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

Super SWEET headlines the first weekend of June, having already capped its online registration the past few weeks. This two-day tournament has held enormous clout and credibility from the get-go, which can be attributed to several factors: the continued track record of excellence demonstrated by Juggleguy-run events, the presence of the now-full-time GIMR and his professional streaming services through VGBootCamp, and perhaps most notably the confirmation of international superstar Armada. The Swedish sensation will add Michigan to his list of tour stops in America during his month-long preparation for the summer triple crown (MLG, CEO, EVO), facing off against other heavy hitters such as Mango, Mew2King, Axe, Scar, Toph, Kage, KirbyKaze, RaynEX, Kels, Duck, Drephen, and more at Super SWEET. Entrants data from this tournament indicates that Smashers are not necessarily swayed by a high venue fee or an oversaturation of summer events, but rather the confidence of a quality tournament experience offered by proven TOs and top player starpower. This looks to be one of the biggest Midwest Melee tournaments in recent years and certainly the biggest in Michigan outside of The Big House series. Prediction: 160 entrants.

June 10

The Nintendo E3 invitational takes place on Tuesday, June 10 in Los Angeles CA. Although this isn’t a Melee tournament or an open bracket by any means, it will certainly go down in Smash history as a noteworthy event if only for the unprecedented recognition of the community given by Nintendo. Prediction: 16 entrants. #Kappa

June 14

Father’s Day weekend has not been kind to Smash tournaments in the past. The largest Melee turnout ever on this holiday weekend was IMPULSE 2012 at just 70 entrants. However, TheCrimsonBlur and Team OXY look to change that with the Super Smash Sundays Lock-In, offering two full days of high-level Melee at the Super Arcade in SoCal. Tournament attendance will be helped tremendously by the extension of the tournament into two days (a first for the SSS brand) and the confirmation of Armada, who will be in town a week in advance of MLG Anaheim. SoCal has never been treated to the presence of the beast from Sweden, and neither has the West Coast overall since 2011. Because of this, locals will likely do everything in their power to attend despite the Father’s Day overlap. If Plup can draw 100 entrants from a Super Smash Sundays event, then surely Armada should be able to one-up that.  Prediction: 150 entrants.

June 21

The third weekend of June marks the long-anticipated return of Melee to Major League Gaming, coming to fruition with MLG Anaheim. When both MLG and EVO officially announced their addition of Melee back in March, many wondered which would hold the edge. Right now EVO has the clear advantage: a previous installment that drew an already-incredible 700+ entrants, a more powerful brand within the FGC community, and more mainstream media coverage overall. On the other hand, MLG has the novelty effect working in its favor, representing a fresh start in the “platinum age” while also paying homage to the 2005-2006 days when the company last had a working relationship with Melee. Tournament organizer Solid Jake has played his cards well over the past few months, leveraging the MLG Qualifier season to raise awareness within the Smash community at-large. The fact that a former Smash grassroots TO is in charge provides a key point of differentiation between Anaheim and EVO 2014, possibly playing a factor in the minds of prospective attendees who are forced to choose between the events. One of the biggest question marks in recent months has been the business decision to push the new MLG.tv platform on viewers — it still remains to be seen whether this will end up costing the event a sizable chunk of attendees due to its inferiority to Twitch, or if this will end up complementing MLG’s marketing campaign geared towards casual attendees. Social media tracking indicates at least a 500 entrant Melee turnout at Anaheim, although we are unlikely to break the 709-entrant record set last year by EVO 2013. And hey, that’s nothing to be slouchy about. Prediction: 600 entrants.

June 28

CEO 2014 comes in on the fourth weekend of June, staking its claim as the East Coast EVO with a cornucopia of featured games including Melee and Project M. Tournament organizer Alex Jebailey has done an admirable job branding CEO to the Smash community, making a big push on both Smashboards and the Melee It On Me Facebook group to spread the word. CEO has successfully avoided the “corporate” label in Smashers’ minds, instead playing up its humble grassroots origins and solid organizational fundamentals to attract prospective attendees. Although CEO is positioned between two of the biggest Melee majors of all-time, possibly losing a few attendees to either MLG Anaheim or EVO 2014, it’s interesting to note that the quality of attendance here will likely be just as high if not even higher than usual. This is because international players like Armada and aMSa are staying in America the entire month that encompasses the triple crown, providing a boost to the top player starpower that otherwise might not exist without the unprecedented lineup of three consecutive mega-events. Another nod in Jebailey’s favor is the early support shown by prominent top players and community figures such as Scar, Prog, Mew2King, HugS, Fiction, VGBootCamp, and more, who have all confirmed their attendance to the event. CEO is also the only tournament within the summer triple crown to offer PM, whose community has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in 2014. Expect a large handful of PM-savvy Smashers to opt for Orlando over Anaheim or Vegas, further contributing to the Melee turnout. Prediction: 250 entrants.

See you next month.

MIOM | Juggleguy