Axe (gamer)

Jeffrey Williamson (born April 7, 1991), known professionally as Axe, is an American professional Super Smash Bros. Melee player. As of 2020, he is ranked as the fourth best Melee player in the world, and has finished in the top ten of formal rankings presented by Red Bull every year since 2016. His highest placements at major Melee tournaments include first place at Smash Summit 8, second place at Genesis 6, and fourth place at Evo 2014.

Axe
Jeffrey Williamson
Axe in 2018
Personal information
Born (1991-04-07) April 7, 1991
Germany
HometownSierra Vista, Arizona
Career information
StatusActive
Current teamTempo Storm
GamesSuper Smash Bros. Melee
Career history
2014-2015Mortality eSports
???-???Most Valuable Gaming
2015–presentTempo Storm

Axe has primarily competed using Pikachu, and is considered to be the best Pikachu player in the world. He has been noted for his fast-paced style of play and his ability to achieve tournament success with the character. He has been sponsored by esports team Tempo Storm since 2015.

Career

Early career and sponsorship

Axe started playing Super Smash Bros. Melee upon its release in 2001. He would only discover the competitive Super Smash Bros. scene five years later, when he competed in his first tournament in high school. He formally became involved with the competitive scene after he started attending local tournaments in 2007,[1] taking inspiration for his handle from the Axe product brand.[2] By the end of the year, he became one of the top ten Melee players in the rankings for his home state of Arizona.[3] He began competing at national tournaments after attending Genesis in 2009,[4] and was ranked as the best player in his state's rankings in 2010.[3] After defeating several high-ranked players at Apex 2010, he began to solidify his status as a top player through high placements at major tournaments.[5]

In 2014, Axe tied for 5th place at MLG Anaheim after defeating top player Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma.[2] In July, he signed a sponsorship deal with esports team Mortality eSports, and quit his job later that year to fully dedicate his time to professional competition.[6] He has also been affiliated with esports team Most Valuable Gaming.[3] Representing Mortality eSports, Axe tied for 5th place at Evo 2014,[2] but departed from the team after six months.[6] In April 2015, he attended MVG Sandstorm, a national tournament, where he placed in third after defeating top players William "Leffen" Hjelte and Joseph "Mang0" Marquez.[7] In July, he signed a sponsorship deal with Tempo Storm alongside fellow Melee professional Weston "Westballz" Dennis.[8] Later that month, he tied for 7th place at Evo 2015.[9] In October, he placed in 17th at The Big House 5.[10]

Formal ranking and continued success

Axe attended Genesis 3 in January 2016, and took 4th place after defeating top players Mang0 and Zachary "SFAT" Cordoni. Subsequently, he placed in at least 6th place at EGLX 2016, CEO 2016, and Super Smash Con 2016. For his overall performance through 2016, he was ranked as the ninth best Melee player by SSBMRank, a biannual power ranking presented by Red Bull.[11] He began 2017 with a 7th-place finish at Genesis 4, and continued to attend many major tournaments through the first half of the year.[12] He was one of sixteen top Melee players invited to Smash Summit Spring 2017 in March,[13] where he placed in 5th. He subsequently took 3rd place at CEO 2017, and then tied for 9th place at Evo 2017 after losing to Adam "Armada" Lindgren. In the second half of the year, he took 4th place at DreamHack Atlanta 2017, 3rd place at DreamHack Denver 2017, and 5th place at Smash Summit 5, with the latter two performances including victories against Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman. Axe was ranked as the seventh best player in 2017 by SSBMRank.[12]

The first major Melee tournament of 2018 was Genesis 5, where Axe tied for 7th place. Subsequent performances included a 9th-place finish at EGLX 2018, 2nd place at Flatiron 3, and 3rd place at Get On My Level 2018, defeating Leffen and Mew2King at the latter two tournaments, respectively.[14] The latter portion of the year included a victory at Runback 2018, a local Arizona tournament, as well as a 5th-place finish at Smash Summit 7, a major tournament. Panda Global Rankings, a biannual power ranking that superseded SSBMRank, ranked Axe as the tenth best Melee player in 2018.[15] Axe took 2nd place at the first two major tournaments of 2019, Genesis 6 and Get On My Level 2019, after losing to the number one-ranked Hungrybox in the finals of both tournaments.[16] Later that year he won Smash Summit 8 after defeating Justin "Wizzrobe" Hallett in the finals.[17] With this victory, he became the first player to win a major Melee tournament using Pikachu,[1][18] a character often described as being in the "mid-tier" of the game's roster of characters in terms of fighting ability.[3][19][20] In September, Axe placed 2nd at Mainstage 2019.[21] He was ranked as the fourth best player in the Panda Global Rankings for his performance in 2019.[16]

Before the Panda Global Rankings suspended the 2020 competitive season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,[22] Axe attended Smash Summit 9 in February. He tied for 5th place at the tournament, after losing to Mang0 in the quarterfinals.[23] In November, he tied for 13th place at Smash Summit 10, an online tournament.[24]

Style of play

Axe mainly competes using Pikachu, and is considered to be the best Pikachu player in the world.[4] In a 2016 interview, Axe stated that he chose to continue using the character in Melee after originally playing the character in Super Smash Bros., the first installment in the Super Smash Bros. series.[25] His style of play has been noted for its complexity and speed,[2] incorporating "tricky movement options"[12] as well as "lightning-quick movement" that allows him to anticipate his opponent's attacks and swiftly retaliate against them.[3]

Personal life

Axe was born on April 7, 1991[26] in Germany to parents in the U.S. military. He was raised in Sierra Vista, Arizona. He has two older siblings.[1][6]

References
  1. Stubbs, Mike (July 4, 2019). "How Axe became the first Smash Melee player to win a major with Pikachu". Red Bull. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  2. Groot, Justin (September 23, 2016). "Both flesh and, somehow, light: Axe Williamson and the electric thrill of Melee". Kill Screen. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  3. Womack, Barrett (July 3, 2015). "Friendlies: Axe, the Pikachu". Red Bull. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  4. Wolf, Jacob (July 15, 2016). "Axe: 'Loser's bracket Mango or beast mode Armada, I feel like I can take them'". ESPN. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  5. Stubbs, Mike (July 4, 2019). "How Axe became the first Smash Melee player to win a major with Pikachu". Red Bull. Retrieved November 28, 2020. Following this, he continued to play and place well at the biggest Melee tournaments, firmly cementing himself as one of the best players in the world…
  6. Gonzales, Israel (June 26, 2017). "Remembering His Roots: Gamer 'Axe' Williamson honors Arizona while championing his craft". The Entertainer! Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  7. Hernandez, Patricia (April 20, 2015). "Watch The World's Best Pikachu Player Defeat Smash Bros. Gods". Kotaku. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  8. Khan, Imad (July 5, 2015). "Westballz and Axe picked up by Tempo Storm". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  9. Pack, Ben (July 20, 2015). "EVO 2015 is over, here's how it ended". Destructoid. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  10. Womack, Barrett (October 6, 2015). "The Big House 5: A Retrospective". Red Bull. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  11. Lee, Daniel (January 10, 2017). "SSBMRank 2016: 7-10". Red Bull. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  12. Lee, Daniel (January 16, 2018). "SSBMRank 2017: 10-1". Red Bull. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  13. Khan, Imad (February 17, 2017). "ChuDat, Ice among six electees to Smash Summit Spring 2017". ESPN. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  14. Nestico, Andrew (August 2, 2018). "Summer #MPGR2018: 10-1". Red Bull. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  15. Nestico, Andrew (February 7, 2019). "#MPGR2018: 10-1". Red Bull. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  16. Nestico, Andrew (January 24, 2020). "#MPGR2019: 10-1". Red Bull. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  17. Michael, Cale (June 17, 2019). "Axe and his Pikachu win their first Smash Summit 8". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  18. Chaloner, Paul (May 28, 2020). This is esports (and how to spell it) : an insider's guide to the world of pro gaming. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 132. ISBN 9781472977779. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  19. Smith, Nico (June 20, 2019). "Axe's Ascension at Smash Summit 8 shows Melee Refuses to Stagnate". InvenGlobal. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  20. Lopez, Alan (June 25, 2019). "Feature: Meet Axe, The Smash Bros. Underdog Who Changed The Competitive Scene Overnight". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  21. Michael, Cale (September 23, 2019). "Hungrybox wins his seventh Super Smash Bros. Melee Major of 2019 at Mainstage". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  22. Michael, Cale (March 12, 2020). "Super Smash Bros. PGR season to be frozen due to coronavirus and travel concerns". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  23. Michael, Cale (February 16, 2020). "Smash Summit 9: Live results and standings". Dot Esports. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  24. Michael, Cale (November 22, 2020). "Smash Summit 10 Online: Live results and standings". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  25. Taylor, Nicholas (January 13, 2016). "'I'm confident that my Pikachu can win a major, and I'm going to prove it' - Axe talks Pikachu's strengths and weaknesses, SSBM growth and more". EventHubs (Interview). Retrieved August 16, 2020. Tempo|Axe: I loved playing Pikachu in Super Smash Bros. 64, so when Melee came out, I naturally had to try out the character. I still thought that he was pretty good and decided to just stick with him.
  26. @TempoAxe (April 7, 2017). "On my 16th bday, all I wanted to do was play Melee. Today for my 26th, I wanna celebrate with even more Melee. Some things never change" (Tweet). Retrieved September 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
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