Nintendo announced an official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate online tournament to determine qualified players for an event at PAX East. The announcement came alongside a similar online qualifier for Splatoon 2.
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate North American Open allows players age 13 and older in the United States and Canada, and all players 18 and over in Mexico. Registration and the bracket for the event will be held through Battlefy. For those outside of North America, Nintendo of Europe is hosting the European Smash Ball Team Cup.
Players will have three opportunities to qualify for the final event. To ensure a better online experience and reduce the effects of distance-based lag, each qualifying event is also sorted by region. Players will register for either the Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, or Southeast region when they sign up for the tournament.
Online Event 1: Qualifiers on Feb. 2; Finals on Feb 9
Online Event 2: Qualifiers on Feb. 16; Finals on March 2
Online Event 3: Qualifiers on March 9; Finals on March 16
Players must register before 9 AM PT on the event start date. Complete official rules can be found on Nintendo’s site here.
Qualifier rounds will will determine the top 4 players for each region, each of which will move on to a Finals round for that region. All matchmaking will be handled through the Battlefy platform, and the fights will consist of a one player versus one player match with a 7 minute time limit. Smash Balls are turned on.
After the qualifiers, the 4 finalists from each region will face each other in a second bracket, again handled through Battlefy. These matches will consist of a best of 3 matches between 2 players. These matches will feature 3 stocks with a 7 minute time limit, and again Smash Balls are turned on.
The winners from each of the region’s qualifiers will move on to the final event at PAX East. In addition to an opportunity to compete at the official event, finalists will have their PAX badges, travel, and hotel stay covered as part of their prize.
The final event will showcase Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s 3 on 3 Squad Strike format, both with teams and single players.
Do you think you will test your mettle against other Smash players? What do you think of Nintendo’s rule set choices for this Super Smash Bros. Ultimate event? Let us know in the comments below!
