Author: Zavian "mushin_Z" Sildra

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Canada Cup 2018 changes venue, now partnered with EGLX at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Canada Cup and EGLX team up for 2018.

In a surprise venue switch, Canada Cup 2018 has moved from its originally-announced Toronto Airport Hilton location to partner with EGLX — the Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo — and set up at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto instead.

The dates for the event (October 26-28) are unchanged. Additional features of the partnership with the gaming convention have yet to be revealed — while 24-hour gaming is still promised to be available at the new yet-unannounced event hotel.

Canada Cup 2018 is the perennial last Premier event on the Capcom Pro Tour before the Capcom Cup finale, aside from regional finals. It always hosts a wide selection of events, which this year includes the “Fight for the Future” Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Tournament Series event for Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. Registration is open over on smash.gg. Eager attendees that have already booked accommodations are encouraged to contact organizer Lap Chi Duong if they experience problems making changes to their bookings.

Source: Lap Chi Duong (Twitter)

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BornFree interviews Tokido at Combo Breaker 2018, Part 2: Balance patches, mind games, and the “real Raging Demon”

More insight into the Capcom Pro Tour’s current #1 competitor in 2018.

sfv akuma shun goku satsu finish raging demon

He won Evo 2017, and came close to also taking Capcom Cup in the same year: Echo Fox|Tokido is a force to be reckoned with in Street Fighter V, currently holding the most CPT points (PG|Infiltration a fairly close second). He’s on track to make another impressive showing on the Capcom Pro Tour in 2018. BornFree caught up with him at Combo Breaker 2018 for a pair of extensive interviews!

In Part 1 of his interview, Tokido talked about his loss at Kemonomichi 2, and how he’s adjusted his outlook on training and competing. In Part 2, Tokido talks about his loss to MenaRD at Capcom Cup 2017 (he lacked confidence going into the match-up, and MenaRD is really good at adapting to his opponents). He also talks about the importance of breaks and resting in training, the “fun” of balance patches, the history players should be building for the FGC as we move into esports (a focus on love of the game, not money), and his famous “real Raging Demon” pop-off vs. Clakey D. at SoCal Regionals 2010 — he says he would no longer do such a thing, out of concern for his opponent’s feelings. Check out the second hour-long interview video below!

If you like BornFree’s interviews, check out his YouTube channel for even more of them!

Source: BornFree

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BornFree interviews Tokido at Combo Breaker 2018, Part 1: Winning, losing, and mastering mindfulness

A lesson on mindfulness — from the Murderface!

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Evo Champion 2017, and almost Capcom Cup Champion 2017 (he lost to MenaRD in Grand Finals), Echo Fox|Tokido is one of the best Street Fighter V competitors — in fact, considered by many to be the best Street Fighter V competitor — today. So naturally, BornFree was eager to spend some time with him at Combo Breaker 2018 to discuss his training outlook and regimen.

Despite his consistent high placements in CPT events, Tokido has seen some significant setbacks from his Street Fighter V countrymen. After an emotional loss to Daigo Umehara in their SFV FT10 at Kemonomichi 2, Tokido also fell to Momochi in a lengthy public set; this led to a new turning point for Tokido in which he asked himself: “Is winning everything? What does it mean to be strong?”

The result is a more “holistic” outlook on training, with a strong emphasis on mindfulness to avoid losing concentration during a set. In the one-hour interview below they discuss this, take a closer look at Kemonomichi 2, chat about Akuma’s tools in SFV, and much more.

If you enjoy BornFree’s interviews, check out his YouTube channel for more!

Source: BornFree

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Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma joins EON as their brand ambassador and esports liaison for their GameCube HDMI adapter

One of Melee’s best is looking to start a revolution.

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One of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world (famous/infamous for his Jigglypuff skills) Team Liquid’s Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma has branched out and joined EON — the producers of the GCHD GameCube HDMI adapter — as an official Brand Ambassador and Esports Liaison. From the press release:

Juan has been shaping and dominating the Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament scene for years through his incredible play, winning every major tournament in 2017 and starting strong in 2018, as well as introducing an all new monthly tournament in his local scene of Orlando, FL, called Overlords of Orlando.

At the most recent Overlords of Orlando, Juan debuted the first-ever fully digital Melee tournament using all 144Hz monitors and original GameCubes outfitted with the EON GCHD. This was a highly controversial change at the time, being that Melee’s competitive scene has been inextricably tied to CRT TV gaming… But with the combination of original GameCube hardware, lagless HD monitors (standard in all other competitive fighting games), and the EON GCHD, Melee could be  played at a professional level on modern displays, with no lag, and at the highest resolution possible. The community reception was overwhelmingly positive, with players verifying the lagless input and stream viewers pleased by the impressive new visuals.

With the success of Overlords of Orlando and his belief in the GCHD, Juan identified an opportunity to help modernize Super Smash Bros. Melee, while also alleviating many of the headaches involved in supporting a 17-year-old game tethered to old technology. With the help of EON, Juan aims to forever change the Super Smash Bros. Melee scene, solidifying its future as it continues to be one of the most watched and respected fighting games in history, now with no CRT strings attached.

A move to “modernize” Melee via play on HD monitors as opposed to CRTs is certainly one likely to meet with resistance, but with Hungrybox on board, odds are more players will consider it. For more information on the EON GCHD adapter, have a look at their official website. Tournament organizers interested in the GCHD can contact Hungrybox directly at hungrybox@teamliquid.net for details on how to utilize the device at their own events.

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Source: [press release]

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BornFree talks to JB, the new Rashid player rising on the Turbulent Wind

BornFree takes some time to get to know the winner of The Challenger.

Ahead of SonicBoxx|JB’s fight in Group A of the ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational — in which he put up an impressive display with his Rashid, but still fell to elimination via Tokido and Dogura — BornFree caught up with him at Combo Breaker 2018 to learn more about the rising Street Fighter V star. They talk about how NuckleDu convinced JB to join the ELEAGUE SFV reality show The Challenger — because there was no other way for JB to get a chance to go to ELEAGUE without winning the qualification spot through the show! Also discussed are his thoughts on other professional players, why he prefers fighting games to team-based games, his thoughts on Rashid’s viability in SFV, and more.

BornFree has a YouTube channel full of interviews like this. Go check it out!

Source: BornFree

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Evo registration leaderboard: Dragon Ball FighterZ still holding the top spot

Dragon Ball fans are on track for the Evo event they’re wishing for.

evo 2018 main games

June has arrived and Evo producer Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar has again revealed the standings for registration between the eight main stage titles for Evo 2018… and just like in prior months the list has held steady, with no changes in any slot. Dragon Ball FighterZ still holds the highest registration over Street Fighter V, with the other six games still solid in their respective positions.

  1. Dragon Ball FighterZ
  2. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
  3. Tekken 7
  4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
  5. Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U
  6. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
  7. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2
  8. Injustice 2

Evo 2018 registration is still open, so you can still sign up — or add additional game registrations to your list. Be sure to check out all the side tournaments hosted by AnimEVO as well!

Evo takes place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on August 3-5, 2018.

evo 2018 logo (trailer)

Source: Joey Cuellar (Twitter)

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Look back at the “Fight for the Future” in Capcom’s Street Fighter III retrospective for the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection

Capcom offers a closer look at the pinnacle of 2D sprite-based Street Fighter.

sfiii epic trilogy unfolds opening 30th

Following up on retrospectives for the original game, the Street Fighter II series, and the Street Fighter Alpha series, the time has come for Capcom to look at the remaining trilogy of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection: the Street Fighter III series!

Once again, James Chen narrates and walks us through the rise of new characters and new mechanics from this beloved series, which included the introduction of some of the most key mechanics in modern Street Fighter (such as dashing, and EX special moves), as well as sporting some of the most lush and spectacular 2D animation of any video game!

In case you missed them, be sure to have a look at Capcom’s two prior retrospectives on the titles included in the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection:

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

sf 30th games

Source: Street Fighter

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BornFree catches up with Momochi at Combo Breaker 2018 to talk about Cody, and the Goku family

Street Fighter V, Dragon Ball FighterZ… and a Splatoon 2 team!

It seems one of the Street Fighter greats has a new love — but Echo Fox|Momochi feels it’s possible to enjoy both Street Fighter V and Dragon Ball FighterZ, and he’s out to do just that. BornFree spoke with Momochi at last weekend’s Combo Breaker 2018, and they discussed many interesting things: such as the professional player’s perspective on incoming balance patches (they’re terrifying), his love of all things Dragon Ball, and his thoughts on Cody’s impending arrival in Street Fighter V. Momochi is also considering expanding his Shinobism fighting game school to include foreign players!

Want to see more of BornFree’s interviews? Check out his YouTube channel.

Source: BornFree

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Prepare to launch: Registration for Gundam Versus at AnimEVO 2018 is now open!

Suit up and sign up to join the fight on a new battlefield!

AnimEVO is offering a massive selection of side events at this year’s Evo 2018 in Las Vegas. But registration was delayed for one prominent title… Now, registration is open at last for Gundam Versus at AnimEVO 2018!

Find a partner and sign up at smash.gg if you want to compete in Gundam Versus in Vegas this year — there is a 64-team cap, so make sure to sign up soon! registration for Gundam Versus is free, but admission to Evo itself is required to compete in any AnimEVO events.

God Gundam

Evo 2018 hits Las Vegas, NV on August 3-5.

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animevo 2018 full

Sources: AnimEVO (smash.gg); @hellabrett

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ELEAGUE 2018 Street Fighter V Invitational (Group A) streaming live on Twitch

Don’t miss the action-packed fights between these Street Fighter V greats!

eleague sfv invitational groups

The time has come for ELEAGUE to kick off the action in their Street Fighter V Invitational for 2018! Today, Group A will fight it out in a series of round-robin matches to determine who will move forward in the Invitational bracket. Today’s competitors are:

  • Echo Fox|Tokido
  • CO|Dogura
  • ARES.RB|Luffy
  • RISE|MenaRD
  • SonicBoxx|JB
  • CYG BST|PR Balrog

The action starts at 3:00 PM ET — 12:00 PM PT — on ELEAGUE’s Twitch channel. (In the event of streaming trouble, check their YouTube channel as well.)

Watch live video from ELEAGUE TV on www.twitch.tv

Source: ELEAGUE (Twitch)