Back in 2008 Apex started out as an idea by Alex as a Brawl only tournament for the NYC scene. It was a pipe dream, and although it started off small, it was the starting point to something bigger and better. The inaugural Apex was held at Polytechnic Institute of NYU, and was hosted by some of the original members of the Smash Bros community!
During 2009 we were looking for a bigger venue and better following… We wanted to Apex to be as big as we could possibly make it. With the help of Shadaharu Inui, we were able to secure a ballroom in the Palmer Inn, in Princeton, NJ. The tournament was focused on Super Smash Bros Brawl, but to ensure the growth of the community as a whole, offered it’s predecessor, Super Smash Bros Melee, a chance to prove that after almost a decade, was still a vluable part of the scene! Brawl, during this time was still fresh, as the metagame was still rapidly evolving, and the competition was fierce. In a time where Mew2king had displayed his dominance for nearly a year, Ally, the Canadian Snake player, came and manged a clean and solid victory over the 1st seeded M2K. The icing on the cake was that the underdog refused to split the prize money, to ensure M2K was playing at his best, so that if Ally were to win, he’d prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the best player in the world. For the first time a major tournament would not be won by M2K and set up a rivalry that lasts even to today. The results for this tournament were for what Alex had hoped for but it was time to plan for a bigger national. It was time to plan for the world.
In 2010 we made plans to not only make this event memorable just for Brawl but for Melee as well. While we offered the game in the past, it was our duty to ensure that Apex was just as big for Melee, as we have for it’s younger brother. Through hard work and a team of dedicated people, we set out to create an experience that not just the U.S. but international players would claim as the best Smash event to date. The community is so vast and spirited, we wanted to give others a chance to enjoy and see what playing smash is all about. So we invited our out of country players from all over including Japan!
For Melee there was a lot of solid competition that came around this time. Axe put on an impressive display of his low tiered Pikachu for the first time at a national and fought his way through some of the best players in the world to manage a solid 5th place. The action battled on for days, and on Sunday, we saw one of the most unique and unforgettable grand finals sets in Smash history: Armada vs. HBox. This match, which was comprised of characters that weren’t believed to be top tier at the time, was insane, as the two battled to be the first international champion of Super Smash Bros Melee!
For Brawl, the competition was just as solid with tough pools and bracket matches, throughout. Players battled for three days, and when it came down to loser’s finals, we saw what was possibly the greatest set in Smash History. The low seeded underdog, versus the mechanical monster: Brood and M2K would bring their set to game 5! this was a landmark occassion for Smash Bros, as the community banded together to watch the hype unfold as these two action packed players fought heart and soul to have a chance at DEHF, who patiently waited in Grand Finals. After a tight set, the Japanese Olimar player managed a 3-2 defeat over M2K. A defeat that would not come easy, as game one of the set, Brood barely was able to even touch Mew2King, let alone convince people he would take the set!
Grand finals, this time would be a match that a lot of people would be excited about, because this would be the first national that didn’t contain a Metaknight player in Grand Finals. The Falco players that changed the game versus the Japanese player who mowed his way out of the woodwork: Larry (DEHF) vs. Brood. A match that many saw as the start of a new era. Japan vs.