With Street Fighter V confirmed to receive a second balance patch next month, VesperArcade’s latest video takes a look at some of the characters he believes are the most deserving of buffs in this update. Specifically, Vesper proposes how he would improve Alex, F.A.N.G, Nash and Ryu.
For Alex, he suggests restoring some of his neutral tools. This would such as reverting his Medium normals back to their original state and improving EX Air Knee Smash as an anti-air, and possibly restoring his previous oki setups.
In the case of F.A.N.G, he feels that his poison is a “missed opportunity for something unique in Street Fighter V.” He feels that it is not threatening right now, with many players tanking his V-Skill, just to hit him and remove it, as opposed to dodging. However, Vesper also feels that it is currently too easy for F.A.N.G to poison enemies, preventing Capcom from making it powerful. He proposes a somewhat radical change of having F.A.N.G’s V-Skill be the only move in his arsenal that can poison, but it would do immense damage in a short period. This would force opponents to play F.A.N.G’s game, as well as causing players to devise more setups to land the V-Skill, creating a sense of urgency for players and spectators alike.
Vesper acknowledges Capcom’s attempts to make Nash into a more aggressive character in Season 2, to further differentiate him from Guile, but feels his mobility options were over-nerfed. He feels his 19 frame dash should be reduced to 17-18 frames, as well as returning his Season 1 V-Trigger, so he can have a limited defensive option.
With Ryu getting significant nerfs in every aspect due to the Season 2 changes, Vesper would like to see his zoning improved by altering the speed and/or damage of his Hadoukens, on top of making them safer, so he can deal with the improved anti-projectile attacks. Lastly, Vesper would also like to see Ryu gain Dash Cancels with his charged fireballs in V-Trigger, to give him some mind games.
With Street Fighter V confirmed to receive a second balance patch next month, VesperArcade’s latest video takes a look at some of the characters he believes are the most deserving of buffs in this update. Specifically, Vesper proposes how he would improve Alex, F.A.N.G, Nash and Ryu.
For Alex, he suggests restoring some of his neutral tools. This would such as reverting his Medium normals back to their original state and improving EX Air Knee Smash as an anti-air, and possibly restoring his previous oki setups.
In the case of F.A.N.G, he feels that his poison is a “missed opportunity for something unique in Street Fighter V.” He feels that it is not threatening right now, with many players tanking his V-Skill, just to hit him and remove it, as opposed to dodging. However, Vesper also feels that it is currently too easy for F.A.N.G to poison enemies, preventing Capcom from making it powerful. He proposes a somewhat radical change of having F.A.N.G’s V-Skill be the only move in his arsenal that can poison, but it would do immense damage in a short period. This would force opponents to play F.A.N.G’s game, as well as causing players to devise more setups to land the V-Skill, creating a sense of urgency for players and spectators alike.
Vesper acknowledges Capcom’s attempts to make Nash into a more aggressive character in Season 2, to further differentiate him from Guile, but feels his mobility options were over-nerfed. He feels his 19 frame dash should be reduced to 17-18 frames, as well as returning his Season 1 V-Trigger, so he can have a limited defensive option.
With Ryu getting significant nerfs in every aspect due to the Season 2 changes, Vesper would like to see his zoning improved by altering the speed and/or damage of his Hadoukens, on top of making them safer, so he can deal with the improved anti-projectile attacks. Lastly, Vesper would also like to see Ryu gain Dash Cancels with his charged fireballs in V-Trigger, to give him some mind games.
Continuing to look at the changes to the original cast in Season 2 of Street Fighter V, VesperArcade turns his attention to the Psycho Power-fueled dictator and leader of Shadaloo, M. Bison. Considered by many to be among the bottom three in the game’s freshman Season, he received quite a few changes in the patch.
Some of the dictator’s most notable changes include his Stun Meter being increased from 950 to 1,000. His forward throw, Psycho Impact, now gives 4 more frames of hit advantage, granting him a throw loop when his opponents are cornered. Bison finally has a 3-frame normal in St.LK, but its hit advantage has been reduced to +2, stopping Counter Hit conversions into mediums. Cr.MP is now +1 on block to grant new frame traps with St.LK. Psycho Axe is 2 frames slower, but now juggles knocked-back opponents, adds 50 more stun, and now knocks downs on an air hit. Shadow Axe’s second hit has been sped up to 14 frames, and its stun output doubled to 120–but it is now only +2 on hit, preventing follow-ups.
His V-Skill, Psycho Reflect, can now store a projectile after absorbing an attack (released by inputting the command again), along with increased juggle potential on hit with the secondary attack. His V-Trigger, Psycho Power, has a longer timer–but specials now consume more of it. All three versions of Psycho Blast have reduced pushback on block, while the EX is faster–with reduced V-Trigger damage and speed–and now goes full screen. EX Head Press has 9 less recovery frames on ground hits, with reduced damage and quick recovery on air hits. The V-Trigger EX version is now fully invincible, but negative on block. All versions of Psycho Inferno have reduced damage, but increased stun, with the heavy being able to juggle with light Psycho Blast on hit. V-Trigger Double Knee Press is 3 frames faster, with the normal versions getting more damage, stun, and meter gain; EX Double Knee Press has 6 less recovery frames on hit, with reduced throw invincibility and damage in V-Trigger.
Vesper gave his opinions on these changes:
The final verdict on M. Bison is: buffed. His St. LK is now 3 frames, V-Skill got buffed, more oki options, more meter gain across the board. His EX Psycho Blast now allows pressure. More damage and stun across a lot of his specials, and of course more combo potential, because he can juggle from his Psycho Axe. Even though I’m listing so many buffs, there’s nothing really extreme for M. Bison on these notes. I would say that Bison is one of the most safely buffed characters so far. It seems like Capcom just kept him viable for Season 2, but not to the point where I would say he’s “greatly buffed,” just “buffed.” They did nerf some of his normals to make him easier to whiff punish, but they didn’t improve Bison’s movement speed. Most of his oki options can only start from light attacks, so you don’t get much damage. EX Psycho Blast offers more pressure, but he still doesn’t have good options, like an overhead or a throw bait. That’s the issue with Bison, I feel. Cammy’s similar to Bison, in that they have a lot of plus normals, but Cammy has a much easier time opening players up, because she has the walkspeed to back up that advantage.
You can see the video of his detailed changes below:
You can also see here a visual guide of some of his changes, and new setups.
With the arrival of Injustice 2 this May–along with the game not being a part of the Evo 2017 lineup–many are concerned that Mortal Kombat XL will soon be on its way out. However, it seems the developers would beg to differ. Earlier this week, the Final Round Twitter account announced that Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios will be providing a $5,000 pot bonus for the Mortal Kombat XL tournament at Final Round XX. This will no doubt draw more hungry kombatants from across the realms to try their hand at getting a piece of the prize–as well as attempting to stop the legendary roll of Echo Fox|SonicFox before Injustice 2 releases.
Final Round XX takes place in Atlanta, Georgia from March 10-12. Pre-registration is open until tomorrow, February 24th, at smash.gg. Onsite registration will be offered on Thursday, March 9th.
This installment will be featuring detailed breakdowns of series veterans Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn, both of whom have received new traits, with the Amazon forgoing her stance-switching for a blessing from Hermes, and Harley putting away her “Bag-O-Tricks” to receive assistance from her (and the Joker’s) pet hyenas, Bud and Lou. The team will also be taking questions for the stream with the hashtag #AsktheWatchtower. Given their track record, should be extremely informative for anyone looking to main either of these iconic women.
Additionally, the next character reveal has been scheduled for the following day–February 23rd–according to the Injustice website. Could it be one of the characters we’ve seen from the mobile game, or someone else entirely? You should stay tuned to the IGN and InjusticeGame YouTube Channels, along with Shoryuken to see the latest character trailer as soon as it arrives!
You can view the tweets below:
Join us on the Watchtower tomorrow! We will be doing character breakdowns of Harley Quinn and Wonder Woman. pic.twitter.com/kDWkMNdtVA
After kicking off the year by covering the bosses of Final Fight 2, the Shadaloo Combat Research Institute takes a look at a number of assorted persons from various games, including an extremely obscure character only seen in an ending, and a much-beloved figure finally making his canonical Street Fighter debut.
We begin by heading back to 2006’s Final Fight: Streetwise, a 3D beat-’em-up released by Capcom Studio 8 (who also developed Final Fight Revenge) for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. This was the only game in the Final Fight series to never be released in Japan, and follows the story of Cody’s younger brother, Kyle, who has become an underground pit fighter in Metro City (thanks to Cody’s training). He seeks to rescue his brother from the clutches of the villainous Father Bella, who looks to kill him in revenge for the death of his brother, Horace Belger, in the original Final Fight. Bella wants to spread the highly-addictive drug GLOW (derived from “Glyco Lauric Octanol” and its glowing effect) all throughout Metro City so that he can “cleanse it of all sinners” and become its “savior.” As always, Private Nakagawa returns to convey Shadaloo’s information on these characters:
Private Nakagawa: “A young man living in Metro City. He’s cool and serious. He has an older brother with particular issues, you say?”
Basic Info:
Name: Kyle
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Blood type: A
Birthday: Unknown
Home Country: USA
Likes: Beer, Motorbike, His Girlfriend
Dislikes: Police
Private Nakagawa: “A young man with military experience, who spends his nights in and out of underground fighting clubs. He’s currently training in a gym and lives on the money he gains by knocking out his opponents with his quick punches. A rookie with great potential, who might have yet to show his true strength. It seems he likes billiards.”
Next, we head back to 1997’s Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, to meet a character who only appears in Dan’s ending: his younger sister, Yuriko Hibiki!
Private Nakagawa: “This time we’ll speak about a very real, reasonably rare, character. She is Dan Hibiki’s sister (in a parallel setting). A good-natured girl that worries about her carefree brother while continuing to attend school. She’s a softball pitcher, apparently.
Basic Info:
Name: Yuriko Hibiki [Her first name (“Lily”) is a direct reference to AoF’s/KoF’s Yuri…]
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 63 kg
Blood type: A
Birthday: December 7th
Home Country: Japan
Likes: Cakes, Her Brother
Dislikes: Cyber-Akuma, Wakame
Private Nakagawa: “She is a constantly curious girl. She is secretly following her older brother, who travels the world bragging about his Saikyō-ryū, without him noticing. (apparently, neither Dan, nor the player, nor the developers ever noticed) Yuriko has no interest in fighting at all, and wishes her brother would settle down soon. She sees through her brother’s business ability and wants someday to work with him for a mail order website, or something like that. (It’s a parallel setting…)”
During Dan’s MSHvSF Ending, he stands over a beaten Cyber-Akuma, looking to avenge his past humiliations and make clear that he is the world’s strongest! He is then stopped by a crying Yuriko who appears to begin telling Dan that Akuma is their father, but the screen fades to black before she can finish her statement. Longtime fighting game fans will note that this ending is a parody of Ryo Sakazaki’s ending in SNK’s Art o Fighting, where his sister Yuri stops he and Robert Garcia from killing Mr. Karate, as she reveals that under the mask is their father, Takuma. Being that Dan was created as a parody of SNK’s characters at the time, it only makes sense for his sister to be a non-fighting version of Yuri, which makes this joke all the more humorous. You can see both endings below, so that you can fully understand the reference being made!
Finally, we move on to an extremely long-awaited profile. It’s finally time to head back to 1994’s Street Fighter film (and 1995’s Street Fighter: The Movie fighting game), to meet Captain Sawada!
Private Nakagawa: “The blue shirt makes his muscles shine! The miraculous new fighter who uses Sawada-ryū kenkajutsu [“Sawada-style brawling techniques”] and a wee bit of ninjutsu. A man with a strong sense of justice, and straighter than a ruler!”
Private Nakagawa: “He willingly took part in operations for the destruction of Shadaloo. Currently, he’s traveling around the world for reasons of duty. With his passionate heart and a well-trained body, he beats his opponents using personal techniques. His “Gokusatsu Jibakujin” [“Fierce self-destruction prison killing.” His + P. The move serves as an overhead attack to stop jump-ins, with the EX version also reflecting projectiles, but his animation depicts him committing Harakiri by slicing his abdomen with his katana and weaponizing the arc of blood that sprays around him.] is a sight to behold, but you must not imitate it. He has a strong resistance to cold.”
Here are Sawada playthroughs in both the Arcade and Sega Saturn versions–which are completely different games; the console versions being developed by Capcom, while the arcade game was created by the Chicago-based Incredible Technologies, and Capcom simply distributed it to arcades.
Do you have any memories of playing as Sawada and Kyle in their respective games? Do you think we could see either of them in Season 2 of Street Fighter V, now that they’re canon? Did you remember Dan’s sister even existed?! Sound off in the comments below, and keep watching the front page, as we’ll post more CFN Portal profiles as they’re released.
Special thanks to Midgardsorn for translations and footnotes.
After taking a look at Kuruoshiki Oni on the day after Christmas, the Shadaloo Combat Research Institute has returned, with the first set of CFN Profiles for 2017. This time, the bosses of Final Fight 2, as well as another secret character from Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter take the spotlight. As always, they are faithfully reported by the loyal Private Nakagawa.
Released in 1993 for the SNES, this console-exclusive sequel tells the story of a second version of the Mad Gear Gang, revived by a Japanese villain named Retsu, who sought revenge for their previous defeat, by kidnapping the sister and father of Maki Genryusai, Guy’s fiancee. Haggar agrees to meet with Maki in Hong Kong to search for the Mad Gear’s new hideout in Eurasia. With Cody and Jessica on vacation and Guy currently on a training mission, the two are joined by a swordsman named Carlos Miyamoto, in order to save Maki’s family and finally put an end to the Mad Gear’s tyranny once and for all.
We’ll begin the profiles with the man-child from the Netherlands, Bratken.
Private Nakagawa: “His torn sleeves give him a wild appearance. He comes at you with hard, frightful, attacks, exactly as you would suppose at first glance. He has a gentle heart, actually … they say.
Basic Info:
Name: Bratken
Height: 205 cm
Weight: 197 kg
Blood type: A
Birthday: October 12th
Home Country: Netherlands
Likes: Mom, Toys
Dislikes: Those who disturb him while he’s playing
Private Nakagawa: “A simple-minded thug who causes damage because he doesn’t know his excessive strength. He lives in an old Dutch castle in the Netherlands, expressly arranged for him with a room full of toys. He attacks any intruder with his Bratken Punch and Bratken Kick. His best friend is a stuffed teddy bear.
Next up is the former Marine, Freddie.
Private Nakagawa: “The absence of sleeves gives him a wild appearance. He comes at you with wild attacks, exactly as you would suppose at first glance. His Hip Attack is particularly violent and scary! He’s an upright person with a strong sense of justice, actually … they say.”
Basic Info:
Name: Freddie
Height: 195 cm
Weight: 185 kg
Blood type: 0
Birthday: January 3rd
Home Country: USA
Likes: The Smell of the Battlefield, Meat
Dislikes: Tedious Jobs
Private Nakagawa: “A former member of the Marine Corps, now living in France. When he was a Marine, he opposed a corrupt commanding officer, who wanted to use the troops as if they were his own personal force. During military operations, her murdered his commander with a gun, while making it look like an accident. A brawl ensued and he was discharged. Afterwards, he took along with him some of his team members, and founded a group 0f wandering mercenaries, who enlisted with several different separated armies and took part in various conflicts and wars throughout the world. It seems he’s tied to a certain criminal gang, nowadays, I’ve heard…”
This brings us to the mad clown, Phillippe!
Private Nakagawa: “A face painted white, and a red nose. He’s a well-known and very popular circus ringmaster. But his true face is…”
Basic Info:
Name: Philippe
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Blood type: Unknown
Birthday: November 1st
Home Country: UK
Likes: Money-making, Acrobatics
Dislikes: Paying attention to others
Private Nakagawa: “The leader of a circus that travels throughout the world. He excels with animal acts, and is an entertainer who can amuse any crowd with his juggling abilities. But his true job is being the leader of a criminal group who transports and smuggles weapons, drugs and other illegal goods across borders. He rarely actually fights, but when he does, he makes good use of his trained body and his attacks with his cane and whip are particularly ferocious.”
We’ll now take a look at the territorial ex-sailor from Hong Kong, Won Won!
Private Nakagawa: “It’s written 王王 and pronounced Won Won. [Actually 王王 Wong⁶ Wong⁶ (“King King”) in Cantonese. “Won Won” is the Japanese spelling.] He’s a renowned gourmet, and enjoys cooking himself. It seems he likes recipes made with mǐxiàn. But you shouldn’t use a kitchen knife as a weapon, you know!”
Basic Info:
Name: Won Won
Height: 225 cm
Weight: 205 kg
Blood type: B
Birthday: February 12th
Home Country: Hong Kong
Likes: Alcohol, Eating Snacks with Tea in general [An activity known as 饮茶 yǐnchá in Mandarin, jam²caa⁴ in Cantonese. But perhaps many of us already know it with its japanised spelling… Yamcha.]
Dislikes: Food with a low degree of Freshness
Private Nakagawa: “A former sailor, hearty and strong. He considers Hong Kong’s harbor as his turf. Even the local mafia, The 800 Dragons, [a reference to “The 108 Dragons”, the main enemy in the manga and movie Crying Freeman. The original name is 百八竜 and they simply swapped the first two kanjis.] acknowledges that. He attacks brandishing his meat cleaver! That’s dangerous! Beware of his violent Elbow Drops, too. It seems he supports an infamous crime syndicate nowadays.”
Now we arrive at the leader of this incarnation of the Mad Gear, Retsu!
Private Nakagawa: “A huge man constantly wearing his Kabuki makeup. It seems no one has ever seen his face without it… This Retsu has no relation with that other Retsu, also. [Written Retsu as the other one. The transliteration “Retu” came from the use of Kunrei style romanization instead of the Hepburn one. The name is actually the same, with the same kanji (“violent, furious”) to boot.]
Basic Info:
Name: Retsu
Height: 225 cm
Weight: 205 kg
Blood type: B
Birthday: May 10th
Home Country: Japan
Likes: Power
Dislikes: Bushinryū
Private Nakagawa: “He always sports his Kabuki makeup. A man of many mysteries. It seems he’s a Mad Gear member, and is using Japan as his base to run every criminal activity in all of Asia. His specialties are kidnapping, intimidation and sabotage. It would appear that in his past something happened between him and a Bushinryū-related person… His special move is a violent Kaiten Senpūkyaku!” [回転旋風脚 kaitensenpūkyaku, “rotating whirlwind kick”. He did the move on the ground, instead of being airborne as all the shotos.]
Finally, we have another Secret Character from 1997’s Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter making their official debut into SF lore, P. Mecha Zangi-F!
Private Nakagawa: “The P. stands for “prototype.” A refurbished Monitor Cyborg specifically developed to contrast Zangief. It’s an experimental model made by Shadaloo. It has a steel body, and it’s studying various throw techniques and grappling moves!”
Basic Info:
Name: P. Mechazangi-F
Height: 214,1 cm
Weight: 1810 kg
Blood type: Vodka
Date of manufacture: June 1st
Home Country: Made in Shadaloo
Likes: Rotating
Dislikes: Projectile attacks, anyway
Private Nakagawa: “It’s translucent, shining, grey body was covered in Light Certanium, [A Megaman reference. Already encountered in Shadow Lady‘s profile. Love it when they keep it coherent.] and was thought able to repel any attack. Its special technique was Vodka Fire, in which it spewed a super-heated blue flame, making use of the vodka that ran into his body as fuel. Because the info was obsolete, its distinctive trait was that it still lacked the nozzles in the palms of its hands, whence subsequent models emitted Vanishing energy. [Yup, it’s Vanishing, not Banishing.] Several upgrades were added to the next released model “Mechazangi F”. Lord F.A.N.G, who has inherited these studies, is currently guiding us in the development of “Mechazangi F Mark 3”! (This is a Parallel Setting)
Though the artwork depicts his most recent appearance as one of Zangief’s alternate costumes in Street Fighter IV, this profile describes the character’s original appearance as a secret character in Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter. This mechanized version of the “Red Cyclone” gave up the ability to block, as well as his signature Banishing Flat special. These were replaced with a new technique, the Vodka Fire–also known as the Siberian Breath–which functioned similarly to Dhalsim’s Yoga Flame. He could also not be put into hitstun whatsoever, on top of having permanent Hyper Armor, making him the ultimate tank. Gief would retain these traits as a transformation called Iron Body in Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 and 2.
For those who may not remember him, here’s a quick look at how he played in MSHVSF!
That puts the first set of CFN Profiles for 2017 in the books! Could our next set be a look at the Andores or Retsu’s underlings from Final Fight 2, or something else entirely? Only time will tell, so stay tuned to Shoryuken, where we’ll bring you more CFN Profiles as soon as they’re released! Do you have any fond-or unpleasant-memories of these characters? Let us know in the comments below!
Special Thanks to Midgardsorn for Translations and Footnotes.
The hype train just keeps rolling for Injustice 2. NetherRealm Studios has announced that they will be hosting their second Injustice 2 Watchtower Livestream this Wednesday, February 8th, at 3 PM CST on https://www.twitch.tv/netherrealm.
On the last stream, we saw a bit more of the title’s new Gear system, as well as a reveal trailer for Robin. We’ve also since had an announcement and gameplay footage revealed for Black Canary. Could we be seeing even more of the Bird of Prey in action? There is also a new character reveal set for today, so perhaps we’ll see a new fighter’s abilities demonstrated the day after we find out their identity? Boon has also asked fans to submit their questions for the team via Twitter, using the hashtag #AsktheWatchtower.
With many players still looking to get into the Injustice 2 Online Beta–which was just updated with Blue Beetle–perhaps they’ll be giving away some codes as well? One thing’s sure, it’s about to be another action-packed week for Injustice 2 fans, so be sure to tune in.
During the reveal of the games lineup for Evo 2017, it was announced that the 9th official game at the event would be decided by a Player’s Choice online donation drive, similar to what happened at Evo 2013–which resulted in the addition of Super Smash Bros. Melee to the main stage, where it has remained ever since. One of the nine games battling for that final spot–which will be granted the opening arena slot in the Sunday Finals, in addition to receiving a $10,000 pot bonus–is NetherRealm Studio’s Mortal Kombat XL! Here are some of the reasons why we deserve to see Kombat on the main stage one more time.
Mortal Kombat XL is easily the most successful game in the franchise, period
Mortal Kombat XL has proven to easily be the most successful game NRS has ever produced, in every sense of the word. It has been the most played iteration of the franchise, with the game selling 5 million copies worldwide, as of October 2015, with those figures only increasing due to the release of the XL version and Kombat Pack 2 back in March 2016. It has also received the longest amount of post-launch support of any title NRS has produced, with the final patch and hotfix arriving in October 2016, 18 months after the game released back in April 2014.
It’s had the highest attendance of any NRS game in the history of Evo over the past two years
MKX also holds the honor of having the two largest tournaments for NRS games in the history of Evo; easily supplanting its predecessors Mortal Kombat 9 and Injustice: Gods Among Us, with a staggering 1,162 entrants at Evo 2015–surpassing Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Tekken 7, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and Killer Instinct to become the 4th-largest game that year (and one of only four titles to reach quadruple digits). Though the game did see a massive drop-off in entrants in Evo 2016, having only 713 entrants last year, it still overtook both Killer Instinct and Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, and had only 69 less players than UMvC3, making it the second-largest NRS tournament in Evo History.
This wouldn’t be the first time two NRS games have shared the main stage at Evo
Back in 2013–for the first, and to date, only–time, two NRS games were selected for the main lineup: the debuting Injustice: Gods Among Us was joined by its older sibling, Mortal Kombat 9. Though it was the lowest-attended of the main games that year, the community ensured it had a proper send-off, with a fantastic Top 8 showing. One player, Giuseppe “REO” Grosso, managed to place Top 8 in both NRS games, coming in 2nd of MK9 with his Kabal, and finishing 7th in Injustice with Batman. Though the newer game received more support overall, there were several players who entered both titles, similar to the entrant crossover we saw back in 2015 with Japanese players entering both Xrd and P4AU. History now repeats itself: as Injustice 2 is already in the main lineup, with MKXL having the potential to join it. Additionally, MKXL joining the lineup is the only way NRS players will get to take the stage at the Mandalay Bay arena on Sunday, as Injustice 2 is scheduled to be completed on Saturday, leaving this community on the outside looking into the arena on Sunday. Additionally, even though MK9 was excluded from the official lineup in 2014, the community ran a side tournament for it, which was streamed by Team Spooky’s Arturo Sanchez, and received more Stream views than any of the official games on Sunday–with IGN even covering the Grand Finals set between Sonic Fox and Dab, undeniably demonstrating the sheer passion and love of the NRS community!
The game has received another balance patch since last Evo
One of the largest arguments going in favor of MKXL–as well as what guaranteed Injustice: Gods Among Us a second appearance at Evo back in 2014–was the fact that NRS released another balance patch for the title in the year between Evos. They’ve done just that yet again, by patching the game one final time, in addition to a quick hotfix back in October 2016 before Southern California Regionals. It was arguably the most extensive rebalance ever seen in a NRS game, with changes to every single character on the roster, as well as some massive system changes (such as stamina adjustments weakening the characters who relied on potent run cancel pressure, removal of armored launchers cast-wide, the majority of overheads being either slowed down or turned into mids, and most Kombatants receiving 2-3 hits of armor on various meter burn specials). The changes promoted a much slower, more neutral-based style of gameplay–compared to the extremely offensive, mixup and pressure-oriented meta seen at Evo 2016. Long gone are the days of Echo Fox’s Sonic Fox and Noble’s Dragon meeting in an Acidic vs. Tarkatan Alien mirror match for Grand Finals, or Piercing Mileena terrorizing opponents with a mid-hitting stagger of B1 and B12–as new faces like Sektor, Smoke, Kitana, Shinnok, and Kenshi have been able to emerge, along with new players such as Noble’s Tweedy, GutToughGaming’s SylverRye and Semij joining many of the old faces in Top 8s across the country. This provides much more variety for spectators than past versions, even if Sonic Fox’s constant domination has remained, for better or worse. SCR 2016’s Top 8, which featured 15 different characters and 16 variations–with nary an Alien in sight–is a great example of the type of play that can be seen in the current version of the game. NRS has also been continually providing pot bonuses for the game, as recently as Kumite In Tennessee in January 2017, despite Injustice 2 being on the horizon.
The community is still actively playing
Despite the Injustice 2 beta being in the hands of several players, the community is still supporting MKXL: Stream.me’s Season One of the Kombat and Konquest Cups just concluded, with Sonic Fox emerging victorious and earning himself a free trip to Evo. Season 2 is scheduled to begin on February 12th, as well as the game being in the lineups for Winter Brawl 11, Final Round XX, Naptown Clutch VI, Canada East Championships 4, Combo Breaker 2017 (which will also be the debut tournament for Injustice 2), and Midwest Championships 2017, there is still plenty of hype and competition left in the title, which doesn’t have to be outright abandoned just because Injustice 2 is coming up.
Both of MKX’s Grand Finals have been international affairs
Long considered solely American games (despite having a small Japanese scene for Injustice: Gods Among Us), Mortal Kombat X was the first NRS game to feature a large amount of international competition on a grand scale. The Grand Finals of both of its previous Evo appearances saw Sonic Fox face an international challenger to his throne: first when he battled Problem X Productions’s A F0xy Grampa in 2016; and who can forget last year’s epic battle that rocked Mandalay Bay, against Bahrain’s Tekken Master–playing Swarm Queen D’Vorrah–that forced Fox to “expose his humanity to the world” by shedding his signature furry hat on stage (akin to WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle pulling down the straps on his singlet) as he was pushed further than he’s ever been during the entire lifespan of the game!
With the game currently sitting in second-to-last place, with a mere $135 raised by only 7 donors, the odds of it winning the final spot are slim to none–but that shouldn’t stop you from showing your support for a great cause, and in the likely event they don’t secure a victory, the NRS community is already planning their own side tournament at Evo, to ensure that even if they don’t get a third shot on the main stage, there will still be an arena in which players can prepare for Kombat.
Vote for Mortal Kombat XL on generosity.com here. Voting closes at 12:00 PM PST on February 8, 2017.
Recently, TOPANGA announced Season 6 of their League, featuring Street Fighter V Season 2. The competition will run from Friday, February 10th, to Sunday, March 5th. This competition will feature 21 of Japan’s strongest players, separated into 3 blocks of 7 competitors each, who will battle in a series of online matches, then the top 4 players will face off, until we are down to just the final 6, who will fight an offline round robin to determine the final champion of the League. The blocks, participants and characters are as follows:
Block A:
CO|Go1 (Chun-Li)
FOX|Tokido (Akuma)
ISM|Haku (M. Bison)
AW|Nemo (Urien)
MJS|Haitani (Necalli)
BST|Daigo (Ryu)
GGP|Kazunoko (Cammy)
Block B:
ORTV|Nuki (Chun-Li)
FOX|Momochi (Ken)
Galtu (M. Bison)
Inaba (Urien)
Gachikun (Rashid)
DNG|Itabashi Zangief (Zangief)
RB|Bonchan (Nash)
Block C:
TG|MOV (Chun-Li)
Eita (Ken)
HORI|Sako (Akuma)
YHC-Mochi (Dhalsim)
Storm-Kubo (Alex)
Mago (Karin)
TG|Fuudo (R. Mika)
Though this is traditionally a character-locked event, TOPANGA has said that if there is a balance patch before or during the competition, they will allow competitors to switch characters form the one they have currently registered.
In total, we have 15 of the current 23 characters seeing some action, with, most surprisingly, Chun-Li seeing the most representation with 3 players. Considering that many Chun players from Season 1 have complained that she was over-nerfed–with some even feeling she is too weak to be competitively viable in the current season–it will be interesting to see how G01, Nuki and MOV fare in the upcoming League. We also have 2 Akumas, 2 M. Bisons, 2 Uriens and 2 Kens, showing that the four of them are on solid ground so far in the sophomoric season of the game. We also have a single Alex, Necalli, Karin, Cammy, Dhalsim, Nash, Rashid, Ryu, Zangief and even a Mika. It should also be noted that there aren’t any Birdies, Vegas, F.A.N.Gs, Ibukis, Juris, Lauras, Balrogs or even Guiles in sight.
You can catch the official trailer for the event below, which features player interviews (if you can understand Japanese), and will be able to see this event in its entirety, for free, on OPENREC.TV!
Who do you believe will come out on top? Let us all know who you’re rooting for in the comments below!
+ P. The move serves as an overhead attack to stop jump-ins, with the EX version also reflecting projectiles, but his animation depicts him committing Harakiri by slicing his abdomen with his katana and weaponizing the arc of blood that sprays around him.] is a sight to behold, but you must not imitate it. He has a strong resistance to cold.”
