Author: Keegan "Interrobang!?" Spindler

Although Mortal Kombat might have a long and storied history, there’s something special about the most recent installment. After all, in what other game can you pit horror movie star Leatherface and the eponymous Xenomorph against one another in a battle to the death? And in what other game can you have three versions of each of them, all with their own unique styles? In that, and in its own cinematic stylings, Mortal Kombat X has a flair for putting on a show–the MK staple finishers–Fatalities, etc.–might be the best example, but every bout comes with the sort of flavor and design that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster.

At Evo 2016, the best Mortal Kombat players in the world will meet on the greatest stage of them all, each intent on carving their name in the record books. MKX seems to be winding down in favor of upstart brother franchise Injustice’s second entry, so this may well be the last chance these players have to etch their names into Mortal Kombat X’s Evo history, and the $50,000 pot bonus is plenty of extra encouragement to do just that. One thing is for sure; they’re going to put on an unforgettable show.

The Prodigy and the Invader

Whenever he sits down in front of a NetherRealm game, Dominique “SonicFox” McClean is instantly one of the favorites. With more than three years of nearly constant victory behind him, the argument could be made that the teenager is already one of the greatest Mortal Kombat players of all time. His resume includes dozens of major tournament wins in Mortal Kombat 9, Injustice and MKX, along with some staggeringly convincing money match victories over the likes of Mortal Kombat veteran Perfect Legend. He’s no stranger to the Evo stage either, having notched victories in both Injustice and Mortal Kombat. Now, at Evo 2016, he’s looking for the fabled threepeat–victory in three consecutive years.

Hoping to stand in his way in a repeat of last years finals with just one little difference, Problem X Promotions’ Denom “A F0xy Grampa” Jones has spent the last year proving that Mortal Kombat is an international game; North Americans are no longer the only real competition. The Englishman has clashed with SonicFox time and again over recent months, invariably in the grand finals of a major tournament and, thus far at least, the honors are relatively even. Evo is the grandest stage of them all, though, and with this potentially being the final installment of MKX at Evo, it’s Foxy’s best chance of proving that he’s more than just a contender for the best in the world.

At the moment, Evo is looking to be one of the climactic battles in a conflict that has spanned a dozen different battlefields. For SonicFox and A F0xy Grampa, more than just a title will be on the line, and although it would be foolish to see this as the end of the war, it will almost certainly be a slobberknocker worthy of the grandest stage of them all.

Kompeting for more than third place

Though SonicFox might be battling A F0xy Grampa for the title of tournament favorite going into Vegas, Evo will be far more than the story of those two men. Panda Global’s most recent acquisition Brad “Scar” Vaughn has proved more than capable of disrupting the duo’s feud and, with the weight of Panda Global behind him, has more encouragement than ever to do something special at Evo. Watch out for his salt-inspiring Sonya, since in the hands of Scar you’ll see her played at the very highest of levels.

Of course, if Scar wants to play party crasher, he’s going to face some stiff competition from a whole host of others who want to do the same. Evo 2016 sees the strongest teams in the game heading to Vegas, with almost all of Critical Reaction, YOMI, Noble, Evilbizz and Orbit’s players making an appearance. Don’t let the smaller size of MKX’s player pool at Evo this year fool you; almost every major killer in the game will be there, looking to make waves.

Many players who have been successful in previous years are returning to push for the top prize, among them the likes of Tim “Honeybee” Commandeur and Ryan “WoundCowboy” Gonzalez. These are MKX veterans who are strong and experienced enough to make even the best players in the world nervous about facing them. They’ll be battling alongside upstarts like Dragon, Juan “Toxin” Contreras and Matthew “Biohazard” Commandeur, all of whom have made a recent splash with their strong results. For some of them, this could be their first and last chance to show the world what they’re made of in MKX, so expect them to show up with all guns blazing, hoping to make their mark. With more than 700 players battling it out in Las Vegas, there is massive potential for top quality play and even the chance that someone we’ve never heard of will provide some upsets.

And, with such a strong showing from both Canada and Europe, the pressure will be on the American players to defend their home turf. Mortal Kombat has been dominated by the American scene for years; with a whole host of internationals looking threatening, that might be set to change. The crowd will be behind them every step of the way, so watch out for the home team to put a little extra venom in games against the invaders. Equally, this is a fantastic opportunity for other communities to prove that they’re just as capable of winning on the grandest stages, so they’ll no doubt be pushing hard to do just that.

Acid burns and face hugs

One of the characters that will definitely be making its mark at Evo is Alien. Since being released as part of MKX’s Kombat Pack 2, the Xenomorph has become more popular than it has been since the 90s, thanks to a handful of astonishingly strong tools that make it one of the most dominating characters in the game. In the hands of players like SonicFox, Alien tears through rounds at a breakneck pace thanks to residual damage, lengthy combos and devastating mixups. Don’t be surprised if a large chunk of high placing kombatants do so using the Xenomorph; don’t be surprised if the losers show their frustration.

Alien’s not the only standout character in the roster, though; A F0xy Grampa’s signature character, Mileena, is hot on its heels. Mileena may have fewer tools than the Alien does, but she is nonetheless blisteringly effective thanks to her own powerful mixup game. A F0xy Grampa has done the best job of showing off how dangerous she can be, so you can expect to see her played at the highest level during the tournament, though there will no doubt be a handful of other players following in his footsteps.

Series staple Sonya rounds out the trio of top tiers that you can expect to see at Evo, but that doesn’t mean you’ll only see those three at the top level. With such a huge roster and a variety of options and playstyles with each character, MKX has given players the opportunity to express themselves with their favorite characters like never before, and there are plenty of character loyalists who will be doing just that at Evo this year, with players like Honeybee likely to be the only high-level representation of their chosen characters. Watching Honeybee’s D’Vorah or Matrin “Madzin” Niedziala’s Sub-Zero snare games and sets from the best characters and players around is a treat as much thanks to novelty as it is the high level of play on display. Make no mistake, just because they’re using unusual characters doesn’t mean that these aren’t some of the best kompetitors around.

A bittersweet show on the world’s biggest stage

Although signs may point to this being a last hurrah for Mortal Kombat X at Evo, this isn’t a tournament that you’ll want to miss out on. Evo is the greatest stage of them all, and the best kombatants in the world are flocking down to put on a show worthy of it. Hollywood’s scriptwriters couldn’t have done a better job of setting the scene; now it’s up to the players to act out the finale.

We’ll see the strongest in the world duke it out to earn a place on finals day, and to do so they will have to run the gauntlet of killers from around the world. Heading into the tournament we’re left to ask ourselves if SonicFox can really do it again, if A F0xy Grampa can show that the UK can compete with the best the world has to offer, if Scar’s new sponsorship will be a weight around his neck or a broad pair of shoulders to stand upon. Will it be another USA versus UK final? Can one of the up and coming fighters make waves? Or will it be the veterans who walk out onto the stage at Mandalay Bay?

One thing is for sure though; it might be set to kick off Finals Sunday, sitting uneasily in the early morning slot, but MKX is going to give you plenty of reason to rise and shine.

In Melee, the words “Evo Champion” are synonymous with”‘Legend,” because only legends have claimed that crown. In fact, only three players have ever raised the Evo trophy: Adam “Armada” Lindgren, Joseph “Mango” Marquez and Ken “Ken” Hoang. Since roaring back onto the stage in 2013, only members of the Five Gods have soaked in that heady acclaim, and even the challengers who fell just short find themselves among the best known names in the game.

It seems that every time Melee players meet in Vegas, great stories are made. Robert “Wobbles” Wright tearing his way to second place in 2013 is one of the most memorable runs in Melee history, and even though he fell short of the grandest prize of them all, he made sure that Melee’s return to the greatest stage was a tough act to follow. Every year since, it has done just that, with matches like Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson against Otto “Silent Wolf” Bisno going down as some of the greatest in Melee’s storied history.

This year is set to be no different, with the incredible tournaments played out in the first half of 2016 setting the scene for one of the biggest, and potentially most interesting, tournaments of all time. With nearly 70 of the top 100 players in the world set to attend, it is one of the densest gatherings of pure Melee skill the game has ever seen, with many of those attending aiming to take down an increasingly shaky set of Melee Gods, who look more mortal than ever before. There is little doubt that there will be new legends born this year, but will they be able to topple the Gods? Or will the Gods prove themselves more than mere man?

A Vulnerable Pantheon

On the approach to Evo, it’s clear that the much vaunted Five Gods are no longer so divine as they once were. None are quite so infallible as they were in years gone by, and though one of Mango, Armada, Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma or Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman are still a good bet to win any given tournament, they have all suffered missteps or embarrassing losses over the course of 2016 that suggest that they could fall short this year.

Of course, they’re known as Gods for a reason; they have sustained incredibly high levels for years. These are the players who have proved that no matter how unlikely, they are the ones who will come out on top. If they do so this year, it will be more than business as usual, however.  No matter the winner, it will be a hard fought battle and, if it is one of the Gods who is champion, that victory will be a statement of continued holiness against all the odds.

A New Age of Demigods

Only one man, William “Leffen” Hjelte, is the godslayer. His ability to claim sets and tournaments from the Five Gods is nearly unique in the competitive scene, though there are a handful of others–like Wobbles–who have just one more god left to conquer.

Then there are those who are forging their own legacies–not yet able to stand among the pantheon, but more than capable of challenging them. With Leffen out of the picture for a large chunk of 2016, there has been room for new contenders for the title of Godslayer. And though Leffen’s extraordinary performance at Get On My Level in Canada proved that he is one of a kind, players like Justin “Plup” McGrath have proved that they cannot be overlooked.

Time and again this year it has seemed that a tournament has been in Plup’s hands, only for it to slip away. It seemed that he was well on the way to breaking that stigma at the second Smash Summit, only for Mango to clutch his way to giving Plup yet more heartbreak. It’s easy to imagine that, if a few crux matches had gone his way, 2016 could be the year of the Plup, and now it almost feels like the Evo stage has been set perfectly for him, with the Gods of Melee more mortal than ever. It’s not too late to make 2016 his year, and a good run at Evo could make for a major trophy in Plup’s hands at last.

Hoping to stand in his way will be Axe, who seems to come alive at Evo. After making top 8 at the last two Evos, Axe will have his eyes on going a step further this year. Narrowly escaping the fate of being unseeded thanks to EG|PPMD’s withdrawal from the event, Axe can now focus fully on the task at hand: beating Gods and mortals alike and taking home the Evo 2016 crown. To that end he has finally begun to relax his unflinching dedication to his Pikachu main, flashing an incredibly fast and technical Falco at several tournaments this year. It may well be enough for him to leap that last hurdle.

The gap between Gods and mere Man is smaller than ever before, as players just a step or two short of divinity use each other as launching pads to push ever nearer the top of the mountain. We’ve seen Joey “Lucky” Aldama and Justin “Wizzrobe” Hallett fall just short of the podium this year already; will they be able to take the last great leaps and challenge for the title of Evo Champion? Or will one of their contemporaries–the likes of Weston “Westballz” Dennis, Zachary “SFAT” Cordoni, Lucky, Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby, or a half dozen others–be the one to take that leap? One thing is for sure: Leffen will have the bit between his teeth on his return to American soil and no doubt plans to leave slain Gods in his wake.

The Year is 20IC

There’s a common joke in the Melee community about the Ice Climbers. The gist of it is that, at National level tournaments, there is almost invariably a token Ice Climbers in the top 8. It’s tongue in cheek, but it’s also an acknowledgement that in a game of such slender margins, the Ice Climbers and their nearly unique ability to instantly remove a stock are incredibly dangerous. It’s also true of Melee since its return to the Evo stage in 2013; after Wobbles took second, Jeremy “Fly Amanita” Westfahl and Daniel “Chudat” Rodriguez claimed 7th in consecutive years to keep the streak alive.

Yet, despite some brilliant performances and being able to lay claim to some of the most cerebral players in the scene, the Ice Climbers have never claimed victory in a major. Most of this is down to some incredibly tough matchups. Peach is a popular character that the Icies have a really hard time pinning down, for example, and when you’ve got to get past a certain Swedish God to win a major, that’s a big problem. Yet, Wobbles has come agonizingly close, and other Ice Climbers have fallen just short.

Evo this year could be the best chance to change that statistic, as it’s set to feature some of the best Ice Climbers in the world. Wobbles might be the most recognizable name–especially when it comes to Evo–but he will be joined in Vegas by Fly Amanita, Chudat, Kyle “DizzKidBoogie” Athayde, Michael “Nintendude” Brancato and Jason “Infinite Numbers” Gauthier. Each of them are known for their unique styles–watching DizzKidBoogie and Fly Amanita is as different an experience as you can get without changing characters–but this time they all have something in common. They are all going be gunning to make their mark as the first Ice Climbers player to raise a major trophy.

The Stage is Set for a Breakout–or a Handful of Upsets!

As is customary at Evo, only the top 32 is seeded, which means that in a packed field like this there is every chance that there is going to be a couple of serious upsets. With almost 70 of the Melee It On Me top 100 confirmed to be present, there will be more ranked players unseeded than there will be seeded, which no doubt means we are going to see some serious matches in even the earliest stages of the competition.

2016 has already seen one major breakout performance, when Infinite Numbers made good on his name and wobbled opponents into oblivion on his way to 9th place at Pound 6. He came out of nowhere with a brand new main, and with Evo 2016 already giving the aura of an event where anything could happen, there’s every chance that we might see another such performance from another relatively unknown player.

We might even get the chance to see an old hand in resurgence; someone like Ken, the fabled Marth player, or Fly Amanita, who has been on hiatus, may just be inspired by the luster that Evo gives off and give us a glimpse of the days of Melee past.

15 Years Old, but Evo This Year Could Redefine the State of Melee

In short, Melee at Evo 2016 is a tournament that is already bursting at the seams without a game yet played. Mango, Armada, Hungrybox and Mew2King may be among the best that have ever played the game, but that is far from a guarantee at Evo glory. They will have to fight off a veritable battalion of challengers, some of whom have already had a taste of divine blood and are hungry for more.

2016 has thus far been the year of the Hungrybox; he has been dominant throughout and, in losing to Wizzrobe at WTFox, suffered his very first loss against a player ranked below #5 all year. Recently he hasn’t been quite so assertive, but with all his efforts focused on being the next God to chisel “Evo Champion” onto his resume, he will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with. The other Gods, shaken though they may be, have also shown signs of returning to form just in time for the big event; Mew2King, with the backing of Echo Fox, is once again a consistent threat in any Smash Bros. game he picks up a controller for, and Armada, despite struggling with illness, is once again approaching his dominant best.

Evo 2016 could well prove to be an event that defines the current state of Melee. Will the pantheon stand firm? Might vanquished legends come back to life? Or can the challengers to the deities mark out their own measure of lore?

Will the status quo remain unchanged, or can a game celebrating it’s 15th birthday redefine itself once again? One way or another, at Evo 2016, we will find out.

Since we saw Freddy in Mortal Kombat 9, Jason has been one of the most requested characters, and with the first Kombat Pack we finally got the chance to pit the horror star against our favorite kombatants.

The character hasn’t exactly taken the scene by storm–unlike some other MKX guests of horror movie fame–but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything going for him. In fact, the one and only SonicFox has made him the focus of the next installment in his “Fox it Up” series, spending nearly an hour breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of each variation the slasher star has to offer.

Keep in mind, this is the current Mortal Kombat champion of the world showing exactly what Jason is capable of, so if he says that an option is really good, you can be damn sure that it’s one you want to use. So grab some popcorn, clear your diary and take some time to Fox it Up!

Source: SonicFox5000

Although he’s one of the weaker characters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, King Dedede is still living his most glorious days in popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl mod Project M, where he is one of the most effective heavy characters in the game.

One reason for his powerful presence in Project M is the reward he gets from his throws; once he lays hands on his opponent, King Dedede has a myriad of options to put the pain on, some of which can put the enemy at risk of death almost singlehandedly.

He’s got so many options in fact, that it can be tough to pick the right one. Thankfully, Roanoke884 is on hand to break down the big bird’s throws, what you can get from them and what might be optimal in any and all situations. It’s a lengthy watch, but with all the information that it covers, there’s plenty of content to keep you invested. Roanoke even goes into some DI mixups that you can get out of a simple grab that can see you nabbing kills at surprisingly low percents. Check it out!

Source: Roanoke884

It was only yesterday that Gears of War’s General Raam was announced for Season 3 of Killer Instinct, but he’s already playable for anyone who has downloaded the game–and since he’s free for a week, we can all get our hands on him!

Trying to work out what a new character is all about can be a difficult experience at the best of times, though, and having a time limit can make that even more difficult. With only a week to decide whether or not to be a fan of the Raam, there’s no time to waste with labbing out what each of his options does.

Thankfully, Stephen “Sajam” Lyon, a well known commentator and Killer Instinct aficionado, is on hand with a detailed description on General Raam, putting each of his buttons to the test, looking over his combos and even showing off some of his more intimidating options. Check it out below.

Source: Stephen “Sajam” Lyon,  with a tip from JINXHAND

Since the release of Guile in Street Fighter V, we’ve seen dozens of players pick him up and show off his crazy combo potential thanks to his new V-Trigger, Solid Puncher, which allows him to throw Sonic Booms without needing a backwards charge stocked. This allows him to string together moves in combinations that we’ve not seen before, and it didn’t take long for a damage arms race to start, with players posting their highest damage combos for the world to see.

ChrisG brought this back to everyone’s mind when he did a Sonic Boom loop in tournament at Wednesday Night Fights, not only dealing massive damage but sealing a comeback win that looked wildly improbable before he got started. He’s done it again since, proving that it’s not only possible in the heat of a tournament match, but that it’s a tactic Guile players should definitely have in their back pockets.

.@NYChrisG "Off The Jab" Guile Combo at #WNF #SFV pic.twitter.com/gYDNrd80OJ

— HiFight (@HiFightTH) June 2, 2016

The Sonic Boom loop is one of the tougher strings in SFV in terms of execution, so Brian Kasugano has stepped in with a great guide to doing the basic loop. Not only does it detail the steps that you need to take to pull it off, it also helps break down the awkward timings of some of the moves in the loop. Of course, this is only one variation and, as the top players have shown, not necessarily the most damaging one, but it’s certainly a great starting point.

If Guile’s your guy in Street Fighter V, this is a technique that is worth experimenting with.

Source: Brian Kasugano, HiFight

One of the most important things in the Super Smash Bros. games is movement; after all, the techniques that have defined the series for well over a decade, wavedashing and wavecancelling, are designed to improve your control of–and movement with–your character of choice.

Project M is no different, and there is plenty to explore when it comes to character-specific movement technology to up your game. Casino Wolf has done the work for his signature Mewtwo, and has put together a demonstration of some of his most flashy techniques. It’s a dizzying display of movement and teleportation that any Mewtwo main should have in their arsenal, so check it out below.

Source: AZ Project Melee

As any Melee Falcon main who has played a good Sheik can tell you, tech chasing–forcing your opponent to tech the ground and then punishing the tech option they choose–can make for a bad time in Super Smash Bros.

In Smash 4, tech chasing isn’t as prevalent as it is in Melee but, worry not, Skarfelt is here to change that. Fox has a myriad of options to force a tech–just ask anyone who has fallen victim to his down air to up smash combo–and Skarfelt has taken the time to work out some of the most optimal and stylish options to punish the opponent for being brave enough to tech, as well as failing to hit that R button in time.

Most of these highlight how good looking a game Smash 4 can be, so if fluid beatdowns is your bag, there are few better things to watch than a great Fox doing his thing.

Source: Skarfelt