In the competitive arena of esports, where the line between fierce rivalry and basic decency can blur, a professional Super Smash Bros. player crossed into territory the community would not quietly accept. After defeating a 15-year-old competitor at a Texas tournament in May 2023, Enrique Maister Hernández told the teenager he 'fucking sucks' — words that traveled far beyond the venue. What followed was less a story about trash-talk and more a story about a community pausing to ask what it expects from those who represent it at the highest level.
Smash Bros. Pro's Trash Talk Backfires When Teen's Mom Calls Him Out
A 15-year-old competitor was verbally abused by an adult professional player after losing a competitive match.
even if you win, you're still a loser all around
Mark
So a pro player told a teenager he sucked after beating him. Why does that matter enough to become a story?
Mimi
Because it happened in front of everyone, and because he's an adult competing against a child. The power imbalance is real. When you win and then demean someone, especially someone that young, it sends a message about what the community accepts.
Luke
But we should be clear: we only have one account of what was said, from a screenshot of a DM. We don't have video, we don't have Maister's version of events in the moment—just his later apology.
Mimi
That's fair. But the apology itself is interesting because it confirms the core of what happened. He didn't deny saying it. He said he shouldn't have.
Mark
What changed his mind? Why did he delete the first tweet and apologize?
Mimi
Syrup's mother. She called him out publicly, and the community backed her. That's the real story—not just that he said something cruel, but that someone held him accountable and people listened.
Luke
The community support matters, but we should note that Syrup himself apparently didn't want to engage with Maister's attempts to make amends. That's his choice, and it's worth acknowledging.
Mark
Did this cost Maister anything beyond his reputation?
Luke
Not that we know of. He still placed third in the tournament and won doubles. There's no mention of any formal consequences from the event organizers.
Mimi
The reputation hit is real though. In esports, especially in a tight-knit community like Smash, that matters. People remember.
Mark
And Syrup? How is he doing?
Mimi
We don't know. His mother spoke for him, which is appropriate given his age. But the kid placed ninth at a major tournament, which is solid. He's still competing.
Il Polso
- A professional adult player directed a crude insult at a 15-year-old after beating him in a high-stakes match, a moment witnessed and quickly shared across social media.
- Maister's initial attempt to defend his behavior online only accelerated the backlash, turning a bad moment into a prolonged public reckoning.
- Syrup's mother, posting under the name Orchid, delivered a pointed and unsparing rebuke that resonated far beyond the Smash community — arriving just one day after Mother's Day.
- The community rallied decisively around the teenager and his mother, signaling a collective standard that even accomplished competitors are expected to meet.
- Maister deleted his justification, issued a fuller apology, and acknowledged the trash-talk was unprovoked and indefensible — but the reputational cost had already been paid.
In the competitive arena of esports, where the line between fierce rivalry and basic decency can blur, a professional Super Smash Bros. player crossed into territory the community would not quietly accept. After defeating a 15-year-old competitor at a Texas tournament in May 2023, Enrique Maister Hernández told the teenager he 'fucking sucks' — words that traveled far beyond the venue. What followed was less a story about trash-talk and more a story about a community pausing to ask what it expects from those who represent it at the highest level.
At Low Tide City 2023, a Texas esports tournament held over the weekend of May 13 and 14, professional Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player Enrique Maister Hernández defeated a 15-year-old competitor known as Syrup in a Top 8 match. After the fist-bump that followed, Maister told the teenager, 'You fucking suck.' Another player screenshot a direct message account of the incident and posted it to Twitter, and the Smash community's reaction was immediate and harsh.
Maister, who finished third overall and won the doubles competition that weekend, attempted to defend himself online. That decision made things worse. Syrup's mother, known on Twitter as Orchid, responded directly and without restraint: 'As an adult, I think players such as yourself have no class, zero sportsmanship, even if you win, you're still a loser all around.' Her words spread rapidly through the community and beyond, landing with particular force given that she posted them just a day after Mother's Day.
Maister deleted his initial response and issued a longer apology the following day. He said he had tried to contact Syrup, who declined, and acknowledged that the trash-talk was entirely unprovoked — Syrup had said nothing to him before, during, or after the match. 'He is a great player with a lot of potential in him,' Maister wrote. 'What I said was unacceptable, and I'm sorry.' He offered his age lapse as context, not an excuse, and committed to handling similar situations differently in the future.
Orchid received an outpouring of support from players and fans, and she thanked the community for their 'kind words, support and the Mother's Day wishes.' What had begun as one player's poor judgment had become something larger — a moment in which a community drew a visible line around what it would and would not accept from its professionals.
The moment arrived at Low Tide City 2023, a sprawling esports tournament that filled a Texas venue over the weekend of May 13 and 14. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nintendo's fighting game that pulls characters from across its franchises into one chaotic arena, was one of the marquee events. During a Top 8 match, professional player Enrique Maister Hernández defeated a 15-year-old competitor known as Syrup. After the win, Maister fist-bumped the teenager and then told him, "You fucking suck."
The words landed hard enough that another esports player, Jude Jakal Harris, screenshotted a direct message account of what happened and posted it to Twitter. Within the Smash community, the reaction was swift and negative. Maister, who would finish third overall in the tournament and also win the doubles competition that weekend, attempted to defend himself on social media. That decision proved to be a miscalculation.
Syrup's mother, who goes by Orchid on Twitter, saw the exchange and responded directly to Maister. She did not soften her words. "As an adult, I think players such as yourself have no class, zero sportsmanship, even if you win, you're still a loser all around," she wrote. "I have the utmost respect for all players but you're the low of the low! No doubt." The tweet, posted on May 14, struck a chord. It circulated through the Smash community and beyond, gathering support from players and fans who recognized something they had seen before: an adult competitor taking a victory lap at the expense of a child.
Maister deleted his initial justification and posted a longer apology the next day. He said he had tried to reach out to Syrup but the teenager was not interested in talking to him, which Maister said he understood. He acknowledged that he should never have trash-talked the younger player, not only because of Syrup's age but because the teenager had done nothing to provoke it. Syrup had not said anything to him before, during, or after the match. "He is a great player with a lot of potential in him, he got 9th at a major tonight for a reason," Maister wrote. "What I said was unacceptable, and I'm sorry."
In his statement, Maister offered context for his behavior, though he was careful to call it something other than an excuse. He said he had simply forgotten how young Syrup was. He closed by committing to learn from the mistake and to handle similar situations differently going forward. The apology came too late to prevent the damage to his reputation within the community, but it did mark a clear reversal from his initial attempt to justify the trash-talk.
Orchid's tweet became the focal point of the story. It went viral within Smash circles, and she received an outpouring of support from other competitors and fans. The timing—her message landed just a day after Mother's Day—seemed to amplify its resonance. In response to the well-wishes directed at her son and the backing for her own words, Orchid thanked the community for their "kind words, support and the Mother's Day wishes." She said she was "truly grateful and touched" by how people had shown up for her family. The incident had become less about one player's poor judgment and more about a community deciding what it would and would not tolerate from its professionals.
Citazioni salienti
As an adult, I think players such as yourself have no class, zero sportsmanship, even if you win, you're still a loser all around.— Orchid, Syrup's mother, on Twitter
He is a great player with a lot of potential in him, he got 9th at a major tonight for a reason. What I said was unacceptable, and I'm sorry.— Maister, in his apology statement
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Kotaku Australia ↗
Sports