GAME & WATCH Amiibo Guide

GAME & WATCH

STRONG TIER

Game & Watch has a lot of strong points that make him a worthy contender. Looking at his skill set, he has great options for an amiibo and can really hang with the best of them. The only real problem with Game & Watch is his moves are slightly laggier than a lot of the more "Overpowered" amiibos and that can lose some trades for him against amiibos with similar playstyles. TBH though, this isn't a major downside to him, it just puts him at a slight disadvantage in some match ups. Game & Watch has a lot of lingering hit boxes, great smash attacks and great aerials. I love his down smash, it comes out quick and covers a lot of ground, doing a lot of damage. I like that his up smash has super armor on it, it's perfect for catching aerial based amiibos and punishing them. His b moves are useful and he will use all of them effectively. I think his overall skill set is great, he uses all of his moves and he can handily beat most of the strong tiers. His weaknesses definitely show against "Overpowered" amiibos though. In my opinion he is a slightly less effective/more laggy Mario and I don't know if he will ever get to that level, he may just need more time. But currently, I think he fits well in strong tier and is a great addition to your collection.

PROS:

• Great Recovery
• True Combo
• Great Smash Attacks
• Great Aerials 
• Lingering Hit Boxes
• Side B Can Kill Early (If he gets lucky)

CONS:

• No Kill Throw
• Slight lag on most moves
• Can become spammy with aerials
• Struggles in trades with lagless amiibos
• Side B is hard to land vs amiibos

TRAINING MUSTS:

• Utilize his Smash Attacks, they are great, hit hard and kill hard. Down Smash has great range, Up Smash has super armor. Both of these are important for him to use effectively.
• Utilize aerials sparingly, his aerials are good but you don't want to have him spamming aerials constantly. Show him he can kill with b air/u air/f air
• Utilize all tilts, his tilts are pretty good
• Utilize his neutral b for a ranged option and ledge guarding. Also be sure to show him he can hit them with the pan as well for more damage. This move is good for spacing and forcing them to approach
• Utilize side b is hard to land but he can land it on occasion, useful to teach. Use down b to block projectiles. I wouldn't advise using up b for damage, I don't think he knows to combo out of the parachute
• Grab option is laggy, not as important as others, but I advise teaching him to down throw into up air/down throw into n air for true combos at early/mid percents. 
• Also, I've heard people having issues with his laggy pummel not allowing him to fully take advantage of his grab before they break it, so I suggest not pummeling as much on this one

DUCK HUNT Amiibo Guide

DUCK HUNT

AVERAGE TIER

Duck Hunt is a great amiibo with a lot of things going in his favor. I was skeptical awaiting his release thinking "How could they possibly make this amiibo use the can mechanic effectively?". I was pleasantly surprised to see that Duck Hunt has fairly good percision with the can and definitely knows how to use it properly. Sometimes though, he will throw it out prematurely in the opposite direction his opponent it, rendering it useless. He is able to multitask and use this skill while using other skills/moves as well. One problem did come up with this ability though. Duck Hunt sometimes will use the can at close range and at high percents, can end up killing himself. This amiibo has a lot of strong options, being great at long-mid-short range. His smash attacks linger and have a lot of range which I see as a definite plus. He will take advantage of all of his b moves and typically can set up a lot of traps/combos with them to force his opponents into a position to get hit by atleast one thing no matter what they do. Keep in mind Duck Hunt is very vulnerable at close range, so you want to make him more mid-long range. Just make sure you show him what to do in a close range situation sparingly, because you can make this amiibo turn into a more melee based fighter if you aren't careful, and he will get wrecked. Duck Hunt is very good at baiting his opponents into smash attacks, this will be a good strategy to try and teach him. All in all, his interesting and unorthodox playstyle and AI has potential to throw off a lot of other amiibos. I believe his AI could've been a little stronger, he likes to throw out cans at all times which in some cases is ineffective. He doesn't utilize his down b enough and his percision with side b is a little off most of the time. He can also become very spammy with aerials if you aren't careful. I feel after further testing his AI just isn't strong enough to match up with most of the strong tiers so I feel like he needs to be moved down to average.

PROS:

• Can is great, he uses it well
• Good Long-Mid-Short Range Options
• Sets up traps well
• Great Aerials
• Great Rangey Smash Attacks
• Lingering Hit Boxes on multiple moves
• Great in Team Matches
• Kill Throw

CONS:

• Struggles against Rush Down
• Can kill himself with the can if he uses it at close range
• No True Combo
• Can become spammy with F Air
• May require a bit more attention to make great than others
• Struggles in Free For Alls
• Can get in a habit of spamming aerials, not good for this one

TRAINING MUSTS:

• Use the Can at all ranges but be careful using it at close range, it can get him killed. Make sure he knows how to kill with it and ledge guard with it.
• Utilize his Side B and Down B as well to ensure his trapping skills are on point.
• Utilize all aerials sparingly, you don't want to get hit too often with these or he will abuse them and turn out bad, but show him he can kill with them
• Try to keep him at mid-long range and bait opponents into smash attacks
• Show him close range options, just don't focus too much on them, he is weak at close range and the amiibo may try to fight like this
• Utilize all smash attacks, show him he can kill with them
• Utilize all tilts
• Grab and Pummel often, as always, show him he can kill with back throw

R.O.B Amiibo Guide

R.O.B

STRONG TIER

So far my experience with R.O.B started off slow but I've grown to see his potential over time. He doesn't seem to prioritize a lot of moves that make the character strong, but is effective in other areas. R.O.B hardly uses the gyro at all and when he does he just tosses it out and won't interact with it. (Maybe there is a custom that he will actually use.). He is strong in a few aspects that include his smash attacks and grab options that can lead to a kill. His down throw to up air combo is so strong and he can do it from low percent up to about 80%. This is rare for true combos. R.O.B does use his Neutral B Laser, it's a nice little bonus to get some extra damage even though it does get shielded or dodged a lot of the time. Luckily he can use it often. I've noticed that the amiibo looks for a lot of reads which can either make or break a fight. His Up Smash is great for shield baiting, because it's very powerful and can kill fairly early. He also has a powerful kill option with his Up Throw at higher percents. I don't think he's the strongest amiibo, and I think his B Moves could be utilized a little more. But his AI is pretty smart compared to others, he doesn't have any glaring weaknesses and he can put up a fight against some strong opponents. He's one worth giving a shot to.

PROS:

• Strong Smash Attacks
• Kill Throw
• Great True Combo
• Great Recovery
• Great Meteor Spike

CONS:

• Doesn't use gyro at all
• Struggles to land lasers
• Doesn't take advantage of ranged abilities
• Wonky hit boxes on some moves
• Struggles in FFA/Team matches
• AI doesn't prioritize a lot of his great moves/combos

TRAINING MUSTS:

• Grab and pummel often, very important for this amiibo
• Utilize his down throw combo to N Air, try to teach him to combo with U Air as well
• Teach him to kill with Up Throw at high percents
• He will not use gyro at all currently, he only charges it and holds on to it. (May be fixed in a patch)
• Teach him to use his Down B and Neutral B even though he doesn't use them often enough
• Teach him to use Neutral B at long range and mid range
• Utilize all aerials, teach him to kill with all of them
• Utilize his D Air off stage to meteor spike 
• Utilize all smash attacks, especially F Smash, teach him to kill with all of them

AMIIBO vs AMIIBO: The Five Most Abused Skills/Strategies (My Opinion)

AMIIBO TRAINING

THE FATAL FIVE

When training an amiibo to fight other amiibos you have to understand how the AI thinks. You also have to take into account that amiibos are very evasive, calculating and hard to punish, so it's interesting to see how another amiibo adapts in these situations.  After watching countless hours of amiibo fights I've noticed five specific things that stand out when an amiibo is trying to counter another amiibo.

TRUE COMBOS

True Combos are inputs that stem from a tilt or throw option, typically into an aerial attack. Sometimes the throw can lead to an up smash or an up tilt, even an up b. These attacks can not be dodged at certain percents, making them ideal for fighting an amiibo. Amiibos will gravitate toward these at lower percents if you teach them these options. Typically the true combo ranges for amiibos are in the 20-70% range. These are very good for your amiibos to easily rack up damage for free and they love to use them.

KILL THROWS

Not every amiibo has one of these but the ones who do, definitely take advantage of them. Grabs become a staple in amiibo vs amiibo fights. They are probably the safest approach and are hard to punish. So when an amiibo with a kill throw gets their opponent to high percent, a lot of them will then try desperately to catch them in a grab, pummel them and throw them to their death for an easy stock. Kill throws are extremely popular kill options for amiibos, so if you know the character has a kill throw, it's very important to teach them how to do this.

LINGERING HIT BOXES

Lingering Hit Boxes are moves that stay out longer than normal, typically lasting through air dodges and shields. There are a lot of these in the game, ranging from Up Smashes, to Jabs, to Neutral Airs. These moves are very useful for amiibo fights, considering how much amiibos try to dodge and evade attacks. Catching an amiibo in a lingering hit box is an easy way for amiibos to rack up damage. These moves are very good and important to teach your amiibo. Lingering Hit Boxes tend to be one of the most punishing options for them when trying to counter other amiibos.

SHIELDING INTO UP SMASH

For some amiibos, this is the bane of their existence. There are amiibos in the game who play more passively and will punish aerials by shielding into an up smash. Amiibos get caught in these up smashes almost every single time they try to aerial attack. The ones who use this strategy will punish their opponent relentlessly and they don't seem to learn from their mistakes. Amiibos who like to do this strategy include Link/Zelda/Bowser Jr and more. The amiibos who have strong lingering up smashes can really punish aerial based amiibos to the point of it almost being unfair.

COUNTERS

Every amiibo in the game who has a counter gets an advantage automatically. When an amiibo counters another amiibo it seems to change their play style. They learn from getting countered so they try to avoid it happening again, making them think before they do anything to get them countered again. This can really ruin the match for amiibos who need to fight aggressively to be successful. Not to mention, most amiibo counters in the game are extremely powerful and can easily rack up insane damage. This can sometimes lead to an extremely early stock. Considering the AI's ability to read, landing counters is no problem for them and the free damage they get can really put them in an advantageous position.

IN CONCLUSION

These five things rule over amiibo vs amiibo fights and I hope it helps you understand the importance of teaching them to your amiibos. Some amiibos don't have any of these and it puts them at a disadvantage because of it. The Fatal Five helps me decide what tier amiibos belong in with my tier list. They aren't the only factors but they play a big part in deciding who is better, because from my experience they can make or break an amiibo fight. 

AMIIBO Training Guide (Amiibo Self Training Method)

AMIIBO Training Guide

I've had a lot of people ask me how I train my amiibos and I'm not so sure people will agree with my method but it works and I will tell you why. My training method may seem lazy to some but that wasn't my intention for doing it. My method involves training an amiibo up to a certain point and letting the amiibos do the rest of the work. I'm not going to sit here and say I'm a Smash Pro at the game, I've watched a lot of tournaments and I know I will never be close to that level. Though I'm not on their level, I do understand what makes the characters strong and what moves to focus on when training each character individually. In the past, I tried the training methods where people say to train them vs a bot for the first few levels then spot train them to 30 then switch through your best characters etc.. When I did these methods, a lot of my amiibos turned out good but some of them turned out awful... They would spam the same move over and over and were all around terrible, I then started putting research into what makes amiibos spam moves and I realized... It's because they are getting rewarded for it. If an amiibo keeps landing the same move on you... why do they need to use any other ones? Keep one thing in mind about amiibos, if they find a way to punish an opponent and know all they need is the one move to do so, they will use it until it doesn't work anymore. I'm not a pro at dodging every attack, so when I'm getting hit with some of these moves, I can't help it, I'm human... So what's the best option in this situation? Train them with another amiibo... or two.... or three. I've learned that amiibos learn more from landing attacks then they do from watching a player use them. If they try something you do and don't land it, chances are they aren't going to use it. I find that training an amiibo from 1-50 yourself is ineffective and a waste of time, all you have to do is give them a strong core skill set and allow your other amiibos to enhance their reflexes and reading capabilities. You have to understand the amiibo and what makes them strong to insure they will turn out well rounded and effective, dittoing them to 50 actually does more harm than good imo. My Character Specific Guides May Help With That.

THE TRAINING METHOD

Step 1: Take them into a 1v1 setting with the same character as the amiibo, starting at level 1.This is where you will teach them everything you want them to know. Focus Grabbing and Pummeling/True Combos/Tilts/Smash Attacks/Aerials... The Works. You will continue this process until you get the amiibo to about lvl 15-20. After doing this you will switch your attention over to 3 other level one amiibos and do the same process, stopping at lvl 15-20. You want them all to be the same level. PS- If they get behind a lvl or 2 in the training process, it's no big deal. It isn't going to have a major impact on their training. Some will level quicker than others because they are staying alive longer. (If you don't have four amiibos, this training method isn't going to be effective. It has to be an even number, you could even do this with 6 or 8 if you really wanted to.)

Step 2: Once you have trained your amiibos up to the level you want them to be at, whether it be 15 or 20, you will then take your hands off the controller and allow your amiibos to do the work. Why you ask? Because now the amiibos will take what you taught them in your ditto matches and attempt to apply it vs the other amiibos. Why is this effective? Because this is where they will learn the most effective combos, the strongest attacks and improve their reflexes and abilities to read an opponent. Amiibos have enhanced AIs, allowing them to shield and dodge almost anything you throw at them. Since they can shield and dodge so easily, the chances of an amiibo spamming one attack is slim to none. The reason you want the amiibos to be the same level as you train them up is so they can actually land the skills and combos you taught them. Placing them vs a level 50 amiibo will be just as ineffective as training them yourself and trying to go ham because if they are getting obliterated, they aren't really learning anything, they are just gaining levels. DO NOT use only omega stages. You want stages with platforms so it's easier for the amiibos to land aerials. Omega stages take away from this.

Step 3: I suggest doing Four Amiibos at a time because your goal will be to cycle them. Uneven numbers will not work. Have 2 of them 1v1 eachother, then have the other 2 do the same thing. After this you will place them in a 4 Man Free For All or Team Match. The reason for the Free For All/Team is to give them more opportunities to land skills they may not be able to land in a 1v1 setting. This way they can strengthen their kill options and aerial arsenal to use later when their reflexes have improved due to leveling up. After doing this, you will want to cycle them to 1v1 each other amiibo in this training session. After each rotation, throw in a Free For All/Team as well. You will do this all the way to level 50. (If you want, you can throw in item matches also. I suggest only using fair items, such as boomerang, laser sword, healing items etc.)

Step 4: Your amiibos are now level 50, so it's time to hone their skills. Put them in a match with your strongest amiibo. I usually have them face my Mario in a timed match for 5 mins. It helps them to up their reflexes. I've definitely noticed changes in their abilities to read after doing this, so I really do believe it's effective and helpful. Then you will cycle in other amiibos with differing playstyles to help them get used to fighting in different situations. It helps make them more well rounded in case you plan to use them in an amiibo tournament. If your amiibo does poorly vs another amiibo, have them fight it again. Amiibos will improve the more they fight a difficult opponent, typically getting to a point of being a fair fight, unless it's just a terrible match up.

Step 5: Using this method you may have had issues with certain amiibos not charging spells. You can fix this by taking them into a ditto match yourself and spamming full charged ranged spells on them. Spot training will always have an effect if you see some imperfections in one of your amiibos. Make sure characters like Lucario know what to do in rage mode and Rosalina knows how to use Luma. You may have to spot train some of them at higher levels as well.

After these five simple steps your amiibo should turn out well rounded and not spam abilities. I suggest if you plan on fighting them at level 50, make sure you cycle amiibo vs amiibo fights. Placing them against same level amiibos helps insure they won't start spamming one move. Once again, do not place a low level amiibo vs a level 50 amiibo. This is another way they can become spammy, other than you fighting them yourself. Keep in mind they may not turn out perfect using this method, some may require extra training and even in amiibo vs amiibo fights, they will gravitate toward one move if it allows them to rack up damage.. This will never change, One fight they may spam F Air as a way to keep spacing and rack up damage... Another Fight they may Grab Relentlessly because they are scared of getting counter attacked. Amiibos will never be MLG Status, you have to understand they are built to punish and may use uninteresting methods to do so no matter what you do or how you train them. 

PROS TO THIS METHOD:

• Quick and Effecient
• Insures They Wont Spam Skills 
• Will Be Stronger vs Other Amiibos
• Enhanced Reflexes/Reading Capabilities
• Allows You To Multi-Task
• Can Train Multiple Amiibos At Once
• Your Amiibos Become More Well Rounded

CONS TO THIS METHOD:

• Boring For People Who Want To Fight Their Amiibos
• Some Amiibos Need Extra Training After Using This Method (Rosalina/Lucario)
• Ranged Amiibos Don't Seem To Charge Projectiles Until You Spot Train Them At Higher Levels
• They May Not Turn Out Flashy or Exciting To Watch

MY EXPERIENCE

I personally use this method, I have had my lvl 50 amiibos fight each other from lvl 15 all the way up and most of them have fought 100's of matches. These amiibos are still well rounded with me rarely ever fighting them myself. It was all in the base skill set I started them with and they took it and ran with it. I find my amiibos entertaining to watch still to this day, they don't derp very often at all and most of them are pretty evenly matched with matches going either way. Some amiibos will be weak in certain match ups regardless of how well you train them so you just have to keep that in mind.

AMIIBO WARS: Navigation

AMIIBO WARS

This is where you can find everything you need to keep up with my "Amiibo Wars Tournament Series". Amiibo Wars is a long running battle between amiibos with countless twists and turns along the way. Each Season has a new twist to keep things interesting. The power is constantly shifting so you never know who's going to be at the top and who's going to see a shocking end. So far there have been five Seasons and two of them have been written in full here on this blog. Every Season I keep up with rankings which you can also view at the bottom of the page. These rankings are based off of their performance in their past three tournaments they competed in. The first three Seasons happened before I started this blog so I apologize for them not being available. I do cover them a little bit in Season 4 so you get an idea of how they went down. (My old laptop died and I lost most of my information, thankfully I was able to keep the standings for the first three seasons.) I hope you all enjoy the series, let me know if you do! Wild Card is going to be a new series where I pit a small group of amiibos in a tournament selected at random to help with their standings going into the following Season. Some lower ranked amiibos may be able to climb the ranks before the season begins.

WILDCARD (PRESEASON)

Not every amiibo can make it to the Main Tournaments, but they are given the opportunity to do so. In the Preseason, all amiibos must fight for their spot in the Challenger Series. How will your favorites fair?!

AMIIBO WARS: Season 6 Wildcard #1-#8 (Completed!)

MAJOR TOURNAMENTS

This is where the big boys in Amiibo Wars go to play. The competitors that have advanced past the preliminaries will compete in a Challenger Series in hopes of making it to The Top 20. The Top 20 is considered the main stage/main tournament and ultimately ends by crowning a Champion each season. (Season 4 didn't include a Challenger Series and Season 1-3 were not documented on this blog, they were briefly recapped in Season 4) This is where the main tournaments will be posted.

AMIIBO WARS: Season 4 (Completed!)

AMIIBO WARS: Season 5 Challenger Series (Completed!)

AMIIBO WARS: Season 5 Top 20 (Completed!)

AMIIBO WARS: Season 6 Challenger Series (In Development!)

AMIIBO WARS: Season 6 Top 20 Team Turmoil (Coming Soon!)

RANKINGS

This is where to look if you wanna see how your favorite amiibo is doing in my tournament series. All amiibos are ranked based on their performance each season. I'm also in the process of including Bio's for each competitor that gives a brief recap of their past seasons and what happened in each one. This section will include spoilers, so enter at your own risk.

AMIIBO WARS: Current Rankings (May Contain Spoilers)

AMIIBO WARS: Season 5 Amiibo Championship (PERMA ELIMINATION RETURNS!!)

** SEASON 5 Is Completed! Hope You Like It!**

**UPDATED 9/25**

LAST SEASON we saw perma elimination for the first time. This was the most grueling tournament in Amiibo Wars history. If you underperformed and didn't score enough points, you were removed permanently from the competition. 32 amiibos competed for the shot at becoming the Amiibo Wars Season 4 Champion but only 1 survived, defeating all other amiibos and standing as the sole survivor.

SHULK cut down his foes with his monado power to become The Season 4 Amiibo Wars Champion! His ability to adapt to any situation gave him a clear cut advantage last season. The second half of the tournament was dominated by the Xenoblade Powerhouse and he has proven to be a serious force in Amiibo Wars. Can he do it again this season and be the first Champion to win 2 Championships? Shulk Returns for Season 5 after advancing through the grueling Challenger Series Process!!

SEASON 5's Challenger Series (If you want to avoid spoilers, click here to read The Challenger Series first!) pitted all 44 currently released amiibos in a battle to advance to Season 5's big stage. Only 20 were able to make it through the preliminary tournament and a lot of big names saw an early end. With 10 newcomers in the mix, it really shook things up in Amiibo Wars. While some amiibos didn't perform at their best, others sought redemption, making major improvements from previous seasons. Some shocked the world, besting legendary Amiibo Wars veterans, while others proved they belong at the top, obliterating their competition. The Top 20 is a mix of Veterans, Newcomers and a few Unbelievable Additions that no one ever thought could make it. Proof that anything is possible and Amiibo Wars can change on a dime. Does Shulk have what it takes to reclaim his crown or will a new champion arise? Amiibo Wars: Season 5 Is Upon Us! The Top 20 has been revealed and they are ready for war!

THE TOP 20 have earned their place on the big stage. SHULK is last year's champion. He dominated his group only dropping 1 game in the Challenger Series' 1v1 Matches and didn't lose a single match in phase 2. He's looking stronger than ever and we could see the first 2 time champion this season! LUCINA has made an impact since her start in Season 3. She has rivaled every top contender and taken games off the best of them. She definitely has what it takes to be Champion this season. META KNIGHT shocked us all as his poor performance in his 1v1 matches looked to be the end for him. But in phase 2 he won every match, catapulting himself to the top of the pack. Is Meta Knight ready for the big stage or was his advancement to the Top 20 just a fluke? GANONDORF is a newcomer and a definite powerhouse. In his 1v1 matches he matched Shulk, only dropping 1 game. Will we see him continue to dominate as the tournament rages on? WARIO seemed to barely float by. His mediocre performance in the Challenger Series doesn't give me a lot of faith in his ability to perform on the main stage. He could surprise us all, but I'm not expecting much currently. DARK PIT dominated his group, coming out with the most points and proving that this season he is better than Pit. Pit is a top contender in Amiibo Wars but sadly didn't make it to the Top 20. Is Dark Pit going to be his replacement? Could he do the unthinkable and win the Championship that Pit can't seem to? DR. MARIO is out to prove that he isn't just a second rate clone of the Rank 1 Amiibo Wars Powerhouse Mario. Can he dethrone the beast and even win a Championship for himself? JIGGLYPUFF is a newcomer that brings a style most amiibos aren't used to. Her ultra aggressive play style catches her opponents off guard and it has catapulted her to the Top 20. Is she going to shock the world and win this season? LITTLE MAC is on a path of redemption. Last Season was a wake up call and it seems like he's ready to climb back to the top. ROBIN has improved dramatically since last season. He dominated in the Challenger Series, easily securing himself a spot in the Top 20. He has went from the bottom to the top very quickly, is he now a challenger to watch? IKE has made it to the Top 20 before but hasn't made it very far. Is it time for him to prove he has what it takes, or will he continue to hover around the middle? CHARIZARD was Last Season's first one out of the competition. He had everything to prove and has already proven he isn't going out like that again. Charizard is proof of how quickly things can change in Amiibo Wars. MARTH has had it rough the past couple of seasons and really saw his ranking plummet. It seems the addition of Lucina has lit a fire under him and his performance has greatly improved. Marth dominated his group in the Challenger Series and easily secured his spot on the big stage. Can he make it back to his former glory and finally win a championship? PEACH never fails to impress. While other vets have had ups and downs in their Amiibo Wars Careers, she manages to hold her position at the top. Can she take it all the way to the very top? That is the real question. NESS proves to be a relentless force in Amiibo Wars. The only competitor in the Challenger Series to win all 10 1v1 matches. Ness is the one to watch this season, the chances of him grabbing the Championship is very high. MEGA MAN consistently proves he is a top contender and The Challenger Series was no different. This amiibo never seems to struggle, always keeping himself in the spotlight. MARIO is ranked number 1 in the standings right now and the pressure is on. Can he perform with all of these top tier amiibos standing in his way? Mario is looking to grab his second championship win. LINK is another previous champion looking to make history. Though this amiibo hasn't had as easy of a road. Since season 1, Link has struggled to stay at the top, but his performance in the Challenger Series has shown he is strong and ready to make a comeback. SHIEK shocked us all as she made it to the Top 20. Her weak performance in the 1v1's, much like Meta Knight, seemed to spell the end for her. But she came back strong in Phase 2, stealing the spot away from Wii Fit Trainer by 1 Point. Will Shiek be able to keep up with these strong amiibos, or will she crumble under the pressure? LUCARIO dominated his group and looks primed and ready to become an Amiibo Wars Champion. He is able to perform in all match types and is definitely one to watch. With these 20 Amiibos, there is no telling who will come out on top, but I'm excited to find out! The Season 5 Amiibo Wars Championship Starts Now!!

SEASON 5 PERMA ELIMINATION

RULES

-Every round the amiibos will be grouped randomly and the amiibos with the lowest points will be in danger.

-Each group will be the end of 1 amiibo and lessen each round until only 1 amiibo remains. This amiibo will be named the Season 5 Champion!

-Every round will be split into 2 groups. That means every round, 2 amiibos will be eliminated. (Top 20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1)

-Each group will pit amiibos in a variety of matches.(1v1s/Omegas/Team/Smash Ball Team(NEW!) FFA/Items/Smash Ball(NEW!)) Much like the Challenger Series, this season there will be a 1v1 phase and a FFA/Team Phase.

-Each group must face all other challengers in their group in a 1v1 for the first phase. Phase 2 will be FFA/Team Matches and will be decided at random. This Season each match will be 3 stock instead of the Challenger Series' 2 Stock and Phase 2 will require each amiibo to fight 4 matches instead of 3.

-Phase 1 1v1 Match Wins Earn 2 Points, FFA/Team Match Wins Earn 3 Points. Smash Ball/Item 1v1's in Phase 2 Earn 3 Points. All Losses are counted as -1 Point.

-NEW!: This Season there will be a chance for redemption. The Bottom 2 with the lowest points will be given a shot at redemption to stay in the game. The Bottom 2 will compete in a Bo5 with the match types decided at random. Team/Item/Item Team/1v1/Omega 1v1/Smash Ball(NEW!)/Smash Ball Team(NEW!) to decide who stays and who goes. If Team is selected their teammates will be decided at random from the challengers in their current group. Smash Ball is a new match type where the Smash Ball will be in play but no other items. (The reason for these not being just 1v1's is so weaker 1v1 amiibos still have a chance to save themselves in the elimination round.)

-The Top 20 will be automatically be given bonus points for making it to the main stage. 1st-20th will receive 2 Points toward their standing for making it this far. 6th-10th will receive an extra 3 points, 2nd-5th will receive 4 points and the Winner will receive 6 Points Bonus!

TOP 20 GROUP 1

GROUP 1 Has A Great Mix. Last Seasons 1st-3rd-4th Place Competitors, SHULK/ LUCINA/ MARIO know what it takes to survive in The Perma Elimination Tournament. Going into this season, these are the ones to watch! NESS also performed very well last season but Shulk was able to cut him down to size, single-handedly eliminated him from the tournament. Ness is looking great coming out of the Challenger Series, he has what it takes to win this season. MEGA MAN consistently proves the top is where he belongs. Does he have what it takes to take it all the way this season? Mega Man dominated his group in the Challenger Series, I'm definitely expecting him to make it far in Season 5. META KNIGHT/SHIEK/WARIO haven't had the best placements in the past but were able to squeeze by to the Top 20. Will they be able to progress or will they be the first ones to go? I'm excited to find out. Newcomers GANONDORF/DARK PIT have proven to be dominant forces, coming out of the Challenger Series. Can these two powerhouses dethrone these Amiibo Wars Elites? Group 1 is looking to be very interesting!

GROUP 1 PHASE 1 (TOP 20)

SHULK wasn't able to dominate this group like he did in his Challenger Series 1v1's. The competition has definitely heated up and it shows. Shulk dropped games to seasoned vets Mario, Ness and Mega Man. It's interesting to see the reigning champion crack a little. Is he going to be able to hold it together and prove he's still the strongest? Or will a new dominant force take over in his place?

MARIO fails to impress in his 1v1's. The rank 1 powerhouse has proved time and time again that he is a Top Contender, but this season he seems to have lost a bit of his edge. Mario dropped games to Lucina, Dark Pit, Mega Man and his in game rival Wario. For a 1v1 powerhouse it doesn't bode well for his future in this competition. I think it's enough to keep him safe but there is no telling if he will be able to make it past the great challengers standing in his path for Season 5.

NESS seems to be in the same boat as Mario. The Top 20 has knocked these top tier powerhouses down a peg or two. Ness dropped four games and one of those was surprisingly against a wildcard, Shiek. Ness will most likely be safe with this score but much like Mario, he's going to have to step up his game if he want's to become the champion this season.

LUCINA has a seriously impressive showing. Besting some of the best amiibos in Amiibo Wars, Lucina is proof that the tides are changing and it forces the older vets to have to adapt. Lucina has scored the highest so far, with only dropping 2 games. One of her losses was against a wild card, Meta Knight. It's crazy to see low tiers taking games off of top contenders. There is no telling what will happen this season and I like it that way!

DARK PIT shows that his placement in the Top 20 was no fluke. This newcomer takes it to some of Amiibo Wars' elite top contenders, scoring even better than some of them. Dark Pit looks like he's here to stay and his place is at the top. Will we see a newcomer make it all the way to the end? It seems like he's ready for a fight and he has no signs of letting up.

SHIEK only manages to win 2 out of her 9 matches. Though almost every match, Shiek gave her opponent a serious wake up call She took a match off power player Ness and brought Mario and Shulk down to the last stock, nearly beating both of them. (Only one smash attack away.) Shiek has made major improvements but the Top 20 may be a little out of her reach. I see her coming out of Season 5 a strong mid tier contender.

META KNIGHT seems to be a bit out of his element. He managed 2 wins, one off of front runner Lucina. The difference between him and Shiek is that Meta Knight didn't really stand a chance in any of his matches. While Shiek put up a fight, most of Meta Knights matches were blowouts. Sadly I don't see Meta Knight making it far in this tournament, but judging from his FFA/Team performances from the Challenger Series, that may be able to keep him in the tournament longer.

WARIO once again has a mediocre showing in his 1v1's. To his credit, taking matches away from Mario and Mega Man is quite an accomplishment. Wario came pretty close in most of his matches, but he just seemed to fall a bit short. I'm curious to see how he performs in Phase 2. I don't think he's in danger of landing in the Bottom 2 but if he under performs in the next phase, it's a definite possibility.

GANONDORF needs to wake up. Coming out of the Challenger Series he was looking to be a monstrous force on the rise. Judging from this performance, I'm not so sure about that anymore. He only managed one win off of a top contender and two of them were on lower tiers. Ganondorf really struggled here against the Amiibo Wars Elites and I'm worried about his position going into phase 2, he could definitely be in danger of landing in the Bottom 2.

MEGA MAN came out strong, taking games off of all the top contenders. Oddly, Mega Man was dropping games to lower tier amiibos. This is a great sign for Mega Man though, with the ability to take games off Shulk, Ness, Mario and Dark Pit, he has set himself up to be a strong front runner to win the whole thing this season. I'm optimistic about Mega Man's chances.

GROUP 1 PHASE 2 (TOP 20)

PHASE 2 saw 3 amiibos take commanding leads. The groups big winner was WARIO, who managed to win all of his phase 2 matches. This was a big surprise to me, seeing as he isn't quite as strong in the 1v1's. Wario may actually make it far if his performance in phase 2 continues to impress. DARK PIT continued his dominance, only dropping 1 match in phase 2. This catapulted him to the top to tie for first place in the group. SHULK the reigning champion continues to prove he isn't going to crumble under the pressure. Shulk ties Dark Pit for first place in the group.

THESE Amiibo Wars front runners really need to work on their phase 2 performances. While NESS manages to get 1 victory in this phase, he lost all of his other matches. MARIO, MEGA MAN and LUCINA lost every match in Phase 2. This doesn't bode well for them in Season 5. Phase 2 plays a huge part in this tournament and at this rate, it's looking like these 4 may be fighting for their lives in the Bottom 2 round moving forward.

THE BOTTOM 2 (Bo5)

SHIEK and META KNIGHT struggled in their 1v1's which ultimately led to their Bottom 2 Finish. Unlike the Challenger Series, Meta Knight failed to win any Phase 2 matches, putting him at -7 points for the entire group, much lower than any other contender. Shiek performed well in the Phase 2 Matches, winning 2 out of 4 of them. Sadly, her Phase 1 performance put her behind and she was 1 point away from Mario and Mega Man who both surprisingly had only 2 points at the end of this round. Shiek ended with 1 point, placing her in the Bottom 2 to face Meta Knight in a Best of 5 for a chance to save themselves from elimination.

THE Bo5 first match was randomly selected to be a regular 1v1 match and it wasn't even close.  Shiek dominated Meta Knight and came out looking strong. Match 2 was a Team Match where Ness was selected as Meta Knight's Teammate and Mario was selected as Shiek's Teammate. This match was the closest of the series but still went in the favor of Shiek. With Match 3 rolled as another regular 1v1 match, it sealed the fate of META KNIGHT who just wasn't able to hang with Shiek's quick/hard hitting playstyle. Shiek earned her place in the tournament and will continue on to the Top 18.

META KNIGHT shocked me with his Challenger Series performance. I didn't expect him to make it this far at all. I knew he really didn't stand a chance against all of these great amiibos but I do believe he has definitely improve and could possibly be a force in the mid tier range. Meta Knight has insured himself a boost in the ranks by landing himself in the Top 20. Hope to see him continue to improve in future seasons.

GROUP 1 FINAL RESULTS

TOP 20 GROUP 2

GROUP 2 doesn't feature Amiibo Wars' strongest amiibos, so it will be interesting how this one plays out. A lot of these amiibos are on the same level so there is no telling who may end up in the Bottom 2. MARTH and LINK both return to the spotlight after having terrible previous seasons. These two are OG Amiibo Wars Veterans and Season 1 came down to these two for the Championship. LITTLE MAC and IKE have struggled to make a massive impact on Amiibo Wars so far. They have both showed moments of strength, but are they finally ready to climb to the top? PEACH and LUCARIO represent for the Top Tier Veterans in group 2. I have no worries of these two falling into danger this early. It could happen, but it's not very likely. ROBIN and CHARIZARD are currently sitting at the bottom in the rankings after their terrible Season 4 Performances. These two have already made major improvements and are looking stronger than ever. I forsee them making big jumps in their rankings already. These two are wildcards, who knows how far they will make it. JIGGLYPUFF and DR. MARIO are the new kids on the block, both are brand new to Amiibo Wars and have already placed very high considering this will be their only tournament credit going towards their rankings. Every step from here on will be a bonus to place them even further up. These two have a great start here and I think they will only continue to improve, becoming top tier Amiibo Wars veterans! Group 2 begins now and we are about to find out who stays and who will go!

GROUP 2 PHASE 1 (TOP 20)

MARTH has an above average performance in phase 1. Marth's score matches Shulk and Dark Pit who dominated with the highest phase 1 scores in group 1. Will anyone score higher than Marth in this group? Is he on a path back to greatness? Marth is looking very strong and I'm not sure if anyone will be able to stop him this season. It looks as though he's hungry for a Championship and he's ready to prove himself.

LINK performed well in the first half of his phase 1 matches. He then seemed to fizzle out, dropping game after game. Link is now sitting in a very unsafe position with a significant probability of landing himself in the bottom 2. Can he bring it back in phase 2, and atleast keep himself safe for another round? Or will he have to fight for his life? This previous Champion has worked hard to get back here, I'd hate to see him go out so soon.

ROBIN puts up a good fight, landing around the middle of the pack. He won 4 out of 9 matches which isn't the best, but it's better than others. Robin continues to improve and is showing that he can take it to the best of them. How far can he make it this season? Will he continue to stay at the top of the pack? Or will his successes be short lived?

DR. MARIO matches Mario's score of 5 out of 9 wins. Considering Mario had a tougher group, I think that gives him a slight edge, but in this group I don't know if Dr. Mario will be safe. The scores so far have been extremely close and I think that phase 2 is going to play a huge part in who remains at the top and who's fighting for their lives in the Bottom 2.

PEACH struggled to make an impact. Being an original, I felt like she had enough experience to keep herself safe with all these newer amiibos in the mix. She took games off some very strong contenders and stuggled vs. the fresher faces. Maybe Peach just needs more time to adapt to their playstyle. But with this tournament having so many newer amiibos in the Top 20, performances like this may put her in danger.

LUCARIO's score was to be expected. He had an above average finish in phase 1, landing 5 out of 9 wins. Not as good of a showing as I expected from him but still good none the less. I think Lucario will be safe regardless of Phase 2. He hasn't really shown any signs of weakness this season, I think he will get far.

CHARIZARD scores well above average. Shockingly, this amiibo has had a major turn around and is proving to be a force in Amiibo Wars. His hard work is paying off, insuring from his phase 1 performance that he will be advancing. This  is already a major improvement and I will be interested to see how far he makes it this season.

LITTLE MAC lands himself at the top of the pack in phase 1, as to be expected. Little Mac will probably make it far based solely on his ability to 1v1, but as the tournament dwindles down and there is less places to hide, Little Mac may fall into danger. Can he survive when he's put outside of his comfort zone? Mac is back, but is is possible for him to make it all the way to the end of this thing and win the Championship?

 

IKE may have bit off a little more than he could chew. After his great Challenger Series performance I was expecting a lot more from Ike, but he just seemed to fizzle in phase 1. He is currently sitting at the bottom of the pack with Link and Peach and will have to fight for his survival in Phase 2 if he wants to be insured safety from the Bottom 2. I don't see Link or Peach doing badly in phase 2 so I'm not so sure if he will make it past this round, but we will see.

 

JIGGLYPUFF put up a great fight for her first showing. That being said she lands herself at the bottom of the pack, tying Ike/Peach/Link with the least points. Jigglypuff gave every opponent a tough battle but she was just falling a little short. Judging by the Challenger Series, her Phase 2 performance may be able to save her but she's definitely not safe currently. We may see The Puffster in the Bottom 2 and facing elimination.

GROUP 2 PHASE 2 (TOP 20)

PHASE 2 was extremely close with all but 1 amiibo winning atleast one match. With that being said, there was also only 1 standout... IKE stood above the rest, being the only one to win 3 out of 4 of the Phase 2 Matches. Coming off his terrible score in Phase 1, this really saved him and he will be advancing. Other standouts include MARTH and CHARIZARD who both won 2 out of 4 of their matches in Phase 2, putting them both at a tie for first in the entire group. Both of these amiibos have been on the outs recently so it's good to see them back in the spotlight.

SOME amiibos weren't as lucky. JIGGLYPUFF was the only amiibo to not win any matches in phase 2, maybe it was the luck of the draw or maybe she just isn't ready for the competition at the top, Jigglypuff is definitely fighting for her life in the bottom 2. That being said, with LINK and PEACH both only winning 1 out of 4 Phase 2 matches, and the same amount in Phase 1, this has placed them in a tie. Since we can only have two amiibos fighting for their lives, this will call for a TIE BREAKER to determine who's safe and who has to defend their self in the Bottom 2 Round.

TIE BREAKER 

PEACH and LINK are veterans to Amiibo Wars and have fought countless times. It's anyone's guess who will come out on top. Link may be a former champion but Peach has been more consistent. It's going to be a Best of 5 with the matches being rolled just like the Bottom 2, the winner will advance to the Top 18 and the loser will fight for their life in the Bottom 2. Match 1 was rolled to be an Item Team Match. Link's partner was Little Mac, Peach's Partner was Dr. Mario. This fight looked very close but it seemed to come down to Little Mac holding Link back a bit. Link held on to his 3 stocks for quite a while before dropping one, then had to hand one over to his teammate, ultimately leading to their demise and 1 win for Peach. Match 2 was rolled to be an Item Singles Match where Peach absolutely dominated Link. Her hard hitting in your face style was too much for Link to handle and it left Peach in a great spot going into Match 3. With Match 3 rolled as another Item Team Match, Link's Partner was old time rival Marth and Peach's teammate was Lucario. This match wasn't even close, the rivals really put a hurting on Peach and Lucario, putting 1 win in the pocket of Link. Match 4 was rolled to be a Smash Ball Singles Match and once again Peach obliterated LINK. She almost 3 stocked him, he seems to have gone on tilt. Since Link wasn't able to save himself in the tie breaker, he must now do it all over again against Jigglypuff to stay in the tournament. I did not expect to see him in danger so early, but judging from Jigglypuff's performance in the Top 20, I think his chances are pretty good to stay.

THE BOTTOM 2 (Bo5)

LINK and JIGGLYPUFF both struggled throughout both phases. Jigglypuff seems to be a little out of her league, maybe because shes weak, maybe because shes new. There is no telling this early but it has led her to the Bottom 2. Link has had so many ups and downs in Amiibo Wars it's hard to tell if he will ever truly be able to climb back to the top. Placing in the Bottom 2 this early isn't a good sign for him. Link failed to beat Peach in the Tie Breaker so it comes down to this, he's given a second chance.. Can he redeem himself? Or is he going to crumble once more?

THE Bo5 began with Match 1 being rolled as a 1v1 Item Match. In this match Jigglypuff really struggled to get in on the ranged kiting playstyle Link has. This doesn't seem to be a good matchup for Jigglypuff, probably the worst person she could've been matched against. Anytime she goes in for an aerial, she's punished with a shield to up smash. Even with Items it wasn't enough and Link won the first match with ease. Match 2 was rolled to be an Item Team Match with Links partner being Charizard and Jigglypuff's as Marth. Though Marth and Jiggly put up a good fight, it ultimately came down to the power of Charizard and Link's ability to kite and stay alive. Jigglypuff drops another game to Link, it's starting to look grim for The Puffster. Match 3 was rolled to be a 1v1 Omega Match which was easily dominated by Link. He had Jigglypuff figured out and knew she had no opportunities to get in, taking full advantage of that. Link clearly dominated this Bo5 because the matchup went heavily in his favor. JIGGLYPUFF is eliminated from Season 5 and Link's chances at winning the Championship stay in tact..

JIGGLYPUFF made a great first impression. She was able to beat out 23 other amiibos in her journey to the Championship. I was hoping for her to make it further but I'm not surprised to see her out at this juncture. There are many strong amiibos left in this tournament and it didn't help that her Bottom 2 opponent was her ultimate counter. Jigglypuff is very strong and I think she has a lot of potential to get even further in the future. She may not have had the best showing in the Top 20, but her Challenger Series performance showed she has a lot of promise.

GROUP 2 FINAL RESULTS

TOP 18 GROUP 1

GROUP 1 for the Top 18 brings some changes in the competitors. The randomization seems to have split the groups about 50/50 from the last round which could mean some fluctuations in who is at the Top and who will be forced to compete in the Bottom 2 to save themselves. SHULK and MARTH both dominated their groups in the Top 20, are they going to continue to dominate now that the groups have been changed up a bit? WARIO was the only amiibo in both groups to win all Phase 2 Matches last round, this could be a fluke or it could be strategy. If he continues to perform in Phase 2 he will make it far. SHIEK and LINK both saved themselves from elimination last round, battling it out to remain in the game. Will they be able to hang on or will one of them be seeing the door this round? LUCINA may have dominated her 1v1 matches but her Phase 2 score was abysmal. Performing poorly in Phase 2 could definitely put her in jeopardy sooner rather than later. DR. MARIO and GANONDORF didn't make any major waves last round but now they have a clean slate, I'm interested to see where they land now that the groups have been shaken up a bit. PEACH had a rough group last round, she was forced to fight Link in a tie breaker to determine who had to fight in The Bottom 2. Luckily for her, she beat Link handily and secured her spot. Is Peach going to hover around the bottom of the pack? Or will this mix up prove advantageous for her? Group 1 Phase 1 is on the way and It's anyone's guess who's going to be coming out on top.

GROUP 1 PHASE 1 (TOP 18)

PEACH continues to struggle in the 1v1 phase. Peach scored 3 wins out of her 8 which means she could be in the danger zone again. Peach managed to get wins off the sword fighters but oddly dropped a match to Link who she dominated in the tie breaker last round. It's very interesting to see things turning around and seeing amiibo matchups change. I'm not so sure Peach will be safe from the Bottom 2 this round though.

 

SHULK continues to impress. He lands an above average score in the 1v1's which places him in a pretty good spot heading into phase 2. He did seem to struggle with Marth and Lucina though, maybe the sword fighters could be his weakness? Too early to tell for sure but either way, I'm almost 100% positive Shulk won't be in any danger this round.

 

WARIO had a terrible run in the 1v1's. Wario only won 1 out of 8 matches. The competition is heating up and the weaker amiibos are being phased out. I never expected Wario to make it this far, he definitely surprised me.. But is this as far as he can go? Right now it looks like he won't have any chance of saving himself from the Bottom 2. I predict he will definitely be fighting for his life.

 

LINK does better in this group than he did in the last. He was able to get revenge on the princess who knocked him into the Bottom 2 last round. Aside from her, his wins weren't against the strongest amiibos but you gotta do what you gotta do to stay in the game. Judging from the 1v1's, I think Link may be safe this time but he could still fall to the bottom and be forced to fight for his life again.

 

GANONDORF has redeemed himself. In his last group he had a horrible 3 out of 9 score, but has definitely turned things around. This time he managed to score the best in the group, scoring 6 out of 8 wins. This places Ganondorf in a spot to 100% advance to the Top 16. I don't know what happened to him last round but clearly, he's pulled himself together and he's now ready to compete. His losses were to 2 of our Top 3 ranked amiibos. The question is, can he beat them when it counts?

DR. MARIO continues to float by. He doesn't top any charts, but he doesn't come close to elimination either. Last round he was able to perform above average in both phases. Eventually floating by won't be good enough, I wonder if he has what it takes to really take it up a notch and win the whole thing. I'd love to see him have to fight Mario in a 1v1 but so far, they have continuously been placed in different groups. Pretty sure Dr. Mario did well enough to advance to the next round.

SHIEK improves upon her score from the last round. This time, Shiek managed to win 4 out of 8 matches, taking matches off top tier veterans. She continues to surprise me with her ability to run circles around her opponents and rack up damage like no other. Shiek is fighting it out and she may actually make it far. There is a good chance that she will save herself in Phase 2 and avoid the Bottom 2 this round. It seems as though landing in the Bottom 2 last round has put things in perspective for both Shiek and Link.

MARTH's performance took a serious dip this round. Getting a top score in his last group, I was expecting more out of him this Season. Marth failed to impress this round with his 3 out of 8 score. This has placed him in the danger zone alongside Peach. Both of them really have to focus on doing well in Phase 2 to insure their safety because right now, both of them are in jeopardy of facing elimination. Can Marth bring up his score? Or will he be fighting for his life?

LUCINA remains consistent. The rank 2 powerhouse continues to show she has no intention of dropping her placement in the standings. Lucina matches the scores of fellow top contenders Shulk and Dr. Mario. She even beat the top scoring Ganondorf once more, as well as last season's champion Shulk. Lucina is proving that if she makes it to the end, she can win the whole thing. She has taken wins off every top contender and I think she's going to be one to watch this season.

GROUP 1 PHASE 2 (TOP 18)

PHASE 2 went heavily in SHULK's favor. Shulk was the only one to make a huge impact in phase 2, winning all 4 out of 4 matches and dominating the group with a huge lead overall. Shulk is looking very good on his way towards his 2nd Championship Win, he has a good chance of doing it. With 5 amiibos tied for 2nd in phase 2 with winning only 2 out of 2 matches, it pretty much came down to performances in phase 1 to determine ending scores. GANONDORF manages to finish the group in 2nd place behind Shulk, huge improvement over last round where he was close to the bottom. LUCINA and DR. MARIO tie for 3rd place, consistently remaining at the top of the pack.

MARTH sadly struggles the most in this phase, being the only contender to not win any of his 4 matches. With his weak performance in phase 1 and 2, this has placed him into the elimination round where he must battle it out to remain in the game. PEACH and SHIEK both only win 1 out of 4 matches, but are barely able to skate by the elimination round based off of their phase 1 scores. These 2 will really have to step up their game because they are both consistently scoring low and as challengers dwindle down, it will be them fighting for their lives. WARIO manages to win 2 out 4 matches but it isn't enough to make up for his terrible phase 1 performance. I think we all knew Wario was going to be in danger, he would've had to win all of his matches to be safe. So with the Bottom 2 in place, it's time to find out who will stay and who will go, the Bottom 2 is up next!

THE BOTTOM 2 (Bo5)

MARTH and WARIO must now fight it out to stay in the running. Marth had an amazing first group in the season, coming out with an overall top score. He seems to have had a run of bad luck and now it's time to put his skills to the test. Can he take out Wario and continue his journey to the top? Or will he disappoint us once more? Wario was the first contender to get a perfect score in phase 2 this season but his 1v1 performance has definitely been lacking. His phase 1 score was enough to place him at the bottom with almost no chance in phase 2 of saving himself. Has he reached his peak or can he bring down a legend and prove himself? This is going to be an interesting pairing and I'm not really sure who will come out of this as the victor.

THE Bo5 pitted two contenders who typically score around the middle of the pack. With Marth having a clear advantage it's looking to be the end of Wario, but Marth's inconsistency has set him back many times in the past. Match 1 was rolled to be an Omega 1v1. Both contenders seemed to put their best foot forward but Wario's calculated movements really put Marth in some punishing positions leading to the first win going to Wario. Match 2 was rolled to be a regular 1v1, this match was very close and both contenders stayed neck and neck in percent. Ultimately Marth's sloppy aerial play continued to get him punished, leading to Wario getting another win. It's do or die for Marth, he really has to pull it together and get a win to stay in this. With Match 3 being rolled as another 1v1 with Smash Balls enabled, it looks to be grim for Marth. He just can't seem to handle Wario's punishes of his aerial game. He didn't take advantage of his counters as much like he does in other match ups and it really set him behind. MARTH failed to perform when it mattered most and Wario gains his 3rd Match Win in a row, eliminating Marth from the competition.

MARTH seemed to be making great improvements to his gameplay but as history repeats it's self, Marth remains to be inconsistent. One round he can be a powerhouse scoring top overall, the next round he could be the absolute bottom of the pack. Marth really dropped the ball and he had an opportunity in Phase 2 to save himself from the Bottom 2 but he failed to win any matches. He then went to face an opponent he dominated in the 1v1 phase and lost to him 3 times in a row. I'm actually pretty confused as to why his gameplay took a turn for the worst, he was making stupid decisions and that made all the difference in this elimination round. I personally felt like Marth was going to make it further this season but hey, atleast he improved.

GROUP 1 FINAL RESULTS

TOP 18 GROUP 2

GROUP 2  is looking more difficult than group 1. Everyone in this group is powerful and it's going to be difficult to predict the outcome. LITTLE MAC had a very strong showing in the first round of the season, dominating his group in the 1v1 phase. Can he continue his dominance as the challengers get tougher and tougher? NESS wasn't as dominant as I expected him to be. He struggled in a few match ups and didn't perform really well in phase 2. I'm curious to see if it was a momentary weakness or if he's not as strong as I thought. LUCARIO continues to prove his a powerhouse, he has made quite an impact and is definitely in the spotlight. He's well on the way to winning his first Championship. MARIO didn't perform in the last round and was 1 point away from having to fight for his life in the elimination round. If Mario wants to hold his #1 rank in the standings, he will have to pull it together. This competition isn't a walk in the park so Mario needs to step up his game. IKE is showing inconsistencies much like Marth. He performed poorly in the 1v1's last round but had the highest score in phase 2. It's confusing to watch some of these amiibos so up and down with their performance but I think he may make it a bit farther this season regardless. MEGA MAN is in the same boat as Mario. Though Mega Man stays consistent, his round 1 performance left more to be desired. Mega Man was also 1 point away from fighting for his life this season and considering how early it is, he's really gonna have to step up his game to stay in this. CHARIZARD came out strong, he got a top score in his group and is proving himself to be a great competitor. Charizard performed well in the 1v1 and FFA/Team phases which means he could make it very far this season. DARK PIT is proof that the newbie curse isn't always relevant. Dark Pit has been dominating since his Challenger Series Debut and continues to show he's a competitor to watch. Dark Pit could very well be the first newbie to win a Championship. ROBIN seems to be floating around the middle of the pack so far. He didn't stand out in a good or bad way. Floating is only going to get him so far this season, so if he really want's to make an impact, he will need to step up his game. Group 2 is going to be a rough ride with all of these strong veterans in the mix. I cant wait to find out what happens!

GROUP 2 PHASE 1 (TOP 18)

LITTLE MAC is in serious danger. His strength in the tournament was relying on his 1v1 performances and he really dropped the ball this round. Only landing 3 out of 8 wins has placed him seriously in the danger zone to face elimination. Little Mac has a definite disadvantage in phase 2 so if he cant perform in phase 1, his chances of saving himself are looking pretty grim. I do predict he will land in the bottom 2 this round.

NESS's score is shockingly bad. He has consistently dominated the 1v1 phase in the past but it seems he's been figured out by his competition. Ness has an abysmal score, only winning 3 out of 8 just like Little Mac. Is this going to be a trend this round, that no one is going to be able to dominate in this group? Or are these two just really dropping the ball. Ness has also placed himself in a dangerous position, because his phase 2 can be pretty hit or miss. He will definitely have to perform in phase 2 if he wants to remain safe.

LUCARIO also struggles to make an impact. The competition seems to be extremely close, with another top tier veteran only scoring 3 out of 8 wins. I can't believe both Ness and Lucario had such terrible scores. You can tell the competition is really heating up and we may be witnessing 2 top amiibos fighting for their lives to stay in the tournament this round. With the weaker amiibos rolled into the other group, it's looking like a strong contender is definitely going home early. Lucario will also have to compete to the best of his ability to stay safe in phase 2.

MARIO continues the trend of terrible 1v1 performances. Every contender so far has only been able to land 3 out of 8 wins in phase 1. Mario really needed to perform here because his phase 2 performances have proven to be a bit lacking. Mario is definitely put in a dangerous spot and he may actually be fighting for his life this early in the tournament. If he goes out early like this, there could definitely be a shift in the standings and a new amiibo sitting at #1.

IKE is the first challenger to break the 3 win curse. Ike didn't do much better, but scored 4 out of 8 wins. Ike put up a good fight in all of his matches and took games away from some very strong Amiibo Wars Veterans. I don't feel like this is enough distance to insure he will be safe from the elimination round but judging from his past phase 2 experience, I'm pretty sure he will be fine.

MEGA MAN also scores a little extra breathing room from the rest of the pack. Hopefully his 4 out of 8 wins will be enough to save him from the elimination round. So far all the scores have been extremely close so phase 2 will play a huge part in where the cards will lay. Mega Man was able to best some very strong contenders, so I think even if he does land in the Bottom 2, he will have a good chance of saving himself.

CHARIZARD joins the majority. The dragon is only able to score 3 out of 8 wins. This has placed him into the danger zone. He did manage to best some Amiibo Wars Elites but it all comes down to phase 2. Charizard typically does ok in phase 2 but in a group like this with the competition so high, I'm not so sure Charizard will be able to hang on. We may be seeing this pokemon in the Bottom 2.

DARK PIT once again dominates his group. This newbie scored an insane 7 out of 8 victories, crushing the competition. Clearly he is in no danger of going anywhere anytime soon. Dark Pit has single handedly destroyed every Amiibo Wars veteran and is looking very good in his chances of becoming an Amiibo Wars Champion. Shulk should be shaking in his boots because this newcomer is ready for a war.

 

ROBIN's flame has been lit. This known bottom tier Amiibo Wars veteran has cashed in for an upgrade and is ready to fight with the big dogs. Robin has shocked us all with his recent performances and this is the biggest shock of all. Robin manages 6 out of 8 wins, besting Amiibo Wars legends and is the only amiibo able to take a game away from Dark Pit. Robin is looking amazing and he will be in no danger of landing in the Bottom 2. He continues to improve and if he keeps it up, he may be the last one standing this season.

GROUP 2 PHASE 2 (TOP 18)

PHASE 2 has only 2 stand out stars. NESS had a clean sweep winning all 4 of his matches, he definitely redeemed himself from his bad performance in phase 2 last round. Ness did struggle in the 1v1's but he did what he had to do to stay in the game. Ness finished the group in 2nd place thanks to the boost he received from his phase 2 score. MARIO lucked out, 3 of his 4 matches were rolled to be specialty 1v1 matches where he really shines. Mario won all 3 but lost his Team Match which put him in 2nd for the phase. Luck was really on his side, I feel that if he hadn't gotten so lucky with his match ups, he would probably be sitting in the Bottom 2. Like Ness, his 1v1 matches went horribly wrong. But Mario was also able to turn things around and save himself from elimination. ROBIN was the groups stand out star, scoring the most points over what I consider to be the most difficult group so far in both The Challenger Series and Season 5. Robin had great scores in the 1v1 phase and okay scores in phase 2 which sets him above the rest. I'm happy to see things shifting a bit in Amiibo Wars.

PROOF here that you can't predict anything in Amiibo Wars. IKE went from a top phase 2 score to the worst phase 2 score in only two rounds. Ike didn't win a single match, and though he had a slight advantage going into Phase 2, his inability to perform has set him at the bottom of the pack and he must now fight to stay in the tournament. DARK PIT has so far been unstoppable but it seems he's starting to get figured out. Maybe his match ups didn't go in his favor but he wasn't able to win any matches either. Dark Pit had an incredible score in Phase 1 which has insured his safety regardless. LUCARIO had a bad run in the 1v1 phase and was only able to win 1 match in Phase 2. He is still sitting in the danger zone and could definitely be facing elimination. LITTLE MAC matches Lucario's score for the group. With bad 1v1 scores and 1 win in Phase 2, Little Mac and Lucario sit at the bottom of the pack. These two must now compete in a tie breaker to determine who will be facing Ike in the Bottom 2 round.

TIE BREAKER

LITTLE MAC and LUCARIO have had a history in Amiibo Wars of being top tier powerhouses at points in their career and have both proven themselves, but they remain inconsistent at times. Both of these brawlers dominated the Challenger Series and had stand out performances in round 1 here in Season 5. But as the tides have changed, they both see themselves at the bottom of the totem pole and forced to fight for their lives. Neither of them performed to the best of their ability against these top tier veterans this round and it could cost them their place in Season 5. Ike has already been named as the first amiibo to enter the Bottom 2, now we must decide who he will be facing as Lucario and Little Mac have tied in points. They will compete in a Best of 5 with the first to 3 wins being safe from the elimination round. Match 1 was rolled to be a Smash Ball 1v1. Little Mac came out the gate swinging and gained a lot of momentum. Mac is able to set Lucario behind a stock very quickly which put him behind way too much to come back against such a hard hitting powerhouse. Little Mac takes Match 1. Match 2 was rolled to be a regular 1v1 with no items. Lucario plays more passively insuring that he doesn't get down a stock early. The fight is much closer this time, but Little Mac's sheer power really gave him an edge and Lucario still ended up behind a stock which is his biggest weakness. Little Mac only needs 1 more win to take this Best of 5 and knock Lucario down to the Bottom 2. Match 3 was rolled to be an Item Team Match, finally not playing in the favor of Little Mac. This is Lucario's chance to bring the series back and redeem himself. Little Mac's Partner was Robin and Lucario's Partner was Charizard. Little Mac was lucky to be placed with such a great team fighter like Robin, the two worked great as a pair gaining an early lead. Lucario and Charizard put up a good fight but the groups big winner, Robin, carried Little Mac to his third victory. This means LUCARIO will be dropping to the Bottom 2 and fighting for his life to stay in the competition. Little Mac lives to fight another day, hopefully in his next group he won't bomb his 1v1's since it's the one strength he has.

THE BOTTOM 2 (Bo5)

IKE and LUCARIO had very unlucky performances this round. Considering both of them looked to be at the top of the pack last round, it's shocking to see both of them fall to the bottom and to think one of them will be leaving the competition this early. This will probably be the first major Top 20 elimination of the season. Though Ike hasn't had the best runs in the past, he has been looking like a monster of a competitor this season, decimating all phases. Lucario has consistently stayed at the top of the pack each season, so to think of him leaving the competition this early doesn't seem real. It's about to go down and a strong contender will be leaving the competition. Match 1 was rolled as an Item 1v1. The fight was close until they were both at two stocks where Ike managed to grab 2 50% healing items and gain a lead. Lucario dropped down a stock and that was the end for him. Ike takes Match 1. Match 2 was rolled as a regular 1v1 omega stage with no items. Lucario starts off with a promising lead but his inability to finish the stock allowed Ike to catch up, taking Lucario's stock first. Lucario plays a bit safer as he enters rage mode and Ike makes a fatal mistake, walking right into a full charged F Smash, putting Lucario back in the lead. Being right where he wanted to be, Lucario finishes off Ike and ties up the Bo5 1 to 1. Match 3 is rolled as another Item 1v1. With both challengers holding a victory in 1v1's, theres no telling who could come out as the winner here. Ike seems to know what to do with the Items, taking Lucario to 100% before even being hit once. Lucario drops a stock early and it isn't looking so good for him. Lucario reverts to a more passive style and is able to put himself back in the lead after some careful item plays. The last stock looked to be in Lucario's favor, taking Ike to 166% before taking any damage, but Ike's power brought it back and he landed a devastating up smash before Lucario could take advantage of his rage mode and he lands a 2nd victory in this Bo5. Ike only needs one more win to save himself. Match 4 was rolled to be an Item Team Match with Ike's partner being Mario and Lucario's being Ness. Lucario and Ness come out extremely strong, gaining a commanding lead and ultimately another victory for Lucario. This now puts the Bo5 at a tie of 2 vs 2 and comes down to the final match for the first time this season. Match 5 is rolled as a Smash Ball 1v1 and it's for all the marbles. The match remains very close all the way down to the end, the Smash Ball went to Lucario twice but he wasn't really able to do anything with it as Ike ran around the map. Ultimately Ike's power and hard hitting smash attacks gave him the edge and LUCARIO sees a shocking early end after coming out of Season 4 in 5th place. He could see a huge dip in his standings after this one.

LUCARIO is the first huge name in Amiibo Wars to be eliminated this season, and there will be more surely to follow him soon. I didn't expect him to be out so soon, especially after coming in 5th last season. He seemed to struggled against all the strong competitors and had a run of bad luck in the phase 2 matches. It seemed that Little Mac in the Tie Breaker was too much damage for him to handle and then to have to go from him to Ike, it didn't really play into his favor. Both of those amiibos do insane damage and it seems to be a weakness for Lucario. If he's being out damaged and ends up behind a stock, it's pretty much game over for him. Sadly this is the end of the road for him but I'm sure he will be back and stronger than ever next season. I'm almost positive his placement will be higher as well.

GROUP 2 FINAL RESULTS

THE TOP 16 (TIME TO KICK THINGS UP A NOTCH!)

THE TOP 16 is going to see the competition heat up even more. There will be no floating by and if they mess up and fall to the bottom, they will have to compete even harder to stay in the game. The Top 16 is going to see off 4 amiibos instead of 2 and there is going to be a Bottom 3 instead of a Bottom 2 in each group. There will still only be one winner in the fight for survival and the other 2 will see the door. Things are definitely about to get interesting and only the strong will survive. In The Bottom 3 each challenger must have each other challenger in a Best of 3 with the matches picked at random like in the past. The one sitting with the most match wins at the end of their Best of 3's will remain in the game. Are you ready for The Top 16?!

TOP 16 GROUP 1

GROUP 1 has some serious power players. CHARIZARD had a mediocre showing last round, doing okay in both his 1v1 and Phase 2 Matches but not great. If he stays at the same rate, he could very well end up in the Bottom 3. GANONDORF returned to his former glory, dominating the 1v1 Phase and coming out strong in Phase 2 as well. Ganondorf is a serious force to be reckoned with and I think he will continue to do well in this group. LITTLE MAC struggled to make an impact last round, he is strongest in 1v1's but barely scratched his way by. He didn't even do well in those. Little Mac ended up in a tie breaker with Lucario that came down to the 5th Match, ultimately going in Little Mac's favor. If he doesn't up his game he will definitely be in the Bottom 3. PEACH has had an overall mediocre performance so far in Season 5. She hasn't had any major ups or downs. But as the numbers dwindle, this could place her in danger. NESS pulled it out when he had to. His 1v1 Phase last round was weak but he dominated in Phase 2 and didn't drop a single match. Ness needs to make sure he performs in the 1v1 Phase this round to insure his safety. WARIO bested Marth in the Bottom 2 last round. His 1v1 scores were the worst so far this season, so I definitely hope to see some improvement in him. Judging from last round, I expect Wario to be in the Bottom 3 but he could surprise us all. DARK PIT dominated last round in the 1v1 Phase but bombed in Phase 2 not winning a single match. He may have just had some unlucky placements in Phase 2, but either way, his overall performance this season doesn't have me worried about him dropping to the bottom any time soon. LUCINA remains consistent. She has scored near the top of the pack every round and I think she will be safe for some time. With 4 amiibos meeting their end this round, there could definitely be some shocking eliminations. Lucina currently looks to be safe, I don't think she will drop to the Bottom 3 quite yet. The tournament is heating up and I definitely see some upsets by the end of this group. The Top 16 is on the way!

GROUP 1 PHASE 1 (TOP 16)

 

CHARIZARD's performance is middle of the road. This is an improvement from last round winning 4 out of 7 matches. Technically this is above average but I'm not sure if it will be enough to keep him safe. Only 5 amiibos will be safe from the Bottom 3, so the competition will be stiff. Charizard still has a lot of fight in him and I think even if he does land in the Bottom 3, he has a chance of saving himself. 

GANONDORF will almost certainly be competing in the Bottom 3. He failed to make an impact in this group after coming off of a dominant performance last round. Ganondorf only manages to win 1 match in his 1v1's which is an almost 100% probability of him landing in the Bottom 3. Considering his performance here, there is a good chance this could be the end of the road for him. It is unexpected but I can't be too optimistic considering he struggled in every match up here.

 

LITTLE MAC is back again. After his horrible performance last round, I was sure he was gonna land in the Bottom 2, but he actually was able to win a match in Phase 2 which set him up for a tie breaker with Lucario. Beating Lucario in the 5th and final match of the tie breaker series, Little Mac saved himself to fight another round. Though this group wasn't a complete Punch Out, Little Mac scored the highest so far, winning 5 out of 7 matches. It's looking good for him to stay this time, he seems to have pulled himself back together again. Another slip up like last round could cost him the tournament though, he needs to keep up his performance in the 1v1 phases.

 

PEACH's time seems to have finally come. After rounds of skating right above the Bottom 2, it looks like she will not be safe this time. Peach only scores 2 out of 7 wins, so unless she pulls out a miracle in Phase 2, she will definitely be competing in the Bottom 3 round. Peach has a history of "floating" by to the end, maybe she can continue to sneak her way up the ladder. I really don't think she can win a Championship but she has definitely kept her standings high by putting up a good fight when she needs to.

 

NESS matches current top dog Little Mac with his score of 5 wins, 2 losses. Ness really needed to perform based on his terrible 1v1's from last round. With 1v1's being his main advantage, it's important for him to stay on top of his game if he wants to make it to the end. There are a lot of insanely good amiibos this season and it's no telling who will take the top spot. I think based off of his 1v1 score, Ness will definitely keep himself out of the Bottom 3 round. As long as his wins atleast one of his Phase 2 matches he will be fine. Even if he loses them all, there is a good chance he will still be safe.

WARIO is a major wild card. One second it seems like he's out the door, the next second he's taking down a top contender, not dropping a single phase 2 match and then he's back to coming out of a 1v1 phase with only 1 victory. This amiibo is all over the place and it just so happens he pulled it together long enough to take down this seasons strongest contenders. He takes a match off of Ganondorf/Little Mac/Dark Pit and Lucina. What?! Since when does Wario start dominating top tier Amiibo Wars veterans? He's definitely improving and he seems to have a great chance of keeping him out of the Bottom 3 this round.

DARK PIT has had his head in the clouds since his debut. He has dominated every single round until now. Dark Pit scores in the bottom of the pack, only winning 3 out of 7 matches. The golden boy is finally in danger and he will have to bust his ass in Phase 2 to stay safe. If he doesn't do well in Phase 2 he will definitely be seeing the elimination round. It would be absolutely shocking to see Dark Pit eliminated but that's how Amiibo Wars goes. Sometimes you're on top and the next second you are fighting to hang on. Dark Pit has some work ahead of him if he want's to make it further in this competition.

LUCINA rounds out the 1v1 phase with an above average showing, as to be expected. This Amiibo has proved her placement in the standings wasn't by luck. She's making it clear that she can hang with the best of them and then some. Lucina hasn't really showed weakness yet but with the competition so close and the scores not very far apart, there is a chance Lucina could fall into the Bottom 3 if she underperforms in the next phase. Every amiibo will be relying on their Phase 2 performances to stay safe this round, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. The competition is very close, and there's no telling who may be eliminated next. Phase 2 is on the way!

GROUP 1 PHASE 2 (TOP 16)

PHASE 2 was very close with every amiibo winning atleast one match. No amiibos were able to win every match in this group but LITTLE MAC was the big winner, getting 3 out of 4 wins. Little Mac is the overall winner of this group by a long shot, getting 16 pts total. 2nd place had half that with 8 pts. Little Mac really brought it this round and proved he's here to stay and he's not going anywhere. DARK PIT managed 2 out of 4 wins in Phase 2. Judging from his 1v1 score, he was in danger, but the performances of the other amiibos allowed him to save himself by 1 point and advances to the next round. I feel like he had a minor hiccup here and he will be back to greatness as the tournament continues. GANONDORF is the only other amiibo to manage 2 out of 4 wins, with everyone else only getting 1 out of 4. Sadly for him, his 1v1 performance put him to far behind to save himself. He is 100% competing in the Bottom 3 and this could be the end of the road for him. His only chance now will be to best his two opponents, because only 1 will be advancing.

THE bottom half of this group have pretty much all been placed in danger. NESS was able to save himself purely off of his great 1v1 score this round. It looked like Ness may not even win a match in Phase 2 though, which would've placed him in the Bottom 3 automatically. But in the very last match he pulled out a win and manage to finish in 2nd place for the entire group. Ness is really struggling as of late and has been teetering on a thin line, if he doesn't pull it together he could end up in the Bottom 3 very soon. With PEACH having the lowest score out of these 5 amiibos, she was automatically placed into the Bottom 3. CHARIZARD/WARIO/LUCINA all tie with 5 points each. Since only one more amiibo will be joining Ganondorf and Peach, they must now compete in a tie breaker round to determine who is safe. Wario has already seen an elimination match in Season 5 and came out the victor, Lucina and Charizard have bothr been able to avoid it so far. Could one of these two powerhouses drop to the Bottom 3? Or will Wario be the obvious choice? The tie breaker is up next!

TIE BREAKER

CHARIZARD, LUCINA and WARIO are here solely because of the competition getting so much tougher. Charizard has been fairly inconsistent, though it hasn't been enough to put him in danger so far. Charizard has been dominant in a lot of rounds, but has also floundered in a couple of them as well. Lucina got a bit unlucky here. I haven't seen, nor expected her to be in any danger this season so far. But because the 1v1 phase was so close, these 3 naturally landed towards the bottom of the pack due to their weak Phase 2 performances. Wario is no stranger to the bottom, though he had a surprising showing in the 1v1 phase, besting some of the most dominant amiibos in the entire tournament. He could definitely shock us again and save himself once more here. In this tie breaker we will have to save 2 amiibos, which means it will start out as 3 way matches and the first to 2 wins will be safe. From then on we will see a best of 3 tie breaker between the two remaining amiibos, where one more will be saved from the elimination round. Match 1 was a regular 3 way match and saw powerhouse Charizard bulldoze through his competitors, finishing with 2 stocks still remaining. Match 2 was rolled as a Smash Ball 3 Way where Lucina came back with a vengence, much like Charizard, ending the match with 2 stocks remaining. Match 3 was rolled as another Smash Ball 3 Way, Charizard and Lucina continue to clash, knocking Wario out quickly each round. Though it was close between the two, Charizard gained a slight edge and was able to finish off Lucina, saving himself to fight another day. Now Lucina and Wario must compete in a Best of 3 tie breaker as well.

PART 2 saw LUCINA and WARIO battling it out to remain in the game. Match 1 was rolled to be an Item 1v1. The first stock was very close with both competitors staying similar in percents. Lucina grabs the stock lead and runs with it but Wario begins playing a little more passively, finally landing a perfect Fart to gain an advantage. The two battle it out on their last stock but items play a big part in Wario pulling ahead and taking the first match. Match 2 is rolled as a regular 1v1 with no items. Lucina takes another commanding lead and the two end up very close once more with an unbelievable end. With both amiibos in the 100% range, Wario throws Lucina off the ledge and attempts to gimp her with a fart. He doesn't manage to kill her with it though and ends up falling first, giving the 2nd win to Lucina. With both competitors tied it comes down to the third and final match of the tie breaker. Match 3 is rolled as another Item 1v1. The fight wages on staying extremely close throughout, both amiibos give it their all, on their 2nd stock Lucina manages to counter Wario's fart giving her a huge percent advantage. This fatal mistake allowed Lucina to take the series and live to fight another round. It seemed by this third match, Lucina had Wario figured out and WARIO is now forced into the Bottom 3 and must fight for his life in the tournament once more.

THE BOTTOM 3 (Bo3's)

GANONDORF, PEACH and WARIO are pretty much where they belong at this point. Though Ganondorf has had some amazing dominant performances, he does seem to regress every now and then and perform very poorly. In this case, he had a terrible 1v1 score and he is paying for it. He has to fight for his place in this tournament and if he stays he really needs to up his game. Peach has gotten lucky this season. Her performances haven't been the best but she has kept herself out of the elimination round. I think now that the numbers are dwindling, it's her time to prove herself. Wario could have saved himself this round and honestly almost did. He made a couple of fatal mistakes that landed him here in his tie breaker with Lucina and now he once again has to fight to stay. Wario is the first competitor this season to see the elimination round twice, can he save himself again? The Bottom 3 round is a little different from The Bottom 2 of the previous groups. Each competitor will face their other two competitors in 3 matches selected at random. After the 9 matches have been played, the competitor with the most wins will remain in the game and the other two will see the door.

PEACH and GANONDORF fight first. Match 1 was rolled to be a Smash Ball Team Match with Dark Pit as Peach's Partner and Ness as Ganondorf's. The fight started off close but the Smash Ball played a big part in Peach/Dark Pit taking the lead and the match. Match 2 was rolled as an Omega 1v1 with no items. This match was close down to the last stock but it ultimately went to Ganondorf who's sheer power was too much for Peach to handle 1v1 with no gimmicks. Match 3 was rolled to be an Item Team Match with Lucina as Peach's Partner and Charizard as Ganondorf's. The two heavies may be strong but their size and slow speed put them at a disadvantage in this Item Match. The two ladies were able to maneuver their way to another win for Peach.

GANONDORF and WARIO are next. Match 1 was rolled as a Smash Ball Team Match with Ness as Ganondorf's Partner again and Little Mac as Wario's. This match up didn't do any favors for Wario and him and his teammate got outclassed pretty much all the way around. Match 1 went to Ganondorf easily. Match 2 was rolled as an Omega 1v1. This match was very close with it coming down to the last stock. Only tiny mistakes handed this match over to Wario. Match 3 was rolled as a Smash Ball 1v1. It looked bad for Ganondorf early but a final smash was able to turn the tides. Ganondorf landed a great combo afterwards and took a commanding lead, giving him another victory.

WARIO and PEACH are last. Match 1 is rolled as another Smash Ball 1v1. Wario's Fart Game has greatly improved throughout this tournament, he is landing it much more often. Even so, the match looked to be in Peach's favor but a lucky gimp on her recovery handed a win to Wario. Match 2 was rolled as a Smash Ball Team Match with Dark Pit as Peach's Partner and Ness as Wario's.(Ness got rolled a lot for some reason. lol) "Peach Pit" work very well together, staying close and teaming up on their opposition. This lead to another victory for this great Duo and a win for Peach. Match 3 is rolled as another Smash Ball 1v1. If Peach wins this match she will remain in  the tournament and eliminate the other two. If Wario wins it will be a tie and require another tie breaker. Wario lands yet another great fart giving him a stock advantage, then dominates the entire match. Looks like we will have to do a 3 way tie breaker with the first to win 2 matches staying in the game.

THE TIE BREAKER is necessary with all 3 amiibos scoring 3 wins in the Bo3's. The only way to break this up is to place them in 3 way matches and the first to two wins remains in the tournament. Match 1 saw Ganondorf out early and Wario and Peach battle it out to the last breath, with Wario barely coming out on top once again. Match 2 sees Ganondorf come back with a vengence, taking all 3 of his opponents stocks single handedly. With Wario and Ganondorf up 1 it's looking Grim for Peach, only 1 more win for either of the other two and they are saved. Match 3 is the redemption that GANONDORF fought so hard for. Ganondorf is able to take down these other two amiibos and stay in the tournament, still having a shot at the Championship. It was a very close call but in the end, I felt like Ganondorf had the best chance of coming out alive. Sadly the other two underperformed for most of the season and I feel like all of the amiibos left have earned their place.

PEACH and WARIO are finally out of the game. Their mediocre performances kept them scratching at the door to Stardom but they just didn't seem to have what it takes to make it to the end. Peach typically gets a bit further then this and I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect her to be the one staying. But Ganondorf put up a good fight and he will bring it when he has to. Peach can give any amiibo a run for their money and in this tournament she definitely pulled out some great wins. She came so close in the Bo3's to coming out as the victor but Wario just gave her to much trouble at the end. Wario made much more of an impact in Season 5 than I ever expected. His final round here wasn't even a bad one, it just came down to the wire and he was unable to take out Lucina in the tie breaker. Overall he had some ups and downs but he's a definite fighter and has improved tremendously here. I do see him as a future Top Contender if he continues to improve. Am I surprised to see these two eliminated? Not really, I think the others in the group were much stronger and deserve the Top 12 more. I wanted to see Peach get a little further but the competition is stiff this season and she's not the only vet to see the door early. This group was tough, but the next group in the Top 16 may be even tougher! It's coming up next!

GROUP 1 FINAL RESULTS

TOP 16 GROUP 2

GROUP 2 looks like it's going to be a close one as well. MARIO has surprisingly been underperforming in the 1v1 phases the last couple of rounds. I wonder if he will be able keep himself safe this round with 3 amiibos competing in the elimination round instead of just 2. ROBIN seems to have finally reached the potential I always knew he had. His last group performance was outstanding and he managed to get the highest score out of everyone. If he can stay consistent, I could see him making it very far this season. IKE survived an elimination last round. He was able to take out a top 5 veteran in Lucario. I had no faith in Ike making it out of that elimination but he did it and now he has an opportunity to redeem himself. Sometimes he's on top of his game and other times he fails to impress. I wonder what it will be this time. SHULK has consistently stayed at the top of the pack and hasn't had a bad score yet. Can he continue to perform or is he eventually going to crumble with the competition getting tougher and tougher? DR. MARIO has done very well this season. Though Mario has had a couple of ups and downs, Dr. Mario has stayed pretty consistent so far. I'm curious to see how the two match up now that they have finally placed in a group together. Which Mario is really the best Mario? LINK had a moment of weakness and had to battle it out in the elimination round a couple groups ago but last round he did well enough to keep himself safe. Will he continue to improve or is his time almost up? MEGA MAN has stayed at the top of the pack in Amiibo Wars for quite some time but with this season being so close and the competition so high, he hasn't performed as well as he has in the past. If he can't get his performances up, he could be in danger this round. SHIEK is a wildcard that is making big waves. Her performances in the group matches are keeping her in the game and she puts up a fight in the 1v1's as well. Is Shiek finally finding her niche? Or is she biting off a bit more than she can chew? This group is going to be interesting and it's up next!

GROUP 2 PHASE 1 (TOP 16)

MARIO scores his best all season. He only dropped one game to Ike and won 7 out of 8 of his matches. This is the best score in the entire Top 16 so far. Mario has been hovering around the middle of the pack and had even a few close calls toward the bottom. It seems this group played into his strengths and now he's sitting in a perfect position to advance to the Top 12. He even won his match up agianst Dr. Mario proving that currently, he is the better Mario!

ROBIN really struggled. I feel like this group played to his weaknesses and put him in a vulnerable position. So many strong rush downs, it was hard for him to get any advantages. Robin has landed in the danger zone and will most likely be fighting for his life in this tournament, but there is still the Phase 2 round and if he manages to win all of his matches he could be safe. Robin just came off a group win from last round so it's disappointing to see him fall flat, but to his credit, he is weak against a lot of the amiibos in this group.

IKE may be in danger again. His 1v1's were weak once more, and as the tournament rages on, there are less places to hide. If he fails to do well in the Phase 2 Matches he will definitely be fighting for his life. After his elimination of Top 5 Veteran Lucario, I have no doubt in my mind that Ike can perform with the best of them, but is he ready yet? Or does he need a bit more time to develop? He's already taken games off of some of the greats, so we will have to wait and see.

SHULK's score is his worst for the entire season. So far he has dominated or stayed at the top of every group but this round, he is hovering around the bottom of the pack. With only 3 out of 7 match wins, Shulk lands himself in the danger zone. Could we see the reigning champion out in the Top 16?! Is Shulk finally starting to crack? The "Marios" seem to be a weakness and it looks like Mega Man and Shiek caught him off guard. He will really need to perform in Phase 2 to insure his safety.

DR. MARIO scores ahead of the pack. Though his score doesn't rival Mario's and he even lost to Mario, Dr. Mario has been performing well and dare I say, been even more consistent than Mario. With 4 out of 7 wins, this has placed him in an advantageous position to save himself in the next phase. As long as he manages to win 1 or more I think he will be fine but with the competition so close, any dominating failures will cost them. I can't say he's safe like Mario but he definitely has a good chance of continuing on in the competition.

 

LINK has greatly improved. For a long time now, it has seemed to be an issue for Link to get back to his former glory. He was struggling even in the mid tier range. But it looks like he's finally got what it takes to win again. Link scores right behind rival and fellow original Mario with 5 out of 7 wins. This has placed Link in a great spot to advance. Though he dropped games to the other past Champions, Link seems on the cusp of greatness and could possibly take another Championship this season.

MEGA MAN ties with Robin for the lowest score in the group. Sadly even though Mega Man has been performing very well, he was falling short in most of his matches, with it coming down to the last stock and high percents. Mega Man has been consistent every season and continues to prove himself as a strong contender. It just seems that the competition is getting tougher and all the scores are getting a lot lower. With match ups evening out, it's anyone's guess who will be landing in the Bottom 3. It all comes down to Phase 2 once again.

SHIEK continues to ruffle feathers in Season 5. Her quick/evasive playstyle seems to be throwing off some of the veterans. Shiek managed to win 3 out of 7 wins and even took a match off of Shulk. This wild card has proved that she has a lot of fight in her and though we expected her to be a fluke and drop out much earlier, she has continued to fight and prove herself. Do I think she will land in the Bottom 3 this round? Most likely, but I'm not going to count her out. Her Phase 2 scores have been pretty good in the past. Phase 2 is going to be more crucial than ever, 6 amiibos sit in the danger zone but only 3 of them will remain safe. Who will continue on in the hopes of becoming Season 5 Champion and round out the Top 12? Phase 2 is on the horizon!

GROUP 2 PHASE 2 (TOP 16)

PHASE 2 saw these 5 amiibos at the top of the pack. Dr. Mario was the highest scorer with 3 out of 4 victories. Ike/Mario/Shulk/Link all managed to win 2 out of 4 matches. With this group being so close, it just so happened that these scores allowed these 5 amiibos to save themselves and advance to the Top 12! I was a little worried about Shulk here, his 1v1's weren't very strong but he definitely brought out his A game in this group phase. Link has really seemed to step up his game and he's looking a lot stronger. Both Mario's are proving to be forces in Amiibo Wars and it could very well be Mario vs Dr. Mario in the final. Ike is still teetering around the bottom of the pack but he was able to squeeze by and give himself a break from the elimination round this time.

SADLY for these 3 amiibos, this could be the end of the road. Shiek/Robin/Mega Man did poorly in the Phase 2 Matches which ultimately placed them at the bottom of the pack. This will require them to battle it out for a small chance at remaining in the game. Last group, Ganondorf was just barely able to squeeze by Peach and Wario so I don't think this will be a walk in the park for any of them. Shiek is doing her best with the moveset she was given, I think she got a bit overpowered in this Phase with it being mostly 4 man free for alls. Robin is at the bottom because of poor luck, his 1v1's didn't play to his strengths and in Phase 2 he got matched twice with Mega Man who seemed to hold him back as a teammate. Mega Man just dropped the ball in this group all around, his 1v1 performance was sloppy and his Phase 2 left his teammates struggling to carry him. I believe that Mega Man definitely needs to wake up if he wants to stay in this competition because right now it's not looking so good.

THE BOTTOM 3 (Bo3's)

SHIEK, ROBIN and MEGA MAN have all worked hard to get to this point. The tournament is coming down to the wire and the competition is harder than ever before. 100's of matches have been fought this season and to still be standing in the Top 16 is a huge accomplishment. SHIEK has especially surprised me with her current placement. She has fought tooth and nail to get to this point, even beating the likes of former Champions Mario and Shulk in 1v1's. She was able to survive one elimination round, will she be the first to survive two? ROBIN has left me speechless with his turn around. His performance last season was terrible and it had me questioning his strength. But as time has gone by and he's had more experience on the field, Robin continues to grow into an absolute powerhouse. He has taken games off every top contender and even came out of the last round with the top score. Robin sadly got a bit unlucky here in this group. Mario and Dr. Mario are huge weaknesses of his and having them both in the group set him back quite a bit I think. Robin has a good chance of saving himself here and I hope he does, I want to see him get further. MEGA MAN has a reputation in Amiibo Wars of staying consistent and at the top of the pack but this round seemed to shake him a bit. His 1v1 performances left more to be desired and he really dropped the ball in Phase 2. Mega Man seems to be in a state of regression currently and hopefully he can snap out of it before he sees the door. The Bo3's are up next! Who do you think will remain in the game?!

SHIEK and ROBIN are up first. Match 1 is rolled as a regular 1v1. The first stock is close but Robin manages to take the lead and holds on to it throughout, getting a win for himself. Match 2 was rolled to be a 1v1 on an Omega Stage. Robin once again takes control. Shiek struggled to land kill moves and falls behind, leading to another win for Robin. Match 3 is rolled as a Team Match with Ike as Shiek's Partner and Dr. Mario as Robin's. This match was much closer, Ike and Shiek worked well as a team and it looked great for the two. However, with Robin and Dr. Mario as a team, they were equally as strong and in the end it came down to the last stock with Robin picking up his 3rd win in a row. This series is looking great for Robin so far, it all comes down to Mega Man's performance.

MEGA MAN and SHIEK are up next. Match 1 is rolled as a regular 1v1. Mega Man struggled in this match up and allowed Shiek to get a big damage lead over him, leading to a stock advantage. In the end he wasn't able to catch back up and Shiek takes the first match. Match 2 is another regular 1v1. Once again the match goes in the same fashion. Shiek gets a huge damage lead, leading into a stock advantage and ultimately another win. Shiek really seems to be a weakness for Mega Man. Match 3 isn't looking great for Mega Man, it is rolled as a Smash Ball 1v1. Judging from the previous matches, this doesn't seem to be going in favor of Mega Man. The match was pretty even until the Smash Ball came into play. Mega Man had already taken Shiek's first stock and had her high enough to kill. This put him at a huge lead, and led to his first win. Now that Shiek failed to win 3 or more matches, this means she's automatically out of the tournament. But I must say, she put up a great fight.

ROBIN and MEGA MAN are the last ones to fight. Mega Man must now win all 3 matches to stay in the game. Losing a match will mean Robin lives to fight another day and Mega Man will be out. The pressure is on. Match 1 is rolled as another Smash Ball 1v1. Mega Man takes  a commanding lead doing a good job to keep spacing on Robin. Robin eventually adapts and evens out the %, ultimately taking the first stock. As time goes on, ROBIN's Nosferatu allowed him to gain a % advantage, ultimately securing his spot in the Top 12!!

SHIEK and MEGA MAN both had a great run this season. Shiek absolutely stunned me even by her Challenger Series performance. I never thought she would make it to the Top 20, and for her to make it this far, keeping herself out of the Bottom 2 for two rounds straight and coming out swinging every time she had to compete. Shiek really impressed me, and I'm happy to see a lower tier amiibo perform well. Mega Man has had some serious ups and downs, but overall I think he stayed pretty consistent and deserved to place where he is. That being said, this group was a struggle and it looked like he didn't belong. I think all of the competitors left were giving him trouble and maybe finishing in 14th is where he belonged. He definitely can put up a fight, I just feel like he had some bad luck in this group and it seemed like Robin had more left in him than the two. I hated to see any of these 3 in the Bottom 3 but ultimately, I'm happy that Robin gets to remain in the game. Season 5 just keeps getting more exciting and I can't wait to see what happens in the Top 12!

GROUP 2 FINAL RESULTS

TOP 12 GROUP 1

TOP 12 sees the groups dwindle down to almost nothing. 32 Amiibos have been eliminated from Season 5 so far. With the bigger groups it was easier to perform mediocre and remain safe, but now there is no places left to hide. Half of the competitors will be fighting for their lives in the Bottom 3 and only 1 of them will continue on. Performing well is more important than ever and this group is pitting some serious powerhouses against each other. SHULK had a hiccup last group where he underperformed in the 1v1 phase for the first time ever. He was able to redeem himself in phase 2 and keep himself out of the Bottom 3, but as the competition heats up, can he still keep himself out of the danger zone? IKE has seen the elimination once so far and lived to fight another day, last group he performed good enough to keep himself safe but can he do it again? GANONDORF barely made it out of his elimination round in the last group and his performance was very poor. Can he pull himself together and return to his former dominance this late in the game? LITTLE MAC dominated in his last group and has yet to see an elimination round so far, can Little Mac continue to advance with ease or is he going to have to fight for it this time? LINK has seen the elimination round and managed to save himself, Link has recently performed very well and is proving to be a serious competitor on his way to his 2nd Championship win. Can he do it this season? ROBIN is hot off of a dominant win in his last groups elimination round, his group was rough and the rush down really knocked him down a peg. Will he be able to handle these slow hard hitters a bit easier? Or is he going to be fighting for his life again? I can honestly say I have no idea how this group will play out, all I know is that any of them could easily land in the danger zone and be seeing the door very soon. The Top 12 is up next!

GROUP 1 PHASE 1 (TOP 12)

SHULK kicks things off with an above average showing. Coming out with 3 out of 5 wins is pretty impressive, when it comes down to a low number like this, every match win counts. Shulk has a good record in the Phase 2 matches so I think he has a good chance of saving himself here. There are some really heavy hitters in this group though and they may knock him for a loop.

IKE struggles the most in the 1v1s. He is the only one to score only 1 out of 5 matches. Having a disadvantage in this close group really sets you behind. I have a feeling this may be the end of the road for Ike unless he pulls out a miracle in Phase 2. I don't think if he lands in the Bottom 3 he will be able to make it out. But that's just my current prediction. I'm writing this as I go.

GANONDORF's luck wasn't much better than Ike's. The heavies seem to be struggling now that the 1v1 phase is down to the best of the best. Ganondorf only manages to win 2 out of 5 matches, placing himself 2nd to last. Once more, a disadvantage is dangerous now that there is barely anyone left. Can Ganondorf pull out a dominant performance in Phase 2? Or will he be fighting for his life once again?

LITTLE MAC matches the top scores but doesn't manage to go above and beyond. We all know that for Little Mac, this is a problem. He is probably the worst performer left in the Phase 2 matches and not shining in the 1v1's means he most likely will be fighting for his life in the Bottom 3. Sadly for him, his strengths may not be accommodated in the elimination round and this could spell trouble for him.

LINK has finally managed to maintain a strong performance without showing inconsistency. It looks like over the course of this tournament he has improved tremendously and is starting to return to the dominant force he once was in Amiibo Wars. Link is the original power player and it looks like he is keeping up with the strong newcomers that have been placed in his path. But with the competition being so close, is winning 3 out of 5 matches in the 1v1's going to be enough to keep him out of danger?

ROBIN also manages to achieve a top score in the 1v1 phase. With 3 out of 5 wins for 4 out of 6 of these amiibos, it really all comes down to Phase 2. Robin has greatly improved and is showing his strength. He only continues to improve, even taking a match off the golden boy Shulk and really giving everyone he went up against a tough match. Robin is staying consistent and I'm glad he managed to battle his way out of the Bottom 3 last round and remain in the game. Right now, he's in a good position but the next phase will really determine who's safe and who isn't.

GROUP 1 PHASE 2 (TOP 12)

PHASE 2 brought triple threat madness, ever match this round was a 3 way with special stipulations. IMO these are the trickest match types because you have to watch your back even more than a 4 man or Team Match. If you aren't careful you will end up getting juggled and double teamed. Only 3 challengers were able to excel in this phase and that was ROBIN, SHULK and IKE who all managed 2 out of 4 wins. Everyone else only managed 1 match win or less. Robin and Shulk really shined in this group with the highest scores in both phase 1 and phase 2. The two ended up with a tie for 1st and automatically advance to the Top 8. I think that this round suited Robin's strengths a lot more and it shows. Shulk proved his hiccup last round wasn't going to be an ongoing trend, he's out of danger and on to the next round. Ike however struggled in phase 1 and though he was able to win 2 out of 4 of his phase 2 matches, it wasn't enough to keep him out of the Bottom 3.

LUCKILY for LINK, his score from the first phase was enough to save him and advance to the Top 8 even though he only managed to win 1 of his phase 2 matches. The S1 Champion is still in the game and fighting his way to the Top. GANONDORF didn't perform in the first phase, meaning his 1 out of 4 score in phase 2 sealed his fate. Can he be the first to save himself twice and continue on in the tournament? LITTLE MAC blew his opportunity to shine in phase 1 which ultimately placed him in the Bottom 3. He didn't win any phase 2 matches which was to be expected. Little Mac's weaknesses are really starting to show and I think this could be the end of the road for him unless he pulls out a miracle in the Bottom 3. Three Powerhouse Titans- Ike, Ganondorf and Little Mac compete in the Bottom 3 and it's up next!

THE BOTTOM 3 (Bo3's)

GANONDORF, IKE and LITTLE MAC have all shown inconsistencies. It was only a matter of time before they landed themselves in this position. For Ike and Ganondorf, they have already been here before and were able to prevail. Little Mac has never seen an elimination round and I'm worried that the challenges that await may be too much for him to handle. Ganondorf really started the challenger series off looking like an absolute beast and continued to dominate until recently. As the numbers dwindle down to the best of the best, Ganondorf's effectiveness seems to be taking a tumble down hill. He is struggling to keep up in the 1v1 phases and he's getting gimped very early in FFA's. His performances lately have been really hit or really miss so I'm not sure if he has what it takes to continue on. Ike has made great strides since last season, he's been able to hang with the best of them but his weakness lately, much like Ganondorf, has been the 1v1's. These heavies are getting outplayed and now must fight each other for another chance to redeem themselves. I think if I were going to guess who was going to reamin in the game it would be Ike, he's been a little more consistent then the others and I think he's more well rounded in FFA/Team situations. Little Mac is known for his strength in 1v1's and for a while it was pretty clear that was the truth. But lately, he's been getting beat even in the 1v1's which has now put him in a dangerous position. Knowing his phase 2 scores were always going to be bad, I expected him to atleast make an impact in the 1v1's enough to remain safe. Now that the numbers have dropped to almost nothing, Phase 2 is playing a big part in deciding who stays in and who has to fight for survival. I think this is Little Macs time, because as the numbers get lower and lower he's going to be battling it out in elimination rounds back to back and I'm not so sure he has what it takes. These Bo3's are going to be brutal, and it could really go easily to any of the three involved.

GANONDORF and IKE are up first. Match 1 is rolled as a Smash Ball Team Match with Shulk as Ganondorf's Partner and Robin as Ike's. Shulk and Ganondorf gain a commanding lead from the get go and work great as a team leading to an easy first win for Ganondorf. Match 2 was rolled to be an Item 1v1 Match. Ganondorf gains an early lead but Ike evens things out around the middle of the match, he looked strong to make a comeback but ultimately got overpowered by Ganondorf once more. Match 3 was rolled to be a Regular Team Match with the roles reversed, Ganondorf's Partner is Robin and Ike's is Shulk. It seems that Shulk is a major factor in these team matches, this time handing the match over to Ike after they dominated this match. So far Ganondorf has 2 wins and Ike has 1 win.

IKE and LITTLE MAC are up next. Match 1 is rolled as a Smash Ball 1v1 Match. The match starts out very close but on the 2nd stock, Little Mac takes a commanding lead. The smash ball pops up and goes to Ike who evens it back out putting them both at 1 stock remaining. Ultimately Little Mac overpowers Ike and takes the first match. Match 2 is another Smash Ball 1v1. This match was dictated by Ike who kept a stock advantage til the end. Little Mac almost powers through at the end but Ike manages to finish him off in time. Ike takes match two. Match 3 is rolled to be a regular 1v1 Match. Both challengers manage 1 win a piece so far. The last match saw Little Mac completely out power Ike, taking a commanding lead. Little Mac's counter game was on point and he took this match with ease. With Little Mac and Ganondorf both sitting with 2 wins each, this means that Ike is out of the tournament and these 2 are about to battle it out to determine who stays in the game.

LITTLE MAC and GANONDORF are last and it all comes down to these 3 matches. Whoever manages to win 2 out of the 3 will remain in the tournament and continue on to the Top 8. Match 1 is rolled to be an Omega 1v1 Match, Little Mac's specialty. The match starts and Ganondorf gives Little Mac no room to breathe, racking up damage quickly, constantly grabbing him to avoid Little Mac's pursuits. Little Mac catches up in percent and is on Ganondorf's tail for the entire match. In the end Ganondorf couldn't kill him quick enough and Mac manages to take him out first. Match 2 was rolled to be an Item 1v1 Match. Ganondorf manages to gimp Little Mac very early due to his poor recovery. The items in play really throw Little Mac off and the match easily goes over to Ganondorf. It all comes down to this final match, .both challengers are up 3 wins with only 1 match remaining. The winner will advance to the Top 8 and the loser will join Ike on his way out the door. Match 3 is rolled to be a Smash Ball 1v1. Both challengers get into a defensive mode and play things a little safer. On stock 2 it looked like a Final Smash from Ganondorf was to seal Little Mac's fate, giving Ganondorf a slight advantage. But with some good counter play, Little Mac evens it back up and battles through to the end, taking down the giant. LITTLE MAC's counters were just too much for these heavies and was destroying them. Luckily for Mac he rolled into all 1v1 matches. This elimination really played into Mac's favor and now he lives to fight another day and moves on to the Top 8.

GANONDORF and IKE have been serious powerhouses in Season 5. Both of these amiibos single handedly dominated groups and came out on top multiple times. It seems that they just reached their limit. The amiibos left standing were too much for them to handle and it was their time to go. Ganondorf made his debut this season and really made an impact. Landing in the Top 12 is a huge accomplishment for a brand new amiibo, he had quite a few ups and downs but managed to always save himself up to this point. I think Little Mac had an advantage due to how the randomized matches played out and that kept him safe. If matches were rolled differently, I could definitely see Ganondorf being the one coming out on top. He came so close to saving himself again but he fell a little bit short. I'm not worried about Ganondorf's future in Amiibo Wars, I think he has the potential to do great things. Ike really made a lot of improvements in his gameplay. He proved to be a great contender in the FFA/Team phases which could definitely come in handy next season because I have something special planned. Ike did the best he could against these two titans, I feel like out of the 3 he was probably the weakest overall, but I believe it wasn't a fluke that he made it this far and he belongs near the top. Maybe he's not ready to rival the Amiibo Wars Elite, but he's standing outside the gates.

GROUP 1 FINAL RESULTS

TOP 12 GROUP 2

GROUP 2 is going to be difficult to guess who is landing in the Bottom 3 because none of these amiibos have even landed in a bottom spot so far at all. Even more so than the last group, I think the competition in this one is much more fierce. DR. MARIO has been one of the most consistent amiibos this season. He has managed to do well in both phases and keep his scores near the top. But with the competition to less numbers, can he continue to keep his scores up? CHARIZARD has risen like a phoenix this season. He went from the bottom to the top within two seasons and is really starting to prove he's a competitor. Sadly he is the only heavy left standing with Ike and Ganondorf being eliminated last group. Can he make it to the end like Bowser did last season, or are the heavies going to become extinct in this tournament? MARIO hasn't been as consistent as he has in the past. He's had a few close calls already but he always manages to save himself before he falls into any danger. Now that the numbers have lessened, he may not have that opportunity if he underperforms. NESS started off relentless and strong, but lately, he has been losing a handful of matches and I think it's effected his AI much like it did for Mega Man. Ness is slipping and I really don't know if he will be safe anymore. LUCINA much like Dr. Mario has stayed consistent this season. She's had one close call but managed to win a tie breaker to keep herself out of the Bottom 2. Overall she has had some really strong performances and continues to impress. DARK PIT is a newbie that has shaken up Amiibo Wars quite a bit. He is strong in 1v1s and FFA/Team matches and has rarely showed any weaknesses. I feel the only comparison to him is Shulk and I honestly believe Dark Pit has the potential to take out Shulk and become the Champion this season. This is going to be a brutal group and it's guaranteed that a top contender will be sent packing. Group 2 is up next!

GROUP 1 PHASE 1 (TOP 12)

DR. MARIO has a bumpy ride. The tournament has come down to the wire and he is forced to face some of the best amiibos in Amiibo Wars. Considering this, his score isn't terrible, he atleast managed 2 out of 5 wins which is about middle of road. I do think he could be in danger because his score wasn't higher but he has done pretty well in phase 2 with previous groups, he should have a chance to save himself.

CHARIZARD has a similar experience to Dr. Mario. Though his score is middle of the road, it's a bit better, managing 3 out of 5 wins. Charizard continues to impress as he soars through the competition. I'm impressed by how much he's improved. To take games off of the Rank 1 and 2 amiibos is a huge feat and not to mention, he's representing as the only Heavy left in the tournament. Charizard could save himself from elimination here, and being the underdog, that means two top contenders could be leaving Season 5 in this group.

MARIO is back to dominating. Leave it to him to pull it out when he needs to. Mario manages 4 out of 5 wins and places himself in a great position. Mario doesn't always have the best scores in phase 2 so this is good for him to have a little leeway. There is a chance that he could be in danger if he doesn't win any matches in the next phase but I doubt he will be in the Bottom 3. I think Mario is set to advance to the Top 8!

NESS's luck seems to have ran out. Ness scores the lowest in  the group with only 1 out of 5 wins. This horrible performance almost guarantees he will be battling it out in the Bottom 3. It would be a miracle if Ness manages to save himself next phase, because he's at a huge disadvantage. Ness's performances have been lacking recently and I think this group may be a little too difficult for him to manage turning things around. If he wins all of his matches in phase 2, he could be safe, but judging from his current performance, I don't think that will happen. We could see the end of Ness in this group.

LUCINA could be in danger. With her score being on the lower end with only 2 out of 5 wins, Lucina could see the elimination round this group. Her phase 2 performances aren't typically the best so unless she performs well she will most likely be fighting for her life. Hopefully she can pull it together and remain safe, I definitely don't want to see her go out this soon. Lucina is a great competitor and has put up a good fight versus everyone she competed against.

DARK PIT places in the upper half of the scores. He wins 3 out of 5 matches which is pretty good considering there are so few challengers remaining. Dark Pit continues to show his dominance but now that the competition is tougher, he may not be able to advance as easily as he has in the past. I personally think Dark Pit will land in the group of amiibos who make it to the Top 8 automatically because his past phase 2 scores have been great. But who knows, he could very well be in danger just like the rest of them. This group is very close and it's all down to Phase 2 once again. Who will be safe and who will be fighting for their lives. We're about to find out!

GROUP 2 PHASE 2 (TOP 12)

PHASE 2 was extremely close. Only two amiibos managed to win 2 out of 4 wins, putting them at the top of Phase 2. Charizard's performance insures his advancement to the Top 12. Sadly for Ness his scores in the 1v1's places him in the Bottom 3. This will be the first time Ness has to fight for his life. I expected Ness to get further before being in danger this season but he seems to have been on tilt. The Bottom 3 in this group is going to be brutal. I'm not so sure Ness will make it out.

EVERYONE else in the group only managed 1 out of 4 wins. Considering the Phase 1 scores, two contenders were automatically placed in the Bottom 3. Mario's great 1v1 score insures his safety and Dark Pit did a good job in the 1v1's as well. This has left Dr. Mario and Lucina at the bottom of the pack to join Ness in the Bottom 3. This is the most competitive Bottom 3 of the season and two major players will be eliminated from the tournament. The Bottom 3 is coming soon!

THE BOTTOM 3 (Bo3's)

DR. MARIO, NESS and LUCINA land in the Bottom 3 this round. I can honestly say I'm surprised to see Dr. Mario and Lucina at the bottom, but I expected Ness after his recent performance. Dr. Mario has been showing a lot of promise since his debut and up to this point he hasn't been placed in danger once. Dr. Mario had a slip up in the 1v1's and that's really the only reason he's here. Sadly this could be the end of him if he continues to underperform. Lucina also struggled in the 1v1's leading her to this point and it's pretty shocking to see her here. She's had one close call in a previous group but managed to win a tie breaker to avoid the elimination round. Lucina was last seasons 3rd place and currently sits at 2nd in the standings, if she goes out right now it could definitely effect her in the standings. Ness has had some monstrously good scores in the past but as his opponents are starting to figuring him out, his effectiveness is dwindling. Can Ness find a way to bring himself back to the top, or is it too late to save him? I don't see Ness making it out of this round but he has a chance if he doesn't underperform. The Bo3's are up next!

DR. MARIO and LUCINA are up first. Match 1 is rolled to be an Item Team Match with Charizard as Dr. Mario's partner and Mario as Lucina's. Dr. Mario gets gimped fairly early on which dictates the flow of the entire match, ultimately leading to the first win of the series going to Lucina. Match 2 is also rolled as an Item Team Match, this time with Mario as Dr. Mario's partner and Dark Pit as Lucina's. Though you'd think this would go heavily in the favor of Dark Pit and Lucina, this match was close. Percents were around the same all the way through but in the end it was Dr. Mario who took the win. Both competitors are up 1 match each with 1 remaining. Match 3 was rolled to be an Item 1v1 Match. (Seems to be an Item heavy elimination round, lol.) Lucina takes a very commanding lead, reading Dr. Mario like a book. Ultimately Dr. Mario's aggression is his demise, jumping into counter after counter as Lucina goes on the defensive. She handedly takes down her competitor with ease. Lucina finishes with 2 wins and Dr. Mario with 1.

LUCINA and NESS are up next. Match 1 is rolled as a regular 1v1 Match. Ness catches Lucina off guard and takes quite a commanding lead, keeping a stock ahead the entire match. As the match continues, Lucina begins to make a valiant comeback. Both amiibos sit at 150%+ and Ness finally manages to finish her off and take the first win. Match 2 is rolled to be a Smash Ball Team Match with Mario as Ness's partner and Dark Pit as Lucina's. Ness and Mario take the lead, racking up % much faster on their competition. The first Smash Ball drops and goes to Dark Pit who manages to turn the tides. Ultimately the damage potential from Ness/Mario was too much for Lucina and Dark Pit to handle. Another match win goes to Ness. Match 3 is another Item Team Match with Charizard as Ness's partner and Mario as Lucina's. Mario/Lucina work amazingly as a team, double teaming and comboing off of eachother. This performance ultimately leads to another win for Lucina. Ness finishes this series with 2 wins, Lucina with 1.

NESS and DR. MARIO are last. Match 1 is rolled as the fourth Item Team Match in this Bottom 3 round. Charizard is Dr. Mario's partner and Dark Pit is Ness's. Ness/Dark Pit work very well together but after an amazing come from behind, Charizard/Dr. Mario's expert use of Items put them in the lead and Dr. Mario gets the win. Match 2 is rolled as a regular 1v1 Match. Ness seems to have got some of his Mojo back, giving Dr. Mario quite the run around early on, taking the lead. Though Ness had a tremendous advantage, a great pill gimp from the doctor left them back at square 1, both with only a stock remaining. Dr. Mario figures him out at the very end and takes his 3rd match. With Lucina at 3 wins, Dr. Mario at 3 wins and Ness at 2 wins, this match will determine whether Dr. Mario takes the series or if we go to a Triple Threat Tie Breaker. Match 3 is rolled as a Smash Ball 1v1. Dr. Mario starts things off strong, looking to have Ness where he wants him, until Ness lands a perfect pulse off stage, gaining a stock advantage. It wasn't long before they were even again though, stock 2 was very close. Ness manages to bait Dr. Mario into another Pk Pulse to keep himself in the game. It all comes down to the final stock. Ness is able to keep Dr. Mario at bay long enough to snatch his 3rd win just barely. Now we will have to go to a 3 way Tie Breaker.

DR. MARIO, LUCINA and NESS now must compete in 3 mans until the first to 2 Wins is named. This challenger will remain in the tournament and advance to the Top 8. Match 1 saw Ness take a clear early lead, managing to stay at 0% with the other two 100%+. Lucina's expert play managed to keep herself alive and gain an advantage. Dr. Mario's weak performance saw Ness and Lucina left to battle it out. Lucina manages to take the first match. Match 2 sees Ness take a stock lead early. Lucina gets caught in the middle of the crossfire most of the match, dropping to 1 stock before Ness even loses 1. This time it comes down to Dr. Mario and Ness but Ness's huge percent advantage ultimately decides it, giving Ness a win of his own. If Match 3 goes to Lucina or Ness this series will be over. Ness once again takes a commanding lead, getting them to 100%+ before taking a hit. Dr. Mario seems to not stand a chance here in these 3 mans, falling way behind. The final stock comes down to Lucina and Ness, both at 96%. A great read leads to NESS's victory. He now continues on to the Top 8 while Lucina and Dr. Mario are eliminated from the competition.

DR. MARIO and LUCINA were amazing competitors, it sucked to have to eliminate either of them, but it's coming down to the wire and there was no controlling how the groups played out. I think both of these amiibos should've made it to the Top 8. It always comes down to their most recent performance and this group wasn't their best. Dr. Mario has given Mario a run for his money, he has gotten top scores throughout and managed to keep himself safe til now. It seems to turn out that 3 Mans are a huge weakness of his, getting caught in the crossfire didn't do him any favors and he was struggling to get into the action. Had he beat Ness in that final 1v1, he'd be the one going to the Top 8. Ness got really lucky that the 3 mans played to his strengths. Lucina didn't deserve to go out here, she really has shown she's a top contender and I was almost certain she was about to take this series in that final match. It came down to one last hit for both her and Ness and lucky for Ness, it went in his favor. I definitely expected to see Ness here but he did the unthinkable, pulled his act together and saved himself when he needed to. Can he keep it up? Or is he going to land right back to the bottom in the Top 8? Two major contenders are out and some wild cards still remain, Season 5 has been crazy so far and I'm glad to see things turning out a bit different from last season!

GROUP 2 FINAL RESULTS

THE TOP 8 SEES ANOTHER TWIST!!

SEASON 5 is coming down to the wire and with only 8 contestants remaining, a change is necessary in determining who stays and who goes. I thought about splitting them into groups of four but instead, I thought it'd be better to just put them all in one group together. Because of this it's necessary to tweak the Bottom 3 slightly. In this round, only the Top 2 scorers will be safe from elimination and the other 6 will be forced to compete for their spot in this competition. To keep things fair, these 6 will be randomly split into groups of 3 and we will continue on with the Bottom 3 format. The two who make it out of these Bottom 3 rounds will complete our Final 4!!

THE TOP 8

THE TOP 8 isn't quite what I expected. I definitely thought we'd be seeing Mega Man/Lucario/Lucina here but things happen and the ones sitting in their place have fought hard to earn their positions. SHULK, MARIO and DARK PIT are the only ones left who have yet to see an elimination round. But considering the current rules, one of them will definitely be fighting for their place in Season 5 at the end of this. These 3 have competed expertly, keeping themselves out of the danger zone. While all 3 have had atleast one close encounter, they always managed to pull it together in the end. ROBIN's last performance was great, steering clear from the Bottom 3, he's proving that his second chance is not going to waste. LINK has also clawed his way to the top and kept himself safe since his Bottom 2 round ages ago. He has placed himself in quite a comfy position but with it down to the wire, I don't know if he's so safe anymore. CHARIZARD has been manhandling the competition. His performance in the last group got him Top Score overall and he's on a roll. I'm so shocked to see Charizard doing so well, but I'm happy that there is atleast one heavy still remaining. LITTLE MAC has been inconsistent but when he's on, he's really on. Little Mac can absolutely destroy any amiibo in a 1v1 if his AI is in the right spot. He's a definite wildcard and I can't really make a guess where he's going to end up by the end of the group. NESS barely squeezed his way into the Top 8. He had a close call in the Bottom 3, it was the closest one so far. The kid has been walking a thin line but ultimately that elimination went in his favor and he is still standing. Has he managed to get his AI back in check or is he going to continue on with this horrible slump he's been in lately? The stakes haven't been higher, with six amiibos landing in the elimination rounds, who knows who will be left standing in the Final 4. It's going to be very close!

TOP 8 PHASE 1

 

SHULK's score is respectable considering the caliber of opponents still standing. He manages to win 4 out of 7 matches which lands in the above average category. I think matching that with his ability to dominate Phase 2, we could possibly see Shulk continue to keep himself out of the elimination round and move on to the Final 4. Shulk just better hope Little Mac doesn't make it to final two, because after that match they had, he should be scared of the Mac.

MARIO isn't messing around anymore. His score couldn't be much better. Mario manages 6 out of 7 wins which is phenomenal this late in the game. I couldn't believe how well he did in almost every match up. His only loss was to newcomer Dark Pit which places him in a very good position once again. But with there only being 2 contenders moving on to the Final 4 automatically, he still needs to perform to secure his golden ticket.

DARK PIT joins the high score party. He manages to best even Shulk's score with 5 out of 7 wins, putting him well above average. Much like Shulk, Dark Pit has a reputation for doing well in Phase 2 so he has a great chance of avoiding the elimination round in this group. Dark Pit has proven he is one of the best, the only newbie remaining and he's still at the top of his game. I think Dark Pit has a definite chance of making it to the Final 2. But considering how close this competition is this season, it could honestly go any way.

ROBIN's journey looks like it's about to come to a close. He didn't manage a single win in this group which means he will definitely land in the Bottom 6. Robin has had some great performances recently but the current competitors seemed to be too much for him to handle. Considering how poorly he performed, I don't see him being able to come out on top in the elimination round, but who knows.. Ness shocked us last round, maybe Robin will also be able to pull himself together in time. Either way, I never expected him to make it this far, and I'm happy to see how strong he's become.

LINK lands in the below average category. This basically means he's almost 100% landing in the bottom 6. He put up a good fight vs most of his competitors but just didn't have what it takes to finish the job. Link is a legend in Amiibo Wars but he seems to be getting overshadowed these days and I'm not so sure he has what it takes to make it back to the top. If he can manage to make it to Final 4 he may have a chance, but I personally don't think he is going to survive this round.

CHARIZARD seems to be in the same boat as Robin. He just seems to be in a little over his head. Charizard has had a good run so far but I don't really picture him making it to the Final 4. The competition still standing in this tournament is top notch and I'm not so sure Charizard is quite on the same level. Don't get me wrong, Charizard is strong and I am happy to see him make it so far considering his last place finish last season, but I just think theres a lot of amiibos left in it that are stronger than him. The sole Heavy standing, can he prove me wrong and save himself once again?

LITTLE MAC didn't hit the mark in this group. I think his inconsistencies are about to bite him in the ass. To make it this far and be so inconsistent is a big accomplishment. He has probably had the biggest ups and downs in the entire tournament and I think the competition is just too fierce now for him to be able to squeeze by again. This may be the end for Little Mac, but much like Charizard, he could surprise us and save himself in the elimination round.

NESS does the unthinkable. I'm pretty shocked to see him go from a massive slump to the top of the pack in the most grueling and competitive group to date. Ness manages to win 6 out of 7 matches, matching Mario for top points in phase 1. Ness could very well be one of the two amiibos automatically advancing to the Final 4 based solely off his 1v1 performances. Phase 2 will play a big part in who advances but right now, Ness is sitting pretty. He's gone from the lowest of the low to the highest of highs, Ness seems to have gotten his AI straightened out. This goes to show that if you just let your amiibos tough it out, they will eventually return to their former strength.

TOP 8 PHASE 2

PHASE 2 went heavily in the favor of two power house players in this group. NESS shocks us all with his performances this group and in Phase 2 he continues to impress, being the only competitor to win 3 out of 4 of his matches. Ness's score is the highest by far, ending the group at 19 points with 2nd holding only 12 points. Ness secures his spot in the Final 4 after being inches from elimination last round. He has definitely pulled it together at the right time because next round is the final round and only 1 amiibo is coming out with the Season 5 Championship. Sitting in 2nd place by only 1 point is DARK PIT. He manages to win 2 out of 4 matches while Mario only manged 1 out of 4. This places Dark Pit 1 point above Mario, forcing him into the Bottom 6. Dark Pit has never had to compete in the Bottom Rounds the entire season and now, is the only remaining competitor who has evaded them completely. Dark Pit now goes into the Final 4 with a great chance of becoming the Season 5 Champion. If he wins, this will be the first time ever that a New Amiibo grabs a Championship. I wasn't expecting Ness to advance automatically at all, but Dark Pit I felt had what it takes. ROBIN sadly had no chance of making it out of the eliminations after not winning a single match in Phase 1. However, in the Phase 2 Matches he performed very well, being the only other amiibo to manage 2 out of 4 wins. Robin's AI could be back to normal and he could very well save himself, but with the competition standing in his way, I'm not so sure he stands a chance.

THE REST of the amiibos only managed 1 out of 4 wins with LINK the only amiibo to not win any. Coming off a performance like that, his AI may be shot and he could very well be out. Honestly though, I'm not going to count them out anymore because after what Ness did in the last round and to come back and dominate such a powerful group, you just never know. MARIO was dethroned from the Top 2 by 1 point, solely because he didn't perform well enough in the Phase 2 Matches. Had the scores not been so close between him, Shulk and Dark Pit it would've been a different story. The stakes are high and now Mario has to fight for his life. With his weaknesses showing, he may not compete to his top potential and this group could be the death of him. SHULK didn't perform in the Phase 2 Matches like we typically would expect him to. He managed only 1 out of 4 wins which sealed his fate. Shulk enters the Bottom Round for the first time and out of any of them, I think he has the best chance of making it out alive. LITTLE MAC failed to perform when he needed to, once again. His inability to be consistent has put him in quite a few dangerous spots throughout the season, can he continue to shock us and save himself again? Or is it time for Mac to say goodbye? CHARIZARD had a terrible time in both phases. He just didn't seem to keep up with his competition. Now he has a chance to redeem himself but the stakes are so high and all the remaining competitors are hungry to make the Final 4. Can Charizard represent for the heavies or will this be the end for them? The Bo3's are going to be intense and will be coming up next!

THE BOTTOM 6 (Bo3's)

ROBIN, SHULK and CHARIZARD land here mostly off of performing badly. Robin didn't win a single match in phase 1 and it may have costed him the tournament. The Top 8 had a lot of great 1v1 fighters so I'm not surprised, but considering how far he's come it was kind of disappointing. Robin has an opportunity to redeem himself here, but he has two fierce competitors standing in his way. Shulk didn't do poorly in the group stage but he didn't do good enough to advance automatically like Ness and Dark Pit. There were only two spots this time and now Shulk lands in the elimination round for the first time. Can he live up to the hype and slice his way to the Final 4? Charizard is the only powerhouse heavy still in the game and has definitely made an impact. He's been a wildcard the whole season and you really don't know what to expect. This group hasn't been good for him and placed him in a dangerous spot. Now it's time to put up or shut up, can he continue to rep for the heavies and make em proud?

ROBIN and SHULK are up first. Match 1 is rolled to be an Item Team Match with Ness as Robin's partner and Link as Shulk's. The match looked to be going heavily in the favor of Shulk and Link early but Items were able to turn things around. Match that with Ness's amazing team fighting capabilities and it aloud the first win to go to Robin. Match 2 was rolled to be an Item 1v1. Surprisingly Robin takes the first stock quite easily without taking much damage. Shulk goes more on the defensive and evens things out. The final stock is up to 160% on both, very close match but Shulk manages to kill Robin with a baseball bat throw and takes his first win. Match 3 is rolled to be a regular 1v1. This time Shulk wasn't playing around anymore. Without items involved, Robin falls far behind, giving Shulk his 2nd win.

SHULK and CHARIZARD are up next. Match 1 is rolled as a regular 1v1. The match isn't close, Shulk manages to space perfectly and counter Charizard when he actually gets in on him. Shulk takes full control of the match and another win. Match 2 is rolled as an Item Team Match with Dark Pit as Shulk's partner and Link as Charizard's. Dark Pit and Shulk take a commanding lead and really manage to overpower their opposition. This match once again proving that Charizard may be out of his league here. Another win for Shulk. Match 3 is rolled to be another regular 1v1 Match. If Shulk wins this match the Bo3's are over and Shulk will advance to the Final 4. Shulk obliterates Charizard even worse in this 1v1. Shulk gets his 5th win meaning even if Charizard and Robin went through their matches, they wouldn't even have enough wins to tie him. SHULK wins in the Bottom 3 round and saves himself from elimination. He now advances to the Final 4 to join Ness and Dark Pit.

ROBIN and CHARIZARD went from the first 2 out in Season 4 to the Top 8 in Season 5. They have both come such a long way since last time and I was happy to see some change. Robin has beaten the best of the best, handily took down some ex champions and serious top contenders. He scored top points in multiple groups and really was a great phase 2 competitor. His weakness began to show in the 1v1 phase with the powerhouse rush downs and "overpowered" amiibos. Robin almost made it to the end but his strengths just weren't enough to advance him any further. Charizard definitely prove himself after being the first one out last season. I've watched him go from terrible to powerful in a very short amount of time. I can honestly say I didn't expect Charizard to make it to the Top 20, but him and a few others proved me wrong. Charizard started off very strong but as the groups dwindled down, so did his strength. Much like Robin, I feel he didn't have the same effect on the current Top 8 as he did over other amiibos who got eliminated. That being said, Top 8 is a major accomplishment, especially considered he was the last heavy standing. I say hats off to these two for performing at Top Tier level and managing to improve their standings ten fold with their Top 8 finish!

MARIO, LITTLE MAC and LINK have seen some up's and down's. Though Mario is the more consistent of the two, he had a couple of close calls that almost dropped him to the Bottom 2 early in the season. It was around the middle of the tournament he really started showing his power. Unfortunately, even though he did great in this group, he was 1 point from being safe which placed him in the Bottom 6. Hopefully he gets lucky with his matches because he has a history of struggling in Team/FFA matches. Little Mac has been a very inconsistent wild card. I wasn't sure if he would even place in the Top 20 after Season 4. But he did, and he has had some seriously dominant and seriously lack luster performances. Going into this elimination round he better hope he doesn't land a bunch of FFA/Team matches like Mario or he could be on his way out the door. Link was one of the first amiibos in Season 5 to see an elimination round, but ever since he upped his game and managed to keep himself safe.. all the way up to this point. Link had a terrible time in this group, it seems he has been a bit overshadowed and I'm not so sure he's going to be able to make it after his most recent performance. The Bo3's are up next, the last contender for the Final 4 will be named!

MARIO and LITTLE MAC are up first. Match 1 is rolled as an Item Team Match with Charizard as Mario's partner and Shulk as Little Mac's. Shulk really compliments Little Mac and helps carry him through the match. On the other side, Charizard's big stature made it difficult to dodge a lot of hits and he got behind in stocks, ultimately leading to a win for Little Mac. Match 2 was rolled as another Item Team Match with Shulk as Mario's partner and Robin as Little Mac's. This match isn't nearly as one sided. With Mario and Robin playing more evasive games, Shulk and Little Mac ended up in the crossfire landing themselves at lower stocks than the other two for the entirety of the match. On the Final Stock is was Little Mac out first, making it too difficult for Robin to 2v1. Match 2 goes to Mario. Match 3 is believe it or not, another Item Team Match. This time with Dark Pit as Mario's partner and Ness as Little Mac's. Considering both Little Mac and Mario are weak in teams, these matches weren't ideal for them. In the end I think the better teammate turned out to be Ness who managed to carry Little Mac to his 2nd win. This Bo3 ends with Little Mac at 2 wins and Mario at 1.

LITTLE MAC and LINK are up next. Match 1 is rolled as another Item Team Match (I think my random number generator derped, lol). Dark Pit was Little Mac's partner and Charizard was Link's. This match was  heavily in favor of Link and Charizard at the beggining, quickly knocking Dark Pit to 1 stock. But believe it our not, Little Mac and Dark Pit turned things around with expert use of items and came back with a vengence. Another win for Little Mac. Match 2 is rolled as a.... ITEM TEAM MATCH! 5th in a row lol. Robin is Little Mac's partner and Dark Pit is Link's. This match was close but came down to Little Mac's now expert item use, putting himself and Robin back in the driver's seat. 1 More win for Little Mac and he is safe and moved on to the Final 4! Match 3 is rolled as an Item 1v1 (yay, finally a new match type). This match came down to the wire but ultimately Link's ability to kite Little Mac around led to his first win of the series. This means it comes down to Link vs. Mario. If either of them can manage to win all 3 matches, we will have a tie breaker. If not, the series goes to Little Mac who is currently in the lead.

LINK and MARIO are up last. Match 1 is rolled to be a Smash Ball 1v1 Match. Early on Mario chips away at Link, gaining a hefty lead, but as a Smash Ball descends, it goes over to Link who uses it to take the lead. Ultimately Mario's ability to run circles around Link led to another win for him. Match 2 is rolled as another Smash Ball 1v1. Mario gives Link the run around once again, leading to another easy victory for him. If Mario wins this last match, that means him and Little Mac will have to compete in a tie breaker. Match 3 is rolled as an Omega 1v1 Match. This doesn't bode well for Link, but if he manages to win this match he will eliminate Mario with himself and Little Mac will remain safe and move on to the Final 4. This match is much closer. Link manages to ledge guard Mario and gain a lead. Link plays much more evasive and keeps his lead in tact. This ultimately leads to Link crushing Mario's Season 5 dreams singlehandedly. The S1 and S3 Champions are now out of the game and LITTLE MAC moves on to the Final 4!

MARIO and LINK have both had great runs in Amiibo Wars. It's quite poetic to see them be the end of each other considering their past rivalry. Both of these amiibos busted their asses in this tournament and sadly, with 8 fierce competitors and 4 set to be eliminated, some big names were bound to get sent out the door. Mario is a victim of circumstance. He barely missed the mark on automatic advancement and was so close to the tie breaker vs. Little Mac. Though I'm not so sure how well he'd do against Little Mac in 1v1's, I think it might have still gone in the favor of Mac. Either way, Mario is a definite top dog and has proven himself time and time again. This may put a dent in his standings but I'm sure his consistency will put him back at the top soon enough. Link made a surprising push to the top of the pack this season. After his terrible mid tier performances in the recent past, Link was looking to be old news in Amiibo Wars. But he brought himself back to where he belongs, he outlasted atleast 36 other amiibos which is a huge accomplishment. I'm not sure if Link will ever have the strength to take another Championship but he's come a long way and if he continues to improve, it could be a possibility in the future. The Final 4 is upon us, the end is finally near and we're about to crown the Season 5 Champion!! Stay Tuned!!

TOP 8 FINAL RESULTS

THE FINAL 4

THE FINAL 4 have fought a long hard journey to get here. This Season has seen some grueling up's and down's for some of Amiibo Wars finest competitors. We've seen the best of the best get eliminated week after week. Now, after 40 eliminations, we are down to the Final 4! These amiibos have all earned their place here and after this group, only one will be left standing as the Amiibo Wars Season 5 Champion! DARK PIT currently stands at the top of the pack because unlike the other three, he has never seen an elimination round. He managed to best 40 other amiibos without ever being in danger, I'd say that's a huge accomplishment. Dark Pit is the lone survivor of the new amiibos and has beaten every other competitor at some point throughout this experience. He is a favorite to win and would make history as the first new amiibo to ever become a Champion! SHULK is the only former champion still left in the game. His performances impress in every group. He has managed to stay consistent throughout and proves himself to be strong in any match type put in his way. I think Shulk could also make history here as the first champion to win two seasons. Shulk is the poster boy for Amiibo Wars and I think his chances of winning again are very high. NESS has gone from the favorite to win to on the brink of elimination and brought it right back around again. There is no denying Ness's strength as an amiibo. I consider him the "Trap King" because he can catch opponents off guard and end their stock with a snap of his fingers. Ness dominated the first half of the season but around the middle started to struggle. He looked to be down and out as he got put into the Bottom 3 a couple of rounds back. I thought for sure there was no chance of him saving himself but he did it. Against all odds, Ness managed to bring it back and saved himself to compete in the Top 8 where he was back with a vengence, and dominated his peers, taking an automatic spot to the Final 4. Ness is hard to predict, but if he can keep up that dominance, he has a definite chance at becoming the Season 5 Champ! LITTLE MAC remains to be a wildcard. No one expected him to make it this far I'm sure, his inconsistencies have placed him in danger multiple times and he always seems to save himself when it counts. Out of the four, Little Mac has had the roughest ride to the top, and it's hard to tell if he will make it all the way to the end of this journey. He's unpredictable and continues to shock us. When we thought he was going to get obliterated in Team Matches last elimination round, he proved us wrong and stuck in there, taking four Team Match wins and securing his spot in the Final 4 without even competiting in a 1v1 match. Little Mac has come a long way, but is it enough to win a Championship? We're about to find out! The Final 4 is about to get underway, and we are on the verge of finding out who our Champion is going to be!

THE FINAL 4 RULES

THE FINAL 4 will pit our remaining competitors against each other in Bo5's. These 5 match types will be picked at random. If a Team Match is rolled, their teammate pool will be from the most recent  challengers eliminated from the Top 8. After all competitors have faced all other competitors, we will tally up the points and the one standing at the top will be crowned as the Season 5 Champion! If we have a tie, those two or three will be sent into a tie breaker to determine the winner.

THE FINAL

DARK PIT and SHULK are rolled into all 1v1 matches. As the series progressed it was pretty clear Dark Pit was pulling ahead and Shulk was struggling to keep up. Dark Pit really managed to keep Shulk on his toes in every match and it always came down to the last stock. By the end of the series the two had waged an all out war, but ultimately Shulk was able to come out ahead with the series coming 3:2 in favor of him. The Smash Ball matches at the end really brought things back for him. Right now, Shulk is looking good for his 2nd Championship Win. But we will have to see how the other match ups play out.

DARK PIT and NESS had a pretty one sided exchange. Though Ness was able to stay close in stocks/percents, Dark Pit managed to hold a clear lead in every single match. Match 4 came down to a few lucky combos that pushed Ness to a victory but overall it was Dark Pit who came out as the big winner. Dark Pit scored big here in this pairing, will it be enough to stay in the lead and snatch the Season 5 Championship?

DARK PIT and LITTLE MAC had a series that was much closer than the last. The start was looking pretty grim for Dark Pit. He got pretty much obliterated in the first two matches but in the third match he switched to a more passive/defensive playstyle and managed to hammer out a win. With Match 4 Dark Pit was back in the drivers seat with a dominant performance/win. Now that it's tied up, it comes down to Match 5, who will come out with the advantage in this pairing? It was made very clear that Dark Pit had figured out how to counter Little Mac and took full control, coming out of this series 3:2 making it look like a walk in the park where he had previously struggled. Dark Pit's Final 4 Results are pretty strong, he ends with 9 wins and 6 losses. Is this going to be enough to become Champion?

SHULK and NESS compete almost completely in Team Matches. Both of these amiibos have proved in the past to be strong team fighters and it came pretty close. Sadly for Ness though, his performance here wasn't strong enough to keep him in the running for the Championship. Even if he wins all 5 matches against Little Mac he wont have enough to even tie the Top Scorer. Shulk continues to come out ahead on his match ups which is showing a lot of promise for him. If he can score 4 or more wins against Little Mac he will be crowned the Season 5 Champion.

SHULK and LITTLE MAC went a lot differently than I expected. Last group, Shulk got obliterated by Little Mac but he managed to pull things around when he needed it the most. Even in a series that catered to Little Mac's strengths, Shulk prevailed and scored 4 out of 5 wins which only means one thing. WE HAVE OUR SEASON 5 CHAMPION!! The last series between Ness and Little Mac doesn't need to be played because neither of them managed to get enough wins to tie the top scorer.

THE FINAL RESULTS

THE REIGNING CHAMPION has done it again folks. SHULK is the first amiibo to ever win two Championships in Amiibo Wars history. He prevailed even when he was placed at a disadvantage. He handily beat all 3 opponents in the Final 4 in his Best of 5's and reclaimed his throne. Shulk Amiibo has it all and has proven he can manage in any situation he is put in. Two times now Shulk has battled through grueling group stages and survived perma-elimination. Season 4 he bested 34 other opponents, and this season he came out on top against 43. Shulk's performance has probably placed him at the top of the standings. Can he manage to stay there? Or is the twist for next season going to see a new power rise to the top? Season 6 will see 6 new competitors and is going to push 1v1 oriented amiibos to their limit. SEASON 6 IS GOING TO BE TEAM TURMOIL, they will be forced to work as a teammate all the way to the end. Who will stand at the top when you they can't just rely on their 1v1 skills? Will we see a whole new set of amiibos rise to the top? It's going to be interesting!! Keep an eye out for Season 6!

THE TOP 20 RANKINGS

THE SEASON 6 PRESEASON HAS BEGUN!! CHECK IT OUT HERE!!