What can you expect from this event? Osmash goes into its fourth, and quite possibly final edition, the “Schandtat Edition”. This time, the german national, that has been a deciding factor in Powerranking Placings, is bigger and better than ever. Hosted by Saltyplaygrounds founder UCK, the Osmash-Series has been the place to prove yourself for the german Smash scene during the last years. This time, the competition is heated up and ready to go. Lots of fresh blood, lots of old rivalries and the chair next to the german king Ice seems to be ripe for the taking by many of our contestant. Also, the Tournament furthers its extravagancy through its sheer length. Starting off on Thursday the 17th, the Tournament offers 3 days of Tournament action, ending on Monday the 21st. Kicking it off will be Project M on Friday (approx. 15:00 CEST), followed by Melee Crews. Saturday will be packed with Melee Singles action: pools, amateur bracket and of course, the Pro Bracket, starting at 11:00 CEST. Which leaves all of Sunday for Teams starting “early” at approx. 11:00 CEST. The Players: Ice Main: Sheik PR-Placing: 1. Origin: NRW While he lost his title of europes Best, with Leffen turning it up and Armada coming out of retirement, his reign is still untouched in Germany. Here and there cracks have appeared, with Dancingqueen and Däumling chiping at Ices shining armor, but so far, he has no lost sets to report. Will the loss of his international dominance have weakened Ice, or will he be stronger and more prepared than ever? Only one way to find out before MLG, and that will be Osmash#4. DancingQueen90 Main: Fox PR-Placing: 2. Origin: NRW While he has held the title of second best for half a year, his position is bitterly contested. He’s always been a strong player, but with his current regular practice, he has evolved into a techskill monster, overpowering his opponents by brute force, even if detractors say his play might be very straightforward. While he doesn’t have anything to show for his skill on the international scale, he has been placing well consistently at german tournaments. Däumling Main: Ics PR-Placing: 3. Origin: NRW Däumling on the other hand has great international representation, coming in first at a danish tournament a month ago, taking a great set vs Eagle, and establishing himself as europes finest Ice Climber at Beast 4. While he is great in many matchups, he seems to struggle with Dancing’s Speed, as he had to concede the second PR-place to DancingQueen. But coming from a secret training camp, he is more than just motivated to take back the second place. He is well prepared. Reaper Main: Marth PR-Placing: 6. Origin: NRW Reaper has always been around, but like DancingQueen, has been playing at close quarters, mostly. While he is hard to place among the other german players, and even harder in european context, he is a force to be reckoned with, and he should be able to edge out a great placing, most likely competing for the second spot with the others. Pasi Main: Fox PR-Placing: 5. Origin: HH While Pasi seems to be past his prime, he is still a natural. While he plays a fluent fox, he doesn’t have the technical possibilities that DancingQueen posesses, however, he can always rely on “dem reeds” as he likes to put it. Will he be able to claw his way back to a top 2 finish, or will the “fresh” blood push Pasi away from a top placing? While these 5 appear to be the top contenders for the top Placings, there are several Wildcars still around who might be able to make a splash at this tournament. Everything can happen! There’s Tea and Timi from Austria, both very solid players, who will most definitely aim for a Top 3 Finish. Then there’s players like pheX and ZetTroxX, motivated long-time players that do have strong ambitions still and come into Osmash very well prepared. And lastly, quiK or quiksilver, former german Brawl champion, with an inspiring Zero Suit Samus that turned some heads at Apex 2013. Now, he has decided to become germanys best Melee player, and so far, it took him less than a year to make it into the Powerranking. From zero to hero with his brawl background and his one and only, Samus. Germany also has to offer some interesting variety, represented by Sixx, who has Set wins against Faab, Zgetto and almost every namely german player with his Link, and Mawacate, who has scored several remarkable wins over the course of 2013 and 14 with his Luigi, harnessing the power of the “Year of Luigi”. While Sixx is also a Top3 contender, Mawacate is aiming for the Powerranking and a great Teamresult with his doubles-Luigi-Partner Blayd. So don’t forget to tune in, because right now, everything is up for grabs, and this tournament will set straight who places where. Look out for the Upsets! As an interesting Sidenote: Except for Luma and Yomi, ALL ranked players and many PR-aspirants/Old-School Players will be in attendance. Link to the current Powerranking: http://forum.germansmash.de/showthread.php?21588-Germansmash-MBR-Powerranking-M%E4rz-2014 Written by Yomi