As the fourth tournament in the 2GGC, Greninja Saga is filled with storylines. From featured characters to dominant players to local hidden bosses, every 2GGC thus far has given us plenty of surprises. As we gear up for the event, here are five of the biggest storylines going into the event.

Remember, one of the points of storylines is to give new players an easy, emotional connection to the tournament. These are easy storylines that you can share with your mom, girlfriend, or pizza delivery guy to get them invested in watching the tournament. Please do that.

The Greninjas

They’re the featured players of the event. There will be an awesome combo contest featuring all the crazy things that Greninja can do. Many of these players have come close to seeing major success. iStudying has wins over Ally and ESAM, Some is a contender in Japan and has taken out Captain Zack. Many scenes around the world have sent Greninjas that regularly dominate the local events. If there was ever a chance for a Greninja to make his mark as a top player, this is it.

However, the Greninjas will also be facing the strongest opponent in Smash 4, the 2GG curse. No featured player has ever won their own saga. By sheer numbers, the Greninjas have a good chance to compete well, but can they collectively defeat something with a better win percentage than ZeRo?

The Gatekeeper

As we all know, the winner of each 2GGC event gets an automatic spot in the invitational finals in December. So far, the only two players to earn those spots have been ZeRo and Dabuz. ZeRo has won twice, once effectively denying Tweek his qualifying spot. While Dabuz will be absent, ZeRo has returned to once again deny another player entry into the finals. If anyone can defeat him, not only will it mean a huge boost for that player in the PGR, but will guarantee that we see a third player qualified.

The Locals

Players in Southern California have a unique advantage in the 2GG Circuit. Every event takes place at Esports Arena, the same venue for the area’s two most popular local tournaments, Mega Smash Mondays, and Wednesday Night Fights. These players will be virutally guaranteed to attend all 12 circuit events, giving them the best chance to earn enough points to qualify for the championship.

We’ve already seen some surprise local names show up and make top 8 at previous events. Players like Zenyou, JK, AC, and EON have all had fantastic runs at earlier circuit tournaments, putting them right in contention with the best players in the world. Will we see another local hero rise up this weekend? Will a new face suddenly make a name for themselves on the national stage?

Lest we forget, there are local heroes who are already contenders at the national level. Recently sponsored by Beefy Smash Doods, SoCal’s Elegant has all but guaranteed himself a spot on the next PGR. We’ve also seen solid seasons thus far from local PGR players Falln and Panda Global’s Rich Brown. While his season has been less than ideal, Tyrant also has the potential the make waves at any local event. The region is filled with dangerous hidden bosses hungry to defend their house, and every invader will be forced to deal with these local killers.

The Come-Ups

The top of Smash 4 has been secure since early in 2016. However, we’ve recently seen some young blood start to challenge the status quo. Captain Zack has cemented himself as an elite player with top 4 finishes at the two biggest events of the year. Locus is capturing hearts and taking names at every tournament he attends. We also saw Samsora make top 8 and take out top 10 talent like VoiD at CEO Dreamland. Tweek has already been one step away from winning a 2GGC event. For any one of these players to win Greninja Saga would be to secure their spot near the top of the PGR, and signal to the world that these young stars are here to stay.

The Ramin

The last year has been a strange one for Mr. R. He was the last top 10 player to sign to an esports organization. Recently he left that organization and still remains unsponsored. He’s trended on Twitter with his provocative food opinions. He also happens to be playing some of the best Smash of his career. Recently, at both CEO Dreamland and Royal Flush, we saw Mr. R very nearly defeat ZeRo to win the event. He even reset the bracket and took TSM’s star to a second game 5 at Royal Flush. Ramin has come so close to tasting victory. If ZeRo knocks out Mr. R again, it will be three events in a row. This time, it will also prevent him from qualifying for the 2GGC championship. Can Poor | Mr. R finally get the monkey off his back, and ideally spike him into the blast zone?

Regardless of who wins, we are in for a treat today. Between great exhibitions and top notch talent, Greninja Saga looks to be the premiere event of the month. Be sure to tune in!