Civil War is on it’s way and I could not be more excited. Between the international killers being brought in, the concert, and crew battle–it’s like this big messy amalgamation of things that are cool.

However, over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting a bit concerned that we’re losing the “war” part of Civil War. There’s been basically no trash talk, and all we’ve seen from 2GG are these new players being flown in, and a hastily slapped-together round robing for April Saga. They’ve accomplished an incredible thing by bringing in so many hidden bosses, but I am still way more excited for the confrontation. With that in mind, here are some things I really hope to see that will make Civil War the unique, incredible event it should be.

1. A Live Score Tracker

We’ve been told that everyone’s bracket wins, merch sales, and other factors will determine who actually wins the Civil War. If Civil War is actually supposed to be the through-line for this whole tournament, keep me updated all through the bracket on who’s winning. With each upset and clutch comeback, tell me what that does to the war effort as a whole!

2. Whose On What Team

The overlay, the casters, the smashgg bracket–everything should clearly tell me what is happening with regards to the teams. I want to know when two players are on opposing sides, and when someone is about to eliminate their fellow soldier. Think about how much more interesting this would make the early pools! Even the local randoms get to have a part to play in the overall war effort. Every win, every elimination, it all matters for the greater good!

3. PG Statbooks

There are so many international players coming, and tons of little rivalries that the average viewer won’t know anything about. Odds are the casters won’t know the set counts between japanese players, or how many times Gluttony and iStudying have battled. At Pax Arena, the casters had these beautiful statbooks from PG Stats that clearly outlined the story between all the players.

Doing this for all 700 entrants would be insane, but if two players from the same region of Japan are about to play for the fifth time in bracket, I want to know! I never get to watch international stuff, so this is my chance to learn about those scenes. Tell me their story!

4. No MC During the Crew Battle

2GG is wonderful, and does so many great things, but holy cow the wrong people holding a microphone will destroy the hype during a side event. My hope is that three great casters are put together to commentate the full crew battle, and that they are the only people that ever talk. Unless a professional is brought in to coach the teams on how to sell the feud WWE style, they just won’t do it justice on their own.

Let EE, Keitaro, and Shofu get on the mic and handle all the smack talk, callouts, and subtle jabs for them. Frostbite was epic because they casters were allowed to carry the hype with the MC just providing the connective tissue. Hopefully 2GG learns from that, and really lets our amazing caster talent shine during our biggest crew battle ever.

5. War Aftermath

Someone shave their head, losing team has to all change their Twitter Bio to say “Esam knows more about smash than me”, everyone from the winning team gets to to throw a pie at Champ–something! The money is awesome, and a great reward for the players putting themselves in this spotlight, but lets get some real stakes going! If we’re taking a break from crew battles after this, let’s send them out with a real bang.

I think Civil War is going to be amazing, but I really hope some of these small details get emphasized so that the viewing experience is really something special. Let me know what you’re hoping to see, and which team you think will ultimately emerge victorious!