ESAM shocks MkLeo, wins Glitch 8.5

The return to offline majors for Smash Ultimate has been nothing short of spectacular, with events like Ultimate Summit 3, Riptide, and now Glitch 8.5 Konami Code showcasing how spectacular the game can be.

All three have featured a different winner, with Panda's Eric "ESAM" Lew being the latest to defeat Leonardo "MkLeo" López in grand finals of an offline major. 

That's right, while MkLeo is still undoubtedly one of the best Smash Ultimate players in the world, not placing below 2nd at any major since Get On My Level 2019 (also losing to ESAM), the Mexican has lost two of the three grand finals he's played this 2021, both in convincing fashion.

WITH A 0-DEATH COMEBACK, @imESAM TAKES GLITCH: KONAMI CODE OVER MKLEO!!!#HoldForward pic.twitter.com/MsXhM8HuBA

— Panda (@PandaGlobal) September 27, 2021

ESAM, who hadn't played an offline tournament since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, was on a roll the entire weekend, winning the even from winners, beating players like Paris "Light" Ramirez, Kolawole "Kola" Aideyan, and MkLeo twice, first during their match in winners quarters before running into the two-time Evo champion in grands.

ESAM's Pikachu proved to be an annoyance for MkLeo, whose stubbornness to stick with Byleth might have paid dividends against Gavin "Tweek" Dempsey's Diddy Kong, but was completely washed thanks to an even higher tempo the electric Pokémon possesses, getting outpaced at every interaction.

Forced to pull out a rusty Joker, Leo found little to no success against such a slippery opponent, with ESAM often finding the first stock of their matches, and even winning grand finals after an SD at 0%.

In fact, Leo looked mortal the entire tournament, going to game 5 against Marcus "Pink Fresh" Wilson, Enrique "Maister" Hernandez, and Kola, with the Roy main just an f-smash away from beating the T1 sponsored player.

MKLEO IS UNBELIEVABLE! HOW DOES HE DO IT?!

GRAND FINALS IS ALL SET: @imESAM [W] vs @Mkleosb!

GET IN HERE!
📺 https://t.co/4kcDjFQc7R pic.twitter.com/WAULRFY68N

— Glitch: Infinite (@Glitch_Smash) September 27, 2021

With this victory, the stage is set for even more storylines to develop within the Ultimate community. Was this a one-time thing for ESAM? Are players catching up to MkLeo? Will Tweek (who didn't enter Glitch) shake things even further? Whatever ends up happening, we're sure it's going to be hype.

Smash Ultimate Glitch Konami Code - Final standings

• 1st - ESAM
• 2nd - MkLeo
• 3rd - Kola
• 4th - Maister
• 5th - Chag
• 5th - Light
• 7th - Cosmos
• 7th - Marss

• Read more: Nintendo shuts down three Smash events at Low Tide City
  

For more on all things Smash Ultimate, check out our dedicated section filled with news, tournament results, and more. 

Featured image courtesy of Glitch.