Category: Fighting Games

Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez has had a roller coaster year. From winning Evo 2016 after several years of struggling to make it to the top, going through the ringer for his rant about Street Fighter V, then getting signed by Evil Geniuses in the mass free agency period. At Frosty Faustings IX, I sat down with Chris to talk about everything that’s happened in this last year, all things Marvel, and what exactly happened after he won Marvel at Evo.

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Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: Chris, you had one of the best years of your life last year, with the Evo 2016 win at Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez: Actually, to be honest, it was one of the worst years of my life, aside from winning Marvel.

Missing Person: Really? How did that come about?

NYChrisG: Being in New York and such, I had a sponsorship, and I went everywhere. Even if it was a 20-man tournament. I was on the grind 24/7. Things were going well. When I moved to the West Coast, things didn’t pan out how I wanted. I started traveling a lot less. To make matters worse, I didn’t have a sponsor. Two years ago, when I got 9th at Evo, I was playing League of Legends all day. Even the night before Evo, I was playing League instead of Marvel. When I got 9th, it really hit me. I started wondering, “Wow, what happened?”

As the months went by, I decided to play League less, and to start building up my stream. Things were starting to go well, but I still didn’t have a sponsor, so I still wasn’t traveling so much. When Street Fighter V was released, I couldn’t really show my progress in the game. A few people were approaching me with sponsorship offers, but none of them were worthwhile pursuing.

Honestly, when Evo 2016 came around, I wasn’t even planning on going.

Missing Person: Really?

NYChrisG: Yeah, but the thing was, someone I knew was working with a team who was interested in me. But for some reason, they wanted to wait until after Evo to talk to me. This guy sponsored me himself to go to Evo. He paid for the entirety of my trip, and put me up with him for the weekend. When I won Evo, it was kind of weird how everything had to fall into place a certain way for it to happen.

I figured that this year was going to be the biggest year for Marvel, and getting on the stage at Mandalay Bay was super important. In the months leading up to the event, I trained really hard. You could see in the matches leading up to Top 8 that I was shaking violently; I wanted to get on the stage so bad. Even though I was confident that I could make Top 8, the pressure to do so made it super hard for some reason.

When I finally made top 8, I was much more comfortable and was able to approach my matches more easily.

Missing Person: You looked more comfortable than I’ve ever seen you play during Top 8.

NYChrisG: Exactly. It felt easier going through everybody, because to be honest, FOX|Justin [Wong] was my hardest match.

Missing Person: I know he’s been a demon for you in Marvel for a long time.

NYChrisG: We have always gone back and forth, and we’ve played each other at Evo every year. I think I beat him first, then he beat me the next two years. Then I beat him last year off-stream to put him into loser’s bracket. Then Top 8 [in 2016] was pretty much a tiebreaker for us, and I pulled the win out.

Missing Person: You basically played like you had nothing to lose.

NYChrisG: Yeah, we were already up on the biggest stage fighting games had ever seen! It was win-win at that point! After Justin, things just seemed easier. I was able to 3-0 everyone leading up to Kane Blueriver. I managed to lose the first game to Kane, but then that was that. I buckled down and got the next six straight. Then it was just pure relief. After these last two years of being in Southern California struggling, to finally have that big sigh of relief, it was suddenly worth it.

But I was so in the zone at the time, that when I won, I was sitting down ready to keep beating Kane. When they finally said I won, I thought, “Wait, really? Damn, I finally won!” It was crazy to think that I could finally pull it off on that stage.

And people still believed that I could do it. And amazingly, everyone wanted me to do it. Obviously, before, I was the villain of Marvel. Everyone acted like, “ChrisG hasn’t won Evo, but screw him anyway! He doesn’t deserve to win Evo.” I guess last year, finally people recognized my effort and said, “You have to end this. You have to get the monkey off your back.”

Missing Person: With the Evo win, something stereotypically Marvel happened. What exactly was going on between you and the guy that people now refer to as “The Ghost of Marvel,” who jumped on stage and confronted you after your win?

NYChrisG: That was the biggest question mark I’ve ever had to witness or be a part of. The stream chat still asks me every day about it. “What did that guy say to you on stage? Who was that guy?”

First of all, apparently this guy was playing casuals all weekend, but people stopped wanting to play with him because he seemed off. What I’m thinking happened is that he came up on stage just to play. I have no idea why he thought that he could. But somehow he thought it was okay.

Regardless of that, prior to the Top 8, he had a shirt on when he came into Mandalay. And when he came up on stage, he didn’t have his shirt on or even with him. And somehow, no one saw him when he rushed the stage! It’s like he pulled an Unsolved Mystery with security. I’m on stage reveling in my win, elated that I pulled this off. Justin gives me a hug. Then I turn around and this guy is right in my face! At first I think, “Alright, maybe it’s a fan. Maybe he’s just giving me props.”

He says, “Congratulations,” and reaches his hand out to shake mine. I thank him and grab his hand and shake it. Then all of a sudden, I try to let go and turn back around, but he was still holding on to me. I turn back around and he looks at me with a deadpan face and says something along the lines of, “You’re not done here. You can’t leave. You have to play me.”

And I was just stunned. Then he shows me his controller, and I’m thinking to myself, “What the hell?” But I just look at him and say, “No, I can’t.” [laughs] But it was weird, because I had no clue what to do while he was legitimately clutching my hand for ten seconds. For some reason, when I turned back around, I patted him the shoulder. I didn’t know what else to do! This was an awkward situation!

But then for some reason, he decides to go sit down and plug his controller in at the station! That’s when [Mr. Wizard] decided, “Yo, this isn’t happening. Does anybody know this guy?” Then they called for security.

The funny thing was, that right after that, security was heightened for the rest of the games.

Missing Person: Only Marvel, right?

NYChrisG: Only in Marvel can the ultimate thuggery such as this happen.

Missing Person: Because I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that the guy just immediately said, “Money match me now.”

NYChrisG: It would’ve been better if he had said that! It was really weird, because he’s saying that I can’t even leave. Seriously? His face was so serious, that it was crazy, and I had no idea what he could’ve done! I was starting to wonder, “Am I going to have to hit this guy if he doesn’t let go of my hand?”

Missing Person: Fast forward to 2017, and you’re now signed with Evil Geniuses. How do you feel after waiting so long for a sponsor?

NYChrisG: It’s a huge relief. Before I got sponsor, I was having to do it all on my own. I was going to tournaments, but when I started doing really well, I started feeling like I needed to get rewarded for my success.

When I started seeing people losing their sponsors left and right and teams disbanding, I started getting concerned. I started wondering if this was really the direction of the FGC. When all these random teams were approaching me, I couldn’t accept. I was concerned that they weren’t legitimate.

Despite 2016 being one of my most difficult years, it seemed like just before the ball dropped on 2017, everything aligned. I won Evo, I was a free agent. Then with the second season of Street Fighter V, Injustice 2 being announced–with me being strong in the original–the port of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 being released on PlayStation 4, and then Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite got announced! Suddenly it felt like 2017 would be my year. I was really excited.

I was working on deals with other people, and my stream was getting big in less than a year. Things were actually looking pretty up. Shortly after that, Evil Geniuses contacted me. I was always close with the guys in EG, but it never really panned out for me to join. It was really weird how everything fell into place for me to join.

So now I’m here wearing this jersey, and they are treating me really well. I get to travel again. I don’t have to worry about all the things I was worried about.

Missing Person: What is your wish list for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite? I know you have to have some ideas in mind.

NYChrisG: I have a list. I do want Gambit, because apparently the X-Men could be DLC. Actually, in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, I mained Charlie [Nash], and I’ve also liked him throughout the vs. series, so I would like to have him back. I do have my Morrigan already. But if I could name some other Capcom characters, I would go with Bass from Mega Man. On the Marvel side, my biggest character would be Nightcrawler.

Missing Person: That’s an interesting one, and one that hasn’t been in a Vs. game yet.

NYChrisG: Which is crazy, because the Vs. series is all about going ham. Wesker plays like how I would expect Nightcrawler to play. If Wesker doesn’t make the roster, I would like a character that is pretty similar to him, which would be Nightcrawler.

Missing Person: With Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, you’ve banked your career on Morrigan/Doctor Doom/Vergil. How do you play that team competitively in tournaments and not suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome at this point?

NYChrisG: [laughs] It’s really stressful to play that team for a full day. If I play casuals at an event, I hold back and don’t do Astral Vision a lot. I’m trying not to tire myself out for the tournament. To keep going in Marvel for a full day while also playing other events, it’s just not worth it. With me playing more lately, I’m cutting back on not going all out all the time, and to conserve my hand strength.

Missing Person: Do you feel like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is going to make it in to Evo 2017, with the Players’ Choice voting?

NYChrisG: Yes, it’s looking like it’s boiling down to three titles in Killer Instinct, Pokkén Tournament, and Marvel. There’s always a chance that some trolls that want to see the world burn that will spend a mass amount to see a title like ARMS or Nidhogg take the slot. They could do that without ever actually having played or spectated the game. I’ve already seen people putting up pages to donate “for a good cause,” and hiding that it’s for these games.

It’s a weird thing. Because in 2013, Melee got in and it revitalized the scene. But if your game doesn’t win, people are going to feel dejected, and kind of want their money back. But I’d love to see Marvel get back in, but with a set up like this, you never know

Missing Person: How do you feel about a chance to repeat in it?

NYChrisG: It would be great, and there’s a lot of people in the scene supporting this game to make it possible. There’s a ton of donors that are just throwing in $5, because that’s the most they have. I mean, with Marvel, the players aren’t always the most well off financially. But you can tell by the amount of donors that there’s still a huge draw for the game. But with the way the voting works, someone could swoop in at zero hour and create a huge windfall for a random game and Marvel is out.

Missing Person: With Street Fighter V, you’ve definitely put in your two cents on how you feel the changes have affected the game. Are you feeling anything differently since?

NYChrisG: Well, to put it in perspective, I played Street Fighter V teams at Frosty Faustings with Liquid|NuckleDu and PG|RayRay. We did pretty good, but still lost. And we always lost in the same ways–either getting hit by wake-up jabs or thrown. This happened both in winners and losers bracket. How is that a thing?

Missing Person: Do still you feel like making only EX Dragon Punches completely invincible is a bad idea?

NYChrisG: That’s the thing, because it’s apparent the developers sat down and saw that everyone was doing wake-up DPs, but everyone is still doing this stuff! Nothing has changed! Just the other day, I played a Ken, and every time I did a meaty standing roundhouse, he would just wake up with DP and it still hit me! The invincibility is still technically there on frame three, but I’m still getting hit by this stuff even if I think I’ve timed my meaty right. And if DP was such a problem, then why am I still getting hit with wake-up jab?

All of our meaties were getting tagged [in the team tournament]. NuckleDu got hit out of a meaty, then looked at me and said, “I’m almost positive I timed that correctly.” But he clearly didn’t because he lost! It sucks because no matter how perfect you play, those little things are still a huge factor. Of course, you can always say, “Just time your moves better.” But I still feel as though that’s a huge flaw. Everyone is losing that way. It’s really weird how they tried to balance this game out. But, oh well.

Missing Person: I did catch you on one of your tournament streams on your Twitch channel, and caught you playing Ibuki. You actually said that you were enjoying her and Urien more than Guile at this point.

NYChrisG: It’s because no matter how perfect I’m playing with Guile, I’m still losing in the same ways. With Guile, you learn to play safe, but sometimes it’s too safe. I like to be patient but I still love combos. I do want to go in even with defensive characters in every game I play. But if I go with Guile, I immediately regret it.

When I picked up Ibuki, I realized that she is all buttons and hit confirms. It’s a sharp contrast with Guile. With Guile, you have to commit yourself to things, and hope that they can hit. With Ibuki I can just press buttons until something hits and I get a free combo. It’s weird because it’s showing results.

Missing Person: Could we see a major change for you in the coming months?

NYChrisG: I’m just trying to play the game as it is now. You can only base what you’re doing on what is getting results. Do you follow suit, or do you play a defensive zoning style that ultimately loses more than it wins?

Urien is pretty much a hybrid between the two for me. I can either zone all day, or I can push a lot of buttons and disrespect everyone. I like the characters and how they play, but I feel like it’s dumb that we’re watching these kinds of lackluster endings because of the system changes. It feels like everyone is just rolling dice, and I hate that in video games.

I also feel like the flow of the game is weird. Because a lot of other games, even if you see that something’s boring, you know why it’s working and why it wins. But in Street Fighter V the series of events in order to get a win feels disjointed as a spectator.

Missing Person: Do you feel that if Capcom scales back some of these changes, will it work to assuage the frustrations people have with the game?

NYChrisG: The damage was done before the game even came out. As the game progressed, the top tier characters were still good at spacing, and it was like you’re still playing Street Fighter. But now it feels like everyone is in a blender. It’s just ugly.

I don’t know how the next patch is going to pan out. But hopefully some tweaks will happen. I just hope that they change how wake ups work in this game, maybe stalling wake-ups by a frame or two. If it keeps up at the pace that things are going, it’s going to be trouble. With online, most players are stuck in Bronze. It was easy for me to get Gold, but with 90% of people that are active still being in Bronze, that’s a problem.

I often have people in my stream chat asking what they can do to get out of the lower ranks, and I just tell them, “Maybe you should do what is beating you yourself.” Which is sad, because you can’t really play your style with this game. I still play my way because it’s fun. But when I have to resort to doing dice rolling to win, then it drives me nuts. I don’t want to do that, but if the game dictates it, then that’s what you have to do.

Even if the tournament numbers are still strong, if you can’t rake in the casuals because of DLC problems, and you have to pay for everything with real money because Fight Money is bad, then you can’t sustain the game.