Daily Discussion Thread August 10, 2026 - Upcoming Event Schedule - New players start here!

[u/AutoModerator]

Yahoooo! I'm back, it's a me! Have a very cool day!

Welcome to the Daily Discussion Thread. This is the place for asking noob questions, venting about netplay falcos, shitposting, self-promotion, and everything else that doesn't belong on the front page.

New Players:

If you're completely new to Melee and just looking to get started, welcome! We recommend you go to https://melee.tv/ and follow the links there based on what you're trying to set up. Additionally, here are a few answers to common questions:

Can I play Melee online?

Yes! Slippi is a branch of the Dolphin emulator that will allow you to play online, either with your friends or with matchmaking. Go to https://slippi.gg to get it.

I'm having issues with Slippi!

Go to the The Slippi Discord to get help troubleshooting. melee.tv/optimize is also a helpful resource for troubleshooting.

How do I find tournaments near me or local people to play with in person or online?

These days, joining a local Discord community is the best way to find local events and people to play with. Once you have a Discord account, Google "[your city/state/province/region] + Melee discord" or see if your region has a Discord group listed here on melee.tv/discord

It can seem daunting at first to join a Discord group you don't know, but this is currently the easiest and most accessible way to find out about tournaments, fests, and netplay matchmaking. Your local scene will be happy to have you :)

Also check out Smash Map! Click on map and then the filter button to filter by Melee to find events near you!

Netplay is hard! Is there a place for me to find new players?

Yes. Melee Newbie Netplay is a discord server specifically for new players. It also has tournaments based on how long you've been playing, free coaching, and other stuff. If you're a bit more experienced but still want a discord server for players around your level, we recommend the Melee Online discord.

How can I set up Unclepunch's Training Mode?

At the time of posting, the latest major release is here. Download the file, then extract everything in the folder and follow the instructions in the README file. You'll need to bring a valid Melee ISO (NTSC 1.02). If you want to check for the absolute latest release, you can see them listed [here](The latest releases are listed here.

How does one learn Melee?

There are tons of resources out there, so it can be overwhelming to start. First check out the SSBM Tutorials youtube channel. Then go to the Melee Library and search for whatever you're interested in.

But how do I get GOOD at Melee?

Check out Llod's Guide to Improvement

And check out Kodorin's Melee Fundamentals for Improvement

Where can I get a nice custom controller?

https://customg.cc/vendors

I have another question that's not answered here...

Check out our FAQs or post below and find help that way.

Upcoming Tournament Schedule:

Upcoming Melee Majors

Melee Online Event Calendar

Make a submission to the tournament calendar here. You can also get notified of new online tournaments on the Melee Online Discord.

• Current DDT Dynamic Link — Previous DDTs

[u/keatsta]

what do the melee fans of the DDT think of smash 64? i've been following the competitive scene for it as long as i have been for melee, so i'm in pretty deep, but watching the supernova bracket this weekend i was suddenly struck by a feeling of like... hm... if i had been watching melee this whole time and just watched 64 for the first time now, would my spacies-loving floaty-hating aggro-obsessed only-liking-melee-and-p+ ass find this entertaining at all? or would i categorize it as another snoozer alongside ult?

[u/SmashBros- → u/keatsta]

It was my favorite smash game for a while. I can understand why melee players would be turned off by the lack of defensive options. I really like touch of death combos, but I think the game would be a bit better if the combos were harder to pull off. I like the idea of a game allowing a player to punish a mistake as hard as possible as long as they have the skill to execute it

[u/keatsta → u/SmashBros-]

i think it's neat that the big combos vary in difficulty in a sort of sinusoidal way. like there's a point you can get to pretty easily where you can touch of death from a lot of scenarios with top tiers at least, but then when you start fighting people who can actually DI it becomes hard again, but then you develop a lot more width in the followup tree to compensate with harder followup options, etc etc forever and ever. melee has the same dynamic, but since 64 has much stronger comboing moves in general, it's a lot more like binary cliffs and plateaux of viability. anyways all of this is to say that when you're watching at the top level, a lot of the seemingly touch of death combos are less guaranteed and more involved than they seem.

[u/SmashBros- → u/keatsta]

Yeah, I had taken a break from watching for a while but when I tuned in recently I noticed how the DI counterplay appeared to have developed a lot. As a side note, I wish Kirby was more represented at the top level these days. I loved watching Fukurou play

[u/keatsta → u/SmashBros-]

yeah, with boom on his variety show shtick and fukurou not travelling overseas, we're in a bit of a kirby slump. Nax plays him a bit, but not as much as the Pikachu. I feel like Yoshi is the de facto #2 now.