The biggest celebration of the Super Smash Bros. series is returning to Chantilly, Virginia, this weekend. With nearly 4,000 registered attendees, Super Smash Con 2022 will be the biggest Smash event so far this year.
Alongside Singles and Doubles tournaments for all five official Smash games, the convention will also feature side brackets for Rivals of Aether, Rushdown Revolt and King of the Hat. Here’s everything viewers need to know about Super Smash Con 2022.
The Indie showcase at @SuperSmashCon is live!
📝 Join Rivals Singles, Doubles, and Workshop for FREE with a 4-Day venue pass to the event.
💰 We are happy to announce a $250 prize pool for BOTH of our side events. Sign up and show us what you've got!https://t.co/PELlFT3PlL
— Rivals of Aether (@RivalsOfAether) July 28, 2022
Players to watch in Ultimate and Melee
In the Ultimate bracket, all eyes will be on two players: Leonardo “MkLeo” López Pérez and acola. MkLeo was recently ranked No. 1 in North America and is widely considered to be the best player in the world, although not without facing stiff competition from Edgar “Sparg0” Valdez. However, Sparg0 is currently taking a break from competition, leaving MkLeo as the undisputed champion of NA for the time being.
Meanwhile, acola has emerged as Japan’s best player at only 16 years old. Since he began competing offline earlier this year, he has won multiple majors. This includes his only American tournament up to now, The Gimvitational.
However, Super Smash Con 2022 will mark acola’s first open-bracket tournament in the States, and potentially his first chance to face MkLeo. As a result, acola will finally get the chance to show whether he has what it takes to be the best in the world.
"THE LIST" for #SSC22 is finally here!
Easily one of our favorite traditions, can you find your tag?
Still need to sign-up? Get in here!
Tomorrow is the LAST day, all tourney reg closes at 11:59pm – you've been warned! pic.twitter.com/jEMF1bLQ15
— Super Smash Con (@SuperSmashCon) August 3, 2022
With Cody “iBDW” Schwab dropping out due to hand pain, Zain “Zain” Naghmi will be the frontrunner to win Melee Singles. Of the seven players who have beaten Zain this year, only one will be at Smash Con. After going five straight tournaments without a first-place finish, Zain will undoubtedly look for a performance befitting the best player in the world.
Meanwhile, Arjun “lloD” Malhotra will be the lone Zain slayer in attendance. Although he reached top eight at every major he entered earlier this year, lloD has taken a step back recently since he started his medical residency. Smash Con will give lloD the chance to show where his skill floor lies when he hasn’t had much time to put into the game.
How to watch Super Smash Con 2022
VGBootCamp is running Super Smash Con 2022 and will likely stream the whole event across their various Twitch channels. The tournament will kick off on Thursday with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Doubles at 3 p.m. ET. Later, Brawl Doubles will start at 5 p.m.
The bulk of the competition will start on Friday. Melee Singles, Ultimate Singles and Doubles, Smash 4 Singles and 64 Singles will all start at 11 a.m. Then, Melee Doubles and Brawl Singles will begin at 1 p.m., followed by 64 Doubles at 5 p.m.
Singles brackets for Melee, Ultimate, 64 and Brawl will resume at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The finals for Smash 4, 64 and Brawl will take place throughout the day. Finally, Championship Sunday will start at 10 a.m. with Ultimate top 32. Afterward, Melee top eight will begin at 2 p.m., followed by Ultimate top eight at 6 p.m.
