After successful outings at DreamHack London and Winter, Melee will be returning to the world famous DreamHack gaming expo this weekend in Austin, Texas. This will be the first time DreamHack will take place in North America, meaning that a plethora of America's best in Melee will be competing for $10,000 in prizes. Here is everything you need to know about DreamHack Austin, including the stream information and major player storylines.
Stream Info/Schedule
All the Melee action at DreamHack Austin will be streamed on DreamHackSmash by the VGBootCamp production crew, with some of the biggest names in commentary such as D1, The Crimson Blur, Wife, and Husband holding it down on the mic. Here is the schedule (all times CDT):
Saturday, May 7
10:00 - 12:00: Pools Wave A
12:00 - 14:00: Pools Wave B
14:00 - 16:00: Pools Wave C
16:00 - 18:00: Pools Wave D
18:00 - 19:00: Analysis
19:00 - 22:00: Top 64 Bracket
Sunday, May 8
12:00 - 15:00: Top 8
The commentary schedule can be found here.
Reign of the Box, The Second Place Master, and The Rise of the King
Hungrybox, Mango, and Mew2King will be the sole representatives of the top 6 at DreamHack Austin, and their performances this weekend will set the tone for the rest of their year.
Photo by Rob Paul (@tempusrob)
Hungrybox is the favorite to take home the gold this weekend. Although he won EGLX last weekend without dropping a set, Mew2King was able to take Hungrybox to his last limbs in their game 5 Winners Finals set. Mango has shown the potential to give Hungrybox trouble this year, but Hungrybox has managed to take it in the end over The Kid at every tournament they have both attended except for Genesis 3. If Hungrybox comes in with his great winning mentality and adaptability, a second DreamHack title will be well within reach.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@tischphotos)
Mango is still hungry for his first major win of 2016. His major obstacle at DreamHack will be Hungrybox -- a player that has consistently had the upper hand over Mango this year at tournaments such as PAX Arena, Battle of the Five Gods, Pound 2016, Smash Summit 2, and most recently, EGLX. He also had two sets with Mew2King at EGLX, where he managed to win the runback in Loser's FInals with Fox after losing in the winner's bracket with Falco. A recurring trend in Mango's performances this year has been being sent to the loser's bracket early, only to lose steam after making a loser's run. For Mango to win DreamHack Austin, he will have to stay in the winner's bracket as long as possible while being able to keep the grit necessary to take down Hungrybox and Mew2King.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@tischphotos)
After an underwhelming first quarter this year, Mew2King has began to make a resurgence in Melee, placing 3rd at Smash Summit 2 and EGLX. His improved lifestyle habits haveonly solidified his masterful gameplay, netting him recent wins over Armada and Mango. Hungrybox will be Mew2King's biggest challenge at DreamHack, although Mew2King almost won their Winner's Finals set at EGLX. He will also be seeking revenge on Mango, who managed to eliminate Mew2King at EGLX. With no Smash 4 to divert attention to at DreamHack, a strong mindset in the loser's bracket and ample preparation for Ice Climbers mains such as Wobbles and Nintendude is what Mew2King needs to make a deep run this weekend.
The Up-and-Comers
Photo by Michael Hathaway (@tl_peanuts)
Although Axe has recently expressed the effects of his tournament burnout, the Arizona Pikachu main has been looking stronger than ever as of late. He followed up his respectable 7th place finish at Smash Summit 2 with a remarkable 5th place performance at EGLX, where he managed to win a close set against Leffen. However, Hungrybox and Mango later proved to be big hurdles at EGLX, and players such as Mew2King, Westballz, SFAT, and MacD could all give Axe a run for his money this weekend. But if there is anything Axe has shown us in the past, it’s that he can perform when all the odds are against him -- and this may very well be repeated at DreamHack.
2016 is shaping out to be SFAT’s year, and the NorCal Fox will only be looking to continue his upward trend this weekend. He recently took top 8 at Smash Summit 2, where he convincingly beat Wobbles and Ice before losing to Shroomed. Although his Fox was not looking great at Finals Destination 4 last week, SFAT’s improved mindset and overall play are sure to carry him to victory in Austin.
Lucky is still on the search for a sponsor, and he will be looking to make his case at DreamHack. He has not competed at any premier tournaments in the past month, but his tournament win over Axe at Full Bloom 2 shows that Lucky can turn it up when necessary. As long as Lucky can keep his Fox up to par throughout the entire bracket this weekend, he may very well place top 8 at a national for the first time since Paragon LA.
Photo by Rob Paul (@tempusrob)
Wobbles will be the man to look out for this weekend. He had one of his best performances ever at Battle of the Five Gods in March, but his weaker mentality at Smash Summit 2 resulted in a disappointing 13th place finish. Perhaps Wobbles’ biggest advantage at DreamHack will be having the Texas crowd behind him. His best performances in the last 6 months have all been in Texas, where the home crowd gave Wobbles the energy to win Forte 3 and take 4th at Battle of the Five Gods.
S2J is going into DreamHack with lots of momentum. His brilliant yet calculated aggression and deadly punish game has netted him fantastic results recently such as 7th at Pound 2016 and 9th at Smash Summit. Although S2J will have demons such as Westballz and SFAT on his path to success, S2J’s ability to stay strong in tough situations will carry him to victory this weekend.
MacD managed to bounce back from his Pound 2016 performance at EGLX last weekend, where he double eliminated Duck en route to a 4th place finish. His Peach play has only been looking stronger after receiving help from players such as KirbyKaze and Plup, and he will be looking to show his refinements at DreamHack.
Photo by Rob Paul (@tempusrob)
Young star Wizzrobe has been on a hot streak recently. He has yet to place lower than 13th at a major tournament this year -- results that are much stronger than his 2015 results. Additionally, Wizzrobe has taken sets from opponents such as Lucky and S2J recently. Could DreamHack Austin continue Wizzrobe’s string of breakout performances?
Midwest King Duck has been on a roll recently. He had a great 5th place run at EGLX, where he defeated Leffen and Westballz. Duck's monstrous punishes and constantly improving neutral have made him arguably the best solo Samus main in the world, and he will be looking to solidify that this weekend. With a top 16 streak at majors this year consisting of 13th at Genesis, 13th at Pound 2016, and 9th at Smash Summit 2, DreamHack is shaping out to be another great tournament for Duck.
2016 has been a massive success for Nintendude, and he will be looking to continue his upward trend this weekend. He managed to recover from his last place performance at Battle of the Five Gods with solid play at Pound 2016, where he beat Plup, ultimately finishing at 9th place. With his consistent style and strong mindset, Nintendude could take names and make it far at DreamHack.
Additionally, be sure to watch out for some more players at DreamHack Austin such as Ken, Chillindude, Dizzkidboogie, ESAM, Uncle Mojo, Crush, S0ft, Kira, Tirno, Jake13, Valdo, and gaR.
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Excited for DreamHack Austin? Share your predictions in the comments below and tweet on Twitter with the hashtag #DHATX16.
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