Month: November 2016

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Watch the Red Bull Battle Grounds Post-Game Show on Red Bull TV, November 6

There’ll be even more to see after the finals on Sunday.

Many of the world’s best Street Fighter V players are now gathering in Seattle for the Capcom Pro Tour North American Finals, at this weekend’s long-awaited Red Bull Battle Grounds! This is the last Street Fighter V CPT event in North America before the world finals in December.

A special post-game show will air on Red Bull TV on November 6th at 5:00pm (Pacific), recapping all of Battle Grounds’ action–with highlights and commentary from popular names in the FGC. From Red Bull eSports:

Following the crowning of the North America Champion of Street Fighter V, the Red Bull Battle Grounds 2-hour post game show will feature the most popular players and talent in the FGC along with expert commentary of the final matches and interviews with the best players in North America. The show will highlight some of the emerging storylines and players’ journeys to the finals, victories and defeats. Red Bull expects to set a new standard on how eSports post game shows are produced as the show will be unlike any other FGC show to date.

Industry luminaries confirmed to appear at the event include Mike Ross, UltraChenTV (“UltraDavid” Graham and James “jchensor” Chen), Tasty Steve, Sajam and Seth Killian. Additional talent confirmed for the event include Zhieep, IFC Yipes, Behrudy, Vicious, RIP, Dogysamich, Duggish, Doctor Stantz, Tuboware and more.

The Capcom Pro Tour North American Finals at Red Bull Battle Grounds will feature a 512-player open bracket on Saturday, with Sunday hosting a grand finale featuring the 14 players who have qualified via North American Ranking Events, and 2 qualifiers from Saturday’s “Last Chance” open bracket.

Want to watch the Battle Grounds live? Look for it on the following Twitch channels: Red Bull eSports, Capcom Fighters, LevelUp, and LogicHole.

Source: Red Bull eSports

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“All of the Japanese Players Were Surprised”: Mattsun Talks to Shoryuken about Super Street Fighter II Turbo at Canada Cup

When all the glitches, tick throw traps, and hype had dissipated in Toronto, one player stood out on top. To no one’s surprise, Mattsun–arguably the best player in the world at Super Street Fighter II Turbo–emerged victorious over one of the most stacked fields the West has ever seen in Super Turbo. He fought a long battle, which featured running through America’s best player, Damdai, and his fellow countryman Kusumondo on his way to the title at Canada Cup 2016.

After the celebrations died down, I sat down with Mattsun to talk about his thoughts immediately after the tournament.

Missing Person: First off, congratulations, this is a huge win for you.

Mattsun: Thank you.

Missing Person: Let’s go back to the grand finals with Kusumondo. What was going through your mind when he reset the bracket?

Mattsun: I really had no change in my mindset when the reset happened. I had no time to think about it; I was more focused on winning the match than worrying about Kusumondo’s reset. So I felt completely the same between the first set in grand finals and after the reset.

Missing Person: How long have you been playing Super Turbo?

Mattsun: I picked up Super Turbo when it released in Japan in 1994, so I’ve been around from the beginning.

Missing Person: Have you been playing Ken from the start of the game?

Mattsun: I have played him since the game released.

Missing Person: What made you gravitate toward Ken in Super Turbo?

Mattsun: When I was playing World Warrior, it was a matter of trial and error. I didn’t like Honda, Zangief, or Dhalsim. I had narrowed it down to Chun-Li, Ryu, and Ken, but I didn’t like charge characters, and ultimately decided to stick with Ken over Ryu. That mainly happened due to rebellion, since Ryu was the playable in Street Fighter I, and Ken was only selectable in two player mode.

Mattsun playing against Kusumondo (not pictured) in the grand finals of Super Street Fighter II Turbo at Canada Cup 2016. Photo courtesy of Corey Lanier.
Mattsun playing against Kusumondo (not pictured) in the grand finals of Super Street Fighter II Turbo at Canada Cup 2016. Photo courtesy of Corey Lanier.

Missing Person: You recently started the biggest Super Turbo event in the world with X-EST. How did the formation of that event come about?

Mattsun: That, to me, was out of necessity for the Super Turbo community in Japan. Before, we had Super Battle Opera, and Super Turbo was always on the roster. After SBO became defunct, we had no large scale Japanese tournament to showcase Super Turbo. So I started X-EST to fill the hole in the scene that was left by the absence of SBO.

Missing Person: Not only did you form this tournament, but this year you actually won X-EST. Which do you feel is the bigger achievement for you, winning X-EST or winning Canada Cup?

Mattsun: Ultimately, it’s different formats, and a different group of players. Both were a challenge for me, and both were enjoyable experience, so I feel no difference between the two wins.

Missing Person: Which of the western players at Canada Cup impressed you the most?

Mattsun: I would definitely say that Damdai, as well as Riz0ne.

Missing Person: Do you feel that the foreign players are starting to catch up to Japan in this game?

Mattsun: All of the Japanese players at Canada Cup were very surprised with the level of play from the players from America and Canada this weekend. It’s definitely getting better.

Special thanks goes out to JakyoManor for her help in translating the interview.

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ESports Team Square One Signs Pokkén Tournament Player Labib “Slippingbug” Haq

Absolute Battle 7 Pokkén Tournament Champion Labib “Slippingbug” Haq is now officially sponsored by esports team Square One.  The announcement comes just before Texas Trash Day, a large Houston major for multiple games.

Though Slippingbug will be the first Pokkén player to rock the SQ1 tag, this esports team has been quietly building results. SQ1 sponsors Mortal Kombat X players SQ1 Vibu (top 32 at Combo Breaker 2016) and SQ1 Izzzzymode (top 32 at EVO 2016). With the acquisition of Slippingbug, SQ1 hopes to add a Pokkén Tournament victory to their list. Considering Slippingbug’s consistent tournament results and dominance of the region, it’s a safe bet for the team to make.

Sources: Square One (Twitter)

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World of Warcraft – What’s Next For Legion

The first World of Warcraft: Legion panel has kicked off with new game director Ion Hazzikostas on stage. He has started the conversation with a discussion about the team’s patch philosophy. Head through the jump and keep refreshing the page for the most up to date news.