News

The top players from the Kansai region of Japan were busy with more than constantly checking Twitter to learn about the latest developments from @CEOGaming this past weekend. Unfortunately, none of the big names from western Japan were able to make the journey to APEX or CEO. Instead, we had an incredibly rare double tournament weekend. I traveled with the @Sumabato regulars to @Karisuma's 8th installment on the 25th and back to Kansai for the once-a-year charity tournament called @IROHA Suma in Shiga Prefecture on the 26th. Karisuma has always been an amazing tournament to attend, but IROHA's event is one I will remember for the rest of my life.

Another @Sumabato comes to a close with a familiar champion. @Komorikiri finally snapped his losing streak and regained his spot at the top of western Japan without dropping a set to anyone all day. He went almost exclusively Sonic this time as well, only bringing out Cloud for various game two situations. Unlike another player headed for EVO, Komorikiri did not claim he would win EVO but instead said, "I hope to meet all of your expectations next month at EVO." Thanks to Nairo's donation drive, Komorikiri as well as three other players will be heading to EVO this year to compete, so staying up to date on the Japanese Smash scene is as important as ever.

It's time for another exciting Japanese tournament! On June 18th, Japan time, players will duke it out at Sumabato 11! Currently at 192 entrants, this event is sure to impress!

Low Tier City, the largest tournament series in Texas, is about to have its fourth iteration this weekend on June 18 - 19 at the Let’s Play Gaming Expo.

Originally started three years back, the name ‘Low Tier City’ came from Dallas’ (its original host city) reputation for being congested with low tier mains. Once a semi-national Project M event, the series has evolved to become a full-blown national for multiple Smash titles and a PM Circuit qualifier to boot.

The event will mark the second time that a Low Tier City will be held in conjunction with the Let’s Play Gaming Expo. The tournament won’t be the only thing happening at the Plano Center venue, with arcades, cosplay, vendors and panels also in the mix.

In this day in age, tournaments have surpassed the simplistic, bad audio and video quality streams and videos. Not only have we improved audio and video greatly, but we have added overlays and graphics to give the matches and tournaments flare and interest. These people are called Graphic Designers, and they have created some amazing works of art. Today, we have one of them with us to discuss what they do and what their profession is like. Take a look into the mind of a designer with this Smash Spotlight focusing on JP3.

I had the privilege of meeting up with Colorado TO Double A Battery on his most recent tour of Japan. As we are both Smash TOs and Japanese speakers who participate in the Japanese Smash Community, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get another opinion other than my own out there. While he echoes a lot of what I have been saying in my article series thus far, he does offer some interesting points and observations I want to share with everyone in the Smash Community. Give him a follow @TheAABattery and check out the interview!

Flashback to 2015, where Illinois saw the town of Gurnee hold a Smash tournament in Key Lime Cove, an aquatic waterpark. What started off as an event with a clever name and fitting venue from GamersHQ became the meeting grounds for Illinois's largest Smash Bros. event ever, holding over 600 attendees, competitors and spectators. It was truly a sight to behold, with Smash 4, Melee and Project M being the featured games.

Now, it's 2016, and GHQ has returned with Smash 'N' Splash 2. Welcome back to paradise, Smashers. Enjoy your stay.

If somebody told you that famous rapper Lupe Fiasco would play Smash 4 champion ZeRo, would you have believed them?

The difference between Japan's Smash 4 scene and Melee scene is simply staggering. While the die-hard Melee players who regularly attend Japanese tournaments have also made their way to American major tournaments before, their numbers are few and their local tournaments are infrequent. @Master Hand, the only remaining monthly Melee series in Japan, gets roughly 30 players a month and @Sumabato, the Wii U monthly tournament series in the same Kansai region, gets anywhere to five to ten times those numbers. Many names from the King era of Melee either have completely moved on to Smash 4 or have retired from competitive play, but there are still some who strive to improve their tech skill and dream of reaching that Melee major top 8 stage.

Today is the final day for The New England Invitational streaming on Twitch at BigBlueES and featuring top players from the region in a Smash Summit style event. The bracket can be found here and features top players such as Slox, Mafia, Zoso, and Crush.

Catch the full schedule for today below:

Looking for where the top players are Smashing this weekend? Check out some of the biggest events for Wii U in the United States happening today!


Texas Gaming Championship 8 - Houston, TX: Featuring Vinnie, Megafox, Trela and more on FireNationSmash
Midwest Mayhem 3 - Chicago, IL: Featuring ESAM, MVD, False and more...

Catch one of Europe's premiere Wii U events with Avalon U-IV happening now in the Netherlands. The tournament is a precursor for Syndicate 2016 this fall. Being streamed on BYOC the tournament features top talent from the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom including iStudying, S1-14, Badr, Eddy, Longouw, and Ho.



Follow the brackets as they are updated here for teams and here for singles!

At last, Melee veteran and Samus specialist Hugo "HugS" Gonzalez has signed with an eSports team -- Dream Team.

Old-school Japanese Smash legend Captain Jack discusses his storied career, motivations, and more.

Those outside the Japanese Smash Community who attempt to figure out what is going on by tournament results alone will almost certainly only end up more confused. Currently only @Kameme, the player who boldly proclaimed last week that he is going to win EVO, has shown consistency in his tournament results. Every other player, including every Japanese player who made it into Panda Global's Top 50 Rankings, have extremely inconsistent results in Japan. There is always a huge character variety in Japanese Top 8s and rarely are the same players placing near the top from week to week. While it has puzzled me and many of you for quite some time, I may have found out the reason why.

Super Smash Bros. Melee is officially confirmed for DreamHack Montreal, taking place from August 12th-14th in Montreal, Canada.

Joey "Lucky" Aldama has finally found a sponsor! It was announced last night that up and cominng eSports team Selfless Gaming closed a deal with Lucky.

On May 29th (JST), the next big Japanese tournament will be hosted! Currently at 181 entrants, Sumabato 10 will feature some of Japan's greatest in another exciting competition! In order to prepare for this tournament, we've compiled everything you need to know about Sumabato 10 right here! Get ready because this is definitely one you wouldn't want to miss!

Nintendo has partnered with Community Effort Orlando (CEO), one of the biggest tournament series in Smash and the FGC! This year's event, CEO 2016, will be taking place in Orlando, Florida from June 24th-26th. Some notable names in attendance for Melee and Smash 4 include ZeRo, Hungrybox, Nairo, Dabuz, Plup, Mr. R, Abadango, and many more. Registration for CEO 2016 closes on June 12th, so be sure not to miss one of this year's premier tournaments!

A few months ago, the professional Super Smash Bros. Melee player, William "Leffen" Hjelte, generated a controversy after being deported and later denied a visa to the United States.