The more I watch Esam with Pikachu, the more I want try out Pikachu again. I used to main him in Melee and Brawl, but I kind of dropped him in 4 and now I rarely even pick him in Ultimate. Seeing Esam go crazy with Pikachu makes me want to pick the precious electric rat up.
He has a surprisingly high skill ceiling to play. When I started using pika I developed a whole new understanding of the game. Once he gets optimized and combo strings are more understood he’s going to be a menace
Esam gets slighty better every tournament, at the beginning of Ultimate he could only dream with beating Leo and MVD, now he is taking sets from them, it makes me very happy because of how humble Esam is in both victory and defeat. He kept playing Pikachu even when Pichu was getting better results, even when everybody said that Pichu was undisputable better than Pikachu, now he finally got the better result than VoiD's Pichu (who already lost twice to Leo on Lucina). Massive respect to Esam, honestly.
Esam vs MVD can never be taken seriously. They live together, so they play each other everyday. That set can go either way, but Esam has always out preformed MVD, except for this last month.
pichu is actually predicted to go lower than pikachu in the rankings by ZeRo analysis. the pichu hype was super strong after voiD run at genesis 6 but now everyone calmed down a bit and the meta changed a little, things are more balanced
Nah, SmashCon 2015. ZeRo at the height of his powers was very lucky to beat ESAM last hit game 5. There's a couple Brawl tourneys that ESAM probably remembers fondly, as well.
This match is very interesting for a couple of unique reasons. I main both Lucina and Pikachu, so it seems coincidental to find this match of two master players that main them both going head-to-head. After my first watch thru studying Esam's Pikachu, I've already learned that I need to practice Quick Attack a lot more. It is very versatile for recovery, attacking, general movement and positioning. I also learned that Pikachu's combo game is very diverse with a ton of different mixup options. If you know the character and know your opponent, confirming kills isn't terribly difficult. On the other hand while studying Esam's Pikachu, I noticed how brilliant a reader MKLeo is, and how consistently he's able to prcecisely execute counter attacks. Every time Pikachu whiffs or fails a mixup, Lucina is there like a shadow. His spacing with the character is also very good. Can't wait to see what else I learn from this match. Mondo cool 🤘🏾
Damn I get nervous for ESAM so much lol. After watching his vids where he talks about his experience at different majors, I can always kinda tell how nerve-racking it must get going down to final game final stock against some of these guys.
What a Match!! Congratulation ESAM, I have been waiting for see you against Leo long time. I felt the excitment in this battle. Go beyond with Pikachu Bro. GG
The funny thing is that this ended in a 3-2 for ESAM, and everyone starts complimenting him. But if it ended 3-2 for MKLeo, the comments be like"EsAm sUCks lMAo"
Idk he beat ally, cosmos, and then 3-0ed Nairo to even face Mkleo. If he lost a game 5 to arguably the best in the world I don't think people would say that. His losers run was already impressive.
Leo’s Joker and Lucina were really good in this tournament. I think Leo needs to find out some optimal Ken combos with Lucina to take her to the next level.
Lucina doesn't have much combos or strings. Smash 4 lucina had way more strings than this lucina which to me took the fun away for this character. The only death string she has works on tall heavy characters.
Can someone explain why counter is never used in high level? I get that if you miss it you are in huge disadvantage for a guaranteed smash attack, but in situations where your opponent has started a juggle on you where it is predictable that they'll go hard for the combo, why not counter there?
many of the pika combos are true so you can't even get a counter out. as you said, if the opponent reads it you're dead. finally, counter stalls in the air, so you'll often end up not getting hit by the attack if you try to counter while being juggled.
I think counter becomes way too obvious to pro-players. Not to mention that it is very risky. If you read your opponents counter, that’s a free kill right there.
This match up isn't as easy as it seems. I played a lucina me using pikachu, esam almost made it look easy here. Beating a top tier lucina is not easy.
I always feel like mixing in some of the more situational attacks could really help with some people's gameplay. A counter from Lucina in that first round could have turned things completely around. JUST ONE.
Its too risky, you miss a counter and you either eat a combo or a smash attack. Pro players only use counters where its safe ex. off-stage / on the ledge to stop recoveries.
Holy shit, Esam is different in this match up. He's far more selective and precise, faaaar more defensive. This is the pika I think will be the one to get a GF win, since ultimate pika is far more defensive than Smash 4.
MkLeo's Lucina is so amazing. He is the only one who uses her combos and hit you 6 times you die mechanics correctly. Leo consistently kills below 140% and often kills below 100% with a character most others have trouble getting kills with. This looks like a hard matchup. Good for ESAM on the win!
It's always hard time for me to pick pikachu against lucina.Thus I can learn many things like recovery strategy from this video.Thx ESAM,you are a real master of Pikachu
Honestly mkleo is the only player I have seen that doesn't have a style. From what I have seen he literally plays only the most optimal attack it's just that Esam is that good. God damn both of these players show that I have so much to learn. My combos are on point but it's clear to me now that my neutral sucks and his movement through the platforms was also something he was much quicker than me at. And as for mkleo he taught me that nair can actually be punished on the way down. And I need to be much more patient at ledge and try to reset neutral instead of going for another combo.
I love to play as Marth, but boy is getting near pikachu a bitch. It ain't easy getting thru the projectile spam and how I can't seem to escape back air to grab.
I'm still waiting for Bomberman or at least Paper Mario get in the game though. But I'm also still wishing for Alice Liddell(American McGee) to get in the game too 😄
I'm nice as hell at this game
Such an impressive run. Ally, Cosmos, Nairo then MKLeo. Congrats man, your pikachu is so much fun to watch!
ESAM Please unblock me on Twitter. I love watching you play.
You deserve more likes.
ESAM Yes you are
Apparently, yes! Contratulations for the win, you really deserved it ^-^
3:37 rare footage of esam brushing his hair
I just want to say, this was an AMAZING set and congratulations ESAM!!! You earned it.
The more I watch Esam with Pikachu, the more I want try out Pikachu again. I used to main him in Melee and Brawl, but I kind of dropped him in 4 and now I rarely even pick him in Ultimate. Seeing Esam go crazy with Pikachu makes me want to pick the precious electric rat up.
Pikachu is a lot of fun in Ultimate.
Mouse*
@Caiaphas x I know that Pikachu is a mouse. I just made a Pokémon season 1 anime reference.
Jared Jacoby just warning you, he takes probably the most skill (other than Peach) out of all the top tiers to play consistently well competitively
He has a surprisingly high skill ceiling to play. When I started using pika I developed a whole new understanding of the game. Once he gets optimized and combo strings are more understood he’s going to be a menace
finally esam is playing at the level he was always capable of!
30 year old ESAM is so happy to be getting somewhere far in a major😂 Leo has been playing with Joker all day, so his Lucina was a little off
@@chris40v17 You sound salty for some reason? I don't get it lmao.
Mrniceguy 818 should change your name to Mr.Notsoniceguy 818 with that salty ass comment lol
Mrniceguy 818 Sodium
Mrniceguy 818 you ok my guy ? You sound a little salty not gonna lie
Esam gets slighty better every tournament, at the beginning of Ultimate he could only dream with beating Leo and MVD, now he is taking sets from them, it makes me very happy because of how humble Esam is in both victory and defeat. He kept playing Pikachu even when Pichu was getting better results, even when everybody said that Pichu was undisputable better than Pikachu, now he finally got the better result than VoiD's Pichu (who already lost twice to Leo on Lucina).
Massive respect to Esam, honestly.
Esam vs MVD can never be taken seriously. They live together, so they play each other everyday. That set can go either way, but Esam has always out preformed MVD, except for this last month.
@@squatopia2199 They share a living space? Or do you mean they play together so much they live in each other's minds?
@@Sunfade38 They live together in Oklahoma
Erik Zamudio as in they are roommates
pichu is actually predicted to go lower than pikachu in the rankings by ZeRo analysis. the pichu hype was super strong after voiD run at genesis 6 but now everyone calmed down a bit and the meta changed a little, things are more balanced
One of the greatest ultimate sets I have ever seen. That was incredibly intense.
These casters were PHENOMENAL
New pop off clip for his outro, nice
Damn I've been to a lot of majors and just from this video I'm loving the energy of the crowd.
Canada is something else :)
Yo I popped off on the train watching this live. Glad to see Esam doing well
This is the best Esam has played in his whole career of smash
Nah, SmashCon 2015. ZeRo at the height of his powers was very lucky to beat ESAM last hit game 5. There's a couple Brawl tourneys that ESAM probably remembers fondly, as well.
SSE Ronin it's almost like people get better as time progresses
Zippity zap. Lemme get some of that damage. The commentators are hilarious
He's Godlike, he's nice as hell at this game. Pikachu? Busted. Pikachu? Busted. Nice. He's Nice.
13:00 WOW just wow...
That was a god-tier tech, and recovery.
God damn
This match is very interesting for a couple of unique reasons. I main both Lucina and Pikachu, so it seems coincidental to find this match of two master players that main them both going head-to-head.
After my first watch thru studying Esam's Pikachu, I've already learned that I need to practice Quick Attack a lot more. It is very versatile for recovery, attacking, general movement and positioning. I also learned that Pikachu's combo game is very diverse with a ton of different mixup options. If you know the character and know your opponent, confirming kills isn't terribly difficult.
On the other hand while studying Esam's Pikachu, I noticed how brilliant a reader MKLeo is, and how consistently he's able to prcecisely execute counter attacks. Every time Pikachu whiffs or fails a mixup, Lucina is there like a shadow. His spacing with the character is also very good.
Can't wait to see what else I learn from this match. Mondo cool 🤘🏾
People sleep on ESAM. He’s one of the greatest for a reason.
Esam’s composure this tournament was godlike
Awesome to see ESAM turn his play of late completely around. His aggression and creativity are so fun to watch.
"Honey, I Shrunk the Shield" and "Honey, I Broke the Shield" @ 2:03 Hahahaha! Hilarious.
Damn I get nervous for ESAM so much lol. After watching his vids where he talks about his experience at different majors, I can always kinda tell how nerve-racking it must get going down to final game final stock against some of these guys.
13:00 What a recovery!
What a Match!! Congratulation ESAM, I have been waiting for see you against Leo long time. I felt the excitment in this battle. Go beyond with Pikachu Bro. GG
0:19 *gets 8% off jabs* “big percent”
Hokus Pokus to that stock lmao this commentary was amazing
I'm in watch-and-learn heaven rn since I main both Pikachu and Lucina. This is great!
That was so hype.
The funny thing is that this ended in a 3-2 for ESAM, and everyone starts complimenting him. But if it ended 3-2 for MKLeo, the comments be like"EsAm sUCks lMAo"
Idk he beat ally, cosmos, and then 3-0ed Nairo to even face Mkleo. If he lost a game 5 to arguably the best in the world I don't think people would say that. His losers run was already impressive.
13:15 jinxed 😂😂
Damn Esam played well and I love how he plays. I wanna second main Pikachu.
Leo’s Joker and Lucina were really good in this tournament. I think Leo needs to find out some optimal Ken combos with Lucina to take her to the next level.
Don't sleep on marth
Lucina doesn't have much combos or strings. Smash 4 lucina had way more strings than this lucina which to me took the fun away for this character. The only death string she has works on tall heavy characters.
The thing about Lucina is you can’t swag with her you can only do her flow chart stuff
Set had me at the edge of my seat the entire time!
To think that dash attack is a legitimate kill option. Is that Pikachu or cranidos.
Esam is the best Pikachu to have walked the Earth, change my mind
void's Pichu will one day be happy enough to evolve into the greatest Pikachu on earth
@@bonniejunk pichu was nerfed
So can we get a moment of silence for our little zappy boy.
Has anyone realized that esam doesn't shield much?
You don't need to shield when you're flying all over your opponent landing hits.
Because the man doesn't play defense, he just walks over everyone
he prolly didnt shield much here because of lucina's shieldbreaker
Joseph Maranan That’s a great point! Still remember how devastating that was in against Void in G6
I think it's because he plays very aggressively, and he knows that Leo often uses shield breaker when down by a lot.
Can someone explain why counter is never used in high level? I get that if you miss it you are in huge disadvantage for a guaranteed smash attack, but in situations where your opponent has started a juggle on you where it is predictable that they'll go hard for the combo, why not counter there?
many of the pika combos are true so you can't even get a counter out. as you said, if the opponent reads it you're dead. finally, counter stalls in the air, so you'll often end up not getting hit by the attack if you try to counter while being juggled.
I think counter becomes way too obvious to pro-players. Not to mention that it is very risky. If you read your opponents counter, that’s a free kill right there.
Why the audience sound like Mii audiences
That was one of the best games I've ever seen! Congratulations ESAM!
Thank you Esam. You made us Pika mains proud✌🏼
Johns incoming
Only Mexicans are going to John this awesome match.
Jose Luis Trejo Ni merga, Esam ganó y merecía ganar
@@joseluistrejo1859 bruh
The commentary was on par with the set 🙌🏼
Lets go mew2king!!!
...
XD
Lol m2k
13:02 was a beautiful play on both sides
This match up isn't as easy as it seems. I played a lucina me using pikachu, esam almost made it look easy here. Beating a top tier lucina is not easy.
I always feel like mixing in some of the more situational attacks could really help with some people's gameplay. A counter from Lucina in that first round could have turned things completely around. JUST ONE.
Its too risky, you miss a counter and you either eat a combo or a smash attack. Pro players only use counters where its safe ex. off-stage / on the ledge to stop recoveries.
@@sahelanthropus-1777 I've seen M2K do it multiple times in Melee. It's about using it sparsely, unexpectedly, and just at the right moment.
Commentator: Esam really knows the limits of his recovery
Esam: *Dies*
set of the event easy
Can anyone tell what he’s saying through the mic at the end?
Are we just going to ignore "honey, I shrunk the shield" at 2:02?
Who are these commentators? I think they're my fav pair but idk their names
I think TK Breezy is one of them. Hilarious guys.
I think it’s Tkbreezy and Rod
Hi it’s me
whats the record in ultimate between these two?
LETS GO ESAM YOU DESERVE THAT POP OFF
4:25 OHHHHH that felt so good n.n ... this is why I love Lucina.
The crowd is fantastic.
Surprised Leo went Lucina, feel like joker has an easier time dealing with quick attack/tjolt spam and even escapes combos better
It’s a terrible matchup for Joker
Idk I think joker woulda did good
Pikachu edge guards Joker for free
It's really not any better.
If Leo would dedicate only to Lucina he'd be much more dominant . But hey he wants to try new things I guess
“such electricity in the crowd, no pun intended” hur dur dur
You have really been starting to win a lot of games
I'm just glad Rod didn't say Luke Perry.
RIP
Holy shit, Esam is different in this match up. He's far more selective and precise, faaaar more defensive. This is the pika I think will be the one to get a GF win, since ultimate pika is far more defensive than Smash 4.
MkLeo's Lucina is so amazing. He is the only one who uses her combos and hit you 6 times you die mechanics correctly. Leo consistently kills below 140% and often kills below 100% with a character most others have trouble getting kills with. This looks like a hard matchup. Good for ESAM on the win!
why does leo never counter?
3 months later and Leo still hasn't been knocked out of a tournament since this. Hold that W ESAM!
How old is esam?
4:30 bro these hosts are hilarious man it just gets funnier lol
Interesting fact : they both banned a stage they then picked. Mind tricks or hesitation ?
Pika? BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Esam came to play, Jesus
The only person to take a set off Tweek and Leo
Samsora did this at Smash con so only 2 people now.
19:06 yooo I'm deaaaad these commentators are amazing
ESAM is such a nice guy. Totally deserved and im glad to see his hype as fuck xD
4:30 - 5:02 hilarious commentary
Besides Captain Falcon there isn’t a more entertaining character to watch pop off than Pikachu
It's always hard time for me to pick pikachu against lucina.Thus I can learn many things like recovery strategy from this video.Thx ESAM,you are a real master of Pikachu
ESAM has always been amazing, but you can really see him reach his potential in this game! He completely demolished the joker main!
He took Leo to game 5... and won?
LETS GO ESAM
Why they pronounce Leo wrong lol
would have thought this was grand finals with ow theyre playing
Esam is a god at reaction tech chasing man
13:03 Nice Tech an recovery!
Is this Stupid Thunder Picachu?
This is my main and my best secondary
Honestly mkleo is the only player I have seen that doesn't have a style. From what I have seen he literally plays only the most optimal attack it's just that Esam is that good. God damn both of these players show that I have so much to learn. My combos are on point but it's clear to me now that my neutral sucks and his movement through the platforms was also something he was much quicker than me at. And as for mkleo he taught me that nair can actually be punished on the way down. And I need to be much more patient at ledge and try to reset neutral instead of going for another combo.
What a clutch last stock from ESAM
That was
P A R R Y
P O P P I N S
That quick attack at 1:33...I need to learn that.
Seems like he aimed it right then downright to get that almost hacked quick attack
I love to play as Marth, but boy is getting near pikachu a bitch. It ain't easy getting thru the projectile spam and how I can't seem to escape back air to grab.
very very very very very great!
360p squad
I can’t believe they had the competitors in metal folding chairs. Get your stuff together smash tournaments
That extremely bald guy’s glasses are quite nice.
I love rod and tk BTW. They are amazing commentators
Spoiler
PIKACHU IS JUST BUSTED YEAH
nothing is more baller than esam just sitting still waiting for leo to get close and then just stringing him up in percent
OMG
He is nuts
So happy for ESAM!
Pikachu is way better in ultimate than smash 4
Before the dark times... Before Joker...
I'm still waiting for Bomberman or at least Paper Mario get in the game though. But I'm also still wishing for Alice Liddell(American McGee) to get in the game too 😄
esam said i bought these shoes to match my shirt