Couch Warriors Presents… Battle Arena Melbourne 8!
Battle Arena Melbourne 7 was the biggest Melee event in the Southern Hemisphere in 2015 and now it’s Smash for Wii U’s turn with BAM 8. Not only is this the first tournament for Smash 4 in Australia to host international visitors, but also, the biggest congregation of Australia’s talent to date is here. Featuring top players from every state, a second-to-none stream and over 400 combined entrants between Melee and Smash 4, the atmosphere is going to be nothing short of electric so missing this is a mistake. With BAM 8, Australian Smash in 2016 is kicking off in the biggest way imaginable.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Many people would look at BAM 8 as an opportunity for Australia to compete with internationals and to try and prove that they, as a nation, can match it with the best. However, to a lot of the local players, there’s a much bigger point to prove. That point being, which region is the strongest. Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria are the loudest with their claims; however, South Australia cannot be counted out after a dominating display from Ghosbone at SXC and West Australia and Tasmania are huge wildcards. Watch out for one of these guys to be the highest placing Australian:
Ghost: Arguably the best player in Australia after his win at SXC; his precise Bayo play is formidable and most people think he will be the top Australian
Waveguider: The silky Wii Fit/Greninja main from ACT. 4th at SXC and 2nd to Jezmo at Stacked. His his combos are unreal and could certainly give him the edge.
Jezmo: The other main contender for the title of best in Australia; his Diddy is unrelenting. Has the talent to pick anyone he feels like.
Luco: Ness/Lucas main from NSW. Won the first ever Sydney tourney then left the country on an exchange program. Returned recently and instantly made PR.
Jaice: Has recently been seen playing Bayonetta more than Rosalina. Very methodical and technical.
Attila: Picked up Marth after claiming he was top ten, and backed it up with a win over Ghostbone at that month’s Ranbat. A top Brawl player too; he likely will go far.
Earl: Number one on the Victorian PR and has not left that position since the first release. Plays Ryu and is an incredibly scary player when he is in the mood.
M: The highly strategic Palutena main from NSW. Has already managed to take a game off Abadango so could be a dark horse for number one.
Extra: Extremely patient Wario/Game and Watch player. He won Expand Gong, beating Jaice in Grand Finals. Highly consistent and very precise with his wafts.
Poppt1: The so-called best Ness in the west, shocked everyone with 3rd at DIAD, beating the likes of Earl, M and Boozer. Went on a rampage at the start of the year, winning a massive 18 tourneys consecutively.
And you can't forget the international talent visiting either!
Abadango: The winner of Pound 2016 Smash 4 and the best Mewtwo in the world. His punish game is out of this world and shines especially with his secondary Meta-Knight.
Mr. R: The best player in Europe, his highly technical Sheik is relentless and he is probably the favourite to win BAM 8.
Umeki: The best Peach in the world, most famous for his usage of the Peach infinite in tournament. Don't count him out for an upset against the other internationals
9B: His results have improved considerably after picking up Bayonetta and he is sure to be a force to be reckoned with.
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With over 250 entrants for Smash 4, this is just a small taste of what there is to offer at BAM 8. To find out more, tune into the stream twitch.tv/sasmelbournesmash for pools and top 64, twitch.tv/melbournemelee for top 8 and twitch.tv/jettsmash for the side stream.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
With all attention going towards the internationals at last year’s BAM, all eyes will be turned back onto the Australian players as they seek to discover who is now the best in the country. Last year’s winner, Spud, has recently moved to Perth and rumour has it he’s been training up the local players to be more of a threat than ever before. Not to forget the ever-strong Victoria, South Australia with arguably one of the best in the country, and NSW and Queensland who have both sent players to America in the last 12 months. Here’s who to look out for and why:
Rainbow/RJ: Peach main, known as RJ in Australia, Rainbow internationally. Played in NY for a while. Has only been in the Sydney scene for a couple of years but proved himself as best in NSW at Town and Sydney beating Spud, ZXV and Jon_Ass (PR in Germany). Consistently makes R2 pools at US majors.
SIN | Spud: Marth main famous for his big win versus Alex19 at BAM 7. Challenged in NZ by mojomonkey. Picked up Fox. Came to Town and Sydney, eliminated early by Rainbow and Jon_Ass but has shown he can beat anyone in the past
Splice: Highly inconsistent Falco that has wins over SD, SA Nick and a consistent history of beating Smopup. Can win if it’s his day but which Splice will show up over the weekend?
Smopup: Top Fox and the best Melee player from Queensland. Won a trip to Genesis 3 by beating SD at City of Melee.
SA Nick: Marth main from Adelaide, won SXC last year and has a good record over SD but hasn’t played other players. Has a lot to prove at BAM.
SD: Victorian Fox, considered the best in Australia after overtaking Dekar but the rest of the country is rapidly catching up to him. Can he clutch it out on the biggest national stage of them all?
Skeletom: Flashy Falcon from Melbourne. Stocks can go at any time so he has the potential to win against anyone in the country.
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All two days of Melee action will be streamed live on twitch.tv/melbournemelee. You would be kicking yourself if you missed out on this.
Battle Arena Melbourne is shaping itself up to be one of the biggest events of the year, with talent everywhere you look, two days of live streams and all of the best Australia has to offer in one weekend, you’d be crazy to miss out on watching this!
@LHC_Maribro is incredibly excited to be at BAM as this is his first international major. He will be live tweeting everything he sees at the event so go give him a holler!
Why not love this thing eww.