Last year, Nemo had to fight tooth and nail to get into Capcom Cup. He did so by winning the last chance qualifier in stunning fashion against Infiltration. Then for good measure, he made it all the way to third place at Capcom Cup itself, capping off one of the most impressive runs in fighting game history.
With his berth clinched through the Asian Regional slot, will he replicate the same success as last year?
Destroy
Nothing that can be said about Nemo’s Urien hasn’t already been said. He has long been the originator of Urien tech, showing off stunning displays of Aegis Reflector usage, zoning, V-Skills, and beautiful hit confirms.
While Urien may have dropped slightly in the tiers since Season 2, Nemo has hardly slipped. It’s really hard to find an active Urien that has been complete of a player as Nemo has been. With players like Dogura focusing primarily on Dragon Ball FighterZ, and upcoming Urien mains like Sabour and Ryusei barely travelling, Nemo has been the most consistent, easily.
Not Winning
Much like last year, Nemo hasn’t won much. In fact, this is worse than last year; at least last year he had a second place under his belt at East Coast Throwdown. This year, the closest he got to such a placing is third at Tokyo Game Show.
While that in itself is admirable — a third at a tough Premier over second at a smaller Ranking event — it doesn’t mean that he’s capable of winning a tournament like Capcom Cup. Last year for me would’ve been the year he could’ve done it, given the tear he went on to win the LCQ just to make it in at all.
But he doesn’t even have a primer tournament such as this to give him the confidence that he might be able to win everything. This could be one of his sails without wind.
Clutch Factor
But it’s really hard to take away Nemo’s clutch factor. In so many sets in 2017 at Capcom Cup, he seemed to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. Going down two games to Didimokof and coming back to take the set, after Didimokof looked incredibly in control.
And this wasn’t the only set where this happened. Problem X also suffered the same 3-2 defeat at the hands of Nemo. When he wasn’t doing that, there were multiple 3-0 victories on his hands. So while many would fold under that level of mental exhaustion, Nemo seems to soar.
Final Thoughts
It’s not outside the realm of possibility that we could see Nemo in the top 8 once more. He still has all the tools, and is very good at adapting on the fly. I would say it’s harder because he doesn’t have the momentum to ride like he did last year, but that adrenaline rush doesn’t always guarantee a good performance.
Will he win it all? Most likely not. While he’s got a great clutch factor, riding that alone doesn’t always guarantee results either. He would literally have to play far less with his back to the wall to convince me he could do that. But given his results this year, he hasn’t.
CAPCOM CUP 2018 ANALYSIS SERIES
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Tokido finally hoist the cup?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will MenaRD claim the throne once again?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Is the third time the charm for Problem X?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: How Sako made me eat my words in two tournament wins
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Fujimura take the title in his third shot at the cup?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Is Fuudo more poised this year than last?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Justin Wong finally make top 8?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: How will NuckleDu reclaim his lost throne?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Oil King cut his opponents as short as his shorts?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will NL capitalize on his stellar 2018?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Daigo Umehara finally scale the one height he has yet to reach?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Has Luffy prepared enough to make a serious run this year?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Has Haitani Improved Enough?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Has Xiao Hai finally fixed his focus issue?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Is Big Bird big enough to take it?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Caba prove Dominican domination at Capcom Cup?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Phenom stand out as phenomenal?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Gachikun survive his fateful first round?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Xian be quickly on the top 8 scene?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Is momentum on CJ Truth’s side?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Bonchan let out a roar?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Has Punk put himself in the right position for this year?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Mago’s top tier pick work out for him?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Itabashi Zangief shift into overdrive?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Momochi put his opponents on ice?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will StormKUBO fill a giant pile of bodybags?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Verloren be able to reclaim his status as best Cammy?
- Capcom Cup 2018 Analysis: Will Angry Bird knock over everyone’s tower of dreams?
