The Smash Summit 9 is a Super Smash Bros. Melee event organized by Beyond the Summit. The event has run uninterruptedly since 2015, which makes this year’s edition the ninth Smash Summit. The Smash tournament takes place in Los Angeles, California and gathers 18 of the best players from around the world, although most are from the United States. The tournament is scheduled to begin February 13th and spans over the following 3 days.
Since the Smash Summit 9 tournament is crowdfunded, it does not have an officially declared prize pool until the very last minute. However, last year’s tournament had total prizes of almost $33.000, the biggest in the Smash Summit’s history. The 2020 prize pool is expected to exceed this amount.
How to qualify for the main event
A total of 18 players have qualified for the 2019 Smash Summit 9. This is the first time a Smash Summit features 18 players, with two players added to the regular 16-player format. The eight highest-ranking players on the SSBMRank Summer Listing were invited to the tournament without further qualification needed, while five of the players (Spark, Magi, Roybeat, Pricent and bobby big ballz) will feature as crowdfunded players. They have all been voted in by Super Smash Bro fans from around the world over the past two weeks.
Discounting the players who have already been invited, the four highest-placed players at Genesis 7 and the highest-placed player at Saving Mr. Lombardi 2 automatically qualified to the tournament.
Tournament format
Beyond the Summit have not just added two additional players to make it an 18-player live tournament, they have also introduced a new format. The 18 players will now compete in 2 Swiss pools of 9 players, with the 8 best advancings from each pool. This means the last place player in each group is eliminated before the elimination bracket begins. The rest is divided into a Winners and Losers bracket.
As stated in the Smash tournament calendar, the entire elimination bracket will be played and completed on February 16. This will be an exciting day of intense action for all Super Smash Bros melee fans.
Do note that previous tournaments in the Smash Summit series have featured a Double tournament format in addition to the singles. Doubles have not been included in this year’s live tournament, to the great disappointment of many fans.
List of Players
- Axe
- Hungrybox
- Mango
- Leffen
- Plup
- Wizzrobe
- Zain
- aMSa
- Spark
- Magi
- Ryobeat
- Pricent
- bobby big ballz
- Fiction
- n0ne
- Hax$
- Shroomed
- iBDW
Credit: Caitlin O’Hara for ESPN
Schedule list
The Smash tournament calendar starts with the Group Stage on February 14 and culminates with the Grand Final three days later. Apart from the matches, the Smash Summit 9 tournament also features a number of special events and happenings. Since the tournament is crowdfunded, the organizers have done all they can to please the passionate Super Smash Bros fanbase. These events are also reflected in the Smash tournament calendar below:
February 13
- Swag Bracket
- Sami Singles
- Axe Glitch Showcase
- Leffen Washes a Dog
- Jort-Marking for Plup
- Mafia
February 14
- Singles (Group Stage)
- Ping Pong Crew Battle
- Mafia
February 15
- Singles (Group Stage)
- Mafia
February 16
- Singles (Elimination Bracket)
Streaming platform list
The Super Smash Bros 2020 season is now underway, and as always the Smash Summit is available for live tournament streaming across a variety of platforms.
How To Stream The Smash Summit 9 on Youtube
The tournament is broadcasted live and with exclusive coverage on the official Beyond the Summit – Smash Youtube channel. All live tournament matches will be accompanied by live commentary. You can also access previous Super Smash Bros 2020 tournaments as well as recorded footage of all completed matches.
How To Stream The Smash Summit 9 on Twitch
Twitch is the leading online e-Sports platform for live tournament streaming and coverage. Super Smash Bros is covered by the official Beyond the Summit – Smash channel and will be stuffed with the live coverage every single day during the tournament. The different events and happenings associated with the Super Smash Bros Summit 9 will also be broadcast directly on the official BTS channel.
Streaming on esportsguide.com
One of the best sites for watching the game. The perfect guide for users that are new or already into esports. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
Predictions
Last year’s Smash Summit 8 was won by Axe, who has earned himself another direct qualification to this year’s tournament as the third-ranked player in the SSBMRank Summer Listing. Axe is certainly a possible candidate to repeat his triumph this year, but the field is stacked with the best Super Smash Bros Ultimate players from all around the world. Hungrybox is currently ranked No. 1 in the world by the SSBMRank which undoubtedly makes him one of the favorites. Leffen, the World No. 2 and one of the best Melee players in Europe, will also be at the SS9, together with other top players from the official world rankings. Both Mango, Wizzrobe, and Zain reside inside the World Top 10, and will all look to compete for the ultimate honors in Los Angeles.
Despite the incredibly strong field, punters will probably look to Hungrybox, who won the tournament in 2018. His performance in last year’s summit was disappointing but his overall season was excellent. With Hungrybox as the favorite and more than a dozen excellent players, we should be in for an exciting weekend of Super Smash Bros Ultimate action.
