Thabeast721 vs iiPK | Grand Finals | GSA SMM2 Expert Mode Speedrun League Playoffs Season 3

Thabeast721 vs iiPK in our Super Mario Maker 2 Expert Mode Speedrun League Playoffs Grand Finals Season 3 with reaction cams! Special guest the mario maker legend Ryukahr on commentary!
Bracket: gsa.challonge....
Runners:
Thabeast721 ( / thabeast721 )
iiPK aka iPK ( / iipk )
Commentators:
ALTInsider ( / altinsiderfy )
ryukahr ( / ryukahr )
Follow GSA:
Twitch: / speedrun
KZbin: / globalspeedrunassociation
Twitter: / globalspeedrun
Discord: / discord
Instagram: / globalspeedrun
Facebook: / globalspeedrun
#thabeast721 #ryusmm #SMM2 thabeast mario maker

[@sink4672]

So glad they got Ryukahr on commentary. It's really nice having someone super knowledgeable of all things Mario Maker for the finale, no offence to previous commentators of course.

[@TammyBlackMedia]

Agreed! Really enjoyed the commentary for this match. 😊

[@jacobrusso3392]

Agreed, but we all know the other ones were garbage

[@indiging8330]

just say simply lol

[@redwings13400]

The finals lived up to the hype and more. Best match of the season at the best time.

[@Marvelous_Marco]

Was hardcore

[@iiPK]

It really warms my heart to see positive comments for both competitors. I had a great time competing in this season and I cannot wait for the next season :D Thanks for supporting your favorite competitors. It means a lot to us.

[@aaronalexanderortizsantos3585]

I wanted both of you to win so I'm really happy it was that close

[@007trocks]

I was sick to my stomach watching, i wanted Thab to win so much, but iPK really showed his pizzaz!!! Great Job everyone and Great commentary!!

[@thexbigxgreen]

It's hard to beat someone with so much delicious pizzaz. Mmm... Pizzaz...

[@rubenschlitz3324]

ThaBeast is still my hero and the winner of all hearts!!! And in my eyes the best player by technique overall, but iiPK is just so extremely good in strategy. But honestly the best game of the whole season!

[@liquidminds]

Those two playing and ryu in the commentary booth... allstar-game if I've ever seen one :-)

[@TheSallainen]

Ryu was a pleasent surprise for being a great commentator.

[@sink4672]

What a fantastic ending to a fantastic season. Great job to all runners, GSA staff, and our commentators.

[@krazyzyko]

This season's ruleset is definitely the way to go.

[@Donkeyiser]

I would have liked to see a change up in the case of a tie in the finals. Something like a best of 2 in levels instead of a best of 1. This one seemed a bit random for a series of roughly 70 levels to come down to who was quicker at 1

[@fishermanWyatt-qg6tw]

Donkeyiser best of 2??? lol wtf

[@Donkeyiser]

@@fishermanWyatt-qg6tw I mean at the end for the tiebreaker - so instead of who finishes first on one level, you would need to win two levels

[@Angriffskuchen]

@@Donkeyiser or you need to win a tie breaker by a 2 wins lead

[@JustChrisTM]

1:49:50 was the best line in Mario commentary history

[@DjAether8]

Congrats to the winner. I believe 2 pair of eyes defeats 1. The other person can be looking at something different on screen and let the homie know ' hey theres a pipe/block/door there'. While the player playing on his own can easily keep missing that because of how chaotic levels can be. Something to consider in high competitive tournaments like these. Just a big fan of SMM and I follow plenty of speedrunners, fave being Ryukahr

[@007trocks]

ipk even mentioned that Ariel advised to skip a level at 2:10:15... having a 2nd party really seems to be advantageous.

[@DjAether8]

@@007trocks yeah man, I don't hate, I'm nowhere near their level. I'm good at controlling my character and jumping all that shit. But shell jumps and all that tricky stuff, still practicing, didn't even know it was a thing lol But yeah I do see is as a disadvantage for other players, especially if the one there is also a decent player.

[@sean3920]

iipk lost game 3 (the one where ariel advised him to skip). thab is also entitled to his spectators and there's no real way to police it anyway. People need to chill and just let the man have his championship. Ariel's comment made no difference as iipk lost that game anyway.

[@DjAether8]

@@sean3920 if someone has a companion then they should only be able to do 2 skips. It's like using up a lifeline 🤷‍♂️ 🤣

[@10thletter40]

@@sean3920lts not about whether he won or lost its about how this can be used and whether its fair in competitive gameplay

[@patsayjack402]

This was an absolutely incredible match. As close as it could possibly be I wish I could watch them play against each other all the time.

[@Brendan_Myers]

Best race of all time, padding the video to prevent spoilers, commentary was great. Awesome finale GSA and congrats to the champ!

[@upside93]

Best match of all time. Really sad thabeast lost, but this was crazy.

[@simonheindl6522]

after this match i realy thing ipk is the best SMM2-Player (in general, that means every-mode-skills combined) in the world ... so ipk deserves the victory - thabeast especially because thabeast is an extremely strong player (when it comes to "normal"-SM-playing - Singleplayer)

[@itsnottimetostop4462]

@@simonheindl6522 hasn't Thab won a previous matchup? Not saying IPK isn't great, but it's hard to say who's actually better. They've both consistently shown they're a level above the rest though.

[@Daniel-ye4uz]

When you read the comments before the video is over.....

[@lswcs]

Wow, everything was perfect to watch! Ryukahr and Altinsider were really entertaining together, and Thab and Ipk were just machines! Definitely the best match I have ever seen!

[@Base5615]

This season has been so fun to watch and what an amazing end! Can't wait for the next one!

[@elkholygamer720]

we want a honorary match between thebeast and ryukahr

[@erincondron8105]

Or iIPK, he's the champion.

[@MarkNante]

I couldn't care less about ryukahr, a guy who quit like a bitch the last tournament...

[@williambrown8249]

Thank you for the padding at the end of the video.

[@floivanus]

... padding? What padding??

[@ahuruglica]

Adam Scott black screen so no one can know by watching the progress bar who will win.

[@TheOgIamOrder66]

@@ahuruglica they did it on the one video that didn't need it lmao

[@BrantAxt]

This video didn't need it haha

[@commbir5148]

The padding was the real MVP. Here's hoping they do it on every single competition video from here on out.

[@avrturo]

I've seen a lot of comments talking about coaching in these speedruns and am quite interested in knowing if the league will add any restrictions? I do think that it should at least be discussed since...well let's be honest, having a knowledgable partner help you could be seen as unfair in some situations. However, if the league decides to allow coaches then all of the issues will be solved. Still, huge shoutout to GSA for hosting these tournaments and providing us with hours of entertainment :)

[@DGAvalon]

Hey Lilturo, we are very actively discussing the rules changes and updates on the discord in the SMM2 room, so if you'd like to be involved in the shaping of this competition join the discord and join the conversation!!

[@avrturo]

@@DGAvalon Thanks I just checked out the discord!

[@mbwchampion]

That matchup was so amazing from top to bottom. And also shoutout to the best commentary team. Congrats!!! That was great!

[@wichiwichi123]

Best of the best match ever!!! OMG!!!! BOTH are wooow!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Rodrigo-oo4yc]

Fiorella María Meza Sáenz missing Lilkirbs

[@maxwuup2152]

how did i watch 30min without noticing its Ryukhar :o what great finals man!

[@MaxVids1]

Because you couldn't see the beard.

[@dmacks]

Congrats both. Great job on commentary too. And thanks for the extended video. 👍

[@F4T4LS]

*SPOILERS* ThaB... What a player... iPK did a great job there, playing with someone next to you with an extra set of eyes watching out for you can surely be that edge you need to win from someone like ThaB! Great skill from iPK anyhow... Epic season, great community! Can't wait for next event! 🎮♥️

[@commbir5148]

I've never heard anyone say before that a spectator could lead to an advantage, but now that you mention it it's an interesting thought. Might be worth players and the league discussing whether or not it constitutes an unfair advantage?

[@alexwall438]

@@commbir5148 it is no doubt possibly an unfair advantage. Ipks buddy next to him could have been relaying his opponents move on live stream out of view.

[@samandmax42]

It's just his girlfriend. I don't think that's an unfair advantage. But yeah, that support maybe counts for something.

[@F4T4LS]

@@samandmax42 I still kind of think it is.. I don't say iPK did this, but he could instruct anyone next him to look at pipes/blocks/other distractions while he focuses on the raw gameplay, you don't hear anything from their side while playing the game, so it's still a possibility, even more so with someone familiar with the game ofcourse. 4 eyes see way more than 2 do. He even said she told him to skip that snowball level, so it's not all his ideas/decisions. He lost that match, but could work in his favor as well if you feel my drift. This should be you doing all the work/thinking. Fair game to him though! Something GSA should look into for next competitions in my opinion!

[@TulsaCane12]

@@F4T4LS In relation to this, from what I've heard from people that watch iipk, they say he plays completely different when his girlfriend is there then when she isnt. In a better way. He doesnt lose his cool. Shes there to calm him down. Which in my opinion shouldn't be allowed. Part of playing in a tournament is the mental aspect, if you can't play well, constantly get rattled, that's on you. It was fun to watch regardless though

[@ivan_pozdeev_u]

Ha-ha, Ryu casting commentator's curses left and right! Welcome to the industry, pal! :)

[@BadPotat0]

1:34:45 if anyone saw the movie "The Wizard", thabeast actually had a great premonition moment there, just like the kid finding the castle skip at the finals competition.

[@altinsider9264]

One of my fav movies of all time. The only reason I'm commentating now is to be able to commentate the World Championships of Super Mario Maker 8 someday.

[@OrlandoRiveraLetelier]

I think he didn't catch the cheese, and brought a bomb just in case.

[@MattyPeq]

I've come this far and I'm willing to come a bit furter. Thank you, GSA!

[@harktheclark]

What a great match! Just wanted to throw a quick shout out to whoever posted video and made it 2:30:00 long. Especially for the playoff matches, it would be so great if all of them could do that. I can’t watch them very often due to time differences, so it’s great not to have them spoiled. Once again, thank you, you’re beautiful people, and I love you romantically.

[@ThePotaToh]

Thab got unlucky but still made a comeback! Too bad for the mistake at the end. I think he is good enough to win next time!

[@aiden3229]

Wish the beast would have claimed the victory!

[@RHS1305]

@No Comment I don't get the hate for iPK. Why don't y'all just appreciate them both for putting on a show for us..

[@itsamenl]

Yeah, wish he won as well. IPK did well though. Beast is still my MVP though. :D

[@Baconjuror]

Isaiah I agree, iPK use to be a competitive Smash Bros. player and always strive to do his best.

[@RHS1305]

@No Comment that's a big yikes..

[@ciciuk3695]

@No Comment C'mon, dude, you're free to support who you want to... just don't be mad if the man you chose lost and, most of all, don't you hate on the opponent, there's no point. iiPK played really well this season, I personally rooted for him; had won ThaBeast, tho, I would not have insulted him. You gotta respect the effort someone puts in the competition, even if you're not a fan of them.

[@Marvelous_Marco]

Great Grand Finals 👍 loved every single moment didn't even skip the advertisements used that as a quick restroom break or get some cookies lol. Loved it. Keep pushing out the content 💪

[@yffoh678]

Awesome final, awesome commentary, awesome ending. What a way to end the season! Can't wait for the next! :)

[@0Clewi0]

It's funny that you guys added time to the last match where they went to the last game anyway.

[@ChettahZpeed]

Clicked on to instantly like the match, so glad I watched it live

[@SolarisKane]

This match is so good I've watched twice in a month!

[@VexedMed]

So sick, best players to see in the finals. Ryukahr on the commentary too! Maybe he'll be playing the next final! Panga would be another great commentary invite, just saying gsa

[@chadmanigan]

This match was unbelievable!! Great Stuff!!

[@theabner880]

Really hoped Thab would win, but IPK played well and earned the title. Great match by both competitors.

[@pateralus9]

11/02/2022 - I'm late to the party watching the Grand Finals for S3, but I'm so glad I took the time to watch given that it's a match between two legends, IPK & Thabeast721! And I really love the commentary ALTInsider has done all season, & I'm a Ryukahr fan so I'm happy to see everyone together for this! I hadn't watched any SMM2 GSA matches since 2019 so I'm glad I'm catching up now. Congrats to IPK on winning this season, & of course to Thab for placing 1st, 1st, & 2nd in the first three seasons. What an amazing run! Can't wait to see what happens in future seasons, time to catch up even more! :o)

[@pateralus9]

I think the thing I love most about watching Thab & IPK play is that they both make their characters look like little ninjas flipping around, avoiding enemies & obstacles, & sniffing out the goal in no time. When I play SMM2, my character resembles an old grandpa trying to get out of a recliner. IPK & Thab's character looks like a Sasuke (Ninja Warrior) contestant completing Stage 4 in record time.

[@Jay-Kaizo]

GG to ipk. He kept calm on that final level and made it through just in time. Very close and exciting match. Every season the rules are getting better in this competition. I think there's still a few unfair kinks to work out. Maybe some additional rules. Having the players play the same levels is much better than the random ones with unlimited skips.

[@DGAvalon]

We are constantly discussing them on the Discord! So definitely join in with the conversation if you'd like to be part of where this competition goes!

[@Jay-Kaizo]

@@DGAvalon Sounds good. I'll join soon. Either way, this competition is evolving into something pretty awesome.

[@otterlyalex6248]

Ryukahr commenting, tippy toe nail biting match, plus appreciate the super long extra video so we can't tell who is going to win. Awesome

[@lucaspedraza6161]

cuando es el proximo torneo? me re alegro que haya ganado ipk!! igual los 2 lo hicieron re bien! muy buen partido!!! when is the next tournament?

[@thexbigxgreen]

Seems slightly unfair to have someone by your side to coach you on when you should be skipping levels and such. Congrats to iPK though, holy shit what a contest.

[@joeyjoseph8837]

they couldve also been watching the stream

[@GnikNeb]

No coaches allowed next season please. The beast might have won if not for the other player getting advice during the match.

[@sean3920]

Except that iiPK lost that round anyway

[@GnikNeb]

@@sean3920 I'm pretty sure if he was getting advice on that level, then he was probably getting advice for all 7 sets. When he talked about getting advice, he did not seem apologetic like he thought it was bad sportsmanship. In my opinion it was bad sportsmanship.

[@Jay-Kaizo]

I completely agree. While ipk is a great player, you can clearly see him discussing things the entire time. Having someone there to spot things that you couldn't see in the chaos is a huge advantage. I was disappointed seeing that right from the start. It should've just been the players and that's it. You don't have helpers in other tournaments.

[@sean3920]

​@@GnikNeb speculative. And he shouldn't be apologetic for having someone else in the room either. What's more is: other sports have "helpers" everywhere. Actual coaches that orchestrate plays from a holistic perspective, fans that disrupt players both with crowd noise and with psychological aspects, etc. some sports literally have phones nearby to call and get opinions on things. You know the difference between one person making an off-comment about doing something and a crowd booing or otherwise trying to pressure you into doing something? Nothing. As the professional, you're expected to have the judgement on whether to listen to the noise and respond to it or not.

[@GnikNeb]

@@sean3920 It is more likely than not. It is a fact that he was helped at least once and was not apologetic about it. Why would we assume that this only happened once? Most solo sports do have rules about not being helped during matches. Or they are limited to the number of times that the coaches can help them (time outs). It depends on what the game is testing the player on. In this sport the players are already limited from seeing each others screens/scores. They are not allowed in voice chat. I am unsure why they would be allowed live chat but not voice chat. Why not have the coaches on discord with all of the players fans. The fans can give the coach suggestions and answers to puzzles. The coach could relay them to the player. This would make it easier for the player. But I would rather have it forced on the player to make the decisions and execute the play. I do not want others to make the decision and only leave the execution to the player. This would diminish puzzle levels or other visual clue levels that are part of the game. Or technical levels like the snowball level, it was a real decision that thabeast721 and iiPK had to make to keep trying or to skip the level. The level was fundamentally a test of their knowledge of the game. Knowing when to skip and when to keep trying is fundamental to the race. The coach may have technical knowledge that the player does not. Maybe they could tell them how to beat a difficult but short level like the snowball yeet level. I would rather have the competition be solely a test of the player that is currently playing. Coaching simulator is not as fun to watch for me.

[@steeevealbright]

What we need is live game audio from each player and it switches whenever one of them takes the lead. Also some sort of sound effect or digital announcer voice for each clear and each skip.

[@andisetiawan7907]

I love u create a tournament like this in the middle of pandemi covid-19 because we don't have much entertaiment in the home

[@Lampyboi]

He says Thab might have been a geometry major in college, but he really does have a math degree lmao

[@alexwall438]

No disrespect to either player, these are the legends and all. But how do we know if one of these guys aint being tipped off by their opponents stream?

[@seagee845]

No Comment this was definitely live on twitch

[@LordPhilipJFry]

That would be such a waste of time. Every second counts when you only have 15 minutes.

[@erikhidayanto]

@@LordPhilipJFry not if you have someone beside you watching the stream and the level is pick a path type and your opponent finished first. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ66n5V5pdSNgKc

[@alexwall438]

@@erikhidayanto is what i was hinting at. Not saying IPK cheated but he definitely had the option to, or anyone else in the matter. GG to both IPK and Beast regardless.

[@theabner880]

I am not saying that happened, but I was confused when IPK looked surprised after viewing the info for the OT level. If you read his lips it looks like he says "He finished first" referring to Thabeast. He should know that the top name is the one who most recently finished the level right? And not fastest time. Why was he so shocked at first to see Thabeast on top? When he sees Thab it also looks like he says "I'm out". Not saying he had anyone watching Thabs stream while he was playing, but his reaction was confusing. Maybe in the moment he wasn't thinking about the order of names and what they meant.

[@Ivancsantana2]

Great match! Could go to either one, but I think Ipk had better skipping strategies and that made the difference!

[@Zippah85]

Could not have asked for a better finale! Can't wait for next season!

[@axel.s]

These guys are so even, it's crazy. Thabeast with better tech and reactions, but those reactions also come with more risk and iIpk with better strategy. Both amazing players

[@seancartwright8291]

Great game. The runners in the description are for the bronze match

[@SpeedrunEvents]

Fixed, thank you!

[@karimolin8560]

Wow that was an amazing match ♥️ Two and a half hours i didn't feel bored for a second. Great commentators and great players. GG to IPK definitely a deserved win. Thab is still my champion ♥️

[@SavingPrivateBob]

Such a historic moment in Mario Maker history right here

[@MetsForLife5]

23:28 ThaB makes such a risky jump that only he could make.

[@Ssssssnakeisone]

Watched the vod on Twitch shortly after it ran live. Alt doing heavy lifting, race was nuts. I bet on Thab from day one, and am perfectly happy with the results 🙂

[@noahv17]

Im ready to watch this insane match

[@iveo83]

pro production adding extra time to not spoil ending! :D

[@HauntedOath]

the chat was so annoying with the pikachu spam

[@d43c1121]

@GSA thank you guys for the spoiler feee length, I will never forget this game love this event

[@theabner880]

Just watched the last OT match again and was wondering how close it would have been if Thab had made the initial jump on the flying POW block. Looked like it cost him 5 or 6 seconds.

[@dolceamore5712]

Always excited to see thabeast and ryu in the same video!

[@takesalotta112]

Incredible insane match! I'm sad but good game

[@Vendal89]

the last 20 mins of the video are lit af

[@MonsieurManatane]

great final with 2 awesome players

[@abdullahal-kanderi1520]

ok we can all admit IPK is a seriously great player but it was a bit too obvious whenever beast was ahead ipk was going thru some "coaching" "second screen" strats thru out the match.

[@micahflips1928]

I noticed that too! Pretty lame

[@gayasfme]

I agree it was deadly obvious I dont think that should be allowed.

[@Baconjuror]

There was no second screen involved.

[@commbir5148]

@@Baconjuror How can you say that for certain?

[@jbsmm2112]

So glad to have been there live!

[@flyingpigmonkey1]

Excellent match, saw some of it live. I was very upset that the posted schedule was incorrect however.

[@ssdeathsquad88]

IPK should not be allowed a coach right next 2 him telling him what 2 do in the puzzle levels ext, Kinda BS actually.

[@michaelpement5168]

GG to both players! I was rooting for Thab, but still a great match! You'll get it next year, Beast!

[@calebjohnson4828]

Can we all just agree, that iipk definetely cheated by having someone there watching the stream watching Thav, there were a couple suspect moments

[@slickricky769]

Idk if he cheated.. but I did find it weird that he had a coach next to him ... But eh i mean I think his win is legit...

[@Telruin]

I don't think either of the players would insecure enough about this to resort to cheating. And I don't think that was actually a coach. (They seem to call anyone who might show up with the players, their coach) (I can think of a few ways you could cheat at this system, but as I said. I don't believe either of these players would have atempted to cheat. They would have everything to lose by doing that.)

[@reaperzero9794]

Ryu why I hear you talking but no see you playing ?

[@bramy3646]

He's commentating but he has no intention to compete

[@dddr.]

They are so insanely good. Impressive how one can be so good at a game

[@pedrorosique5118]

Superfinal! Im loving it

[@lenskihe]

That was high level entertainment.

[@benfulford813]

Amazing finale to this season. Very worth the watch. Congrats to both beast and iipk. Great gameplay to both. I'm #teamthab next season

[@Clandonw]

My son and I love Thab!!!!! Proud of how well he played!

[@greenheroes]

why is there 18 minutes of black screen at the end?

[@emilia935]

There were complaints in previous matches about the result being obvious from looking at video length, so they are now all standardised to 2:30.

[@lollel1497]

0:05:00 this is a level from a german youtuber. Hes called GermanLetsPlay and he have 3.33 Million subs

[@jeannieh3661]

Great match and Ryu is commentating!!! This is great!

[@habibk.2423]

Congrats to both ipk and thabeast. Great plays!

[@elbrint]

Congrats to @iPunchKidsz and also @THABEAST721 for such an insane finale WOW

[@simonn3623]

Stunning match! Congrats

[@shaundiltz5821]

you guys should show the skips in the display Great race though. Go Thab

[@OrlandoRiveraLetelier]

The final was just incredible, amazing. Sadly Altinsider lost the oportunity to ask ryu about his participation on season 3.

[@karinisvetcool]

Omg I got so mad in the 5th game when Beast didn't realise he was in the sub-world !

[@Madridiq8e]

it sucked to see thabeast being nervous in some levels, and as much as I love him, iPK deserved to win this tournament, he's a great player, but winning this tournament does not mean he's the best mario maker 2 player, I still think thabeast is number 1

[@Diabandana]

Random question but was there a cash prize??? 0.o :o i didn’t know haha

[@DGAvalon]

There was, there was a set value plus a share of all donations and bits and subs during the season.

[@brendanaparicio6339]

Around 1 and a half hours in the beast rolls a natural 20 and find a random shelmet.

[@clucl3]

LMAO "Expert...uh...uh...uh...vamping"

[@chineseviking]

The commentator Alt needs to work on remembering who is who when he's calling the speedrunners names. Otherwise awesome, was great having Ryu there.

[@airlanggadiandraputra2836]

Please make the super expert league come true, but with 15 or 20 mins timer (unlimited skip ofc), maybe level with #technical (new update) tag only. Thab (and the others) can't really showoff their skill and sightreading skill fully in expert, there's not much to do. Please like if agree, let GSA know.

[@DGAvalon]

We are actually discussing a super expert version. It was tested in the season too! Join the discord to get in on that conversation and help shape the game mode!

[@SolarisKane]

Where the hell is season 4?

[@jace15076]

iiPK is spending his winnings on a $100 haircut and 3 tanning bed sessions.

[@painkiller5657]

2 hour match comes down to less than 10 seconds difference. That's as close as you can get. congrats to iPK. imo, thab is still the better technical player. He'd win in kaizo levels or super expert. You can see the difference here with those levels with shell/spring jumps and kaizo speed runs.

[@michaelpaxman9731]

ThaBeast = Roger Federer iiPK = Rafeal Nadal

[@ssdeathsquad88]

That guy isnt as good as BEAST its clear 2 see. He won with better skip management which isnt a mario skill imho. Over 5 times the commentators were mind blown at THAB moments he did insane things. IPK could barley do a spring jump lul!

[@PtylerBeats]

AltInsider wanted IPK to win so bad lol

[@RHS1305]

This was some Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa shit

[@jpvaldez4713]

Damn..i,wanted,dabeast to win...he will always be #1..