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| Anthony Brooks |
The following is an interview with Anthony Brooks, winner of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament at Anime Milwaukee 2022.
[The photo on the right was taken from a safe distance.]Where are you from, and how did you get into competitive Smash?
I was born and raised right here in Milwaukee, and have lived here my whole life. I began playing Super Smash Brothers on the Nintendo 64, and have played every installment since. I think I began playing Smash competitively during the Wii U era, with the addition of the “For Glory” online mode. I would often save replays of my matches to show my friends (to try to impress them). It was also around this time that I began following the high-level Smash scene. Watching those pros play was a big influence for me, and I still enjoy watching them today, as well as playing in the tournament scene myself.
Which characters do you tend to use in Smash Ultimate?
I have a few that I tend to lean towards. I consider Cloud to be my “main”. I started using him on Smash Wii U, the day he came out. Funny enough, at the time, I had no idea who Cloud was, but using him just clicked with me. He’s very versatile, fast moving and packs a punch, especially with his Limit Breaks. I think another reason why I enjoy him is because he has a strong combo game and great matchups. I wound up liking him so much that I started playing Final Fantasy, and now it's become my all-time favorite gaming franchise. As far as other characters, Ganondorf is my secondary. I also enjoy using Donkey Kong, Sephiroth, and of course, Mario.
What has it been like getting back into in-person tournaments?
I was really happy to be back in person for a Smash Tournament. Sure, playing online in the comfort of your own home is nice, and competing in the online tournaments can be a blast, but nothing beats the rush I feel when coming to an in-person tournament. It’s an absolutely astounding feeling, almost surreal, even electric. There’s this immense sense of excitement, but also a crazy amount of nervousness, all blended together. It also makes me at home, because I'm surrounded by people who are all passionate about Smash, just like me. The crowds, the announcers, going up to the stage, it’s an incredible experience.
Funny enough though, I almost didn't enter this Smash tournament. I was on the fence about it, since I've been in tournaments previously, but I was afraid I might be a bit rusty. I told my wife that there would be a Smash Tournament at Anime Milwaukee, and she goes, “So, you’re going to enter it, right?” That was the moment where I decided I was going to enter for sure, and I'm so glad I did. It was the highlight of my weekend, and a moment I’ll never forget.
This tournament was single elimination and used only single-game matches-did that change your play style?
That was very surprising to my friends and I, since typically Smash Tournaments are usually best two out of three sets, with the winner of the first match being locked to their character, allowing the opponent to possibly counter-pick. The change to single elimination did change my strategy a bit. My original strategy was to go into the first round as my secondary, Ganondorf, to test the waters. If Ganondorf would fail me, I would change to Cloud to hopefully clean up the set. When they announced the change (it was needed so the tournament would finish on time), I turned to my friends nervously, and said, “What do I do?” My good friend, Marques, suggested I stick to Cloud, since he also considers him to be my best character. I wound up doing that for the whole tournament. On the positive side (my friends also agree), I think the single elimination was kind of nice. It kept the flow of the tournament going at a brisk pace, while also making it more intense, since it was only one match per round.
How did the earlier rounds play out?
Early on in the tournament, I told my new friend from work, “You know Sam, it would be nice if I place high in this tournament. I would be satisfied if I went to quarterfinals or semifinals.” To which he replied, “I think what you meant to say was, you're going to win, right?” He then went on to encourage me to have a winner’s mentality, to tell myself that I was going to win this tournament. That gave me a boost of confidence. At that point, it wasn’t about me anymore. I had to win it for me, and all my friends who were cheering me on!
In the tournament itself, the first three rounds went relatively well. Once I got to the quarterfinals, that's when the nerves started kicking in, because I knew that these people would be the best this tournament had to offer. When I wasn't participating in the matches, I would watch the big screens and scope out the competition. I remember thinking “Boy, I hope I don’t get paired against them” on multiple occasions.
In terms of specific matches, if my memory serves me correctly, the quarterfinals was against a very good Roy, the semifinals were against an amazing Snake-there was actually a moment where I had one stock to his two, I also had high damage, and thought, “This is it, I had a good run, but this is the end for me. There’s no way I’m winning now.”
How did you turn that one around?
I actually ended up taking all three of his stocks with Cloud’s Limit Break, “Finishing Touch.” For the final stock, I got him off the ledge, and he used his up-B to recover to the middle of the stage. As he was coming down, I charged my limit break and obtained limit. I jumped towards him to fake him out, and it worked-he spot dodged, making him vulnerable. I predicted where he would land and landed the winning blow, with one stock left and over 100% damage. Man, that match was a rush!
What were the finals like?
My gosh, the finals were intense. When they called my name for the finals, it was absolutely surreal. My friends and wife were there to cheer me on. Using my preferred controller, the Nintendo Switch Pro, I sat down and fist bumped my opponent, and we began the match. My Cloud vs. his Pyra/Mythra. I wasn’t sure if I would pull through, but then I thought, “My good friend plays Pyra/Mythra a lot. I’ll just pretend like I’m playing against them, or in a match of Elite Smash.” As I expected, my opponent knew his character well (and use both parts effectively), but I was able to keep focused and pull through. When the match was over, and they announced that I was the winner, I threw my hands in the air and faced the crowd. I remember shaking almost uncontrollably, from the excitement and the nerves. I ran up to my friends and threw my arms around them. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
You dressed up as Cape Mario from Super Mario World for the convention. What made you choose that, and what went into that costume?
I chose Mario because it was Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 that got me into gaming when I was young. I also cosplayed as Mario because this year my friends and I did our first group cosplay, as Super Smash Brothers characters of course! Originally, I was just going to buy a generic Mario suit online, and call it a day. But then I thought, “Wouldn't it be cool to buy some authentic overalls, and really build the cosplay instead of just buying a suit?” And that's what I did, I bought some real overalls, some gloves and cape from a party store, and the red undershirt from a secondhand store. I thought to myself, “I have boots and the Mario cap at home. I should be set.” I went home just to realize that I didn’t have a Mario hat, and the con was that week! Thankfully, my little cousin, Owen, had a Mario Odyssey cap I could borrow. I thought, “Well, I’ll be Super Mario from Super Mario World with a cape, with Cappy from Mario Odyssey. Huh, that's kind of a neat combination.” It felt like a fun mashup of two great games, and was a slightly more interesting twist then just going with a normal Mario hat. My only regret is not getting a Mario face mask, or making a mustache that went over my own to complete the look. But overall, I was satisfied with it, and had a lot of fun taking pictures with everyone, especially during the Nintendo photoshoot!
What else did you do at Anime Milwaukee this year?
I had a blast at Anime Milwaukee this year! It was also wonderful because it was my wife’s first AMKE, as well as my friend from work, which made it extra exciting. Friday, we spent most of the day just familiarizing ourselves with the convention, where the panels were, game room, vendor hall, etc. We went to lunch at an awesome restaurant up the street, Build-a-Burger, which is a convention ritual for us. Saturday was a big day, as it was the Smash Tournament, and we attended the Masquerade, where we watched out friend walk across state and take third place in the novice category! We also checked out AMKE Underground Saturday night and spent plenty of time (and money) at the vendor hall. Sunday was very low-key, but still enjoyable. All in all, this may have been my favorite AMKE yet, and I’ve been coming every year since 2014. I already can’t wait for next year!
