By: Callisto, SNC, and Gabe.
This is part of an article series highlighting the Australian Rivals of Aether community, focusing on the top 20 AU players. Get to know more about our newest RCS region as we release their write-ups over the next three days.
If you’re an AU player make sure you show the online scene your support by signing up for online monthlies on smash.gg. Get to know the community and play for points and prizes, including a travel voucher to our finals event in North America for the top ranked AU player.
Articles in the Series:
| Rank |
Results |
Rivals |
| 05 |
 1st |
 3rd |
 |
| Summary |
What would a national PR be without an Etalus main? There’s no better bear around than the second hand Vsauce himself. Coming into the spotlight at the start of the year with more top finishes, Callisto’s bear has slid it’s way into 5th with no signs of wavedashing back.
5th is a fitting place for Callisto, considering he has been a consistent top 5 at every event he’s entered this year, both local and interstate. Placing 3rd at Expand Gong, 5th at BAM9 and 5th at the May RCS, all these numbers add up to one excellent Etalus player.
| Rank |
Results |
Rivals |
| 04 |
2nd |
 2nd |
 |
| Summary |
While Neeson started off strong in the early days of the Australian scene, it wasn’t until a pilgrimage to Nepal to train with the buddhist monks (seen here with his mentor) that Neeson truly ascended to become one of Australia’s best players. While Neeson’s hyper aggressive play style (and less than humble nature) may seem contradictory to his buddhist teachings, it does get results.
Now onto his fourth main in his time as a player, Neeson’s careful study of his opponents has lead to him being an innovator in the scene for multiple characters (with many combos being locally referred to as “The Neeson”). Having a solid showing locally and online this past season, Neeson cashed in his karma and placed 2nd at BAM 9.
| Rank |
Results |
Rivals |
| 03 |
2nd |
4th |
  |
| Summary |
Possibly the most patient player in the scene, Dave (MD) uses his innate ability to read and understand players to expose their flaws. Maining Maypul at launch, the skills he developed there transitioned perfectly into his zone-heavy Orcane. He walls out both unfamiliar and skilled players alike to capitalize on an otherwise tricky punish game.
An expert at controlling the pace of a match, it is the very rare player that can match him in neutral, with only few players proving themselves capable of taking a set off this seasoned veteran. Dave’s losses are few and far between which is why he has earned his place in the top 3.
| Rank |
Results |
Rivals |
| 02 |
1st |
3rd |
 |
| Summary |
Head TO and contributor to the Rivals of Aether Australia YouTube channel, SNC (standing for Super Nintendo Chalmers) has made as much of an impact on the Aussie community as any. A Zetterburn main initially, SNC showed early signs of potential despite having no previous competitive Smash experience. He caused some minor upsets in his first few months of play and quickly made a name for himself after placing second at his first local.
After 5 months of Zetter practice never granting him the 1st place finish that he sought, he decided it was time to reevaluate his choice of main. Taking inspiration from Kragg players both locally (Dreadtech) and abroad (MSB), his swap to Kragg in early 2016 was the change he desperately needed. SNC went on to win his first tournament just two weeks later, and although his results for the remainder of the year varied, his understanding of the game grew through both study and play. Looking at 2017 his improvement is unquestionable. SNC has dominating results at his local scene and loses to very few online – placing 2nd at Expand Gong 2 and 3rd at BAM 9.
| Rank |
Results |
Rivals |
| 01 |
1st |
1st |
|
| Summary |
The undisputed champion of the Australian Rivals scene since Project Melbourne 2, Gabe has effortlessly dominated almost every offline event that he’s attended. His losses are scarce against the best of the best, even playing with secondary or tertiary characters against other members of the top 20 with great success.
His knowledge and understanding of this game is unmatched, earning him a spot in the Rivals beta team and allowing him to find obscure (and often useless) advanced techniques. There are a few excellent players that can challenge Gabe in the Australian scene but time and time again Gabe has shown that his skills are as unrivaled as his fashion sense.
