# Apex (tournament)

Apex is an annual esports tournament held in New Jersey that is focused on Super Smash Bros. The event's first incarnation was in 2009 with Jesus "Jman" Fernandez as the champion of Super Smash Bros. Melee and Elliot "Ally" Carroza-Oyarce as champion of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Each year the event grew with more competitors entering. Apex 2014 garnered 629 entrants and was the 2nd largest tournament for Melee at the time after EVO 2013. Though the tournament initially focused on Brawl, the feature game has since switched to Melee due to its popularity. In 2010, an event for Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 was added. In 2014, the fan modification of Brawl, Project M was added for singles only. Project M has recently been removed as an official event out copyright concerns under Nintendo of America sponsorship and Third Party relations.
Apex 2015 was officially sponsored by Nintendo of America and was the largest tournament for Super Smash Bros. in history until it was surpassed by EVO 2015. Apex has been described as the "Super Bowl of 'Super Smash Bros.'" by Ben Lindbergh of sports website Grantland.

## History

Apex was founded in 2009 by Johnathan Lugo, known by his alias "Alex Strife", as a Super Smash Bros. tournament. The tournament also hosts side events which include fighting games such as Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, Tekken, and others.

## 2009

Apex 2009 was hosted at the Clarion Hotel Palmer Inn in Princeton, New Jersey. The tournament featured Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Melee, and Brawl+. Melee singles was won by Jman and doubles was won by Mew2King and Jman. Brawl singles was won by Ally and doubles was won by Ally and Mew2King. Brawl+ singles was won by ChuDat. In Brawl crews, MD/VA won.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles (52 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Jesus Fernandez | Jman | Fox |
| 2nd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Marth, Sheik, Fox |
| 3rd | Daniel Rodriguez | ChuDat | Ice Climbers |
| 4th | Aziz Al-Yami | Hax | Captain Falcon |
| 5th | Roustane Benzeguir | Kage | Ganondorf |
| 5th | Charles Meighen | Cactuar | Fox |
| 7th | Bobby Scarnewman | Scar | Captain Falcon |
| 7th | | Hazz | Fox |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Singles (210 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Snake |
| 2nd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Meta Knight |
| 3rd | | lain | Ice Climbers |
| 4th | Jason Bates | Anti | Meta Knight |
| 5th | Trevor Hirschen | Atomsk | King Dedede |
| 5th | Kelvin Quezada | Ksizzle | Meta Knight |
| 7th | Wyatt Beekman | ADHD | Diddy Kong |
| 7th | Antoine Sledge | Anther | Pikachu |

## 2010

Apex 2010 was hosted in New Brunswick, New Jersey at Rutgers University–New Brunswick's College Avenue Student Center. It featured Melee, Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. 64. It also featured the Brawl mods Brawl+ and Brawl-.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles (220 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Juan Debiedma | Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
| 2nd | Adam Lindgren | Armada | Peach |
| 3rd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Sheik, Marth, Fox |
| 4th | Kevin Nanney | Dr. PeePee | Falco |
| 5th | Jeffrey Williamson | Axe | Pikachu |
| 5th | Robert Wright | Wobbles | Ice Climbers |
| 7th | Jesus Fernandez | Jman | Fox |
| 7th | Julian Zhu | Zhu | Falco |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Singles (269 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Larry Holland | DEHF | Falco |
| 2nd | | Brood | Olimar |
| 3rd | Jason Zimmerman | Mew2King | Meta Knight |
| 4th | Lee Martin | Lee Martin | Lucario, Meta Knight |
| 5th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Snake |
| 5th | | lain | Ice Climbers |
| 7th | Tetsuhisa Kosaka | RAIN | Falco, Meta Knight |
| 7th | Trevor Hirschen | Atomsk | King Dedede, Ice Climbers, Wario |
Super Smash Bros. Singles (22 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Will Engel | Sensei | Fox |
| 2nd | Michael Brancato | Nintendude | Captain Falcon |
| 3rd | Joe Franks | m3gav01t | Captain Falcon |
| 4th | Jerry Liu | valoem | Pikachu |

## 2012

After a one-year hiatus, Apex 2012 returned to New Brunswick, New Jersey at Rutgers University's College Avenue Student Center. It featured Melee, Brawl, and 64. Melee Singles was won by Armada and doubles by Armada and Mew2King. Brawl was won by Otori in singles and Otori and Kakera in doubles. Smash 64 was won by SuPeRbOoMfAn and doubles was won by Isai and Nintendude. In Melee USA v the World, USA won by a massive 8 stocks. Brawl was set to have a crew battle, but it was cancelled due to time constraints. The tournament was criticized because Brawl did not have enough setups, causing delay in pool matches and necessitating the cancellation of the crew battle.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles (318 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Adam Lindgren | Armada | Peach, Young Link |
| 2nd | Juan Debiedma | Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
| 3rd | Joseph Marquez | Mango | Falco, Fox |
| 4th | Javier Ruiz | Javi | Fox |
| 5th | Kevin Nanney | Dr. PeePee | Falco |
| 5th | David MacDonald | KirbyKaze | Sheik |
| 7th | Aziz Al-Yami | Hax | Captain Falcon |
| 7th | DaJuan McDaniel | Shroomed | Dr. Mario |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Singles (400 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Ishikawa Kenta | Otori | Meta Knight |
| 2nd | Yuta Uejima | Nietono | Olimar |
| 3rd | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
| 4th | Eric Lew | ESAM | Ice Climbers, Pikachu |
| 5th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Snake |
| 5th | Ishikawa Shota | Kakera | Meta Knight |
| 7th | Timothy Campos | UltimateRazer | Snake |
| 7th | Wyatt Beekman | ADHD | Diddy Kong |
Super Smash Bros. Singles (64 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Daniel Hoyt | SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Fox |
| 2nd | Isai Alvarado | Isai | Link |
| 3rd | Jaime Rodriguez | JaimeHR | Captain Falcon, Fox, Samus |
| 4th | | Kefit | Pikachu |
| 5th | Michael Brancato | Nintendude | Pikachu, Mario |
| 5th | Will Engel | Sensei | Pikachu, Fox |
| 7th | Joe Franks | m3gav01t | Captain Falcon |
| 7th | Julius Vissing | King Funk | Captain Falcon |

## 2013

Apex 2013 was again hosted in the College Avenue Student Center at Rutgers University featuring Melee, Brawl, and 64. It also featured USA v The World crew battles for both Melee and Brawl. In addition, Melee had The Links v The Stinks crew battle, in which a team of seven Links challenged team of six well known low tier mains and were joined by "The Final Boss," Kage, to a crew battle.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles (336 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Adam Lindgren | Armada | Peach, Young Link |
| 2nd | Kevin Nanney | Dr. PeePee | Falco, Marth |
| 3rd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Marth, Sheik |
| 4th | Joseph Marquez | Mango | Fox, Falco |
| 5th | Juan Debiedma | Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
| 5th | DaJuan McDaniel | Shroomed | Dr. Mario |
| 7th | Aziz Al-Yami | Hax | Captain Falcon |
| 7th | David MacDonald | KirbyKaze | Sheik |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Singles (338 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Saleem Young | Salem | Zero Suit Samus |
| 2nd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Meta Knight |
| 3rd | Ishikawa Kenta | Otori | Meta Knight |
| 4th | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
| 5th | Jason Bates | Anti | Meta Knight |
| 5th | Takeshi Gomota | Mikeneko | Marth |
| 7th | Samuel Buzby | Dabuz | Olimar |
| 7th | Ramin Delshad | Mr. R | Marth |
Super Smash Bros. Singles (96 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Nico Watanabe | Kikoushi | Kirby |
| 2nd | Isai Alvarado | Isai | Mario |
| 3rd | Daniel Hoyt | SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Fox, Pikachu |
| 4th | Akio Tamowo | Ruoka Dancho | Captain Falcon, Luigi |
| 5th | Jaime Rodriguez | JaimeHR | Captain Falcon, Fox |
| 6th | Hugo Morgan | Sensei | Pikachu, Fox, Captain Falcon |
| 7th | Dennis Keith | Kefit | Pikachu |
| 8th | | Nangoku | Ness |

## 2014

Apex 2014 was hosted at the DoubleTree hotel in Somerset, New Jersey featuring Melee, Project M, Brawl, and 64.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles (629 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Kevin Nanney | VGBC|Dr. PeePee | Falco, Marth |
| 2nd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Sheik, Marth, Fox |
| 3rd | Joseph Marquez | MIOM|Mango | Falco, Fox |
| 4th | William Hjelte | Leffen | Fox |
| 5th | Juan Debiedma | CT|Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
| 5th | Colin Green | Colbol | Fox |
| 7th | Joshua Davis | SS|s0ft | Jigglypuff |
| 7th | Shephard Lima | Fiction | Fox |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Singles (370 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
| 2nd | Gonzalo Barrios | CT|ZeRo | Meta Knight |
| 3rd | Eric Lew | ESAM | Pikachu, Ice Climbers |
| 4th | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Meta Knight |
| 5th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Meta Knight, Snake |
| 5th | Wyatt Beekman | ADHD | Diddy Kong |
| 7th | Eric Legesse | Tyrant | Meta Knight |
| 7th | Vincent Cannino | Vinnie | Ice Climbers |
Project M Singles (382 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Adam Lindgren | CT.EMP|Armada | Pit |
| 2nd | Jason Zimmerman | CT.EMP|Mew2King | Fox, Marth, Mewtwo |
| 3rd | Larry Holland | DEHF | Falco, Fox |
| 4th | Brandon Nunnenkamp | Rolex | Snake |
| 5th | Jeremy Westfahl | Fly Amanita | King Dedede |
| 5th | Alexander Maguire | Sethlon | Roy |
| 7th | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Ally | Ike |
| 7th | Rob Dickson | Oracle | R.O.B. |
Super Smash Bros. Singles (157 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Isai Alvarado | CT|Isai | Jigglypuff |
| 2nd | | Moyashi | Pikachu, Kirby |
| 3rd | Daniel Hoyt | SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Fox, Pikachu, Kirby |
| 4th | Arturo Hernández | Mariguas | Captain Falcon, Pikachu |
| 5th | Eduardo Tovar | tacos | Captain Falcon, Yoshi, Kirby |
| 5th | Justin Hallett | CT|Wizzrobe | Yoshi |
| 7th | | Ruoka Dancho | Captain Falcon, Kirby |
| 7th | Jaime Rodriguez | JaimeHR | Fox, Captain Falcon, Samus |

## 2015

Apex 2015, which ran from January 30 to February 1, included Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 64, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Guilty Gear Xrd, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Killer Instinct. It was initially hosted at Clarion Hotel Empire Meadowlands in Secaucus, New Jersey and featured the first Melee tournament with over a thousand entrants with 1037 players participating. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U included over 800 entrants.
The tournament was officially sponsored by Nintendo and included a playable demo of Splatoon. Apex dropped Brawl fan mod Project M from its 2015 lineup and all of its qualifiers. Streaming for fangame, Super Smash Bros. Crusade, has also been denied. Lugo alleged he received death threats for the dropping of Project M from some members of the community. In January 2015, Lugo announced he was stepping down from Apex after multiple media reports alleging sexual harassment by tournament attendees.
After a false fire alarm occurred on the morning of January 30, fire marshals discovered that parts of the hotel were in violation of safety codes. The marshals removed access to the ballrooms, which had a partially collapsed roof. The main tournament was delayed for a day and was moved 40 miles away to the Garden State Convention Center in Somerset, New Jersey.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles (1,037 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Kevin Nanney | EG|PPMD | Falco, Marth |
| 2nd | Adam Lindgren | |Armada | Peach, Fox |
| 3rd | William Hjelte | Leffen | Fox |
| 4th | Joseph Marquez | C9|Mango | Fox, Falco |
| 5th | Masaya Chikamoto | VGBC|aMSa | Yoshi |
| 5th | Juan Debiedma | Liquid|Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
| 7th | David MacDonald | EMG|KirbyKaze | Sheik |
| 7th | DaJuan McDaniel | Shroomed | Sheik |
Super Smash Bros. For Wii U Singles (837 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Gonzalo Barrios | ZeRo | Diddy Kong |
| 2nd | Samuel Buzby | PL.XFIRE|Dabuz | Olimar, Rosalina and Luma |
| 3rd | Ramin Delshad | LLL|Mr. R | Sheik |
| 4th | Wesley Alexander | 6WX | Sonic |
| 5th | Yuta Uejima | DtN|Nietono | Sheik |
| 5th | Jason Zimmerman | PL.MVG|Mew2King | Diddy Kong |
| 7th | Yuta Kawamura | Abadango | Pac-Man |
| 7th | Jestise Negron | AO.CT|MVD | Duck Hunt, Little Mac |
Super Smash Bros. Singles (188 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Daniel Hoyt | TEG|SuPeRbOoMfAn | Captain Falcon, Pikachu |
| 2nd | Eduardo Tovar | tacos | Yoshi, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff |
| 3rd | Justin Hallett | COG|Wizzrobe | Yoshi |
| 4th | Arturo Hernández | Mariguas | Pikachu, Kirby, Captain Falcon |
| 5th | Abacus Zilch | TR3G|LD | Fox |
| 5th | | KeroKeroppi | Kirby, Pikachu |
| 7th | Yoshua Castillo | SF|Dext3r | Pikachu |
| 7th | Javier Romero | Fireblaster | Yoshi, Mario |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Singles (176 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Elliot Carroza-Oyarce | Boreal|Ally | Snake |
| 2nd | Nairoby Quezada | Nairo | Meta Knight |
| 3rd | Jestise Negron | AO.CT|MVD | Snake |
| 4th | Saleem Young | CT|Salem | Zero Suit Samus |
| 5th | Vishal Balaram | V115 | Zero Suit Samus |
| 5th | Vincent Cannino | PL.XFIRE|Vinnie | Ice Climbers |
| 7th | Ufuk Fidan | cyve | Diddy Kong |
| 7th | Takeshi Shimizu | Shimitake | Pikachu |

## 2016

After the controversies surrounding the 2015 event, there were doubts over the future of the Apex tournament. However Andre "Bifuteki" Augustin announced that the event would continue under his leadership. Apex 2016 was the seventh edition of the Apex series which took place on June 17–19, 2016 under the new management of the Bifuteki crew. The event was considerably smaller the previous incarnation and even had to cancel its Brawl event due to low turnout.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (309 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Samuel Buzby | Dabuz | Rosalina |
| 2nd | James Makekau-Tyson | CLG|VoiD | Sheik, Mewtwo, Fox |
| 3rd | Yuta Uejima | DNG|Nietono | Diddy Kong |
| 4th | Jason Zimmerman | FOX.MVG|Mew2King | Cloud |
| 5th | Tyler Martins | Marss | Zero Suit Samus |
| 5th | Kelsy Medeiros | Circa.HoH|SuperGirlKels | Sonic |
| 7th | Gavin Dempsey | DMG|Tweek | Cloud |
| 7th | James Wade | DMG|James | Cloud, Diddy Kong, Luigi |
Super Smash Bros. Melee (159 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Jason Zimmerman | FOX.MVG|Mew2King | Sheik, Marth |
| 2nd | James Lauerman | Mafia | Peach |
| 3rd | Ryan Coker-Welch | CT|The Moon | Marth |
| 4th | Hendrick Pilar | DJ Nintendo | Fox |
| 5th | John Daily | GG|Minty | Samus |
| 5th | Nick Stango | Stango | Marth |
| 7th | Michael Serpico | PudgyPanda | Ice Climbers |
| 7th | Bryan Somaiah | Kaeon | Fox |
Super Smash Bros. 64 (55 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Tommy Speziale | Koroshiyo|Stranded | Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Kirby |
| 2nd | Maxim Korobskiy | Sedda|Star King | Kirby, Yoshi |
| 3rd | Javier Romero | Fireblaster | Yoshi, Mario |
| 4th | Rob Stone | cobr | Kirby, Captain Falcon, Samus, Pikachu |
| 5th | Steve Pisano | DFX | Fox, Pikachu |
| 5th | Gerald Thomas | GIMP|NTA | Captain Falcon, Mario, Samus |
| 7th | Keefe Mitman | Nebs|Zeppelin | Captain Falcon |
| 7th | Hernan Sedda | Sedda | Fox |

## 2022

Apex 2022 took place on November 18th-20th, 2022 in Secaucus, New Jersey. It featured Melee, Ultimate, Smash 64, Brawl, and Smash 4 events.
Super Smash Bros. Melee (461 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | Masaya Chikamoto | aMSa | Yoshi |
| 2nd | Zain Naghmi | Zain | Marth |
| 3rd | Juan DeBiedma | Hungrybox | Jigglypuff |
| 4th | Cody Schwab | iBDW | Fox |
| 5th | Jeffrey Williamson | Axe | Pikachu |
| 5th | Dawud Rahman | Aklo | Fox, Link |
| 7th | Jake DiRado | Jmook | Sheik |
| 7th | Kurtis Pratt | Moky | Fox |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (607 entrants) :
| Place | Player | Alias | Character(s) |
| 1st | | Miya | Mr. Game & Watch |
| 2nd | Jude Harris | Jakal | Wolf |
| 3rd | Anthony Casale | MPg | Mega Man |
| 4th | Samuel Robert Buzby | Dabuz | Rosalina & Luma, Min Min |
| 5th | Darrell Boone | Quandale Dinglelingleton | Steve |
| 5th | | Syrup | Ness |
| 7th | David Leon | LeoN | Bowser |
| 7th | Gakuto Ito | Gackt | Ness |