Here at Genesis 5 I had the opportunity to meet with VGBC’s own aMSa, the best Yoshi player in the world, after an amazing run where he ended up getting 9th place. We talked about some of the things that he has been doing to improve at the Captain Falcon matchup, along with getting to know him a little.

So let’s start off with a bit of a self-introduction, where are you from?

aMSa: I’m currently living Tokyo, Japan. I use Yoshi, and on the 2017 MIOM Top 100 Ranking, I was 24th.

When did you start playing Melee?

aMSa: I actually bought the game on its release day.

And when did you start getting serious about Melee?

aMSa: Around October 2012. Actually about the same time that guy over there, Sanne (@melee_sanne) started as well. Maybe he started a little before me. But yeah around October of that year.

So why did you decide to use Yoshi?

aMSa: In my group of friends, Yoshi was always pretty popular. Like in Mario Party and what not. So when Smash 64 came out, I started to play him a lot.

Do you have a favorite player that you like to watch? Or someone who inspires you?

aMSa: Definitely Axe (@TempoAxe). His Pikachu is so good. We’re actually the same age, Axe and I. Yeah, 26 years old. And he plays a “mid tier” character like me, he even got 7th on this year’s ranking. So not only is it my goal to be as good as he is, he is also a good friend of mine. Oh, and also Hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) and Armada (@ArmadaUGS). Since they both use characters that aren’t as popular. They really defined those characters.

I agree. Armada is one of the big reasons that I play Melee in the first place. And he is definitely the reason I play Peach. [Laughing] Why did you choose “aMSa” to be your tag? Is there any significance to it?

aMSa: My first name is “Masaya”. So at first my tag was just “Masa”. But when I started to go to tournaments there was actually another guy there who went by “Masa”. I figured that would be too confusing, so I switched the “M” and the “A”. Which makes it “amsa”, and since the middle part is sandwiched by “A’s” I decided to capitalize it. So it became “aMSa”.

When you changed your tag, did you know that in Europe there was an “Amsah”?

aMSa: I had absolutely no idea!

Let’s talk about Genesis a little bit, you had quite the run here. I think this was one of your best runs at a super major. Well, I guess Apex 2015 was pretty good getting 5th after that amazing loser’s run. But this time you were actually pretty close to making Top 8 Winner’s side. Who did you meet in bracket? Who did you beat to make it that far?

aMSa: I played Vish (@ViciousVish), then Kage (@Kagethewarrior), then SFAT (@SFAT), Wizzrobe (@Wizzrobe), Hungrybox, and then lastly I played Hugs (@HugS86).

Did you have any surprises during the first round of pools?

aMsa: Yeah, there was a Fox/Falco player that I think was my second set of the day. He was pretty good actually. I ended up winning the set 2-0. But he was pretty good against Yoshi. You end up playing a lot of Foxes at tournament, but even then, a lot of Fox players play different. They have their own style. So you can’t get to complacent in the matchup.

What was the most fun set that you played here at Genesis?

aMSa: They were all pretty fun! But probably Wizzrobe or Hugs. Being able to finally beat Captain Falcon, and the best Captain Falcon in the world right now was awesome. (aMsa switched to English for this part.) I know that everyone doesn’t expect. Maybe everyone doesn’t expect it. And Wizzrobe will win. But I beat him. [Laughing]

I expected it. I knew that you could do it!

aMSa: [Laughing] Yeah, you always are watching my streaming!

Of course! So what did you think when you beat Wizzrobe? How did you feel?

aMSa: I was so happy! I had been working with my coach Kaito, and Japan’s best Falcon player, Gucci (@guccicf), to figure out this match up. They were the reason I won.

How do you approach learning, or getting better at a matchup? Do you just play a lot against people who main that character? Or do you watch and rewatch videos and analyze your game play for mistakes?

aMSa: It’s a little bit of both actually. Well, for the neutral game at least. Combo game, you can practice quite a bit by yourself. And what you can’t learn by yourself, you learn by playing people. But for the neutral, I watch and rewatch a lot of videos. It helps me to remember things during a game. For example, Captain Falcon’s short hop nair is really good. So I thought about how to beat it a lot. I’ve been thinking about this match up for a long time, since November last year. My coach Kaito and Gucci have given me a lot of advice. They’ve really helped me.

Gucci is so good! I love to watch him play!

aMSa: Yeah, he’s gotten better. Especially against Yoshi! He knows everything about that match up now!

Do you think you would still beat him, despite how much he knows about the Yoshi matchup?

aMSa: [Laughing] I might lose right now. He’s really good!

What would you say was different between your sets with Wizzrobe at Smash Summit 5 and here at Genesis 5?

aMSa: I think a lot of people probably noticed, but my neutral game. I used nair a lot more than before. Even if Falcon hits me, we’ll trade and he’ll take damage. I think this matchup is all about trades. And it works out for both sides. Falcon also doesn’t really have any fast aerial moves. Mostly just up-air and nair. So I would attack from hard angles, and really pressure the back of his shield.

And the other thing that I worked on was edge-guarding. Watching my other sets, I mostly just grabbed the ledge. So they would just recover high. It happened so many times. So I spent a lot of time working with Gucci and Kaito on improving my edge-guards.

I also changed up my combo game a little for the Falcon matchup. I’m pretty famous for my up-air strings, but now I focus more on getting Falcon off stage. Like up-air → nair → down smash.

So not just doing as much damage as you could, but focusing on where Falcon ended up after the combo?

aMSa: Yeah. Especially because Falcon isn’t very good off the ledge. So it’s about taking advantage of that weakness. Being able to finally beat Falcon I think is pretty big for Yoshi players. I’ve been losing to s2j and Wizzrobe for a while now. So I hope more Yoshi’s will be able some more faith in the matchup.

I hope so too. Just a few more questions, and then we’ll wrap this up for you. If, theoretically, there was some random person out there who came across the Genesis 5 stream, maybe saw you play, and decided they wanted to start playing some Melee, what kind of advice would you give them?

aMSa: Hmm… That’s a hard question… But I think more than going to tournaments, or even playing, it’s important to have friends in the community. So trying to find people already in the community, or getting one of your friends to play with you is super important.

What if they wanted to play Yoshi? Any specific advice?

aMSa: That’s hard to answer in just a few sentences, but I would tell them that Yoshi is a super fun character to play. Yoshi might not be the easiest character, but don’t worry. I’m figuring out everything for you guys! Just follow me! [Laughing]

Okay! Well just a handful quick questions, and we’re finished! Don’t think too hard, just the first thing that comes into your head. Are you the best player in Japan?

aMSa: Yes.

Who is the weakest character in Melee?

aMSa: Hmmm…. Kirby?

Who do you think is the best player in the world?

aMSa: Hungrybox.

Best anime?

aMSa: The one that moved me the most was Clannad.

Best music?

aMSa: I really like Ace for Aces from DDR. It’s actually what I listen to before a tournament to pump myself up! This year, I listen to a lot of jazz. Oscar Peterson.

Favorite food?

aMSa: Ramen.

Best set of all time for Melee?

aMSa: Apex 2015, Armada vs PPMD Grand Finals. It was so hype!

Favorite tournament that you entered?

aMSa: Probably also Apex 2015. Because so many things happened there. It was really memorable.

If you could have a pet Yoshi, would you?

aMSa: Yeah! If I could! It would be so fun to have one!

Okay, last question. Do you have anything to say to your fans?

aMSa: I’m planning on going to as many tournaments as I can this year since my goal is to make Top 10. So please look for those announcements and watch me play! And to all those who I will play, please research how to play against Yoshi! [Laughing] The better you get at the matchup the better I will also get! I’ll be waiting! Thank you!

A big thank you to VGBC | aMSa for taking the time to do this interview! And congratulations on getting 9th place!

You can follow him on Twitter: @aMSaRedyoshi

On Twitch: Twitch.tv/aMSaYoshi

And on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1HF_YmkC8znqpCHBDKB30A

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