Coliseum

As shown previously, BigBoysToys is adding some new characters to their line of classic Street Fighter II figurines; it looks like the first of the three to join the fight will be Blanka, now available for preorder through toy import sites such as CD Japan, PLAY-ASIA, or the Japanese Amazon site, rolling toward an October 2016 release.

This cartoony-but-fierce rendition of Blanka features its own background setting based on Blanka’s own SFII Brazil stage, and light and sound effects similar to the previous BigBoysToys SFII figurines.

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Bringing T.N.C-05 Blanka home will cost you between ¥12,000 to ¥13,000 (approximately $110 USD) plus shipping through these retailers.

Sources: CD Japan; PLAY-ASIA; Amazon.co.jp

With the recent success of the Road to Shine Online Qualifier for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Panda Global have created their own online tournament series in partnership with smash.gg, designed to get players from North America and Europe to The Big House 6. Named “Key to the PG House,” the winner from Europe and the winner from North America will be an honorary Panda Global member over the course of The Big House 6, gaining access to the Panda Global training house to play with other top level Smashers. They will gain complimentary flights and entry to The Big House 6, along with a Panda Global hoodie and t-shirt, as well as a custom made smash.gg hoodie with their gamertag on the back.

As with the Road to Shine Qualifier, entrants to Key to the PG House will require an Internet connection with at least 5Mbps upload & 15Mbps download in order to compete. For the North American qualifier, players from the USA, Mexico and Canada can compete while for the European qualifier, any player from an EU nation can qualify. (Don’t worry UK players, you’re still eligible to enter.) If for any reason players are unable to attend due to visa issues or prior school or personal commitments, the first place prize will go to the next qualified entrant in top 8.

There will be four qualifiers for both regions, leading to a top 128 final where the winner will be decided. The US qualifiers start on Thursday the 8th of September at 5pm PST. These qualifiers will run until Sunday the 11th, where the final 128 will be held at 3pm PDT. As for Europe, due to the initial schedule clashing with Syndicate– Europe’s biggest Smash 4 tournament– their qualifiers have been shifted to a week later, starting on Thursday the 15th at 5pm BST, with the final 128 happening on Sunday the 18th. Each qualifier will be capped at 768 and they will not be reseeded. If you go into Losers’ early, prepare for a long road out. Both top 128 will be streamed over on the Panda Global Twitch channel, should you wish to tune in and see how each region fares.

For all the information regarding rules and prizes, check out the official smash.gg page. Hopefully, these qualifiers will become a regular occurrence for majors, as it does open the way for lesser known players from other regions to get a shot at the big time, without the risk of forking out hundreds on flights and lodging.

Sources: Panda Global; smash.gg