After taking one year off and experiencing a three-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the biggest and most prestigious Super Smash Bros. supermajors is finally back this weekend for the first time since 2020.
Genesis 8 will bring together many of the best Ultimate and Melee players in the world for top-level competition and perhaps a bit of pizza. Other featured games in the Genesis line-up will include Rivals of Aether, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 and Guilty Gear Strive.
The tournament will also host multiple side brackets. Secondary games include Dance Dance Revolution Extreme, Magical Drop 3, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Windjammers 2.
In addition, there will be Doubles brackets alongside the main Singles brackets for Melee, Ultimate and Smash 64. Meanwhile, Season 6 of the Rivals Championship Series will conclude with Rivals of Aether Singles, Doubles and Workshop brackets. With a slew of competitions kicking off at the San Jose Convention Center in California on Friday, here’s everything viewers need to know before Genesis 8 begins.
How to watch Genesis 8
Thus far, the Genesis tournament organizers have only announced the stream schedule for Sunday. The broadcast will begin at 10 a.m. PT on the btssmash Twitch channel with top six of the Rivals of Aether Singles bracket. Afterward, the schedule lists Ultimate Singles top eight beginning at 1 p.m. Then, Melee Singles top eight should begin at 6 p.m.
G8 SUNDAY TOP 8 FINALS SCHEDULE
Catch the G8 Sunday Finals starting at 10am on Sunday April 17th, 2022 on https://t.co/ZkZwDjH49R
Full event/stream schedule will be posted shortly pic.twitter.com/OF9UNuOaHk
— GENESIS (@Genesis_Smash) April 4, 2022
Additionally, Genesis TOs have confirmed that NASB Singles will be streamed by Level1 as part of a partnership with GameMill Entertainment. While other stream information for Genesis 8 is currently unconfirmed, Beyond the Summit also provided side streams for Melee and Ultimate at Genesis 7 in 2020. Likewise, ShowdownGG streamed Rivals of Aether at Genesis 7.
What does an official partnership with @GameMillEnt mean?
✔ Dedicated Stream Broadcast by the legendary team at @Level1_tv
✔ 20 PCS supplied for tournament and casual play
✔On-Demand brackets open to anyone who wants to participate
✔ AAA-List commentaryand a ton more!
— GENESIS (@Genesis_Smash) March 18, 2022
Although not officially related to Genesis, NorCal PM will host a Project+ major of equally biblical proportions just two minutes away from the San Jose Convention Center. Exodus 2022 is scheduled to take place in its entirety on Saturday.
Players to watch in Melee and Ultimate Singles
Genesis 8 is on track to be a clash of titans for both Melee and Ultimate. The projected grand finals of the Melee bracket will pit Joseph “Mang0” Marquez against Zain “Zain” Naghmi. Though Mang0 boasted a 3-1 record over Zain at offline tournaments last year, Zain won their two most recent sets at the online Ludwig Ahgren Championship Series 4 3-0.
Following his third-place finish at LACS 4, Kurtis “moky” Pratt will undoubtedly look to make a splash at Genesis. It will be only his third offline tournament since 2020. Meanwhile, former No. 1 player Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma will aim to defy expectations, as he is seeded to place ninth. The last time he missed top eight at a serious offline event was at The Big House 4 in 2014.
As for Ultimate Singles, all eyes will be on the top two seeds, Mexican superstars Leonardo “MkLeo” López Pérez and Edgar “Sparg0” Valdez. They have an even 3-3 record across their previous six sets. If they face off at Genesis 8, it could be the tiebreaker they are both looking for. The winner will lay a more solid claim to the title of best Ultimate player in the world.
