Category: Fighting Games

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Nemo puts his Street Fighter V matchup notes to good use against top-ranked Ibuki player Narikun

After witnessing RZR|Xian’s amazing Ibuki at Final Round 20, Alienware’s Naoki “Nemo” Nemoto decided to share some notes about the match up to help players fight the nimble ninja. However, Nemo himself got the chance to put his own notes to good use in an extended online set against the highest-ranked Ibuki online (as of this writing): Narikun. In the video below, recorded by Fighting Game Replays, we can see Nemo applying his own notes, especially regarding Ibuki’s EX kunai usage. Now, while Narikun responds in kind and doesn’t get baited out into wasting his kunai, this allows Nemo to get close up and bully him for the win.

Source: Fighting Game Replays

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Learn how to avoid Leona’s frustrating mixups in this King of Fighters XIV tutorial

Leona is a very strong character, that sees a lot of usage at high-level play on a lot of teams. Many players have trouble countering the character; if she scores a knockdown, she has a plethora of options to lock you down, and any incorrect guess can lead to nearly your entire health bar being diminished. She not only has a low that can be special canceled, an instant overhead that can be special canceled, but also an option select off of the low that can catch rolls.

However, as explained in this video, people are missing one of the most vital options on wake-up against Leona–that not only lets you escape her mixup, but also punish her should she attempt the 50/50–and that is backdash. Outside of characters such as Goro, Kim, K’, Hein, Chin, and Verse, every character can backdash and counter the mixup attempt. This forces Leona to dig a little deeper into her tool box to take rounds off of you.

Source: PlsX

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Secondaries, system changes, and the Street Fighter V seasons: BornFree interviews PR Balrog

Cygames Beast’s new competitor talks about his characters counterpicks and more at Final Round 20.

At Final Round 20, BornFree caught up with Eduardo “PR Balrog” Perez–newly signed to Cygames Beast–to chat him up on a variety of topics. PR Balrog revealed he’s got two secondary fighters for Street Fighter V waiting in the wings for counterpicks: Kolin to handle Cammy’s aerial attacks, and Alex to grapple with Zangief. PR Balrog also describes how Season 2 of SFV is both “more hype to watch” but more stressful to play, and heavily favors rushdown play after the nerfing of meterless invincible DPs.

In this detailed interview, they also talk about what overall system changes Perez would like to see for SFV, as well as his expectations for Balrog after the next balance patch, his worst matchups as the Crazy Buffalo (F.A.N.G, Cammy, Laura, and Zangief), his favorite player of all time (Twitch.Hx.CYG BST|Daigo Umehara), and much more. Check it out below!

Source: BornFree

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Plan out your weekend’s viewing as 2GGaming release the schedule for 2GGC: Civil War

With the forces of Team Ally and Team ZeRo making their last-minute preparations and players flying into SoCal from all around the world, 2GGC: Civil War is almost upon us. Acting as the first seasonal finisher for the 2GG Championship Series, Civil War is required viewing for anyone interested in Smash 4.

Almost everyone from the PGR v2 is attending Civil War, making getting out of pools as difficult as winning a large regional. Esports Arena and 2GG better be handing out life-jackets at the door, as these pools will be deadly. The brackets will be released at around 9:00 PM ET tonight, so watch out for the resulting explosion on Twitter shortly after their release.

Civil War Schedule

As for the stream schedule for anyone not attending, Friday will solely be devoted to doubles with pools starting at 10:00 AM PST. At 2:00 PM, there will be the special character round robin to determine April’s 2GGC Saga, with top 12 doubles set to begin at 4:00 PM.

Saturday will see singles pools going up to top 96, with top 32 starting on Sunday at 10:00 AM. If all goes to plan, top 8 is set to begin at 2:00 PM with the actual Civil War crew battle kicking off at 6:00 PM. The placement of the Civil War crew battle seems a bit unfair to players, as people will be tired and no doubt a little salty after the conclusion of the event. Let’s hope the crew battle does live up to the huge fanfare it has been given over the past few months.

Sources: 2GGaming; smash.gg

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desk exploits an obscure Street Fighter II: The World Warrior glitch for some brand new combos

We all know there’s some truly insane stuff waiting to be found in older titles, and Street Fighter II is no exception. As displayed in the video uploaded today by desk, there is one glitch in particular involving Vega (Claw) that allows him to be hit after a sweep knockdown.

This glitch can be exploited for all sorts of normally impossible combos, such as double fireball combos, mid-combo jump-ins, and sweep loops. desk also takes advantage of another very specific glitch: one that adds a few additional hitstun frames when sweeping someone who is outside of the corner, causing them to be knocked into the corner.

For a full breakdown on how all this works, be sure to check the video description–where desk goes over the details on how he learned about this glitch, and just how long it took to discover this.

Source: desk

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Organizer Carolyn Dao talks region rivalries for Red Bull Proving Grounds: “West Coast = Best Coast”

Over the past week we’ve been talking to all of the organizers involved in the coming Red Bull Proving Grounds qualifying regional events, such as Chicago, Texas, and Vancouver. Next up is a particularly notable regional qualifier, held by the first female event organizer participating in the Red Bull Proving Grounds series. She’s in charge of the NorCal Rivals event, which, as its name implies, is stationed in Northern California. We talked to her about the abundance of potential top players in the area, rivalries, and strong faith in the West Coast Army.

John “Zidiane” Silvia: Would you mind introducing yourself for the folks who don’t know you?

Carolyn Dao: Hi, I’m Carolyn Dao, aka MamaDao. I’ve been hosting NorCal tournaments in my garage since 2012, before I eventually branched off in Macro Micro Gaming’s Alpha Clash, then ShowDown GG’s Churning the Butter. Recently I stepped back from the FGC to go back to school, but Red Bull gave me an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.

Zidiane: So, the event that’s going to be hosting the Red Bull qualifiers is NorCal Rivals, correct?

Carolyn: Yup! It’s the first tournament where I get to be my own boss and call the shots.

Zidiane: Oh really? So it will be your first foray on this level of organization altogether. How did you end up running the event yourself, rather than working under someone else?

Carolyn:  I left ShowDown to focus on school, but Rick “TheHadou” Thiher called me up and asked what they could do to get me to come back. I have a lot of anxiety and the thought of running something myself always scared me, but the other Proving Grounds TOs are all willing to share their support if I need it. I also finally have enough experience where I feel like I’m ready.

Zidiane: Okay. So, it was thrust upon your lap kind of suddenly, but you were ready to step up.

Carolyn: Yeah. They “gave me wings” [laughs].

Zidiane:  So, as far as NorCal Rivals goes, what’s the player base like there? It is of course NorCal, there’s a lot of history and great players there, but what does it look like from your perspective?

Carolyn: A lot of our players are pretty much some of the best in the world. Although there is the CPT point rule for Proving Grounds that will knock out the obvious choices like Justin Wong, FChamp, KBrad and Ricki Ortiz, we still have great players like EchoFox’s Julio Fuentes, LPN, Snake Eyez, the Jeon Brothers, Kelvin & Brian, Rom, Pavocado, El Cubano Loco, WinterFox’s XSK Samurai, and a ton more.

Zidiane: From what it sounds like, you guys have more great players than you know what to do with.

Carolyn: The best part is they’re all hungry to play. Traveling to SoCal last year was what really held them back from Proving Grounds.

Zidiane: The location is much better for you guys now?

Carolyn: It’s literally five minutes from the main gaming house that includes Julio, Kelvin, Brian, me, and Joser. So, it’s amazing.

Zidiane: I’m sure it was expected that NorCal would be able to compete in some fashion, but that seems particularly great. I bet everyone was thrilled with that announcement.

Carolyn: Yeah, a lot of people were just excited to see me back. They were saying that Rivals is the “revival” of the NorCal FGC. Plus, the venue is Dave and Busters, which is a great place to grab a drink after a really salty match.

Zidiane: So, NorCal is about as West Coast as you can get, as far as this whole WC vs EC rivalry thing goes. I’ve talked to a few other TOs this past week, but they all sort of didn’t really consider themselves part of East or West Coast. Does the West Coast branding mean something more to you and your players?

Carolyn: For a long time, it was always the NorCal vs. SoCal rivalry, so we didn’t really focus on East Coast as a threat. I’m not a player, so I can’t really talk about how they feel competition-wise. Tournament wise, I always see them calling us “too esports,” but I think that’s important for the growth of the game. In a way, Proving Grounds sort of feels like a sports anime where the 2 rival teams need to work together to fight a bigger threat.

Zidiane: So, if one or the other of you makes it to that final stage against East Coast, do you think there’ll be cooperation to take out whichever East Coast team is standing in the way?

Carolyn: Oh, for sure. NorCal and SoCal travel back and forth a lot just to train, so when the time comes we’ll definitely have each-others’ backs. Even during the ESL East vs West King of the Hill, the West Coast collectively helped each other train in their matchups.

Zidiane: So, in a way, whoever makes it to that stage, you’re already planning on making sure they have all of West Coast’s support.

Carolyn: Yup! West Coast = Best Coast.

Zidiane: As far as your players go, do you have any idea of who might make that top 3 and represent NorCal? It sounded like you had a lot of killers out there, but do you have your money on anyone specific?

Carolyn: It’s hard to tell with the CPT points being a barrier of entry, but my top picks will be Julio Fuentes, LPN, and one of the Jeon brothers.

Zidiane: Can you give a bit of background on them, for people who haven’t heard of them yet?

Carolyn: Julio, who is now currently Echo Fox, is arguably one of the best Kens out there and has been passionately playing since 3rd strike. I knew he was a hidden gem when I helped “sponsor” him back in 2012 for SFIV:AE. LPN is our “jack of all trades” player on Circa that is focusing on Alex and Birdie last time I checked. Players need to really stay on their toes to keep up with him. The Jeon brothers include Kelvin Jeon and Brian Jeon aka “bjUNCHAINED.” To be honest this is my favorite rivalry to watch because they always go toe to toe and the sibling rivalry hits too close to home. That’s probably why I couldn’t choose just one in my top 3 list. Kelvin is a Mika turned Urien player, and Brian is a Necalli with a hint of Karin player. I love this top 3 list because even during the Churning the Butter days, you could never tell who was going to take 1st.

Zidiane: Sounds like there are rivalries every which way.

Carolyn: Yeah, I put a lot of thought into the name.

Zidiane: So, as far as the Proving Grounds itself, you’ll of course need to compete against everyone else on the West Coast in a round robin, but there’s only one East Coast team to worry about at the end. If you guys make it to that level, do you have any opinions on who you’d want to go up against from East Coast? Anyone you’d rather avoid, or someone you think you guys could take?

Carolyn: Avoiding players is for the weak and free! in terms of players to watch out for, I would keep an eye out for Smug, Dieminion, Idom, Alucard, Shine, and now Punk who is breaking out at a fast pace.

Zidiane: Hmm. The past TOs seemed ready to prove themselves, but you seem like you’re ready for the final stages already! It’ll be great, seeing what NorCal does in the coming days. That’s about it for my questions today, though. Did you have any last words you wanted to say before heading out?

Carolyn: I’d like to really thank Red Bull for giving me this opportunity to step up to the plate. There are a lot of expectations and I’ll try my hardest to hold up to them. Also, shout outs to 10/0 productions for mentoring me and listening when I need to vent. I’m happy and pumped to be back!

If you enjoyed hearing about this TO, be sure to check out the other interviews we have with other regional organizers: Chicago, Texas, & Vancouver.

[Feature image by Avery Wong Photography]

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Kofi Kingston vs. 16-Bit in a Kitana mirror; Sasha Banks & Bayley run the Gauntlet on UpUpDownDown Plays

Last week, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Sasha Banks, Bayley and the UpUpDownDown crew visited NetherRealm Studios in Chicago for the exclusive reveal of Firestorm in Injustice 2. While they were there, they also filmed additional footage for two of the channel’s regular segments: “UpUpDownDown Plays” and “Gamer Gauntlet.”

As UpUpDownDown viewers know, Kofi Kingston prides himself on being a solid Kitana player in Mortal Kombat XL, with many victories over WWE Superstars to his credit. But now, he faces NRS quality-assurance tester and multiple Evo top 8-placer Steve “16-Bit” Brownback in a first-to-3 Kitana mirror match, with both utilizing the Royal Storm variation. Will the self-proclaimed “washed-up” former member of Galloping Ghost Arcade remind us why he was once the best player of the Edenian princess in the world–or will the power of positivity from Xavier, Sashsa, Bayley and NRS Community Specialist Tyler Lansdown lead “Mr. 24/7” to a surprising upset victory?

“Gamer Gauntlet,” features the fourth meeting between Sasha Banks and Raw Women’s Champion Bayley–following their battles for the NXT Women’s Championship–as well as a clash in MKXL. However, their battleground this time is a FT3 in Injustice 2. With Kingston, Woods, Bit and Lead Combat Designer Paulo Garcia looking on, “The Boss” chooses Black Canary, Batman, Atrocitus, Aquaman, and Supergirl, with “The Hugger” using Blue Beetle, Dr. Fate, Swamp Thing, Aquaman, and Harley Quinn. Though the gameplay isn’t the best you’ll ever see, we do get to see how Dr. Fate’s Trait works, as it makes his hands glow red until the meter depletes, likely enhancing his various spell-based attacks. There is also a noticeable graphical improvement to the character’s faces. Also included is Sasha’s punishment, where she is forced to eat two sriracha sauce-covered habanero peppers, as Bayley, Kofi, Woods, the New Day’s Big E and Titus O’Neil look on.

You can see both videos below; for more Injustice 2 content, you can check out Firestorm’s gameplay trailer–which includes footage of Green Arrow and Catwoman–here. You can also read up on the title’s in-game currency, Source Crystals, here.

The next character reveal is scheduled for March 23rd. Injustice 2 will be released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 16th.

Source: UpUpDownDown

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Catch the exciting runback between Smug and NuckleDu in the SXSW Fighters Underground Grand Finals

PIE|Smug and Liquid|NuckleDu have quite the rivalry brewing on this year’s tournament circuit. After NuckleDu’s declaration that Next Level Battle Circuit is free (after defeating Smug at Final Round 20), Smug had even more than personal pride and victory at stake in going to South by Southwest’s Fighters Underground tournament: he wanted the 2016 Capcom Cup champion to eat his words.

And Smug made sure to cook up those words and serve them hot to NuckleDu in the Grand Finals. While it looked like NuckleDu–who was in the losers bracket–would reset the bracket, Smug quickly adjusted to take the win. The replay below is well worth the watch.

Source: YogaFlame24

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VesperArcade explains the V-Reversal and charging changes in Street Fighter V’s upcoming balance patch

After taking a look at Capcom’s modifications for Dragon Punches and the jump/back throw tech option select that will be implemented in Street Fighter V’s late April balance patch, VesperArcade next explains the alterations that will be made to V-Reversals and charge moves.

The V-Reversal change is fairly simple to explain: for some reason, when being activated from a crouching block instead of a standing block, all V-Reversals currently take an extra frame to come out. According to VesperArcade:

Though that isn’t really a big deal, it doesn’t make sense from a gameplay standpoint. So Capcom doesn’t want to encourage players to just stand and block, leaving yourself open to low attacks, just so your V-Reversal comes out faster. That’s just silly. I guess the worst-case scenario is that one extra frame could possibly give your opponent enough time to block your V-Reversal , or even worse, bait it, jump, and land with an attack, before you would recover and not be able to block it. So the easiest solution Capcom has done is simply make V-Reversals activate 1 frame faster while crouching. Now both are the same speed, so you don’t have to worry about if you’re standing or crouching.

The change to charge attacks, however, is much more complicated; the “hold frames” for charge moves have been increased from 6 to 10 frames.

What they did was increase the input buffer window for charge moves. So this has already been changed once, in case you guys forgot. When the game first launched, the input buffer window for charge moves was 12 frames. But then they recently lowered it to 6 frames, so that’s what we’re playing with now. Basically, they cut the total time in half. This is the amount of time you have after you charge to press a button and finish the input before you lose the charge.

Utilizing Guile, Alex and Urien as examples, VesperArcade goes over the pros and cons of this decision:

One of the pros–and the main reason why Capcom changed this–is to keep unintentional charge moves from coming out when you don’t want them to. So basically, they wanted to tighten the leniency. They didn’t want you to just accidentally do charge moves if the charge was for too long. So what about the cons of this change? For one, it’s harder to pre-charge buffer, since we have less time to keep our previous Charge in the first place. Another con is that it’s a lot harder to do down charge specials into standing attacks. So for example, Canceling Guile’s standing light kick into a Flash Kick, that was hard to begin with. Now that window’s cut in half, so you’ve got to do it a lot faster now. So as you guys can see, there are a lot more cons to this change than pros, and as such, Capcom has listened and extended the window to 10 frames now. So when the game launched, it was 12, then they changed it to 6 now, then coming in April, they’re bringing it to 10. So, it’s not quite as long as when the game first came out, but I think it’s a good middle ground, a good compromise. So when the April patch comes out, players that play charge characters should feel a bit more leniency now for doing their charge attacks.

You can catch the full video–with visual examples of these changes–below. Stay tuned, as VesperArcade intends to go over the character balance changes in detail for all 20 characters that will be impacted.

Source: VesperArcade

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Cheetah carves up the competition in her introductory Injustice 2 trailer

Revealed in a compilation trailer for many of Injustice 2’s female fighters and shown off in one of NetherRealm’s Watchtower streams, Cheetah has finally received her own introductory trailer. As you can imagine, Cheetah is one of the faster fighters on the Injustice roster, using her superior speed to savage her enemies with combos that rapidly switch between high and low strikes.

Mixups and resets look like Cheetah’s bread and butter, with throws that allow her to switch sides or leave her at an advantage when the opponent gets up from the ground. She has a short range crawl that hits low, alongside a huge leap which can be meter-burned to have Cheetah drop from the sky and pin her opponent to the ground with a series of brutal slashes. Like her other throws, this then gives her ample opportunity to plan a meaty setup on her opponent. Her super is quite familiar to long time fighting fans–looking a lot like Spiderman’s Maximum Spider from the Marvel series.

If you’re a fan of characters like Sabrewulf, Cheetah should be right up your street. This trailer also shows off the second screen transition for the Batcave stage, as well as a new stage which seems to be set in a museum in Wonder Woman’s homeland of Themyscira. Injustice 2 will launch for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on May 16th.

Source: Injustice