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Oct 1, 2014

October 2014 Preview

By |October 1, 2014|Juggleblog, Uncategorized|1 Comment

October is historically an average month for Melee, but in recent years it has been dominated by The Big House, the premiere Midwest Smash tournament series. Out of the five 100+ entrant tourneys that have been hosted in October all-time, three of them belonged to The Big House series coming into this year. The others are Event 52, which was one of the first 100+ entrant Melee tourneys in the post-Brawl era in 2008, and the former record-holder MLG New York Playoffs 2006, which clocked in at 208 entrants. This year will shatter all previous marks: The Big House series has reached a high point of all-time interest, and the arrival of Smash 4 3DS to the United States should bring to life some new dual events featuring both Melee and Smash 4.

Last month, Tipped Off 10 set its own series attendance record with 175 entrants, and Shape V kicked off the Armada hype train in the final weekend of September with 104 entrants.

 

October 4

The Big House 4 arrives on October 4-5, representing the fourth annual installment of the largest active Midwest Melee tournament series. Registration closed on September 20th to an incredible 570 entrants. That’s good for 4th-biggest Melee tournament of all-time, only behind EVO 2014, EVO 2013, and Apex 2014. The Big House has soared to record-breaking numbers this year for a few reasons. It has a quality reputation for being a well-organized grassroots national, using word-of-mouth to bring in more and more attendees each year. It is supported by some of the biggest platforms in the community; Smashboards, Melee It On Me, and Twitch. And it is helped by the presence of Project M, which brings a sizable chunk of dual-game Smashers to the table: according to registration data, 233 entrants (about one-third of the entire field of entrants) entered both Melee Singles and Project M Singles at the tournament. With Mango, Armada, Hungrybox, Mew2King, Leffen, and more in attendance, the stakes are as high as ever. Prediction: 570 entrants (registration closed).

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Sep 3, 2014

September 2014 Preview

By |September 3, 2014|Default, Juggleblog|3 Comments

September is historically the weakest tournament month on the Melee calendar. Going into 2014, only one Melee tournament of 100+ entrants has ever occurred in September: you have to go all the way back to Super Champ Combo in 2007. […]

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Aug 5, 2014

Hax vs Zhu: The Best Rivalry Nobody Talks About

By |August 5, 2014|Default, Juggleblog|8 Comments

Article by Robin Harn

When you hear Smashers talk about the greatest rivalries of all-time, it’s probably the usual: Mango vs Armada. Ken vs Azen. Mango vs Mew2King. But one matchup that has eluded the discussion far too long is Hax vs Zhu. Despite having flown under the radar for years, these two have played some of the most intense, high-level tournament matches in Melee history, and the narrative remains intriguing to this day. It’s a battle of the coasts: Hax was raised in New York, while Zhu is a NorCal native. It’s a battle of the characters: Hax toughed it out for years as perennial underdog Falcon before switching to Fox, while Zhu maintained dominance as a premiere Falco player and epitomized the reason a Falcon player might switch to Fox. It’s a battle of the highest stakes: the vast majority of their sets have taken place at the biggest tourneys of the year, including storied franchises such as Genesis, Pound, and Apex.

Most importantly, Hax and Zhu are both players that have undeniably been top-10 in the world for extended periods of time in the game’s history, and it’s that level of consistent gameplay that has given us great set after great set between the two. It’s no surprise both players showed they’ve still got it this past weekend at Zenith 2014.

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Jul 31, 2014

August 2014 Preview

By |July 31, 2014|Default, Juggleblog|4 Comments

August is the cream of the crop when it comes to Melee regionals. Coming into 2014, it was tied with January and November as the months with the most number of 100+ entrant tourneys all-time (13), and it was also one of just four months that have ever been home to two or more 200+ entrant tourneys all-time (January, February, and July are the others). With a rich history and precedent for regionals, it’s no surprise TOs have consistently successfully taken advantage of previous summer momentum by hosting in August. This year looks to be no different, as a cornucopia of regionals dot the Melee landscape.

Last month, EVO 2014 crushed the all-time Melee attendance record by producing an incredible 970 entrants, breaking its own record of 696 from just one year ago. Kings of Cali 4 garnered big numbers as well, producing an impressive 208 entrants despite a tense venue cancellation and uncancellation in the weeks before the event. As predicted, the post-EVO hangover took full effect, with Melee’s unprecedented streak of 10 consecutive weeks with a 100+ entrant tourney coming to an end in the two weeks following EVO. All in all, July stood true to form in its pattern of producing one mega-national with fewer regionals surrounding it.

 

August 2

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Jul 3, 2014

July 2014 Preview

By |July 3, 2014|Default, Juggleblog|4 Comments

July is the premiere Smash month of the calendar year, featuring an interesting dynamic with respect to turnout: its six 200+ entrant tourneys all-time (MELEE-FC6, OC3, FC-Diamond, Genesis, Genesis 2, EVO 2013) are most of any month, but its ten 100+ entrant tourneys all-time are just fifth-most of any month. This indicates the degree to which attendees congregate around one major tourney in July each year, and 2014 looks to be the same story with EVO on the horizon.

Last month, the Melee community broke all June activity records, thriving on grassroots organization while faltering on the shoulders of corporate backing. Super SWEET, SSS Lock-In, and CEO 2014 all brought in excellent turnouts in part thanks to proven community TOs and the atypical presence of Armada in the States. MLG Anaheim was the biggest disappointment of the month, bringing in 325 entrants and producing poor reviews from both in-person attendees and stream viewers.

 

July 5

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Jun 2, 2014

June 2014 Preview

By |June 2, 2014|Default, Juggleblog|2 Comments

Historically, June has been delegated the appetizer month of the summer season, offering a healthy platform for regionals but never quite cementing itself as the go-to month for nationals and internationals. It has produced just one 200+ entrant tourney all-time (Pound 2), while July boasts a massive six 200+ entrant tourneys all-time (MELEE-FC6, OC3, FC-Diamond, Genesis, Genesis 2, EVO 2013). Furthermore, June has suffered from a post-Brawl-era drought of noteworthy nationals — Zenith 2013 is the only Melee tourney since 2008 to break 100+ entrants during this month. Needless to say, this will all change drastically in 2014.

Last month, regionals across the world shattered records to make it arguably the most active month of Melee in history. Get On My Level broke all Canadian Smash attendance records with a whopping 258 Melee entrants, taking full advantage of a $0 venue fee to draw in huge numbers. SKTAR 3 and Republic of Fighters 3 also featured unprecedented turnouts, producing 223 entrants and 198 entrants respectively. WHOBO MLG was the biggest letdown, producing 60 entrants and garnering poor reception overall from Melee attendees.

 

June 7

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May 1, 2014

May 2014 Preview

By |May 1, 2014|Default, Juggleblog|7 Comments

There has been a total of 91 Melee tourneys with 100+ entrants in the grand history of this game. Can you believe only one of them has occurred in the month of May? MLG Dallas 2006 is the only Melee tourney on record to break 100+ entrants during this month, which should come as a surprise to any tourneygoer. This year looks to crush that precedent, with an unprecedented lineup of five straight MLG qualifiers filling the weekends of May 2014 and possibly providing the community with a historic run of 100+ entrant tourneys.

Last month, Fight Pitt IV was the biggest performer, shattering records in the NEOH/PGH area with a jaw-dropping 174 entrants. Fighters’ Edge UGC was the biggest bomb, producing a reported 17 entrants in what must be a disappointing (but nevertheless unsurprising) addition to the MLG qualifier series. Entrants data from April indicates that grassroots events still rule in 2014, despite a sizable amount of money and sponsorship being thrown at some more mainstream events. Smashers still live by and travel to the proven tournament experience offered by grassroots TOs, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

 

May 3

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Apr 4, 2014

April 2014 Preview

By |April 4, 2014|Default, Juggleblog|1 Comment

April is historically quiet for Melee turnouts. The current record is MLG New York’s 143 entrants in 2006, which is the worst high-mark of any month on the calendar; and just one Melee tourney in the United States has even broken 100+ entrants in the post-Brawl era, Kings of Cali 2’s 114 entrants in 2013. However, with Melee cruising along in its Platinum Age, social media interaction continuing to surge, and media exposure ramping up in anticipation of MLG Anaheim and EVO 2014, this year should be comparatively strong.

 

April 5

Every weekend in 2014 so far has produced a Melee tourney of 75+ entrants, but that streak may end here with no heavily-promoted regionals on the calendar. You know it’s an off-weekend when neither VGBootCamp nor CLASH Tournaments has a tourney lined up to stream. However, the Melee community continues to impress this year by producing massive turnouts seemingly out of nowhere, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see a tourney do so again. The most likely candidate is The Oklahoma Invitational, where Stock Cancel Gaming ambitiously aims to host events for three games (Melee, Brawl, PM) over two days. Melee has been the greatest benefactor of multi-game events in recent months, boasting a ton of spillover attendance from other Smash scenes. And if we’ve learned anything recently, it’s that every state/region’s first significant tournament after the documentary ends up bigger than expected. Prediction: 50 entrants.

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Dec 31, 2013

Melee in 2013: Year in Review

By |December 31, 2013|Juggleblog, yearinreview|12 Comments

Melee in 2013: Year in Review
The sixth annual Smash tournament industry report

Previous Editions
[2007]
[2008] (none)
[2009]
[2010]
[2011]
[2012]

Overview of 2013

2013… where do we begin.

As the year draws to a close, many members of the Melee community can’t help but look back at the past twelve months and ask: What happened this year? How did we get here? How is it that the scene is arguably stronger now than at any other point in history? The answers to these questions outline some of the most exciting, grueling, and heart-stopping moments the Melee community has ever seen. Resilience was tested with the “Spirit Bomb” donation drive, and vindication was achieved with the return of Melee to the Evolution Championship Series. Adversity was conquered through the Nintendo Stream Crisis, and antiquity was celebrated with the release of “The Smash Brothers” documentary. 2013 will likely be remembered as the year of EVO, but it should also go down as a truly remarkable twelve months to be relished by a community that rose to the challenge to make it all happen.

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Dec 21, 2013

Melee in 2012: Year in Review

By |December 21, 2013|Juggleblog, yearinreview|0 Comments

Editor’s Note:

The following article was written by Juggleguy and has been re-published as a mirror copy on the Melee It On Me website. You can find the article in its original entirety here on Smashboards.

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Melee in 2012: Year in Review
The fifth annual Smash tournament industry report

Previous Editions
[2007]
[2008] (none)
[2009]
[2010]
[2011]

Overview of 2012

The Melee community in 2012 generated a collection of powerful storylines and memorable performances as usual, from the explosive American debut of Javi to the surprise return appearance by SephirothKen. There were showdowns both domestically and overseas, with Mango and Hungrybox doing battle in three major U.S. tournament finals and an intercontinental clash between Armada and Dr. PeePee going down to the wire in Norway. There were bright moments, including the development of online Melee through Dolphin Netplay, the meteoric rise of Project M tournaments, and an upgrade in production standards through the streaming of national events by VGBootCamp. And there were dark moments, including the controversial ending to Revival of Melee 5 and disillusion at NEC XIII in the shadows of the FGC. All in all, it’s difficult to argue against the fact that the Melee community took major steps forward during the year, showing once again that the game will be relevant for years to come.

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