Check Out Epengu's Dope Shine 2018 Player Interviews

Over the last few years, Zane “Epengu” Bhansali has slowly become one of the best live interviewers in the competitive Smash scene. After honing his skills creating content with HTC eSports and as a commentator, he’s traveled to a number of major tournaments this year in order to record his conversations with top players and community leaders.

Last weekend, Epengu went to Boston’s homegrown major, Shine 2018, in order to ply his trade, taking advantage of the popularity of the final event of August’s “Summer of Smash” to interview Smash community members from across the country. Frankly, every single interview is worth a watch. Check out Epengu’s conversation with Shine’s Melee champion, Zain “Zain” Naghmi, here:

It has been years since a player has ascended to greatness at the same rate as Panda Global's Zain. I caught him just after qualifying for top 8 to talk about the grind that sets him apart, matchups, and his hitlist - now one name shorter.

Though Epengu's first name might occasionally cause Smash fans to confuse him for Maryland/Virginia's top-ranked Marth main, he more than deserves his own reputation—his earnest and genuine love for the game shines through in everything he creates. So far, he’s uploaded interviews with Shine Melee Top 8 finishers Zain and Jason “Gahtzu” Diehl; stay tuned to his YouTube channel as he uploads more interviews over the next few days.

If you like what you see—and are interested in seeing more—consider donating to Epengu’s Patreon, where patrons can provide input as to what kind of content they’d like to see next and gain exclusive access to behind-the-scenes footage. As Melee heads further into the world of esports, professional content like this is exactly what the game needs in order to polish its image and provide insight into the heads of its top players!