Maister

Origins and Wii U Beginnings

Maister's entry into competitive gaming was sparked by the television film Best Player, a fictional story about a large-prize tournament. This inspired him to investigate if similar events existed for Super Smash Bros. in Mexico. He began competing in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in 2017, roughly three years after the game's initial release. His competitive debut at a major event was at Smash Factor 6 in August 2017.

His early results showed promise. In January 2018, he tied for 13th place at the prestigious GENESIS 5 tournament. His breakthrough victory came a few months later in May 2018, when he won Combo Breaker 2018, marking his first tournament title. Later in October 2018, Maister announced on Twitter that he had signed sponsorship deals with two esports organizations simultaneously, Sinai Village and Team Killjoystick. His performances throughout the Wii U era were recognized in the Panda Global Rankings 100, a historical list of the top 100 players for that game, where he was ranked 81st.

The Ultimate Ascent in 2019

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released in December 2018. Maister did not travel extensively in the first six months of the new game's life. His early results included a third-place finish at Full Bloom 5 in March 2019, followed by a significant win at Combo Breaker 2019 in May, securing his second consecutive title at that event series. Despite this win, his overall activity was insufficient to earn a spot on the inaugural Panda Global Rankings Ultimate list covering the first half of 2019.

In July 2019, Maister announced he had left Sinai Village. Shortly after, he revealed a new sponsorship from the esports team of Anáhuac University. This arrangement provided him with a university scholarship and financial support for travel to Smash events, enabling a dramatic increase in his tournament attendance for the rest of the year.

From July onward, Maister attended a high volume of events and finished within the top 24 at every one. He took third at Smash Factor 8 in Mexico in July. In August, he tied for 17th at the massive Evo 2019 and then tied for 5th at Super Smash Con 2019. He tied for 17th again at Mainstage 2019 in September. That same month, esports organization Nevermore announced they had signed Maister, though this partnership lasted less than three months before ending.

October 2019 was his most dominant period. He started by winning Little Big House 5. He then placed third at The Big House 9, a run that included a victory over the tournament's eventual champion, Sota Zackray Okada, in the winner's semi-finals before losing to Zackray in a rematch in the loser's finals. Later in October, he won the 2GG: Nightmare on Smashville tournament, a victory that clinched the final open invitation spot to the prestigious Smash Ultimate Summit 2 invitational. At Summit 2, he achieved a fourth-place finish. He closed out the year with a third-place finish at 2GG: Kongo Saga. This consistent string of high placements at major tournaments propelled him from being unranked to being ranked as the 6th best Smash Ultimate player in the world in the Fall 2019 Panda Global Rankings Ultimate.

2020 and Signing with Spacestation Gaming

Maister continued his strong form into early 2020. He tied for 7th at Let's Make Big Moves 2020, tied for 17th at Glitch 8, and tied for 5th at Genesis 7. In February 2020, he signed with the multi-esport organization Spacestation Gaming. Notably, prior to this signing, he was the highest-ranked player in the world without an organization. His first major result under the new banner was a second-place finish at Frostbite 2020, where he lost in the grand finals to his fellow Mexican competitor, Leonardo MKLeo López Pérez.

The COVID-19 pandemic then forced the cancellation or transition to online play for most tournaments scheduled for the first half of 2020. Maister adapted to the online environment, tying for 9th place at Pound Online at the end of April. Weeks later, he competed in The Box, an online tournament organized by Hungrybox with 8,192 participants, and tied for 13th place.

The Mr. Game & Watch Specialist

Maister's identity is deeply tied to his character choice, Mr. Game & Watch. He was drawn to the character for its physical expressiveness and unusual design. In a 2020 interview, he recalled his childhood perspective, saying he thought it was cool that the character had no face and no real voice, just simple beeps and boops.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mr. Game & Watch was widely considered a low-tier, or among the weakest characters. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the character was still seen as low-tier at the time of Maister's Combo Breaker 2019 win. However, the Smash community later realized Mr. Game & Watch had become significantly stronger in the new game.

As Maister's results improved, he faced considerable criticism on social media directed at both the character and himself personally. Some critics claimed his success was solely due to playing a powerful character. This scrutiny was famously highlighted at the Smash Ultimate Summit 2 invitational, where several top players were asked on a polygraph if Maister deserved his invitation. Ezra Samsora Morris, then the world's fourth-ranked player, answered no. Another top player, Eric ESAM Lew, triggered the polygraph when he answered yes. Maister stated he did not mind criticism of Mr. Game & Watch, acknowledging the character could be annoying to play against, but he found the personal attacks difficult to handle. This eventually led him to reduce his time spent on social media platforms.

Personal Life and University Ties

Maister was born on March 3, 2000. He pursued higher education at Anáhuac University, where he completed four semesters before pausing his courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His connection to the university extended beyond academics. He was previously part of the university's official esports team, which later evolved into the sponsorship deal that provided him with scholarship and travel support during his competitive breakout in 2019. This relationship highlights an early example of institutional support for a top esports competitor in Mexico.