Smash professional Riddles triggers criticism for controller throwing

Top Ultimate player Riddles threw his controller on the floor at Genesis 9 in anger after unexpectedly losing a match, which sparked a huge debate in the community.

22-year-old Michael “Riddles” Kim is a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate pro who became the focus of a heated debate within the community when he slammed his controller to the ground after a losing match and just stormed off.

Genesis 9 is a big tournament that took place over the weekend. There was plenty of excitement at the big event for Super Smash Bros. Melee and Ultimate that wrapped up on Sunday – and finally an incident involving player Riddles that divided the community.

Riddles loses to Leon

Riddles is considered one of the best kazuya and terry mains in all of Canada and ranks ninth in North America. A member of Team Liquid, Riddles has placed in the top 10 of almost every tournament he has competed in. With Genesis 9, however, things looked different. When he played Nassim “Leon” Laib, it looked like he was going to win, but suddenly the tide turned and Riddles lost the game.

People were amazed because Riddles was among the favourites. Leon, on the other hand, is 77th. Riddles had a better chance than Leon, as you could see from the faces of the two players. Aside from congratulating Leon on his win, most people were stunned by what had happened.

Player slams controller on the ground

After the elimination, Riddles sat in his chair looking rather distraught. A few minutes later, out of frustration, he threw away his controller in a rage. The incident drew much criticism. Throwing from a controller is considered unsportsmanlike by many fans and players. Plus, it ruins the moment for the winner. Many fans pointed out that Riddles was constantly beating people, but they never threw their controllers out of anger.

Others said that just because he’s a top player and that his ego is too big, you shouldn’t let him get away with it. Other Smash players defended Riddles, saying it was just a one-time thing for him and that he was just pissed off at the moment.

A fan defended him, saying:

“It’s understandable because Riddles was really looking forward to G9 and talked about it being the biggest tournament of the year. He’s also been preparing a lot for G9 so it’s very disappointing that he’s out so early.”

Leon’s reaction to the incident

Leon said of the incident that throwing your controller out of frustration was “not the best idea”. Leon wasn’t expecting to defeat Riddles, however, and said he was “very surprised and shocked” that he was able to do it with his supporting character Chrom.

He wasn’t entirely surprised by Riddles’ reaction to the loss afterwards, either, although he didn’t entirely agree with his opponent’s behavior. The drama surrounding this split second has clearly added to Riddles. He shared with fans on Discord that he may be taking a break from Smash.

Header: Team Liquid