Category: Interviews

Jose “Romance” Navarrete’s trip to Indianapolis was born out of a friendship in the FGC with one of the top players in the world. Several weeks before the event, it was announced the Echo Fox|Justin Wong was sending him out for Naptown Clutch 6 to test his mettle in Street Fighter V and The King of Fighters XIV–the two titles he has been training in recently.

The result of that partnership showed potential, as Romance took 1st in KOF and 5th in SFV, showing that he’s a force to be reckoned with in both titles. While at Naptown Clutch, I sat down with him to talk about his progress with the games, and how his partnership with Justin came to fruition.

Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: Congratulations on your win at Naptown Clutch. You looked like the man to beat during the top 4. How did you feel going into it?

Jose “Romance” Navarrete: I have to admit I felt a bit of nerves at first. I had to play against my teammate, TCYoshi, who is a really strong player. It could have went either way.

Missing Person: At the start of Grand Finals, you made a switch off of Nakoruru to Leona. What prompted that change?

Romance: I actually put Benimaru as battery and put Leona in the middle, and wanted to test out Leona. I don’t really like the character, or play her a lot. However, she’s really strong and I felt like it was worth it to try her out as a pocket character.

Missing Person: When you brought Nakoruru back in, you put her as anchor, as opposed to battery in winners finals. Was there a specific reason for this?

Romance: I feel like Nakoruru is one of my best characters. When I play someone who isn’t used to her, I try to use it as a strategy. If they’re not ready for my style of Nakoruru, they’ll be in trouble with her as my battery. In the case of TCYoshi, he knows the way I play her. But since she is my best character, I can leave her as an anchor to finish off what’s left.

Missing Person: With the recent patch to The King of Fighters XIV, how do you feel about the game?

Romance: I am super excited about all the work that SNK Playmore has put into the game. Everyone has noticed how active the company has been in patching the game. They have been giving a lot of support, including into esports. They’ve also been assisting various tournaments, including giving pot bonuses. I’m still looking forward to one more patch prior to Evo. If they release another balance patch, it’ll be helpful.

Missing Person: I actually had talked to Xiaohai in Canada, and he had talked about preferring KOF XIII to KOF XIV. Do you have a preference?

Romance: To be honest, KOF XIII was where I first got my name out there. I traveled a lot for the game and won a few tournaments and made top 8 at Evo twice. So KOF XIII definitely has a special place in my heart. At the same time, I want to play KOF XIV. I really want to support SNK Playmore for doing a good job in working on the game. It’s about adapting to the new mechanics rather than saying, “I don’t like this game. I would rather play KOF XIII.”

I actually like the mechanics that KOF XIV has to offer. I know it requires different strategies than KOF XIII, but I’m just putting in the time to adjust and enjoying the game. I want there to be more titles in the franchise. Especially with all the promotional effort they’re putting forth, including the KOF World Cup.

Missing Person: What would be the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make coming from KOF XIII?

Romance: I feel like the damage you get is different. With Max Mode in KOF XIV, you can get 30-40% damage from one bar of meter. You can get more damage with one bar in KOF XIV than with KOF XIII.

Missing Person: You actually got sponsored by Justin Wong personally to come out here to play. How did that deal come about?

Romance: Justin actually invited me to go to Canada Cup 2016. But because of work and other commitments, I was unable to make it out. But a few weeks ago, he texted me and said that he still wanted to send me out to an event to show me and King of Fighters some love. So I told him I wanted to go to Naptown Clutch because I had never been to Indianapolis, and I have a few friends that live here. He told me he believed I could take it down, and thanks to the effort, I proved him right.

Missing Person: With this win, do you believe he’ll be showing more support down the road?

Romance: I am more than thankful for what he’s already done, and he’s helped me a lot. Even in Street Fighter V, we both play Karin, so he always gives me advice on my play. I would never put my hand out asking for him to give me more than what he already willingly gave.

I’m actually moving to Las Vegas very soon to start a new job. So I’m going to try to manage my time and resources and try to do it on my own. I will be keeping my eye out for sponsorships, but regardless, I will be doing my best in KOF no matter what.

Missing Person: With Street Fighter V, how much time are you putting into Street Fighter with your main focus being KOF?

Romance: For the two weeks leading up to Naptown Clutch, I was at least playing a couple hours a night online.

Missing Person: And it paid off, as you made it to top 8 on the winner’s side. But you have Wolfkrone and NYChrisG still in the bracket. How do you feel about your chances?

Romance: I’ll be honest that I’m still a bit nervous. I’m just focusing on doing my best. I actually sent Wolfkrone to losers bracket. The hardest match on winner’s side is NYChrisG, and I have him to start things off. It’s no disrespect to anyone else in the bracket, but he’s well-known and I know his playstyle. I’ve played him a lot in many games. He’s a really smart guy and a smart player. I’m going to be trying my best.

Note: Romance lost to NYChrisG in winners semi-finals, then was eliminated by Wolfkrone—whom he had put into losers bracket—in the very next match.

Missing Person: With Evo coming up, given your experience, you’d be a favorite to make Top 8. But you also have to deal with the world’s best coming out, including Xiaohai. How do you prepare?

Romance: I’ll just keep practicing with the people around me. I play a lot with some of the best in the region, including TCYoshi and Luis Cha. I’ll be playing as much as I can to gain experience.

Missing Person: Who do you feel is your biggest demon in KOF?

Romance: The player who has been getting the best of me the most lately has been Reynald. But at the same time, I feel like he’s my teammate in trying to defend the US in the game. So while he’s my demon, I feel like it’s more of a friendly rivalry.

[Feature image by Corey Lanier]

One of the surprise entrants in the top 8 at Evo 2016 for Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 was NetBattles|Kevin “DualKevin” Barrios, hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana. The Midwest region had not had much to hang their hat on in terms of big event finishes, and the player with a unique team in Deadpool/Dante/Hawkeye proved to be proper inspiration for their scene.

At Naptown Clutch, the Midwestern hero proved clutch in an exhibition match against Evo 2015 champion Kane Blueriver, dispatching him 10-3. He also finished in 4th in the main event, losing to EG|NYChrisG and eventual champion PG|RayRay. He also took a respectable seventh in Street Fighter V at the event, losing to Wolfkrone and Tech-Bandit.

While at Naptown Clutch, I spoke to him about his experience at Evo 2016, and what has driven the Midwest to strength in Marvel.

Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: Kevin, you had an amazing set with Kane Blueriver at Naptown Clutch. In the exhibition, you made it look really easy. How did you feel during that match?

Kevin “DualKevin” Barrios: I just had to play my game. First of all, my team beats his team easily. It is too much of a struggle for him to get in close. On top of that, I completely understand the ways he’ll want to approach. If I throw a grenade with Deadpool, he’ll want to jump. Then, I can just call my assists and dash under him. I studied the match-up a lot, and knew I was going to come out on top.

Missing Person: When he switched teams midway through, did that throw you off?

DualKevin: He was able to get one game, but otherwise, it wasn’t much of an issue. When I brought it back after that game to go up 9-3, I went to character select myself for him to show him he ought to just play his main team. Naturally, the match-up with Hulk/Haggar/Sentinel is in my favor, but he can make it more difficult for me by merely changing his playstyle.

Missing Person: At 8-3, when he only had Shuma Gorath left, and you kept zoning, was there anything he could do to get in on you, or was it over?

DualKevin: I think he mentally just broke himself at that point. When he had the exhibition against Filipino Champ, he did the same thing, and it ended in the same results. I didn’t think it would get him anywhere here as well.

Missing Person: You also had some close matches in the Curleh Mustache exhibition at Naptown Clutch. What are your thoughts on that bracket?

DualKevin: It was rough—I ultimately finished fourth. I have to give respect to JDM, he came back out of nowhere to beat me 3-0, and then Static Alpha beat me 3-2. JDM has always been one of the biggest threats in the Midwest Marvel scene since the beginning. I believe he placed in the Top 16 at one of the earlier Evos for Marvel 3. He always has a great neutral game. The only thing that has held him back is that he isn’t cheap enough.

Missing Person: Speaking of Evo, how was it for you to be playing on the stage at Mandalay Bay at Evo 2016?

DualKevin: It was crazy to think that I was playing on a stage that so many performers had been on, and having my character on the stage as well was just incredible. It was an amazing once in a lifetime chance.

Missing Person: And to make it there coming from the Midwest, which is heavily underrepresented in majors.

DualKevin: Exactly. JDM was honestly the one that held down the Midwest scene for a long time. We were known for a long time as being one of the worst regions ever. When he quit for a while, there was nobody to represent us. I tried to do it, and with Elithecurry and other players grinding out practice sessions, it helped. So to be able to do that and put the Midwest on the map felt great. It’s now to the point that people say that we are one of the best regions. But we had to start from the bottom and work our way up.

Missing Person: So with the representation that you brought at Evo, do you feel like the Midwest will be more sought after in the grander scope of the FGC?

DualKevin: Definitely. It’s already starting to happen. You have players like Static Alpha and Imanariesbaby showing up to events and doing really well. I am so proud of them. I don’t want to be big headed about it and say that I solely revived the Midwest scene. However, when I beat Filipino Champ, that set the wheels into motion, and it’s great to see them follow up on it.

Missing Person: With Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite coming out later this year, what are your thoughts on it?

DualKevin: It’s too early to say what I expect. I want to see a lot more movement brought into the game. They haven’t shown much movement yet. I hope that Deadpool and Dante are in the game so that I can play them again. I feel like they’re going to be there. I love that team shell. If they are in the game, I will play the hell out of Infinite.

Missing Person: With the system changes between Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite, do you feel like there could be a divide between players who prefer each game?

DualKevin: I was originally afraid of that. I remember for the first year of Evo, there were 1,000 players, then the player count slowly dwindled. But with Yipes, Persia, and Kinderparty taking the lead on building up the community, I believe that they have enough ideas to keep people involved in the game. I don’t think that we’ll see a decline in any way.

Missing Person: How do you feel about your chances of getting back on the main stage at Evo 2017 on finals day?

DualKevin: I’m definitely going to be trying hard for it. What excited me about the donation drive was that got everyone excited to play Marvel again. It was able to get Filipino Champ talking about it again, and you even see Justin Wong streaming it again. What I really want is everyone to be excited about Marvel again, and that’s what it did. I want the best players to be at their prime in July.

Missing Person: What prompted you to play a unique team like Deadpool/Dante/Hawkeye?

DualKevin: I initially started playing Spider-Man with Deadpool as anchor, and it started out with Taskmaster in the middle. It sucked. I just wanted to make Deadpool work on a team in the worst way. I went through so many characters to do so. I settled with Dante and Hawkeye, but I initially thought that Deadpool and Hawkeye had no synergy. I stuck with it because I knew Dante and Hawkeye was strong. Eventually I found more tech with it, and I really like it now. It especially works with my dirty Quick Work with Jam Session assist setup that I do on incoming. I can’t give up that team.

Missing Person: Do you feel like having such a unique team with a low tier point character actually benefits you in tournament, as far as match up inexperience goes?

DualKevin: I would’ve said yes a couple of years ago when no one knew me. Now that I’m a force to be reckoned with, I don’t think so. If you have heard of me, you are likely to know what works against Deadpool and understand what he is capable of. So I don’t think it helps me that much anymore. I feel like some people have caught on to it.

Our series of Red Bull Proving Grounds regional organizer interviews has gained insight into the inner workings of the process of these events, history, rivalries, and the some of the human aspects. Today we set our sights on Florida’s regional event, being held at Citrus Clash.

---

John “Zidiane” Silvia: Alright, well. Would you mind introducing yourself for the folks that don’t already know you?

Andres Velasco y Coll: Hi! I’m Andres Velasco y Coll, but most people online know me as nothingxs. I’m the head TO at CEO Gaming, Evolution, and a TO with Combo Breaker. For the most part I was an old Capcom vs SNK 2, 3rd Strike, and KOF player before I decided to volunteer at bigger tournaments, and I cut my teeth with TOing by just running stuff at Evo. I’ve long been thinking about a way to make a higher impact and higher reach event that would attract people around Florida to play regularly, and I think Red Bull’s given us the perfect opportunity to do exactly that.

Zidiane: Which specific event(s) are you running now? I see Citrus Clash appears to be the Red Bull qualifier, yes?

Andres: Yes! Our monthly event is Citrus Clash, and yes, it is a Red Bull Proving Grounds qualifier.

Zidiane: Where is that held, venue-wise?

Andres: The venue is The Geek Easy, a sort of bar that’s hidden behind a comic book shop cleverly named “A Comic Shop,” located in Winter Park, Florida–basically a sub city of Orlando.

Zidiane: Sounds nice. What kind of pull does it get, as far as the player base goes?

Andres: Well, it’s amazing–you get a lot of local Orlando heads that come through, and a lot of people from the neighboring areas… Kissimmee, Winter Park, Lakeland a bit to the west, and Orlando proper. But because Orlando is such a central point in Florida, you really do see people from just about everywhere in Florida. Players are driving in from Tampa, Miami, West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Port St. Lucie… We’ve had a bit of everything so far. Right now we’re hoping more people local to Orlando get a wake-up call so that Miami doesn’t take spots 2-5 again like last time. (You know, even if I’m from Miami.)

Zidiane: Seems like a nice even spread of players from across the state. Is Miami the top dog as far as players go?

Andres: Well, it’s hard to say. Tampa seems like the strongest region at the moment, and they’re just an hour drive away. NuckleDu is, of course, from that area. But there are killers there that didn’t show up yet last time who I am expecting to see this time around. José “Mexican Seth” Campos just recently beat NuckleDu at a local tournament 3-0 while Du was playing Guile, and he’s an old Florida head with a lot of experience, so I’m really looking forward to that. I also hear that Dexter “TampaBison” James is keeping himself ready and might be showing up, so there’s that.

That’s not to say Miami is weak– we still have Peter “Flash” Susini, who is looking forward to his Vega buffs. And Orlando Rodriguez always does well at every event; he came in 3rd last time. There really are a large number of strong players in the entire region. I want to see how the top 3 shakes up for the Proving Grounds themselves.

Zidiane: Sounds like a fair bit of anticipation regarding potential killers. You just said it’s uncertain right now, but do you have any predictions about what the top 3 players will be for proving grounds?

Andres: Frankly? I have no idea. And that’s what’s exciting. I think Flash might have enough CPT points to where he won’t be eligible, and Du is obviously out since he’s already a shoe-in for the CPT in the first place.

I think the talent in Florida just needs to learn to be consistent. Whoever gets to consistency first will be representing Citrus Clash.

Zidiane: So, no one who’s eligible for the spot is consistent enough to win right now?

Andres: I don’t think so. I hope they use this to try and prove me wrong, though.

Zidiane: Some of the other regions I talked to were confident in their players and already had consistently placing players. If it continues to be this uncertain who’ll win until the end, do you think your players will struggle by the time the actual East Coast vs. West Coast portion starts?

Andres: Maybe, maybe not. To be fair, those other regions have people who feel like they’ve already separated themselves from the pack, and it’s not many of them.

When I say we lack consistency, I’m more talking about the fact that there’s a lot of people who can take each other out. I think the group that’s separated itself from “the pack” is simply larger in Florida. We’ll see if I’m right come June, though, won’t we?

Zidiane: Fair enough. As far as Proving Grounds go, what’s the player reaction like? I’m sure it was largely expected that Florida would participate this year, but what kind of reactions did you get with the 2017 announcement?

Andres: The reaction was positive, but I think a lot of people sort of knew what we were up to when we announced a monthly around the time a lot of other regions suddenly announced their own, too. It was a sort of “about time” reaction, and I can see a lot of hunger coming from participants. People have shown a lot of interest, really, and the official announcement feels like it really cemented that they NEED to be here to take advantage and to level up.

Zidiane: You mentioned that Orlando players need a wake-up call, and you mentioned that now there’s a sense that they need to level up. Combined with the comments about no one coming ahead as a clear winner, it just seems like there are many potential killers that were perhaps not giving it their all before now.

Andres: Well, the players in Orlando proper certainly need a better strategy than to let Tampa and Miami come in and walk away with all their money. I’m not sure whether that’s because they are sandbagging or because there’s catching up to do. I know there’s plenty of talent in Orlando, and there’s certainly a lot of talent in Florida–they just have to show it.

I think as a region, we’re as strong as anywhere else. Du won Capcom Cup, for crying out loud, and is probably currently the most dominant SFV player in the US (with all due respect to Smug, you can catch anyone on a bad day, fam). I want to see people in our same region try to come and challenge him again. This is a good stepping stone for that.

Zidiane: I see. Moving away from the players themselves for a bit, we’ve had some mixed responses throughout these interviews with regions considering themselves true East or West Coast as far as the overall event goes. Does that East Coast branding mean something to you and your players, or does your identity as Team Florida supersede that?

Andres: Man, everyone outside of Florida keeps saying Florida isn’t part of the East Coast. Maybe they’re right. We’re on the East Coast, but Florida is honestly its own thing. The East Coast branding honestly doesn’t mean anything outside of being the division that we’ll be playing in once we make it to the final Proving Grounds event itself. We’re just as happy to try and bop the NLBC crowd than we are to bop Vanguard or Rivals.

Zidiane: Other than who you’re matched up against, it makes no difference which team you’re on?

Andres: Not particularly. We welcome all comers.

Zidiane: I normally would have asked what you think of your East Coast competition, but that question feels premature before having a good idea of what your top players might look like. Do you have any opinion on your fellow East Coasters, or if you make it to the final round what team you think you’ll see meet there?

Andres: I’m primarily worried about the players we’re going to see out of Philadelphia’s Broad Street Battles–there’s a lot of good players there. If Punk doesn’t make it to the CPT, there’s a good chance we’ll see him in June.

I’m otherwise, unfortunately, not much for trash talk. I’d rather leave that to the players.

Zidiane: That’s about it for my questions so far, though. Did you have any last comments before you leave?

Andres: I’m looking forward to the communities at each of these events to rise up to the challenge of trying to be the region that wins the Red Bull Proving Grounds!

And I really want to emphasize one thing to players: support your new local event series. These organizers are working hard to put this together, to try and give you a tournament experience of this caliber on a regular basis. If something’s nearby you, go and play! Many of these events are supporting games other than SFV. Citrus Clash added UMvC3 and KOFXIV for April.

Other events are running a gamut of events, and many are open to running your favorite game so long as you show that you want to come out to play it. Take this opportunity to meet other players, network and improve your play. Let’s make this an exciting season of play in the FGC. We hope to see you there!

---

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

[Feature image courtesy of Robert Paul]