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Evo 2017 lineup announced, Melee missing from Sunday finals

The Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the largest fighting game competition in the world, returns to the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, July 14-16, and will feature nine titles. Gail Fisher for ESPN

The Evolution Championship Series 2017 will feature nine titles this year, including a player-voted game for the final spot, Evo announced Tuesday evening. The voted-in game will kick off championship Sunday in the Mandalay Bay arena in Las Vegas, while Super Smash Bros. Melee is absent from the final day.

Evo, held annually, is the largest fighting game competition in the world.

The announced games are Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Injustice 2, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Tekken 7 and King of Fighters XIV.

There are nine games up for the final spot: Mortal Kombat X, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Skullgirls, Pokken Tournament, Killer Instinct, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, ARMS, Windjammers and nidhogg. The winning game will get a kickstart of $10,000 into its prize pool, and entry fees will boost the pot. Players will vote via donation on Generosity.com to Make-a-Wish International, and the game with the most donations will be chosen.

Super Smash Bros. Melee did not make the cut into the Sunday finals, along with Injustice 2, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 and King of Fighter's XIV and will be played on Saturday. Instead, Smash 4, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, BlazBlue and the players' choice will play out in the main arena Mandalay Bay.

Evo kicks off Friday, July 14, and concludes Sunday, July 16.