Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.
Natan “Mister Crimson” Massol has been sort of a complex player this season. Hailing from France, he managed to close out his season by getting in via the Global Leaderboard, and he has ran a unique mix of characters in Street Fighter V to make his mark.
With his run this year, will he be able to make the field see red?
Mixed Martial Arts
Out of the players in the tournament, he has the most unique blend of characters I’ve seen. Playing Dhalsim, we have see him live by the Yogi’s opening statement of “I’m not very fond of conflict.” He plays a much more defensive and reactive game, far less dependent on the teleport mixups seen from other Dhalsim players such as Save or PG|Filipino Champ. This allows him to focus on frustrating opponents by forcing tons of mistakes in their approach, as he is one of the best at this reactive game with the character. As it takes a lot of focus and experience to understand the way to shut down approaches with Dhalsim’s unique ranges and angles of attacks, this shows a considerable amount of attention and understanding of Dhalsim.
When he is not pushing players out, he is doing his best to keep players right in front of him with Laura. He is completely able to change the gear as necessary to switch between the two characters’ gameplans at the drop of a hat–and makes it work.
Multiple Wins
Whereas a player such as Ryan Hart has won only a single local event, Massol doesn’t fit in this category. Having won Cannes Winter Clash and one of the European Online Ranking Events, Mister Crimson has proven himself a winner.
While these are the only two events listed that he has won, they are two more than one of the greatest European players of all time. It is not necessarily going to catapult him to the top of everyone’s brackets, but it does stand for something, as far as his stock is concerned.
Exclusivity
Yet again–like most of Europe–he has remained a hermit this season. He is probably the most exclusive European making his way to Capcom Cup this year, having not yet made it to any event in North America or Asia all season. This is a crippling issue for him: whereas everyone else in Europe has had moderate international experience, he has had very little–only equivalent to whichever North American or Asian players made their way to Europe’s majors. Like a number of Europe’s players, when he has played against Asian players, he has faltered. It is an eventuality that he has not prepared for.
Double-Edged Characters
With his Dhalsim, the same issues as Filipino Champ apply to him. Eventually the top players will crack through his impregnable defensive game. He will eventually have to switch up and begin mixing up his play. Is he ready for this, or will he switch to Laura at the first sign of defensive trouble?
If he does, he may find an even harder uphill battle. Laura is not a respected character in the game this season–she seems to be regarded as a poor man’s R. Mika. Whatever Laura does, Mika does better. Whatever pressure Massol puts on has to be smart, as any mistakes made will be far more unsafe than most characters have to worry about.
Final Thoughts
Given who he’s playing, it’s a toss-up to see who wins. It’s going to be a tough road for Mister Crimson no matter what. He could easily go 0-2 or 1-2, as I feel that he instead will be the one seeing red.