Cedarville Smash team loses first round of playoffs amid network latency and tough opponents 

by Balen Allain 

Cedarville’s Super Smash Bros. esports team lost last night in the first round of playoffs against the University of Texas at Dallas. 

The team had mixed sentiments before the game. Team captain Andrew “A” Adkins thought they were doomed to lose. 

“They are the sixth seed,” Adkins said. “We are the 27th seed.” 

Others were similarly discouraged as they were practicing. 

“I’m feeling bad. I’m playing bad,” Mathias “kittyclaws” Hahn said. “I’m not playing good.” 

Despite the odds, Eli “E_PT” Konuch had some hope just before the first set started. 

“It looks like it’s going to be a good match,” he said. “Or, it’s going to be a hogwash.” 

Adkins faced Texas’ first player, a Greninja main. Their player only lost one stock and took all of Adkins’.  Hahn replaced him, and Texas’ player did the same – he took all of Hahn’s stocks and lost one. 

Adkins noticed something during the match. Their connection to the match was weak, forcing a small delay between the team’s inputs on the controller to the game server. 

Hahn felt that he lived up to his worries. 

“He’s good,” Hahn said. “The connection is bad, and I don’t have familiarity with Greninja. I’ll learn the matchup over time. You gotta learn by playing it.” 

He praised Texas’ player before returning to comment on the game’s livestream. 

“They’re good,” Hahn said. “Great movement. Phenomenal.” 

Logan “slogdog” Hallock replaced Hahn. Texas’ Greninja took two of his stocks before Hallock vanquished Texas’ first player. 

“It’s [the connection] awful!” Logan “slogdog” Hallock exclaimed during his match. 

Texas’ second player quickly took Hallock down, and Isaac “Chunky Dave” Luke took his place to defend Cedarville’s last three stocks in this set. 

Luke was accustomed to game lag. 

“Isaac plays online constantly,” Adkins said. 

“What’s tolerable to him is inedible to everyone else,” Konuch added. 

Despite his familiarity, it didn’t matter. Texas beat him, leaving Cedarville down 1-0 as they went into the second set. 

Luke went against the same player again at the beginning of the set. He fought well, knocking out the enemy at only 44% damage taken (typically players lose a stock upwards of 110%) and taking a second stock from them before he lost his three. 

“They’ve got pretty good characters, but we’re going to go out with a fight,” Luke said as Adkins took his place. 

Thankfully, the internet connection improved. 

“This is a lot better,” Adkins said. 

He put in a strong showing, fighting tooth and nail to take the last stock of Texas’ first player with one left. Texas’ dreaded Greninja returned, but Adkins held his ground and took one of their stocks before he succumbed. 

Hallock faced the Greninja again. They traded one stock each, leaving Hallock with the opportunity to bring out Texas’ third player. Unfortunately, the Greninja survived on 155% damage taken and performed excellently against Hallock, putting Cedarville at a four-stock disadvantage. 

Hahn also noticed the improved connection. 

“It’s so much better!” Hahn said. 

He managed to beat the Greninja’s last stock with one last stock. While he didn’t think he would win, he was still satisfied. 

“I’ve played for fun,” Hahn said, grinning. 

At last, he took out one stock before Texas secured its victory against Cedarville. 

“Shoutout University of Texas at Dallas,” Hahn said as he disconnected from the game and ended the livestream. 

“A lot of us have improved in adaptation – learning throughout the game instead of between rounds,” Konuch said. 

He felt their overall teamwork had improved too. 

“I feel like we’ve all changed up our playstyles a bit and adapted,” Luke said. “That was cool to see.” 

The team has had a good season, breaking personal records and performing better than last semester. Even when facing loss, they cheered and joked with each other, taking the season end well. 

Adkins is a senior and he is graduating this year, so this marks his final game. He wants to see the team grow after he’s gone, and he left some advice for future players. 

“I think that all esports players need to have scoliosis and heart,” Adkins said as his team laughed and sung around him. “I’m answering questions and my controller’s over there. Isaac, can you hand me my controller?” 

Balen Allain is a junior Broadcasting, Digital Media and Journalism major focusing on Audio and Journalism. He enjoys gaming, writing fiction, and making music, and is working on a book.