Author: Corey "Missing Person" Lanier

Joe “LI Joe” Ciaramelli was one of the greatest stories of Evo 2016. Having been within the FGC his whole life — and having his passion for the scene previously recorded in I Got Next —he was the lone American hope in a field filled with Japanese and Korean killers. He is most certainly the inspiration that showed that Americans could eventually capture a title in Street Fighter V at Evo.

While at Evo 2017, I caught up with LI Joe after his pools to discuss the year since his Evo moment and what the future holds for him.

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Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: Joe, how has Evo been for you this year?

Joe “LI Joe” Ciaramelli: Evo is always sick. It’s not even about playing and competing. It’s a great atmosphere. You get to see some great matches and play all the games that aren’t out yet. Regardless of results, it’s amazing.

Missing Person: How do you feel about a chance at repeating last year’s success?

LI Joe: Not too good, only because I haven’t played that much. I also switched characters to Urien after Evo last year. I don’t have the experience that I had last year. I was grinding hardcore back then. This season, I haven’t been doing it so much. But I’ll always do my best.

Missing Person: I know you get a lot of questions about Evo 2016, but I don’t often hear people talk about how your matchup with Eita went. How did you handle him so well?

LI Joe: I had actually played him at GameWorks three days before that. He beat me 5-4. From that, I had a good idea on how he played. Up until then, I was nervous as hell. There were a lot of people behind me and a lot of pressure to do well. But I just decided to push through that, block it all out, and do the best I could.

Missing Person: And then how did it feel knowing that your dad was watching you that whole time?

LI Joe: It was exhilarating, but I honestly didn’t know he was coming. He did it as a last minute thing when he heard that I got top 8. I honestly didn’t even know he was watching me in the stadium when I played Eita.

Missing Person: From that you were able to parlay that into being on ELEAGUE. How was that experience for you?

LI Joe: It was quite the experience. Obviously, I didn’t do very well. It was hard to explain, but I wasn’t very comfortable in the matches at all. So it was rough playing, but being there was amazing. They took great care of us. They fed us, they drove us around. It was such a cool experience. But then to be called back to do desk work was even more amazing.

Missing Person: Do you feel like Urien was part of the reason for your discomfort?

LI Joe: Honestly, I don’t think so. It was me more than anything else. Urien is a great character. I can’t be mad at stuff like that at all.

Missing Person: How did you feel with all the Joe reaction memes that were circulating across social media during ELEAGUE?

LI Joe: It actually made me feel good. People used to think that I did that for show. But that’s not the case. I didn’t know they were filming me. I had no clue that they had a camera on me the entire time. So I was just authentically reacting to the matches, then they came up to me afterwards and said, “By the way, we filmed all of your reactions.”

Missing Person: So besides playing, what else are you doing for Evo?

LI Joe: Well, I came in early on in the day to do some work for ESPN. So you’ll see some interviews posted that I took part in. I have a couple things in store, including being on the house microphones with IFC Yipes for Street Fighter V top 8.

Missing Person: Let’s backtrack to 2008 and 2009. You were a major component in the I Got Next documentary. Thinking back to the scene back then, did you think that we would get to where we are now?

LI Joe: Not at all. We used to talk about it and dream about it. But the discussions we had back then are literally what’s happening now, and it’s crazy to think about. When we were dreaming of playing in stadiums and having huge venues with huge sponsorships and people supporting us, it’s now here.

Missing Person: So which of the new fighters that are being showcased at Evo are you most hype about?

LI Joe: Definitely Dragon Ball FighterZ and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. I want to finally try out Dragon Ball on a stick. The last event it was at, you could only use controllers. I can’t get the most out of the game on a pad. I’m just bad with a pad. I can’t experience the game how I want to with anything but a stick. But from what I could gather, the game is very responsive and smooth. Marvel is also looking like it’s becoming fun, so those two games are what I’m looking forward to.

Missing Person: So what are your plans for East Coast Throwdown this year?

LI Joe: This year we’re really just trying to spice up the tournament. We’ve done the same thing for a while now. So this year, our goal is to try to break the mold and start fresh. We have a new venue this year. We also cut down on the games so we can focus on running the best event we can. We’re hoping within the next couple of years, we’ll have something bigger and better than what we had before.

Missing Person: Did John Gallagher leaving last year make organizing this event more difficult for you?

LI Joe: No, honestly, it’s still going strong. John was a major help, but I still have other partners that help me out too. John is a great asset, and I miss him. But we’re just doing the best we can without him.

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Joe ultimately fell short of repeating in the top 8 by losing in his first match of Round 2 Pools to MJ |Gama. He later joined IFC Yipes in doing commentary for the audience at Mandalay Bay for top 8 of Street Fighter V.

For more information on LI Joe’s major — East Coast Throwdown — please visit their website.

Feature image: Verloren (middle left) vs. Tampa Bison (right)

Hyungsuk “Verloren” Kong has had a meteoric rise to prominence in the last year. People first heard him coming from Street Fighter Crash, he soon started attending events alongside Infiltration, and the Korean Cammy main started dominating.

This year, he was just shy of making top 8 at Evo 2017 during a bizarre match with Filipino Champ, where the match was moved off stream due to power issues on the PlayStation 4 on stage. That hasn’t deterred him from making himself poised to enter Capcom Cup for the first time in his career.

While at Evo, I got a chance to discuss his rise to fame and his feelings on the Korean fighting game scene.

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Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: Amidst some major controversy, you narrowly missed out on top 8 at Evo. What was going through your mind during the final match with Filipino Champ?

Hyungsuk “Verloren” Kong: I really just wanted to have a good match with Filipino Champ. I was looking forward to it. I didn’t want it to come down to a disqualification or stalling — I just wanted to play the damn match! All I was thinking was that I wanted to play and for it to happen fast.

Missing Person: Let’s say hypothetically that no issues happened on stream, do you think that the match would have had a different outcome?

Verloren: I guess it always could be different. None of that really matters, since the results stand. All I can do now is practice to get my runback on him during the CPT or at Capcom Cup.

Missing Person: You’ve risen from relative obscurity in a very short time. How does it feel to have gotten this strong, this fast?

Verloren: I’m just trying to do my best to get the best results. That’s all really. I feel like the scene around me in Korea is also really good, but it’s important to me to just do my best at all times.

Missing Person: With all the international experience you’ve had lately, do you feel like you’re taking that experience back with you to Korea?

Verloren: When I go to other countries and learn different kinds of tech and strategy from them, I always come back to Korea and try to teach it to players there. Korea has a small but strong community for Street Fighter V. Regardless of the size, if I teach them something new, then they get better. If they get better, then I have to get better to stay on top. I feel like sharing with your community is the only way to improve.

Missing Person: What drew you to Cammy, out of all the characters?

Verloren: The first thing that actually drew me in was her theme song. Then when I tried her out, she fit my playstyle, so I kept playing her. At this point, I’ll keep playing her. I’m a character loyalist. For me to get really strong, I have to focus on one character.

Missing Person: One of the hardest things to do as a character specialist is win bad matchups. How do you do that consistently without relying on counter picks?

Verloren: I try out all the characters and learn them to a certain degree. The main thing I’m looking for is their weaknesses. Then I go back to Cammy, and look for ways to exploit that weakness.

Missing Person: How do you feel about your chances to make it to Capcom Cup at this point?

Verloren: I’m pretty confident that I’m going to make it — you ultimately need 500 or 600 points to basically guarantee your entry. I currently have 750. Anything can happen between now and then, but I’m already starting to research matchups and players that I might have to face there. I’m definitely going to do this more, because after Evo, it’s crunch time.

Missing Person: Are you still planning on going to events now to try to get a higher seed?

Verloren: I’m going to make it to all the Asian ranking events and all the CPT Premier events.

Missing Person: You just recently got sponsored by Gfuel. How does it feel to have a sponsor so quickly?

Verloren: The sponsorship came as a surprise for me. It was right after Battle Arena Melbourne 9. I am very thankful for Gfuel, but I want to keep improving my performance so I can get more potential contracts.

Missing Person: Korea is normally known as a Tekken country. How do you feel about the country’s potential in Street Fighter V?

Verloren: Pretty much every Korean that went to Evo for Street Fighter V made it out of their pools. A lot of them made it into the semi-finals, even. That’s a huge deal. A lot of these people are new to international tournaments, so it was impressive. If it keeps up like this, then I believe we’ll see far more Koreans in the CPT.

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Special thanks to Gerald “mintcheerios” Lee from Core-A Gaming for translation.

Feature image: Verloren (middle left) vs. Tampa Bison (right)

Hyungsuk “Verloren” Kong has had a meteoric rise to prominence in the last year. People first heard him coming from Street Fighter Crash, he soon started attending events alongside Infiltration, and the Korean Cammy main started dominating.

This year, he was just shy of making top 8 at Evo 2017 during a bizarre match with Filipino Champ, where the match was moved off stream due to power issues on the PlayStation 4 on stage. That hasn’t deterred him from making himself poised to enter Capcom Cup for the first time in his career.

While at Evo, I got a chance to discuss his rise to fame and his feelings on the Korean fighting game scene.

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Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: Amidst some major controversy, you narrowly missed out on top 8 at Evo. What was going through your mind during the final match with Filipino Champ?

Hyungsuk “Verloren” Kong: I really just wanted to have a good match with Filipino Champ. I was looking forward to it. I didn’t want it to come down to a disqualification or stalling — I just wanted to play the damn match! All I was thinking was that I wanted to play and for it to happen fast.

Missing Person: Let’s say hypothetically that no issues happened on stream, do you think that the match would have had a different outcome?

Verloren: I guess it always could be different. None of that really matters, since the results stand. All I can do now is practice to get my runback on him during the CPT or at Capcom Cup.

Missing Person: You’ve risen from relative obscurity in a very short time. How does it feel to have gotten this strong, this fast?

Verloren: I’m just trying to do my best to get the best results. That’s all really. I feel like the scene around me in Korea is also really good, but it’s important to me to just do my best at all times.

Missing Person: With all the international experience you’ve had lately, do you feel like you’re taking that experience back with you to Korea?

Verloren: When I go to other countries and learn different kinds of tech and strategy from them, I always come back to Korea and try to teach it to players there. Korea has a small but strong community for Street Fighter V. Regardless of the size, if I teach them something new, then they get better. If they get better, then I have to get better to stay on top. I feel like sharing with your community is the only way to improve.

Missing Person: What drew you to Cammy, out of all the characters?

Verloren: The first thing that actually drew me in was her theme song. Then when I tried her out, she fit my playstyle, so I kept playing her. At this point, I’ll keep playing her. I’m a character loyalist. For me to get really strong, I have to focus on one character.

Missing Person: One of the hardest things to do as a character specialist is win bad matchups. How do you do that consistently without relying on counter picks?

Verloren: I try out all the characters and learn them to a certain degree. The main thing I’m looking for is their weaknesses. Then I go back to Cammy, and look for ways to exploit that weakness.

Missing Person: How do you feel about your chances to make it to Capcom Cup at this point?

Verloren: I’m pretty confident that I’m going to make it — you ultimately need 500 or 600 points to basically guarantee your entry. I currently have 750. Anything can happen between now and then, but I’m already starting to research matchups and players that I might have to face there. I’m definitely going to do this more, because after Evo, it’s crunch time.

Missing Person: Are you still planning on going to events now to try to get a higher seed?

Verloren: I’m going to make it to all the Asian ranking events and all the CPT Premier events.

Missing Person: You just recently got sponsored by Gfuel. How does it feel to have a sponsor so quickly?

Verloren: The sponsorship came as a surprise for me. It was right after Battle Arena Melbourne 9. I am very thankful for Gfuel, but I want to keep improving my performance so I can get more potential contracts.

Missing Person: Korea is normally known as a Tekken country. How do you feel about the country’s potential in Street Fighter V?

Verloren: Pretty much every Korean that went to Evo for Street Fighter V made it out of their pools. A lot of them made it into the semi-finals, even. That’s a huge deal. A lot of these people are new to international tournaments, so it was impressive. If it keeps up like this, then I believe we’ll see far more Koreans in the CPT.

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Special thanks to Gerald “mintcheerios” Lee from Core-A Gaming for translation.

Mike “BrolyLegs” Begum has long been an inspiration within the fighting game community. Having started off with competitive Melee, he set his sights on the Street Fighter series and showed his amazing prowess in the game. He did this with a condition known as Arthrogryposis, which causes him to have malformed arms, legs, hands and feet  — thus requiring him to use his mouth to play. He is constantly a threat in any event he plays, and has been well-known for his Chun-Li since Street Fighter IV.

While at Evo, I sat down to talk to him about his training and sponsorship with the AbleGamers charity.

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Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: I just saw you get eliminated by Ricki Ortiz at Evo 2017. Chun mirrors are always brutal, but go through the match and tell me what you’re thinking.

Mike “BrolyLegs” Begum: The tournament went well overall, but I am a little upset at my match with Ricki. I wasn’t doing the anti-airs I usually do. I was letting people jump in too much. I guess I was playing too timid and not in my element. On day 1, I was playing really aggressive and was establishing my style. In Round 2, I was letting people establish their style, and I was left trying to adapt. It didn’t really work out, but it happens. Tournament days differ from each other. I’m not too ashamed, but I need to establish my style more than my opponents do.

Missing Person: Do you feel like the game becomes a matter of establishing your own style before your opponents’, then?

BrolyLegs: I think so. In the beginning of the rounds, it really depends on who is going to be the aggressor and who’s going to be the defender. It also depends on how you space things out and punish. In a Chun mirror like me vs. Ricki, it really depends on who spaces the other out better and who has the timings down better. She had it better than me today. It was really good; it was actually the first time I had ever played Ricki. I’m not too upset with the results. I just let her get her footsies going and I didn’t really punish her when I wanted to. It happens.

Missing Person: I’ve seen you streaming more frequently lately. How do you feel the game is going, and how do you see yourself progressing?

BrolyLegs: I’m trying to play with Chun the best I can. In Season 2, she’s really dropped low on the tier list. I have to do a lot of work with her. I feel very rewarded when I win games based on my defense, my punishes, and trying to outmaneuver my opponent. I haven’t really given up on Chun. When I practice, I enjoy practicing the little things that other players might not think matter. It really helps me to get ready for tournaments like Evo and Capcom Pro Tour events.

Missing Person: What are those little things that you practice that you feel like players are ignoring when they practice?

BrolyLegs: One of the things I practice is anti-airing with different moves at different spacings. I also practice changing up the timings on my block strings to create frame traps to get counter hits from. I even work on movement to get in out of ranges that affects your opponent’s spacings. Those things are advanced things that you don’t necessarily hear a lot of players talk about, but it’s something that I really like doing. I think it’s important for at least a Chun-Li main to practice.

Missing Person: Talking about anti-air, Chun-Li saw her anti-airs scaled down in Street Fighter V, and even further in Season 2. What do you feel would be her best anti-airs to practice now?

BrolyLegs: Well, they took away her standing light kick, which was her best anti-air last season. She still has a lot of anti-airs, especially back roundhouse. She also has great air-to-air moves which counteract her loss of standing light kick. She also has back fierce and standing jab still works, but it’s more risky. She has riskier anti-airs than in Street Fighter IV.

Missing Person: Let’s talk about your sponsorship with AbleGamers. How is that going? How have they helped you with getting you to events?

BrolyLegs: They’re the best sponsor I could think of. They helped me get here, even having me flown here. They had everything taken care of. I have been in constant contact with Steve Spohn, who basically recruited me for the charity. They got me a new computer to stream with. I’m very proud and honored to be a part of their team. They’re a team that needs to get the recognition they deserve. They help thousands of disabled players and people that just want to play. That’s their motto, “Everyone can game.” I’m just proud to show their colors here and represent them as best as I can.

Missing Person: Do you feel like this sponsorship helps to further your ability to inspire disabled players to enter into competitive fighters or any other competitive gaming arena?

BrolyLegs: Most definitely. I even had people come to me at Evo and tell me about having students or family members with disabilities that are playing fighting games because they watched my interview with Cross Counter in 2010. It’s something that I’m very honored to hear. I respect everyone’s desire and drive to be as normal as possible. That’s always been my message: “You do what you can, and you don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t, not even yourself.” I appreciate everyone’s support, and I hope my message helps other people, because that’s why I’m here.

Missing Person: With the sponsorship, will be seeing you at more events?

BrolyLegs: I hope so. They’ve already helped me a lot, and I try to do my best with streaming and donations to help offset that. I’m hoping to go to more events but we’ll see. I’m happy to go to Evo. I’m happy to have a working vehicle. And now that I’ve flown, I can see that that’s also possible. You’ll see me at more events now, I believe.

Missing Person: With every game you play, you have to come figure out your own custom button mapping in order to give you all the tools you need to play. How long does it typically take you to optimize your configuration?

BrolyLegs: It takes a while if it’s a new game. Street Fighter V wasn’t too hard because it wasn’t dissimilar to Street Fighter IV. I just have to figure out what I need, and what character I’m playing. That’s how I play the character I pick. Chun-Li fit me — and the button mappings — the best in SFIV, and she surprisingly did as well in SFV. I actually got more buttons in SFV than I had before, because with throw, you have to do exactly jab and short, so I have those two. I also have a medium kick since there’s no Focus Attack. V-Trigger can be activated with just a button, so that wasn’t too big an issue for me either.

It’s very important to keep this in mind. You always have to think about what the game has, what your abilities are and what you can do in a match, and then explore that as much as you can.

Missing Person: Actually, in Ultra Street Fighter IV, you also picked up Poison. Did your button layout change between the two?

BrolyLegs: Yes. With Chun, I used three kicks. With Poison, I took that off and put roundhouse because she didn’t really have anything major with her kicks, other than her DP and her flip. The reason I had three kicks was to do EX moves and Ultra. However, Poison’s Ultra 1 didn’t need kicks. So I changed it around so that I could actually use roundhouse, because with Poison, the three kicks made her backflip, so I had to change it to actually use buttons. That was the major change, but everything else was the same. I try to keep it the same with every character, and if I can play them, great, but if not, I’ll move on to the next character.

Missing Person: Any shout-outs that you’d like to give?

BrolyLegs: I definitely want to show love to my family, especially my mom. She’s always been my biggest supporter. I also want to thank AbleGamers for being the best sponsor ever. I also want to thank the guys in the Valley that trained me up, and they know who they are, especially Solara and Cast.

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AbleGamers is a charity that helps equip players with physical handicaps to play video games just as well as players who weren’t born with handicaps. To find out more about how you can help out with this great cause, please visit their website. Also, you can find Broly’s stream on Twitch.