Author: Zavian "mushin_Z" Sildra

PR Balrog catches us up on his outlook on Street Fighter V — and other titles!

Now with his classic Street Fighter main at the ready and sponsored by Cygames Beast, Eduardo “PR Balrog” Perez took on the competition at Evo 2017 this year, making it to 49th overall. He’s presently #38 on the Capcom Pro Tour global leaderboard, in between fellow Cygames Beast competitors Hx.CYG BST|Daigo Umehara (#45) and RB.CYG BST|Snake Eyez (#7).

I was fortunate enough to get some time to chat with PR Balrog at Mandalay Bay, right before Evo 2017’s Street Fighter V finals kicked off. Replies have been edited for clarity.

---

Zavian “mushin_Z” Sildra: So, you joined Cygames Beast this year!

Eduardo “PR Balrog” Perez: [nodding] Yes.

mushin_Z: How has that benefited you in terms of training and overall opportunities?

PR Balrog: Well, in terms of training, it’s not really that different. I still train with the same people. It’s straightforward. When it comes to opportunities of course, after I left EG [Evil Geniuses]… I was literally tied to their sponsors, their organization, I couldn’t get anything around that. So Cygames is a whole different story! They’re sponsoring me as myself, not as a “team,” so I’m able to get other sponsors, all that stuff. So I think it’s super beneficial for me. I never look for short-term, I always look for long-term.

mushin_Z: Excellent. You competed in four different titles this year; what motivated you to take on these multiple challenges?

PR Balrog: Well… Street Fighter V needs less training time, in my opinion — usually, before, you needed a lot of execution, you needed to study situations, and this game is more… when something hits, you just go in, go in, go in, go in. But that’s what tells me, “OK, I don’t have to practice this game that much, I’ll just go play other games!” Injustice — even though people hate zoning — I think it’s a really fun game, I actually enjoy it.

mushin_Z: [laughs] I love zoning! I even like watching zoning.

PR Balrog: It’s kinda like a breather. Street Fighter V does not have zoning at all, it’s really rare… and the fact that I have to work in Injustice — I have a low tier character [Black Canary] — I have to work to get my wins, it’s actually very refreshing. [smiling] It’s one of those things: I play a top tier character [in Street Fighter V], and I play a low tier character.

mushin_Z: It evens out, right?

PR Balrog: Exactly, yeah! And in Tekken, there comes the execution. You have to be moving all the time, which is very fun to me. And there’s a boxer in there.

mushin_Z: Ah, Steve’s your guy there?

PR Balrog: Yeah, I used to be a Tekken player before I was a Street Fighter player; I’m kind of knowledgeable about the game, and I almost beat a really good top player in that, so I was really excited.

mushin_Z: Which game do you like playing the most?

PR Balrog: I really love Tekken. [nodding]

mushin_Z: This is Street Fighter V‘s second year at Evo; how would you say the competition has changed this year, compared to last year?

PR Balrog: It’s really hard to say, to be honest. The game literally took a whole shift…

mushin_Z: Season 2?

PR Balrog: Exactly. I don’t think the competition has changed much. But I’m really happy for the people that made the top eight, congratulations to them.

mushin_Z: So you went to SFV losers bracket by way of Dogura. What are your thoughts/observations on that particular match?

PR Balrog: Hmm — I actually think he was my hardest match-up. I’ve always known that he’s known to be a “crazy” player, and he likes to do things that are not safe, but the problem is not that — the problem was to be at Evo, and not have sound.

mushin_Z: That has been a complaint from multiple players. [It was reported by participants that many of the stations in pools had an issue where sound was not split properly between the two headsets, making many in-game sound effects inaudible.]

PR Balrog: That basically turns off one of my tools, because I have the turn punch [TAP]. And when I turn punch, he doesn’t know [what charge level is coming out], but I don’t know either! So a lot of times I don’t know if I’m plus or minus. So it’s very bad. I can’t do anything about it, but it was a tough loss for me.

mushin_Z: Would you say it was the same thing for the fight with Infiltration, that ultimately took you out?

PR Balrog: Yeah, it was the same thing. But! Me and Infiltration have had a long history, and I took that loss not very hard. We were both having fun — which is what we’re supposed to be doing, right?

mushin_Z: Do you feel you’d do better against him under better technical circumstances?

PR Balrog: [nods] I believe so.

mushin_Z: Straight up — is TAP too strong?

PR Balrog: [laughs] Yes and no. Because: I feel he needs it.

mushin_Z: Ah!

PR Balrog: But, sometimes I feel he doesn’t.

mushin_Z: [laughs]

PR Balrog: It’s kinda like a fifty-fifty. Because I think it does way too much damage; they could change the damage, or change how long it takes to charge. You start seeing level sevens and up now, which was really rare, back in the day. Is it too strong? Maybe. We don’t know yet. [smiles]

mushin_Z: Well, we might not ever know if they change it for Season 3!

PR Balrog: [nods] Exactly — and, Balrog did not even make top 32…

mushin_Z: Even with all the “top tier” talk!

PR Balrog: [laughs]

mushin_Z: MOV is the only player from last year that is in top eight again this year. What does that say to you about how the competition has changed between years?

PR Balrog: MOV has always been a very strong player, no question about that. He’s a very, very “safe” player, so I expected him to reach really high in the competition. But I actually did not expect him to make it again, into top eight. That’s actually amazing. I think he’s an amazing player — the only player to make two [Evo] top eights in Street Fighter V, that tells you something! He’s a very, very strong player.

mushin_Z: Do you have a favorite to win out of the top eight? If you want to make a prediction…

PR Balrog: I would have to pick my brother, F Champ, to win. But it’s very tough for him!

mushin_Z: Would be cool for a Dhalsim player to take it.

PR Balrog: Exactly… but if I’m gonna make a decision as to what I can see… I would say Punk or NuckleDu.

mushin_Z: Seems the safer bet…

PR Balrog: But! If Itazan beats Punk, I think he wins!

mushin_Z: Hmm, yeah, we’ve got Itazan. [Turned out, Itabashi Zangief would not beat Punk; Punk was undefeated until grand finals against Tokido.]

Now, if you had one “wish list” pick, one thing to change about Street Fighter V, what would it be?

PR Balrog: Add a defensive option!

mushin_Z: Any defensive option, or something specifically?

PR Balrog: I don’t know — be creative with it! It feels just way too offensive-oriented, even to me. I’m an aggressive player, and I still don’t like that. So I feel a defensive option, any type of defensive option, would be good.

mushin_Z: Are there any particular players in the scene right now that you see as a rival? That you’re thinking, “I wanna take them on, I wanna beat them.”

PR Balrog: In Street Fighter V? [chuckles]

mushin_Z: In any game, actually.

PR Balrog: … Infiltration.

mushin_Z: Infiltration’s your target?

PR Balrog: He’ll always be. If you go back a couple of Evos… I’m still salty about the Hakan!

mushin_Z: Oh, yes, Hakan… [At Evo 2013, Infiltration unexpectedly switched to Hakan against PR Balrog in Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition top eight, and won; his Hakan win also cemented Infiltration’s ongoing reputation as being skilled with multiple characters at any given time in Street Fighter.]

PR Balrog: That settled it, with me… he’s my rival. And also — in America we call them “demons,” Bonchan is my demon. I want to beat him. So, those two!

mushin_Z: There were a lot of new titles on display here this year, that was a big feature of this Evo; did you get out there to try some? Were there any you had some hands-on time with?

PR Balrog: I don’t like playing demos! So I did not try anything…

mushin_Z: You want to wait for the finished product.

PR Balrog: Yes — because every single time that I say something about a demo, it either blows up in the wrong way, or I’m a “shill.” So I’m just gonna stay out of that conversation, and just wait until the game comes out!

mushin_Z: Any of those titles out there something you’re looking forward to in their completed form?

PR Balrog: Of course, Dragon Ball Z [Dragon Ball FighterZ] and Marvel vs. Capcom [Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite]. Also — I saw that BlazBlue has a tag-team… something!

mushin_Z: Yeah! That came of the blue today — er, literally. That was a surprise, I think, for everyone.

PR Balrog: I’m actually excited for that.

mushin_Z: Yeah, Arc System Works and Bandai Namco are doing a good job keeping their secrets! Very awesome. [The trailers for BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle and Geese Howard joining Tekken 7 had been just shown earlier at the arena finals.]

In your own words, what does competing here at Evo mean to you?

PR Balrog: My life. Basically. When I was little, we played a lot… in ’09 I came here, I basically made a name for myself, no sponsor, no nothing… and now I’m here! It’s basically my life, just for the fact that it made me a great person, it made me become a pro player. When you’re a pro player you have so much stress and everything; but as long as you can take that stress out, and just play your heart out… It has made me who I am today.

mushin_Z: Anything you’d like to add in closing for the SRK readers?

PR Balrog: I love you guys, that’s it!

---

Additional sources: Capcom Pro Tour; smash.gg

Shoryuken chats with GamerBee, at Evo 2017.

ZOWIE’s Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang is a popular competitor, well-known for his Necalli in Street Fighter V, but even more so for his play in the Street Fighter IV series with Elena and Adon, earning spots in prior Evo finals. This year, he landed just shy of the Street Fighter V top 32, at 33rd place. He’s currently ranked #23 on this year’s Capcom Pro Tour leaderboard.

It was my pleasure to catch up with GamerBee at Evo, shortly before the Street Fighter V finals at Mandalay Bay on Sunday. Here’s what we talked about — he remains critical of Street Fighter V‘s mechanics while putting a positive spin on what the game means for the FGC as a whole. Replies have been edited for clarity.

---

Zavian “mushin_Z” Sildra: This is Street Fighter V‘s second year at Evo…

Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang: Yes.

mushin_Z: How would you say the competition has changed overall from last year, to this year?

GamerBee: I would think that in the first year, a lot of people were still trying to figure out what is the most effective way to play Street Fighter V… In the first year, you know, the whole game balance was totally different. That year was more like a footsies game, and this year is more like “risk and reward”… so the top tier characters, they get more reward, and you can’t take less risks anymore, because you don’t have as much defensive techniques you can use anymore.

So, for the second year, I will say: we now see a lot of new persons coming out, because in first-to-two, anything can happen… and we see a lot of the younger generation, they don’t have to over-strategize, they only need to play by their instincts. And, also by their reactions. Maybe they have studied top players more, so they know their habits… So I think the second year is more difficult for top players, because we are targets.

mushin_Z: So you think the way the game has changed — between season one and season two — is definitely steering toward a particular kind of play that is encouraging newer players to come up and succeed, rather than older players continuing to adapt and hold their positions?

GamerBee: Yes, I feel like from what I see, the old player is still trying to figure this out… We choose one character, we figure out every possibility for this character, but for the new generation, I feel like for Street Fighter V and esports you now have to look at the whole game, the game balance, and choose the right character to counterpick, or to perform a certain strategy for winning. So, character loyalty will be getting less and less common in the future. That’s what I’m seeing right now.

ZOWIE|GamerBee vs. BX3|Phenom (Evo 2017 SFV top 64)

mushin_Z: So, you first got knocked into the losers bracket by Phenom, if I’m right…

GamerBee: Yeah.

mushin_Z: What can you tell me about that match? What are your thoughts and observations on how that particular fight/match-up turned out?

GamerBee: Well, for the past few months, I’ve lost to Phenom many times… but somehow, [smiling wryly] I still believe my Necalli is better than his!

mushin_Z: [laughs]

GamerBee: I really think so! And every time, I try to prove it. But I’m missing something. I haven’t figured out what it is yet — so I can’t stop him, or I miss something in the game. But I’m confident! I think I still can beat him in the mirror match.

mushin_Z: Phenom is part of that “younger generation” we’re talking about, so he’s approaching the game with a different perspective, he’s approaching Necalli differently than you’re approaching Necalli…

GamerBee: [nods] Yeah.

mushin_Z: I want to see more of how you guys take each other on in the future. Now, it was Machabo that eliminated you ultimately…

GamerBee: [nodding] Yeah!

mushin_Z: Tell me more about that match.

GamerBee: I think Machabo has a really simple playstyle — but, unfortunately, he also plays Necalli, and I played two different Necallis in a very short time… I didn’t transition very well between the matches, and it caused me to lose. And, of course in first-to-two anything can happen; I could have won that match, but Machabo took the risks, and I got hit. I lost.

mushin_Z: What are your thoughts on how Necalli feels now, compared to season one? Are you committed to sticking to him with the current situation? Do you think he’s stronger in season two? Weaker?

GamerBee: I would definitely say Necalli is weaker in season two. But he is still able to win, because he has the damage, he has the mixups. The only thing he has to do — you can’t play safe to win, with Necalli, you have to take risks. And that’s not really my style! Maybe I’m too “old school,” old-fashioned, but I totally think Necalli is still really strong in season two, he definitely can win tournaments. It’s just that now, every tournament is more like playing Poker. I know the strategy, I know what I can win with this “hand,” but still, when people go crazy, I still lose!

mushin_Z: Do you think it falls more into the realm of gambling, or is it more of a mind game, more of a “read”?

GamerBee: Hmm… mind games… It does have mind games, it’s just that the risk/reward is very high right now. It’s supposed to be high [in this game]. So in that regard, every decision becomes more like a gamble. I would say of course it’s a mind game, but on the other side, you have to make a bet with your instincts, so it doesn’t really feel like a mind game at the same time.

mushin_Z: On your SFV “wish list” — you’re talking about how the game forces one type of play — what’s one change you think Capcom needs to make, to make this the type of game you want to play? For you personally, not for the “scene.” What’s GamerBee want?

GamerBee: Let’s make Crush Counters… gone.

mushin_Z: [chuckles] You don’t want to see any Crush Counters? Or just less of them?

GamerBee: This is a really hard decision! I totally understand why Capcom did this. Because they’re making the game easier to play, to attract more viewers — because it’s easier to understand, easier to see upsets. But it seems with the Crush Counter, there’s no defensive option, and things like this make the game so you don’t have to be really skillful; you can still do damage — because in older times, if you wanted to do lots of damage, you needed lots of practice. There was a high skill cap. But now, everyone can do the same high-damage combos, the only different matter is how to hit it. In this game, certain characters have really good Crush Counters, and one Crush Counter can change everything. Even a new player, or one from the middle range… I’m “better” than you, but you can still beat me, because of Crush Counters, and the related knockdown pressure mixups. They can still win. If we take out that thing, it will become like an “older” Street Fighter V… the people like us will prefer it more, because you’ll have to work even harder to get damage and mixups, everything — but maybe some people, especially the younger generation, don’t want that, maybe Capcom doesn’t want that.

mushin_Z: Do you think they’re making a deliberate choice to move the game in a direction that will attract a new generation?

GamerBee: Yes, of course. I’m really sure that’s their strategy. The reason why they have to do this is that we’ve already seen this happen and happen again: every popular fighting game, they have to release a new version. The “Ultra,” the “Super,” and they get more complicated. But every time they get harder, the skill cap is slowly rising… of course people that have stuck with playing will still like the new, harder games, and it makes it more fun to play, for them — and you have to respect the top players, because you know how hard it is. Maybe, Capcom just wants to try something new. Let’s make the game simple, so everyone can get started, and you don’t have to worry about practice; I guess that’s their aim.

mushin_Z: How does it make you feel that there’s this game that you’ve put so much time and effort and focus into — this franchise, that’s now moving in this direction?

GamerBee: OK — the only downside is: I’m lagging, I’m still trying to adapt to a new system. But, but — I do like that Street Fighter V is bringing so many opportunities to the whole fighting game scene. It’s actually a big benefit for everyone. Though I am still struggling to figure out how to play this game — it’s OK, because we get more opportunities than ever before. So, looking to the future, I’d say this has been a good decision [smiling], it’s just I don’t like being the person that has to make the sacrifice!

mushin_Z: [laughs]

GamerBee: I still want to catch up to that boat, that plane, I want to go far with this opportunity! So even we who are struggling, I would still say: maybe we should keep this change right now, because it’s good for everyone.

mushin_Z: To wrap up, is there anything you’d like to personally add for SRK readers?

GamerBee: Hmm… for us foreign users, even though I can speak English, it’s still really hard to use the forum system. It’s a really good place to discuss tips in detail. I want to be part of it! So maybe in the future, how about a section in Chinese, or in Japanese? Every pro player is playing Street Fighter V… SRK is the most important fighting game forum in the world, so I wish we could all discuss the game in the same place. A forum that would be easier for every Mandarin speaker, or Japanese speaker, to use — that would be awesome. I’ve played fighting games for a long time, and we all play differently. If we really want to get stronger in the future, we should really combine everyone together. Like Evo! Every major fighting game is at Evo, we come together into a really strong force that can compete with other esports. In the future, I think we should do that more and more.

mushin_Z: Maybe Evo Japan is a step in this direction.

GamerBee: It’s a start!

---

Additional sources: Capcom Pro Tour; Capcom Fighters; smash.gg