Before yesterday, players at the world’s largest fighting game tournament were unable to receive advice from their coach, if they had one, once they reached the semifinals. Now, thanks to a rule change, if they need help during a match of Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros., or any other game contested at the Evolution Championship Series, their coach can assist them—as long as they remain off the stage and take only 30 seconds.

When Jason “ANTi” Bates won the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament at Smash community major Get On My Level this past weekend, he exercised his rights as champion to celebrate his accomplishment. That said, he may have gotten a little too hype (if such a thing is even possible) when his victory lap spread to a different broadcast.

New York City’s fighting game community saw one of their own step up to the plate in a big way at this weekend’s Defend the North tournament just north of the city in White Plains. Derek “iDom” Ruffin faced off against Philadelphia’s Victor “Punk” Woodley, arguably the best player in the United States, and effectively tormented the supposedly superior player.

Street Fighter V players noticed something strange happening during their online matches on the afternoon of July 22. Instead of appearing near their real-world locations on the Capcom Fighters Network map (a platform that ensures competitors match up with opponents in their general vicinity), they were being placed west of Africa, smack dab in the Atlantic Ocean.

Street Fighter V’s newest character, Abigail, is the game’s largest fighter to date, towering over even resident grappler Zangief. Since the character’s arrived on Tuesday, the focus of community discussion has been on his capacity to inflict serious damage with just a few hits. Many players have been surprised by the utility of Abigail’s moveset, while others have set about learning as much as they can about the giant in preparation for the day he’s used in competition.

Benoit “Gunfight” Arquilla, a French fighting game competitor living in Japan, proved the community’s age-old “never give up” adage still holds true in 2017 during a recent Street Fighter V live stream. After getting rocked by a strong Laura player named Suika during the final round of their online match, Gunfight was able to mount an impressive comeback that left his opponent reeling.

Fighting games are complicated. That’s just a simple truth. As the genre has developed over the last few decades, franchises have become inundated with mechanics that both alienate newcomers and drive divisions between players. The makers of the upcoming game Fantasy Strike are trying to change that.

After showing off their first original fighting game in decades last April Fool’s Day, respected Japanese game studio Arika arrived at Evo 2017 this past weekend ready to demo the project for the genre’s most passionate fans.

Dragon Ball FighterZ made a huge impression when it was first revealed at E3 in June, but it’s currently undergoing the greatest test of all: Rigorous competition from some of the fighting game community’s best players.

Every fighting game competitor wants to play under optimal conditions, or at least as close to their home training experience as possible. But what are they to do when an event’s setups begin to fail? And how do the organizers rectify such a situation? These questions became incredibly important during the BlazBlue: Central Fiction tournament at Evo 2017 this weekend.

This year’s Evolution Championship Series started with a bang last night as King of Fighters XIV wrapped up its one-day competition with an intense finals bracket. Spectators crowded the exhibition hall to see the weekend’s first champion crowned among the impressive mix of players from across Taiwan, China, Mexico, Pakistan, Japan, and the United States.

Every year, the Evolution Championship Series descends on Las Vegas, bringing with it the largest collection of fighting game players in the world. Evo serves as a reflection of the best the fighting game community has to offer, and players who manage to become champions in the sweltering Las Vegas desert are regarded as having reached the pinnacle of their craft. This year’s festivities are shaping up to be mighty special.