Everything to know about Maesuma TOP 9
One of Japan’s most prestigious Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament series is coming back to Osaka, Japan this weekend. Nearly 500 players are registered for the stacked Singles bracket.
Even though it is not a Smash World Tour event like its previous iteration, this tournament will still feature many of Japan’s best players. Here’s everything to know about Maesuma TOP 9 going into this weekend.
【本日締切】
2022.08.27 Sat.「マエスマTOP#9」会場・協賛
ホテルフクラシア大阪ベイ様
（@HFO_Naka）「一般枠」「Switch持参枠」受付中です。
締切は「本日8/22(月)23:59」です。申請する前に注意事項をご確認ください。https://t.co/PflDiK2wbH#スマブラSP #マエスマ
— マエスマTOP/MaesumaTOP#9 2022/8/27 Sat. スマブラSPオフライン大会 (@MaesumaTOP_info) August 22, 2022
Players to watch at Maesuma TOP 9
Like acola, Mr. Game & Watch main Miya seamlessly transitioned from being a high-level online grinder to being one of the best Ultimate players in all of Japan. He earned his first major victory last month at Kagaribi 8. In the process, Miya defeated Naoto “ProtoBanham” Tsuji, Shuton “Shuton” Moriya, and Yuta “Abadango” Kawamura.
However, an offline set win over acola still eludes Miya. While he did win Maesuma Offline, which acola entered, he did not actually have to play acola at that tournament. As a result, a win over acola at Maesuma TOP 9 would be crucial for Miya as he tries to usurp acola as the best player in Japan.
Conversely, Abadango is a Brawl veteran who has reached great heights in multiple Smash games but who had been slumping at post-lockdown tournaments. However, that changed with his second-place finish at Kagaribi 8, where he unexpectedly beat Shuton, Kengo “KEN” Suzuki, ProtoBanham, Yoshidora, and Takuto “Kameme” Ono while playing mostly Meta Knight. Going forward, Abadango will look to keep up that momentum and maintain his position near the top of Japanese Ultimate.
How to watch Maesuma TOP 9
The Maesuma YouTube channel will provide the full tournament broadcast for Maesuma TOP 9. Tournament organizers have not yet shared a detailed event schedule. However, they have confirmed that the entire bracket will run from 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday to 6:30 a.m. on Saturday.
About the Author
Dylan Tate is an alumnus of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a gaming journalist with a love for Nintendo esports, particularly Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon.
