Melee Underdogs

Okay, here's the fine print. You earn a bounty by:

• Playing an underdog character at a major tournament,
• in every match of every set you win,
• until you have secured a particular placement.

The following stipulations also apply:

• You must win at least one set.
• Placements secured via DQ or other technicality do not count.

Earning a bounty automatically earns you all lesser bounties. If you make Top 16 with Ness, for example, you get three bounties, not one.

In most cases, you won't have to do anything: Once your run ends, I will reach out via Twitter/Discord/whatever, and we'll go from there. If you don't hear from me within a day or two of the tournament, email bounty at meleeunderdogs.com.

Please note that in some cases, I may ask for video evidence of sets that were played off-stream. This is the most direct way to prove that you played the same character in every match. You don't need video for every set, but at minimum, I'll want to see your deepest win, plus your previous win or following loss as the same character. For sets that were streamed, a link to the VOD is sufficient. But if you're not playing on the main stage, don't risk it; ask someone to record your sets on their phone.

No. But if you chicken out and switch characters, and you win that set, your run ends there.

For example: You make it into Top 16 Winners with solo Dr. Mario, guaranteeing a minimum placement of 9th. But when your next set goes to game 5, you get cold feet and switch to Fox. If you win, your Doc run ends at 9th, earning a Top 16 bounty. If you lose, it stays alive until you lose again or switch off Doc.

Just like larger tournaments, you earn a bounty by securing a minimum placement. Remember, you must win at least one set; you don't earn a Top 16 bounty just for showing up.

And yes, you can still earn lesser bounties. If ScorpionMaster94 wins a single set at a 16-player invitational, he earns both the Top 32 and Top 16 bounties.

In general, a bounty can only be earned once. However, if multiple players earn the same bounty at the same tournament, that bounty is divided equally among them.

For example, if Alice and Bob both main Young Link, and Alice places 7th while Bob places 13th, then Alice earns the Top 8 bounty and splits the Top 16 bounty with Bob.

My completely arbitrary definition is “they haven't won a major in at least five years,” i.e. everyone except Fox, Falco, Marth, Jigglypuff, Sheik, Captain Falcon, and Yoshi.

I don't see why not, but let's run it for the rest of 2026 and decide after that.

Vibes.