Q: What is the UM Super Smash Brothers Club?

A: The UM Super Smash Brothers Club, or UM Smash, is a voluntary student organization at the University of Michigan that brings together people who like to play Smash. The club was founded in September 2010 after increased participation and local demand for Smashfests and tournaments. Our mission is to grow the local community of Smashers in the state of Michigan, to facilitate friendly playing time through Smashfests, and to initiate competition through tournaments.

Q: Do you guys play Melee, Smash 4, etc.?

A: Members of Michigan Smash regularly play all Smash games, but Melee is by far the most popular game overall. This is reflected by the high ratio of Melee to non-Melee tournaments that we have hosted. There are also Smash 4 tournaments occasionally, but Ann Arbor specifically is a Melee-heavy region. That being said, fans of any other particular game should not be deterred from attending due to their personal game preference. Our community welcomes everyone!

Q: What meetings do you guys run?

A: UM Smash doesn’t really run traditional meetings. Instead, we facilitate two main types of events: Smashfests and tournaments.

Smashfests are casual gatherings that allow several Smashers to hang out and play in the same room for a few hours at a time. During the school year, some of us play at the Video Game Archive in the Duderstadt Center on Friday evenings. Other Smashfests also occasionally take place on the 3rd floor of Mason Hall.

Tournaments are much larger gatherings that typically run for an entire day, geared towards Smashers who are looking for extra competition. These types of events typically feature a venue fee and entry fee that gets thrown into an overall prize pool, which is eventually distributed to the top placing players. There is almost always at least one tournament per month in Michigan, and you are advised to check our events calendar for details.

Q: So how do I join?

A: Join the Michigan Melee Facebook group, which is the best way to casually stay connected on the latest Smashfests and gatherings in the area. There you’ll find new posts almost every day by Michigan Smashers about anything and everything related to the game. We also encourage the more serious players to create an account on Smashboards, which is the best resource to find out about upcoming tournaments. There you’ll be able to find upcoming tournaments in the area and also engage in discussion with active Smashers all across the country. Some useful Smashboards links to check out include the Midwest Tournament Listings and the Michigan Melee Social Thread.

Q: What’s up with the weird names that I see in tournament results?

A: Just like on Xbox Live or PSN, most Smashers choose a gamertag to associate with their Smash persona when they enter tournaments. These gamertags can often sound ridiculous – for example, Hot ArmS, or General Heinz, or Rabbi Nevins. But there are plenty of people who just choose to go by their first/last name or initials when entering tournaments as well – for example, Dre, or KJH, or Zhu. If you do decide to go by a gamertag, choose it wisely, because people in the Smash community may start referring to you by whatever gamertag you come up with!

Q: What should I bring to tournaments?

A: Always bring your own GameCube controller! Buy one here if you don’t own a GameCube controller already. Also make sure to check what the tournament registration format is. If online registration, register before you come to the tourney. If at-the-door registration, bring cash with you on the day of the tourney.