Month: December 2018

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Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Is a Capcom Cup championship part of ZJZ’s prophecy?

If ZJZ weren’t as humble, he would’ve walked around Esports Arena saying, “I don’t even play this game!” But The King of Fighters specialist just showed up to Las Vegas, and mowed through the competition at the Last Chance Qualifier to find his way into the main bracket of Capcom Cup.

He was able to go beast mode on fellow hopefuls, but will he be able to do so against the elite of the game?

SFV Menat

Behold, the Future

If ZJZ was willing to change games to earn the big paydays, he’s off to a solid start. His Menat is an insane mixture of fundamentals, KOF-esque movement and defense, and combo abilities that really only compares to Sako. His play actually rivals one of his KOF rivals, Xiao Hai. He’s patient, but able to get so many stray hits that before you know it, half your health is gone. Even on those stray hits, he’s optimizing and finding ways to at least get an extra hit in for a combo.

One interesting aspect about his game is he’s the only Menat I’ve seen that feels comfortable playing from the corner. This is where he resided for so many rounds, that it was just insane. He wasn’t even really trying to use his V-Reversal to escape it, as one would expect, especially from a KOF player who is used to defensive rolls. He just simply took every bit of pressure and waited for an opportunity to make it his turn.

Master, I Really Did It!

But as if there was a doubt that he was for real after his top 8 at Tokyo Game Show, the LCQ just proved how good he truly is. While he had to claw his way through Losers after losing in pools to Samurai, he tore through the top 48 with relative ease. He even stopped off to get a salty runback on Samurai along the way.

But so often, he found himself playing through what were perceived to be bad match-ups by fellow Menat main Infiltration. While Infiltration switched to Juri to fight against Nemo’s Urien, ZJZ seemed to have no issues. He once again showed no issues against John Takeuchi’s Rashid, whereas Infiltration made the same switch at Evo Japan.

He got faced with so many different equations to solve during his run, including character unfamiliarity with Dankadillas going Blanka to throw him off in Grand Finals. While there were several issues in dealing with Blanka’s second V-Trigger, he finally caught on and began keeping his patience against it.

menat

Final Thoughts

I can honestly say that if Nemo had momentum going his way last year, ZJZ has it in spades. If there were fears of him being exhausted after this marathon run, bear this in mind. He plays KOF, a game with far longer games in a set. He also has to deal with so many factors within a match of said game. Trust me, he has the mental stamina to keep going.

With the run he had in Tokyo Game Show and now at LCQ, there’s a decent amount of certainty that he could at least make top 8. Of course Phenom could spoil his chances of doing this through Winners Bracket, but it’s not as though he wouldn’t at least have GamerBee around to prepare him for the Necalli match-up.

If you’re not expecting much out of him today at Capcom Cup, you’re about to get blown away.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster

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Pokemon Go’s Winter Wonders Event to Kick Off on December 18th

From December 18th to January 2nd, Pokemon Go players will be able to take part in its annual event when experience, candy and much more doubles for specific time periods. In addition, the limited-time Pikachu with a holiday hat on will be available and rarer Pokemon will be more commonly found in Eggs. Players will receive an Incubator every time they visit a PokeStop. Lastly, it’s possible that a very rare version of Delibird will shop up from time to time.

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Armored Warfare Updated to Season 2: Arabian Nights

Armored Warfare has been updated to bring Season 2: Arabian Nights into the game. Players will find new content across several chapters “in war-hardened Magnus Holter’s narrative” along with new customization options and formidable new vehicles to collect. Players will also find that low-tier vehicles have been completely overhauled and rebalanced to increase mobility and rate of fire.

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TERA Devs Give Players a Peek Into the Future with Q1 2019 Roadmap

En Masse Entertainment has published a peek at what TERA players can expect after the year turns. Starting in January, there are big things in store for PvP and Battlegrounds with “a big focus on class, skill and PvP balancing”. While February will be quiet, March will see a level cap increase, new quests and a new open world boss system.

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Evo Japan 2018 Catherine champion Edogawa takes on a new challenger in… Tokido?!

While America has been a virtual hotbed for high-level Catherine play, Japan still boasts a healthy scene for the game. With Catherine: Full Body on the way in 2019, Evo Japan 2018 champion Edogawa is most certainly looking to keep his title intact going into the new title.

He may have found a new rival in an unlikely place. On a recent video by Atlus Games showcasing the single player mode, fighting game legend Tokido sat down to play and learn from the champ himself, and test his mettle against him.

Source: atlustube

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rooflemonger’s 12 Days of DBFZ Tech-Mas celebrates the holiday season with samples of Dragon Ball FighterZ tech

Ring in the Holidays with the 12 Days of Tech-Mas!

In to celebrate the upcoming holidays and bring a little Christmas cheer to fans of Dragon Ball FighterZ, diligent content creator rooflemonger has begun a new video series he has dubbed “The 12 Days of DBFZ Tech-Mas,” where he will post a new video for 12 straight days, looking at various odd tidbits of tech he’s found in the game. These are shorter endeavors that are, “meant to be a bit more digestible” than some of his larger guides.

We’re already three days into the 12 Days; to start things off, for the first Day of Tech-Mas, rooflemonger brought us a corner pressure setup for the Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly that can beat a good amount of wake-up options, as well as air blocking by holding back.

For the second day of DBFZ Tech-Mas, rooflemonger took a look at a situational glitch with Fused Zamasu’s Divine Wrath Super. If the falling ball triggers a Destructive Finish upon slaying a filthy mortal, Zamasu will be able to tag in his partner by holding down the Assist button right as the word “DOWN” appears on-screen, which will cause a switch, as opposed to an Ultimate Z Change to the next Super. This glitch also appears to be exclusive to Fused Zamasu, as rooflemonger has not been able to replicate it with Frieza or Goku Black, despite them also having descending orb Supers in their Holy Light Grenade and Death Ball, respectively. This could certainly prove useful for recovering the divine Fusion’s blue health, though it can be a bit finicky to trigger.

Day 3 looks at mixup options for the sweet-toothed Android 21:

rooflemonger also noted that, though he has a few days already planned, he is more than willing to accept user submissions for the remaining Days of DBFZ Tech-Mas, so feel free to send him your ideas.

Source: rooflemonger

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Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Can Pikoro dominate a bracket stacked against him?

Getting in because of a drop out is not exactly the situation you want. But when Crossover couldn’t fulfill his duties as Latin American champion, runner-up Pikoro from Peru was able to step in to try his hand at Capcom Cup.

The Latin American regional champion — outside of 2014, which was also filled in due to visa issues — has done historically well at Capcom Cup. In 2015, Keoma made top 8. 2016 saw DR Ray upset Tokido in the first round. Last year saw Didimokof make a run into top 16. But given Pikoro came in off of Crossover’s drop out, will he be able keep the tradition alive?

bison

Dictating the Pace

One thing that Pikoro’s M. Bison does well is control the tempo of the match. When he comes out swinging, things get insane really fast. When he slows down, he forces you to slow down because his anti-air and air-to-airs are so on point. He plays a style of Bison that is so hard to pinpoint that it’s scary.

Further, he’s one of the only Bison players I’ve seen outside of Toronto’s Sin who has found ways to truly implement V-Trigger II at the highest levels. While you’ll mostly see Problem X utilizing V-Trigger I, to see a second V-Trigger on the table with this character is refreshing. And his setups are truly terrifying with it.

Never Failing

When you look at his tournament circuit schedule compared to everyone else, it’s incredibly paltry. He went to only five tournaments, all of them in Latin America. But of that five, not once did he miss the top 8. This is saying something. There is not a single player in Capcom Cup that never missed a top 8 in their season. While many have larger sample sizes — and certainly if Pikoro had attended more, it’s possible that he would’ve slipped a few times — it’s impressive to see that kind of success rate.

M Bison throw Street Fighter V

Feel the Burn

But if I were to place one thing on Pikoro, it would be his meter management. If you watch his matches, he burns through EX Bars almost as fast as he earns them. Whether he’s burning them on fireballs or Devil’s Reverses, they don’t last long. In instances where he needs them the most, they may not be there.

He’s also has a few patterns that may not be the most obvious — but they were apparent enough for Crossover, who did very well against the Peruvian in Regional Finals.

Another thing I could really say is much like what I’ve said in recent years regarding Latin players: they’re great in their region. But in a smaller region, it does not necessarily mean that they’re ready to take on the best. I eat my words with this every year between DR Ray and Didimokof, but when you can’t even win your regional final, it’s hard to believe you’ll beat the likes of Fujimura — whom Pikoro will be playing first.

Final Thoughts

Some people may have him as a sleeper pick, but I can’t see it. He could totally prove me wrong and actually best Fujimura, who hasn’t been as dominant as he was in the early season. It’s also possible that Fujimura will struggle against Bison, who is far less popular in Japan.

So let’s optimistically say that Pikoro goes 1-2 at least, but probably 2-2 at best.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

capcom cup 2018 poster