Earlier this month we reported on a potential Classic Iori skin being spotted on the Chinese version of the game. As was hinted by the art on the disc, Classic Iori is available, and some players already have their hands on him. The Chinese version of the game was released today, and footage of Classic Iori is now surfacing.
While this skin is currently exclusive to Chinese copies of the game, the costume may become available worldwide, as was the case with Classic Kyo and Nightmare Geese. There was also news of more DLC being available for Chinese games in the coming months–but there is no word on whether those are the DLC outfits we already have, or something new.
Brawlhalla is a game that always makes me stop and think. It turns a lot of fighting game conventions on their head, and provides something we haven’t really seen before. In addition to being accessible (and hugely popular, in some circles), it truly stands out in the crowd.
Today we get a look at a new fighter to grace the already impressive roster, bringing the character count up to 28. Cross happens to be a mobster who won a bet with a demon, giving him access to a living shadow that fights for him. Combining his long range shadow pressure with his close range heavy-hitting attacks looks to make one frightening addition to the roster.
Techniques to add to your list of Illuminati Secret Arts.
Urien’s competitive viability has been heavily questioned; is Urien’s star again on the rise, after RB’s impressive run with the tyrant at Red Bull Battle Grounds? Either way, many players have been undoubtedly inspired to spend more time on Urien by RB, and if you’re just picking the Vice President up now, or have been struggling to crush, kill, and destroy with him from before, here’s some tech to help you assert Illuminati dominance.
Firsty, NurseLee has added a compilation of meaty setups for Urien to his growing collection of meaty guides for the SFV cast. Here’s 13 setups you can try to keep that post-knockdown pressure on.
HapkidoRed has also added a couple more combo video to his growing Urien collection–not bread and butters for beginners, these stray more into fancy juggles and technical exploits of the Aegis Reflector, showing off some of the stranger and stylish combos Urien can pull off.
Just in time for December, Winterfox has announced their newest acquisition. NorCal-based Ryu main Putthivath “XsK_Samurai” Chea has signed a contract with the esports team.
Winterfox is primarily known for their Counterstrike: Global Offensive team, and this is their first acquisition not only in the FGC, but outside of that game in general.
Chea–who has been on a tear, qualifying via the North American leaderboard and having done well in nearly every tournament he has been to, including ESL’s King of the Hill series–will be representing Winterfox effective immediately, and will thus be representing the team in his inaugural Capcom Cup.
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.
YouDeal MJS|Tatsuya Haitani came out of the gates swinging on the Capcom Pro Tour. He has a consistent attendee on the circuit this year, and his efforts have put him into a respectable 10th place on SRK’s global leaderboard.
Not only that, but Haitani has easily qualified for Capcom Cup with a mountain of points. How does the Necalli main stack up against the field?
Innovation
I have already mentioned several Necallis who have qualified–including BX3.TP-Link|Phenom, ZOWIE|GamerBee, and SOA|Brolynho–and have discussed their strengths with the character. But what they are currently doing, Haitani blazed the trail for early on.
Haitani was the first Necalli to make his mark on the circuit, proving the strength of the character as early as Final Round. If you want to see Phenom’s grimy mix-ups, Haitani knows when to pull them out. GamerBee’s aggressiveness with frame traps? Haitani has that. Brolynho’s patience? Haitani can go there too.
But one thing that doesn’t get mentioned about Haitani is his trust in his reads. His Necalli is willing to believe his opponent is going to go for a meaty, DP, and be right. He has a fantastic understanding of what his opponent is looking for, and always seems to be ready with the buffer into super.
Despite losing to Tokido, the above match shows the full breadth of Haitani’s range with the character. You can’t take anything away from any other Necalli player in Capcom Cup, but if you want an early example of top level Necalli play, this is where to look. It’s no wonder James Chen noted the Japanese were calling Haitani the best player early on.
More Top Eights Than God
Haitani has been on the grind this year, and his results prove how his devotion to traveling to events has paid off. Of the 24 tournaments he has attended this season, he has made 18 top 8s. That’s a staggering 75% success rate.
Equally impressive is that out of those 18 top 8s, he has finished 4th or higher two-thirds of the time. To play that volume of top level matches with those level of results is staggering. Of the players in in the top 10 on Shoryuken’s rankings, only EG|Justin Wong and RB|Luffy have attended as many tournaments as Haitani. Justin only has only one more top 8 than Haitani from the same number of tournaments. Luffy has 17 top 8s out of 26 tournaments.
In that context, Haitani’s rate may not seem like an amazing statistic. But the proof is in the pudding. Luffy did nearly everything, with the exception of Brooklyn Beatdown and Evo 2016, in Europe. Justin pulled off the same feat Haitani has with only four excursions outside of North America. Haitani has not stayed put. 14 of his 24 events were played in Asia, the rest internationally. Two of his three worst tournament results were inked in Asia. His only tournament win on the circuit was achieved in Australia. This man has gotten around more than any player on the circuit this year, and has managed to stay consistent throughout the year despite that.
Complacency
One of the biggest concerns for Haitani is that some of his worst results have come near the tail end of the season. He placed 25th at two consecutive events in the run up to the Capcom Cup–Japan Cup and Manila Cup. It’s also worth noting that around the same time, conversations were being had about whether he could make waves at all.
While a lot was said of his recently lackluster performance, we can also look back at the start of the season, where there were claims that he was the best. He was basically defining proper Necalli play at that point. You almost wonder if Haitani has just gone on autopilot in the home stretch.
If you look at his match with Xiaohai at SoCal Regionals, some signs point to this. He was not doing anything stellar–it just looked like cut and paste Necalli play. Xiaohai took advantage. As a matter of fact, Xiaohai conditioned him to do just that to punish him.
Has Haitani plateaued with his character? Or is it something else?
Jet Lag
It’s quite possible that Haitani is just worn out. As mentioned, he has one of the most extensive travel schedules of all the pros on the circuit. He has made it his goal to compete as much as possible this season. Has he pushed himself too hard in his travel? Perhaps the reason that he is on autopilot with his play is that he’s just tired?
If that’s the case, then he is doing the right thing right now. After SoCal Regionals, he has retreated to Japan. While he is still playing online, he is certainly taking a sabbatical from traveling, sitting out Canada Cup and Red Bull Battlegrounds. If it’s burn out he’s suffering from, this should help him recharge before he jumps back into competition in Busan for the Asia Regional Finals.
Final Thoughts
Haitani has been a divisive player this year. He has the tools, the focus and the deep character knowledge to be a threat to go far in a tournament. But his results have slid over the last two months, and there is concern that he doesn’t have enough fuel left to propel him deep into the fray at Capcom Cup.
If he utilizes his much-needed break properly and returns firing on all cylinders, I’d call him to go top 8. But he could range anywhere from there to top 16 at this point. He’s definitely more of a wildcard than he should be, but he could make it to the depths of the bracket–provided he focuses.
