Month: May 2016

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not reflect Shoryuken as a whole.

Those who remember last year’s Skullgirls tournament at Combo Breaker remember it fondly. The Illinois-based event is widely considered by the Skullgirls community as the tournament of the year to make it to, bar none. If you don’t remember or weren’t invested at the time, this game was not a main stage title at first. It became one after its pre-registration numbers trumped nearly every other title early on, and players from multiple other countries came out just to participate in the game. That in mind, it has become the one tournament every year that the entire community will push for.

Let’s take a quick look back at last year’s competition with Kai Kennedy’s nostalgic trailer for the upcoming tournament.

The video accurately captures some of the moments that made Combo Breaker amazing: the excitement was electric, the hype was palpable, and the energy invigorating. Nothing less is expected from this year’s event, which showcases later this month.

One year ago, players from England, Spain, and Canada, as well as a player from Brazil who made it out thanks to a community effort to send him, met up in Illinois to play. All of the community’s rallying amounted in a total of $2000 in pot bonuses being added from multiple parties, which just added to the list of reasons Skullgirls players were bursting with excitement.

It’s obviously impossible to know how this year’s Combo Breaker will end, but we have a good idea how it will start. Much like last year, the community has again decided to send its favorite players out to compete. Zeknife (Sweden), 159man (Japan), and Yaya (Canada) have all been crowdfunded to attend the tournament. Mr.Peck is Skullgirls’ England representative, as he was last Combo Breaker, bringing the number of countries outside the US making a showing at Combo Breaker 16 for Skullgirls to 4. Those who follow the game may remember the name 159man from the USA vs. JPN 10 vs. 10 tournament that was played earlier this year, in which he managed to take the win from KPB|McPeanuts.

It has also been confirmed that SG is to have 148 entrants this year through pre-registration alone, making this year’s event one of the biggest tournaments to ever take place for the game. Last year the count barely broke 100, which was still impressive for Skullgirls, but having the number jump by at least 50 percent is a great sign of what’s to come. There are still potential on-site registrants, so the number can only increase from here.

On top of all this pre-CB16 hype, there’s more waiting at the event than just the tournament. There is a high-profile 10 vs. 10 exhibition crew match planned as well. East Coast is considered the strongest in Skullgirls right now, so an East Coast vs. The World exhibition is planned to take place. This exhibition will be streamed along with pools and the main tournament, so keep an eye out at the end of the month.

Sources: Kai Kennedy, gofundme, DaPurpleSharpie, Combo Breaker, Skullheart