‘Super Smash Bros.’ tournament finds a new home at the Baltimore Convention Center

A challenger is approaching.

Or rather, thousands of them.

A “Super Smash Bros.” tournament series is coming to Baltimore this weekend. The 11th annual Supernova gaming event series is expected to draw fans of Nintendo’s platform fighting game franchise from around the region and around the world to the Baltimore Convention Center from Thursday through Sunday.

Formerly known as Super Smash Con and held in Chantilly, Virginia, the tournament is a showcase of the popular games in which players battle each other as Nintendo characters: Mario versus Samus (of Metroid), The “Legend of Zelda”s Link versus Pikachu and Kirby versus Ness (of “EarthBound”), for example.

The four-day event brings together casual video game fans and world-class tournament competitors to enjoy arcade games, live music performances, independently developed video games and a sprawling art marketplace.

The event begins at noon Thursday, and a complete schedule will be released soon, according to the official event page.

On Day 1, more than 3,600 anticipated attendees will experience panel discussions, exclusive tournaments with live broadcast commentary and friendly sparring across all six installments of the “Super Smash Bros.” video game series that launched in 1999.

Tournament registration has closed, but attendees can purchase single-day spectator passes or four-day weekend passes ranging from about $22 to $116.

Supernova is extending a special invitation to fans of the Orioles. According to a social media post, event staff will be at Legends Park before and during the Orioles’ 12:35 p.m. game Thursday to offer open play gaming sessions, free trading cards and a photo booth. A ticket to the baseball game gets you free admission to Supernova on Thursday.

This year will include fan-favorite competitions such as the original Combo Contest and a costume contest, according to the event website.

Who’s going and what are the stakes?

Tens of thousands of dollars are up for grabs across the slate of “Super Smash Bros.” tournaments this weekend. In exchange for an entry fee of $10, competitors of “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” events will fight on the Nintendo Switch 2 for their share of more than $15,000, while competitors of “Super Smash Bros. Melee” events will battle on the Nintendo GameCube for nearly $10,000, according to Liquipedia, a digital encyclopedia for esports.

One Laurel-based Smash competitor, Tali Henry, known by the alias TaliTetra, said she is excited to compete in Saturday’s Smash Sisters event — a side event established in 2010 that is meant to foster a sense of belonging among women and nonbinary people in the fighting gaming community.

Henry, a 28-year-old transgender woman, first attended Supernova in 2024, when she moved to the area from New Jersey. Back then, the event took place at the Chantilly Shopping Center before an IKEA took over the space.

As a member of the “Super Smash Bros.” community for more than a decade, Henry is known for her mastery of Sheik, a playable character from the “Legend of Zelda.” She says that, as someone new to the region, the Supernova event series has helped her gain confidence by building a network and forging friendships.

“It’s a really welcoming space,” Henry said. “There’s a lot more women in the community now. It gives people a space to meet and befriend people from other regions with shared experiences.”

David Lapkoff, a 39-year-old from Silver Spring known by the alias MC David, has lived in Laurel since 2020. He works as a financial analyst and has attended every Supernova event since 2015. Lapkoff has found mastery with Peach, a playable character from the “Super Mario Bros.” franchise.

“The roar of the crowd cheering for competitors feels like a jet engine,” Lapkoff said. “It is absolutely electric, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Sheila Moore, an event producer based in Fairfax County, Virginia, and known by the alias DaPurpleSharpie, is tasked with producing this year’s Supernova as a part of House of 3000, a New York-based broadcast production team that operates throughout the mid-Atlantic.

“This is a grassroots event organized by people who grew up playing the game and have love for the community,” Moore said. Relocating the event to Baltimore and “sharing the same region as event attendees of MAGFest and Otakon allow Supernova to connect with a greater audience,” she added.

A brief history of Supernova

The first Super Smash Con was launched in August 2015 by Justin Wykowski alongside tournament organizers Michael “Nintendude” Brancato and Robin “Juggleguy” Harn as a celebration for fans of “Super Smash Bros.” for the Nintendo 64. In 2024, Nintendo updated their event licensing guidelines, prompting Super Smash Con to change its name to Supernova.

This weekend’s upcoming “classic” Combo Contest is a special event that takes place in the 1999 edition of the game’s practice mode. The objective is to chain together the largest, flashiest hit combo. Judges then award a grade of 1-10. It has attracted international attention with competitors such as Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto, who traveled from Japan to compete in Supernova 2024 and returned home victorious.

Lapkoff said the nature of platform fighting games encourages the tight-knit, in-person aspect of these events.

“All the best players from all over the country and all over the world come together to play or enjoy the spectator experience like a sporting event,” he said.