LACS 4 sets record for Melee tournament entries

Popular streamer Ludwig Ahgren’s Smash competition dubbed the Ludwig Ahgren Championship Series 4, has set a new record for Smash Melee tournament entries.  At 2,422 entries, this tournament beats the previous record of EVO 2016’s 2,372 entries. While the LACS 4 did have over 800 disqualifications via no-shows, the amount of entries alone shows how many people still want to play Melee competitively. Plus, the prize pool of $30,001 USD is amongst the top 10 prize pools of all time for Melee.

THE LARGEST SMASH TOURNAMENT OF ALL TIME IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

this tournament was created to fill the void that genesis left behind so…

for every RT this tweet gets I'll donate $0.10 to Genesis staff <3

thanks to @coinbase #coinbasepartner https://t.co/FME5UP9klr

— ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) January 29, 2022

An ‘accidental’ tournament breaks records

For Ludwig, this tournament is the fourth within his homemade LACS series, all of which have been Melee tournaments. Each has had prime competition fighting for the title, with both the LACS 2 and 3 reaching the top 15 in all-time Melee tournament prize pools. But, LACS 4 is the one that has not only hit the top 10 for all-time prize pools, it also set a new record for most entries for a Melee tournament.

There were multiple factors for this new record’s formation. First, the popularity of Ludwig’s streams sent a lot of his fans into the tournament, as well as professional players trying to get a piece of the big prize pool. Secondly, there was no cost to sign up for the tournament, allowing as many North American players as possible to join and face off in Melee. Lastly, due to COVID-19, having players play online allowed for people who couldn’t travel to a live event to sign up and play. The barriers of entry to fight in the LACS had never been easier, which led to a lot of players joining the fray.

Ludwig talked about breaking this Melee record for entries on YouTube, as the event was about to begin. He also introduced a new YouTube integration system of channel points and predictions. That integration is something Twitch fans recognize from their platform. He confirmed that while using the money from his new partnership with YouTube helped for this event, he still aims to provide a fun live experience for fans watching Melee.

The LACS 4 starts on Jan. 29th, 2022, and ends the next day, Jan. 30, 2022 with the top 12 players fighting for first place.