Last weekend, Northeastern University was host to NSA2. With over 250 individual entrants including many new players, NSA2 was a bold statement that the New England Smash scene is growing - quickly.
Let’s be clear about one thing: New England has not been historically known for producing high-level Smash players. Ask your average stream monster to name a player from New England – other than Korean DJ, they may struggle to respond. That may not last long, however. With more and more players showing up at tournaments, New England is home to what may be the fastest-growing scene in America.
NSA 2 Interest Explodes
Northeastern Smash Attack 2, on March 29th, was the culmination of New England’s Smash surge. With 227 entrants in Melee singles, 79 teams in Melee doubles and 64 in Project M, NSA2 was the largest New England Smash tournament to date. So large, in fact, that tournament organizer MattDotZeb was forced to cap Project M registration. “The fact was that we already had more players attending than we bargained for,” he admitted. “When word reached me of the number of sign ups in Melee a few days before the event (158 at the time) we decided to cap Project M in order to prevent a surge of last-minute entries and keep things more manageable.”
Several well-known players were in attendance for Melee. Liquid'Korean DJ, CTRL|The Moon and DJ Nintendo, FLOW|Jesiah, Dazwa, MattDotZeb, Tian, Zoso and sleeper Falcon player Gravy all competed, and put on a great show in the VGBootCamp stream room. Of the 227 singles entrants, a staggering 134 were collegiate players – proof that the scene is continuing to recruit new blood.
Liquid'Korean DJ and Dazwa Vs. Ginyu Force in Melee Doubles
“When word broke that VGBC was streaming the event players became much more excited. Without their presence at the event there would have been a big change in how things felt in the air. The hypest sets got recorded, streamed, and casted by VGBC and that goes a long way in documenting the event... Having VGBC was quite a treat. A huge shoutout to D'Ron ‘APEX | D1’ Maingrette (@xD1x on Twitter) for coming out and spending hours and hours of the day on commentary.”
Project M Grows - Smash enters Platinum Age
Project M's bracket was littered with newcomers, but at the end of the day, several Smash veterans came out on top. The NZA, who has been running the weekly Melee/PM tournament Smashing Grounds in Framingham, MA, shared his thoughts on the event. “Top 4 was dominated by Melee veterans. What we’re going to see is that while the top 4 was dominated by Melee characters, it’s mostly because the people who got there are just the best in the class from Melee. However, they don’t play Project M often enough to feel confident with new characters. As more people get involved, and as more people start playing the game consistently, I think we’re going to see more variety at the top.” Going forward, he sees a bright future for Project M, and for Smash in the region. “...Smash is in its platinum age. It’s the community’s growth that makes it that way. This is the most exciting that Smash has ever been.”
Check out Northeastern Smash Attack 2 final results here!
The community’s growth is no accident, either. By all accounts, MattDotZeb has been the driving force behind New England's emergence. He has put hours upon hours of his time into crafting new events and finding ways to engage new players. One such way, The Melee Games, brought Boston-area colleges together to fight it out. The Melee Games is the first of its kind, a crew-battle circuit in an intercollegiate, single elimination bracket format. The Games have made a big splash in the media, receiving coverage on Shoryuken and Boston Magazine. East Point Pictures, the creator of The Smash Brothers documentary, even created a short video on the event. This has brought in many new players, and fostered a huge jump in community involvement. The Facebook group, New England Melee, has exploded in size over the past year. “[The group] has over 900 members now and a good number of them are just getting into competitive Smash. In August 2013 we were still below 400, and this was after 2 years of group activity,” MattDotZeb said, a fair amount of pride evident in his voice. “Your top players, those who consistently come out to events already, they're important. However, if you don't place care into the players just getting into the scene then it's possible that some will feel overlooked and not return.”
The VGBootCamp Stream Room, during The Melee Games
Are you interested in Melee or Project M in New England? Join the Facebook Group!
As the tournament finally wound down, and volunteers finally started to break down their setups, The NZA summed up the buzz surrounding the tournament. “250 people showed up to play Smash today. That’s incredible. New England is growing to be one of the biggest scenes around, even if it’s not always recognized for its top players.”
Or at least, not yet.
The Derrit is an out-of-practice Melee Falco main, and a Project M Ivysaur main. If you want to talk shop with him about Smash or anything gaming-related, find him on Twitter at thederrit!
Let’s be clear about one thing: New England has not been historically known for producing high-level Smash players. Ask your average stream monster to name a player from New England – other than Korean DJ, they may struggle to respond. That may not last long, however. With more and more players showing up at tournaments, New England is home to what may be the fastest-growing scene in America.
NSA 2 Interest Explodes
Northeastern Smash Attack 2, on March 29th, was the culmination of New England’s Smash surge. With 227 entrants in Melee singles, 79 teams in Melee doubles and 64 in Project M, NSA2 was the largest New England Smash tournament to date. So large, in fact, that tournament organizer MattDotZeb was forced to cap Project M registration. “The fact was that we already had more players attending than we bargained for,” he admitted. “When word reached me of the number of sign ups in Melee a few days before the event (158 at the time) we decided to cap Project M in order to prevent a surge of last-minute entries and keep things more manageable.”
Several well-known players were in attendance for Melee. Liquid'Korean DJ, CTRL|The Moon and DJ Nintendo, FLOW|Jesiah, Dazwa, MattDotZeb, Tian, Zoso and sleeper Falcon player Gravy all competed, and put on a great show in the VGBootCamp stream room. Of the 227 singles entrants, a staggering 134 were collegiate players – proof that the scene is continuing to recruit new blood.
“When word broke that VGBC was streaming the event players became much more excited. Without their presence at the event there would have been a big change in how things felt in the air. The hypest sets got recorded, streamed, and casted by VGBC and that goes a long way in documenting the event... Having VGBC was quite a treat. A huge shoutout to D'Ron ‘APEX | D1’ Maingrette (@xD1x on Twitter) for coming out and spending hours and hours of the day on commentary.”
“When word broke that VGBC was streaming the event players became much more excited. Without their presence at the event there would have been a big change in how things felt in the air."
Project M Grows - Smash enters Platinum Age
Project M's bracket was littered with newcomers, but at the end of the day, several Smash veterans came out on top. The NZA, who has been running the weekly Melee/PM tournament Smashing Grounds in Framingham, MA, shared his thoughts on the event. “Top 4 was dominated by Melee veterans. What we’re going to see is that while the top 4 was dominated by Melee characters, it’s mostly because the people who got there are just the best in the class from Melee. However, they don’t play Project M often enough to feel confident with new characters. As more people get involved, and as more people start playing the game consistently, I think we’re going to see more variety at the top.” Going forward, he sees a bright future for Project M, and for Smash in the region. “...Smash is in its platinum age. It’s the community’s growth that makes it that way. This is the most exciting that Smash has ever been.”
Check out Northeastern Smash Attack 2 final results here!
The community’s growth is no accident, either. By all accounts, MattDotZeb has been the driving force behind New England's emergence. He has put hours upon hours of his time into crafting new events and finding ways to engage new players. One such way, The Melee Games, brought Boston-area colleges together to fight it out. The Melee Games is the first of its kind, a crew-battle circuit in an intercollegiate, single elimination bracket format. The Games have made a big splash in the media, receiving coverage on Shoryuken and Boston Magazine. East Point Pictures, the creator of The Smash Brothers documentary, even created a short video on the event. This has brought in many new players, and fostered a huge jump in community involvement. The Facebook group, New England Melee, has exploded in size over the past year. “[The group] has over 900 members now and a good number of them are just getting into competitive Smash. In August 2013 we were still below 400, and this was after 2 years of group activity,” MattDotZeb said, a fair amount of pride evident in his voice. “Your top players, those who consistently come out to events already, they're important. However, if you don't place care into the players just getting into the scene then it's possible that some will feel overlooked and not return.”
Are you interested in Melee or Project M in New England? Join the Facebook Group!
As the tournament finally wound down, and volunteers finally started to break down their setups, The NZA summed up the buzz surrounding the tournament. “250 people showed up to play Smash today. That’s incredible. New England is growing to be one of the biggest scenes around, even if it’s not always recognized for its top players.”
Or at least, not yet.
The Derrit is an out-of-practice Melee Falco main, and a Project M Ivysaur main. If you want to talk shop with him about Smash or anything gaming-related, find him on Twitter at thederrit!
Last edited:
