The last Super Steam Xrd Exhibition League match brought incredible hype to the audience, but before we look back at the previous week, we already have a new set of Daredevils looking to prove something. Sway is looking to serve some hot mix-ups and dynamic combos as kung-fu artist/chef Jam Kuradoberi, while www.keeponrock.in (yes, that’s a website link to his Guilty Gear match database, use it!) plans on some dizzying Bedman plays. Hotashi will showcase his prowess with a Call-of-Duty Elphelt, while Kami hopes to score corner pins as Zato=1.
First up will be Sway vs Keeponrockin’, followed by Hotashi and Kami.
Hotashi
On the match: “Very comfortable. I play against Zato=1 fairly often, so I don’t feel like there’ll be any surprises for me when the match comes. The character is easily overwhelmed once defending, but it’ll be dangerous if I get mixed up. But, that’s just the way the game (and the match-up goes). I’m most focused on the neutral. Eventually, one of those mixups will open me up, so I can’t get too worried about that.
“I haven’t been practicing very much lately, but I still hope that my strategy holds up. I hope to control how Zato summons Eddie in neutral, and punish responsively while not giving up too much ground. If Eddie is kept controlled or killed during neutral, then I can close the distance and end the round quickly.
“In neutral, I feel as though Elphelt has the upper hand. Grenade can kill Eddie as he travels on the ground, so the grenade can “wall out” Eddie’s approach, so to speak. Rifle can punish bad Eddie summons or poorly placed drills, but Zato can easily punish this stance by spending 25% on an airdash YRC. I will do my best to maximize the number of times I punish drills and avoid having the distance closed in on me helplessly. It’ll be interesting to look at the number of times this worked for both me and Kami. Zato doesn’t really have a great way to force a knockdown in neutral besides Drill, as long as I don’t make any poor decisions or corner myself.”
On his opponent: “Gutter trash.”
On his own playstyle: “Aggressive-defensive. I try and goad the opponent into poor approaches or losing patience by playing on the other side of the screen while micromanaging my switches between pulling grenade, using the rifle, and protecting myself from approaches with the shotgun. In my opinion, this works against characters or players who are unable to threaten Elphelt at certain angles. However, I’m also able to switch my game up if this is seen through.”
Kami
On the match: “Anytime I play any type of important game or set, I always have the same thought, ‘I should win this match.’ I come from a sports background where losing is never an option and it’s creeped its way into my personality and playstyle, because I train so hard I feel that I should never lose and if I do lose it was due to my own mistakes.”
On his opponent: “I have a lot of respect for Hotashi, he helped change my mind on many issues I was having about traveling and other things. On the game side of things, He has an unorthodox playstyle that frustrates many and does a lot of things very well. In the end, he’s still gonna have to hold this L I give him. I think Hotashi is a definitely a top-level player, who has accomplished a lot in a short time and I appreciate the things he’s told me.”
On his own playstyle: “I like to consider myself someone who plays in a matter that beats my opponent, I can be highly technical or extremely aggressive. I am always looking for that one mistake my opponent makes to capitalize on, Zato helps a ton with that one mistake part. The biggest factor when I play is me. Once I start to feel myself there’s usually no stopping me.
“Finally, I’d just like to shout out Silva and everyone else involved with these matches, things like these keep the game exciting and let people know about newer players like me while also bringing fresh eyes to the scene. The only question is, why wasn’t I here sooner?”
Keeponrockin’
On the match: “I’m pretty excited, but a little bit anxious. This match and the upcoming tournament Combo Breaker are going to be my last events with Bedman before REV 2 releases and turns my character upside-down, so I want to show everybody my progress and maybe even a few tricks that won’t be around for long.”
On his opponent: “Sway and I first met at a Frosty Faustings where we played Faust mirrors in casuals. Jam wasn’t even out yet and I definitely did not know I was going to switch to Bedman at that time! We’ve maybe played two times over netplay after that so I don’t think I have a good grasp of what he’s capable of. I went to look for his match videos, but there aren’t a lot of them. Go win some tournaments, Sway!”
On his own playstyle: “And as for my playstyle, I can’t really say, because it depends on the moment and character. I can be defensive or super aggressive. It mostly changes depending on what I feel like I can get away with during situations.”
Sway
On the match: “I’m a little nervous. I’m typically very bad in long sets and lose momentum very easily, so this will be a challenge. While my goal is to win, I’d be happy if I’m just able to execute what I practiced and not look like a dummy 
.”
On his opponent: “Rockin’ is awesome. We used to play Faust together, and I think we both switched off for the same reason, and we’re both way better for it. He did great at Frosty Faustings and we played a set or two after that were in his favor, I believe. His pressure is strong and so is his mix-up game. No one can sleep on him. I certainly won’t, so he better come in swinging.”
On his own playstyle: “I think I’m very humble about my style (except when I’m joking about how my mix-ups are causing global warming). I don’t think I do anything exceptionally well, but don’t feel like I’m heavily lacking anywhere. I study the game a lot and do my best to have answers for every situation. I think everyone’s going to see good play from both sides.”
Now that we know a little about our Daredevils, the stage is set for more hype FT7s. Tomorrow, tune in to Silva_hime’s Twitch channel at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CST/5:00 PM PDT. Killey and ch_tenpai!! will commentate.
Last week’s SSXrdEL match was quite the upset! Especially if you read the interviews. Read up on that and check out the set below.
Sources: interviews; Silva
