These are the EU players coming for Glutonny's crown

Apr 7, 2022

Throughout Smash history, Europe has been seen as an inferior region to North America and Japan. Despite a large and thriving community, few European players have been able to handle international competition.

Today, many see France’s Glutonny as the only one who can win a Major. The world’s best Wario has won countless European tournaments and finished 3rd at EVO 2019 behind MkLeo and Tweek. Glutonny is also the only European player to crack the Top 10 in both the PGRU and Orion Global Power Rankings.

The WANTED tournament series is Europe’s most prestigious Smash circuit. Though it is held in France, players from all countries travel to attend. Contrary to his immaculate status, Glutonny has failed to make Top 16 at the last two WANTED events. This has opened the door for other European players to step up and showcase their skills.

With the talent across the pond growing stronger in 2022, we’re highlighting five young players leading the way for the next generation of European Smash.

Raflow

Country: France

Main: Palutena

Age: 16

Names like Sparg0 and Zomba have been dubbed teenage prodigies in North America, but Europe has another young star on a meteoric rise. Meet Raflow, a player whose stock seems to be exploding more and more with each passing week.

The Palu main has been on an absolute tear to start the new year after many promising performances in 2021. A dominant force in French tournaments, he even defeated Glutonny in a Grand Final set last February. His most recent win at WANTED S4C4 solidified his place amongst the best in all of Europe. At just 16 years old and improving at a blistering pace, Raflow’s future is as bright as they come.

Space

Country: Netherlands

Main: Inkling

Age: 22

Back in 2019, Space looked to be Europe’s next standout player and the biggest challenger to Glutonny’s crown. The Dutch Inkling specialist spent the year winning multiple tournaments and peaking at 3rd on the PGRU Europe Power Rankings.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down some of that momentum. Space rarely played in online events and has only competed sporadically offline since last year. It remains to be seen if he is still on that path to stardom or if he even wants it. However, based on his results before the shutdown, it’s safe to assume that Space can achieve great success if he so chooses.

sisqui

Country: Spain

Main: Dark Samus

Age: 22

Though he has competed since the Wii U days, sisqui has made incredibly strong strides in the past few years. The Spanish Dark Samus player introduced himself to the masses during last year’s Smash World Tour, where he finished 2nd to Glutonny in the Regional Finals. He then won a staggering nine straight European tournaments over the next month.

Despite just missing out on Top 8 at the SWT 2021 Championship, sisqui proved that he could hang with the world’s best. He is now one of Europe’s most popular players globally and campaigned for the most recent Smash Ultimate Summit as a crowdfunded nominee.

eMass

Country: Saudi Arabia

Main: Joker

Age: 18-19?

Although he originally hails from Saudi Arabia, eMass moved to the UK for school last year. Since then he has quickly leveled up his game to elite status. Europe’s new top Joker has already won two WANTED events, including S4C3 last February. He also finished second to Chag at Virtuocity Smash Open 2022, the first stop on this year’s Smash World Tour.

Only time will tell if eMass stays in the UK after finishing his education or returns to bolster the Middle Eastern scene. At the very least, expect him to be a prominent part of European tournaments over the next several years.

Bloom4Eva

Country: United Kingdom

Main: Bayonetta

Age: 16

Arguably the best player in England already, Bloom4Eva might have the most untapped potential of anyone on this list. The Bayonetta main turned heads last year when he won the SWT 2021 Online Qualifier for Europe over names like Glutonny, Raflow, and sisqui. Unfortunately, he could not attend the Regional Finals because he wouldn’t meet the age requirement of 16 until months afterward.

He proved he wasn’t a mere flash in the pan by winning numerous tournaments in the UK, including back-to-back Invasion titles. Still yet to graduate secondary school, it may take a while for Bloom4Eva to be able to commit to Smash full time. Just be sure to pay close attention whenever he does.