Mango and Leffen join the cast of Smash Summit 9

Two of the biggest names in Super Smash Bros. Melee have been invited to compete in Smash Summit 9, hosted by Beyond the Summit. 

Cloud9’s North American Smash poster boy Joseph “Mango” Marquez and TSM’s William “Leffen” Peter Hjelte are joining the 18-strong cast of players for the annual Smash Summit tournament on Feb. 13 to 16. 

The three-day in-house event hosted in Los Angeles will be taking on a new format, with two Swiss pools of nine players. Four players will advance from each pool to the winners bracket, while four will head to the losers bracket. The players who come in last place in each pool will be eliminated from the tournament. 

So far, in addition to Mango and Leffen, Tempo Storm Pikachu main Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson and the infamous Team Liquid Jigglypuff fanatic Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma have been invited to participate in the event. Before the month is over, four more players will be invited and five crowdfunded players and five qualified players will be joining them.

Each of the participants will fight it out for a share of a crowdfunded prize pool. Last year, it was $30,000, but it’s been known to exceed the $40,000 mark in the past. The most important thing about the event, though, is its fun factor. The competition is fierce, but the memes, player skits, and guest casting are what make it special.