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Friendlies: Silent Wolf, the Silent but Deadly
As soft-spoken as his namesake would suggest, this ultra-technical Fox still has plenty to say.
Silent Wolf at Paragon 2015
© Jonathan Tayag / @itsjustatank
In the early days of Melee, there were two universal measures of a player: mind games and tech skill. Both are self-explanatory: A player with mind games is strong at reading opponents and a player with tech skill can play fast, overwhelming opponents with perfect wavedashes, L-cancels and shield pressure. Before huge prize pots and sponsored tournaments became commonplace, most players focused on one of those two facets of their game.
Otto “Silent Wolf” Bisno is regarded as one of the most technical Foxes in Melee, both past and present. Prioritizing tech skill from a young age Silent Wolf has always had the ability to hang with the best. Over the course of his career he has shown exactly how devastating his fast-paced style can be, but keeping up to speed with the modern era has been no cakewalk, either.
Speed = Power
From his earliest days in competitive Melee, Silent Wolf prioritized tech skill above all else. He believed that if he could move like the pros, it would make him one. “When I was first finding out about the competitive scene, watching top players from around the world play for the first time back in early 2005, I thought that if I could simply do the things I was seeing, I would be as good as them.”
Silent Wolf spent the beginning of his Melee career practicing tech skill for hours on end, perfecting complicated maneuvers until they were child’s play. “Melee was one of the deepest games I had ever played [in terms of tech skill] and I could tell there was a lot to be found, so experimenting back then when the game was young was very exciting. For a few years my goal wasn't even to become the best player. I just wanted to be known as the most technical.” In that, he succeeded. Silent Wolf was doing things in 2007 that many top players still don’t do today: Tech skill videos like the one below prove that.
His dedication served him well. In the pre-MLG era of Melee, Silent Wolf’s technical play was enough to make most players crumble. But a run-in with Mew2King was enough to convince him that it would take more than speed to defeat top players. “I remember the turning point was when I played Mew2King at Tourney Play 2 in my home state. I realized I would probably never be able to beat someone like him without thinking about my actions more and playing more efficiently. That's when I switched gears and really focused on how to improve.”
The greatest crew ... ever?
Silent Wolf grew up around one of the most colorful communities in early Melee: the Washington Smash scene. Born and raised in Seattle, Silent Wolf eventually stumbled upon SKYPAL, the cornerstone of the Washington Melee community. This was where he found the players who would eventually be his very first crew. “My first real exposure to the players was attending a Smashfest hosted by the SKYPAL crew, which were the elites back in the day. From there, me and a few other newcomers at the time kinda had to earn their respect: people like me, DJ Combo, Gimpyfish and Bladewise.”
The four newcomers bonded quickly, and eventually made a name for themselves as the best crew in Washington, slowly overcoming SKYPAL. They also became great friends in the process. “Before the SKYPAL guys all quit, we became good friends and I'm still close with those three I mentioned.”
The modern Washington scene is still growing, in large part thanks to "The Smash Brothers" documentary. “Ever since Evo 2013 and the release of the Smash documentary, the local scene here has been expanding. We have 60- to 100-man monthlies, among other tourneys popping up. For the last few years there hasn't really been anyone who could touch me or Bladewise really. We did have CIZ and Toph fairly recently, but they ended up moving out of the region sadly. Not to say that the players below us aren't improving, though.”
Opportunity cost
Silent Wolf’s amazing technical skill has won him more than a few games, but it has come at a price. Silent Wolf has placed well nationally since 2007, but over the past four years he has struggled against physical damage to his hands. “I can't practice as much as I would like to. Repetitive motion destroys my hands. I just have to do everything in moderation. It's showed no signs of going away, but hasn't gotten worse in the last two years, either.”
Silent Wolf was a Top 8 finisher at Evo 2014
© Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com
This hand damage has put Silent Wolf in a compromising Catch-22 situation. Either he can properly rest his hands and shirk valuable practice that he needs to compete at the top level, or continue to play and risk further damage. Neither are great options. “With Smash and school, I can't really find time to adequately rest them. They just ache worse and worse the more I stress them out. When I'm not playing I'm pretty much always wearing wrist braces on both hands.” And it’s not just Melee that suffers because of it. Silent Wolf is currently studying geology and paleontology at the University of Washington, and living off of his winnings in Smash. Both are important to him, but without a healthy pair of hands, both will suffer.
Overpopulation
With the ever-growing abundance of major tournaments popping up, it’s become harder and harder for Silent Wolf to get the rest he needs. But even outside the issue of his hands, Silent Wolf is unsure if the current growth Melee is seeing is sustainable. “It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. More tournaments means more opportunity for new players to become exposed to what top level Melee is, but for those who know [the game], it becomes repetitive and deteriorates the hype. However, it's difficult to stop when people are always willing to travel to these events, especially with so many of them having legit sponsors these days.”
For players like Silent Wolf who fund their own journeys to tournaments, it has become more difficult to keep up with top sponsored players. Not because of a gap in talent, but because it’s become a Herculean feat to simply stay relevant while also working or studying full time. “I'd consider myself pretty low-key when it comes to the Melee scene, but I think a big part of why it seems that way is that there are so many tourneys nowadays. People are quick to forget the last big national when another two happen later that month. People who have been around long enough know me, but the new heads which comprise most of today's scene often have a shallow perspective on players and where they stand.”
Silent Wolf is a stoic guy and that suits him fine
© Jonathan Tayag / @itsjustatank
Perspective
Without a doubt, Silent Wolf loves Smash. But that said he doesn’t plan to live his life around the game forever. “I've played Melee more than half my life and it was the medium by which I was introduced to most of my best friends and girlfriend. It's definitely a huge part of my life at this point. [But] I wouldn't want to ruin something I love by turning it into an obligation. It can also be stressful relying on winning to pay your rent.”
Someday, Silent Wolf will walk away from competitive Smash. But that day hasn’t come yet, and until it does he’s going to push as hard as he can to make it to the top. “I was pretty much raised through my experiences with this game and the community that came along with it, and don't know where I'd be had I not gotten so involved with it many years ago. I'll always play Melee as long as I'm physically capable, and I'm definitely looking to get sponsored here and now. I just don't expect it to last me a lifetime is all.”
“P.S. Take care of your hands.”
Tune in next week for another installment of "Friendlies," our look at the people who make up the Smash Bros. community.
For more Smash Bros. features, follow @redbullESPORTS on Twitter.
