Last fall, GameTyrant Expo exploded onto the Smash scene, putting together a first-year major with never-before-seen enhancements such as a massive $100,000 prize pool and a prestigious venue in Salt Lake City’s Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz. On November 2nd-4th  of this year, GT-X will be returning to Utah for another high-octane event featuring brackets for Overwatch, Fortnite, League of Legends, and—of course—all of the mainstream competitive Smash titles.

Whether it was the considerable money on the line, the cachet of the location, or simply the rarefied Utah air, something lent a spark of magic to GT-X 2017’s proceedings, as top players Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma, Adam “Armada” Lindgren, Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez Perez, and Matt “Elegant” Fitzpatrick delivered some of Melee and Smash 4’s most exciting grand finals of the year. Hungrybox’s grueling ten-game victory over Armada kicked off his campaign for Melee’s No. 1 ranking in earnest, while MkLeo fended off a blazing-hot Elegant in a ten-game grand finals of his own, climbing back atop the podium after a five-month stretch without any major victories. The excitement at GT-X 2017 wasn’t limited to the final day, either: in bracket, Oscar “Lovage” Nilsson served William “Leffen” Hjelte with the biggest upset of the year, while Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto began his surge into the top ten with a dominant victory over Justin “Plup” McGrath.

GT-X 2018 promises to be just as electrifying as its predecessor. With the return of last year’s top-tier tournament organizer Matthew “Mattdotzeb” Zaborowski, the Melee bracket is sure to run like clockwork. Returning alongside an experienced tournament organizing team is the event’s huge prize pool, which promises significant payouts to the first-place finishers in each major Smash title.

This year’s GT-X is located right across the street from last year’s venue—and smack in the middle of Salt Lake City’s historic downtown area—in the spacious Gateway Mall. Though the event itself will have plenty of amenities to keep its entrants occupied, including vendors and copious friendlies setups, attendees visiting Salt Lake City for the first time will have the opportunity to explore the food, shops, and other sights of Utah’s capital.

With the success of tournaments such as GT-X 2017 and Colorado’s Flatiron 3 and players such as Justin “Syrox” Burroughs and Spencer “BestNess” Garner, the Mountain West has experienced a competitive Smash renaissance over the last year. However, GT-X represents more than just another major event for its region: it’s an opportunity for continued growth for the Smash scene as a whole. 2018 has been a relatively slow year in terms of Smash majors, but the success of events like GENESIS 5, Full Bloom 4, and Smash Summit 6 is proof that the backbone of the Smash scene is annual, well-established major events with exciting storylines and a loyal following. Last year, GT-X delivered the hype; its return this year shows that GameTyrant is here to stay. All it needs is the loyal following—so come on out and register to be part of Smash history at GameTyrant Expo 2018!

To get in on the action, check out the smash.gg site and official website.