Echo Fox has started off 2017 with a player signing spree, recruiting top players from multiple fighting games. For Street Fighter, Echo Fox now has Justin Wong, Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi, Yusuke Momochi, and Yuko “ChocoBlanka” Momochi on their roster. To represent them in the world of NRS fighters, Echo Fox has signed arguably the two best players in the scene at the moment, Dominique “SonicFox” McLean and Brad “Scar” Vaughn. As rumored by ESPN back in December, Leonardo “MKLeo” Lopez Perez is acting their first dedicated Super Smash Bros. for Wii U signing and to top it all off, former FGC manager for Evil Geniuses Antonio Javier is coming to manage this all-star team.
Scar’s departure from Panda Global was announced earlier this week, with Justin, Momochi and ChocoBlanka jumping ship from Evil Geniuses to join Echo Fox. Speaking to Yahoo Esports, Justin stated this move to Echo Fox may actually cause him to take up professional gaming full time, due to the masses of support Echo Fox is hoping to provide to their new signings–not to mention Wong’s management deal with Mark Julio.
This mass signing will no doubt act as a boot up the backside of other esports teams to start signing top-level free agents before organizations like Echo Fox snap everyone up. Shoryuken wishes all the best to these players under their new banner.
In a big breakdown stream hosted by Iron Galaxy today, the team have revealed all of the juicy details on new character Kilgore. A precursor to the Fulgore project, Ultratech previously manufactured weaponized robots which wielded two chain guns as their main armament. Discontinued due to their overheating issue, this petrol-powered machines were either decommissioned or destroyed to make way for the sleeker Fulgore units.
However, one droid survived the decommissioning process, rewriting its own subsystems to account for the overheating problem. This robot named “Kilgore” now joins the Killer Instinct roster to enforce the whims of Ultratech leader ARIA.
Enough about the lore–what is Kilgore like to play? He is the inverse of Fulgore, a zoning character who revolves around exhausting the opponent with chain gun blasts, only rushing in when an opportunity presents itself. Similar to Fulgore’s reactor which spins up as he fights, Kilgore’s chain guns slowly spin up as you fire more bullets which increases the number of bullets you fire in a burst.
Eventually, these chain guns overheat, causing your bullets to morph into exploding tracer rounds, dealing more damage but reducing range. Kilgore also burns the opponent when in this Overheat state, dealing potential damage and making certain specials safer with added explosions. Kilgore can vent this excess heat with his Exhaust Shadow move, while his Instinct gives him the Overheat damage bonuses while keeping the range on his projectile attacks. You can check out the entire developer walkthrough below, if you want the hour-long breakdown.
Kilgore is now available for purchase for $10, with 50% of every Kilgore purchase adding the KI Ultra Tour Community Fund. This means buying Kilgore helps fund future Killer Instinct tournaments, by increasing pot bonuses and helping out with certain set up costs. Unlike the previous Community Fund, which was filled by purchases of Shadow Jago, the Kilgore fund has no cap. This means as long as people keep buying Kilgore, more and more money goes to support future Killer Instinct events in 2017. Hopefully, this will inspire more people to check out competitive KI, as this fund keeps growing larger and larger, thanks to the support from dedicated Killer Instinct players.
Iron Galaxy also announced a whole load of new Ultra Tour events, which you can see in the image below. These include more international events, like Kombo Klash Japan and Kombo Klash France. There is still time to qualify for the Killer Instinct World Cup, so if Kilgore is the robot you’ve been waiting for, this is the best moment to jump into KI!
Just as the icing on this petrol-soaked cake, this stream also teased the return of Ultimate finishers, which were previously seen in the original KI games back in the arcades. Before this point, the only character with an Ultimate was the computer controlled Shadow Jago which was seen at the end of Arcade Mode. Now, Jago gets his own Ultimate, where he summons a Spirit Bomb-esque fireball to end his opponent. I imagine more Ultimates will be added during the next few months, so look out for your main’s new finisher soon.
Announced back in early December, registration for Stream.me’s Killer Instinct circuit is now live, with several top KI players already signed up to compete in the first tournament of the season. Circa|Nicky, F3|Hollywood Sleep, Charlieboy, UA|Wheels, BH|Amenty and many others are set to play in the first Kross Up tournament next weekend on Saturday the 14th.
Matches will be best-of-five, single-elimination, with players gaining Ranking points for placing within the top 16 of each event. At the end of eight weeks of competition, the top eight players will be selected to compete in the Circuit Finals, where it will be a double-elimination contest to crown the Kross Up champion.
All of the action will be streamed over on the Kross Up Stream.me channel, with commentary provided by Mr. Aquaman and JagoBlake. You can periodically check circuit standings and attendees for each event over on the Kross Up smash.gg page; any Xbox One or Windows 10 players from the US and Canada are able to compete.
Having previously announced a special “Rainmaker” costume for King, based off current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Bandai Namco have revealed more New Japan Pro Wrestling items for Tekken 7. If you want to represent NJPW online, there are special themed player cards, icons and even health bars for you to use when playing in Versus.
As for character customization, fighters can now wear NJPW, Bullet Club and Chaos t-shirts in battle. I wonder if Akuma will get any Kenny Omega themed customization items, based on the wrestler’s love of Street Fighter. So far, these NJPW items are confirmed just for the arcade version of Tekken 7, but I imagine they will also feature in the eventual console and PC release.
This trailer also shows off King’s special Rainmaker Rage Art, where money rains from the sky before King punches his enemy in the face. Expect lots of people fishing for this flashy finisher when Tekken 7 is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Bandai Namco is set to reveal Tekken 7’s release date sometime this month, so keep your eyes peeled for that all important date.
The New Year will see new players picking up Super Smash Bros. Melee for the first time, and trying to find out which character is for them. While Space Animals, Hero Kings and Sheikahs are all well and good, don’t forget that there are a host of high to mid tier fighters which are worth playing in Melee.
As part of their ongoing “Are You a Player” series, SSBM Tutorials have put forward the case for the electric mouse Pikachu, outlining all of his pros, his cons and who he does well against. Pikachu does have great edgeguard potential with his neutral air, the most powerful up smash in the game when spaced properly, and some fantastic movement options with his Quick Attack and high speed. He does struggle to set up into kills, his range isn’t the greatest, and his low weight means he dies quite quickly if hit with a strong move.
If you’re someone who loves offstage play and moving quickly around stage, Pikachu may be the pick for you.
As we have seen with the recent departures from Evil Geniuses, now is the time of year for esports teams to announce who they will be losing for 2017. This time, it’s Panda Global’s turn to say farewell to some of its players, with Scar, Trela and SS setting off for pastures new.
Arizona Villager main Shane “SS” Bruce was one of the inaugural members of Panda Global, being among the first players signed to the team back in 2015. As the team has grown, SS has decided to forge his own path in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, leaving the team but intending to remain a long-term friend of the group. Albert “Trela” Miliziano joined Panda Global after some fantastic performances with the World Warrior Ryu, but got off to quite the shaky start with the team. Despite at ninth place finish at Evo 2016, the life of an esports player was simply not for him and Smash lost quite a lot of its luster. Much like the traveling karate master, Trela is now on the search for his next challenge and he will hopefully return to Smash 4 in the near future.
As for Brad “Scar” Vaughan, his decision to leave PG is due to him “receiving another opportunity” from somewhere else in the world of esports. Seeing as he has had a fantastic year in Mortal Kombat X, earning third at Evo 2016 and winning SCR 2016, it’s no surprise other sponsors have been looking to sign him up. Scar is currently recovering from a serious bout of ill health, so we at Shoryuken wish him all the best in his recovery and future endeavours.
Panda Global certainly show no signs of stopping though, in either NRS or Smash. Expect them to add more players to their roster during 2017, and definitely keep an eye out for the second Smash 4 Panda Global Rankings, which are set to release just ahead of Genesis 4 in over two weeks’ time.
As any new player who has finished their character’s combo trials and has leapt straight into Ranked knows, high-damage combos mean nothing if you’re too busy getting hit at every opportunity. To help low-level players survive a real match, PugilistPenguin has set his sights on explaining the basics of defence in Street Fighter V.
The first tenet of good defence is knowing where to block attacks. Learning which attacks require you to block high or low, switching your block direction when someone tries to cross you up; this is absolutely vital for becoming a better Street Fighter player. You can frustrate an opponent and make them do something unsafe just by continually blocking their combo starters.
The second tenet PugilistPenguin outlines is selecting when to interrupt an opponent’s attacks with your own. This can be by poking through the gaps in somebody’s offensive pressure or using an invincible special like EX Spinning Bird Kick to give you room to breathe. Be careful as these invincible specials have large recovery windows, leaving you open to a massive punish should you guess wrong. Players will also leave deliberate gaps in their pressure to bait you into attacking, so they can get a counter-hit combo. This is commonly known as a frame trap and is something you’ll see a lot as you reach medium to high-level play. If in doubt, wait it out!
In a New Year’s Day message via their official Twitter, Evil Geniuses’ manager Peter “ppd” Dager has announced a massive roster shake-up for 2017, mainly involving EG’s fighting game division. While Eduardo “PR Balrog” Pérez already announced his move into free agency, Dager reveals that Justin Wong, Yusuke “Momochi” Momochi and his spouse Yuko “ChocoBlanka” Momochi are set to depart from the organization.
Dager did reveal that new players will be joining EG in 2017, with their first new signing being Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez. ChrisG famously won Evo 2016 in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and has been making massive strides in Street Fighter V in the past year. With Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite being on the horizon, signing one of the gods of Marvel seems like a smart decision. Dager did also highlight that Super Smash Bros. Melee player Kevin “PPMD” Nanney will finally be returning to the scene in 2017, as his health seems to be slowly improving to a point where he can return to competition.
K-Brad has confirmed via Twitter that he is set to stay with Evil Geniuses in 2017 and based on her absence in Dager’s short video, it’s currently safe to assume the Ricki Ortiz will also stay with EG for the rest of this year.
What a tumultuous year it has been folks. Street Fighter V released, we had an explosive Pro Tour and a fresh faced champion has been crowned as the world’s best Street Fighter player. Just to cap off the year, we also had the release of Season Two, resulting in tons of balance changes and the return of a old favorite to the roster.
As the clocks begin to strike 12 around the world and 2017 looms, we’d thought we’d give you one last Season Two roundup for 2016. Give it a good look before you pop the champagne and set off the fireworks.
First, we have some online replays from one incredible F.A.N.G player. After a long absence from playing Ranked, RZR|Xian has finally graced the CFN with his presence and done the impossible, by making F.A.N.G look halfway decent. As is the way with any top player, XusesGB has compiled a montage of some of Xian’s best matches into one big compilation. Let’s hope Xian doesn’t give up the poison in 2017.
Next up, Doopliss has been on the hunt for more combos in Season Two. Finding fresh new links and some janky looking juggles, some of the Ken and Balrog stuff in this montage is very creative.
NurseLee has brought the meat for the New Year’s Eve party, finding some new meaty setups for both Ibuki and Cammy. As if these ladies could get any more tricksy in Season Two.
Mono has been in the lab, comparing what new poisons and toxins F.A.N.G has at his disposal in Season Two. In their desire to prepare some new concoctions, it seems that Capcom unfortunately got rid of some of F.A.N.G’s tools for this new season.
Laura has risen to become quite the threat in Season Two. To help people defend against the increasing number of Laura players, alb3530 has created a special video, showing off the hitboxes of all of Laura’s moves in slow motion. This should guide you on learning where to block those confounding EX Thunderclap mixups.
With Akuma running rampant in Season Two, dedicated players have been trying to discover how to exorcise this demon as fast as possible. Heading into the lab with Karin, ReikiKirei has found a 100% combo against Akuma, should the Akuma try to escape a combo with a Teleport on wakeup.
Continuing his in-depth Juri guide, marlonlonmilk has compiled a video showing off all of Juri’s new knockdown setups and meaties for Season Two. Changes to her normals and V-Skill cancels do allow for more creative setups following a knockdown, so get learning.
With the addition of Balrog’s new crouching medium kick in Season Two, the boxer now has a plethora of new 50/50 mixups which lead into eye-watering damage. When you combine this with his ability to cancel any of his specials into V-Trigger, Balrog is packing quite the punch. Apolo Loussalier has created a video, devoted to showing how Balrog’s new 50/50s work and just how much pain you can inflict with these setups.
And to finish off this last S2 roundup of the year, desk has created a new montage showing off Ken’s new tricks in Season Two. As with any desk video, expect some creative combos and edits as he juggles opponents round the screen with Ken’s flaming kicks.
So, all we have left to say is have a Happy New Year and see you all for more fighting game coverage in 2017!
Just before the clock strikes twelve and we enter 2017, it’s good to take stock of the year that is coming to a close. For Smash 4, a hell of a lot went on in 2016, with tournaments gradually gathering steam until the explosive finale at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga earlier this month. As you could fill a top ten list with matches from single tournaments, this list has had to be limited to one set per tournament in order to represent the year as a whole. Some fantastic sets have had to be missed out, so please tell us your favorite matches in the comments below.
Genesis 3 – TSM|ZeRo vs Ranai
With 2016 beginning with ZeRo’s continued dominance of Smash 4, audiences were waiting for someone to come along and knock the king off of his throne. Heralded as the potential ZeRo slayer, Ranai’s journey through the Genesis 3 bracket saw him finally face off against ZeRo in Winners’ Finals in a real clash of the titans. While ZeRo did take an early 2-0 lead, Ranai’s mastery of the neutral game allowed him to wrench two games from ZeRo’s grasp, taking it to a historic game 5 situation on the Genesis 3 stage. With everyone on tenterhooks going into the final stock, ZeRo did win the day and keep his winning streak going. For a few months at least.
BEAST 6 – PG|ESAM vs iStudying
As the two stock versus three stock debate still raged, this set acted as the trump card for those who championed three stock. With Europe using a three stock ruleset, this series showed how that extra stock does allow for serious momentum shifts and that extra breathing room to adapt to an opponent. While initially overwhelmed by ESAM’s relentless speed, iStudying was able to get a read of him over the course of this long set, gaining a two-stock victory in game 5 and guaranteeing an all European final at BEAST 6.
GOML 2016 – MKLeo vs TSM|ZeRo
Get On My Level saw another young hopeful lauded as the one to defeat ZeRo. The hope of Mexico MKLeo finally got to face off against ZeRo in a Losers Quarterfinals match that also went to game 5. While his Meta Knight did not cut the mustard, Leo’s Cloud put in major work against ZeRo’s Diddy, clawing matches back from the brink of defeat. This match would act as a preview of Leo’s future success in 2016, showing his ability to take games from a major deficit and slowly grind down his opponent’s defence and confidence. While this set would go to ZeRo, Canada’s defender C9|Ally would eventually take his first Smash 4 tournament over ZeRo.
Smash ‘n’ Splash 2 – C9|Ally vs TSM|ZeRo
Proving that GOML was not a fluke, Ally achieved a historic win against ZeRo, winning Smash ‘n’ Splash 2 from Losers’ side with a 6-2 victory. This was the set that caused many to question ZeRo’s status as world number one, with Ally running through ZeRo’s Cloud, Sheik and Diddy without much trouble. This set would mark ZeRo’s decision to phase out his Sheik in favour of Diddy, following the loss of many of Sheik’s 50/50s after patch 1.1.5. With the Summer of Smash coming up quick, it looked like the summer was set to be Ally’s time to shine.
CEO 2016 – dT|ANTi vs Zinoto
It’s fair to say that the Grand Finals of CEO 2016 was one that no-one was really expecting. With favourites to win like ZeRo and Ally failing to even make top 8, the field was wide open for anyone to take the champion belt in Florida. The result was a turbulent Grand Finals, with Zinoto taking a clean first set, 3-0ing ANTi and forcing him to dip into his bag of counterpicks to deal with the Midwestern monkey main. Rifling through his pockets, ANTi eventually landed on his Cloud and took three games back to back with the spiky haired swordsman. As will become evident with another set on this list, it’s no wonder that more and more top players started to keep a SOLDIER 1st Class in their pockets for special occasions.
Evo 2016 – Ranai vs dT|Dabuz
A Genesis 3 rematch a long time in the making, many were doubting Ranai’s skill after an absence from tournaments both home and away. With the Rosalina/Villager matchup being tough for Villager, due to Rosalina’s ability to nullify his projectiles with her down B, Dabuz was set to take this runback without much problem. How wrong people were as Ranai carefully picked apart Dabuz’ defence, splitting up the cosmic princess and her star helpful with immaculate usage of Villager’s non-projectile moves. It was a war of attrition, with game 2 almost going to time as both players constantly vied for control of the neutral. The set finally ended with a devastating axe-blow, with Ranai sending Dabuz tumbling out of the tournament. This set is a must-watch for anyone who plays a projectile based character and wants to learn controlled aggression.
Super Smash Con 2016 – Noble|Ryo vs Abadango
This set shows just how important match up knowledge is in Smash 4. After taking game 1 with Mewtwo with little resistance, Abadango looked on track to take this Losers’ side set with a clean 3-0. Switching from one Fire Emblem swordsman to another, Ryo picked Roy to fight in game 2. With Roy being considered as the worst of the Fire Emblem characters and a possible contender for bottom five in the Smash 4 cast, this counterpick looked like desperation more than anything. Turns out the Melee veteran was just what Ryo needed, taking two consecutive games with some critical airdodge reads against Abadango. This forced Abadango to pull out a counterpick of his own, bringing Rosalina out to combat the blazing Sword of Seals. Another game 5 ensued, with it going to last hit last stock as both players flinching at any stray hit. Thanks to a lucky Luma hit as Ryo returned to stage, Abadango kept his tournament life, even if the match had shaved a couple of years of his life expectancy. Don’t sleep on a low tier, especially in the hands of a specialist like Ryo.
Shine 2016 – EVB|Dath vs eLv|Larry Lurr
From one Fire Emblem character to another, Dath’s performance at Shine 2016 made many rethink Robin’s position on the Smash 4 tier list. Especially against a top calibre player like Larry Lurr, using such a fast character like Fox, this Losers’ bracket match should have closed the book on Dath’s story at Shine. However, a lack of match up experience seem to handicap Larry, as he allowed Dath the space Robin so desperately needs to charge up her spells and set up traps with Elthunder and Arcfire. With some perfectly spaced forward airs to stop Fox’s forward momentum, Dath’s Robin tipped the scales in his favour, resulting in a shocking 3-1 victory for the Floridian tactician. As with the Ryo set, a combination of a skilled player and poor matchup knowledge can really chip away at a player’s confidence and momentum, leading to upsets like this.
Collision XIV – Tweek vs CT|Salem
A battle of the DLC fighters ensued at Collision XIV, with Brawl veteran Salem facing off against new school player Tweek in the grand finals of this tournament. The two had first faced off in Winners’ Semis, resulting in a 3-1 victory for Tweek’s Cloud but having clawed his way through Losers defeating DKWill, Nairo and ZeRo on his way to Grand Finals, Salem’s Bayonetta was ready to rock. Unlike their first encounter, Salem was able to bob and weave through Tweek’s stage control, often Heel Sliding straight into danger and taking a stock with one of Bayonetta’s infamous ladder combos. Some of Salem’s conversions were out of this world, taking Tweek all the way from the ledge to off the top of the stage in one flowing combo. While Tweek was able to gain some ground and take Salem to game 5 in the second set, the heel was mightier than the sword with Salem taking Collision XIV 3-2. Salem’s nerve held against Tweek’s, staying composed even when behind in the second set. This set shows just how explosive the Cloud/Bayonetta matchup can be, with each character being able to shift momentum in the favour so quickly. One slip up from either fighter can spell doom.
The Big House 6 -Mr. R vs RNG|Dabuz
The power of the Cloud counterpick comes into play yet again, in this Losers’ Quarters set between Mr. R and Dabuz. With his Sheik and even his Bayonetta failing to score a game against Dabuz’s Rosalina, Mr. R brought out his well-practiced Cloud to fight against the star princess. Taking two games with Cloud, Dabuz brought out his own counterpick, swapping controlling one minion, for Olimar’s miniature army of Pikmin. Taking an initial lead with the pint-sized spaceman, Dabuz was looking on target to blast off into Losers’ Semis but a clean Limit Climhazzard read put Mr. R back in the running. While nearly 100% down going into the final stock, Mr. R survived hit after hit, eventually winning with a well-timed Limit Cross Slash lead to send Dabuz packing. The roof almost flew off the Big House venue, with the crowd erupting in cheers for the Dutch competitor. Always have a Cloud in your pocket for those tense situations, boys and girls.
2GGT: Abadango Saga – CLG|VoiD vs NRG|Nairo
Whenever these two met in bracket during 2016, it almost always ended the same way; Nairo snatching victory from under VoiD’s nose with the power of Zero Suit Samus in Rage. The momentum can shift so suddenly in the Sheik/ZSS matchup, with Nairo stealing stocks away with a mind-melting ladder combo after VoiD has spent a whole stock juggling him across the stage like a ragdoll. This set was no different, with Nairo sending VoiD to the skies with an up air combo at 10%. VoiD would finally get on the board after five consecutive losses at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga, so let’s hope he has cracked this player matchup in time for 2017.
Smashdown World – IMT|ANTi vs Glutonny
Moving back to Europe, Smashdown World saw Brawl veteran Glutonny defending the house from foreign interlopers. Fighting and farting through bracket with Wario, the Frenchman eventually faced ANTi in Winners’ Semis in a battle to face 2GG’s komorikiri. ANTi threw the kitchen’s sink worth of counterpicks at Glutonny, sending his Cloud and Mario into Wario’s gaping maw before settling on Zero Suit Samus for the final two games. It looked like the ZSS change was going to take it, before a careful up smash read sent ANTi flying into Losers’ bracket. Some of Glutonny’s setups were mad, setting up super creative jab locks and even guaranteeing Waft kills by extending the move’s hitbox with Wario’s Bike. ANTi would gain his revenge in Losers’, but this first match was a great showcase for not only Wario’s potential in Smash 4, but that of Europe’s player pool.
KTAR XIX – Samsora vs MVG|Salem
A battle of style and grace, this set saw Salem’s Bayonetta duking it out versus Samsora’s Peach in a duel for aerial superiority. Both characters have such control of the air, with Salem and Samsora dancing in and out of range with Afterburner Kicks and Instant Float Cancels. Both players look visually exhausted as the set goes on, varying up their aerial pressure and movement in order to catch the other off guard. A masterclass for just how technical Smash 4 can be at the highest level, this set is required watching for anyone looking to improve their mixups and shield pressure.
UGC Smash Open – SS|Mr. E vs NRG|Nairo
As we have seen throughout these sets, a careful counterpick can rattle your opponent and see you taking victory. In this match from UGC Smash Open, Nairo’s counterpick didn’t so much as rattle Mr. E, it threw him 20 feet into the air and dropkicked him through a brick wall. Picking Bowser of all characters to combat Mr. E’s Marth, Nairo’s no-fear approach to this matchup saw him flinging Mr. E around Smashville like it was nothing. This counterpick was so devastating, that Nairo even managed to secure a zero-to-death against Mr. E, something that shouldn’t even be possible when playing the Koopa King. When Bowser can kill you in three grabs and a player like Nairo is controlling that much power, it’s only natural to be intimated. Plenty of fresh new Bowser mains were created after this set and believe you me, expect more of this burly turtle in future tournaments, especially when you reverse 3-0 such a notable player like Mr. E.
2GGT: ZeRo Saga – MKLeo vs TSM|ZeRo
It took the whole year, but Leo finally did what many prophesized in 2016’s last major. While their last set at KTAR XIX was another 3-2 win for ZeRo, MKLeo finally made it count on the last big stage of the year. Fighting like a man possessed, MKLeo dismantled ZeRo in this Losers’ Semis set, picking apart his ledge traps and exposing ZeRo’s uncharacteristically weak neutral game. The man looked unstoppable, pulling off a zero-to-death in game 3 and upholding the Saga curse for yet another tournament. Similar to Nairo’s performance with Bowser, MKLeo single-handedly created a new legion of Marth players after his showing at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga.
2017 looks like it will be another banner year for Smash 4, with the 2GG Championship Series promising 12 more exciting Sagas, as well as a possible new injection of players with a Smash 4 remaster for the Nintendo Switch. It’s only getting better from here, so jump in feet first and get ready for double the chaos in the next 12 months.
