The TO Dilemma

please read before voting

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Introduction

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I'd consider Smash 4, and it's split between console and handheld versions, to be the best and worst thing Online TO's ever had to deal with. On one hand, it allows more people to be involved in the community and compete against others that are far outside their area code. But if you don't have a big enough team to run two tournaments, a decision had to be made about which game to run.

Of course, I haven't been organizing tournaments for that long. It's been less than a year since the first tournament I helped organize for the crew PKS. So I'm sure there are a lot more issues that trump the Wii U or 3ds decision.

However, the reason I bring this up now is because of how Smash Ultimate will effect the tournaments we hold on Amino. I consider this first year of the game being out to be a transition year. Even though there are a lot of early adopters, it's going to take a few months before a majority of Amino s will get their hands on the game.

This won't stop people from hosting tournaments for Ultimate. But if a TO want's to get more people involved and add a secondary tournament to their event for Smash 4, they now have two games to choose from.

Let's be very clear about this:

WE CAN'T EXPECT TO's TO RUN THREE TOURNAMENTS AT A TIME!!!

So I thought we could make this decision as a community. Which version of Smash 4 should be ran alongside Ultimate in the future?

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Brief History of SSB4 on Amino

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Before I go into the pros and cons of each, it would probably be best to give a brief history of the roles each game played in SBA in the past.

As far as tournaments go on Amino, 3ds has always been the Scrappy to Wii U's Scooby. Official tournaments were mostly Wii U only (or with a small 3ds tournament if you were good that month). Obviously that's because there are more Wii U players here, right?

Wrong

I've talked to plenty of s about this, and all of them will tell you that 3ds is the more popular game on SBA. Most crews are either 3ds only, or have WAY more 3ds players in them than for Wii U. So why is it that they rarely had tournaments?

The simple answer is that a majority never participated when they were available. Why this happens puzzles even the best of philosophers, but I'll take a shot at it.

I think it was a combination of two factors. The first being that 3ds players were probably less interested in online tournaments, and those who where probably owned both versions and preferred to compete on Wii U. That's literally the only explanation I can think of. If you have a theory, I'd be very interesting in hearing it.

"So that's it right? Wii U is the obvious choice because they show up?"

Again, it's not that simple. The fact of the matter is that 3ds is most likely going to have a WAY more active scene on Amino than Wii U in a few months. Ultimate does take a huge bite into both game's player base, but 3ds is definitely better built to survive a new entry into the series.

The biggest reason I think so is also the biggest reason why there are so many more 3ds players. They are simply less likely to be able to afford a home console to begin with. The two things holding the Wii U back was the fact that not too many people wanted to buy it, and a chunk of those who did couldn't. With the 3ds being cheaper to purchase, that version found it's way into the hands of more players.

The Switch is a whole 'nother animal. Those who held off from purchasing a Wii U are definitely going to get there hand on it. Though the $300 asking price is what is going to slow the transition for the mobile gamers. So while they save up to buy Ultimate, theoretically there would be plenty of players to fill a bracket.

So this is the TO's dilemma. Do you run the game that historically had the better turnout, or the game that will most likely have the more active scene. We definitely want to reach as many players as possible, but we don't want to waste our time if nobody is going to show up.

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Pros and Cons Simplified

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I'm hoping the results of this poll will help make the decision for the TO's that want to throw a bone to Smash 4 in this transition year. Who knows, maybe the new Ultimate players could also return for a day to take part in them.

Here is a recap of the pros and cons above in a neat list to help you all make your vote:

■ = Pro

□ = Con

Wii U

■Historically had better turnout rates on Amino

■The face of the Smash 4 Competitive Scene

■Can easily be recorded or Streamed if TO's choose to

□Will most likely lose relevance quickly

□Already has a smaller player base

□Potential lack of interest

3ds

■Predicted to survive longer than Wii U

■Larger player base on Amino already

■More Accessible ( Suggested by Teehun)

□Harder to record or Stream if TO's choose to

□Low participation historically

□Potential lack of interest

I also want to make this a dynamic list of pros and cons. So if you have a pro or a con I didn't mention above, comment and I will add it to the list and credit you for your contribution. It's a community decision, so why not showcase all arguments where everyone can see them?

Maybe you could change someone's mind...

Thank you to everyone who participates in this poll. Although it will ultimately be up to the TO's to decide what they do, making your voices heard now will go a long way toward giving you more to do until more people can get there hands on the new game.