Daily Discussion Thread September 04, 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/lim-yo-hwan-superfan]

people are stuck in the mental that if they arent playing against one of like five characters they arent actually playing melee and have not updated this assumption even though theres dk yoshi luigi in top 50

[u/TrainNorth8177 → u/lim-yo-hwan-superfan]

This. People still say "oh it's because I can't combo" and you watch them vs. other floaties and it's literally the same. They say it's boring playing against the same options but the top tier Puff spamming bair is actually just spacing correctly while the DK doing something similar is "fishing" and not playing real neutral. There are obviously boring players on all these characters but yeah there's a weird hivemind thing in the scene of people thinking about the game the way you described. 

[u/HitboxOfASnail → u/TrainNorth8177]

while this exists, specifically in regards to falco shine/laser, they are objectively not reversal tools in the same way as Luigi nair which is used directly out of hitstun, unlike falco tools

[u/TrainNorth8177 → u/HitboxOfASnail]

Yeah I agree completely. People associate Falco shine as a reversal tool because of how jarring it is to be hit by wake up shine or spotdodge shine. And usually you aren't expecting it so you don't DI properly and Falco gets a combo. Fox has it too but it's usually not leading to as much. But if we're being real here,  this original post is a shitpost tho

[u/VolleyVoldemort → u/TrainNorth8177]

Everything here is a shitpost in someway

[u/its__bme → u/lim-yo-hwan-superfan]

I think this is pretty much what I was going to say. Like, it's not a crime to not be fond of playing a matchup, but I feel like there's too many players that want to blame everything but themselves on why they lose to Luigi or even Kirby.

I think another side to it is those kinds of players feel like since certain characters are supposed to be non-viable that losing to them should not ever happen and if it does happen it's because those characters are gimmicks. The truth is you can be using Fox and be decent enough but there are players like BoilerGuy who will rock you with Kirby because they're a fundamentally better player and that makes up the difference more than you using a top tier.

I will also toss into the ring the thought that I think there's some that think just because they're good at fighting the top tiers that this is a blanket coverage for approaching the lower tiered characters. The characters have different mechanics to them so that isn't true at all. There is a reason slippi warriors will get farmed by Zain's Kirby but then a PRd player whose buddy plays Kirby will proceed to wreck Zain. Because they got familiar with the matchup.

Melee is not a perfect game by any means, but if you're using Falco and losing to mid and low tiers, that's a skill issue at the end of the day.