Anticipation lingers in the air. Within a metagame torn asunder by the arrival of new blood (among other gameplay updates) players fight to find the limits of new characters. More seasoned players fight to find their own limits – then surpass them.
Veterans of Aether know what’s coming. The turning of the seasons, the brewing of a storm. Spring is here, so grab those controllers and get ready for RCS Season 3!
If you’re unfamiliar with the official, developer-sponsored tournament circuit, check out Tuesday’s post laying out the details.
With the unveiling of the next installation of the Rivals Championship Series, the first of many online tournaments will kick off this year’s grand race. Competing in the online tournament series is always a blast, seeing how you stack up in the circuit, battling one another for the big points and improving over time. But in my opinion, it’s even better doing it LIVE!
Now, you must be wondering why I switched to first person. That’s kind of unprofessional Etalus, you think to yourself, rubbing your chin. At least, I’m pretty sure Etalus writes these things. It’s true that Etalus does write these things, but this thing is not one of those things. Today, you’re reading my words, and I’m actually Solar.
You may recognize me from, well, plenty of places, among other news posts on this website, where I like to drop a nice “hype!” in the comments section every now and then. But besides that I’m just a guy with a big hobby of travelling out to live events and playing this particular video game with people. I tried it a couple times back when the game was young, and then enjoyed it so much that I started a Discord server called TAXI specifically to arm people with whatever information they may need to make it out to these events. Check it out here: discord.me/TAXI.
So what I’ve got for you today are the hot details on some live tournaments happening this Spring, each a part of the upcoming RCS circuit. Now let’s get right into it so YOU can get planning to make it out to these events and grab big circuit points.
Smash’N’Splash 4
- Featuring a $1,000 pot bonus for Rivals
- June 1 – 3
- Wisconsin Dells, WI
- Register here: smash.gg/sns4
“The Waterpark Tournament returns to the Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells. This venue features a 30,000 square foot convention center, indoor and outdoor waterparks, full size amusement park and much more!”
Pack your swimsuit – the venue is literally a water park resort. This Central US tournament has brought on Rivals for the first time, so bring your Orcane plushes – they’ll be right at home. The deadline to register for this event is May 17th.
Hyrule Saga
- Featuring a $2000 pot bonus for Rivals
- June 23 – 24
- Long Beach, CA
- Register here: smash.gg/hyrulesaga
“This is but one of the sagas of which the people speak… Celebrating the Legend of Zelda series, 2GG is proud to bring you Hyrule Saga! Not only will this event have an emphasis on the Zelda aspect of the Smash series, we will also be providing various events and activities inspired by the franchise itself. If you’re a fan of the Zelda franchise, you don’t want to miss this event!”
A Legend of Zelda fan’s dream come true – a tournament in homage of the series, with no shortage of Hylian goodies. 2GG has brought Rivals on board, and in exchange, Rivals brought us Hero Clairen – an incredibly sick skin – which, if you still haven’t purchased, you can by following this link. Funds raised from sales of this skin have been going towards making Hyrule Saga bigger and better in different ways, including bringing players out for a special Rivals crew battle. As a community we’ve already funded a team from Canada and North Carolina! Registering for the Rivals bracket is only $5. The deadline to register for this event is June 20th.
Andromeda
- Crowdfunded pot bonus
- June 23 – 24
- Valenciennes, France
- Register here: smash.gg/tournament/andromeda-1
“Andromeda is the perfect place for all competitive Smash, Splatoon and RoA players and offers one of the best venues in France and Europe. Besides, Andromeda is the first european tournament to propose a Splatoon 2 tournament fully driven by its community and by Esportbros.TV. Finally, a Rivals of Aether major is put forward in order to gather the best competitive players.”
Andromeda has brought on Rivals of Aether for Europe’s first Season 3 RCS major! Europe’s top player Kaos has already registered – will Andromeda be the beginning of his third journey to the top of the ladder? We’ll be seeing soon enough what the European scene has to offer for Season 3!
Stay tuned for the Summer and Fall posts, because this year’s RCS circuit has much more to offer. In the meantime, take a look at these locals (not on the circuit) being run in the next couple of months!
Push More Buttons
- May 12 – 13
- Minneapolis, MN
- Register here: https://downb.challonge.com/events/pmb2018
One of the trademark Smash tournaments of the Midwest has added Rivals to their lineup this year! Check it out this weekend!
COST 2018
- June 16
- Hilliard, OH
- Register here: https://smash.gg/tournament/cost-2018
So Central Ohio has brought on Rivals for their regional event, (which happens to be sponsored by Arctic Fury, which happens to also sponsor two top Rivals players: Windows from Florida and Slime Mage from Sweden – shout-outs to them!) and there are a couple of variables to take note of here: they have a $100 pot bonus for Rivals, and at the time of writing only 4 players have registered for the Rivals bracket. If you’re in the area, I definitely recommend getting in there!
Duelist Kingdom
- June 30
- Tempe, AZ
- Register here: https://smash.gg/tournament/duelist-kingdom
The AZ scene which brought us Heat Wave and Cold Snap offers a one-of-a-kind LARPing tournament experience inspired by Yu-Gi-Oh!, encouraging players of all skill levels to participate. Well, except for the players at the top skill level. They are actually prohibited from participating. I highly recommend looking this one, it’s one of the most interesting ideas for a tournament I’ve ever heard. Don’t wait, either – it’s capped at 40 entrants!
Stay tuned for a follow-up post featuring Summer events, including First Impact, Shine, and more!