Bayonetta has been a hot topic in the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U community since she dropped back in Febuary. She’s definitely high on the list when it comes to characters complained about, with some communities even going as far as discussing banning her use. A character being considered too good is nothing new, nor is it new for players to rise the challenge of discovering counter plays to these characters.
One such player to take on the challenge of besting this series newcomer is Panda Global’s ESAM, who took to YouTube to breakdown what is needed to save yourself from having a stock stolen. This technique in particular involves using SDI to escape from her common kill strings.
Anti-Bayonetta tech isn’t a new thing here on SRK, so if you’d like some more methods for dealing with this troublesome character, you can check out our post on ZeRo’s response to the character, as well as Beefy Smash Doods’ short guide.
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not reflect Shoryuken as a whole.
Those who remember last year’s Skullgirls tournament at Combo Breaker remember it fondly. The Illinois-based event is widely considered by the Skullgirls community as the tournament of the year to make it to, bar none. If you don’t remember or weren’t invested at the time, this game was not a main stage title at first. It became one after its pre-registration numbers trumped nearly every other title early on, and players from multiple other countries came out just to participate in the game. That in mind, it has become the one tournament every year that the entire community will push for.
Let’s take a quick look back at last year’s competition with Kai Kennedy’s nostalgic trailer for the upcoming tournament.
The video accurately captures some of the moments that made Combo Breaker amazing: the excitement was electric, the hype was palpable, and the energy invigorating. Nothing less is expected from this year’s event, which showcases later this month.
One year ago, players from England, Spain, and Canada, as well as a player from Brazil who made it out thanks to a community effort to send him, met up in Illinois to play. All of the community’s rallying amounted in a total of $2000 in pot bonuses being added from multiple parties, which just added to the list of reasons Skullgirls players were bursting with excitement.
It’s obviously impossible to know how this year’s Combo Breaker will end, but we have a good idea how it will start. Much like last year, the community has again decided to send its favorite players out to compete. Zeknife (Sweden), 159man (Japan), and Yaya (Canada) have all been crowdfunded to attend the tournament. Mr.Peck is Skullgirls’ England representative, as he was last Combo Breaker, bringing the number of countries outside the US making a showing at Combo Breaker 16 for Skullgirls to 4. Those who follow the game may remember the name 159man from the USA vs. JPN 10 vs. 10 tournament that was played earlier this year, in which he managed to take the win from KPB|McPeanuts.
It has also been confirmed that SG is to have 148 entrants this year through pre-registration alone, making this year’s event one of the biggest tournaments to ever take place for the game. Last year the count barely broke 100, which was still impressive for Skullgirls, but having the number jump by at least 50 percent is a great sign of what’s to come. There are still potential on-site registrants, so the number can only increase from here.
On top of all this pre-CB16 hype, there’s more waiting at the event than just the tournament. There is a high-profile 10 vs. 10 exhibition crew match planned as well. East Coast is considered the strongest in Skullgirls right now, so an East Coast vs. The World exhibition is planned to take place. This exhibition will be streamed along with pools and the main tournament, so keep an eye out at the end of the month.
Recently Duckator sat down with Skullgirls Slapfest, a prominent Steam group in the Skullgirls community that regularly posts educational content. In this particular meeting, Duckator gave a Valentine tutorial for players considering picking up the character. The tutorial is a little on the long side, running just over ninety minutes total, but it includes everything you’ll need to know to go from a brand new Valentine player to a champion.
This content is obviously amazing for anyone looking to learn Val, but there are plenty of other characters out there. If you fancy a different member of the cast, check the Slapfest YouTube channel. They currently have a total of 7 character guides created by high-level players like cR|Dekillsage, KPB|McPeanuts, and Skarmand rounded up in a playlist.
Northwest Majors VIII happened the last weekend of April, and Skullgirls participants had such a good time that community member 6let felt the event was worthy of a hype compilation. The collection of clips, which you’ll find below, is certain to entertain anyone who missed out on the tournament, or who simply wishes to relive the excitement.
With the biggest tournament of the year for the Skullgirls community coming up later this month, SG play is as refined as it’s ever been. As such, this video doubles as a great chance for anyone looking to take a quick peak at what the level of competition will look like at the end of the month.
On April 30th, Evo Champ cR|Dekillsage held a new tournament for Skullgirls and Street Fighter V called XenoEncore in New York’s own China Town. A lot of high-level play happened for both titles, with the event being streamed and recorded by the combined efforts of House of 3000 and Kick-Punch-Block. There was even a total of $300 in pot bonuses for the event, $200 to SG, and $100 to SFV.
The Xeno series of events and Ho3k tend to lean towards Smash when it comes to fighting games, so the fact that they can successfully branch out to other games is promising. KPB also has a habit of popping up whenever Skullgirls is happening in the Northeast, having streamed multiple major tournaments for the game at Big E events like Northeast Championships. While XenoEncore is currently only a fledgling tournament, seeing this many established names behind one event leaves some interesting possibilities for growth.
One noteworthy bit of context to this tournament is the fact that some members of the East Coast community feel that the Tri-State scene is in decline. While the Tri-State area being in trouble is obviously not a universally shared opinion, the birth of a new and successful venue is proof positive that the passion is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Linked below is top 8 of both SFV and SG, but these weren’t the only matches. Click here for SFV matches, and here for SG matches. Check out the tournament to find out who pocketed all that cash!
If the pot bonuses at Combo Breaker aren’t enough of an incentive to head out to Illinois at the end of May, perhaps this new piece of information will be. Late yesterday, tournament organizers announced that they will be hosting a playable demo of The King of Fighters XIV at the event.
The much anticipated next gen title, courtesy of ATLUS and SNK, isn’t the only King of Fighters game to be present. KOFXIV actually brings the number of playable titles from the franchise held at Combo Breaker to 3, including it’s predecessors The King of Fighter XIII, and 2002.
While it’s not going to be a tournament game, this is still a great opportunity to get your hands on the title earlier than everyone else. Assuming you’re there, be aware that it will not be available at all hours, unlike every other game at the 24 hour venue, so be sure to play it when you get the chance.
Combo Breaker 2016 is happening May 27-29 in St. Charles, Illinois. More information can be found on their official website.
Source: Combo Breaker, with tips from Patrick H. and Chaka_
If you didn’t have reason enough to be excited about this year’s Combo Breaker, the current pot bonus payouts for a handful of games may help pique your interest.
Large pot bonuses have been put up by various companies across multiple titles for the event. The largest bonus, $10,000, is being served up to MKX. The rest of these payouts come in a $3,000 bonus going to Skullgirls, a $3,000 bonus going to Tekken 7, and a $1,000 bonus going to the free-to-enter Brawlhalla tournament.
Registration ends May 9th, so if you want in on any of this action you should make sure to sign up before it’s too late. Combo Breaker 2016 is happening this Memorial Day weekend in St. Charles, Illinois. More information can be found on their official website.
