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Friendlies: EE, the Realest
As Smash’s most outspoken commentator, EE always speaks his mind.
EE was a regular caster at Genesis 3
© Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com
Watch out for my trap card
EE has been a part of the Smash community for some time, but his competitive career didn’t even begin in video games. His first serious game was actually a card game: Yu-Gi-Oh. “Before Smash, I was a huge Yu-Gi-Oh player.” It’s something that has been a part of his life for just as long as Smash, though he recently hung up his deck. “I enjoyed playing Yu-Gi-Oh because it was a strategy game and all my friends loved it. In fact, I only stopped playing it early last year to dedicate all my free time to Smash.”
If not for the popular card game, EE would have never found Smash at all. It was at his local card shop where he first got wind of the game - and would eventually come to understand just how challenging it could be. “I owned a GameCube and Melee, but only played solo or against computers until the guys at my card shop started discussing it. One thing led to another, and we had a tournament at our card shop Toy Wiz. We held a few more after that, and word got down to the city I suppose because a Samus named Big G and a Sheik player named Tetra came down and destroyed us.”
EE and TK can often be found commentating together
© Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com
As with so many players, fighting against high-level opponents was an experience that caught EE completely off guard - but also one that hooked him on the game. Toy Wiz isn’t just noteworthy for being the start of EE’s career, however; it would also become the location of the legendary Revival of Melee series of tournaments years later.
Definitely not eSports
EE continued to play Melee, and would move onto Brawl when the title came out, hoping for a chance to be the best in his region. But try as he might, he never did get there. “I was pretty decent at Melee but nothing special, my biggest feat was making it out of pools at Pound 3. For Brawl I saw a chance to be a top dog in a new game - I made my region’s Power Rankings twice and had wins over some respected players but I never reached a national level.”
While he may not have ever made it to the top of the standings in Smash as a player, he found something else he liked doing even better than winning: commentating. The Tantalus, an MD/VA tournament organizer, used to stream events, and EE decided to add some color to the games. “No one was on the mic for this Brawl tournament in ’08 so me and my friend decided, ‘why not?’ It was awful as far as standards go. we hardly discussed the match, used words that are far from eSports and just aimed to be douchebags to get a laugh.” But the laughs were coming, and the feedback that EE got was largely positive. It was then that he started looking into taking the idea of being a commentator seriously.
EE on the stage with D1 and TKBreezy at Genesis 3
© Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com
The two of them continued to run into each other, and eventually, they connected. “After Shuffle (a major Brawl tournament series), TK hit me up about coming to Xanadu and just being a team, it was cool cause we talked out a lot of things and became great friends, in a way I'm happy Xanadu didn't have anyone good for him to pair with back then because it brought us together.
“Now we make a point to go out together, room at events, and look out for each others’ best interests. Being good friends off the mic is definitely what drives our awesome synergy on it.”
Best seat in the house
When it comes to events, commentary is simply what EE has the most fun doing. “Commentating is amazing. I truly see it as having the best seat in the venue whenever I'm on the mic.” What does he aspire to when he’s working? To be himself, of course - with a little dash of Jim Ross thrown in. “My commentary is inspired by old WWF commentary, Jim Ross to be specific. That man can make anything hype, and that is what I aim to do: bring the hype.
“Its not always easy - anyone who's seen a Sonic ditto in Smash 4 can back me up on that. But I accept the challenge and regardless of if its Top 8, 16, 32 or even pools, I don't half a** it. If the viewer is entertained or invested in the match based off your narration, you're doing it right.”
They also regularly share laughs on the mic
© Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com
A recurring concern in the Smash Bros. scene is whether or not the influx of professional players, teams, and event sponsors has diluted the heart of the community. For the answer to that, one need look no further than EE. At any given moment, he's getting hype over a game of Smash, saying something patently ridiculous on Twitter, or laughing it up with TK and Coney on their podcast. But one thing EE is not is anything other than himself. And for him, Smash is the community that's allowed him to.
"I see where eSports can go, so for now, streaming, casting and content is my job. Without Smash I honestly don't know where I'd be now, a lot less known and surely not with as many good friends as I have now. Hell, I was Tantalus' best man last Summer! I really feel like I've become a better person through Smash because now I want to entertain people and inspire them to pursue their dreams. I haven't reached my own dreams fully yet, but I'm advancing day by day and I thank the Smash community for that chance."
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