Canton, NY – As many teams competed in State University of New York (SUNY) action this fall, seven SUNY Canton teams made the playoffs. Meanwhile, in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) competition, six Roos teams reached playoffs this year.

In SUNY play all four Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU) teams qualified for the playoffs. This fighting game has been known for many years throughout the esports community by its iconic characters from different video game franchises to its skillful gameplay. This game came out in 2018 and ever since then it has been one of the most popular game in the esports community and is known for being one of the most highly competitive fighting games out there.

This semester two SUNY Canton SSBU players made it to semifinals and everyone knows it's not easy an easy challenge to accomplish. That's why we decided to sit down and talk with Dalton Shaffer & Derek Hillicoss to see how they both managed to make it to the semifinals and be so close to the grand finals (interviews were conducted prior to semifinal matches).
   

Q: What made you play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and why did you join the esports team here at SUNY Canton?

Dalton Shaffer: I have played the game for a fairly long time now, and I joined here just to meet up with other people that like playing the same game that I do.
Derek Hillicoss: I originally liked playing the game on my 3DS, but never actually got ultimate until September of 2021. I started playing with my friend, and he really showed me into the competitive side. I really started to take it seriously throughout my last year of high school. Once I started to look for colleges, I saw that SUNY Canton had a cool esports arena, they had a smash team, and they have a really good game design class (major). I was like this is perfect, I'll just come here.

Q: How long have you been playing competitively?

Dalton Shaffer: I started playing by myself until about 2020. When I got Nintendo Switch Online, I played online up until I got here actually. This is my first in-person experience ever playing the game.
Derek Hillicoss: Like I said I was playing the game late 2021, but I started playing competitively May of 2022.

Q: What advice would you give to someone trying to join the team?

Dalton Shaffer: Just show up and try to play as much as you can. That's how we all improve; Everyone is down here every day.
Derek Hillicoss: Yea, I wouldn't worry about how good you are. Just showing up in general, if you're here you're going to learn something. Don't be too scared because it doesn't matter how good you are. We're all here to learn like as an experience. Even us at the top of the team, we're still learning things every day about the game.

Q: Who is your favorite character to play, and why do you feel a connection to them?

Dalton Shaffer: I play Joker because I just enjoy outplaying my opponent and I think that his movement and playstyle just really forces me to do that a lot of the time.
Derek Hillicoss: I have been playing a lot of Terry Bogard. When I was starting to figure out how to play the game and stuff. It really felt good to put in the inputs for the character and it kind of helps with my ADHD because I'm always moving my fingers around, so it keeps me occupied during the match.

Q: How do you maintain focus during an intense match?

Dalton Shaffer: Music really helps me as well. I just play some Kanye or something and get myself in the right mood, brighten the vibe.
Derek Hillicoss: I always have music playing. It helps me keep calm and focus on the match. Any time something stupid in the match happens, I usually just say something, then shake it off, then ignore it and keep it going in the game trying to focus what my opponent is doing and trying to punish those habits and try to win.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your season so far and what you think are some of the keys that have led you to make it to playoffs this semester?

Dalton Shaffer: I think the key for me has just been practice. Just showing up nearly every single day and just having fun while I improve myself is really why where I'm at.
Derek Hillicoss: The season was going pretty good. I started out three weeks late because they kicked me out of the league because of resetting (new platform) or whatever. So I was kind of at a deficit, but I was able to just slowly work my way up into my matches and eventually make it to playoffs. I have just been climbing through being under seeded and playing all of the top seeds and I'm at the semifinals hoping to keep it going.


   
Fall 2024 Schedule Update
SUNY Canton's seven teams who qualified for playoffs in the SUNY league were all four of their SSBU teams as well as Overwatch II A, Guilty Gear Strive B and Street Fighter 6. The Roos Street Fighter 6 team made the championship match in the four-team playoff bracket falling 4-2 in the championship, while two of the SSBU teams made the semifinals in 16 team bracket.

In ECAC play the League of Legends A and B team, the Rainbow Six Siege A team, the SSBU B team, the Overwatch II B team and the Rocket League team all made playoffs.
   

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 23 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.