Although Mortal Kombat might have a long and storied history, there’s something special about the most recent installment. After all, in what other game can you pit horror movie star Leatherface and the eponymous Xenomorph against one another in a battle to the death? And in what other game can you have three versions of each of them, all with their own unique styles? In that, and in its own cinematic stylings, Mortal Kombat X has a flair for putting on a show–the MK staple finishers–Fatalities, etc.–might be the best example, but every bout comes with the sort of flavor and design that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster.
At Evo 2016, the best Mortal Kombat players in the world will meet on the greatest stage of them all, each intent on carving their name in the record books. MKX seems to be winding down in favor of upstart brother franchise Injustice’s second entry, so this may well be the last chance these players have to etch their names into Mortal Kombat X’s Evo history, and the $50,000 pot bonus is plenty of extra encouragement to do just that. One thing is for sure; they’re going to put on an unforgettable show.
The Prodigy and the Invader
Whenever he sits down in front of a NetherRealm game, Dominique “SonicFox” McClean is instantly one of the favorites. With more than three years of nearly constant victory behind him, the argument could be made that the teenager is already one of the greatest Mortal Kombat players of all time. His resume includes dozens of major tournament wins in Mortal Kombat 9, Injustice and MKX, along with some staggeringly convincing money match victories over the likes of Mortal Kombat veteran Perfect Legend. He’s no stranger to the Evo stage either, having notched victories in both Injustice and Mortal Kombat. Now, at Evo 2016, he’s looking for the fabled threepeat–victory in three consecutive years.
Hoping to stand in his way in a repeat of last years finals with just one little difference, Problem X Promotions’ Denom “A F0xy Grampa” Jones has spent the last year proving that Mortal Kombat is an international game; North Americans are no longer the only real competition. The Englishman has clashed with SonicFox time and again over recent months, invariably in the grand finals of a major tournament and, thus far at least, the honors are relatively even. Evo is the grandest stage of them all, though, and with this potentially being the final installment of MKX at Evo, it’s Foxy’s best chance of proving that he’s more than just a contender for the best in the world.
At the moment, Evo is looking to be one of the climactic battles in a conflict that has spanned a dozen different battlefields. For SonicFox and A F0xy Grampa, more than just a title will be on the line, and although it would be foolish to see this as the end of the war, it will almost certainly be a slobberknocker worthy of the grandest stage of them all.
Kompeting for more than third place
Though SonicFox might be battling A F0xy Grampa for the title of tournament favorite going into Vegas, Evo will be far more than the story of those two men. Panda Global’s most recent acquisition Brad “Scar” Vaughn has proved more than capable of disrupting the duo’s feud and, with the weight of Panda Global behind him, has more encouragement than ever to do something special at Evo. Watch out for his salt-inspiring Sonya, since in the hands of Scar you’ll see her played at the very highest of levels.
Of course, if Scar wants to play party crasher, he’s going to face some stiff competition from a whole host of others who want to do the same. Evo 2016 sees the strongest teams in the game heading to Vegas, with almost all of Critical Reaction, YOMI, Noble, Evilbizz and Orbit’s players making an appearance. Don’t let the smaller size of MKX’s player pool at Evo this year fool you; almost every major killer in the game will be there, looking to make waves.
Many players who have been successful in previous years are returning to push for the top prize, among them the likes of Tim “Honeybee” Commandeur and Ryan “WoundCowboy” Gonzalez. These are MKX veterans who are strong and experienced enough to make even the best players in the world nervous about facing them. They’ll be battling alongside upstarts like Dragon, Juan “Toxin” Contreras and Matthew “Biohazard” Commandeur, all of whom have made a recent splash with their strong results. For some of them, this could be their first and last chance to show the world what they’re made of in MKX, so expect them to show up with all guns blazing, hoping to make their mark. With more than 700 players battling it out in Las Vegas, there is massive potential for top quality play and even the chance that someone we’ve never heard of will provide some upsets.
And, with such a strong showing from both Canada and Europe, the pressure will be on the American players to defend their home turf. Mortal Kombat has been dominated by the American scene for years; with a whole host of internationals looking threatening, that might be set to change. The crowd will be behind them every step of the way, so watch out for the home team to put a little extra venom in games against the invaders. Equally, this is a fantastic opportunity for other communities to prove that they’re just as capable of winning on the grandest stages, so they’ll no doubt be pushing hard to do just that.
Acid burns and face hugs
One of the characters that will definitely be making its mark at Evo is Alien. Since being released as part of MKX’s Kombat Pack 2, the Xenomorph has become more popular than it has been since the 90s, thanks to a handful of astonishingly strong tools that make it one of the most dominating characters in the game. In the hands of players like SonicFox, Alien tears through rounds at a breakneck pace thanks to residual damage, lengthy combos and devastating mixups. Don’t be surprised if a large chunk of high placing kombatants do so using the Xenomorph; don’t be surprised if the losers show their frustration.
Alien’s not the only standout character in the roster, though; A F0xy Grampa’s signature character, Mileena, is hot on its heels. Mileena may have fewer tools than the Alien does, but she is nonetheless blisteringly effective thanks to her own powerful mixup game. A F0xy Grampa has done the best job of showing off how dangerous she can be, so you can expect to see her played at the highest level during the tournament, though there will no doubt be a handful of other players following in his footsteps.
Series staple Sonya rounds out the trio of top tiers that you can expect to see at Evo, but that doesn’t mean you’ll only see those three at the top level. With such a huge roster and a variety of options and playstyles with each character, MKX has given players the opportunity to express themselves with their favorite characters like never before, and there are plenty of character loyalists who will be doing just that at Evo this year, with players like Honeybee likely to be the only high-level representation of their chosen characters. Watching Honeybee’s D’Vorah or Matrin “Madzin” Niedziala’s Sub-Zero snare games and sets from the best characters and players around is a treat as much thanks to novelty as it is the high level of play on display. Make no mistake, just because they’re using unusual characters doesn’t mean that these aren’t some of the best kompetitors around.
A bittersweet show on the world’s biggest stage
Although signs may point to this being a last hurrah for Mortal Kombat X at Evo, this isn’t a tournament that you’ll want to miss out on. Evo is the greatest stage of them all, and the best kombatants in the world are flocking down to put on a show worthy of it. Hollywood’s scriptwriters couldn’t have done a better job of setting the scene; now it’s up to the players to act out the finale.
We’ll see the strongest in the world duke it out to earn a place on finals day, and to do so they will have to run the gauntlet of killers from around the world. Heading into the tournament we’re left to ask ourselves if SonicFox can really do it again, if A F0xy Grampa can show that the UK can compete with the best the world has to offer, if Scar’s new sponsorship will be a weight around his neck or a broad pair of shoulders to stand upon. Will it be another USA versus UK final? Can one of the up and coming fighters make waves? Or will it be the veterans who walk out onto the stage at Mandalay Bay?
One thing is for sure though; it might be set to kick off Finals Sunday, sitting uneasily in the early morning slot, but MKX is going to give you plenty of reason to rise and shine.
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