Last week, we saw a previous king crowned yet again, a rising star challenge the throne, and some good *ss Tekken. However, what seemed like an exciting week was marred by yet another reminder that the Smash community still has its share of weird people.

While the allegations were retracted by the tournament organizers, people over at Reddit are saying that it’s getting harder and harder to defend the Smash scene because of what seems like a never-ending stream of sexual allegations thrown left and right.

And if you’re familiar with the fighting game scene, you’d see all this and say: Sounds like just another week in the FGC! Here are some of the highest and lowest moments, from epic tourneys to controversial issues.

Let’s get the uncomfortable stuff out of the way. On June 5th, the GeorgiaSmash Twitter account released a statement regarding Ryan “L4st” Krichbaum. In the statement, they retracted their allegations against L4st back in May.

They mentioned that a law firm contacted them on behalf of L4st, saying that the allegations provided to them were “largely unsubstantiated and categorically false.”

“Since the publication of our initial statement, Mr. Krichbaum admitted to an incident in 2023 that led to him being uninvited from an event. However, this recent letter states that our ‘reckless publication’ could be interpreted to falsely charge Mr. Krichbaum with the commission of a crime and (were) calculated to injure his reputation in his trade and profession within the esports and gaming industry,” the statement said.

People over on Reddit shared their opinions about the situation, and most of them are saying that L4st essentially lawyered up and strong-armed a volunteer group into retracting their statement, or risk getting sued. 

What bothers me here is the fact that L4st admitted to an incident in 2023. However, GeorgiaSmash didn’t mention what kind of incident it was, but the fact that he was uninvited to an event because of it speaks volumes regarding its severity.

Before this, L4st had already been privately banned from several tournaments in Georgia in 2024, which means that the allegations weren’t new. The details in this case are sparse and will remain so, especially since lawyers have stepped in.

Real or not, cases like these always leave a bad taste in the FGC, especially since the scene is already getting a lot of attention from outside. I wouldn’t be surprised if sponsors see the scene as problematic and not touch the Smash community with a 10-foot pole, which is very sad, considering that it was the first fighting game I competed in.

Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II, also known as “The Bull,” has finally won a major Street Fighter 6 tournament in his home country. Blink Respawn happened over the weekend, where global talents such as Noah “NoahTheProdigy” Solis, Victor “Punk” Woodley, and Michael “Riddles” Kim tested their mettle.

However, in the end, it was MenaRD who rose on top and defeated them all in front of his own people.

Blink Respawn has always eluded MenaRD since the release of Street Fighter 6. In 2023, he placed 5th; in 2024, 7th; and in 2025, only 17th. It seemed like a curse had been placed on him, winning every single huge tournament such as Evo 2025, Evo Japan 2025, and Evo Japan 2024, but he just couldn’t seem to get the title in front of his countrymen.

However, what happened on June 7th was one for the books.

The tournament featured a very hot NoahTheProdigy tearing through the bracket. He sent both Punk and MenaRD down to the loser’s bracket and waited for his challenger in the Grand Final. This meant that MenaRD and Punk had to fight each other in the loser’s bracket, which gave us some of the craziest games of the tournament.

I also think it’s worth noting that there’s only one Japanese player in the top 8 of this year’s Blink Respawn, compared to last year’s 5.

Riddles notably showed up and let everyone know that he’s still him, the Michael Kim, in his match against Lenny “Crossover” Almanzar, which featured a dash-up OD Rising Tackle to secure the game. I mean, just watch this. This guy’s built different.

In the end, though, it was MenaRD in the finals against NoahTheProdigy. Despite defeating MenaRD earlier in the bracket, some adjustments from MenaRD made it seem like NoahTheProdigy had lost the fight against him. MenaRD ended the tournament quickly with a 3-1 bracket reset and another 3-1 to close it out, finally being crowned the victor in his country. With this win, MenaRD finally qualifies for the Capcom Cup 13.

MenaRD is very hot right now. If he keeps his streak going, there’s no doubt that it’s his time to claim the Capcom Cup, a tournament he already won twice. Funnily enough, the last time he won the tournament was back in 2023, when it wasn’t the million-dollar event with atrocious prize distribution that it is right now.

Over to Tekken 8, Park “Mangja” Geon-ho finally shows us what good *ss Tekken really is. While Blink Respawn was happening in the Dominican Republic, SOOP Super Tournament 2026 was happening in Korea, on the other side of the globe. There, a 232-man Tekken 8 tournament happened, and Mangja reigned over them all.

Mangja’s records have always been solid. Second at the Tekken World Tour Finals 2025, 9th at Evo Japan 2026, and third at Combo Breaker 2026. It always seemed like he was the bridesmaid but never the bride. However, all of that changed after winning quite possibly one of the hardest Tekken 8 tournaments to date.

Just to give a little context, attendees include Evo Japan 2026 champion Kim “iKARi” Min-kyu, Tekken legend Bae “Knee” Jae-Min, and Tekken World Tour Finals 2025 champion Yoon “LowHigh” Sun-woong. That’s the level of competition he’s facing. So, who met him in the Grand Finals? None other than another player who’s suffering the same fate as him: Takaba Keisuke.

Keisuke has been competing since 2013 and has delivered great results. Second in DreamHack Atlanta 2026, second in CEO 2024, and 7th in Battle Arena Melbourne 15. Again, just like Mangja, he has yet to get his maiden Tier 1 win in Tekken 8.

The finals between Keisuke and Mangja have reached the maximum of 10 games. A 3-2 Grand Finals reset allowed Keisuke to have a real chance of taking the trophy away. However, in the final round of the final game, Mangja played much more solidly than him, which led to his loss. 

As a Keisuke fan, this is heartbreaking, as a single combo starter could’ve been him raising the trophy. However, I also can’t get mad at Mangja because this is his maiden Tier 1 win in Tekken 8 after always getting second.

Ultimately, I think the viewers are the real champions in this tournament. All throughout the event, amazing Tekken was shown. Glimpses of punishes, neutral, and movement were seen across matches, which pleases my Tekken heart.

Finally, some good *ss Tekken.

Now back to Smash! But Super Smash Bros. Melee, you know, the unproblematic one. While all of these tournaments are happening, Battle of BC 8 was also in progress. Kurtis “moky” Pratt has been a top player in Melee for quite some time now, and of course, if you’ve reached that level of play, you’re going to run into the only remaining active God of Melee: Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma.

If you’ve been in the scene long enough, you know how Hungrybox plays. Slow and methodical. Some people say lame, but hey, that’s their opinion. Anyway, a match between Moky and Hungrybox happened over at Battle of BC 8, where Hungrybox won 3-1. So, like any other competitor, Hungrybox offered a handshake after the set, but Moky denied it, insisting for a fistbump instead.

This shouldn’t be a huge problem; those are the common ways of showing sportsmanship before and after the set, after all. However, Moki posted something on Twitter shortly after.

In the tweet, he mentioned that he “lost in the lamest ways possible” and “the audacity to go for the handshake is insane there though.” He finished the tweet by saying that he has no respect for people playing “like that.”

Then, he doubled down:

I know how he feels. It’s always frustrating to get “lamed out” and lose to zoners or very defensive players. The FGC also prides itself on being raw and unfiltered at times, so showing your frustration in times like that shouldn’t be a big deal. Players are people too, and there will be times when things don’t go their way.

Let’s just be thankful that Hungrybox didn’t win the tournament, or his pop-off might’ve spelled the end of the universe.

It’s been a really wild week in Dota 2. We have all sorts of stuff happening, from one of the largest Dota teams leaving, underdog teams leaving good impressions, and a familiar face up to his usual tricks.

Here’s everything that went down in this Dota 2 week that we think you should know about. Or that just happened to entertain us.

1,953 days, a TI victory, nine S-tier titles, and $14.8 million in prize money later – Tundra Esports has officially decided to pull the plug and exit the Dota 2 scene. 

It’s really concerning that the London-based organization was arguably the most successful squad of the 2026 season. They’ve won four S-tier titles – the most of any team this season – and earned themselves direct invites to both the Esports World Cup and The International, and they still couldn’t make it work.

The organization hasn’t specified a reason for its exit, but the roster will at least stay intact. 1win Team has acquired the players, meaning Neta “33” Shapira and company will play under a new tag for the rest of the season. 

It’s no surprise a squad like the Tundra boys quickly found a new home, but the optics really aren’t great. We’ve already seen paiN Gaming and HEROIC leave this year due to sustainability concerns, but those were mid-sized organizations with middling teams. 

Tundra was – and if we ignore recency bias, still is – the best team in the world this year. If an org as successful as Tundra decides the scene is no longer worth investing in, I wonder what that means for everyone else. 

I think we can all agree that Dota 2 esports isn’t on its best trajectory right now, and if Valve isn’t going to step in, the scene will have to figure it out on its own. Betting companies like 1win have become increasingly visible in the ecosystem, whether they’re funding teams through sponsorships or straight up owning them. 

Now, I’m not saying it’s a great solution, but it’s very possible that Dota 2 will have to lean more heavily on gambling sponsors in the near future. I don’t think it’s the most glamorous look for the scene, but with orgs continuing to drop like flies, that might simply be the reality we’re heading toward.

Whether that’s a good thing is an entirely different conversation.

Speaking of betting site orgs, Vitalie “Save-” Melnic has recently hit a milestone of 1,000 maps played under the BetBoom Team banner. He’s been a constant presence on this team since the 2023 season, weathering every roster shuffle thrown at him.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for BB Team, as they actually started out pretty rough. In Save-’s first year, the team couldn’t secure any notable results, but he stuck with them through thick and thin. 

Things started clicking in 2024, with three second-place finishes at S-tier events before the team finally won their first Tier 1 trophy at BLAST Slam I in December 2024, which was also his first LAN trophy. Three more S-tier titles followed, including a recent win at PGL Wallachia Season 8 just two months ago – bringing the BetBoom Team’s trophy count to four, all of which Save- has been a part of. 

In my opinion, Save- has always been one of the most mechanically skilled position four players in the scene, and it’s been like that for a while. This guy is a monster, and I’d go as far as to say he made this team. 

Only a couple of soft support players can rival him, and we’re only talking about the super veterans like Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen and Samuel “Boxi” Svahn. Save- easily clears all his new blood counterparts – except for maybe Edgar “9class” Naltakian – in both mechanics and experience.

To commemorate his milestone and loyalty to the team, Save- was gifted a custom 1,000-map BetBoom jersey. He’s definitely one of the most underrated players in the scene. 

With growing concerns about the esports scene, it’s important for players to treasure opportunities and make the most out of them – and that’s exactly what the former HEROIC boys are doing after LGD Gaming put their trust in them. 

Despite entering BLAST Slam 7 as one of the more middling teams, LGD Gaming is playing with no fear and tore through the group stage. The South Americans won 8 out of 11 matches, landing them the top spot in the entire bracket in such a stacked tournament. They’ve even earned themselves a fast pass to the second round of the upper bracket.

Not only do they have to fly to Copenhagen for the rest of BLAST Slam 7, but the LGD Gaming guys are also grinding out the qualifiers for the Esports World Cup. Since they’re currently bootcamping in Europe for BLAST, they registered for the Western European qualifiers instead. 

So, they’re playing qualifiers in the middle of a million-dollar event, and got the job done with ease. They rolled everyone in the qualifiers, taking down NAVI 2-1 in the upper bracket final to secure their spot at the Esports World Cup. 

While LGD Gaming is thriving and headed to the playoffs at BLAST Slam, GLYPH unfortunately got the shorter end of the stick. They’re an unsponsored Southeast Asian stack that dug into their own pockets to compete at this event.

As expected, GLYPH ended up as cannon fodder and was eliminated in last place with a 2-9 record. And though they were sent packing earlier than they’d like, they at least gave us one of the best clips of the year so far. 

In their Best of 1 against Tundra Esports, now 1win, Tri “Jhocam” Kuncoro’s Rubick stole Techies’ Proximity Mines and planted a minefield around the Twin Gate, which is a pretty common strat. 

Tundra was smoked up as four, looking to take the gate to the opposite side of the map and look for a pickoff. Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov’s Puck was sent through first, with the rest of the team right behind him.

After completing the teleportation, bzm immediately heard Mines going off and quickly reacted with Phase Shift to dodge the potential explosions. However, the rest of the team didn’t react in time, got blown up by six mines, and died instantly. 

This is hands-down one of the funniest plays we’ve seen this year, and GLYPH will at least be remembered for that. 

The infamous David “Parker” Nicho Flores is back with another band of brothers. This fella is notoriously known for being one of the most skilled carry players in the world, but can’t muster enough professionalism to stay on a team for more than three months.

However, he’s really proficient at forming stacks and carrying them through South American qualifiers for big events. He’s running it back with Estar Backs, where he’s currently competing for a spot in the Esports World Cup – and his chances are as high as they can get. 

South America has two big teams: LGD Gaming and PlayTime. As we covered earlier, the former is playing in the Western European qualifier for this event, while the latter has already secured their spot via direct invite.

So, Parker and the boys only have to go through Team Nemesis as the only worthy opponent. And with how oddly good Parker is at farming qualifiers, their odds look pretty darn good. 

The Estar Backs roster is as follows:

Are we going to get another repeat of the South American Rejects story? Only time – or whether Parker has finally learned his lessons – will tell.

Despite a lack of VCT action, the VALORANT esports scene saw massive shake-ups and heated discussions last week.

From Fnatic’s coaching changes to the most-anticipated teams at Masters London, here’s a rundown of everything you might have missed!

Fnatic, one of the historically most successful VALORANT organizations, made significant changes to its coaching staff last week. After the controversial kicking of former Head Coach Milan “Milan” de Meij two weeks ago, Fnatic announced Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov as Milan’s replacement. 

Engh previously spent nearly three years at Karmine Corp before stepping down amidst disappointing year-on-year results. He joins his new organization at a time of turbulence. Fnatic, which had finished second place at Masters Toronto and Champions Paris last year, recently failed to qualify for its second global VCT event of 2026.

These unusual regional performances have also led to increased pressure – even harassment – from Fnatic “fans.” The hate escalated following the team’s elimination from the Esports World Cup (EWC) EMEA Qualifier, prompting Fnatic representatives and community members to speak up.

“That result is super sad, but I legit have never seen such disgusting comments under some match coverage in my life. PLEASE be normal, man,” stressed Fnatic’s Senior Social Media Manager, David “Davard” E.

Not only is online toxicity never merited, but it’s also crucial to remember that Fnatic had been competing with substitute player Clément “CyvOph” Millard since the Stage 1 Playoffs. With Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn returning to the active roster, the team can leverage the eight weeks leading up to Stage 2 to get back on track.

As for Engh’s new role on the team, the coach shared in the announcement video that he already has some ideas for what Fnatic could improve on. He further highlighted that he aims to support the roster’s in-game leader Jake “Boaster” Howlett without disrupting the system the IGL has created for Fnatic.

DACH’s VALORANT community was hit with sad news last week. PROJECT V announced the end of its four-year tenure as a tournament organizer in the region’s VALORANT esports scene. 

“After thorough discussions and much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision not to continue any league under PROJECT V from 2027 onwards,” explained the organization in its official statement.

“The upcoming changes surrounding the future ecosystem undoubtedly open up new opportunities for new ideas and concepts within the scene. Nevertheless, we have come to the conclusion that we no longer see our place in this new chapter.”

PROJECT V was responsible for the DACH sub-region within VALORANT’s EMEA Challengers ecosystem. Each stage offered its top teams qualification for the respective Challengers EMEA tournament. In addition, the organization hosted co-ed Tier 3 events and a DACH-focused tournament series for women and marginalized genders, called Equal Esports Queens.

Throughout its time as a tournament organizer, PROJECT V grew into a fundamental part of VALORANT’s esports scene in EMEA, providing career opportunities for both players and up-and-coming broadcast talent. Following the announcement, many community members came forward, sharing fond memories and expressing their gratitude towards PROJECT V’s work. 

“Without PROJECT V there would be no Akamask in international broadcast. The Dach scene became my home for the past 3 years, and I am grateful for everything,” commented VALORANT on-air talent Patrick “Akamask” Decker.

German observer and producer Timon “Timon” Praast posted: “This concludes the chapter that began my journey into esports. I want to thank everyone I’ve met along the way in PROJECT V. For the time we shared and for helping me grow as a person. Thank you for everything, PROJECT V.”

With the sunsetting of PROJECT V’s tournament operations, all previously announced events have also been canceled. However, THE POKAL 2026 will still be held as a “joint final chapter” to this era of DACH VALORANT esports.

Another major shake-up in VALORANT esports EMEA was introduced by Riot Games last week. And it did not achieve the community resonance Riot would have hoped for.

Starting with VCT EMEA Stage 2, Berlin’s Riot Games Arena will switch to a dual-stage broadcast setup for its VCT and LEC products. Previously, both circuits shared the same stage, which meant there were no weekend matches for the VCT. 

The new system allows Riot to broadcast both leagues simultaneously. VCT EMEA will receive weekend matches, but these come at a steep price. Stage 2 will run on the broadcast-only “Studio Stage” until the Playoffs. That means no live audience except for one Playoffs week and the Finals in Barcelona.

“If you want to grow the esport, you gotta invest in it, don’t you? I don’t understand how you can simultaneously say that live audiences are a big part of the experience while ACTIVELY REMOVING US???!,” replied VALORANT caster YuLi under Riot’s announcement.

Understandably so, the news left many community members and professionals concerned about the sustainability of the VALORANT esports ecosystem outside regions like Pacific and China. In particular, Western VCT viewership has been declining, and live crowds contribute significantly to the atmosphere and appeal of LAN tournaments.

VCT veteran Patryk “starxo” Kopczyński also pointed out how prioritizing broadcast-only matches might impact player motivations: “Making internationals in VALORANT is already insanely hard challenge with so little spots per region compared to other games. 

“The reason why many of us young kids chase the dream of being a pro player is because of being able to feel the connection with fans from around the world, feeling the adrenaline of playing on big stages around thousands of people watching. In VALORANT, it’s been very limited since the beginning, and it doesn’t seem like things are getting any better anytime soon.”

In my opinion, missing out on a live crowd at most games will surely make the viewing experience during Stage 2 feel hollow, even for the most dedicated fans. With massive ecosystem changes on the horizon next year, we can only hope that Riot continues to actively listen to and incorporate community feedback before that community shrinks even further.

The latest regional VCT match ahead of Masters London was the VCT Americas Stage 1 Grand Final between Leviatán and G2 Esports. Despite hailing from the Lower Playoffs Bracket and suffering a double map-ban disadvantage, G2 Esports defeated its Americas rival 3-2 and is now back at the very top of its region. 

With the team securing its fourth VCT Americas trophy, it’s time to ask the same old question: Can G2 Esports replicate its regional dominance and finally score its first international title?  After all, G2 Esports failed to reach these ever-elusive global VCT heights all across 2025 – the same year where the organization achieved its back-to-back-to-back VCT Americas trophy lift. 

The team never significantly underperformed at VCT global events, but consistently crumbled just before the finish line. This problem was meant to be fixed with the permanent signing of Andrej “babybay” Francisty ahead of the ongoing season. He took on the role of the roster’s hypeman and emotional anchor. 

Yet after another Playoffs elimination at Masters Santiago, the first international VCT event of the year, doubters are once again questioning whether G2 Esports has any chance of redeeming itself on a global VCT stage.

Aside from the mental pressure this roster might be under, I believe G2 Esports is not at its best right now. It can outperform its regional competitors, sure. However, the recent Grand Final against Leviatán also revealed concerning weaknesses in the team’s map pool, particularly on Breeze.

On top of that, some of the roster’s star players, including Nathan “leaf” Orf, have not shown their best possible individual performances during Stage 1. Although Phoenix has been dominating across all VCT regions, leaf just hasn’t been able to reach the same stats as other top Phoenix players. 

My prediction is that G2 Esports will likely make another top-four finish at Masters London.

So, if G2 Esports isn’t the top contender for the Masters London trophy, then which team is? The answer is obviously Paper Rex. After a rollercoaster of a season kickoff, this team just completed a three-match Lower Bracket win streak to wipe FULL SENSE 3-0 in the VCT Pacific Stage 1 Grand Final. 

In the same process, Paper Rex also 3-0ed Global Esports, the organization that had sent Paper Rex to the Lower Bracket in the Upper Bracket Semifinals.

If you’re getting a deja-vu, well, that’s because Paper Rex pulled off a similar Lower Bracket Run during last year’s Stage 1 competition. And that was right before the Southeast Asian organization lifted its first-ever international trophy at Masters Toronto. 

Now, you might say I’m just biased, which is true. However, even from a more rational point of view, the stars are clearly aligned for Paper Rex. The team has a great map pool, its players are in top form, and it excels with the currently highest-win-rate agent: Phoenix. Moreover, Paper Rex will likely benefit from the upcoming Neon nerfs, as its players never warmed up to the agent during her prime. 

As a result, Paper Rex has been ranked as the event favorite by numerous notable VALORANT personalities, including Thinking Man’s VALORANT and The Wingmen podcast.

To wrap it up with the words of VALORANT broadcast talent Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson from the latest Plat Chat episode: “We literally have to put Paper Rex almost in a rank of their own, don’t we? If we all said that they were the favorite, and we had different answers for number two, don’t we have to put them in S on their own almost? There’s like a tier gap between Paper Rex and the second.”