After Genesis 7 proved there’s still life in the Super Smash Bros. Melee scene, the best players are set to clash once again at Smash Summit 9.

The tournament series has become one of the biggest events dedicated entirely to Super Smash Bros. Melee, mixing the top players with crowdfunded newcomers who could become the next big name.

Fancy skipping Valentine’s Day for scraps between Falco and Peach? Here’s what you need to know about Smash Summit 9.

When is Smash Summit 9?

Smash Summit 9 takes place across 13-16th February in Los Angeles, California, and marks the ninth iteration of the tournament series.

Along with Smash Melee matches, there’s also light-hearted events taking place across the weekend – including a ping pong crew battle.

What is the format?

There’s a new format for this year’s Smash Summit. Instead of 16 players, there will now be 18 competing at the event. These consist of eight players who are directly invited, five who qualify through Genesis 7 and Saving Mr Lombardi 2, while the remaining five places are decided by a vote from the community.

All 18 players will be split between two Swiss Pools of nine players, with eight advancing to the next round from each pool. The players who are last in each pool will be eliminated before the brackets.

From each pool, the top four players will advance to winners bracket, while the remaining four from each will advance to the losers bracket.

What is the schedule and prize pool?

Players will be competing for a total prize pool of over $50,000, which is set to balloon through shop purchases and donations.

Timings of each specific event have yet to be released, but each day will start 10am PST (6pm GMT). You can check out the breakdown of events across each day below.

Who is attending Smash Summit 9?

Invited players

Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson – USA

Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma – USA/Argentina

Joseph “Mango” Marquez – USA

William “Leffen” Hjelte – Sweden

Justin “Plup” McGrath – USA

Justin “Wizzrobe” Hallett – USA

Zain Naghmi – USA

Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto – Japan

Qualified players

Shephard “Fiction” Lima – USA

Edgar “n0ne” L. Sheleby – Canada

Aziz “Hax” Al-Yami – USA

Dajuan “Shroomed” Jefferson McDaniel – USA

Cody “iBDW” Schwab – USA

Crowdfunded players

Zaid “Spark” Ali – USA

Magi – USA

Nico “Ryobeat” Rodriguez – USA

Tommy “Pricent” Erstad Lindas – Norway

Bobby big ballz – USA

You can check out a breakdown of the two player pools below.

Who will win?

Last year’s Smash Summit was won by Axe, although it feels wide open over how could clinch the top prize this year.

Zain is fresh from winning Genesis 7 after defeating Hungrybox, although either player could easily win at Smash Summit. Mango similarly had an excellent showing at Genesis, finishing third in the standings.

How can I watch Smash Summit 9?

You can watch Smash Summit 9 from 13th February from 6pm GMT on Beyond The Smash’s official Twitch channel below.