Splatoon 3 Championship 2023

Unofficial

The Splatoon 3 Championship 2023 was a competitive tournament that occurred during Nintendo Live 2023 at PAX West on 2023-09-04, involving the top two finishing teams of each of two qualifying events.

Teams
Each of the four participating teams competed in and won one of two qualifying events on the weekends of 2023-06-03 and 2023-06-10.

Starburst
Even after failing to win the InkTV Resurgence League and having its winning streak against fellow Western teams broken by both Alliance Rogue and Jackpot, Starburst was still considered by many one of the top Western teams. As the only Western team in the Spring 2023 edition of the Splat World Championship to defeat a Japanese team and reach the Semifinal round, Starburst would later win at Low Tide City 2023 without dropping a single series or game.

With Kyo of Crush Soda substituting for Biscuit, Starburst entered the first qualifying event as a favorite but stumbled during the Ladder stage, losing twice to eventual #3 seed DNA and once to eventual #15 seed Take Ur Meds to finish the stage with an 11-3 match record as the #5 seed in the Bracket stage. However, it would sweep both #12 seed InC Red Sun and #4 seed Hypnosis 3-0 to reach the Double Elimination Stage Winners Semifinal Round, matched up against #1 seed and InkTV Resurgence League champions Jackpot. In a mostly back-and-forth series, Starburst would prevail 3-2. Then, it would defeat #7 seed Last Resort 3-1, earning the first spot in the Splatoon 3 Championship 2023.

Roster
(Note: Roles in bold are the primary role of a player.)

(C) Team captain

Bagel 🇺🇸 us, who participated in the first qualifying event, was also present but did not play during the live stream.

Jackpot
Jackpot entered the first qualifying event on a new high, having won the InkTV Resurgence League the previous month in dominating fashion, defeating its fellow Western giants Crush Soda, Starburst, and Alliance Rogue while losing only two games. Suddenly touted as the best of the West, it was also selected as one of four Western teams to qualify for the Splat World Championship.

It would continue its dominant streak over Western competition by winning all twelve of its matches in the Ladder stage – including over eventual #4 seed Hypnosis and eventual #8 seed Tongan Beliebers – before sweeping #16 seed BreakPoint and #9 seed Smoothie in the Bracket stage. However, #5 seed Starburst would exact revenge on Jackpot 3-2 in the Winners Semifinal (see above). After dropping down to the Losers Semifinal, Jackpot would drop the first game to #11 seed Duck Gang before winning the next three in a row to advance to the Losers Final, where it would sweep #7 seed Last Resort to claim the second ticket to the Splatoon 3 Championship 2023.

After qualifying, Jackpot remained very busy in the competitive scene, getting second in Splatamax #2 and third in Area Cup #2 and winning In The Zone 29, Mode Cup #3, Mode Cup: Clam Blitz Edition, and Golden Squid Junction. It also reached the Top 4 in the Summer 2023 edition of the Splat World Championship.

Crush Soda
After a fourth place finish in the InkTV Resurgence League, Crush Soda was still considered a major force in the North American competitive Splatoon scene. When its captain Kyo substituted for Biscuit on Starburst during the first qualifying event, the team brought in Twig, formerly of Ascension, to take Kyo's spot during its campaign in the second qualifying event. Once there, it crushed all opposition it faced, advancing from the Ladder stage as the #1 seed, winning all thirteen of its matches and 26 out of 27 games. Then, it swept #16 seed Triggerfish Zones Supremacy and #9 seed Surplus 3-0 in the Bracket stage before sweeping both #5 seed Duck Gang and #7 seed InC Red Sun 3-0 to punch its ticket to the Splatoon 3 Championship 2023.

Duck Gang
Previously known as Tempest, Duck Gang had built a reputation of upsetting some more highly regarded teams. In the first qualifying event, it advanced through the Ladder stage with a 8-1 match record and the 11th seed, only losing to Starburst. In the Bracket stage, it would continue springing upsets, sweeping #6 seed Triggerfish Zones Supremacy 3-0 and defeating #3 seed DNA 3-2 in a back-and-forth series. However, Duck Gang would suffer defeat to #7 seed Last Resort 3-2, failing to complete a reverse sweep. In the Losers Bracket, employing a double Inkjet composition, Duck Gang would steal Game 1 from Jackpot, but Jackpot would ultimately prevail, 3-1, and eliminate Duck Gang (see above).

Undeterred, Duck Gang would enter the second qualifying event the next weekend, earning the #5 seed on the strength of a 10-2 match record with losses only to eventual #15 seed DNA and #1 seed Crush Soda. However, after thwarting a reverse sweep attempt by #12 seed Set To Destroy X and sweeping #4 seed Paragon, Duck Gang would encounter Crush Soda again and lose in a 3-0 sweep partially due to a disconnect in the second and third games (see above). However, Duck Gang would recover in the Losers Bracket, defeating both #6 seed Sonder in Losers Semifinal and #7 seed InC Red Sun 3-1 each, seizing the final ticket to PAX West.

Roster
Xenith, who participated in the second qualifying event, was not available at this tournament

Tournament
Each team that earned its spot in the Splatoon 3 Championship 2023 in the first qualifying event was matched up against a team that qualified in the second qualifying event in the Semifinal Round. The winners of each Semifinal faced each other in the Finals.

For each round, a limited number of stages were available to choose from for all modes. Only main abilities were allowed for use.

For the first game of each bracket, the higher seed chose the mode while the lower seed chose the stage. After the first game, the winning team would choose the mode while the losing team chose the stage. Modes could not be chosen more than two times per match.

Semifinal Round
Stages

Semifinal 1: 🇺🇸 [[united states|us]] Jackpot vs. 🇺🇸 [[united states|us]] Duck Gang
(* - if neccessary)

Semifinal 2: 🇺🇸 [[united states|us]] Starburst vs. 🇺🇸 [[united states|us]] Crush Soda
(OT - denotes a game that went into Overtime)

(* - if necessary)

Final Round: 🇺🇸 [[united states|us]] Jackpot vs. 🇺🇸 [[united states|us]] Crush Soda
Stages

(OT - denotes a game that went into Overtime)

(* - if neccessary)

Commentary
Like in the Splatoon 3 North American Championship 2023, commentary was provided on Nintendo's YouTube channel by NBC Sports Northwest broadcaster Jordan Kent, Charles "NineWholeGrains" Whitehead, and Mellana. ShinyHunterZach once again provided in-depth analysis at the telestrator.