Questions about prestigious competitions...

[opiaboy]

I am pretty new to posting here (but not to the community; I've been browsing this site since december, keeping tabs on Brawl), so I am not very familiar with the community yet. But I wanted to ask a few questions about tournaments.

I know that many of the competitions here are informal, "come to my house, we'll have chips!" kinds of tourneys. Although those are fun, I'm not much up for going over to someones house to play. What I am really interested in are the big tournaments, the ones where you have to pay to an entry fee. I have searched the Smash Wiki, and looked at the list of professional players, such as Ken, Chu Dat, and M2K, and I have seen that they play in tournaments such as Tournament Go and Major League Gaming. I have a few questions:

• How do I enter these tournaments?
• Which tournaments are considered in counting towards a person's ranking(goes along with next question)?
• Who decides whether a player is a professional or not?
• Are they held anywhere close to where I live?
• Should I even consider entering if I am merely an amateur player, with no knowledge of the metagame/advanced techniques?
• Does the fact that brawl can be played online change anything?
• Is there anything I need to do before I decide to go to one of these competitions?

Thanks a bunch for your help; I am glad that I have become a member of this community, and I hope to be posting here often!

 

[Grand Mango]

First off, why the **** did you post this in two different places? You attract posts like this when you do something stupid like that.

It's ****ing 4 am in the East Coast, and 1 am in the West Coast.

And actually to answer your questions:

You have to be good at the game, like really really good. Invitations only I would assume. Probably pools and brackets as well.
National tournament placings as well as regional circuits.
Who gives a **** who is professional or not, just do well in tournaments and you will get fame.
Where for **** sakes do you live, thanks. Mostly no.
You won't win anything but you'll have a lot of fun.
Change anything to what? Tournaments will always be held in person. The Halo series tournaments are always held in person.
Like what, kiss some feet?

Build a name for yourself in your local scene, then regional scene. Then you can focus on bigger pictures. Not all of us were meant to be pro.

 

[shadydentist]

1. Go to the Tournament Listings forum. Typically, the ones posted there tend to be the larger events.
2. There is no official ranking.
3. 'Pro' is typically used in the sense that a player is very good. People will consider you 'pro' by winning major tournaments.
4. If you want to search for more local tournaments, you can also check the regional forums.
5. I've found most tournament goers to be very friendly people. A large part of the tournament experience is just playing friendly matches against a wide variety of people. That being said, if you have no knowledge of advanced techniques, you may be in for a rough day. The best way to at least develop a rudimentary grasp of the metagame, in my experience, is just to mess around with friends and try everything. Everything being all of the advanced techniques.
6. Online play will not replace a physical tournament location.
7. Keep an open mind, and don't be afraid to ask for advice.

 

[opiaboy]

Thank you both so much for your help. Sorry about the dual post, I just thought I might have posted it in the wrong place, and I might get more answers if I posted twice, but that was kinda dumb.

Its too bad I dont have the time to play video games much anymore... most of my time is spent doing homework, so I dont get much time to play melee any more. Plus, al of my friends hate it, and when we do play they get bored of it fast because I beat them easily. But they are excited for brawl, so that is good.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Sliq]

You have to be good at the game, like really really good. Invitations only I would assume. Probably pools and brackets as well.
National tournament placings as well as regional circuits.

BIG FALSE! Where do you get this ****?



Just go to Tournament Listings, and then Regional Zones, your region. That is where all the tournament postings are done.

 

[Grand Mango]

BIG FALSE! Where do you get this ****?



Just go to Tournament Listings, and then Regional Zones, your region. That is where all the tournament postings are done.

Oh gee Sliq, I don't know. You got me. Here I was thinking that only good people could enter MLG hosted tournaments.

I'm a liar.

 

[Zankoku]

I didn't know MLG even still hosted Melee. I thought they stopped around summer of 07.

 

[Grand Mango]

I didn't know MLG even still hosted Melee. I thought they stopped around summer of 07.

They did but my answer was reference to MLG hosted tournaments as he asked "such as tournament go and major league gaming."

 

[AlphaZealot]

No, they didn't.

I would suggest to the topic poster to check out the "Smash in 2007" sticky. I would also suggest you check it out Grand Mango, because MLG sponsored Smash tournaments in 2007, including SCC last September. To be fair, they haven't held a live Halo or Smash tournament in 2008, its way to early to figure out if they will or will not pick the game up this year.

How do I enter these tournaments?

Tournaments are posted online, information about how to enter is different for each event, but usually you'll have to pay an entry fee when you show up of about $20-40 depending on the tournament.

Which tournaments are considered in counting towards a person's ranking(goes along with next question)?

Any tournament where two players compete could be used by a Power Rankings panelist in determining how that person stacks up.

Who decides whether a player is a professional or not?

No one decides about whether a player is professional or not. "Pro" players came about when MLG ran Smash, then, the top 16 point players were considered "Pro". Since then "Pro" has become a word that describes a player who is just "really good". A general rule of thumb that I've found is that players listed in the top 10 of a state power rankings is "Pro". Power rankings are made by panelists from a particular area and must be approved by a moderator, the panelists are usually tournament hosts/other players with credibility.

Are they held anywhere close to where I live?

Probably, check the regional zones and tournament listings. Gamestop will certainly be holding a tournament near you, though there tournaments will probably leave a lot to be desired.

Should I even consider entering if I am merely an amateur player, with no knowledge of the metagame/advanced techniques?

YES! They're fun, it doesn't matter how good you are. I have just as much fun when I go 1-2 as when I go 5-2. Bigger tournaments will have pool play (usually) and that means much more matches as well.

Does the fact that brawl can be played online change anything?

There will probably be online and live events for Brawl. It just means more playing and faster development of the metagame.

Is there anything I need to do before I decide to go to one of these competitions?

1) Have a good controller
2) Get good sleep

 

[Grand Mango]

No, they didn't.

I would suggest to the topic poster to check out the "Smash in 2007" sticky. I would also suggest you check it out Grand Mango, because MLG sponsored Smash tournaments in 2007, including SCC last September.

I've already read that thread before you suggested it , and my reference was to when they hosted tournaments, not sponsored. I know they hosted a few which is partially the reason why FCD vids haven't come out if I'm not mistaken.

 

[KishPrime]

Entirely the reason for it...

 

[AlphaZealot]

And SCC.

Sniff.

 

[Grand Mango]

http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=142923

I think these count as some of the SCC vids.

 

[AlphaZealot]

Ahh, good call, forgot that they weren't released through MLG.