EPT
aMSa and Leffen have a number of similarities: Both of them are from outside of the United States and both started out as Yoshi mains. After EVO 2013, both players became some of the strongest Smashers on the planet. Despite these parallels, they are different in the way they play and the way they approach the game.
In the last two years, both players sought to improve themselves and to be the best player they could possibly be. If there is one thing that both truly have in common, one thing that drives them to rise and play some of the best games Melee has ever offered, it is drive.
The difference was in the mindset. Leffen’s drive is to prove that he is the best by eliminating everyone else. In many ways, he reminds me of Naniwa from StarCraft 2 or EternalEnvy from DotA 2—the three of them are unhappy unless they win.
aMSa’s drive is to prove to himself that he is the best player he can be. He wants to win against the best, but that isn’t his primary motivation. More than anything, he wants to take his character to the next level. He wants to explore untapped potential and take Yoshi to his natural limits. Where Leffen is broody and angry when he loses, aMSa is joyful and exuberant, because for him, a loss isn’t a mark of dishonor—it is a clear road sign. The dialogue in his mind is optimistic: “PPMD beat me, Mang0 beat me, Leffen beat me. These amazing players are my limits. How can I surpass them?” He is the very personification of Yoshi himself; no matter how many losses he takes, he takes it on the chin, smiles and gets back up, excited to play the next match.
Leffen craves competition. He wants the best players in the world to fight each other at every tournament and prove over and over again that they are the best and to give him the chance to elevate and surpass their level.
In comparison, aMSa elevates Melee by example. He streams and answers questions. He’s friendly to everyone and tries to play with everyone as much as possible. He took a character everyone thought was bad and took it further than anyone could ever believe. His positive attitude rubs off onto the viewer, making him a pure joy to watch.
Furthermore, their attitudes and mindsets in defeat are completely different. Leffen broke his controller and swore to forfeit all future tournaments after his loss to SFAT (he then promptly deleted the tweet). Every loss is felt and his frustration overtakes him. Leffen is a competitor, through and through.
In contrast, after losing to PPMD, PPMD became aMSa's favorite player due to his stunning play. He had nothing but praise for Mang0 and Leffen after his defeat at their hands at Apex. Here is an excerpt from an interview about his mentality:
Even something small like character choice shows a lot about these two players. Both were Yoshi mains, but Leffen switched characters, not only because he thought Yoshi was low tier, but also due to the fact that his opponents claimed that he won off of the lack of knowledge of the matchup. Thus, Leffen switched to Fox to kill any such excuses. When Leffen went 20XX, aMSa went 20EggsEggs.
Coming into EVO 2015, these are the two players you should watch. Leffen has just won three in a row. aMSa won his first Japanese Melee tournament in half an year. When you watch Leffen, you watch in awe of his skill and drive to be the best in Melee. When you watch aMSa, he takes your heart, and you can’t help but cheer for him no matter who he’s against (even at Apex, there were large aMSa cheers during his match against Mang0).
Both are different sides of the same coin. Both are driven by the determination to prove themselves. Leffen wants to do it by defeating all others. aMSa does it by surpassing himself. Both represent some of the best things Melee competition can provide and these two players are the ones to watch at EVO 2015.
Writer: stuchiu
Editors:![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Souma/bg_icon_twitter.png)
itsjustatank, Souma
Graphics: KnivesCiao
Photos: itsjustatank
In the last two years, both players sought to improve themselves and to be the best player they could possibly be. If there is one thing that both truly have in common, one thing that drives them to rise and play some of the best games Melee has ever offered, it is drive.
The difference was in the mindset. Leffen’s drive is to prove that he is the best by eliminating everyone else. In many ways, he reminds me of Naniwa from StarCraft 2 or EternalEnvy from DotA 2—the three of them are unhappy unless they win.
aMSa’s drive is to prove to himself that he is the best player he can be. He wants to win against the best, but that isn’t his primary motivation. More than anything, he wants to take his character to the next level. He wants to explore untapped potential and take Yoshi to his natural limits. Where Leffen is broody and angry when he loses, aMSa is joyful and exuberant, because for him, a loss isn’t a mark of dishonor—it is a clear road sign. The dialogue in his mind is optimistic: “PPMD beat me, Mang0 beat me, Leffen beat me. These amazing players are my limits. How can I surpass them?” He is the very personification of Yoshi himself; no matter how many losses he takes, he takes it on the chin, smiles and gets back up, excited to play the next match.
Leffen craves competition. He wants the best players in the world to fight each other at every tournament and prove over and over again that they are the best and to give him the chance to elevate and surpass their level.
What is this trend of top players flaking on every tournament they don't feel 300% prepared for? When did you all get so scared of losing? Well, sit out the tournaments if you want. Play allstar, stream or commentate all you want. I'll win even if you enter, so you might as well.
Just don't give me those excuses about being rusty or unprepared. That crap is silly even when we're talking about casuals, let alone a pro. So with that said: Mango, Armada, HungryBox, Mew2King, PPMD, and everyone who thinks they stand a chance: Bring it on.
In comparison, aMSa elevates Melee by example. He streams and answers questions. He’s friendly to everyone and tries to play with everyone as much as possible. He took a character everyone thought was bad and took it further than anyone could ever believe. His positive attitude rubs off onto the viewer, making him a pure joy to watch.
Furthermore, their attitudes and mindsets in defeat are completely different. Leffen broke his controller and swore to forfeit all future tournaments after his loss to SFAT (he then promptly deleted the tweet). Every loss is felt and his frustration overtakes him. Leffen is a competitor, through and through.
In contrast, after losing to PPMD, PPMD became aMSa's favorite player due to his stunning play. He had nothing but praise for Mang0 and Leffen after his defeat at their hands at Apex. Here is an excerpt from an interview about his mentality:
T.O. Joe: Touching on aMSa's positive attitude, what is your philosophy in competitive Smash? How do you approach a match?
aMSa: Melee is a game where you're going to make a lot of mistakes. What I do before I play is think about my condition that day. What kind of techniques can I execute without messing up? Things like edge-cancelled eggs, platform wavelands—things that are really intricate... If I'm not feeling up to it, I'm not going to excessively use them, because Smash is not a game where you can afford to waste your conscious thought/beat yourself up trying to pull out your execution and refine your execution. If on a certain day you can't do it, you just can't do it. I want to devote my conscious thought to completely reading my opponent's movements and their thought patterns and what they're doing in the game.
So, during and before a set, I'm thinking about my opponent, and what options I can use to defeat that opponent.
In regards to mentality, if you beat yourself up over making mistakes, or if you don't acknowledge the fact you're going to make mistakes, then you're going to make more and more and more. So rather than dwelling on things like that, you think about your opponent and how you're going to win.
aMSa: Melee is a game where you're going to make a lot of mistakes. What I do before I play is think about my condition that day. What kind of techniques can I execute without messing up? Things like edge-cancelled eggs, platform wavelands—things that are really intricate... If I'm not feeling up to it, I'm not going to excessively use them, because Smash is not a game where you can afford to waste your conscious thought/beat yourself up trying to pull out your execution and refine your execution. If on a certain day you can't do it, you just can't do it. I want to devote my conscious thought to completely reading my opponent's movements and their thought patterns and what they're doing in the game.
So, during and before a set, I'm thinking about my opponent, and what options I can use to defeat that opponent.
In regards to mentality, if you beat yourself up over making mistakes, or if you don't acknowledge the fact you're going to make mistakes, then you're going to make more and more and more. So rather than dwelling on things like that, you think about your opponent and how you're going to win.
Even something small like character choice shows a lot about these two players. Both were Yoshi mains, but Leffen switched characters, not only because he thought Yoshi was low tier, but also due to the fact that his opponents claimed that he won off of the lack of knowledge of the matchup. Thus, Leffen switched to Fox to kill any such excuses. When Leffen went 20XX, aMSa went 20EggsEggs.
Coming into EVO 2015, these are the two players you should watch. Leffen has just won three in a row. aMSa won his first Japanese Melee tournament in half an year. When you watch Leffen, you watch in awe of his skill and drive to be the best in Melee. When you watch aMSa, he takes your heart, and you can’t help but cheer for him no matter who he’s against (even at Apex, there were large aMSa cheers during his match against Mang0).
Both are different sides of the same coin. Both are driven by the determination to prove themselves. Leffen wants to do it by defeating all others. aMSa does it by surpassing himself. Both represent some of the best things Melee competition can provide and these two players are the ones to watch at EVO 2015.
Writer: stuchiu
Editors:
itsjustatank, SoumaGraphics:
KnivesCiaoPhotos:
itsjustatank
