“Take out your feet and do it”: Whether it’s for $0 or $100,000, Huntsman will never stop competing in the Smash 64 Combo Contest

There is one frustrating downside to having too many hobbies: you miss things. I missed the massive Supernova Super Smash Bros. tournament last year for Monterey Car Week, and sadly won’t make it for the same reason this year. This has meant missing the Combo Contest, my favorite event of all time. And this year, I was just informed that the Combo Contest would have the two GOATs of the esport: Hunter “Huntsman” Cummings and Prince.

Despite being the top Combo Contest competitors of all time, neither has competed against the other. Until now. It will likely be one of the most insane tournaments you’ll ever witness. Old-school versus new-school. Technical prowess versus hype. Stoicness versus showmanship.

Even though I didn’t really want to be reminded that I’ll be missing this momentous tournament, I had the amazing opportunity to speak with Huntsman, a top Smash 64 player from Utah, about his passion for the Combo Contest, how he came up with the idea to play with his bare feet on stage, and the incredible passion of the Smash 64 scene.

First, let me quickly explain what the Combo Contest is. For a panel of Smash judges, Smash 64 competitors go on stage and attempt to perform a very difficult zero-to-death combo on a CPU, using as much skill, creativity, and innovation as possible without dropping the combo.

And unlike me, these players have this one single focus. This one goal. And that’s what it takes to be the GOAT of the Combo Contest.

Esports Insider: How did you get into the Combo Contest?

Huntsman: I got into the game late. I was in college, and I didn’t start playing competitive Super Smash Bros. 64 until late 2018, early 2019. I think two Combo Contests had already happened. I remember seeing combos that Prince was posting on Twitter and thinking, “This is impossible.” I didn’t think it was humanly possible what he was doing. In 2019, I saw my first Combo Contest live. Until then, I watched them all on YouTube. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

I fell in love with Smash 64 itself because of the combos. People give it a tough time because it’s so dramatic. But that’s why I love the game. I love combo’ing someone, finding creative ways to make everything come together.

So when I saw Prince win again in 2022 – his fourth championship – I committed. “I am gonna start making combos and see if I can do this.” Prince completely inspired me to think I could even participate in the Combo Contest.

Not gonna lie, the first time I competed, I was a last-minute entry. My goal was to just participate in a Combo Contest. That was my ultimate goal. Once I got there, I was so excited. I ended up winning in 2023. My whole journey started with watching Prince and realizing that the impossible was possible with enough time, effort, and dedicated practice.

ESI: How do you come up with some of the crazier stuff, like playing with multiple controllers and using your feet?

Huntsman: This sounds terrible. This isn’t good for me to say. But the combos that Prince and other competitors do without multiple characters are harder than mine, in my opinion.

I was trying to make a combo in a very unique way. I couldn’t get it to work. It was taking too long. I realized, when I watched k y s k win in 2019 – the only person to beat Prince – he won the Combo Contest because he finished the combos quick and easy. And they were hype. k y s k used two Donkey Kong at a time. He controlled one controller with the top of his hand and the other with the bottom. I thought it seemed so cool to have two playable characters.

I thought, this whole thing about making them complicated and technically difficult, I’m gonna stay away from. Instead of using an item with RNG to it, I realized I could add a different character and control it with my foot.

I’m musical and play a lot of instruments. So I have a good sense of rhythm. So I can do it with my feet. I’m pushing buttons off-beat with my hands. I need to make this combo doable and consistent. When I added a second character, I felt I could make combos I had never dreamed of, and I can perform them live. The others were so difficult I couldn’t perform them live. Using my feet made the Combo Contest easier. It created all the elements that the combo needs to succeed.

ESI: Right, because the Combo Contest isn’t only about the difficulty of the combo. It’s also about creativity and other elements.

Huntsman: Other Smash games are the prime audience [for the Combo Contest]. And they don’t know what’s difficult and not difficult. It’s crazy to say that. But they don’t have a good understanding of Smash 64. It’s hard for them to see something and realize how difficult some things Prince does truly are. I would never even attempt them. Because of that, I’d be doing all this technical stuff for literally nobody. The 64 scene is so small and not the main audience.

I’m not admired much by them. I found a way to perform combos by removing the technical difficulty. Timing can make combos difficult – they are difficult timing-wise. It has to be pressed in point-five milliseconds, or it will drop. But I prefer that to a really technically difficult move with a specific character. Or relying on randomness. I hate doing that.

For people watching, they think playing with my feet is insane. But I think it’s made my combos easier.

ESI: You said the Smash 64 community doesn’t really appreciate your combos as much. Have they ever come forward to say this?

Huntsman: Absolutely. I hate saying this, but yes. There are people who say we should ban multiple-character combos. It’s funny because I get glazed by Melee and Ultimate communities. Thank you guys, so freakin’ much. But the people I care about are in the 64 community. And a lot of them think I’m taking the hard part out.

Which is my goal. My goal is to make the most hype combo on stage so people can watch it and go crazy.

ESI: You’re making combos more for the Smash community.

Huntsman: Exactly. Many past participants have not liked them either. I tell them all the time – if you think it’s easy, you do it. Take out your feet and do it. My strength is my creativity. I come up with things they’d never think of. Instead of thinking about how I can make this as technically difficult as possible. I’m the opposite – how can I perform this hype ending the easiest way possible so I can get my combos on stage?

There’s nothing worse than walking on stage and not hitting a combo. You’re up there trying for three minutes. It’s embarrassing. You’re walking off and want to throw your controller on the ground as hard as you can. You want to rage.

It’s sad because you want to perform for the event. You want your clips to go viral for Smash. It’s more than just for you. This video could reach people who have not played Smash in years. They get nostalgia from watching it. That can’t happen unless you hit a combo live. I prioritize that. I want to keep the hype meter as high as possible.

ESI: This upcoming Supernova is going to be the first time you have competed against Prince, who retired before you started doing the Combo Contest. How do you think that will go?

Huntsman: Prince is my hero. When it comes to idols in Smash, he’s in the top. It’s funny how people have pinned us against each other. But most of the competitors, it sounds crazy, I’m cheering them on. We’re cheering each other on. I want Prince to hit every single one of his combos. I hope everybody else does, too.

I’m not gonna lie, this year is gonna be so much fun watching him on stage. I’ve never seen him perform live. I didn’t compete until he was retired. I hope I make the finals so I can be up there with Prince – or whoever else makes it.

I think Prince has all the pressure.

ESI: Yeah, he retired while he was considered the best there is.

Huntsman: He is the GOAT. He is expected to win. I’ve won twice. I’m grateful, but I don’t have much to lose. If I beat Prince, nobody saw that coming. But if he loses, people will then have to have that conversation that I could be the GOAT. I don’t see that happening. I don’t see myself as better than Prince. But it’s a conversation other people may have. So he has all the pressure.

ESI: Right, to keep that title. What do you think the judges will be into: his technical skills or you getting the crowd going?

Huntsman: The judges are all about crowd reaction. This is a contest of showmanship. That’s what k y s k, in my opinion, figured out. This isn’t about creating the most technical combo. This is about getting the crowd engaged. He was hilarious. He’d stand up and give the peace sign. Prince doesn’t show a lot of emotion. He doesn’t need to because his combos are insane. But the Combo Contest has turned into a show and it’s about getting the crowd as loud as possible.

I think Prince knows that, though. He’s posting on X, debating what he should do. Should he go for hype or keep his combos? He’s one of the most amazing players; he can do both. But he’s notorious for taking a little longer to finish his combos. Nowadays, the last three years, it’s really taking a turn where you get extra points if you hit the combo early.

If I were a judge, I’d do the same. If they hit it within the first three tries, I’m giving that combo a 10, even if it’s a 9. Just because of how cool that is. The clutch factor.

ESI: How much practice and planning go into these combos ahead of Supernova each year?

Huntsman: That depends on the competitor. I think that’s why I won in 2023. They don’t put as much time as I thought they did. I started practicing a year in advance. I made a practice schedule where I practiced them three times a week. I gave them 200 attempts each.

ESI: That’s insane!

ESI: I didn’t want to embarrass myself up there, especially as a last-minute addition. As it got closer, in July, a couple of competitors said they just finished them up! I was like WHAT?! Bro, I’ve been working on these for a year.

Did you see the invisible combo I did?

ESI: Yes, I was there. I saw it play out in person. But on the livestream, they didn’t show the combo. In the original broadcast, they had ended it early.

Huntsman: Yoshi grabs Fox, and Samus double jumps and shoots a charge shot. They thought I missed, so they didn’t livestream it when I ran off the stage.

This is why I’m glad I’m able to come up with them earlier. It gives me a chance to upgrade my combo. I make [the original idea] in less than a day. Then I really hone in on perfecting them. So while practicing, one time, I missed the charge shot. I was about to restart, but my finger slipped, and I didn’t restart… And I saw Fox got hit by the same charge shot off-stage.

I thought, “Oh my god, I can trick the crowd by ‘missing’ the charge shot, and then it’ll hit off-stage and still combo.” After practicing that long, it’s way better than the original combo. I can add an element nobody else has done before. A surprise. I can have people think that I failed.

I decided to run behind the judges 30 minutes before I went up. Raz told me I had so much time, you should run behind the judges. I was practicing it backstage. I’d run backward. No way. I think I do it. In the stream, you can see me running as soon as I hit the slow-mo button. It worked exactly as I wanted.

While I was standing behind Hungrybox, he said, “Bro, you missed.” He was embarrassed for me. “What are you doing?” Then he started to realize it was going to hit off-stage. It was so much fun how it all turned out.

The Combo Contest obviously does not have the same prizing or viewership as League of Legends, Call of Duty, or even Street Fighter. What makes you so passionate about the Combo Contest despite its niche presence?

Huntsman: I love this game. I don’t play any other video games. People will come up and say I’m a gamer. I don’t know if I consider myself a gamer. I practice and play one game.

The reason why the fire is still there… I see myself doing this for another 10 to 15 years. I love it. In my mind, I’m eating dinner with my wife and kid and friends, I will randomly think of a cool way to finish a combo. I write it down in a note. Then I go home that night and see if it’s possible. I’ll stay up for a couple of hours and see if it’s possible.

I was curious whether my motivation would drop after I won the first time. 2024, I couldn’t attend. But 2025, I made the decision I’m not missing one of these again. Having two trophies in my closet and being able to show clips to my kids… I really like practicing for achievement, and the Combo Contest makes that so possible.

What do you appreciate about the Smash community?

Huntsman: Just the overall passion for this video game is insane. I love it. What’s crazy is Nintendo is trying so hard to create a game where the competitive aspect isn’t there. They don’t like the competitive world of Smash. But the players don’t even care. They make it into the coolest competitive game anyway. It’s so fun to watch.

This might sound weird, but my wife hates video games with a passion. She hates them. She’s never acknowledged anything I’ve done before the Combo Contest. I was number one in Utah. Top 36 in the nation for 64. She wouldn’t really like to celebrate it; she’d just be like, “Oh, cool.” But after watching the Combo Contest live on Twitch, I called her, and she lost it. That was the coolest thing.

I remember crying backstage. It was the first time my wife has actually showed interest in one of my hobbies, this hobby specifically.

The Smash community, at least 64, they are just so good at hyping each other up. You do something cool, you make an upset, they’ll come up and shake you and scream and cheer. For a long time, I had no support at home in this hobby. People would just say, “This is kinda nerdy.” The community has always hyped me up and made me feel like this was worth doing, that it’s awesome, that people care about it.

The Smash community carried me through until my wife saw what it was. Now she wants me to go every year. She’ll say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the kids.” She’s my number one supporter.

ESI: It’s incredible to have the Smash community to appreciate what is happening. Oftentimes, nobody else really understands. Before the Combo Contest, were you participating in any Smash locals or tournaments?

Huntsman: I have been competing since 2019. I have a lot of siblings. Seven brothers. My oldest brother, Tommy, is 10 years older than I am. He played Smash 64. He was like the cool guy in our group. He destroyed us left and right. When Melee came out, we fell in love, but Tommy wasn’t as good. He kind of put a stamp on the game and said it’s not as good as 64. Me, looking up to my older brother, I said Melee isn’t as good as 64 – since he thought that. We would just compete in 64 together. It’s the video game that we loved.

It wasn’t until I was in college and a family friend said, “Hey, you guys play? I’m ranked 12th in Utah. You should come and compete.”

I thought, no friggin’ way, you ranked in such an old game. I played him for an hour and couldn’t move. He comboed me the entire time. My eyes were open. What is this game?! This isn’t the same game I grew up playing. He told me all the tips and tricks. My passion for combos really grew after that. I got well-known in the community for loving combos.

I only main Fox, and he’s mid-tier in this game. I was the only ranked solo Fox in the Top 64 this past year. He has the most fun and creative combos in my opinion. That’s how I got into Smash 64 – and the Combo Contest. It was about setting goals. Become top in Utah. Then travel for tourneys and get into the Top 64. I got 45th in 2022. I kept wanting to be better, higher, and achieve more goals.

ESI: What do you think has made Smash 64 stick around for so long?

Huntsman: I think because of specific people who continue to sacrifice things so we can compete with one another. Dark Horse, he’s the main tournament organizer for 64, but there are so many others that keep giving their time and money so we can come to tournaments every year in Houston, Los ANgeles and, San Francisco, Philly, and New York. We still host Smash tourneys all the time.

It hasn’t died because online is so good now. Over the past 6 months, a player named Sickness created rollback for Smash 64. Now I can play with Japanese players on three, two frames. Before that, I couldn’t even play anyone in Florida with less than four. It’s grown the game, and now everyone is playing with one another. It’s been a blast.

What do you think makes Smash 64 so fun after all this time?

Huntsman: It’s the ability to combo so well in such a unique way. I really, truly think that the reason people love this game is being able to zero-death with almost every character. It’s so fun to find a way. You see this imaginary map on how to do a specific move to get an opponent in a specific area, so you can finish him off from the first hit.

Ug, something about hitting a combo that makes you feel so good. That’s an aspect of the game that has dwindled down with each generation of the game. You can’t combo as well in Ultimate. Smash 64 only has 12 characters, one stage… Why play? I truly think it’s because of the way each character can combo. There’s always a way to come back.

ESI: Do you think Smash has what it takes to keep surviving despite no support from Nintendo or being at mainstream FGC events?

Huntsman: Yes, I think it does. It goes back to those people who sacrifice. Like Hbox. He really cares about the game growing and staying relevant. If we want this game to keep continuing, we have to figure out how to create healthy communities in Smash 64, and the Smash community as a whole. That would just be awesome.

I know a lot of people who pick up 64 and play online, and they get bodied as we all do. It takes six months to figure it out. But there’s so much nostalgia to Smash that I think people will always find a way to keep playing competitively. They always think they’re good until they play someone. Even without Nintendo on our side, which is very difficult, the passion will persevere even without support.

ESI: There has been a movement towards mainstream esports and away from grassroots. Do you think that Smash needs to do this as well? Do you think it would harm the scene?

I wouldn’t say it would harm it if we went more mainstream. But it would be very hard. A lot of these passionate Smash players are traditional and vintage.

I don’t know if you heard about Remix. It’s the biggest mod ever created. That’s what is getting people into the game. We have created over 36 characters, 100 new levels… It has changed 64. It’s the exact same game, which is why everyone loves it, but with additional stuff they wish they had back in the day. And yet, I’m a traditionalist. I don’t know if I’d ever travel to compete in a Remix tournament.

As much as I would love for us to go more mainstream, it’s very hard because these passionate people are traditionalists.

ESI: How are you feeling going into Supernova?

Huntsman: I became a dad in September. I have a little girl. The practice routine that I’ve put myself in for the past three years to play in the Combo Contest, I’ve had to dial back.

But I honestly am so excited to play against Prince. I feel great going into it. I want to give people a show. I want to give them things to cheer about. I feel great. If I bring my A-game, I won’t lose.

I’m so grateful for a community that still cares about an old “forgotten game.” Sure, I’d love for this event to reach millions of live viewers! I’d love to compete for $100,000 one day! But honestly, whether we get recognition or big prize money, I will always perform my combos on stage or just by myself in my game room.

Whether it’s for $0 or $100,000, this game means too much to me to ever stop playing, just like I know it does for hundreds of thousands of Super Smash Bro’s players.