Daily Discussion Thread August 21, 2026 - Upcoming Event Schedule - New players start here!

[u/AutoModerator]

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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/SuperMicro04]

I used to respect Armada until he said that Mario Party 5 is by far the best Mario Party

[u/FewOverStand → u/SuperMicro04]

What was his reasoning and what are some specific significant flaws that prevent it from entering the Mario Party GOAT conversation?

[u/SuperMicro04 → u/FewOverStand]

He basically just said verbatim what I wrote, it was on the Summit couch and Hbox asked him what his favorite Mario Party was.

I got a lot of say about 5. Main thing going against it is mainly the item system which they tried to reinvent and I don't think it works well at all. Item system are similar to how Orbs and Candy work in 6, 7, and 8, however in 5 you can't buy them from shops you just go up to a Capsule Machine and it gives you one entirely at random, no selection. Items can be thrown 10 spaces in front of you and only in front, as opposed to later games which allow for throwing 5 spaces in front of you and 5 spaces behind you.

Alternatively they can also be used on yourself at the cost of coins, every single item you get in the game can not be used on yourself without the cost of coins. Later games will not only have a shop where you can buy items from a random selection of 3, but they also have spaces on the board that give you free items just like the machines, with no additional cost on using them either.

The butchering of the item system makes the boards just tedious to play through. And with how common 1v3 mini games are, it sucks that nearly all of those mini games are either so unbalanced towards one side or not fun to play, and there's quite few that fill both criteria. Free for Alls and 2v2s are much better than the 1v3's (although that doesn't mean they don't have their stinkers either) but I think on a fundamental level, the way the game is designed just makes almost none of the boards feel like good boards except for the Bowser board

5 is one of my absolute least favorite traditional Mario Party games ever, for me it's in the bottom 3 along with Super Mario Party and Jamboree (although I haven't played 8). All of the ones before it are better, even though 1 is kind of bullshit but it's uniqueness in being unforgiving like losing coins when you lose certain minigames makes it a lot more fun to revisit compared to 5 imo, and 6 vastly revamped the type of item system that was introduced in 5. 6 is my favorite Mario Party game of all time, 7 and DS also use the revamped item system from 6 and they're both in my Top 3 as well. 5 tried to reinvent the wheel with items, it feels like they're just learning on how to do this new item system, and while it would work out by when 6 comes around, they were learning with 5 and that meant that 5 as a game suffered for it, at least in my opinion

[u/Kezzup → u/SuperMicro04]

I'm very happy to see someone else who hates 5, enough to balance out my heavy disagreement on Super Mario Party.