at MLG Raleigh. Rich Brown was on the verge of winning the set, but Tyrant landed a clutch shuttleloop and took game 3. Rich Brown, fresh off beating M2K at MLG DC, is hoping to get revenge in Dallas. Tyrant will rely on a variety of clever setups to deal major damage to Rich Brown’s Olimar while he’s trying to recover, as well as try to land the gimps. This MU really just depends on mistakes and how good both players are with punishes. In the Olimar-MK MU, both characters can severely punish mistakes, so whoever is more alert that day will likely take the set.
There you have it! Be sure to follow all the MLG twitters and updates, and be on the lookout for videos shortly after the event, as well as any bootleg streams which might be created!