This Saturday, Kansai's premier tournament series returns for another installment! Hosted by SHIG | 9B in Daito City, Osaka, Sumabato 14 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting entries yet. With old champions and new prospects all vying to win, West Japan's elaborate web of rivalries can only grow. Read on to learn more about what to expect, and be sure to tune into SHI Gaming's stream when it goes live!
Previously at Sumabato
The most recent Kansai tournament was Sumabato 13, which took place on September 25th. It was an unusual installment, as frequent champion komorikiri was in California for 2GGT: Abadango Saga. This meant the title of champion would inevitably go to someone else.That someone was up-and-comer HIKARU, who'd been looking for a win of this caliber for some time. His path to victory included such recognizable names as Shogun, FILIP and Fuwa.
Speaking of Fuwa, she finally broke her streak of 9th place finishes by landing in 2nd. Doing so required her to beat her husband, Earth, who normally gets the better of her. For these reasons, Sumabato 13 was quite the breakout tournament for players who used to fall just short of victory.
Top Threats
While Sumabato 13 was dominated by rising stars, Sumabato 14 could easily be the tournament where members of the old guard reclaim their glory. For one, komorikiri has returned from a successful series of tournaments in America, which included 5th at 2GGT: Abadango Saga and 3rd at The Big House 6. His duo of Sonic and Cloud is looking as threatening as ever, so as long as he retains his usual composure, he is the favorite at this tournament.Also returning from somewhat of a hiatus is Ranai, the world's strongest Villager player and previously the best player in all of Kansai. Ranai may be back to his old Brawl habit of sparse tournament attendance, but when he does show up, he makes a huge impact. These two will also have to contend with Earth, who's shown that he can consistently go toe-to-toe with them using his exceptional Pit footsies. Needless to say, other competitors dread having to face any of these three.
However, none of this is to say that there won't be any surprises. Fuwa and HIKARU are back as well, and are likely coming in with a good deal of confidence. Kyoto-based Toon Link main Ri-ma is also looking very strong, largely thanks to his victory over Larry "eLevate | Larry Lurr" Holland at The Big House 6. Larry is no stranger to the Toon Link matchup, so this is purely a testament to how far Ri-ma has come as a player. Finally, Wario wunderkind Nasubi is looking to recapture his immense success from early 2016. He is absolutely a top-caliber player, but has been struggling to keep up these past few months. This could easily be his redeeming tournament.
Dark Horses
Tsu~ and Saiya 
both make Falcon look frightening. Tsu~ is the more active of the two, but Saiya does just as well when he shows up. Japan has a high number of skilled Falcon players who can get far on bracket on any given day. However, none of them have attained the consistency of Japan's top players.Atelier
is very young, but that doesn't stop him from traveling all over Japan and beyond. He made his foreign debut at Super Smash Con 2016, where he made it to phase 2 pools. While this might not seem like that big a deal, the players who beat him ended up upsetting the two favorites to win the pool. With better luck and increased focus, he could go far this weekend.You3
is a regular at Kansai tournaments, where he's made more than one top 8 appearance. His strongest finish to date (and possibly the strongest for Duck Hunt period) is 4th at Sumabato 11. This time, he's not the only powerful puppy present. Up-and-comer Raito will also attend Sumabato 14! Let's hope these pack members can avoid infighting and focus on their common enemies.Kie
hasn't won a big tournament, but he frequently appears in top 8 in both Kanto and Kansai. He finished at a respectable 17th place at The Big House 6, where he was sent to losers by Rich Brown, but ultimately won the runback. He might have trouble cracking players in the top echelon, but at least he's done so before.Kyushu's Shuton
has an incredible record of winning Shulla-bra tournaments, having only lost one to date. On top of that, he's had some impressive out-of-region showings at both Sumabato and Umebura. He just missed top 8 at Umebura S.A.T., but only after knocking komorikiri out of losers bracket.FILIP
is Kyushu's other top threat and a frequent finalist at Shulla-bra. Like Shuton, he's finished top 8 at both Umebura and Sumabato events. He also traveled to the US on more than one occasion and competed at events like Genesis 3 and The Big House 6. Though a Mario main, his pocket Cloud serves as an excellent complement for handling rough matchups.Shogun
has been improving a lot. He always fell just outside of top 8, but broke the curse with 4th place at Sumabato 13. Though he attended The Big House 6, he fell just short of top 32 with losses to Tyrell "CLG | NAKAT" Coleman and Rich Brown. Expect him to return an even fiercer opponent than before.SHIG | 9B
was very dominant shortly after Bayonetta's release. However, the 1.1.6 nerfs left him frustrated with her. He tried switching to Mewtwo, but eventually reverted when that didn't work out. He still hasn't optimized her post-nerf, but both she and he still have the potential for great things.No one expected Kuro
to make it as far as he did at Umebura S.A.T.; he was the highest-placing Pit player there. It wasn't just some weird bracket fluke, either. Kuro managed to beat the Sheik player who sent Earth to losers, and even gave Samuel "RNG | Dabuz" Buzby a run for his money.Gomamugitya
finished 3rd at Sumabato 7 all the way back in February. Though he hasn't done quite as well since, his placings have remained consistently strong. For instance, 9th place at Sumabato 13 is nothing to scoff at. You may know him better for his terrifying doubles synergy with longtime partner and Lucas main, Taiheita. However, Sumabato is singles-only, so you'll have to wait for Umebura 25.5 next month to see them together again.Oisiitofu
has made it as far as 5th place at Sumabatos 11 and 12. Though he seems to struggle against fellow frog Some in the ditto, he won't have to worry about that matchup at this tournament. He's not guaranteed to make top 8, as he lost pretty early at Umebura S.A.T., but he's capable of beating any of the players who usually do.Rizeasu
can get exceptionally far when he doesn't goof off; just look at his 4th place finish at Karisuma 10. His strongest character by far is Marth, but he's been known to use all the Fire Emblem characters, as well as some other oddball picks. Sometimes his eccentric plans work, and other times they don't. Good luck predicting how far he'll go.Mangalitza
first grabbed everyone's attention at Sumabato 10, where he beat komorikiri and claimed 4th place. However, he hasn't managed to recapture the excellence of that one performance yet. In fact, he went 0-2 in the final bracket at Umebura S.A.T., losing to a Ganon in winner's bracket. So who knows what we'll see from him next?Edge
used to be one of the strongest players in all of Japan. However, he took a number of months off starting in early 2016. He's come back to the game, but isn't in top form anymore and had a bit of a character crisis. That being said, the raw potential for greatness is certainly there. When Edge finally makes a comeback, prepare to be impressed.More Challengers
Tatsutsuyo , Chart-yatsu and Ramperu |
Kappamaki , Lucia and Lickey★ |
Ako and Masashi |
Aki and Chanshu |
Nojinko and A |
Sylph |
Lagnel |
Isotaku |
Kei |
Ruri |
Tamiflu |
Paru |
Dol |
Stream & Schedule
10:30 a.m. | Opening
10:45 a.m. | Pools Wave A
12:30 p.m. | Pools Wave B
2:45 p.m. | Main Bracket
9:00 p.m. | Closing
