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

WHOBO is slotted for the first weekend of May and it has a lot to prove. The series is known primarily for its strength of Brawl attendance, and has only recently explored into Melee territory. Now with Brawl seemingly out of the picture at MLG Anaheim, tournament organizer Xyro and his team look to switch gears and prepare for what could possibly be the first installment in series history to feature a bigger Melee turnout than Brawl turnout. But don’t count on that. Even with juggernauts Mango and Hax in attendance, it will be difficult to break the “Brawl tourney” mold especially for casual-leaning Melee attendees. It also remains to be seen what impact the $40 at-the-door fee will have on potential last-minute attendance from local Texans. Prediction: 60 entrants.

Northwest Majors VI also takes place on this weekend. Chris Anderson and company have put together a solid lineup of top players confirmed for the event such as Silent Wolf, SFAT, Bladewise, and more. The Northwest region has not seen a 100+ entrant tourney in several years, with Northwest Manifest topping the list at 90 entrants back in March 2011. But this is the platinum age, after all — and Seattle-area tourneys in the past few months have come tantalizingly close, often reaching 70-80 entrants. Pre-registration numbers look favorable so far, and this tournament’s chances to crack 100 will depend on its ability to bring in at-the-door entrants. Prediction: 80 entrants.

May 10

Get On My Level takes center stage during the second weekend of May, hosted by TO Joe in Toronto. Canada has had a tough time cracking 100 entrants in the past, but after a close call at IMPULSE 2013, the region finally broke through with 119 entrants at McSmashter 3 in January. Look for that local growth to continue, aided by the attendance of out-of-region names such as Mango, Hax, Westballz, and Toph. Another tremendous advantage that GOML has going for it: the very generous $0 venue fee (online pre-reg only), made possible by the cheap school venue secured by the TO staff. Inexpensive entry is not the norm for a national-level event, so when that luxury does exist, it has historically brought in strong attendance from the casuals and lurkers of the region. Prediction: 130 entrants.

May 17

Republic of Fighters 3 is slated for this weekend, representing the official European installment of the MLG qualifier lineup. Tournament organizer Slhoka made waves in late April with a trailer and an announcement that aMSa would be crowdfunded to attend. After a somewhat surprising lack of majors last year, Europe has gotten back on the radar big time in 2014. This is in large part thanks to the consistent stream production of Salty Playground, and also the excitement surrounding Armada’s return to competitive Melee — for example, BEAST 4 clocked in at 160 entrants in February with a huge boost from both of these intangibles. Considering the return attendance of virtually all the European powerhouses such as Armada, Ice, Leffen, and Amsah, plus the incredibly exciting addition of aMSa from Japan, ROF 3 should easily crack triple digits as well and add further to the very successful calendar year internationally. Prediction: 150 entrants.

May 24

Memorial Day weekend will feature two notable regionals across the United States. Pat’s House 2 takes place in sunny San Diego, CA and UFGT10 takes place in Chicago, IL.

Pat’s House 2 represents the sequel to the original Pat’s House which took place all the way back in November 2009. That year, Melee produced 10 tourneys of 100+ entrants. This year, Pat’s House 2 may be the tourney to carry Melee into the record books, as there have already been 12 such tourneys in 2014 with the record being 14 in 2007. Despite being hosted at an extravagant-looking venue, Smashers will be charged an astonishingly low $5 venue fee to participate. This bodes extremely well for attendance, especially in SoCal where Melee players have grown accustomed to the cheap-but-valuable experience offered by Super Smash Sundays. The only roadblock to overcome is the historically unreliable San Diego area location, but the fact that this is the only West Coast MLG qualifier should make up for that. Prediction: 130 entrants.

UFGT has a reputable organizational history and is also notable for being one of just two FGC tourneys in 2014 to include Project M in addition to Melee. The Chicago-Land area contains one of the biggest PM-Melee intersections in the United States, creating a huge pool of potential players to tap for attendance. Memorial Day weekend has been hit-or-miss for tourneys in the past: it elevates tourneys that are worth it in the public’s eye, but tends to hurt tourneys that don’t quite reach the “destination event” label. The jury is still out on which category UFGT falls under on the Smash side of things, and there are other question marks such as the $45 late reg fee and Friday starting time. Still, all indications point to a decent showing, especially with VGBootCamp expanding its role at this tourney compared to last year’s installment. Prediction: 70 entrants.

May 31

You don’t see five weekends in a month too often, but this is the case in May 2014. The last weekend of May (extending into June) will be dominated by SKTAR 3, which boasts the incredible billing of 4/5ths of the Melee Big Five (Mango, Mew2King, Dr PeePee, Hungrybox, Armada). The fact that all but Hungrybox are confirmed to attend the tourney is a testament to the effectiveness of the “5000” MLG qualifier series, which rewards players more than double the usual seeding points compared to any other MLG Qualifier. Clearly this is a draw at least for Armada, who will be attending as part of his extra early arrival to the United States in preparation for the summer triple crown. Keitaro and his TO staff have effectively played up this fact in promotion of the tourney, and reliable spillover attendance from the Brawl and Project M communities should add even further to the eventual Melee turnout. Prediction: 140 entrants.

See you next month.

MIOM | Juggleguy