Corey “Missing Person” Lanier – Page 2

December 15, 2018

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

December 15, 2018

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?

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.

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

December 15, 2018

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

Dictating the Pace

Never Failing

Feel the Burn

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.

Final Thoughts

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

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 15, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Chris T light up the brackets?

Chris Tatarian has taken on a major role of the lone wolf. He is now one of the last remaining Ken players still traveling the circuit outside of Canada’s CeroBlast. On top of that, he’s the one making the most moves on the circuit, earning as many points as he could.

It’s a good thing he did, because those points gave him just enough to find his way in via the North American slot. Now, will Chris be able to give Ken the most unlikely title at Capcom Cup?

On Fire

Chris T’s Ken is explosive. You almost have to play that way. Comparitively, CeroBlast is perfect evidence for the zany Ken play that people come to expect; he makes it work, and when he gets going, so does Chris.

But there is a certain method to the madness with Chris, as he has very stable play as well. He doesn’t just rely on gimmicks: but will go for them when need be. But when he has space to breathe, he actually makes the character look legitimate.

En Fuego

This was evidenced by a strong tournament year for him. Where he had struggled to put wins on the board before, he made it work this year. With two wins — both in Latin America — he proved he damn well has the chops to take wins.

Before you even begin to write-off Latin American wins, Chris performed at least one of these in a bracket that featured Caba, Justin Wong, and MenaRD, you can’t simply write him off. Further, the last one he won in Chile featured the Latin American representative Pikoro.

But if you want more evidence, just look at his third place at SoCal Regionals, against a top 8 that only features one player not currently in Capcom Cup — and Samurai is not one to sleep on, either.

Stability Issues

But if there’s one thing that I worry about for Chris, it’s a big one: stability. This is a multi-faceted worry.

First off, Ken is a very unstable character. Sometimes things just roll your way, and sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, it’s just a bad ride. Ken mains try to fly in the face of this all the time, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

Further Chris doesn’t really have an secondaries he’s likely to bring out. It was often thought that he may search for greener pastures like Momochi, but there’s been no evidence of that. He has went on record to say his goal is to be the best Ken. He may have accomplished that, but if his goal is to win Capcom Cup, Ken is not the best vehicle to do so.

But further, personal stability can also play a role in your performance. Right now, Chris has had a lot of stability issues personally, with Capcom Cup’s schedule itself being a major personal stumbling block for him. If starting at 10:00 AM is a major hurdle for him to overcome, one has to question his determination to take this.

This is not the only tournament you have to worry about early start times at. Evo notoriously has had 8:00 AM starting pools, so why all of a sudden Capcom Cup? I understand the brevity of playing for a six figure payday, but if it’s that important to you, you have a week to adjust your sleep schedule to be ready.

Final Thoughts

Chris Tatarian starts his 10:00 AM matches with Fuudo. He has done well against R. Mika in the past should Fuudo go that route. If he doesn’t, Chris has also done well against Birdie, historically.

But the biggest x-factor will be how mentally ready Chris is going into this. If he allows the start time — or anything else — to shake him, he’s going to fall early. If he is able to push himself past this, accept it, and play his best, then expect a top 16 run at the very least.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

Core-A Gaming interviews Tekken World Tour 2018 champion Rangchu

Few people have shocked the fighting game world more than Rangchu’s win with Panda at the Tekken World Tour finals. Having already made several top 8s at notable tournaments, he has carved himself an elite name in his favorite title.

Recently, Gerald Lee from Core-A Gaming sat down with Rangchu to discuss his championship run. They also discuss part of the reason why Rangchu has stuck with Panda, citing the long reach of the character, and her bad sidesteps working well with his own difficulty in sidestepping. He also talks about the competitive balance in Tekken, stating that he feels any character can win.

Source: Core-A Gaming

December 14, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Nemo have a repeat performance?

Last year, Nemo had to fight tooth and nail to get into Capcom Cup. He did so by winning the last chance qualifier in stunning fashion against Infiltration. Then for good measure, he made it all the way to third place at Capcom Cup itself, capping off one of the most impressive runs in fighting game history.

With his berth clinched through the Asian Regional slot, will he replicate the same success as last year?

Destroy

Nothing that can be said about Nemo’s Urien hasn’t already been said. He has long been the originator of Urien tech, showing off stunning displays of Aegis Reflector usage, zoning, V-Skills, and beautiful hit confirms.

While Urien may have dropped slightly in the tiers since Season 2, Nemo has hardly slipped. It’s really hard to find an active Urien that has been complete of a player as Nemo has been. With players like Dogura focusing primarily on Dragon Ball FighterZ, and upcoming Urien mains like Sabour and Ryusei barely travelling, Nemo has been the most consistent, easily.

Not Winning

Much like last year, Nemo hasn’t won much. In fact, this is worse than last year; at least last year he had a second place under his belt at East Coast Throwdown. This year, the closest he got to such a placing is third at Tokyo Game Show.

While that in itself is admirable — a third at a tough Premier over second at a smaller Ranking event — it doesn’t mean that he’s capable of winning a tournament like Capcom Cup. Last year for me would’ve been the year he could’ve done it, given the tear he went on to win the LCQ just to make it in at all.

But he doesn’t even have a primer tournament such as this to give him the confidence that he might be able to win everything. This could be one of his sails without wind.

Clutch Factor

But it’s really hard to take away Nemo’s clutch factor. In so many sets in 2017 at Capcom Cup, he seemed to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. Going down two games to Didimokof and coming back to take the set, after Didimokof looked incredibly in control.

And this wasn’t the only set where this happened. Problem X also suffered the same 3-2 defeat at the hands of Nemo. When he wasn’t doing that, there were multiple 3-0 victories on his hands. So while many would fold under that level of mental exhaustion, Nemo seems to soar.

Final Thoughts

It’s not outside the realm of possibility that we could see Nemo in the top 8 once more. He still has all the tools, and is very good at adapting on the fly. I would say it’s harder because he doesn’t have the momentum to ride like he did last year, but that adrenaline rush doesn’t always guarantee a good performance.

Will he win it all? Most likely not. While he’s got a great clutch factor, riding that alone doesn’t always guarantee results either. He would literally have to play far less with his back to the wall to convince me he could do that. But given his results this year, he hasn’t.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Angry Bird knock over everyone’s tower of dreams?

Angry Bird shocked the world with his first tournament win. Most people take their first tournament at a local, feel elated, and then try to go higher. Angry Bird did it in the opposite way: win a major and go to the biggest tournament in the fighting game community off a subsequent win.

Will his second tournament win score him a six figure payday?

Split Personality

I could go on and start talking about Angry Bird’s Akuma. Rather, I want to talk about the fighter that got him to the dance, Zeku. Many have chided the character as not very good, and way too situational for anyone to use seriously. But many chided Gen in Street Fighter IV as such, only for Xian to take him to an Evo championship.

And this is what you see when Angry Bird uses Zeku. You see that specialist’s precision with the character, able to do the transformation changes mid-combo, and thinking ahead to the next setup he has to perform. He also does this while re-evaluating his defensive options and ranges that come with the transformations between Old and Young Zeku. He’s capable of doing this while his opponents are still reacting to the fact that he changed stances.

It’s something that you have to put a lot of mileage into the character to comprehend. So when you see Angry Bird’s usage of Zeku, you have to think that while he may be mid tier at best, he looks top tier in the right hands.

Split Wins

If the only thing you can chide him for is where his two tournament wins happened, it’s still a harder argument to compel people not to think he’s capable. Taking UFA over Problem X and Luffy makes you wonder. Yes, Problem X was definitely experimenting with G, and already safely within Capcom Cup to make him care too much. But the wins he accumulated, showing his ability to change between Akuma and Zeku when needed shows his mental acumen on how to approach individual matches with a fresh mind.

But then to turn around and do it again at EGX in the EU Regional Finals, with the same three European killers of Phenom, Problem X, and Luffy in the bracket? It’s hard to view Angry Bird as a fluke.

The Tale of the Characters

If I were to find a fault with Angry Bird, it’s that people know Akuma by now. Tokido’s made sure of that. If he hasn’t, there’s players like Samurai and Haitani who have done so. If he thinks he’s going to level people based on his Akuma, he may be wrong.

This may force him to play Zeku mainly within Capcom Cup. We know he’s good with him, but is he good enough to win at least five times to take Capcom Cup? This is the ultimate test, and it could very well be one he’s not up for yet.

Final Thoughts

He is the greenest rookie in this tournament. But he’s made enough heads turn for many people to call him their dark horse pick, including the likes of Fuudo.

While I put my money on Big Bird, I could’ve literally put it on the wrong bird. His Zeku is far better than anyone could’ve thought. Even GamerBee — who has RB to train with in Taiwan — struggled to find an answer for him. That character unfamiliarity could come into play in his first round with Tokido. If he survives his first test, then there’s no reason he can’t take the whole damn thing.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Who is poised to become the Last Chance Qualifier?

With tomorrow being the day of Capcom Cup’s Last Chance Qualifier, expect a lot of fireworks. Last year proved to be just as exciting as Capcom Cup itself, with Nemo not only winning but surging his way into top 8 of the actual event’s bracket.

While Nemo’s victory may be big shoes to fill, he has shown that this qualifying slot is not one to be taken lightly. In fact, so strong is this berth that Capcom took measures to prevent the number one seed from being at a disadvantage by having to play the last chance qualifier winner.

So with that introduction out of the way, who will be the one this year who finds himself in the main bracket? Let’s look at the players whom I think have the best shot.

Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang – Taiwan

GamerBee is not in Capcom Cup yet, and it’s not for lack of effort. Perhaps if he wasn’t the TO of TWFighter Major and had one more chance to scoop points there, it would’ve been a different story. This is someone that is hard to overlook. His Cammy may be on the same road as Mago’s, but he is still playing a character that has comfortable ranges to a former Adon player in SFIV. He’s definitely worth a look.

Chia-Chen “ZJZ” Tseng – Taiwan

Yes, another Taiwanese player. ZJZ may have the “I don’t even play this game!” option select down on Street Fighter V… but truth be told, for someone who barely takes this game seriously, he does well. His Menat has gotten some serious looks, with Punk actually footing the bill to bring him out for this.

In one of his few forays into the Capcom Pro Tour, he made top 8 at Tokyo Game Show. He also skated dangerously close to top 8 at SEAM as well. Remember that Menat was within sniffing distance of a win at LCQ last year in the hands of Infiltration, so I wouldn’t sleep on ZJZ at all.

Ryo “Dogura” Nozaki – Japan

I seriously thought Dogura didn’t care about SFV anymore. Having set his sights on Dragon Ball FighterZ over the year, he still put himself in a decent position coming into Canada Cup for the Capcom Pro Tour, but had his run cut short by Fuudo. His Urien is still strong, but he just played a more abbreviated schedule of Street Fighter this year. The fact that he’s even showing up shows that getting into Capcom Cup matters, so I can’t overlook him.

Joe “MOV” Egami – Japan

His lack of travel killed his chances of getting in outright. While Chun-Li always has an uphill battle, it’s made even more uphill by his sparse movement through the year, and then further compounded by the fact that he did better at 3rd Strike than Street Fighter V at Canada Cup — his last chance at points. But yet, MOV is still always hanging around as a threat. It’s still a possibility he could eke his way in.

Gustavo “801 Strider” Romero – United States

This is my dark horse pick for sure. His Laura made a lot of sense given his attachment to Abel and her being the closest thing to him. But when you see his G, you have to have a man-in-the-mirror moment and realize that this is the character he needed his whole life. Few people have seen a G of his caliber, and this could very well be what he needs to take this entire tournament.

Final Thoughts

There’s a few other sleepers that could possibly take it, such as Smug, Samurai, and John Takeuchi. But the five above are who I truly believed are poised for a big run in the LCQ bracket, so be prepared!

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Verloren be able to reclaim his status as best Cammy?

Verloren has had quite the rocky year. Once the highest-ranking Cammy on the Capcom Pro Tour, he subsequently went 0-2 at Capcom Cup last year. Ever since, he’s had issues capitalizing when need be. He finds himself the last person entering Capcom Cup via points: will this affect his performance?

Still Stinging?

Here’s the deal: from what I’ve seen, there’s not much that has changed on Verloren’s play or approach. Much like NL, he continues the aggressive approach. This is one thing about Korean Cammy play that seems to be a shared trait: aggression. This rushdown approach served him well across the Capcom Pro Tour in 2017. In 2018, it turned out well as well, getting him through to five top 8s across 2018.

Not as Potent

But what this evidenced is the fact that players have begun to catch on. Only in two of those top 8s did he crack the top half. This means that where his counterpart NL has done well at always adapting to what top players attempt on him, Verloren has done less well. This also could allude to patterns that top players are beginning to catch on to.

This could be something that he’s begun to address. It’s unknown if he has, but he could have very well made some major adjustments.

Further of a Dive

But to make matters worse, all of those top 8 finishes were prior to Evo. During Evo and after, his performance continued to deteriorate. His best finish after this point was top 16, and just barely at that twice. Beyond that his performance has suffered. He also traveled far less in 2018 than 2017, which is another big detriment to his success. Had he gotten out there more, his points may have been higher, and he would have a higher seed going into this.

Because of all of this, he now has found himself against Justin Wong. Menat tends to be problematic for Cammy, especially one whose only gear is to push forward. While Verloren has a 2-1 record on the Capcom Pro Tour against Menat, Justin’s turtle playstyle will most certainly be a brick wall that Verloren will have a hard time breaking through — if he manages to get in at all.

Of course, if Verloren gets in, then that becomes a major issue for Justin. But that’s if he gets in, and Justin has faced enough Cammy players to know how to keep one out.

Final Thoughts

Anyone rooting for Verloren to make an improvement on his unexciting first Capcom Cup are probably going to be disappointed. Let’s not forget that if it weren’t for the removal of Infiltration from the event that Verloren wouldn’t be in this tournament at all.

While even being on the bubble to get in if someone drops out is still a feat, it’s not as amazing as getting in outright. And there’s been nothing stellar from Verloren that hints that he will make a major run at Capcom Cup this year.

CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES

December 14, 2018

Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will StormKUBO fill a giant pile of bodybags?

No one could have been happier when Abigail was released than Atlas Bear|StormKUBO. Famously making his mark within Ultra Street Fighter IV as a Hugo main, he struggled to find his footing in the competitive landscape of Street Fighter V with Alex.

People shouldn’t be surprised at his success this season, after his stunning performances at Capcom Cup Last Chance Qualifier last year and Evo Japan. So will he be able to maul his way through the bracket in 2018?

Moving Forward

One thing that StormKUBO is known for is using big characters with mobility and good buttons. This was evidenced by his early Street Fighter IV pick of Rufus, and his subsequent switch to Hugo. In Street Fighter V, this started with Alex, and then Abigail. While the former in Street Fighter V struggled because of his buttons, Abigail has those in spades.

This is why he has been dangerous. He loves to have long-reaching normals, and good confirms that deal a lot of damage. He has also been heavily innovative in his conversions off of hit confirms, which makes him a very dangerous foe.

He’s also one of the best at making it very hard to get away once he gets the momentum going. Obviously it’s really hard to get out of Abigail’s sweet spot once he’s in it, but StormKUBO finds himself in that spot more often than not. It’s just the mound of experience he has in using the character — and other characters of the like — and how he makes people sweat in his approach.

More Counter-picks to Go Around

While Itazan may have issues with some of the more traditional Abigail counterpicks — Menat, Guile, Rashid to name a few — StormKUBO has dealt with more, primarily due to character unfamiliarity. The most famous example being GamerBee’s usage of Necalli at NorCal Regionals. While some of it makes sense on paper, the V-Skill which could be used to keep Abigail out was not the biggest factor for how GamerBee won this.

More or less, StormKUBO lost a poking game that Abigail should not be losing to Necalli. And more often than not, you will see StormKUBO lose sets you just couldn’t foresee him losing to. Whether it’s unfamiliarity or nerves, somethings going wrong.

Can’t Run Away

What makes this worse is that much like Itazan, StormKUBO doesn’t really have a counter-pick he can bank on. If he were to switch to Alex at all, it would actually be to his detriment to run a far worse character with more liability on mobility than Abigail. Nor would you really expect a surprise counter-pick of one of the top 5 to come out of him, or even the higher tier pick of Bison that Problem X utilizes. This presents problems for any big body player who shows up on the scene.

Final Thoughts

With all of that said, StormKUBO actually has a better bracket situation than his Abigail counterpart. He faces off against NL first, who has a poor record against Abigails. He also has yet to lose against NL.

The next round could be more difficult. Daigo already has the advantage in picking Guile. Depending on the stubbornness of Punk, he could have the advantage by picking Chun-Li. So while StormKUBO could flirt with a top 8 finish, he may not get there.