After our Europe detour last week, we’re switching focus to North America once again. The Super Steam Xrd Exhibition League is set to provide more exciting sets between skilled players, with commentary. We have an I-no, Kum Haehyun, Dizzy Kiske, and Faust coming up.
The Daredevils this time are: Spectryn vs. Voguekun, and XAQshinor vs. Zinac. Let’s learn a little more about them.
Spectryn
On the match: “Well, my thoughts are simple, really: just to keep everything simple and keep a calm head. I don’t think it should be too hard to do.”
On his opponent: “Voguekun is an OK player, and he can do good, but the way he plays at least in my view seems too wild to master or achieve higher heights for a character like Haehyun. Personally, I’m not afraid or worried about much that he can do to stop me.”
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.
Besides doing good or bad potentially, I think it’s good for people to know that Connecticut does have a scene for anime, and that I will be helping, or at least trying to get them better. This is a chance to show them what type of player I am and give exposure to our scene here. But I have to heavily thank TSB/NY scene for helping me improve!
Voguekun
On the match: “I’m not sure who has an easier time in Kum vs. I-no. Haehyun is still relatively new with few players that main her, and I find my opinions on the character’s strengths shifting around all the time when there’s no established understanding of her match-ups. Kum has a lot of cheap ways to take rounds for free, all of which I take advantage of constantly. Against I-no there are a few specific ones I that saw Spectryn deal with relatively well, so I expect a set that goes to at least ten games. The move that will make or break this matchup for Spectryn is HCL (Horizontal Chemical Love), as it has to potential to absolutely dominate Kum in neutral if used wisely, or undo I-No completely if used carelessly.
On his opponent: “I don’t know Spectryn very well. I chose to accept his challenge because I have no reason not to, as it’s pointless to deny a set if it isn’t a hassle and both players are close in skill. If I had to guess, I think that he wants to fight me because I’m loud, flippant, and I pop-off. Regardless of how this perception affects my standing in the scene, I respect every player as a competitor and extend that respect to him. It’s fun to butt heads and rival with someone.”
On his own playstyle: “The US Guilty Gear scene likes to label me as wild and careless, and to some degree that’s true. But anyone who has played me in long sets, especially Dallas players whom I play weekly at our locals, can tell you that I’m more eager to trick you, something I picked up from years of Starcraft, than I am to press wake-up buttons. For the past 11 months, Kum has been the first and only character that I’ve used to learn Rev. It just so happens that Kum likes to coinflip with her high health and high damage, which has no doubt bled into my understanding of the game in a way that it might not have if I’d picked Sol or Ky to learn GG with.”
XAQshinor
On the match: “I think it will be an interesting match, both characters want to fill the screen with either projectiles or large/active normals, so I think some of those interactions and how we deal with them will be cool to see. Round start and before I can put things on the screen, Faust definitely has the edge, but it isn’t insurmountable and it’s actually a pretty fun matchup in my opinion.”
On his opponent: “I don’t know Zinac very well personally, but I know he’s a longtime GG and Faust player, and I know he has a strong grasp on the character. I also know he’s very knowledgeable about the game so I don’t expect him to be caught by surprise by anything weird that Dizzy may be capable of.”
On his own playstyle: “I guess I would describe my playstyle as calculated lame or guerrilla tactics style, hit-and-run, something along those lines. Dizzy is very momentum-based and her mobility is second to none. I try to use a playstyle that brings those strengths to the foreground, so I don’t like doing a lot of random or unsafe things. There is usually a purpose behind most things I do, and I typically try to play as safe as possible.”
Zinac
On the match: “I wanted to participate in this league for a while, because exhibitions are fun to watch and want people to see my style of Faust play.”
On his opponent: “XAQ was a really strong Dizzy in Accent Core. He may have even been the best in the US at some point. So I expect a challenging match from him. He’s experienced so won’t fall for simple tricks, and I have to expect he’s well prepared.”
On his own playstyle: “My style of Faust is definitely about creating momentum for myself. I look for any opportunity to swing a match in my favor. So I spend a lot of time planning out my strategy well ahead of a match.”
The stage is set for tonight’s Super Steam Xrd Exhibition League matches. As usual, tune in to Silva’s Twitch channel. The action begins at 9:00 PM ET/8:00 PM CST/6:00 PM PDT. Commentary will be provided by doren2k and Mynus–so expect a lot of insight on I-no.
Curious about last week’s Guilty Gear Europe Special? Check out how it all went down below.
