In two short weeks, the dopesttourney on the West Coast is going to be putting on a crazy show and scratching an itch you never knew you had. Three years after the end of’s development and the supposed “death” of’s dedicated community is flourishing with more excitement and growth than anyone could have ever anticipated. This past month we saw Zachary “” Sain’s cathartic triumph at Smash ‘n’ Splash 4, where he took the firstmajor of his career. Additionally, Canada’s rising star Brad “” Sanderson used the tournament as an opportunity to show off and put on an explosive performance. The Even Bigger Balc, currently sitting at 300+ entrants for itssingles bracket, is looking to showcase some top-quality, 100% home-growntalent and smash a couple records along the way. Here are a few storylines to hype you up for the Even Bigger Balc on July 6th - July 8th:’s history can be broken up into two eras: Before Cease & Desist (BC) and After Development Shutdown (AD).In the BC era,had three tournaments that broke 300 entrants: The Big House 4, Apex 2014, and Paragon Los Angeles 2015. Similarly, the AD era has also had, so far, three tournaments that have surpassed 300 entrants: Smash ‘n’ Splash 3, The Bigger Balc, and Smash ‘n’ Splash 4.The Even Bigger Balc will mark the 4th tournament in the AD era to smash that benchmark and, in doing so, push the AD era above the BC era in terms of sheer tournament attendance.Despite what every fiber of your Smasher sense may think, thenational scene is somehow BIGGER than it was in the BC era. Like, excuse me? Exactly where the hell did all of theseplayers come from?Having been booted off of twitch.tv and pushed out of most majorevents,’s community gets little to no exposure with respect to the largercommunity. Let's be honest, the average Smasher’s encyclopedia ofknowledge usually consists of, “didn't they try to add Knuckles?” and “lol GIMR.” However, hidden behind the walls of hundreds of local community Facebook groups and countless Discords across the globe, thecommunity continues to boom at a purely grassroots level.regions have been intermingling. Character strategies and combos have been debated and slowly optimized. The skill level for topplayers shoots up astronomically each year. Their VoDs from 2014 look absolutely amateur when compared to the level of play you see at nationals today.Although many players abandonedafter its development stopped, its community has emerged stronger and more closely-knit than ever before. TheDevelopment Team set out to create a fast-paced and deeply competitive game, and with 4 years of continuous growth and optimization post-shutdown to show for it, they have absolutely, unquestionably, succeeded.While the sheer size and scope of The Even Bigger Balc represents something intensely meaningful for thecommunity, its results will also make it one of the most important majors of the year for PMRank 2018. Let’s break down some of the player dynamics to watch out for this year.The two highest seeds for this tournament, Jonathan “” Sosa and Malachi “” Covington, were ranked 2nd and 3rd on PMRank 2017 and will both be out for blood at The Even Bigger Balc, which is set to be the biggestmajor of the year. Sosa is undisputedly number one in the world right now, with first place finishes at all but one event he’s attended this year, including Don’t Sleep 2 and The Flex Zone 3. His dominant records over every other top player make him the clear favorite to win this tournament. His one second place finish in 2018 at Resting Stitch Face came at the hands of Malachi’s Sheik, however.Malachi has held the title of best on the East Coast for quite some time, with strong records over Switch, DVD, Envy, Twisty, and more. In 2017, he even held a positive record over former number one player ThundeRzReiGN. While Malachi has suffered a string of recent upsets in major brackets at the hands of players including Fuzz, Kycse, techboy, and Bobby Frizz, he remains the most likely player to push Sosa to his limits. Perhaps a return to the West Coast will reinvigorate New York’s titan.Speaking of top seeds, The Even Bigger Balc will be a rare opportunity to see both Grand Finals participants from The Bigger Balc back on the main stage.Nick “” Filippides, who placed second at both The Big Balc and The Bigger Balc, has been inactive since last summer due to hand problems and has only recently re-entered the competitive scene as a top level threat. He defeated Kycse in dominant fashion at The Revival of Smashing Grounds to take second at the event and will no doubt be looking to once again reach Grand Finals here in SoCal. Will this be his year to finally take home the gold?Xayya Thomas “” Thammavongsa, the former number one player in the world and the winner of The Bigger Balc, announced his retirement from competition in January and has not entered a major since. He is currently ranked second in NorCal with his Captain Falcon and other secondaries and, despite not planning to take the event seriously or play his fearsome Donkey Kong, has entered both singles and doubles at The Even Bigger Balc. As the player who last year put together the greatest losers run inhistory to win The Bigger Balc and whose Falcon took sets from Sosa, Malachi, and Flipp in 2017, perhaps he will once again reach his former glory. One thing is for sure: it will be a rare treat to once again see ThundeRzReiGN at a major.Given the history of crazy upsets at The Big Balc series and the stacked roster of top players attending The Bigger Balc, this tournament is a prime chance for players to stake their claim tohistory. Last year’s tourney featured Fuzz’s incredible Winners’ Bracket rampage to third place, Yung Quaff’s once-in-a-lifetime run to top 8, and breakout performances from others including The Doctor and MorKs. This year, the competition will be even fiercer and the upsets even more explosive. From previously hidden bosses like Cala, Ivayne, and Rongunshu, to those simply hungry to prove themselves a cut above the rest, expect some incredible competition to go down here at The Even Bigger Balc.From the stacked brackets for, and, all of which will leave a lasting imprint on their respective metagames, to the historic significance of The Even Bigger Balc to thecommunity, this is not a tournament to be missed. Whether you will be here in SoCal with us or tuning in online, we sincerely hope that you will join us in celebrating’s history and community at The Even Bigger Balc on July 6th-8th.You can follow The Even Bigger Balc’s bracket’s here and tune in to the Balc’s stream here and the AZPM stream here starting the Friday of the tournament. You can also follow The Balcony’s Twitter for updates.Don't forget to follow Jfalls and Sabre for updates on the event and othernews.