Author: Sam "Trilby" Foxall

In the build-up to actually releasing some tangible information about their new platform fighter, Wavedash Games have continued their special dev vlog series, which discusses their immediate plans going forward as a studio as well as their thinking behind tuning and balancing a game for competitive play. In this episode, Creative Director Jason Rice talks about recent addition to the Wavedash Games team, Adam “Strong Bad” Oliver and how his knowledge and experience making Project M would transfer over into making Wavedash Games’ platform fighter the best it can be. Along with this, Jason talks about the basic outline of what a game designer does when they are actually trying to develop a fighting game.

Strong Bad joins the team as a character designer, bringing over the skills he cultivated during the development of Project M to hopefully make the cast of this new game as interesting and diverse as possible. Also, due to his history as a tournament organizer, his input will be vital when Wavedash is developing its bespoke tournament settings, which will work both online and off.

Source: Wavedash Games

I hope none of you had money on those fantasy brackets, as no one was expecting what just transpired at CEO over the weekend. In one of the most unpredictable and nerve-wracking tournaments in Smash 4’s short history, we saw top players not even make top 32, low tier characters felling the best of the best, as well as one of the most explosive grand finals sets in a long time. It’s fair to say that the results of CEO have had some earth-shattering consequences, both on the global rankings and in the run up to Evo. It really is all to play for when everyone descends on Las Vegas in just over two weeks’ time, so prepare yourselves for even more madness.

Beware the Shark Infested Pools

In most tournaments, getting through pools is no problem; so much so that players have even suggested that top competitors should be floated straight through to bracket. Hopefully, the calamitous results for some players during the pools stage should show just how important the pools process is for every single entrant that attends a major. First off, it was not exactly the best showing for the newly signed Trela, not even making out of pools after there being significant talk of him actually taking the whole tournament. His very first match saw him up against one of Florida’s hidden bosses, Bowser Jr. main, Jade, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for the hometown heroine. Jade’s usage of the Mechakoopa and her masterful edgeguards proved too overwhelming for Trela’s Ryu, sending him into losers during his very first game. He was then dispatched by his old main from Brawl, falling to another Floridian, Mika. This loss should hopefully not dishearten Trela too much, but strengthen his resolve to fight harder and really make a mark at Evo. As long as he doesn’t turn into Evil Ryu, he should come through in Vegas.

The Florida crowd was clearly baying for blood, as yet more top players would fall to the might of the Sunshine State. Orlando’s own Prince Ramen took a huge victory over TSM|ZeRo, beating him 2-0 with Palutena, a character that is considered to languish in the bottom tiers according to many players. A lot of people will be wondering if Palutena’s placement in the tier list will radically change after this but I doubt there will be a massive surge of new Palutena players. Elsewhere, Ally was also knocked into the losers bracket early by yet another Florida player by the name of Blue Beast. While his Corrin may have won the first set, Ally did come back through losers side of the pool to beat Blue Beast in the runback and to qualify into top 64. However, this losers run would last all of a game, with Ally then losing to fellow Mario main Zenyou in round 1 of top 64, sending him out at 63^rd place.

Those were the main three shockers in pools, but plenty of others either went out or were sent to losers in these shark infested waters, including Panda Global’s MVD being double eliminated by BigLou, falln being sent to losers by Mr E and notable Anther’s Ladder Samus IcyMist eliminating both Seagull Joe and Tremendo Dude from the tournament.

The Midwest Monkey Master

Let’s move on from losses to look at the breakout performance of CEO 2016. While Zinoto’s placements have been slowly improving ever since Genesis 3, his play during CEO was simply bananas. After qualifying winners side for Top 64, Zinoto ran through Z, Team Liquid’s Nairo with an impressive 2-0 victory, Team eLevate’s Larry Lurr with a super close 3-2 win before finally falling to DreamTeam|Dabuz and his oft-picked Olimar which put in double duty over the course of top 64. In losers, Zinoto only picked up steam, ploughing through SmashFactor’s Hyuga before meeting up against Abadango and forcing him to pull out his old main of Pac-Man. Twitch chat and Twitter went wild at the return of the Pac but this comeback was not to be, as Zinoto clutched out the win to get the runback against the man who knocked him into the losers bracket. Zinoto must have downloaded Dabuz’ matchup file into his phone mid-game as he was able to smash through Olimar and make his way to grand finals versus another Dream Team member, ANTi. While the first set was a clean 3-0 victory for Zinoto, the CEO belt was not his this day, with ANTi winning convincingly in the second set. While many expected a Mario versus Diddy grand finals, I doubt anyone thought that it would be Zinoto instead of ZeRo that would be taking that spot. Congratulations to Zinoto for such a brilliant performance, sending him up the Panda Global Rankings and positioning himself as the best solo Diddy player in the world.

Diversity’s The Name Of The Game

Throughout the tournament, character diversity was what stood out to many spectators, as seen through the triumph of certain low tier characters during the pools stage of CEO. This trend continued into top 16 and top 8, with top 16 having a total of 20 different characters on display while top 8 had 13 different characters being used in-game. Diddy Kong took the top spot with over 43 games being played with him, with Sheik in second with 23 games followed by Mario with 12 games. Notably, no one in the whole of top 16 used Zero Suit Samus, a character who usually featured heavily in any Smash 4 top 8 due to the presence of players like Nairo and Marss while characters like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong got a look in. It’s a testament to how volatile Smash 4 still is when it comes to deciding top tier characters, as well as the importance of counterpicking characters, as seen with the success of ANTi, Dabuz and Abadango. Match up inexperience seems like the downfall of many of the top players who would have featured within top 16 of CEO so people really need to hit the books and get practicing those low tier matchups, or you may see a top 10 player get bodied by a Wii Fit Trainer come Evo top 128.

The Red Rebellion Makes an Impression

While people with old standing sponsors may not have made the best start, new sponsors had their players showing up to dominate the Smash 4 bracket. One of these players was Fox master Larry Lurr, who after a possible shaky start during the pools stage of CEO, hit his stride and began to make his way through bracket on target to win the whole event. However, as mentioned earlier, a certain Diddy Kong from the Midwest did not like that idea, sending Larry to losers earlier than expected and forcing him to have an early encounter with ZeRo, who was currently in the middle of demolishing everyone in his way in losers. To say that stakes were high going into this match is a slight understatement, with the Smash room of CEO being crowded full of people ready to see this runback after the results of 2GGT: Mexico Saga a few weeks before.

Larry’s Fox must have drawn power from the spirit of Melee itself, as the Red Rebellion Fox looked unstoppable in the face of ZeRo’s Diddy. The most brutal of shinespikes and the fair spike/footstool finish in game 3 were the perfect way to mark a landmark moment in Smash 4 history; a top 8 where ZeRo would not feature. While this victory was momentous, the momentum was not quite enough for Larry, losing to Abadango’s Mewtwo in the next game and sending him out at 7^th place. With yet another victory against ZeRo under his belt, Larry is certainly one of the ones to watch going into Evo and I think Team eLevate are rubbing their hands in glee at their signing.

ANTi’s Ascendency

Speaking of teams being happy with their signings, I’m sure Dream Team has cracked open a bottle of champagne after their two players earned both 1^st and 3^rd at CEO 2016. While Dabuz performed to expectation to his current rank 3 position of the PG Rankings, this tournament will be remembered for ANTi’s dominating performance throughout the bracket. Not only did he enter the top 8 ring with arguably the best entrance of any player at CEO this year, his impressive run through Nick Riddle, CLG|VoiD, False, Mr-R and fellow teammate Dabuz to reach grand finals put him on pace to take the CEO belt. Zinoto did not go down without a fight however, winning the first set with a fast 3-0, even beating ANTi at a Diddy ditto just to prove that he was the better monkey master. However, ANTi must have achieved a Limit Break in real life, switching to Cloud in the second set after a short consultation with Nairo offstage and subsequently brutalizing Zinoto’s Diddy. His Cloud play was some of the cleanest I’ve ever seen, using Nair to mix up his aerial chases and getting some perfect Limit Cross Slash reads to send Diddy flying into the blastzone. Not even the Diddy council of MVD and ZeRo could bring Zinoto back from the brink, as ANTi upsmashed his way into the history books, finally winning a major and the CEO championship belt.

CEO 2016 has caused a seismic shift for Smash 4, showing how there truly are no gods of the game and that the top spot is still there for the taking by anyone who really wants it. Evo is set to be a complete slobberknocker, as those who placed high try to prove their legitimacy while those who missed out on glory try to reclaim their rightful position. All I know is that be careful with your sidebets come Evo weekend, it’s anyone’s game.

Sources: smash.gg, r/smashbros , feature image c/o Robert Paul

One of Europe’s greatest tournament series, VSFighting, is coming back for its 6th installment this August, as it returns to Birmingham to host a weekend of top flight fighting game action. This year sees players of Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Killer Instinct, Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat XL and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U descend on the UK’s second city to battle it out for supremacy.

VSFighting 2016 acts as one of the European Ranking events on the Capcom Pro Tour, so if you want to earn some Ranking points and check out the competition ahead of the EGX Premier event–also held in Birmingham–this is the event for you. Registration is open over on the official VSFighting website, so make sure to sign up now to secure your place. So far, the only major names that have confirmed their attendance are Red Bull’s Luffy and Team YP’s Valmaster but more will appear in the coming weeks so stay tuned. I have personally attended VSFighting for the past 2 years and can attest to this being a tournament that should not be missed if you have the opportunity to compete, so sign up before July 19th.

Source: Electronic Dojo, VSFighting

Following its announcement ahead of Smash ‘n Splash 2 a few weeks ago, I was able to catch up with the head of the new charity initiative Share Stock, Chloe Schupp-Omid or “Yink” as she’s known among Smashers, to talk about this project, its goals moving forward and how community members can get involved with this charity initiative.

Sam “Trilby” Foxall: For those who maybe aren’t aware, can you briefly explain what the Share Stock initiative is?

Chloe “Yink” Schupp-Omid: What Share Stock does is aim to benefit Child’s Play, a really fantastic organization that brings toys, games, books, and more to children in over 100 hospitals all over the world. The team members of Share Stock all share a mutual love and understanding for children, as they are our future and future gamers. We hope that by us enjoying Super Smash Bros. and promoting Share Stock, we can raise money to help them get copies of games they themselves enjoy to make their time in the hospital more enjoyable.

Trilby: What birthed the idea of Share Stock?

Yink: Well, I had personally wanted to host some type of charitable event years ago revolving around Smash, but then life sort of got in the way. Then, about a year and a half ago, I decided to tackle the idea again. I spoke with various people inside the Smash community for ideas and tips, including other TOs, other charitable organizations, and then regular players/spectators to hear their insight. The Smash community is no stranger to donating for a good cause. Back in 2013, Evo ran a charity drive for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), and of their total (over $225K), the Smash community came together for Melee and raised over $94K. Or what about #SmashTheRecord? Since 2014, they’ve raised over $64K for St. Jude, and they’re going to be holding another event again this November. In honesty, Share Stock’s team just wants everyone to enjoy playing Smash, no matter which installment, but also giving to those in need, no matter what the amount. Every dollar, euro, what have you, matters.

Trilby: Besides donating to Child’s Play directly and buying items from the Share Stock store, how can people help this initiative grow?

Yink: Simply put, by sharing our website around! Telling friends, loved ones, gaming enthusiasts, etc.! The lovely team at smash.gg worked hard to make our site look good and easily accessible. You can follow us on Twitter too for updates, future events, artist talks, and other neat stuff. We encourage people to talk about us and talk to us as well. The more people signal boost the more places we’ll reach. Our shop on smash.gg will have different items in the store from time to time, so I always encourage people to take a look. The items made are generally from people within the Smash community who think the cause is something special, and we appreciate it.

Trilby: I know TOs from USA, Canada and the UK are part of Share Stock, how can others become a Share Stock supporting event?

Yink: Send us an email or a direct message on Twitter! We’d like to hear from you and talk about how we could potentially work together! More events means more chances to make a difference.

Trilby: Smash ‘n Splash 2 was Share Stock’s first event, what was the response from Smashers attending?

Yink: I’d say it was a positive response. Many people enjoyed the idea of the initiative and can’t wait to see it grow over time. People came up to me at the event while I was TOing and said they couldn’t wait to pick up a wristband, shirt, or just donate directly because they wanted to help. The commentators on stream did a wonderful job promoting us so I’m thankful to each and every one of them.

Trilby: Are there any plans for a Share Stock specific event like Smash the Record sometime in the future? Maybe possible charity tournaments as part of a big event like Super Smash Con?

Yink: At this time, no, we do not have any plans of a specific event similar to #SmashTheRecord in size. But, we have talked about having perhaps smaller events (such as weeklies or monthlies) that could be specifically to benefit Share Stock. As for charity tournaments as part of a bigger event or national like Super Smash Con, perhaps a future endeavor!

Trilby: Will it be an unwritten rule that if someone shares a stock during top 8 of a Share Stock supporting event, they will have to donate a dollar to the cause?

Yink: Hahahaha! If the TO is okay with it and the players are down for it, I’d say go for it!

Trilby: If people want to help out, what is the next event that will be supporting Share Stock?

Yink: As of right now, we have a few events that are still in their planning phase so I cannot say exactly when they will be available. You can always check our smash.gg page for more information on upcoming events. If you scroll down, you’ll see the events that are currently supporting us. Shine and Super Smash Con are the next events that are 100% supporting us. However, we’re hoping to have a Canadian event support us in July, and then later down the road, a UK event as well.

Following its announcement ahead of Smash ‘n Splash 2 a few weeks ago, I was able to catch up with the head of the new charity initiative Share Stock, Chloe Schupp-Omid or “Yink” as she’s known among Smashers, to talk about this project, its goals moving forward and how community members can get involved with this charity initiative.

Sam “Trilby” Foxall: For those who maybe aren’t aware, can you briefly explain what the Share Stock initiative is?

Chloe “Yink” Schupp-Omid: What Share Stock does is aim to benefit Child’s Play, a really fantastic organization that brings toys, games, books, and more to children in over 100 hospitals all over the world. The team members of Share Stock all share a mutual love and understanding for children, as they are our future and future gamers. We hope that by us enjoying Super Smash Bros. and promoting Share Stock, we can raise money to help them get copies of games they themselves enjoy to make their time in the hospital more enjoyable.

Trilby: What birthed the idea of Share Stock?

Yink: Well, I had personally wanted to host some type of charitable event years ago revolving around Smash, but then life sort of got in the way. Then, about a year and a half ago, I decided to tackle the idea again. I spoke with various people inside the Smash community for ideas and tips, including other TOs, other charitable organizations, and then regular players/spectators to hear their insight. The Smash community is no stranger to donating for a good cause. Back in 2013, Evo ran a charity drive for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), and of their total (over $225K), the Smash community came together for Melee and raised over $94K. Or what about #SmashTheRecord? Since 2014, they’ve raised over $64K for St. Jude, and they’re going to be holding another event again this November. In honesty, Share Stock’s team just wants everyone to enjoy playing Smash, no matter which installment, but also giving to those in need, no matter what the amount. Every dollar, euro, what have you, matters.

Trilby: Besides donating to Child’s Play directly and buying items from the Share Stock store, how can people help this initiative grow?

Yink: Simply put, by sharing our website around! Telling friends, loved ones, gaming enthusiasts, etc.! The lovely team at smash.gg worked hard to make our site look good and easily accessible. You can follow us on Twitter too for updates, future events, artist talks, and other neat stuff. We encourage people to talk about us and talk to us as well. The more people signal boost the more places we’ll reach. Our shop on smash.gg will have different items in the store from time to time, so I always encourage people to take a look. The items made are generally from people within the Smash community who think the cause is something special, and we appreciate it.

Trilby: I know TOs from USA, Canada and the UK are part of Share Stock, how can others become a Share Stock supporting event?

Yink: Send us an email or a direct message on Twitter! We’d like to hear from you and talk about how we could potentially work together! More events means more chances to make a difference.

Trilby: Smash ‘n Splash 2 was Share Stock’s first event, what was the response from Smashers attending?

Yink: I’d say it was a positive response. Many people enjoyed the idea of the initiative and can’t wait to see it grow over time. People came up to me at the event while I was TOing and said they couldn’t wait to pick up a wristband, shirt, or just donate directly because they wanted to help. The commentators on stream did a wonderful job promoting us so I’m thankful to each and every one of them.

Trilby: Are there any plans for a Share Stock specific event like Smash the Record sometime in the future? Maybe possible charity tournaments as part of a big event like Super Smash Con?

Yink: At this time, no, we do not have any plans of a specific event similar to #SmashTheRecord in size. But, we have talked about having perhaps smaller events (such as weeklies or monthlies) that could be specifically to benefit Share Stock. As for charity tournaments as part of a bigger event or national like Super Smash Con, perhaps a future endeavor!

Trilby: Will it be an unwritten rule that if someone shares a stock during top 8 of a Share Stock supporting event, they will have to donate a dollar to the cause?

Yink: Hahahaha! If the TO is okay with it and the players are down for it, I’d say go for it!

Trilby: If people want to help out, what is the next event that will be supporting Share Stock?

Yink: As of right now, we have a few events that are still in their planning phase so I cannot say exactly when they will be available. You can always check our smash.gg page for more information on upcoming events. If you scroll down, you’ll see the events that are currently supporting us. Shine and Super Smash Con are the next events that are 100% supporting us. However, we’re hoping to have a Canadian event support us in July, and then later down the road, a UK event as well.

Following its announcement ahead of Smash ‘n Splash 2 a few weeks ago, I was able to catch up with the head of the new charity initiative Share Stock, Chloe Schupp-Omid or “Yink” as she’s known among Smashers, to talk about this project, its goals moving forward and how community members can get involved with this charity initiative.

Sam “Trilby” Foxall: For those who maybe aren’t aware, can you briefly explain what the Share Stock initiative is?

Chloe “Yink” Schupp-Omid: What Share Stock does is aim to benefit Child’s Play, a really fantastic organization that brings toys, games, books, and more to children in over 100 hospitals all over the world. The team members of Share Stock all share a mutual love and understanding for children, as they are our future and future gamers. We hope that by us enjoying Super Smash Bros. and promoting Share Stock, we can raise money to help them get copies of games they themselves enjoy to make their time in the hospital more enjoyable.

Trilby: What birthed the idea of Share Stock?

Yink: Well, I had personally wanted to host some type of charitable event years ago revolving around Smash, but then life sort of got in the way. Then, about a year and a half ago, I decided to tackle the idea again. I spoke with various people inside the Smash community for ideas and tips, including other TOs, other charitable organizations, and then regular players/spectators to hear their insight. The Smash community is no stranger to donating for a good cause. Back in 2013, Evo ran a charity drive for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), and of their total (over $225K), the Smash community came together for Melee and raised over $94K. Or what about #SmashTheRecord? Since 2014, they’ve raised over $64K for St. Jude, and they’re going to be holding another event again this November. In honesty, Share Stock’s team just wants everyone to enjoy playing Smash, no matter which installment, but also giving to those in need, no matter what the amount. Every dollar, euro, what have you, matters.

Trilby: Besides donating to Child’s Play directly and buying items from the Share Stock store, how can people help this initiative grow?

Yink: Simply put, by sharing our website around! Telling friends, loved ones, gaming enthusiasts, etc.! The lovely team at smash.gg worked hard to make our site look good and easily accessible. You can follow us on Twitter too for updates, future events, artist talks, and other neat stuff. We encourage people to talk about us and talk to us as well. The more people signal boost the more places we’ll reach. Our shop on smash.gg will have different items in the store from time to time, so I always encourage people to take a look. The items made are generally from people within the Smash community who think the cause is something special, and we appreciate it.

Trilby: I know TOs from USA, Canada and the UK are part of Share Stock, how can others become a Share Stock supporting event?

Yink: Send us an email or a direct message on Twitter! We’d like to hear from you and talk about how we could potentially work together! More events means more chances to make a difference.

Trilby: Smash ‘n Splash 2 was Share Stock’s first event, what was the response from Smashers attending?

Yink: I’d say it was a positive response. Many people enjoyed the idea of the initiative and can’t wait to see it grow over time. People came up to me at the event while I was TOing and said they couldn’t wait to pick up a wristband, shirt, or just donate directly because they wanted to help. The commentators on stream did a wonderful job promoting us so I’m thankful to each and every one of them.

Trilby: Are there any plans for a Share Stock specific event like Smash the Record sometime in the future? Maybe possible charity tournaments as part of a big event like Super Smash Con?

Yink: At this time, no, we do not have any plans of a specific event similar to #SmashTheRecord in size. But, we have talked about having perhaps smaller events (such as weeklies or monthlies) that could be specifically to benefit Share Stock. As for charity tournaments as part of a bigger event or national like Super Smash Con, perhaps a future endeavor!

Trilby: Will it be an unwritten rule that if someone shares a stock during top 8 of a Share Stock supporting event, they will have to donate a dollar to the cause?

Yink: Hahahaha! If the TO is okay with it and the players are down for it, I’d say go for it!

Trilby: If people want to help out, what is the next event that will be supporting Share Stock?

Yink: As of right now, we have a few events that are still in their planning phase so I cannot say exactly when they will be available. You can always check our smash.gg page for more information on upcoming events. If you scroll down, you’ll see the events that are currently supporting us. Shine and Super Smash Con are the next events that are 100% supporting us. However, we’re hoping to have a Canadian event support us in July, and then later down the road, a UK event as well.

In an attempt to show the Latin American Smash community to the wider world, representatives from various countries from across the sub-continent have come together to create Astra 2016, a brand new international to show off some of the greatest talent in Latin America. Super Smash Bros. 64, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be the primary focus for this event, but there will be tournaments for both Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat X as well.

Seeing as this tournament seeks to bring countries together, there will be a 5v5 open crew battle bracket for both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, so players can bring their best to prove who is the best in Latin America. The tournament will be held in the Combarranquilla Convention Center in Colombia from the 26th-28th of August, with pre-registration now being open on Astra 2016’s smash.gg page.

This international will finally give Latin America some of the recognition it deserves and debut some of the players that cannot make it to tournaments in North America. Peru is famous for its thriving 64 scene, Mexico has some phenomenal players like MK Leo and Hyuga and Chile is the birthplace of Smash 4’s number 1 TSM|ZeRo but, hopefully, we will see some of the hidden bosses from El Salvador, Brazil, Venezula, Paraguay, Colombia and many other countries at Astra 2016 in August.

Source: Powershield TV