In a surprise move, Press Start, based in Irvine, has included SSBM in a lineup that traditionally features PC games. Press Start advertises itself as a “massive LAN” with 36 non-stop hours of action of popular games such as League of Legends, Hearthstone, CS:Go, DOTA 2, and Starcraft II. And thanks to some generous sponsors, SSBM will also receive a $10,000 prize pool. The substantial pot has lured players such as Liquid|Hungrybox, TSM|Leffen, MVG|Mew2King, VGBC|Hax, MVG|Axe, and Cactuar into Socal.  Norcal players such as Shroomed, SFAT, Azusa, and Laudandus are making the road trip down as well. For the first time in months, the Socal crew comes in full force with C9 Mango, Westballz, Lucky, s2j, Fiction, Fly Amanita, and MacD in attendance. The competition is fierce at the top, but also filled with several hidden bosses lurking and ready to make some noise in bracket. The action will be streamed by Norcal’s exciting group, ShowdownSmash.

Logistics:

Schedule (All PDT)

Saturday, May 9
10 AM: Check in
12 PM – 8 PM – Singles Pools
8 PM – 10 PM – Doubles Pools

Sunday, May 10
12 PM – 3:00PM – Singles –> Top 8
3:00 PM – 6 PM – Doubles Top 16
6 PM – 6:30 PM – Analyst Desk
6:30 PM – 9 PM – Singles Finals Top 8

Stream: ShowdownSmash

Tafo Predictions

Press Start has 4 of the “big 6” and a slew of Top 15 level players that can cause some exciting upsets. Results can vary greatly based on how seeds are done, but here are my *speculative* predictions:

1. C9. Mango

The field plays out nicely for Mango, as Armada is not in attendance. Yet, it’s not exactly going to be a cakewalk as Leffen, Mew2King, Westballz, and Axe have taken sets against him in the past year. However, Mango does have home turf and tends to do very well in Socal.

2. Liquid|Hungrybox

“Angrybox” defied expectations by defeating Leffen and taking Armada to Game 5 at Sandstorm. With school in his rear view mirror, Hungrybox has full focus in preparing for this tournament. He has shown to be capable of beating Leffen and other top Foxes in recent events.

3. TSM|Leffen

It seems like Leffen can’t catch a break from the 3rd place curse. Even though he’s shown potential earlier this year with 6 set wins against the “big 6”, Leffen has slumped, losing his last 7 sets against the “big 6”. I do believe Leffen is poised for a minor resurgence at this tournament.

4. Lucky

With a very impressive win at Super Nebulous 3, Lucky has been really strong. On point, Lucky can go toe-to-toe with nearly anyone. The question is whether he can play at that level for the entire weekend. I do feel that home court can play a huge advantage, which is why I place Lucky higher than Axe.

5. MVG|Axe

The Pikachu main that continues to impress, Axe comes off a great performance at Sandstorm. It seems that his regular practice against Mew2King has sharpened up his neutral game.

5. Westballz

Defeating Hungrybox and Mango at Sandstorm, Westballz has never looked stronger than he does right now. Although he does have strange losses from time to time, he has been rather consistent when he plays against Socal.

7. MVG|Mew2King

Mew2King is an enigma with the potential of beating players such as Mango, but also losing to players such as Fiction and Shroomed. It will ultimately depend on his confidence level and poise. He can definitely make top 3, but I can also see him forfeiting or losing early in bracket as well.

7. s2j

This may be a slight reach, considering that Hax, Shroomed, SFAT, and other power-houses are also in attendance. He does have weaknesses against Westballz, Axe, and Shroomed in the 2nd tier of players, but I also think he has potential to pull an upset if he has momentum.

Other Contenders

VGBC|Hax – Hax has the potential to beat anybody when he’s on point. However, the brief hiatus has made him look a bit sluggish as demonstrated when he played Lucky at Super Nebulous 3.

Predicted Finish: 9th

Shroomed – The player pool is an unfortunate draw for Shroomed as there are several strong Foxes. Shroomed has shown to be reasonably competent, but I can’t put him as a favorite against players such as Lucky, SFAT, Hax, and Leffen. If he gets a good bracket, then he could farther.

Predicted Finish: 9th

MacD – A pillar of consistency at larger tournaments, MacD seems to consistently hover around 7th-13th at larger events. The player pool is a tad stronger here than I’m Not Yelling, so 9th place seems to be reasonable.

Predicted Finish: 9th

Fiction: His Marth surprised everyone when he defeated Mango at Mayhem. He’s been in routine practice with s2j and Kiko in Riverside, but I don’t think the Marth is quite ready for the main spotlight.

Predicted Finish: 13th