Mad Catz No Longer Sponsoring Capcom Pro Tour Event at Tokyo Game Show

Mad Catz has had a rough year. On top of cutting 37% of their staff back in February, parting ways with the illustrious Mark “MarkMan” Julio soon thereafter, and (officially) dropping Tokido and Mago from their team of sponsored players, things didn’t seem like they could get much worse.

But things, sadly, aren’t always what they seem. The Mad Catz team took to Twitter yesterday to announce that they will be pulling their sponsorship for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show tournament, one of the many stops on this year’s Capcom Pro Tour.

Those concerned about what this means for the Tokyo Game Show itself need not worry, as representatives from Capcom were quick to note that the tournament is still very much a go, even without the support of the much loved peripheral maker. While many details surrounding the event remain unknown, we can find comfort in the fact that the tournament will still happen.

Tokyo Game Show is set to take place September 15.

Source: Mad Catz via The Daily Dot

Take Part in the Killer Instinct Pro League this Weekend

While it’s not yet been a full month since the release of Killer Instinct Season 3, new adopters of the game have still had a good bit of time to train up, and those who’ve been with the title since its original release have had time to adapt to the changes the third season brought. That means it’s the perfect time for the first official Killer Instinct Pro League tournament, which is set to take place this weekend. The event is free to enter, happens entirely online, and there is no cap on the bracket.

If you’ve been tearing up your local scene or making waves online, this weekend will be the perfect chance to show the world what you’ve got, and possibly earn some Killer Instinct World Cup ranking points at the same time.

Pools for the event begin Sunday, April 17 at 11AM PDT (2PM EDT), and the top 8 will go live on the Killer Instinct Twitch channel at 3PM PDT (6PM EDT).

For full details and rules for the event, as well as to sign up for yourself, head over to the official rules page.

Source: 8BitBeatdown via Keits

Pokkén Tournament Breaks One Thousand Entrants for Evo 2016

Late last night, the Cannon brothers took to Twitter to make an exciting announcement with regard to Pokkén Tournament’s Evo 2016 showing. The first part of the announcement, from Tony Cannon, noted a definite excitement surrounding the game at the upcoming event, and included the hashtag “#TresZeros.” Folks could have made a guess at what that message meant, but Tom decided to clarify his brother’s message by noting that the game’s number of entrants has officially hit the point where it now requires its first comma.

Their excitement isn’t misplaced, either, as Pokkén has only been available outside of arcades since last month, so a showing even half this size would be impressive. Registration is still open, too, so grab your R. Pika or Charizard and let’s see if we can increase that number even more before the tournament.

Evo 2016 is set to take place from 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sources: Tom Cannon, Tony Cannon

Churning the Butter #71 feat. Street Fighter V Streaming Live from San Francisco, California

The folks behind Churning the Butter have just gone live with another installment of their weekly tournament series, taking over Folsom Street Foundry in San Francisco, California to host Street Fighter V for local players.

Tonight, viewers can look forward to seeing Nando, Alex Myers, Graham Wolfe and plenty of other top talent in the game throw down!

Watch live video from showdowngg on www.twitch.tv

Want to check these tournaments out for yourself? Well, you’re in luck, because even if you missed out this week, Churning the Butter is held every Thursday at 8:00 PM PDT during ShowDown’s game night at Folsom Street Foundry.

Source: ShowDown

ESAM Discusses Pikachu’s Worst Matchups in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Panda Global’s ESAM recently offered his opinions on how Pikachu stacks up against the rest of the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U cast in the form of a matchup chart. Tier lists and charts of this nature often remain just that: lists and charts; however, ESAM has decided to take the time to discuss what it is about every match Pikachu faces that makes it come out in his favor or not.

This first video in the series takes a look at what ESAM considers to be Pikachu’s worst three–and only three disadvantageous–matches: Ness, Mr. Game and Watch, and Mario.

If you’ve found yourself unable to Skull Bash your way through these three fights in particular, be sure to check out the video below for some tips.

Source: ESAM

ESAM Discusses Pikachu’s Worst Matchups in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Panda Global’s ESAM recently offered his opinions on how Pikachu stacks up against the rest of the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U cast in the form of a matchup chart. Tier lists and charts of this nature often remain just that: lists and charts; however, ESAM has decided to take the time to discuss what it is about every match Pikachu faces that makes it come out in his favor or not.

This first video in the series takes a look at what ESAM considers to be Pikachu’s worst three–and only three disadvantageous–matches: Ness, Mr. Game and Watch, and Mario.

If you’ve found yourself unable to Skull Bash your way through these three fights in particular, be sure to check out the video below for some tips.

Source: ESAM

Infiltration Talks Training, Korean Players to Watch, and More in Interview with Core-A Gaming

The folks at Core-A Gaming recently got the chance to talk to Razer’s Infiltration. This interview is a little bit different than what we’re typically used to seeing in the fighting game community, as it takes place in Infiltration’s home. This setting offers a more intimate look at the life he lives when he’s not adding another medal to his wall, which you’ll see is positively loaded at the moment.

An interview with a top player wouldn’t be complete without some discussion regarding their training regimen. Infiltration notes that he prefers training mode to playing against others online, and goes on to say that he likes to look at the situations he sets up in The Grid as exercises in problem solving.

He also addresses his first two premier event victories and the lack of MCZ|Daigo appearing at either of them, though he says he’s looking forward to seeing how strong The Beast will be once he starts making his way out to premier events on the Capcom Pro Tour. Daigo isn’t the only other player Infiltration discusses, though, as he makes note of a number of strong Korean players from other fighting games who have shown promise in the newest Street Fighter title.

Do you think Infiltration can keep his winning streak on the Capcom Pro Tour going? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Core-A Gaming

Pokkén Tournament Championship Series Event to Be Held at DreamHack Austin 2016

Back in January, The Pokémon Company shared plans to hold a series of Pokkén Tournament competitions culminating in the Pokémon World Championships event in San Francisco, California in August.

Earlier today, the folks at DreamHack Austin announced that their upcoming event will be one of the many stops on the way to that final showdown. Not only will the tournament–a Masters Division Minor–afford its winner a spot in the World Championships, it also includes a total of $5,000 in prizes, as well as Championship Points for runners up. If you’re itching to show off your Chandelure, you can sign up here.

DreamHack Austin is set to take place May 6-8. For more information surrounding this Pokkén Tournament event, as well as DreamHack Austin itself, head over to the event’s official page below.

Source: DreamHack Austin

Pokkén Tournament Championship Series Event to Be Held at DreamHack Austin 2016

Back in January, The Pokémon Company shared plans to hold a series of Pokkén Tournament competitions culminating in the Pokémon World Championships event in San Francisco, California in August.

Earlier today, the folks at DreamHack Austin announced that their upcoming event will be one of the many stops on the way to that final showdown. Not only will the tournament–a Masters Division Minor–afford its winner a spot in the World Championships, it also includes a total of $5,000 in prizes, as well as Championship Points for runners up. If you’re itching to show off your Chandelure, you can sign up here.

DreamHack Austin is set to take place May 6-8. For more information surrounding this Pokkén Tournament event, as well as DreamHack Austin itself, head over to the event’s official page below.

Source: DreamHack Austin

Boodendorf Takes Another Extensive Look at Combos in Pokkén Tournament

Pokkén Tournament has been out on Wii U consoles for just shy of a month now, and people have had plenty of time to digest this unique new fighting game. Though the characters present may not immediately look capable of doling out destruction in large doses, many of the combos you’re about to witness argue otherwise.

In this newest combo exhibition, Boodendorf showcases combos for every Pokémon in the game. Additionally, many of these strings play with the game’s unique systems, often leaving the attacking player in an advantageous position thanks to the debuffs placed on the target. Of course, some of these combos have no place in actual matches because the style-to-damage ratio largely favors style, but they’re still fun to see.

Source: Boodendorf