| DescriptionElliot "Ally" Carroza | C9 || The EVO 2016 champion, despite some hiccups heading into the latter half of the year, is still one of the best players in the world. Solid play all around, from the neutral game to the ledge game, gives him dominance over most people he faces in bracket. A 9th place finish at last weekend's UGC Open hopefully means that he'll be using this event as a last minute tune-up before ZeRo Saga.Ramin "" Delshad |Free Agent || Arguably the best player in Europe, Mr. R's recent results - bar a 9th place finish at UGC Open - have been as consistent as ever. His loyalty to Sheik has led to him reach, alongside VoiD and Vinnie, the pinnacle of what his character has to offer in the current metagame. Winning Showdown will give him the momentum he needs going into the ZeRo Saga, given that two of his biggest rivals in the form of MKLeo and Ally will be in attendance.Leonardo "" Perez | SF and HDG || Starting his first stateside campaign with wins over the likes of Nairo and Pink Fresh, MKLeo - in his short time active internationally - is considered by many to already be in the game's top ten. While he didn't perform on the level of most people's expectations at UGC Open, finishing at 13th place, the young Mexican star's previous results show his potential. If he can tap into that for Showdown, he might be able to take the tournament, considering his history versus Mr. R and Ally.Julian "" Carrington | Free Agent || Zinoto's early-mid 2016 was exceptional, finishing 2nd at CEO, 3rd at Frostbite and 4th at Smash n' Splash. Unfortunately, the rest of the year hasn't been as great for him, with his most relevant placing since CEO arguably being a 9th place finish at KTAR XI. The Diddy Kong from Michigan is nonetheless a force too look out for.Tyler "" Martins | DNL || New England's pajama-wearing Zero Suit Samus specialist might just be this year's breakout player. Attending Genesis 3 as his first high-profile national and finishing within the top 8 was no small feat and time and time again, he's proven that it wasn't a fluke. Top finishes at events like The Big House 6, Shine and Pound 6 show that there's still a lot more to come for him. Since he isn't attending ZeRo Saga, Showdown will be his last chance to prove himself before the year ends.