April is a historically a weak month for Melee on the calendar: coming into 2015, it has produced 3 tourneys of 100+ entrants all-time, tied for worst of all months. 2015 will produce the first truly great April that the game has seen, already producing at least 4 tourneys of 100+ entrants based on paid pre-registration data. The current April record is Fight Pitt 4 at 174 entrants; that mark will be shattered this year.

Last month, regionals dominated the Melee landscape once again. Bad Moon Rising was the highest-attended tourney with 224 Melee Singles entrants, putting the North Carolina scene on the map.

April 4

SWEET XX takes place this weekend. Westballz will be flying out from SoCal to attend this tourney thanks to Michigan’s latest good player fund; an effort to bring an out-of-region player in to defeat Duck, the winner of the last two SWEETs over opponents such as Drephen, Kage, and Vwins. This tourney will also mark the return of Unknown522, whose ban from Smash was recently lifted by Toronto community leadership. Prediction: 140 entrants.

NorCal Regionals 2015 also takes place this weekend, run by famous NorCal organizer Sheridan “Hyuga” Zalewski. Although pre-reg numbers have actually favored Smash 4 more than Melee, some of NorCal’s finest are still expected to attend. This tourney will likely amount to a warmup for INY the following week. Prediction: 80 entrants.

Beauty 10 also takes place this weekend, headlined by the attendance of Armada and Leffen. The Swedish powerhouses will likely meet in tourney for the first time since Apex 2015, when Armada opted for the Fox ditto and dismantled his compatriot in losers finals. With Lolex at the organizational helm and pre-reg numbers nearly finalized, this one should be a pleasure to watch. Prediction: 110 entrants.

April 11

I’M NOT YELLING takes place this weekend, marking Armada’s return to NorCal for the first time since Genesis 2 in summer 2011. So much has changed since 2011 that it’s possible most of the NorCal player base has never even witnessed Armada on their home turf. This will drive interest through the roof at an already-reputable tournament series that boasts previous aptly-named installments such as Don’t Go Down There Jeff!, Good Shit German, Rule 6 Regional, The Next Episode, and Do You Fox Wit It?. This will likely to be the biggest Melee tourney anywhere in the time between April and June 2015. Prediction: 300 entrants.

BUST 2 also takes place this weekend. Last fall’s installment gained 160+ entrants even on the same weekend as KTAR in an unfortunate date conflict between Apex qualifiers. Out-of-state turnout this time should be better, but could the proximity to final exams deter some of Boston’s collegiate-based demographic? Pre-reg numbers indicate it won’t an issue. It should be a delight to see what organizer MattDotZeb can do armed with the smashgg platform, having eliminated most of the registration and data entry overhead. Prediction: 190 entrants.

April 18

Sandstorm takes place this weekend representing Arizona’s first major two-day tourney in quite some time. The Arizona scene has exploded in turnout recently in large part thanks to MVG’s new presence in the area. MVG’s first regional foray came last month with Shots Fired in the Tristate area, which amassed a very respectable number of unique entrants across three Smash games. With Armada, Leffen, Mew2King, Hungrybox, and Axe confirmed, and even more top players such as PC Chris rumored to be attending, this one is gonna be a doozy. Prediction: 190 entrants.

April 25

Super Nebulous 3 takes place this weekend, hosted by HectoHertz in what promises to be the biggest Nebulous installment yet in the aftermath of a 170-entrant NeoNebulous. In addition to the usual Tristate heavy hitters, big names from out-of-region are expected thanks to a good player fund facilitated by the smashgg team, including two mystery players to be announced after reaching the fundraising goal. Kickstarter-like benchmarks will include funding Jeapie’s first trip to the United States and getting prog back on the mic in-tourney for the first time since Evo 2014. Prediction: 220 entrants.

Northwest Majors VII also takes place this weekend. With over a dozen tournament events present including singles for Melee, PM, Smash 4, and Smash 64, the unique turnout should benefit. It remains to be seen whether the $30 venue fee and $45 at-the-door venue fee will deter the casual tourneygoers. Prediction: 100 entrants.

DrommeLAN 4.5 also takes place this weekend in Oslo, Norway. The last installment barely fell short of the 100-entrant mark in Melee Singles. With Armada confirmed and Leffen likely to join in, the starpower will be present to enable that to happen. Prediction: 110 entrants.

See you next month.

MIOM | Juggleguy