Beyond The Summit is back with Smash Ultimate Summit 3 this summer. Scheduled for August 26-29, the event features nine invited players and six players chosen by the community. Following the success of Smash Summit 11, Smash Ultimate’s third Summit event has big shoes to fill.
Though Smash Ultimate is quite different from Melee, Beyond The Summit’s production staff always puts on a good show for the Smash community. After the tournaments and side events for Smash Summit 11, SSBU’s next Summit should have spectators quite excited for the upcoming event.
SETTING THE STAGE
Nearly two years have passed since Smash Ultimate Summit 2 in October 2019. MkLeo won the last tournament and looks to defend his title this August. Other invited and qualified players include Tweek, Maister, Marss, Dabuz, Dark Wizzy, KEN, zackray and Sparg0.
Alongside the invited and qualified players will be six competitors chosen through the Summit’s typical vote-in process. Though sometimes criticized for its “popularity contest” nature, the voting period allows for fan-favorites to have a chance at competing in the event.
Since votes come from shop purchases, viewers constantly contribute to the event’s prize pool while they rally behind nominated players. Smash Summit 11’s prize pool reached over $150,000, a record for Smash Melee’s largest prize pool in the game’s history. The third Ultimate Summit aims to have a similarly large prize pool as viewers are excited to see a major offline tournament again.
THE GAME HAS CHANGED
Though players are still competing in Smash Ultimate, the game has seen numerous updates since the last Summit. SSBU has new DLC characters like Kazuya and Steve, while balance patches slightly tweaked how some characters work. The top-level players at this event will show off the current metagame of Smash Ultimate at the highest level.
Alongside the game itself, the landscape of competitors has changed since the last Summit. Due to community action following numerous allegations about players throughout 2020, the players and commentators at Ultimate Summit 3 will look a bit different this year. However, fans can still expect to see SSBU action at the highest level during this action-packed weekend.
SUMMIT 3 AND BEYOND
While the Ultimate Summit 3 looks to be an important event for Smash Ultimate, it also sets up for an interesting timeline leading up to Mainstage in November 2021. This next stop in Beyond The Summit’s Smash events will see many of the Ultimate Summit 3 players competing in an open bracket, unlike the Summit’s invitational format.
Mainstage 2021 will further set the tone for Smash Ultimate Summit 4 next March as competitors aim to secure their place in yet another invitational event.
The Smash Ultimate Summit 3 has large implications of not only current SSBU, but also what lies ahead for the future of Ultimate. The game’s top competitors all aim to make a big splash at a major offline event and Beyond The Summit’s unique atmosphere always delivers quality production and gameplay. For fans of Super Smash Bros, this event will be one of the most exciting tournaments of the year.
STAY CONNECTED
Featured image courtesy of Beyond The Summit
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