The GMU Smash Civil War

The **GMU Smash Civil War** was a brief, but chaotic period in the GMU Smash community. A conflict between two of GMU Smash's most well known players, Otter and The Merman, tore the community in two as people looked to be on the right side of GMU history.

## Cause

On November 2, 2018, GMU Smash was running Bring More Setups #58 in Merten Hall. At the time, Otter and The Merman were considered the best of friends and were each voted "The Peoples' Champ" for Smash 4 and Melee, respectively. In the Smash for Wii U bracket, they were set to play against each other in Round 2.

The set began normally with Otter selecting Cloud and The Merman selecting Captain Falcon. The Merman won Game 1 after Otter unfortunately lost his first stock via SD. Game 2 was more even with Otter barely able to get the win by catching The Merman's ledge get up with a well timed Forward Smash. For Game 3, Otter decided to change characters and select Roy, his main character. The final game of the set was yet another close one, but Otter was able to get the win.

As is customary, both players went for the post-match fist bump as a show of mutual respect. However, there was hesitation from Otter. Many eye-witnesses considered this moment the turning point in the stability of the community. Otter's fist slowly turned into a middle finger pointed directly at The Merman. A face of shock and confusion was all The Merman had time to react with as Otter immediate began physically assaulting The Merman.

Otter relentlessly threw out attack after attack and went on for a few minutes before deciding to stop. Seemingly satisfied with what he had done, Otter shoved his way past horrified onlookers and left a bloodied Merman unconscious on the ground.

When he finally woke up, an angry and confused Merman questioned his friendship with Otter and left the venue.

The set, as well as the attack, was documented in the video below. Witnesses also gave recorded testimony and their personal thoughts on the matter.

## A Split Community

The prediction by Sluggo at the end of the video unfortunately came true. Not long after the night of the attack, the community began taking sides between Otter and The Merman. Each group identified themselves as "Teams" and began verbal attacks on the opposing team. Realizing what was happening and not wanting the other to become too powerful, Otter and Merman began actively recruiting undecided players to join their respective team. A date was set for an all-out fight between the two teams.

### Team Otter

**Captain:** Otter

**Players:**

* Alternis
* Default
* DHB
* Dhoho
* Dub
* Eson
* File
* Generic
* Jeb
* Mata-Door
* Shyarie
* Sig
* SNACK?
* Yikes!

### Team Merman

**Captain:** The Merman

**Players:**

* Albinoro
* Churro
* Donutgames43
* Len
* Luma
* Maverick
* OJWaddler
* Paperchao
* QWERTY
* Rags
* Salad
* Seaworld
* Sling Dinger
* Swifter
* Tengu

## GMU Smash Civil War

As the teams grew larger, so did the frequency of verbal attacks. The teams would trash talk each other or boast about their respective captain. Such talk was carried out both at in-person events and in the GMU Discord.

The teams agreed to the date of December 7th, 2018 for a battle to settle things. The game chosen for the battle was to be the new, upcoming Smash game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The teams would face each other in a Crew Battle with each team having a total of 39 stocks. While the two captains would also be part of their respective teams for the Crew Battle, they would also face each other in a separate one-on-one match.

### Night of the Civil War

On December 7th, 2018, Bring More Setups #61.5 was held in Merten Hall. Many bystanders attended as part of the excitement for a new Smash game and for the upcoming battle.

The Captain vs Captain match would kickoff the night. After the captain introductions, they took their places and the battle began.

The two captains fought hard. Each dash danced and taunted. After 20 minutes and fighting to a Game 5 situation, a Forward Tilt from Otter's Roy caught The Merman's badly wounded Pikachu Libre and ended the bout.
After both sides had a chance to regroup from the Captain vs Captain battle, the Crew Battle began.

\*Did not fight since battle ended
File from Team Otter and Rags, Seaworld, and OJWaddler from Team Merman did not play

### Results

**Captain VS Captain Match**

Otter def. The Merman (3-2)

**Team Otter VS Team Merman Crew Battle**

Team Merman def. Team Otter (5 stocks remaining)

## Aftermath

After an evening filled with blood, sweat, and tears, Team Merman emerged victorious despite their captain falling in the one-on-one match.

The two captains faced each other one more time, but this time as the friends they once were. The Merman had earned the fist bump Otter denied him a month before. Seeing this showing of forgiveness, both teams came together in unity to enjoy the new Smash game for the rest of the evening.

## Conspiracy Theories

Despite witness reports, there are some who claim that though Otter did in fact refuse to fist bump The Merman at BMS #58, he never actually attacked The Merman. They also claim the video showing their match and the assault afterwards was doctored or filmed using a body double to stand in for Otter. However, neither claim has been supported by evidence.

Whether they are true or not, the effects of what took place that evening started a chain of events that would be one of the darkest periods in GMU Smash history.