The event, formerly known as Super Smash Con, now rebranded as SuperNova (SNOVA), continues to uphold its reputation as the largest and most competitive Super Smash Bros. 64 tournament of the year. 2024 is no exception. With 241 entrants this is the 7th largest Smash 64 tournament ever, just edging out Genesis 3. Despite the absence of some top-tier players such as Alvin, JaimeHR, KYSK, Shihman, Zero, and reigning champion Isai, the event promises intense competition across all divisions, from Division 4 through Division 1.

This year’s tournament features a formidable lineup of heavy hitters, with Kurabba, SuPeRbOoMfAn, Nax, Wario, KeroKeroppi, Wizzrobe, Mercy, and Josh Brody leading the pack as the top 8 seeds. Additionally, other skilled competitors such as KD3, Dogs_Johnson, Lowww, Kix, Robert, Crovy, and Jar Jar Breaks are right on their heels, all aiming to secure a coveted top 8 placement.

The absence of some of the biggest names in the Smash 64 community might leave a gap at the top, but it also opens the field for emerging talent and underdogs to make their mark. The competitive pools and matchups are expected to deliver high-octane action and thrilling upsets, ensuring that SNOVA remains the pinnacle of the Smash 64 scene.

64 Combo Contest

Things kick off at 7:00PM EST Thursday, August 8 with the premier Smash 64 showcase and fan-favorite event, the 64 Combo Contest. This exciting competition will feature top-tier players Combo Blaze, Razz, Raychu, Tacos, and Tylo Ren, all vying to dazzle both the audience and the judges with their incredible skills. They will attempt to take home the coveted combo contest trophy, a symbol of mastery and creativity in the Smash 64 community.

For the second straight year, the reigning Combo Contest champion will not be defending his title, ensuring that we will crown a new combo king. This year’s contest introduces a fresh format that promises to heighten the excitement. Unlike previous years where competitors showcased their combos on a round-by-round basis and faced elimination, this year each player will present two combos in the first round. These combos will be scored, and the players with the highest combined totals will face off head-to-head in the final round until one is crowned champion.

Last year’s competition saw Huntsman earning two (nearly three!) perfect scores, setting a high bar for future contestants. His impressive performance en route to winning the Combo Contest trophy showcased the pinnacle of skill and creativity, a feat that will be extremely difficult to top. However, each year brings new surprises and even more unique combos, ensuring that the contest remains thrilling and unpredictable. The Combo Contest is an event you wont want to miss!

International Competition

One of the greatest aspects of SNOVA is the diverse international talent it attracts. This year, players from Japan, Chile, Canada, Austrailia, and Germany will converge in Chantilly, Virginia, each eager to prove they are the best Super Smash Bros. 64 player in the world. This international presence not only elevates the level of competition but also fosters a rich, multicultural atmosphere that celebrates the global Smash 64 community. Prior to Isai’s triumphant win at Super Smash Con 2023, no American player had claimed the Super Smash Con trophy or any world championship title since Isai’s victory over a decade ago at Apex 2014. This long-standing dominance by international players underscores the extraordinary level of skill and dedication present in the global Smash 64 scene.

Despite the rising talent among U.S. players, they still face the daunting challenge of overcoming their international counterparts, who have consistently set the bar high year after year. The likes of Kurabba and Wario from Japan, SuPeRbOoMfAn from Canada, Nax from Chile, and other top contenders from around the world have demonstrated exceptional prowess, often outshining their American rivals on the biggest stages.

Division 1 Preview

Division 1 promises to deliver some of the best matchups every year at SNOVA, with almost every game having the potential to be a Grand Finals showdown at any major Smash 64 tournament. Instead, these top-tier players are battling for a spot in the coveted top 32 bracket.

Leading the pack is the number 1 seed overall and Super Smash Con 2022 Champion, Kurabba. He finds himself in a challenging pool with the number 10 seed Dogs_Johnson and the number 11 seed Lowww. Dogs_Johnson, who has suffered losses to both players in recent ranked matches going back to Super Smash Con 2023, is eager to prove he belongs among the top talent. Meanwhile, Kurabba is aiming for his unprecedented fourth appearance in the Grand Finals at SNOVA, making this pool one to watch closely.

The number 2 overall seed, SuPeRbOoMfAn (Boom), brings an intriguing storyline since his return to competitive play in 2023. Following community character polls on X, it has been decided that he will play Captain Falcon and Jigglypuff for SNOVA. While Boom excels with any character, Captain Falcon is his strongest. Yet, in his pool, he faces number 9 seed KD3 and number 13 seed Jar Jar Breaks (formerly known as HAMMERHEART), both of whom play high-level Jigglypuff and Kirby, respectively. These matchups could pose significant challenges for Captain Falcon, making potential upsets a real possibility. KD3 holds a 1-2 record against Boom, with his sole victory coming in a Grand Finals reset against Boom’s DK (another community poll choice), and Jar Jar Breaks stands at 0-2 against Boom.

The number 3 overall seed, Nax, follows an impressive competitive run. After securing 4th place at Super Smash Con 2023, Nax remained in the United States and clinched victories at WisePheno 5, The Offseason 2, and SmashtoVerfest before returning to South America and finishing second at Inkafest 2. During this streak, he won 41 consecutive sets, losing only 8 games, before being double eliminated by Kurabba at Inkafest 2. Nax’s consistency and skill have many believing he could be this year’s champion. In his pool, he faces number 8 seed Josh Brody and number 13 seed Crovy. These two players have recently clashed at Ghost Town 2 and No Contest, with Crovy winning the former and Josh Brody the latter. Despite the uphill battle, both players have the potential to upset Nax and claim the pool’s top seed.

Traveling from Japan, the 4th overall seed is Genesis 3 champion and Super Smash Con 2019 runner-up Wario. One of only two players worldwide with a positive record against SuPeRbOoMfAn, Wario has long been a top player in Japan and globally for many years. He faces number 7 seed Mercy and number 13 seed and fellow countryman Kix in his pool. With no recorded tournament games against each other, the Wario versus Mercy matchup is particularly intriguing, as Mercy has proven capable of defeating world-class talent.

KeroKeroppi (Kero), the number 5 seed, has been striving to become the best Smash 64 player in the world for many years, yet has continually faced tough competition he has been unable to overcome on the biggest stage. While he has never played Nax in a tournament set, he holds a 1-11 record against all other players seeded above him. The community is rooting for Kero to pull off upsets and take home the title, but he must first navigate what may be the most contentious Division 1 pool. Paired with number 6 seed Wizzrobe and number 15 seed Robert, all these players have been ranked in the top 10 in North America and/or the world. Kero boasts a 3-0 combined tournament record against these two, but each possesses the skill to defeat one another, ensuring high-stakes matches throughout.

Rising Talent

Every year new players make an incredible push through the divisions and some even able to compete in bracket and it is expected that this year is no different. Placed in Division 2, player Merakissb travels in from Chile and is looking to make a name for himself on an international stage. Merakissb has played competitive tournament sets against Nax in Chile, even taking him to game 5. He will be put to the test against other emerging strong player Bobakonoosh and veterans KrisKringle and Qapples.

Pool J403 in division two will certainly be one we will want to watch, featuring Antwon420, Janitor, Raychu, and Combo Blaze — four players who are known to not only be skilled at the game, but very creative in their combo routes. This will be Janitor’s first event since SNOSA 5 over four years ago. At SNOSA 5 he had a strong performance with wins over Hero Pie, CTG, and Isai. Despite starting in Division 2, expect Janitor to make a deep top 32 bracket run.

Skilled players populate the entire tournament all the way through Division 4. In Pool G407 the 2nd seed Hunter has been training and honing his skills, and even starting his own online tournament series. Being that he has not traveled to many tournaments he wants to have a strong performance at Supernova. Standing in his way of first place in the pool is the number 1 seed Isildur. Isildur started his career in Wisconsin learning from players like Mando, OutLANDISh and trained with #44 ranked OJ. As a pika main, Isildur may have his hands full against Hunter’s Falcon. Also watch out for Ed Sheeran, huevos and the last seed, Mello, to earn some upsets.

Pool G405 features Slatts as the top seed. Over 2024, he has massively improved, securing wins over Sebula, MissingNo., White Jesus (Papa Louie), and notably, #61 ranked Bo. TyloRen_, a well-known and well-traveled player and combo contest participate, will be aiming to secure his 4th seed position to move onto D3. This pool should be closely watched.

Another highly contested pool is F405, with players Maniac379, Cagt, ParryManilow, Cashbandicoot, Flathead, and K-Phat. Predicting which four players will advance is challenging. Maniac379 recently secured a win over Combo Blaze at Kirbstompd 9 is plenty skilled to sweep the field but may lack the consistency to do so. Cagt, a well-known tournament organizer for Smash Ultimate, has recently become very interested in 64 and has been training hard and promoting 64 at other Smash Bros tournaments. ParryManilow has also been attending many tournaments across the Midwest and training often. This pool promises excitement.

Pool F402 will surely be a feisty one! The top seed, A1, a Falcon main, has recently achieved significant wins against the likes of Sextc, Shredgar, Smurf, Heny, Afro, and PYT. BlueBear from Virginia, also a Falcon main, is a veteran with a smart, patient playstyle. Conceit, the third seed, a Kirby main from Rochester, is another one of Bobakanoosh’s recruits. He plays a fast and calculated neutral. MaximumJugs (Jugs), the fourth seed, is a newer player rapidly climbing in skill. Jugs has his sights set on being ranked in the top 64 this year and this pools is a big test to see if he will be able to achieve that goal.

Community Predictions

64 Stream Schedule

All Times EST

Thursday
7:00PM Combo Contest on VGBootCamp

Friday
7:00PM Division 3 Singles on VGBootCamp4

Saturday
4:00PM Top 16 on VGBootCamp2

View Side Streams all weekend at 64 League Twitch

Thank you to Wiseacre help and article content

Super Smash Con is a highly anticipated event within the Super Smash Bros. 64 community, serving as a gathering for top players from around the world. With 255 entrants it stands as the fifth largest Super Smash Bros. 64 tournament to date, and the largest one since the post-COVID-19 era. This year’s installment holds particular significance, as it brings together three previous champions: SuPeRbOoMfAn, k y s k and Kurabba.

The matter of seeding, a topic that invariably sparks debate, has taken center stage in the lead-up to this major tournament. Notably, k y s k, the champion of 2019 Super Smash Con, has been granted the top overall seed. This decision has raised eyebrows, placing k y s k ahead of Kurabba, who is the reigning champion from 2022 Super Smash Con and number 1 ranked player on the SSBUPR. While Kurabba showcased an exceptional performance in 2022 at SSC, k y s k has demonstrated dominance over him in various Japanese competitions throughout 2023, triumphing in both Kanto 2023 and BattleGateWay 41.

This year, k y s k has set his sights on winning the doubles trophy, completing a trio of SSC wins with his previous victories in singles and the Combo Contest. He has chosen to team with fellow Japanese player Take, a choice that surprised some given the Yoshi player’s lack of experience compared to his travel companions, but the two are looking to show the power of team synergy and have been putting in hours practicing duo combos in key matchups. Their goal may be more difficult than ever though, as doubles competition this year will be extremely fierce. The competition includes the #1 seed SuPeRbOoMfAn/Isai, a never-before seen pairing of North America’s two best teams players, along with the undefeated Alvin/tacos and rising KD3/StevieG. They’ll also face another similar pairing from Chile in Nax/Shalaka, and their own compatriots in kix/Kurabba. There’s a twist with doubles this year and that is that the team of double Pikachu is banned. This means that this opens the door for other possible team combinations and is a big boost for all the non-pikachu players — namely the Japan Yoshis.

Following k y s k and Kurabba is Nax at the number 3 seed. Going into SSC22 Nax was known by most of the North American community for his performance at Inka Fest in 2019, and being reverse 3-0d by Isai. Despite being the #9 seed in 2022 not much was expected of him when competing with the best in the world. He proved everyone wrong by getting his revenge on Isai en route to a 2nd place finish at SSC22. Kurabba’s red Yoshi proved to be too powerful for Nax in ’22, but after a year of preparing with Peruvian Yoshi player JayKeyAr he may be able to get his revenge against Kurabba this time. With his newfound status as a favorite, all eyes are on Nax as he aims to continue his legacy with a stunning performance.

Isai is considered the frontrunner for the championship title by many members of the community, a position that comes as no surprise given his consistent popularity amongst fans and competitors alike. With his exceptional performance, he secured a commendable 3rd place finish last year and currently holds the 4th seed overall in this year’s tournament. His remarkable mastery of the entire character roster grants him a significant advantage over opponents, allowing him to strategically counter unfavorable matchups. An example of his adaptability was showcased during last year’s competition when Isai strategically played Jigglypuff against Alvin’s Pikachu, effectively thwarting any potential switch to Captain Falcon, which happened earlier in the tournament when Alvin won. This particular match stands out as one of the most exhilarating moments of SSC22. Isai’s unpredictability, skill, and unwavering passion for the game make it difficult for anyone to root against him. Will this year mark his long-awaited triumph, solidifying his legacy as the greatest of all time in the realm of Smash 64?

At the number 5 overall seed is Peruvian player Alvin. Alvin has consistently proven to be a top player placing no lower than 7th at any North American tournaments since 2017, including multiple top 5 finishes at Super Smash Con and Genesis. In Alvin’s Division 1 pool is SuPeRbOoMfAn. The rivalry between the two date back as far as Genesis 4. Historically SuPeRbOoMfAn has had Alvin’s number, boasting a 5-2 record against him, but this time is different as Boom is character locked to Kirby and Yoshi. Alvin’s signature Pikachu could be too much for Boom as the Pika-Kirby matchup is known to be very difficult for Kirby. Boom has had lots of success playing Kirby vs top players like Dogs_Johnson, Josh Brody, SKG and Janco in the PTSD online tournaments, but still has a lot to prove to win the tournament, much less win his pool.

Rounding out the top 8 overall seeds are KeroKeroppi and Wizzrobe. These two are both players with very high ceilings with 2nd place finishes at SSC15 and SSC16 respectively. Disappointed in his 7th place finish at SSC22, his second lowest placing since 2015, KeroKeroppi as put lots of work into playing to reach his long time goal of being the best. In May 2023 KeroKeroppi won his first ever major tournament in Xanadu Origins over SuPeRbOoMfAn, who was character locked to Fox. Right now KeroKeroppi is playing the best he has ever play, but will it be enough to defeat the players above him?

Wizzrobe’s relatively disappointing performance at SSC22 earned him a 13th place finish. While this is no easy feat, it is underperforming for a player who has never placed lower than 7th at any Smash 64 tournament since Apex 2013. Despite this he still has the skill to compete with the best with wins over the likes of KD3, Joshi, and Australia’s best player Jayden in 2022 and even with a win on Kurabba in 2019. Wizzrobe has been streaming and practicing with players online such as Isai, KeroKeroppi, Janco, Dogs_Johnson, and JaimeHR. Just like with Kero, he has the skill to beat any player in the world and many would like to see Wizzrobe back in the top 8.

Many other players seeded out of Division 1 are very skilled and could make a top 16 run or higher. PowerSteeringFluidDrinkr (aka “tod”, Victor Bictor, and HAMMERHEART) won Keystoned VI earlier in 2023 over Finio, baby caweb, and KD3 showing everyone he can play with the best of the best. Maha, a Japanese player also has the skill to make a bracket run and has proven it back in 2019 when he placed 9th with a memorable 5 game set vs Wizzrobe before being knocked out by Alvin in loser’s side of bracket.

Even as low as Division 4 there are players who have the ability to make upsets. One particular Division 4 player has had consistent online results against top players but not many console results. He has expressed on Twitter that his goal is reach top 8. Going from Division 4 to top 8 would be an incredible feat and it may have never been done before. Freean, who is the top solo Luigi main in the world, made top 32 at SSC22 and could make another run this year despite starting in Division 3.

Super Smash Con is always the biggest tournament with the highest skill level of players. There are bound to be many upsets, new contenders proving themselves, and history being made. Many players are rapidly improving at Super Smash Bros. 64 and the floor is much higher in 2023 than ever before. Be sure to tune in to the action starting Thursday, August 10 at 7pm eastern time for the Smash 64 premiere showcase of the Combo Contest. Divisions 3 and 4 stream Friday, August 11 and Divisions 2 through the end of the event on Saturday, August 12. Also, don’t forget to tune into doubles on Sunday, August 13 starting at 11am!

Stream Schedule

Combo Contest: https://www.twitch.tv/vgbootcamp

Division 4: https://www.twitch.tv/thatsadarkhorse + https://www.twitch.tv/ssb64

Division 3: https://www.twitch.tv/thatsadarkhorse + https://www.twitch.tv/ssb64 + https://www.twitch.tv/vgbootcamp4

Division 2: https://www.twitch.tv/thatsadarkhorse + https://www.twitch.tv/ssb64

Division 1: https://www.twitch.tv/thatsadarkhorse + https://www.twitch.tv/ssb64

Top 32: https://www.twitch.tv/thatsadarkhorse + https://www.twitch.tv/ssb64 + https://www.twitch.tv/vgbootcamp4

Top 8: https://www.twitch.tv/vgbootcamp2

Doubles: https://www.twitch.tv/thatsadarkhorse + https://www.twitch.tv/ssb64

SUPER SMASH CON 2023 SCHEDULE

Xanadu Origins is the largest and most stacked non-SSC tournament in over four years. It is a fitting time and place for an event of this caliber. Dating back to 2014, Xanadu Games was the first place to hold organized and streamed Super Smash Bros. 64 weeklies. The events featured notable names such as Shears, Darkhorse, Nintendude, BarkSanchez, LD, and even SuPeRbOoMfAn traveling from Canada to attend. The success of these weeklies ultimately led to the Super Smash Bros. 64 scene ascending to new heights from 2016-2019.

One of the most interesting storylines going into Xanadu Origins is the return to console competition for SuPeRbOoMfAn after a nearly 4 year hiatus from competing. In 2019 Boom only lost 10 tournament games to North American players and won 18 tournaments in a row before his retirement after Super Smash Con 2019. In February 2023, he announced via twitter that he would be returning to console competition and wanted twitter to choose his character. In a close call, Fox won the poll.

This leads us to ask: can Boom win using only Fox at Xanadu Origins? He showed his ability to play the character at a top level winning Lowww’s online monthly with Fox over other top players. Xanadu is a bit of a safe haven for Fox though, with LD, a well known solo fox main, winning most of the weeklies and Boom himself playing Fox back in 2016 at Smash at Xanadu 134. But, as the saying goes “Fox is Fox.”

Other notable entrants for Xanadu Origins include high caliber ranked players baby caweb, Dogs_Johnson, Hero Pie, Josh Brody, Joshi, KD3, KeroKeroppi, Lowww, Shihman, Zero, and many many others. In fact, over half the 70+ entrants are ranked or have been previously ranked in the 64 League Rankings or the SSB64 UPR. Joshi and Chars are even traveling up from Peru to attend and showcase their skills.

Spots for top 8 are incredibly contentious and some questions remain as to who will take those spots. Will the Apex 2022 winner KD3 make up for his shortcomings at Keystoned VI? Will Hammerheart (“tod”, Victor Bictor, Power Steering Fluid Drinker) continue his dominant streak? The west coast is throwing their own wrenches into people’s top 8 predictions with Hero Pie, a player who hasn’t entered an east coast major in years, and Shihman, the Falcon/Yoshi dual main who secured a top 8 spot at SSC22 that included a victory over tournament favorite by some of the community: KeroKeroppi. Speaking of KeroKeroppi, his relatively disappointing results in 2021-2022 have driven him to focus more on vanilla over remix. Will this be enough to catapult him to a victory at Xanadu? B33F is a high caliber player who recently upset KD3 at Keystoned VI, could we see a repeat performance from him while making some high quality upsets? The international presence will make reaching top 16, let alone top 8, even more difficult with Peruvian heavy-hitters Joshi and Chars.

If Boom’s Fox does not take the tournament, any of the players listed above could. I predict many upsets and some surprise performances from other players such as Andykins (aka Andross, A Solid Fox Main, Altykins), etab, Paco, and the Japanese 2023 Kanto Tournament Amateur Bracket winner Shears. Another player to watch out for is Waxy:Joe — a player fresh off a 3rd place finish at Rochester’s Frame 12. Could the solo Jigglypuff main use this momentum to propel himself to a top 8 finish?

Excitingly there are too many players to name who can make surprises at this event and we will see our questions answered in just a few days on May 6th.

Of course none of this would have been possible without the colossal effort of tournament organizer Darkhorse. His ambitions are high for this tournament with the intention to record every set and have 3 total streams for the event, including one of them holding a quad stream. I sent Darkhorse some interview questions in regards to Xanadu Origins and the history of the venue. Much of which was previously outlined in a series of tweets in February:

The History of Baltimore Smash 64: A Xanadu Origins Story

Darkhorse: “In April of 1999, myself and Josh Brody were in middle school and got Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo 64. We played a ton up until Melee came out. I mained Samus. He mained Pikachu.

In 2004 I left for college. Not wanting to deprive my younger brothers of their Gamecube, I took the N64 with me. In my dorm I pwned everyone in free-for-alls with items etc. One day, a friend of a dorm-mate came through and destroyed me with his Kirby. He could Z-cancel. I searched and found old netplay videos on YouTube. Isai, Mariguas, and others showed me what was possible. I practiced and eventually was able to beat this new challenger. I actually reconnected with this guy (Asaf) last year and we played a few games.

In 2005 I decided to host a tournament on campus. Facebook had just launched for colleges so no organization there. I made flyers and posted them around campus. Tourney day came and Asaf and I met in grand finals. He won a close match vs my Yoshi on Hyrule.

In 2007 I hosted another tournament, this time at my off-campus house. 2 local melee players showed up that knew how to pivot and do Falcon standards. One of them was Wenbobular, a Xanadu regular eventually. My eyes had been opened once again

In 2008 I hosted another tournament at my house. This time it was a teams-only event and we posted on smashboards. Not 100% sure, but I think Josh and I ended up losing to dmoogle/A$ and someone else we can’t remember

In 2013 I’m living in Baltimore. Libby comes home and tells me, “They’re playing that game you play at Golden West (a bar).” I walk over and it’s a 4-player timed FFA tournament. I try to troll and go DK. We get Zebes as the stage and I end up losing to Teflon Ron. Ron then tells me about a weekly tournament (Warfare Wednesday) at another bar in the city (Sticky Rice) I check out WW and discover that Ron had been farming them for months and is known as “the Smash King.” I beat him and am crowned the new champ

Over the course of the next year-ish I convince Josh to come up to some weeklies and we play a bunch together. He improves to a similar level as myself and we basically farm that weekly. There were always 3 other games at WW so it was a fun night every week.

Eventually Josh moved in with us and we played more. We continued to go to the weeklies. In the Summer of 2014 one of the WW hosts reads us a Craigslist ad he found. The gist of it was: I am better than you in SSB64. No one can beat me. You can pick any character you want but I get blue-hat Pikachu. You can have ugly green-hat Pikachu. If you beat me I will give you $20. If I beat you it’s fine. You won’t owe anything

Ron ends up replying and meeting up with the new challenger. He reports back that he lost but the new guy will come to the bar next WW. New guy shows up, plays Josh and narrowly beats him. I proceed to beat him with Falcon, Puff, and almost DK. This guy was David Shears.

Surprised with how good we were, Shears tells us about the competitive community and that he knows someone named Nintendude that can help out with a more organized and competitive weekly event. He also knows an online player named LD that lives in the city and in October 2014 we have our very first weekly tournament at the old Xanadu Games.”

Dr. Sauce: Why is Xanadu important for the history of competitive 64?

Darkhorse: The importance in my opinion comes from the fact that it was really the first organized, streamed 64 weekly. The occasional presence on VGBC main stream was nice but I’m not sure how much it actually did for us. The main thing was just exposing the 64 community to something organized. It helped that we were in an area with some decent players like Nintendude, LD, and Clubba(dubba) so people had more exciting stuff to watch.

This was also the beginning of Shears as an organizer. Gaining respect as an organizer allowed him to try stuff out and also move into organizing events on a national scale. Some people might say the most significant thing to come out of the Xanadu scene is just us as “community leaders” and organizers

Dr. Sauce: When was the decision made to have this event and why?

Darkhorse: In June 2022 the idea was floated internally with VGBC staff and we were targeting an SSC announcement with the event being in October, but it just fell through the cracks. The idea was to have an event celebrating the beginning of Smash and the beginning of Smash weeklies at Xanadu (they did start with Brawl). They have approached me over the years about trying to do a 64 event and I kind of always shot it down because this community is very tough to motivate when it comes to events and I knew VGBC wouldn’t want to dump money into flying top international players out etc. and that’s kind of what it takes to break out into that national major level of events for us.

Not that there’s anything wrong with us just running a MDVA/PA/NJ regional but I just wasn’t interested in organizing that kind of event. In December 2022 I wanted to run an MVP/MOMs – style event with MDVA Vs. PA with 64, Melee, and Ultimate but I couldn’t get the melee and ult crews to agree on a weekend so that got scrapped in January. At that point I was kind of motivated and had the itch to run something so I went back and brought this up with Matt Lofton (Aposl) and started looking at our event calendar. They had the whole Xanadu 500 series happening throughout April but there wasn’t a good spot there for us and I wanted a little more time to plan so we saw May 6th was open and locked it in.

Dr. Sauce: If all goes well do you think you’ll host a Xanadu Origins 2?

Darkhorse: Almost 0% chance. This was a colossal personal effort by me and I don’t think the next iteration would be any easier. Out of every player registered for 64 I personally DM’d and talked to all but like 3 of them about attending. In total I probably hit up about 100 people. Also I’m sure you noticed I would just insert it into conversations wherever I could. Twitter, Discord servers, FB, Twitch, etc. It certainly helped get people talking about it but that kind of effort from one person is not reasonable or sustainable and I won’t be doing it again. But yeah, between not wanting to do all that work again (without any guarantee it would be successful) and everything else I’ll have going on next year (I’m having a kid in like 6 weeks) I don’t see it happening.

That being said, if someone else took over I’m sure there could be XO2. Maybe instead I team back up with Shears and we do Let’s Go 2…who knows..

Dr. Sauce: Any surprises in store for competitors or viewers?

Darkhorse: Wouldn’t be a surprise then, would it?

LINK TO XANADU ORIGINS PRIZES

Dr. Sauce: Anything else you want to add?

Darkhorse: Can’t think of much. I’m excited to see how this whole plan to record every set goes. It’s pretty ambitious and I’m definitely running out of time to get everything tested to my level of satisfaction but hopefully it works out. That and getting a quad stream set up are things I really hope work out because I’m planning to do that for SSC as well.

May 6, 2023 is a huge day for Super Smash Bros. 64 in celebrating the history of where the modern competitive scene started. It is also a launching point reaching new heights for the scene as a whole. The tournament will be interesting and entertaining for competitors and viewers alike.

You can catch Xanadu Origins live streaming Saturday, May 6 2023

Main Stream: VGBootCamp
Side Stream: 64 League
Quad Side Stream: Darkhorse

Follow Along with all the action at: https://www.start.gg/tournament/xanadu-origins/details

THE 64 STORY – XANADU ORIGINS PREVIEW TWEET

Special thanks to Darkhorse and Dogs_Johnson for their help and input on this article