EVO Smash Melee is always a blast to see the people who are unexpected making the top 8. Axe has had some amazing showings at top 8 the past couple of years. My favorite sideshow of any fighting game tournament is the ssbm crew battle, I hope they do another one again. The concept lends itself so well to the type of game that Melee is.

Gandhi the true Yomi God.

I think almost everyone attributes reactions to "Heart" and Execution to "Science." Actually execution IS Science, tech is like an offshoot of science, there is no science player who focuses on tech but has terrible execution and is still a visible player; now people who aren't tournament players and have no execution can certainly discover tech and then feed that into the machine but those don't really count as "players" in the traditional sense, but lab monsters exclusively; and Capcom has made it clear that those fiends don't deserve fight money.

Hm, trying to link this to the Evo page but it keeps getting shunted back to general discussion. Weird.

@fredchuckdave: I don't think I agree with that. I mean yeah, a lot of science requires strong execution to take advantage of, but often so do reads. Being able to successfully perform an OS most of the time is significantly different from being able to see and counter a fireball with ultra on reaction.

@starvinggamer: The read itself is not execution based, the combo afterward may be. Obviously a good player is going to have both reads and execution with some being slanted to either side. Reacting to a fireball with ultra isn't really something I'd call execution in most cases since ultra motions are very simple, there are exceptions but almost every one of those exceptions would be accomplished via buffering; thus negating the execution aspect. If it was KoF motions all the time or something then sure, but I find those relatively easy with practice as well. The act of reacting is what's impressive, not the fact that the player was able to do his ultra (and every reaction ever is something that the player is thinking about beforehand, not something they can toolassisted out). If you're talking about weird timing that's execution/preparation or sometimes luck.

It's weird that Evo is kinda right around the corner again... Time flies!

I need one more year of Marvel at EVO so that the last champ isn't KBR, because quite frankly he's been a pretty poor champion. Honestly I'd take USF4 one last time over Tekken 7 because no one seems hyped about that game at all...

• Mahvel
• KI
• MKX
• SFV
• Melee
• Guilty Gear
• USF4

Man, if Pokken Tournament made it to the main stage, I'd be so happy. I have zero idea if that game has any serious competitive legs whatsoever, but it's a damn Pokemon fighting game made by the Tekken people. Also maybe I'm being a selfish spectator here, but do we really need two Smash Bros games again? Yes? Well... ok. Doesn't mean I'll watch either of them. I just hope KI stays in; that game is super fun to watch.

@arbitrarywater: Did you watch any of the recent play? It was sadly pretty boring from what I saw.

I'm a fair-weather fighting game fan, so I only pay attention in fits and starts. I'd believe it if you told me that KI was boring now, but I just remember the play at this year's EVO being HYPE.

For as much as I love watching USF4 as it stands now, with the player knowledge and character variety at this ridiculous level. I think the best we can hope for is that Capcom Cup becomes a beautiful sendoff for the game. :(

Marvel and V are gonna be a blast though! As SFV stands now, I think the good players are gonna get incredibly strong very quickly and make a really impressive first EVO performance. Really hope Valle puts in a little more time for practice this year, but I get that's not his priority anymore. Just love watching the guy play.

This would be my ideal lineup:

• SF:V
• UMvC3
• Melee
• Tekken 7
• GG:Xrd
• KI
• MKX

That's a little bit of something for every type of fighting game player. I don't think we'll get this list though because it would be crazy to exclude SSB WiiU after the numbers it pulled in at this year's EVO.

Also, has Capcom mentioned anything about another Capcom Cup for next year? If not, USF:IV is kind of a wild card. It may depend on whether or not another Capcom Cup is happening, and if that is going to be only SF:V or if it will also host USF:IV again.

@fredchuckdave: I'm just saying I agree with the video that reactions and execution can be lumped under body and are a separate thing from mind/tech.

@barrabas: No solid announcements but everyone is assuming Capcup will be SFV. The game's release timing seems to support that, coming out in time for players to get a little practice before Cannes Winter Clash, the first event from this year's CPT.

I am really going to be sad if USFIV doesn't get Main Stage next year. I know that SFV will have been out for a while and that it will take its rightful place as the premier tournament but I still feel like we gotta have at least one year where both 4 and 5 are on main stage. I just don't like the idea that the final big USFIV tournament, Cap Cup, won't have the chance for some crazy dark horse to fight their way into Top 8.

My ideal line up for EVO 2016 is probably:

• SFV
• USFIV
• MKX
• UMVC3
• Either Smash Wii U or Melee, I don't really care about either but do think one should be up there
• GG Xrd
• Tekken 7

That way you get a little bit of everything except SNK, but that scene is so small now and the new KoF looks atrocious so I gave the last spot to Tekken 7. I feel like you need something like Tekken 7 or KoF on main stage so that you can get the classic EVO Top 8s for those more obscure games where shit gets super crazy. My three main choices for that slot were Tekken 7, KoF 14, and KI Season 3. Went with Tekken as it is a new numbered iteration in the series and with its new slow mo zoom in finisher stuff it makes it pretty fun to watch. KoF 14 just looks awful and it would be strange to be playing XIII when 14 is out and surrounded by other new games (except USFIV). I really like KI but I find it just isn't that fun to watch often and even with Season 3 on the way it feels like the game has really fallen to the back of the fighting game pack for now.

I think Namco jumped the gun by having Tekken 7 at this year's EVO. If it is at EVO 2016 it will be two years straight where the game is there and like 80 percent of the fanbase won't have a chance to play it since it won't be out on console before EVO 2016. I think that will just piss people off who are frustrated that the game isn't out yet, and then in 2017 when it will actually have a chance to have wide appeal and the most competition, all of the interest will have evaporated. I think they should skip 2016 - but maybe I'm just being an impatient Tekken fan.

actually I'd rather Marvel sit this one out. Unlike Melee which I didn't really catch any competitive stuff when it first came out (since it wasn't as readily accessible as it is now) but Marvel has been the same shit over and over since it came out and quite frankly it's stale to watch.

@mystyr_e: You haven't been watching enough Marvel then.

Blows my mind that the next EVO will have SFV in it.

I do wish the KI scene were bigger, perhaps when it hits PC it will be (especially with cross play) because there are some intense matches going on over there and as last year's EVO showed, it's pretty capable of having some insane matches.

I was going to write a lengthy...er, lengthier response where I lament the fact that they just refuse to grow the damn event, but it seems like that sentiment is already written all over your original post. So yeah: more games, more days, different venue etc. Have some faith that people can maintain interest in the FGC for more than 2 goddamn days. Grow the convention aspect, too. I'm sure it isn't easy to upscale, but I'm also pretty sure every associated problem has been solved before by organisations in similar situations.

I mean, I only play KI, and I can see the writing on the wall: for KI to get in, we're probably losing Tekken 7, and then it still has to beat out a potential USFIV swansong, BlazBlue, KoF...okay, that last one might not be that hard to beat. The point is that there are probably 6 shoo-ins, and that 7th spot is going to be a shitfight.

Thing is, this is just going to stir up a lot of infighting and shit-talk about whose game is better, and I don't want to go around putting shit on Smash or Tekken or whatever, because I think they legitimately should be there. Hell, what I really think is that it's very un-premier of the premier FGC event to shun a game that is seeing active developer support on a competitive level: that includes SFV, MKX, KI, GGXrd, BBCF, Tekken 7, Pokken, KoFXIV, Skullgirls, even goddamn Smash4 (even if Nintendo maybe stop short of admitting it, those balance patches are obviously directed at competitive play). Maybe even Persona and DOA belong on this list, too? I think it is an utter privilege for the FGC to receive developer attention at all -- hell it's even a tough ask for publishers to give the go-ahead for compelling new fighting games and content to be developed at all. Just to keep a given publisher from atrophying away that part of their business, I think it's essential that the FGC demonstrate interest in the new things that they are making -- after all, why maintain a friggen production chain for a niche audience if said audience is going to snub it in favour of some game thats production life ended 15 years ago and they've long since lost the rights to? Evo being FGC Mecca, I think their support is a big factor in that.

I also think there are pretty good reasons to keep USFIV, Melee and UMVC3, so I guess I'm saying I want a 15-game Evo. Or at least some number bigger than 9. 7 is dumb, and I hope Wizard is just trolling as he is wont to do. But something tells me that he is one of those organisers who has grown to fear and/or resent the immensity of the thing he created, and doesn't want to sell out or micromanage less or take on more risk or some other immensely valid concern that nevertheless falls to the biggest concern of all: when you're the premier thing in a growing (maybe explosively growing, with early 2016's release schedule) community, you either go big or go bust.

@fnrslvr: I'm like 99% sure Evo won't only be 7 games, this is just Wizard testing the waters. Maybe he's setting expectations low so when he's all like, "Surprise 8 games are in!" we will forget the fact that a bunch of other worthy titles are still shit out of luck.

Before games, what I want to see from EVO is a new venue and more production values. Thank Jebailey and other tournament organizers for raising the bar.

Looking at the issue with the TO's in mind, I think the list should probably look something like this:

• SFV
• GG Xrd
• SSB4
• MKX
• KI
• Either USFIV or Melee
• Either Tekken 7 or UMVC3

The first five are pretty obvious inclusions, all of those games will be relatively new and active by Evo 2016. Even KI, which nets the smallest tournament numbers, receives continuous developer support and has a fairly committed and unique scene.

The last two spots are the troublesome ones, particularly for all the people running the event. USFIV and Melee will both draw huge crowds of participants, which is a problem for USFIV because hundreds of those players will be in the SFV tourney, and is an issue for Melee because it requires extremely specific set-ups that will not benefit any other events (CRTs, gamecubes, etc). Additionally, both games will not be the most recent entries into their franchises by the time EVO comes around. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it does prevent other franchises from getting a top spot at Evo. Personally I'd much rather watch the final huge USFIV tourney than Melee, which will undoubtedly continue to pull in big numbers at smash-centric events, but that crowd has more than earned their spot too.

Tekken 7 still won't be on console by Evo. That sucked this year and it will suck even harder next year. Both it and Marvel will require game-specific hardware (less so than Melee, but whatever) and both represent a type of fighting game that is not otherwise present. I'd probably let Tekken hit the bench till next year and give UMVC3 one last go around, but I can see the appeal of having at least one 3d game on the roster.

Or they could go straight for max viewership and just drop Tekken, KI, and Xrd/UMVC3.

It's a complicated dilemma and I'm glad I don't have to handle the logistics behind it.

Here's what I'd like that list to look like:

• Street Fighter V
• Smash 4
• UMvC3
• King of Fighters XV
• BlazBlue: CF
• Skullgirls
• Guilty Gear

Here's what that list will ACTUALLY be:

• Street Fighter V
• Smash 4
• Smash Melee
• MKX
• Killer Instinct
• Guilty Gear
• UMvC3

I just don't like MKX or KI at all, and Melee is never as interesting to me as Smash 4 in terms of watching.

I didn't even realise there was a new KoF and it looks really bad. I would've hoped they'd stick to the sprites but I guess it you want to make any changes to any animations down the line or anything like that, it's a longer process than dealing with 3D. The downside there is that the models in the trailer look lacking in detail. Tekken 7 and SFV look great but let's hope it's just early footage that'll improve before release. Just wish they'd gone more with a fitting artstyle. Guilty Gear Xrd is just stunning while KoF looks bland. Which is a shame because I've loved watching KoF the most out of any fighting game at EVO is the last few years.

The thick plottens:

EDIT: These are all polls but I guess those don't embed, as of right now 55% of people are yes on USFIV, 70% of people want 2 Smash games, and Melee is beating Smash 4 with 56% of the vote. How crazy would it be if Smash 4 only was at one Evo despite being one of the highest-entered games of all time. Impossible says I.

I just want Skullgirls as one of the games dammit. Those people have worked so hard and for so long that they deserve the spotlight in front of thousands for once.

@starvinggamer:

I'd be totally happy with no USF4 and no UMVC3. Realistically, I could see USF4 replacing UMVC3 so they could do 2 SF games. I have next to no hope that BB will be in. GG seemed to have buried that game. I had to look it up, but I totally forgot about the BB that came out 6 months ago.

The only game I skip watching at EVO (or any tournament) is MKX.

The game is fairly stale compared to the other games.

Kinda the anti-hype fighting game IMO.

@animateria: Dunno if you've watched it post-Evo but there's been more character/player diversity in top 8s recently.

I think it really depends on how Capcom Cup goes as to whether we'll see USFIV at EVO. If it's incredibly hype, it'd be hard to not have it at EVO. If it wasn't for the last year, I'd be totally cool letting UMVC3 go, but with more character diversity among the top players, it's interesting again.

Just ranking based on what I want to see, not what I think will happen (Marvel will make it in because Wizard)

1. SFV, the flagship

2. Smash WiiU, Melee had a good run, but this version is a worthy successor.

3. Xrd Revelator, best looking game, most notable moment of last year

4. Tekken 7, should be actually out by then, Tekken 7 is a fun game to watch.

5. Mortal Kombat X, second wave of DLC should be out or at least in progress, still going strong

6. Pokken, Let it have its fleeting moment before it disappears forever

7. Killer Instinct, will have a HUGE influx of new players once the crossplay starts. Possible S3.

Cutting it to 7 is cruel. You could easily put Ultra and Melee in there (I think Capcom Cup should be Ultra's finale as far as big tournaments go, as much as I've loved this season). As I said above, Marvel is a given. Central Fiction would be fun if they could fit 2 anime games. King of Fighters won't be out by Evo next year, hopefully. Next year is going to be a great year for fighting games.

Smash community has decided by majority that Melee is still the competitive game. Expect WiiU to lose EVO position if they're going with 1 Smash game.

@viciousbearmauling:

rather unfair since majority of Smash fans are basically "Melee or bust and we'll kick you in the shins and pout if we're not number one Smash game"

If Melee kills Smash4, I'll be disappointed. I can't stand most of the top tier Melee characters, i.e. boring anthropomorphic characters + Jigglypuff, whereas Smash4 has interesting characters like Yoshi and Sonic among the top tier.

About that, more people registered for Smash WiiU than Melee last year. I remember the crossover number being extremely low too, less than 20% of people signed up for both Smash games.

As much as I dislike watching Melee, I'd rather have both Smash games at Evo than both Street Fighters. If Nintendo was smart, they would figure out a way to release a digital version of Melee. Don't have to remake it or anything, just a straight port would do wonders for tournaments. No more looking for a ton of CRTs.

If half the schedule ends up being smash and anime games, at least that frees up a lot of time for me to do other things.

At the rate Nintendo is going I could see having gamecube virtual console games on their next system. Of course it will take like three years for there to be five gamecube games on it, and none of them will be Melee.

When I saw 7 games or less I wasn't happy about the cuts that will have to happen. That said my list is USFIV, SFV, Melee, Marvel, GG, MKX, Tekken 7.

I feel like USFIV has to be there. This year is showing that it still has a lot of steam left in it and there's no guarantee that everyone is going to move to V right away. There's a lot of grumbling about it already. Marvel has to be there because at this point, it's an institution. On the subject of Smash, I have to put aside my personal feelings that it doesn't deserve to be there at all and concede to Melee. I know it's a big draw for viewers and attendees. MKX for similar reasons, plus it's fun to watch. GG for anime representation. I believe CEOtaku is going to be a nice "Anime EVO" in the future. Tekken 7 for obvious reasons.

KoF, KI, Pokken are all definite cuts. KI is cool and I'd love it to be there, but it just doesn't pull in the numbers. Also, I gather that the Smash community doesn't exactly like Smash 4 or at the very least prefers Melee. Which leaves Blazblue as the sad omission.

@starvinggamer Accepting that Tekken 7 and SFV are required the optimal choices are probably USFIV, Melee, Xrd, MKX, and *sigh* Marvel. Hopefully Marvel gets bumped off of its slot though, unless people start playing it again. Smash 4 might boot Marvel or God forbid USFIV, we'll see.

Where's that @hassun guy at?

I used to watch Street Fighter matches, but they got boring to me. Unlike Mahvel! No game is as hype as UMvC3 to me, so that is the only one I feel strongly about. I really do hope it gets to Evo, especially with some team plays that FChamp is organising or whatnot.