It’ll be a busy weekend for the 2022 Smash World Tour, as Osaka will host Japan’s first gold event of the year. More than 700 players are currently registered to compete at the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate major Maesuma TOP 8.
Here’s everything to know about the latest Maesuma tournament, including who has the best shot of winning and where viewers can catch all the action.
【告知】2022.06.11 Sat. ～ 06.12 Sun.
スマブラSPオフライン大会「マエスマTOP#8」は”Smash World Tour”「GOLD」大会として認可されました事をご報告致します。
SWT様よりまた後日に発表があるかもしれませんが、情報公開許可をいただいての発表となりました。
何卒宜しくお願い致します。 pic.twitter.com/6fjhs0JvvF
— マエスマTOP MaesumaTOP (@MaesumaTOP_info) May 11, 2022
Players to watch
Prodigious Steve main acola is not currently registered for Maesuma TOP 8, leaving the floor open for someone else to win a Japanese major. A potential contender is Kagaribi 7 runner-up Asimo. Since his breakout run at Kagaribi, Asimo has placed in the top four of three consecutive regionals. However, he may still have to worry about the likes of Yoshidora and Rizeasu, who have beaten him in recent brackets.
While he has never won a major, Yoshidora does boast a handful of regional victories. Most notably, he won Sumabato SP 26 in May over acola. In fact, Yoshidora is the only player in the world who has taken multiple sets off of acola. As a result, it’s not far-fetched to imagine he could finally break through to first place at a Maesuma major.
Meanwhile, Naoto “ProtoBanham” Tsuji will aim for an in-region resurgence at Maesuma TOP 8. He was Japan’s best player in 2021 and placed third at his most recent American major, Smash Ultimate Summit 4, where he beat Leonardo “MkLeo” López Pérez and Gavin “Tweek” Dempsey. However, ProtoBanham has missed top eight at every Japanese major he has attended this year.
How to watch Maesuma TOP 8
Fans can catch the full tournament livestream for Maesuma TOP 8 on the Maesuma YouTube channel. The action will kick off with Singles pools at 10 p.m. ET on Friday. In addition, the schedule has room for side events like crew battles beginning at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Then, top 128 will start at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, while top eight will begin at 1 a.m. on Sunday. Any international viewers aiming to watch the entire event can expect to be up until 6 a.m. on Sunday.
