Leffen

William Peter Hjelte (born 16 October 1994), better known as Leffen, is a Swedish professional gamer who competes in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In Melee, he plays as the character Fox, and is considered one of the best players in the world, finishing in the top six in formal rankings in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.[1] Hjelte is the first of two players to have beaten each of the "Five Gods"—Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma, Joseph "Mango" Marquez, Adam "Armada" Lindgren, Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman, and Kevin "PPMD" Nanney—in a tournament set and was also the first person outside the "Five Gods" to win a major tournament since 2010 when he did so in 2015.[2] He placed first in the Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament at Evo 2018. He is sponsored by Team SoloMid.

Leffen
William Peter Hjelte
Leffen in 2018
Personal information
Born (1994-10-16) 16 October 1994
HometownStockholm
NationalitySwedish
Nickname(s)The Godslayer
Career information
StatusActive
Current teamTeam SoloMid, Red Bull
GamesSuper Smash Bros. Melee
Project M
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Career prize money$79,488.55
Career history
2015–presentTeam SoloMid
2016–2018Red Bull
Career highlights and awards
  • EVO champion (2018)
  • 2× SSC champion (2015, 2019)
  • CEO champion (2015)
  • 2× DreamHack champion
  • 2× B.E.A.S.T champion
  • 2× GOML champion (2016, 2017)

Career
Leffen in 2017

Hjelte started playing Super Smash Bros. in 2009, when he was introduced to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He initially started as a Yoshi and Falco player before switching to Fox.[3] Leffen feels that he made the gradual switch from Falco to Fox because he views Falco as requiring more discipline and Fox being more suited to his play style.[3]

He placed 9th in the Swedish national tournament B.E.A.S.T 2 within his first year of playing Melee.[4] Throughout 2014 Leffen began placing highly in tournaments and defeating the top five Melee players regularly. Prior to EVO 2014, Joe Cribari of Nintendo Enthusiast listed Leffen among the three "underdogs" with the greatest chance to win the tournament.[5] He finished 9-12th at EVO 2014.

In VGBootCamp's Apex 2015 Salty Suite, Hjelte defeated Kashan "Chillin" Khan in a first-to-five set without dropping a single game.[6] Because of this, Hjelte has the "rights" to use Fox's default color.[7][8] Joseph "Mango" Marquez subsequently challenged Hjelte to a US$1,000 money match if they were to face-off in the Apex Singles bracket. Hjelte would in turn beat Mango when they played in Winners' Semifinals.[8] After defeating Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman at Apex 2015 in singles bracket, Hjelte has taken at least one set off each of the "five gods" of Melee. Hjelte ultimately finished third in Apex 2015 Melee singles.[9]

On 9 March, Hjelte was signed by Team SoloMid as its first player on their Super Smash Bros. division, as well as their first fighting game player.[10] In the aftermath of his Apex 2015, Leffen is now viewed as being on par with the Melee gods.[3] The melee community often debates Leffen's exact title with regards to the Melee gods. Some say that due to his ability to beat all of the gods he is officially considered one of the gods, while others state that the term Melee God refers to players who were dominant for a period of time from 2008-2014 and that Leffen instead fits the title of Godslayer better. It is due to this division in the melee community that most analysts and commentators refer to the Melee Gods and Leffen as the Big Six, with Leffen being the person who officially ended the era of the gods. At CEO 2015 in Orlando, Florida, Leffen won his first American major, defeating Armada. He placed 5th at EVO 2015 later that year, despite being a favorite to win. He was upset by Panda Global's Justin "Plup" McGrath who played Samus.[11] Melee it on Me ranked Leffen as the 2nd best player in the world in their summer 2015 mid-season rankings.[12] Leffen was barred from entering the United States just before The Big House 5 tournament because he was travelling on an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and employed by US-based Team SoloMid.[13]

On 16 February 2016 Leffen became sponsored by Red Bull as an official Red Bull Athlete.[14] As of 2018, he was no longer with Red Bull.

On 29 April 2016 Leffen announced that his Form I-129 petition to obtain a visa had been denied by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.[15] On 4 May 2016 it was initially announced that Team SoloMid was able to secure a P1 Visa for Leffen so he can be able to attend US-based tournaments throughout July which includes EVO 2016. TSM is working on extending this visa for the long term.[16] However, 14 July Leffen announced that he had run into additional delays in the visa approval process and would miss EVO.[17] Finally, on 3 October, Leffen's visa was approved, allowing him to compete in US-based tournaments again, in time for The Big House 6, a year after his deportation.[18] In August 2018, Leffen won Evo 2018, defeating Armada 3-0 in grand finals to claim the trophy.[19]

Other games

Hjelte has competed in fighting games including Dragon Ball FighterZ, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and The King of Fighters XIII. In an interview with EventHubs prior to Apex 2015, he suggested he might play Guilty Gear Xrd on his Twitch stream after Apex 2015 concluded.[20]

Personal life

Hjelte is Korean-Swedish; his father was adopted from South Korea and his mother is Swedish.[21] Hjelte says his family does not regularly follow Korean cultural traditions.[21]

Leffen has stated his goal is not to just be the best Super Smash Bros player, but the best fighting game player.[22]

Controversy

Leffen is a controversial figure in the Super Smash Bros. community, where he has been called a "villain" due to acts of bad sportsmanship, including insults targeting other players and online forum posts inciting drama.[23][24][25] He was banned from attending tournaments in Sweden and from SmashBoards for much of 2013 because of these reasons.[23] The accusations against Leffen were contained in a Zip file called "evidence.zip".[26]

Notable tournament placings

Melee
Tournament[27]Date1v1 Placement2v2 PlacementPartner
B.E.A.S.T7–9 January 20119th13thAJP
GENESIS 215–17 July 201117th13thAJP
B.E.A.S.T II10–14 August 20114th5thAJP
Apex 20126–8 January 201233rd25thZoler
Epita Smash Arena 520–23 April 20125th2ndFuzzyness
Smashers' Reunion: Melee Grande13–15 July 20123rd2ndDr. PeePee
King Funk's Castle II: Måske4–7 October 20123rd2ndIce
Apex 201311–13 January 201317th5thIce
EVO 201312–14 July 20139th5thIce
Apex 201417–19 January 20144th9thDr. PeePee
B.E.A.S.T 412–16 February 20141st2ndIce
Republic of Fighters 317–18 May 20141st2ndFuzzyness
MLG Anaheim 201420–22 June 20145th5thHax
EVO 201411–13 July 20149th3rdIce
COMEBACK I1–3 August 20142nd1stBeat
Hit & Stun Tournament 26–7 September 20143rd2ndIce
The Big House 44–5 October 20143rd3rdHax
DrommeLAN 4.07–9 November 20142nd2ndIce
B.E.A.S.T 59–11 January 20151st2ndIce
Paragon 201517–18 January 20153rd3rdMacD
Apex 201530 January – 1 February 20153rd3rdIce
I'm Not Yelling11–12 April 20153rd1stMacD
Press Start9–10 May 20159th2ndMacD
CEO 201526–28 June 20151st2ndHungryBox
FC Smash 15XR: Return4–5 July 20151st——
WTFox10–11 July 20151st2ndMango
EVO 201517–19 July 20155th——
Super Smash Con6–9 August 20151st1stMacD
PAX Prime 201528–30 August 20152nd1stMacD
Paragon Los Angeles 20155–6 September 20155th——
HTC Throwdown 20159 September 20151st——
Eclipse14–15 November 20152nd2ndIce
DreamHack Winter 201526–28 November 20159th5thIce
The Come Up 201623 April 20161st——
Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo29 April – 1 May 20167th2ndHungrybox
Get On My Level 201620–22 May 20161st3rdHungrybox
DreamHack Summer 201618–19 June 20161st——
The Big House 67–9 October 201617th——
Smash Summit 33–6 November 20169th3rdMafia
UGC Open 2-4 December 2016 4th[28] 2nd[29] Ice[29]
Don't Park on the Grass17–18 December 20161st4thIce
GENESIS 4 20-22 January 2017 5th 2nd Ice
EVO 201714–16 July 20179th——
Smash Summit 5 2-5 November 2017 3rd 1st Armada
EVO 2018 03-5 August 2018 1st — —
Smash Summit 8 15 June 2019 3rd 4th Trif
Super Smash Con 2019 10-11 August 2019 1st — —
Shine 2019 24-25 August 2019 5th — —
GENESIS 7 24-16 January 5th — —

Dragon Ball FighterZ
TournamentDatePlacement
WNF 2018 Season 4.1721–22 March 20181st
Brussels Challenge Major Edition7–8 April 20182nd
Combo Breaker 201825–27 May 201813th
Smash'N'Splash 41–3 June 20181st
Summit of Power8–10 June 20189th
CEO 201829 June - 1 July 20189th
EVO 20183–5 August 201833rd

Project M
TournamentDate1v1 Placement2v2 PlacementPartner
King Funk's Castle II: Måske4–7 October 20122nd1stFuzzyness
Apex 201417–19 January 20149th——
B.E.A.S.T 412–16 February 20143rd——
COMEBACK I1–3 August 20142nd——
Hit & Stun Tournament 26–7 September 20142nd——
The Big House 44–5 October 201433rd——
DrommeLAN 4.07–9 November 20142nd——
B.E.A.S.T 59–11 January 20154th——

Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
TournamentDate1v1 placement2v2 placementPartner
DrommeLAN 4.07–9 November 20141st——

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
TournamentDate1v1 placement2v2 placementPartner
B.E.A.S.T 59–11 January 20153rd——

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
TournamentDatePlacement
Republic of Fighters 319 May 20147th

Ultra Street Fighter IV
TournamentDatePlacement
The Call of Ragnarok25–26 September 201513th
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References
  1. Lee, Daniel (18 December 2014). "Melee It On Me - SSBM Rank 2014 (6)". Melee It On Me. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  2. "Ultimate SSBM Rank". 25 November 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  3. Womack, Barrett (24 March 2015). "Friendlies: TSM Leffen, Smash's Loveable Villain". Red Bull. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  4. Juggleguy (3 January 2012). "Melee in 2011: Year in Review". SmashBoards. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  5. Cribari, Joe (10 July 2014). "Who Will Be Crowned Greatest Smash Player Alive at EVO 2014? "5 Gods" vs "3 Underdogs"". Nintendo Enthusiast. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  6. VGBC's Salty Suite - Chillindude (Fox) Vs. Liquid Chillin (Fox) SSBM - Super Smash Bros. Melee (YouTube) (Livestream). VGBootCamp. 4 February 2015. Event occurs at 4:37. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  7. Guerrero, John "Velociraptor" (1 February 2015). "Leffen and Chillin settle their Super Smash grudge in one of the most disrespectful first to five sets ever". EventHubs. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  8. "$1,000 and America's pride on the line as Mango plays Leffen in winners semi finals at Apex 2015".
  9. Martin, Michael (2 February 2015). "Apex 2015 Fighting Game Tournament Roundup". IGN. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  10. Walker, Ian "Iantothemax". "Team SoloMid Signs William "Leffen" Hjelte". Shoryuken. Shoryuken. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  11. McWhertor, Michael (20 July 2015). "Evo 2015: 12 great fights you shouldn't miss". Polygon. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  12. Demers, Matt (1 October 2015). "Leffen denied entry to USA for Smash tournament". TheScore eSports. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  13. Demers, Matt (1 October 2015). "Leffen denied entry to USA for Smash tournament". Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  14. Womack, Barrett (16 February 2016). "How Leffen Will Take Over the World". Red Bull eSports.
  15. Tamburroby, Paul (29 April 2016). "ESPORTS PLAYER DENIED VISA AS "SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE IS NOT A LEGITIMATE SPORT"". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  16. "Leffen Visa Update". Team SoloMid. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  17. "Leffen to miss Evo, will not play or stream Melee until visa issues are resolved". 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016.
  18. "Leffen's Visa Approved". Shoyruken. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  19. "TSM Leffen Wins EVO 2018 In Dominant Fashion". GameTyrant. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  20. Taylor, Nicholas "MajinTenshinhan" (29 January 2015). "4 of the 5 Smash gods fell to his confidence and lack of fear - Leffen talks Apex, Smash 4, his mindset, Guilty Gear Xrd and more". EventHubs.
  21. Shin, Jung (2 November 2014). "Interview with Leffen, Part 1". GGNOREAD. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  22. Hjelte, William. "Meet TSM Leffen". Youtube. Retrieved 24 April 2015. Event occurs at 3:09
  23. Hernandez, Patricia (2 February 2015). "One Of The Best Smash Bros. Matches In History Went Down Last Night". Kotaku. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  24. Patricia Hernandez (24 April 2015). "Meet the 'Villain' of Super Smash Bros". Kotaku blog. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  25. Lee, Daniel (27 January 2015). "Evidence.zip". Melee It On Me. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  26. Khan, Imad (10 March 2015). "Team SoloMid enters Smash Bros with Leffen pickup". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  27. "Melee". SmashBoards. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  28. "UGC Smash Open". smash.gg. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  29. "UGC Smash Open". smash.gg. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
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