In recent years, top esports teams such as Cloud9, Team SoloMid, and Counter Logic Gaming have added Smash players to their lineup. With concurrent viewership numbers like 200,000 at Evo for Super Smash Bros. Melee, this should come as no surprise; the appeal to an extremely loyal fanbase makes signing a Smash player a good investment.
But which Smash player should a big team choose? Many wonder why certain higher skilled players remain free agents while some teams have picked up players that are generally lower in rankings. Here are a few of the traits that teams look for in Smash players.
Top placing: teams such as Cloud9 want to build a brand out of winning, so a player like Joseph "Mango" Marquez or Elliot "Ally" Bastien Carroza-Oyarce is high priority to them because of their ability to win major events. The second tier of players includes the ones that frequently place in the top eight. Any player that finishes outside of top eight will likely have minimal stream time, so the difference between players that finish ninth and 25th is negligible.
Social reach: if a player does not have a storied history of top eight placings, then their primary value comes from their effectiveness at getting the word out on media such as Twitter, Youtube. and Twitch. Players with popular streams such as Hugo "HugS" Gonzalez bring in much more publicity than a stronger player with no social media presence.
Social media behavior: teams have glossed over certain players as a result of checking their Twitter. Although players are much more aware of their public branding these days, certain players still have issues with questionable language, negativity, and a lack of professionalism.
Location: the European and Asian markets are behind North America in viewership and player base, which make it difficult for NA teams to justify funding the greater travel costs and work visas for international players. Still, there are many phenomenal international players that may be worth the investment, given their strong results at larger events.
The top five free agents
Given the criteria above, here are some of the top free agents that teams should look into signing for Smash 4 and Melee.
1. Samuel "Dabuz" Buzby (Smash 4)
After leaving Dream Team, Dabuz is now the most valuable free agent. Currently, he is third on the annual Panda Global Rankings and places well at every major event, finishing in the top eight at nearly every tournament. Furthermore, he has won several major events such as WTFox 2 and Apex 2016. He has a very iconic persona, known for his distinct beard and laptop that he consults between matches. By far, he should be at the top of every team's scouting reports.
2. Ramin "Mr. R" Delshad (Smash 4)
People tend to forget about Mr. R because he performs at a high level all of the time. As the fourth highest rated player on the Panda Global Rankings, Mr. R travels the most out of any top player and almost always finishes in the top eight. His work ethic and demeanor are professional in every way possible. He is from the Netherlands and does need more support than a North American player, but he is one of the most committed players in the scene and worthy of investment.
3. Jason "ANTi" Bates (Smash 4)
Similar to Dabuz, ANTi also recently left Dream Team to enter free agency. ANTi's results are less consistent than the first two listed players, but he boasts a strong win at CEO 2016. ANTi's persona is very charismatic as seen with his dynamic entrance into the CEO 2016 wresting ring prior to top eight. He is also incredibly active on social media with an impressive Twitter presence that reaches to a massive audience. A team will get tremendous value out of ANTi's performances and social media presence.
4. James "Swedish Delight" Liu (Melee)
Swedish Delight makes the list as the sole Melee representative. He started the year at #31 on the 2015 SSBMRank but has become a top 10 threat. He is by far the best Melee player without a team. The only drawback is his low social media presence, which can be greatly improved with some proper mentoring. In recent months, he has finished ninth or better at majors, including an impressive second place at Smash N' Splash 2 where he defeated Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman.
5. Yuta "Abadango" Kawamura (Smash 4)
Currently fifth on the Panda Global Rankings, Abadango has performed incredibly well at recent US events, including an impressive first place at Pound 2016, fourth place at CEO 2016 and fifth place at Evo 2016. Similar to Mr. R, Abadango travels frequently to attend majors and performs consistently well. He also benefits from playing uncommon characters such as Mewtwo and Pac-Man, garnering interest as a fan favorite. Although he lives in Japan, this could work to a team's advantage; there could be great publicity in being the first to fully support a Japanese Smash 4 player.