“All the things I’m trying to apply in Street Fighter (…) are making my Tekken game improve.”
Korean Tekken Pro UYU|Jeondding’s CEO 2018 win was, by every estimation, a huge upset — he plays unconventional, risky characters (Eddy, Lucky Chloe), he won it from losers bracket, and he won it in two sets versus Qudans, one of the greatest players to ever play Tekken. It was Jeondding’s first TWT major win and a huge milestone for one of Tekken 7’s most unique players.
But as BornFree discovered in this hour-long interview with Jeondding, his method of training is as unconventional as everything else about his approach — namely, that he’s mostly been playing Street Fighter V!
Ironically, Jeondding didn’t intend to learn Street Fighter V — he set out to teach another SFV player how to play Tekken and just started playing sometimes on his stream. On his journey into new territory, he’s already beaten SFV pro, John Takeuchi, and has set a personal goal of making the top 8- in a single event in both Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V.
While Marie-Laure “Kayane” Norindr has played a number of fighting games in her career, the series she’s most associated with is Bandai Namco’s SoulCalibur. As such, with a new game on the horizon, having her talk to the people behind the game is bound to provide some interesting insights. This is exactly what happened at Evo 2018 where Kayane got a chance to interview SoulCalibur VI producer Motohiro Okubo. Here, she gets a chance to talk to Okubo about things that competitive players care about and how they related to the upcoming game.
As part of the interview, Okubo says that he’s watched the Tekken World Tour and has enjoyed doing so. As such, he says that he hopes to be able to create something similar for SoulCalibur VI, even stating that it is his dream to do so. Another thing Kayane asks about is if SoulCalibur VI will have in-game frame data. Sadly, Okubo confirms that this will not be in the game (something that the game shares with Tekken 7 as well).
Now, regarding a demo or beta, Okubo stated that he could not answer anything regarding this. This seems to indicate that they haven’t made a final decision on this, and that either could still be possible.
Finally, regarding guest characters, Kayane asks specifically about 2B from Nier: Automata. Okubo responds by saying that Geralt from the Witcher is the only guest character at launch. However, he does hint that there may be another one that’s coming as part of the season pass.
SoulCalibur VI is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 19.
FGC Philosophy sat down recently with Detroit’s Tekken teacher iHai to talk about Tekken 7‘s accessibility, meta, and how to improve through peer practice.
Full disclosure: When I was a little Crow_Scrubboy in the world of Tekken, one of the first sets of high level game-play I ever saw was iHai vs. Joshimitsu in Detroit. Prior to that I had never seen Korean back-dashing, knew frame data, tiers, or any of the series’s history — and despite my overwhelming ignorance, iHai was patient and forthcoming in explaining the game’s mechanisms and theory in a way I could understand. If you’re looking for an excellent analytical mind in the world of Tekken tournament play, make sure you watch the interview above, and check out iHai’s twitch stream!
FGC content creator BornFree sat down with Evo organizer Tom Cannon, where the two discussed the upcoming Evo Japan, tournament saturation, and shared their thoughts on inclusivity in the community.
Fighting game fans might know Tom Cannon by his rich history in the community — from creating the largest fighting game tournament in the world, to heading their own game development studio, the Cannon brothers are known throughout the scene as major influencers, and have had a considerable hand in building it up to its current state. Notable FGC content creator BornFree sat down with Tom to discuss his work with Evo, his thoughts on tournament saturation, and to pick his brain on how to make the community more accessible to those who wish to be part of the historically vibrant scene.
Here, Tom recollects in the early Street Fighter IV era, Evo had run an all-women’s tournament, where girls who competed in the regular tournament were entered into a separate competition of their own. “It was an experiment to see if we could encourage more women to play,” Tom stated. Legendary Soul Calibur player Kayane ended up taking the tournament, highlighting her achievements and helping cement women’s strength in the scene.
While the tournament saw some success, many criticized the movement, holding that no group should get special treatment for want of inclusiveness. Tom recognized that things have changed since that time, and that Evo exists now as more than just a tournament series: it comes complete with after-parties and exhibition matches, and movements like Combo Queens are helping create a network for women who are always welcome at their event. “It’s hard to be anonymous,” Tom said in regards to women in the scene. “We’re not aiming to change the FGC, just build more pathways to get into it and stay there.”
Photo Credit: Carlton Beener
Tom likewise spoke on the upcoming Evo Japan, which saw a monetary loss this year due to what he called “jump-starting the event.” While many Americans felt that Evo Japan was a throwback to Evo’s earlier times, the Japanese company the Cannons partnered with chose to skip the growing pains and dive straight into the big time. “I think that represents a strong commitment to build something,” he commented. “I would be surprised if an event like that was profitable at year one.”
You can watch the full interview here, and hear Tom’s thoughts on Beginner’s and Intermediate tournament leagues, tournament over-saturation, bringing Evo to other areas, and more.
ESPN sat down with the WWE’s Xavier Woods to discuss his history with fighting games and the community’s growth at Evolution 2018.
Austin Watson, Ph.D, more commonly known by his ring name Xavier Woods, is a man of many backgrounds. Holding a doctorate in educational psychology, a master’s degree in psychology, and a bachelor’s in philosophy, Woods is as educated as he is eclectic: With a long history in wrestling leading up to his current status as a two-time Smackdown Tag Team Champion, Woods also hosts his very own gaming show and is heavily involved in the fighting game community. Woods’ show, appropriately dubbed Up Up Down Down, covers multiple gaming genres, and has even been the platform for important reveals: like Street Fighter V’s Team Battle mode. Woods’ love for gaming came to a head at this year’s Evolution Championship Series, where he sat down with ESPN to discuss his history with the FGC and how it has grown throughout the years.
Woods explained that his love for Windjammers ultimately brought him to Las Vegas’s fighting game celebration. Due to his efforts, Windjammers has grown from a side-tournament to a legitimate competition: while, initially, the game had 26 players on the spot, all of which were paid out of his own account, Windjammers has since grown to greater heights. “I was telling people, ‘In the next couple of years, Windjammers is going to be on one of these stages,’” Woods recalled. “One year later, Windjammers is going to be on stage. We have 256 competitors — that’s unreal.”
Woods likewise covered his history with gaming in general. “I was a very awkward child,” he explained. “I didn’t go out, I didn’t have buddies, so my mom bought me a Nintendo and I loved it. But I had a problem: I thought that if you died in the game, you died in real life, so I didn’t want to stop playing.” Woods realized that video games were his forte once he began to play them with friends, and it soon became his safe space. “I still go back to games as my first basic need,” he stated. “You have the need to breathe, the need to eat, and games on top of that.”
Another topic of discussion was Woods’ recent scuffle with NJPW’s Kenny Omega at E3 2018. Team New Day and Kenny Omega’s crew went head to head in a series of tag-team battles using SFV’s team battle mode, which ultimately ended in hot pepper consumption and a quick trip to the toilet. “We wanted to get his camp and my camp together doing something,” Woods explained of the battle. “The way that we see what we do… is that it’s for everybody. Many times in our industry, there’s companies or performers who don’t communicate or cross lines. We wanted to start trying to do that a little bit more. We knew that our way to do that was video games.” After a three year rivalry between the two wrestlers within the game, their dream was finally made a reality, and the battle made it onto the CapcomFighters’ Twitch channel.
Fans can catch more of Xavier’s fighting game story on ESPN’s YouTube channel, as well as stay tuned to his latest gaming antics through his channel, Up Up Down Down.
Notable FGC content creator BornFree sat down with FUDOH | Fujimura at Evo 2018 to get an insight on the player’s top spot in the CPT.
BornFree is known for his in-depth interviews of FGC players, organizers, personalities, and other notable figures in the fighting game community. At Evo 2018, he was able to swing a session with the number one player in the Capcom Pro Tour: FUDOH | Fujimura, known for his accomplished history within the FGC and his killer Ibuki, sat down with a translator to answer some of the community’s most pressing questions.
BornFree began the session by asking Fujimura about his recent name change. Formerly, Fujimura was known as Yukadon — however, by the beginning of Street Fighter V’s 3rd season, he had changed his handle to his legal name. “Nobody told me I had to change my name,” Fujimura said through his translator, Bill. “When you tell people you do video games and esports and stuff like that, people have a tendency to not take it seriously. I wanted to personally, rather than use a weird nickname, would rather use my real name, and try to feel legitimate in what I’m doing.” Although his previous name was considered a bit rude by Japanese standards, it wasn’t the rudeness that caused him to make the switch — rather, it was a desire to be seen as legitimate by those outside the esports bubble.
Fujimura is known for his optimal play — so much so that the Korean community gave him the nickname, “The Machine.” His training regimen is anything but human: Fujimura trains for hours on end, taking little time to eat and rest before going back at it. “When there’s players around and a setup to play on, it would be a waste not to play on it. I feel bad if I don’t take advantage of that opportunity and use that chance to better myself.”
Fujimura likewise appears to have a rival in Daigo “The Beast” Umehara. Having beaten him at ELEAGUE and StunFest France, it seemed as though Fujimura had the Guile matchup figured out — until Daigo took it over Fujimura twice at the UK’s VSFighting, winning his first Premier and proving his strength against SFV’s top competitor. BornFree pressed Fujimura about this rivalry, and his response was careful and deliberate: “It’s tough, and it’s always been a tough match. I play a lot with him, not just at tournaments, but at casuals and things. I’m trying to do everything that I can do get better. Sometimes, that’s just how it goes.”
Ibuki is Fujimura’s character of choice, after Nash was nerfed into the floor. “At first, I was playing around with a lot of different characters,” he began. “But I wanted to try a character that a lot of other pros weren’t playing. I kind of settled on Ibuki, and as I played her, I felt the possibilities with her, and thought, ‘I could probably do really well with this.’” Fujimura’s decision paid off: he is now sitting in the number one spot in the Capcom Pro Tour, and has multiple top placements under his belt alongside two Premier victories.
Fans can watch the full interview here, as well as check out more of BornFree’s fighting game content.
Evo 2018 presented a unique opportunity to interact with fighting game developers in person. Among them was FGC mainstay Arc System Works, who are obviously well-known for their popular titles like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Their Western-themed booth had more than just casual stations, however; attendees had the chance to play their most recently-announced project, Kill la Kill: The Game.
Based on the 2013 anime, the teasers from Arc System Works certainly caused much excitement, even in the FGC at large. At first, no one was sure whether it would be a competitive fighting game or more of an action title, and it’s rather the latter. Presented in 3D, protagonist Ryuku Matoi and her rival Satsuki Kiryuin were available in the demo. The gameplay feels a bit like the Naruto 3D fighting games, but a little more dynamic and responsive.
The combat feels divided between zoning and close-quarter encounters. At a distance, it feels satisfying to spam meaty projectiles as Satsuki. She could slash up to four times with her sword in a row, with the final hit pinning Ryuku against the wall. Alternatively, she could charge it for a stronger shot. The other player can counter this by rapidly dodging, in a sliding side-step kind of way, which looked especially cool when two players circled each other. I easily executed combos by pressing the Square button multiple times, often ending on cinematic close-ups and taunts (there seemed to be variation if you held a direction with the inputs). Once I gained enough meter, I could execute either short, long, or Break supers, the later aimed at breaking guard. There were no parries or “Instant Blocks.”
“Ketsui” is a unique system in the game. When under attack, pressing L1+R1 executed a Burst of sorts, getting me out of trouble and initating a rock-paper-scissors face off. It’s very cinematic, conveying a lot of drama and passion, like in the show. Each option stood for something like “Taunting” or “Mocking” and gave an advantage if you succeeded. It initiated some dialogue at the cost of a smooth pace, but this will get touched up a bit; also, it will be very exciting to see this happen between more characters, as for now there are only two.
I liked how seamless the fights felt; even though a match was divided into rounds, it used one 180-second timer, and the music swelled in intensity as it approached zero. The graphics resemble Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2‘s 3D anime aesthetic, and every match was filled with the gratuitous shots and cinematic passion that will surely be familiar to fans of the show.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to shoot pictures or take video ourselves. However, I did take the opportunity to speak with Takeshi Yamanaka, a producer at Arc System Works’ fighting game department, to learn more about the game.
[The conversation was translated live by an Arc System Works employee. Edited for length and clarity.]
Woocash: How did the collaboration come about?
Takeshi Yamanaka, Producer in the ASW Fighting Game Development Department: I have been received requests from Studio Trigger, the makers of Kill la Kill, for a while. But at the time, we were short-handed, and we couldn’t do it. They kept offering, and initially we declined, saying we couldn’t handle it because of the workload. They were persistent and passionate about doing this, so we decided to do it in the end.
Woocash: Are you a big Kill la Kill fan?
Yamanaka: Yes, I watched the original series, I do love it. What this anime has that others don’t is a burning heat and passion that is portrayed, that’s what I love about Kill la Kill.
Woocash: What was the thought process in making it a 3D fighting game, as opposed to 2D?
Yamanaka: The first reason being, with this being a Kill la Kill title, our target audience is obviously Kill la Kill fans. So we wanted them to enjoy the game. If we had gone with a 2D, anime fighter style, we thought that the hurdle or entry level to that sort of game would be a little bit too high. We wanted to make sure our audience could enjoy it, so we wanted to make it more entry-friendly.
A second reason is that the setting of the battlefield is a very iconic, important part of it. We really wanted to recreate that atmosphere; in 2D, we didn’t feel confident that we could bring out that space, that “spatial impact” that the anime has. That arena, epic battle-feel only comes in 3D.
The third reason is that I feel like as you see all these cute girls, the 3D is definitely the way to go to see them in action, so we went with that.
Woocash: What are some ways the game conveys the feel of the anime? I noticed the music increases tempo as time goes on, there’s the zooming, etc. How does the game’s art lend to that?
Yamanaka: We obviously want to mimic that 2D style shading, bring that atmosphere of the original. In the process of trying to recreate the anime, the original character designer, Sushio, who is very, very particular about how the characters are portrayed, meets with the team every week. We show him what we developed, and he gives his feedback: he jots down many notes and has a lot of requests, and we make those changes very quickly.
Woocash: What can you tell us about the modes in the game? I’m sure there will be a big emphasis on Story Mode.
Yamanaka: It’s going to be kind of like Guilty Gear Xrd’s Story Mode, where it’s an animated tale. As far as the scenario, part of it is written by Kazuki Nakashima, who is the original author of the anime, and he’s also supervising the production of the Story Mode. And this is an original story.
Woocash: Any other modes you can talk about?
Yamanaka: Another mode that you might find interesting is the Digital Figure mode, which you might find familiar from Xrd, where you can set 3D models in a diorama.
Woocash: Can you talk about any characters?
Yamanaka: As the demo stands now, there are only two characters, but it’s not going to be just them. We will be adding more, and I can’t name any fans, but I hope that fans wait in anticipation. We want to keep the fans happy, especially the big ones.
Woocash: When can we expect a reveal or more information?
Yamanaka: We plan on releasing a demo build that will have more characters at Tokyo Game Show, which is in September. The release is planned for 2019.
Woocash: What are the plans for the Western market? Would the release be simultaneous?
Yamanaka: Yes, we’re making many preparations. Our goal is to have a simultaneous, world-wide release.
Woocash: Does ArcSys see this game entering the FGC, appearing at tournaments and such, or not so much?
Yamanaka: We definitely would like this game embraced by the fighting game community; it is a bit on the easier side, but we also would like the fans to enjoy the deep level of reading and interaction in the gameplay, so that even the hardcore fighting game community can enjoy it too. That is the challenge that we’re facing right now.
Woocash: In its current state, is the game complete mechanically?
Yamanaka: In terms of the basic level of gameplay, it’s sort of rock-paper-scissors. The basic low/high, punch/kick, that “circle of carnage” system still needs polishing, but it needs some polishing. As far as the Ketsui demonstrations system is concerned, we want to add a little more of a risk or excitement factor that gets the player going. We want to make it a bit more speedy and not break the tempo as much.
Woocash: Anything else you’d like to add?
Yamanaka: As soon as we announced Kill la Kill: The Game, we received a lot international feedback on YouTube and streams, commenting. We realized that Kill la Kill is kind of an old anime, it aired five years ago, but we still have a lot of fans out there. I think that the fans are really excited; this is what they were waiting for. In that regard, it’s put a pressure on us in a good way. We want to do our best to meet those expectations and maybe even exceed them.
Eduardo “PR Balrog” Perez took time from his Evo schedule to speak with SRK on the state of SFV’s netcode, his major character switch, and points distribution within the CPT.
Known throughout the fighting game community for his performance with Shadaloo’s boxing King, CYG BST|PR Balrog has since switched characters in favor of Akuma. From this considerable switch to his performance at ELEAGUE and more, PR Balrog talked to SRK at Evo 2018 and gave us a look into his journey in this year’s CPT and beyond.
Transcending his humanity
As can be guessed, PR Balrog is so named for his outstanding accomplishments with Street Fighter’s original boxing character. However, much has changed since SFV’s release, and Eduardo is now under the sway of the Satsui no Hadou. He attributes this character switch to Balrog’s lack of viable tools, as well as Akuma’s comparatively engaging playstyle. “The reason why I changed was because current Balrog doesn’t allow me to do what I want,” he explained. “He doesn’t have a reversal in this game, so it makes it hard for me to play my game. Akuma has a fireball, which you can relate to Balrog with the rush punch, but Balrog doesn’t have a reversal, so I have to block all day. Akuma does have one, of course. I think he’s just more fun too.”
With Akuma sitting as the second most-used character in SFV, Eduardo’s change in mains aligns with the FGC’s movements at large. Up until Evo, it seemed as though the top tiers controlled the game’s competitive sphere — with two potential Abigails and Tokido’s Akuma appearing in Evo’s top 8, this still appears to be true (albeit Cammy and Menat were nowhere to be found, and Problem X ultimately decided to stick with M. Bison for the finals). Although the Cammy menace is still at large, PR Balrog believes that her strength — and that of other top tiers — is just part of the fighting game meta. “Every version has top tiers,” he stated. “That’s just how it is. It’s true that Cammy has not been nerfed, and she remains untouched. I think you just have to play the game.”
PR Balrog was seen using Akuma upon his return to TBS’s ELEAGUE, going up against the current Capcom Cup champion RISE|MenaRD and 2017’s Evo champion Echo Fox|Tokido in Group A. Although he fought hard, he didn’t make it out of the group stages, and was eliminated by Dogura’s Urien 2-3. Eduardo stated that his performance in the invitational ultimately acted as a means to gauge his strength for future competitions. “ELEAGUE to me was like a line saying, ‘This is where I’m at,’” he explained. “I lost all my matches, but they were all 2-1’s, so I just need to do better next time.”
Eduardo likewise noted that the use of PS4s as a determining factor in his performance. With the recent news of SFV’s input delay and introduction of artificial latency in its netcode on the PS4, his PC training left him with the need to adapt to the console during his matches. “I feel that I could have won a lot of those, and I don’t want to make this an excuse, but I play a lot on PC,” he said. “So when I came to ELEAGUE and I finally played on the PS4, it felt a lot different than I was used to, and that was a disadvantage on my part. But it’s okay. I think it helped me to realize where I was and what I need to work on.”
Points distribution and Evo advice
Aside from Evolution and ELEAGUE, PR Balrog hasn’t been travelling much for competition in this year’s CPT. Part of his reasoning for this absence deals with the current points distribution within the Tour — as it places a greater emphasis on Premiers rather than Ranking events, competitors must fly their way to the Tour’s biggest tournaments to earn a meaningful amount of points. “I like streaming a lot, so I like staying at home,” Eduardo stated. “I do like going to tournaments.” It is also worth noting that Eduardo is employed full-time, with responsibilities that do not allow for frequent travel. Thus, his life outside of the game takes precedence over competing at present.
Evolution 2018 likewise marked an important Premier in the Capcom Pro Tour. As the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, it also marks the first of many players’ experiences in a tournament setting, and can inspire them to put in serious work and practice to improve. Eduardo’s advice to these new players centered on time management and a focus on enjoying their time, in order to get the most out of their tournament experience. “Whenever you go to a tournament, always take advantage of your time,” he advised. “Play as many people as you can. Ask questions — but not too many, ha ha. Other than that, drink a lot of water, and most importantly, have fun. If you’re not having fun, you should not be there.”
Eduardo’s advice comes just after Evolution’s finishing crescendo. With Problem X’s victory sending him to the second place in the CPT ranking and two new characters in the mix, the CPT could very well see more insanity throughout the rest of the season. TWFighter major is on the horizon, and SCR follows as the last Premier event in the States before Capcom Cup — who’s to say what will come next?
Daigo “The Beast” Umehara sat down with SRK at Evo 2018 to discuss his recent victory at VSFighting, SFV’s Cammy menace, and his own struggles with achieving success in Street Fighter’s newest iteration.
The Evolution Championship Series always marks a pivotal point in the competitive season, and this year’s Evo was no different. Coming fresh from a win at the UK’s VSFighting tournament, Daigo “The Beast” Umehara had his first Premier victory of 2018 under his belt, and headed into Evo with a wave of momentum and some sage advice for newer competitors.
Victory at VSFighting
Daigo’s competitive journey at VSFighting pitted him against one of the world’s best Ibuki players — and one of his current rivals. FUDOH|Fujimura had bested Daigo in two previous tournaments, both in the CPT Premier at Stunfest France and TBS’s ELEAGUE. After taking two sound beatings in the same match-up, and with Fujimura in Winners’ side of VSFighting, Daigo knew he had to make a change or risk a third loss against Japan’s finest Ibuki. Daigo was noted by host and commentator F-Word as studying their previous matches on his smartphone just before the two faced off again, and his homework paid off: Daigo managed to best Fujimura twice, sending him into Losers’ and taking Grand Finals without letting his opponent reset the bracket.
VSFighting marked Daigo’s first Premier victory of 2018, and his third Premier win since Street Fighter V’s release. When asked about this development, Daigo was humble yet determined, stating that much like his preparation strategy for long sets, he has now downloaded the information needed to take him further in the game. “I see myself as a slow learner compared to the other top players,” he admitted. “While others quickly mastered the game of SFV, having learned the game mechanics and set up their own strategies, in the first and second year I was mostly exploring how the game was going to play out for me. Now, I have laid out the groundwork. I know how to play and what works for me. My focus now is how to showcase what I have acquired.”
Daigo had similar feelings in regards to Fujimura. “He is one of the strongest players at the moment, so it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen against him,” he stated of their potential meeting in the Evo brackets. “What I’m trying to do is to bring out my best skill set against him, and go from there. What drives me is that I’ve had the experience of beating him in tournament. That alone was really exciting. I take that with pride. It excites me to know that I can turn the tournament around.”
Merciless Matchups
Much like other Street Fighter titles, Ibuki is a standout among the rest of SFV’s cast. With a variety of tools and tricky mix-ups, Ibuki is a definite threat to other characters, and high-level players like Razer|Xian and Fujimura further amplify her abilities. However, she isn’t the game’s only menace by a long shot; currently, characters like the dreaded Cammy and Akuma control the game’s competitive sphere, with much of the fanbase bemoaning their near-constant buffs in each patch. While Daigo agreed that Cammy is a problem, he likewise knows that she isn’t unbeatable — and the same goes for Akuma. “The track record shows that Guile has had a good chance of winning against Akuma and Cammy,” he stated. “My Guile is good enough to go after them. Because those particular top tier characters are so strong, I’ve spent enough time learning how to beat them.”
Currently, Cammy is the fifth most used character in SFV, with Akuma sitting at second place under Ryu. Since players are likely to see these match-ups so often, it is no wonder that Daigo has a winning strategy prepared for them. In fact, in one of SFV’s most famous sets, Daigo took a first-to-ten over Echo Fox|Tokido’s Akuma 5-10 at Kemonomichi 2. However, with Tokido as last year’s Evolution Champion (and this year’s runner-up), and with traditional Street Fighter matches being a first to two or three, a victory over Tokido isn’t certain for Daigo within the Capcom Pro Tour. “It’s hard to predict what will happen,” he conceded. “But what I can do is be agile, be responsive to his moves, and think on my feet. Coming to Evo, I knew there was a good chance I’d have a match against him. So, I prepared myself well. I am confident that I can do well if I face him.”
Changing strategies for changing times
Since Tokido’s victory last year, Japan — and Asia as a whole — has given another strong showing in Street Fighter V. Players like Fujimura, who currently sits in the top spot in the CPT, and FAV|Sako, who has made top 8 in multiple tournaments this year, are just a taste of Asia’s talent. Asia wasn’t always the strongest in SFV, however, and Daigo explained that the region’s development dealt with adaptation outside the game. “If you look at Season One and Season Two, Japanese players didn’t do well because the game wasn’t available in the arcades,” he answered. “We are strongly rooted in the arcade scene. To fill that void, we started to get together as a group. We decided to come together and learn from each other, and we created a new, arcade-esque environment, where we meet two to three times a week. Because the country is so small, it’s easier for us to get together and play.”
Fighting games are a constant matter of evolution for both professional players and newcomers alike, and Japan’s SFV scene is exemplary of this fact. With Evolution being the largest fighting game tournament in the world, it is also the first stop on many newcomers’ major tournament experiences. Just as he has adapted to the newest version of Street Fighter, Daigo encourages new players to take their time rather than rush to find new strategies, and learn at their own pace over emulating others.
“As I said earlier, I’m a slow learner, so it takes a long time for myself to get to the level I want to be at,” Daigo reiterated. “Beginners and even top players are eager to get there, but the speed doesn’t matter. How fast you get better isn’t the goal. The most important thing is how strong you can become. The advice I have for newcomers would be, ‘Don’t forget the fact that you need to get to where you want to go, not how fast you can get there.’ From my own experience, I can tell you that if you try to pace yourself at other players’ speed, you’ll never find what works for yourself. It’s gonna take a long time, maybe a few years, that’s what I experienced myself. Don’t give up, be patient, and be kind to yourself. Believe in yourself and learn at your own pace.”
Hx.Twitch.CYG BST|Daigo Umehara’s Evo journey landed him just short of a top 8 placement. After being knocked into Losers’ by Cool Kid’s Abigail, he faced RISE|Caba in a Guile mirror, ultimately losing the set 2-1 to Caba’s well-timed booms and solid punishes. Daigo now stands at fifth place in the CPT rankings; with TWFighter Major coming up this month, and SCR following in September, Daigo’s SFV excursion is far from over. Fans can bet that his experiences from this Evolution will send him even further throughout the rest of the season, and with two new characters in the mix, things are about to get even more interesting.
“I just like to have fun. I tried on GamerBee’s glasses just to see how blind he really was.”
There are few, if any, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition players that ooze the charisma that RISE|Smug does. With a wild sense of humor and a finely crafted Balrog, Smug manages to always come out of a tournament as the most talked-about player, win or lose.
It doesn’t hurt any that, lately, he’s been doing an awful lot of winning: he’s currently 6th on the NA Capcom Pro Tour leaderboard, and walked away with a top 3 finish at the event today’s interview was filmed at: Defend the North 2018. If you’ve ever wanted to get into the sharp mind of one of the FGC’s most colorful personalities, then BornFree‘s hour long interview above is for you.
