News

It's May. The Evolution Championship Series is almost here.

This year's EVO is expecting record-breaking turnout. The best tournaments start with the best volunteers, and EVO is always in need of volunteers to support the main staff.

The Super Smash Bros. competitive community knows how to rally to help make an event great. It's vital that we show to the world that we are readily available to help with EVO 2016 given that we were honored for the second time with both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U at EVO.


In order to provide an awesome experience for everyone attending EVO 2016, we need YOUR help! We have opened a tournament judge application form for members who want to help run brackets. All you’ll need to do is visit the registration page and fill out the form: http://evo.shoryuken.com/judge-application-form

The Tournament Judge role is a volunteer position and...

Masahiro Sakurai published his 505th Think About Video Games column in Famitsu today. He took a moment to discuss fans overreacting and even addressed some misconceptions within Smash. Source Gaming has the full column translated, but here are some select quotes.

Sakurai starts off the column by stating:

I suppose this cannot be helped, as people are only able to make judgments based on what they see and know for themselves. But on the internet, what people see can be rather limited, especially if they only look at things that interest them. I advise everyone not to get too heated up over every little thing they read.

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After that warning he addresses the following misconceptions: Why are characters from his games seemingly overrepresented on the boxart, why certain characters are strong, why...

After months of testing from the players, Dan Salvato's 20XX Tournament Edition Mod is now ready for tournament use.

KVOxTSB 2016 was one of the most unique experiences I have ever had as a TO. I worked primarily with FGC TOs and streamers @Team Spooky and @St1ckBuG. The focus of the event was primarily on popular FGC titles but Smash was also included, similar to how the majority of major tournaments back in the United States are run now. One thing I noticed is there is very little dissension between the FGC and Smash communities here in Japan. It was extremely refreshing to see all these communities working together for each other to make the best event they could for everyone.

Over a year ago, PushDustIn created the Definitive Unused Fighter List. The document took several days to compile, but it sorted characters into three categories -- considered, planned, and cut. While the post has been updated to include new information (such as Marth being considered for Super Smash Bros. 64) the post became very disorganized and cluttered. In addition, when the post was originally drafted, not all the sources were translated, which was inconvenient for non-Japanese speakers. Therefore, the Source Gaming team decided to update the list. This huge undertaking was led by Soma, the lead translator of Source Gaming.

The biggest change was the re-branding of the categories, and the addition of two new ones:
"Momentarily Considered, but Immediately Dismissed", "Seriously...

Ever since the ol’ 64 times, Smash games have had a tendency to diminish its stock format from one installment to the next. Smash 64 had five stocks, Melee had four, Brawl had three and finally Smash 4 is ruled by a two stock regime.

However, a common topic of debate within the community is the possible change of this trend by sticking to a three stock system in Smash 4. This debate is somewhat…smashing; that’s why we brought it to the round table of the Smashing Debate!

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.

As mentioned in a previous article, the visa application of Melee pro-player, Leffen, was denied recently. He had applied for a P-1 visa, which allows sports players entry into the United States. However, the government did not consider Super Smash Bros. Melee a legitimate sport, much to the dismay of the community.

Fortunately, Team Solo Mid recently announced some good news: Leffen has obtained a short term, P-1 visa, which will allow him entry into the United States until the end of July. This means that Leffen can now enter EVO and other American tournaments.

About a week ago, Reddit user QuasarQuon posted a thread talking about his newest project.

With Project Phoenix, Quasar brings an alternative to both GameCube and Wii users by providing a platform much, much smaller than the usual.

Melee is a tough game in many different ways no matter if you are a newcomer, an up-and-comer, or a long-time veteran. 60 Frames highlights this by following the journeys and thoughts of three different players: Kenji (newcomer), Squid (rising star), and HugS (veteran). Sit back and enjoy the fantastic insight from all three players in 60 Frames.

The opening sequence to Super Smash Bros. Melee is one of the most iconic intros in all of gaming. That's why over 30 animators from The Reanimation Station have teamed up to put their own twist on the intro! Prepare to be amazed and consider subscribing to The Reanimation Station for more animated goodness.

Smash Shorts is out with an all new look! This episode's Top 5 Smash Shorts introduces a new design along with a very special Pro Play by CLG's NAKAT! We definitely had to do it big for Episode 20.

What is a Smash Short? As the name suggests, it's a quick moment or series of events in Smash that is so good, you have to share it with someone. We're giving you (yes, you) the opportunity to share those moments for a chance to be selected as one of the Top 5.



Check the links below to learn how you can submit your content right here on Smashboards...

The yearly multi-game tournament KVOxTSB 2016 will be hosted in Osaka from April 29th to May 1st. In addition to a first look at the new King of Fighters and a chance to play the console version of the latest BlazeBlue, KVOxTSB will host Smash 4 and Melee tournaments on Sunday, May 1st.

Currently, the event for Smash 4 is set at 116 entrants. Smashboards user @Djent has kindly given us a preview of the big names to look for in this tournament.

God-slayer William "Leffen" Hjelte has shaken up the world of competitive Melee in the last few years. Aside from his pristine Fox play, the 21-year-old Swede is well known for his often times villainous persona and for being the first player to take down all five of Melee's "Gods". Leffen was on a tear in 2015, winning many major tournaments such as CEO 2015, HTC Throwdown, BEAST V, and more. As Leffen was hot off his HTC Throwdown win, many were looking to him as one of the favorites to win The Big House 5. However, he was rejected entry into the US when travelling to The Big House 5 -- and it was announced today that his subsequent Visa request has been denied.

Competitive Melee has often been compared to jazz music, and drummer Andrew Barhite has taken that analogy to an entirely new level. Listen and watch as he brilliantly performs Armada's iconic 4-stock on Leffen at BEAST V on the drums.

Melee’s elite with face off this weekend at the Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo (EGLX), one of Canada’s biggest gaming conventions. EGLX will feature 8 of the current MIOM top 10 and many more of the world's best, making this tournament a must-watch. Here is everything you need to know about EGLX, including the major storylines and stream/schedule information.

And we’re back with the last installment in the Venezuela’s Triple Crown series, featuring the biggest Venezuelan tournaments this year. Today, we’re taking a look at Dragon Ascent, the 6th edition of the National Tournament; this year's tournament will be taking place in Caracas and it will feature players from the whole territory.

Let’s begin:

The Spring 2016 Top 20 Melee Ranking done by Smash Europe has concluded. While some of the top placements might not come as a surprise to many overseas, the ranking does provide valuable insight on those players who are bubbling under. Sweden keeps a firm hold on the top ranks with @Armada and @leffen ranking at number one and two respectively. Below them are frequent travelers to the US: @-Ice- and @Professor Pro. The remainder of the Top 10 includes strong shows from Amsah, Zgetto, Android and more.



The rankings go into detail on notable tournament finishes as well as pivotal sets between the European powerhouses. Catch a full listing of the articles on SmashEurope to find out how Europe stacks up...

Welcome back to another edition of Weekly Character Showcase! This is a series where we analyze the playable characters in Smash 4 and what they can do with both general and character-specific advanced techniques.

Like Mewtwo last week, we have another top-tier threat!* Greninja arrives this week at full power, and while he may not have much, the Ninja Pokemon will use everything to his advantage. To help us with this article we got Drystan from the Greninja Discord.

The Smashified Team, known for their top-tier art has premiered their latest entry in the Smashified series -- Masked Man from Mother 3. The commentary features the founder of Smashified, Omni Jacala (Artsy Omni), co-lead Chris Szczesiul, and special guest ChuggaaConroy. Within the video, the team announced that there will be more Mother content in May, such as additional characters and trophy renders. This time lapse video also contains a remixed theme created by Omni Jacala!