Xian talks about his journey through the low Street Fighter V tiers in this interview
Razer’s Xian has seen a sudden rise to new glory: having struggled last year with F.A.N.G in Street Fighter V–only to see the character get worse in the season 2 update–he made a gut call to switch to Ibuki. The results were obvious: he took the inaugural Capcom Pro Tour 2017 event at Final Round 20 in convincing fashion.
At the event, he was interviewed by Kotaku about his proclivity to pick low tier characters and make them work. He described his choices as being, “playing characters that look cool and hype.” He also discusses his choice of Gen in Street Fighter IV, stating, “People treated Gen like Dan: ‘This character is too weak. I don’t need to know anything to beat him.’ I spent a lot of time with Gen, even though I lost a lot in the first year. If I managed to find a way to play this character strong, no one will be able to figure him out.”
However, in his switch to Ibuki, he states, “I had some matchups I just couldn’t figure out, so I decided to try out another character.” Check out the full interview over on Kotaku.
Source: Kotaku
Super Steam Xrd Exhibition League: doren2k squares up with Mynus, Gekioh and DaveO duke it out
A new week means it’s time for a new Super Steam Xrd Exhibition League match. As the League is now into its fourth week, a different set of challengers awaits. The Daredevils face each other in first-to-seven sets, while commentary will be provided by Sway and wne–with the latter having competed last week on the stream.
Here’s a breakdown of the participants:
Mynus
On the match: “Meta-wise, I feel I-no wins the matchup solidly solely based on things that Jam can’t control. Many of I-no’s countermeasures against her involve low profiling many of her moves ie. (6H, Puffball, f.S, etc.) with Stroke the Big Tree. The ability of I-no to low profile her Dragon Punch makes the rock-paper-scissors of avoiding her parry in her favor if I choose to go for note-less okizeme.
“That being said, once Jam gets started, frame traps, oki, and the ability to just go crazy sometimes is a situation I definitely have to avoid. I-no lacks defensive options outside of super, so staying mobile, countering in neutral against her approach and being relentless on offense is important to avoid someone like doren’s Jam getting started. Lastly, in this matchup, I-no needs to be conscious of wake-up parry on oki, so using note or lows on her wakeup is important to avoid that move altogether. I-no needs to treat Parry like Blitz, except for the fact that she cannot option-select parry with Vertical Chemical Love YRC like she can with Blitz Shield.”
On his opponent: “doren is a player of pure aggression! He looks to take control of every scramble situation, and anytime you might slip in neutral–he’s already taking advantage of your hesitation. Recently, doren has been making waves in multiple tournament top 8’s, showing everyone why he is the strongest Jam in the U.S. Being able to show your personality and skill through the character you play and be considered the standard of that play in peoples minds is something I respect in someone immensely.
“My main approach in this set is to set the tone that I won’t let him get away with anything sloppy in neutral or pressure, be as unpredictable on offense as possible, and don’t press too hard when on defense. If I can knock him down first, I feel that on pure momentum and mix-up alone, I can frustrate anyone to the point of total despair. In Xrd, doren and I have only met once in tournament; at Final Round 19. I put him in losers early in top 32, but he ended up beating me in the runback in top 8, and I was left with a very salty 7th place. It would be great to play him in tournament again; and hopefully that can happen this weekend at Super TSB, but for now I look to get a bit of revenge in this long set!”
On his own playstyle: “I would describe my gameplay style in Xrd as “Reactive Aggression.” I look to always stay mobile, use ALL of I-no’s movement options (which is necessary as she is actually limited by her hoverdash being a double-edged sword in neutral), counter sloppy approaches and slips in the opponents neutral, and finally, borderline unseeable mixups on offense once I score a knockdown. I-no isn’t actually a rushdown character in my opinion, she is more so of a far-mid to long range character with tools to score knockdowns to finally oppress her opponent. This is why I try to play as clean neutral as possible, and from what I’ve seen from other U.S. and Japanese I-nos, I play a lot faster than almost all of them.
“I-no’s mix-up and okizeme is one of the strongest in the game, and many of her options are unseeable to the point where actual, viable countermeasures on defense are for the opponent to take risks mashing or jumping out of mixup/pressure in order to avoid getting mixed-up to death. I actualy tell people this all the time: “defending against I-no doesn’t exist.” I originally am an MvC2 player, so I tend to play I-no as “Magneto” or “Storm” in a similar manner; there’s a certain satisfaction of making someone feel hopeless on defense, and so I always look to implement advanced movement and mix-up tactics.
“This past year, I feel I truly cemented that my play style is effective, being one of only 5 US players to make top 32 in Evo 2016. I also had the awesome opportunity to rep the U.S. alongside PG|MarlinPie at Toushinsai at Arc Revo in October and was able to show my strength as a player in general (not just with I-no) in some of the strongest Japanese arcades in Tokyo and Osaka. I know that I still have a lot of work to do to improve as a player and grow, so I truly look forward to a hard working 2017!”
doren2k
On the match: “My thoughts on the I-no match with Jam, I think it’s about even, honestly. Jam has to, of course, get through all of the Chemical Loves and Notes but when she finally gets in, I-no really has nothing that can keep Jam off except her reversal super. So I’m just gonna try my best to maneuver around whatever Mynus throws at me so I can get in and try to kill him while I have the chance. Cause nobody wants to block I-no or attempt to block I-no, you know 
.”
On his opponent: “Mynus has been playing Guilty Gear for a long time, I’m pretty sure longer than me. The first time I played Mynus I’m pretty sure was at NEC 2007, Jam vs I-no in a 3v3 team tournament 10 years ago . He’s very smart and really knowledgeable with his character. Easily the best I-no in the US.”
On his own playstyle: “I like to focus on movement a lot definitely with Jam because she is easily one of the fastest characters in the game, but she also struggles in neutral. So I think to be really good with the character your movement has to be on point. And I also work on confirms a lot because of how fast I play. The character has to make sure you can get max damage or close to it from every random hit. And oh yeah, of course, charge Ryujin 
–full-screen YOLO.”
DaveO
On the match: “I’m excited to play the matchup. I don’t have too much experience in it, but I’ve played it enough to have at least a basic idea. It’s an interesting one, in that the characters are designed to do the opposite things as each other, so a lot of rounds can end up really one-sided when one player gets momentum, though with Axl having a Dragon Punch in Xrd makes things a little different. I’m just hoping not to lose to a combination of myself and Sparrowhawk Stance.”
On his opponent: “I played Gekioh for the first time at Frosty Faustings a few years ago (Xrd SIGN 1.1, I think). I beat him pretty handily, though I was using Slayer at the time. I played him a bunch at Combo Breaker last year and he had gotten a lot better and did smarter things overall, and we had a lot of interesting games. I haven’t seen him play since then (unless I’m misremembering), but I’m assuming he’s gotten better since then, so I’m hoping we have a real good set for people to watch.”
On his own playstyle: “The easiest way to distil the way I like to play and think about games is to play the simplest way possible that is still good. I tend not to play characters like Ramlethal or Zato=1, and play characters like Slayer, Sol. I like to play with footsies, reactions, conditioning. Having good setups and lots of layers is fine, but I try to keep it not too convoluted or complex. I like characters that focus on frame traps or grab mixups rather than high/low/left/right, etc.”
Gekioh
On the match: “In general, I find the Sol match-up to be 5-5, leaning toward 6-4 in Axl’s favor, if you can keep Sol out, you can shut down most of his hard pressuring options. It’s when Sol gets a hard knockdown or a corner carry Axl really doesn’t have many tools to retain his neutral game. Axl’s main goal in this matchup is to zone, wait, go in on whiffed attacks with long recovery, and generally frustrate him until he jumps in or does something stupid. I hope that I can adapt to my opponent’s options and find a rhythm to counter and react to different situations. And not get Wild Thrown!”
On his opponent: “I’ve gotten in some decent sets with DaveO at the last couple majors (Frosty Faustings IX, CEOtaku ’16, Combo Breaker). Great guy to have some games with, and he’s a very strong opponent that I have to be very careful about maintaining my neutral game with a lot of movement, not pressing buttons when I shouldn’t. Also to not get Wild Thrown…. He Wild Throws a lot.”
On his own playstyle: “My training partner, Kizzercrate said it best: a mixture of Japanese “wall keep away” and American rushdown with some homebrew tricks that I learned on the way. I want my opponent to feel as though it’s never safe to tech after a knockdown or jump in carelessly. Neutral is where I shine, and I use all movement and low profile options to try and make sure I keep myself in an advantageous position, as standing still will more than often not get you killed, when every button you have is usually at a frame disadvantage.”
Gekioh and DaveO’s FT7 is first, followed by Mynus and doren2k. The show is tomorrow, Thursday, at 10:00 PM EST/9:00 PM CST/7:00 PM PST. As usual, it will be on silva_hime’s Twitch channel.
Last time, KidViper fought daymendou in a rematch, while Kizzercrate faced off against wne. Check out the recorded results in the clip below:
Sources: Mdesilva; interviews
Nairo talks to Michael Martin about his Tokaigi win and Smash in Japan in Conversations and Fireballs
Liquid|Nairo is fresh off his victory in Japan’s Tokaigi event for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and he also just recently took first place in the Smash event at KI Con. Michael Martin caught up to him on the latest episode of Conversations and Fireballs; in it, they discuss the state of Smash in Japan, where Nairo points out that there are far more character specialists in Japan than the West. They also talk about how Smash will change with the discontinuation of the Wii U, should the game not be ported to the recently-released Nintendo Switch.
Source: Yahoo! Esports
“I don’t feel like I’ve slowed down”–Shoryuken talks to Team Spooky’s Arturo Sanchez
If you have been around the fighting game community for a while–or have at least tuned into Next Level Battle Circuit before–you are well aware of Team Spooky’s Arturo “Sabin” Sanchez. The New York Dhalsim main has been around fighting games almost as long as the reigning Capcom Cup champion–Liquid|NuckleDu–has been alive.
Back at Frosty Faustings IX, I talked to Arturo about his unique perspective on the scene as a commentator, streamer, and player.
Corey “Missing Person” Lanier: Arturo, how many years have you been in the scene?
Arturo “Sabin” Sanchez: This year will be my 19th year. I started playing in 1998.
Missing Person: What’s the difference between the skill gap then, and skill gap now?
Sabin: You see a lot of different players traveling now as opposed to back then. As a result, you see a lot more Western players able to compete with Japanese players. There is still a gap overall, but given how big the US is and how much we depend on online, it’ll always be there. But back then, it was a lot wider.
Nowadays, information travels instantly through the internet. Whatever tech Japan learns, we learn at about the same time. So there’s not as much guesswork as there was before.
Missing Person: Having played for so long at the highest levels, do you believe that age really plays a factor in the competitive scene?
Sabin: Not really; players like NuckleDu are the exception. When you look at the highest level of play, most of the players are in their 30s. I don’t feel like I’ve slowed down any with aging.
Missing Person: You’ve stuck with your guns on Dhalsim throughout your gaming life. It was sometimes to your detriment, as in Street Fighter IV; how do you feel his skill ceiling looks in Street Fighter V?
Sabin: If Capcom doesn’t change the game now, the skill gap will be wider and wider. They have stated that the game would focus more on neutral with a lack of throw loops and jumps being less powerful, but they’re all still in the game. I feel like it’s going to reflect Season 1 where Dhalsim’s place in the meta looks good now, but later down the line, it will get worse. I could be wrong though.
Missing Person: You’ve been known to travel to Japan some. What kind of knowledge do you pick up there that you bring back to the US?
Sabin: It’s kind of strange, because when I went over there for Street Fighter V, it was the first Street Fighter title that didn’t have an arcade release in Japan before the worldwide console release. So the entire Japanese scene was going though a huge adjustment period of not going to arcades, and having to open up and go to game bars. Naturally, the players there are still good, but after going there, I realized why all the Japanese players are coming here now. Ten or fifteen years ago, everyone was wanting to go to Japan. With esports, the media attention, and all the major events in North America, everything changed a lot last year.
Missing Person: With Evo Japan, do you think a shift will happen in Japan, where they will start to host more esports-centric events?
Sabin: Yes and no. On one hand, gambling is technically illegal in Japan, and they count events with entry fees like we’re used to as gambling. I feel like that is one reason why esports isn’t as big in Japan as it is in America. But it might come to a point where Japanese companies see a benefit to sponsoring events that are free to enter.
Missing Person: With being part of the backbone of Team Spooky, running the streams for events, what duty do you feel to keep doing what you’re doing?
Sabin: There’s no one out there that can keep the East Coast going like Team Spooky, so I feel like I have to keep going for that reason. The entire brand is bigger than myself and Spooky at this point. It’s going worldwide now. The channel now has a seven-year legacy now, and it’s important to keep it alive.
Missing Person: As a veteran commentator, what are some of biggest and most common mistakes you’ve seen rookie commentators make?
Sabin: One of the biggest problems with commentary now–and this includes myself–is that they talk too much about frame data. First, it’s easy to be wrong if you’re talking in absolute numerical terms. Second, viewers who have no idea about fighting games don’t get those terms. So saying that a move is safe or unsafe is better.
Also, listening to yourself after broadcasts is a great idea. You need to study your own tendencies. You can fall into a pattern with your commentary, so just mixing it up is a great idea.
[Feature image: Arturo Sanchez (left), Tom Brady (right)]
Bandai Namco’s Mark Religioso confirms Tekken 6’s Xbox One backwards-compatibility and more at PAX East
Tekken 7’s brand manager Mark Religioso was at PAX East this weekend, to help showcase the upcoming title in New England. While he was there, he did an interview with Outerhaven Productions about the upcoming title.
Firstly, he failed to rule out the possibility of another Street Fighter character making their way into Tekken 7 at some point. He also discussed what would be contained in the Tekken 7 Season Pass: which retails for $25, and features all DLC characters, a new game mode, and character customization options. Probably the most interesting news is his confirmation that the Xbox One will have Tekken 6 playable through backwards-compatibility in the near future–and it will be included for free in the pre-order of the Xbox One version of Tekken 7.
Source: The Outerhaven Productions
Ricki Ortiz talks to theScore esports about Street Fighter V Season 2 and ELEAGUE
EG|Ricki Ortiz finished off last season of the Capcom Pro Tour quite well: having finished 2nd in Capcom Cup 2016, she indeed made herself a lock for ELEAGUE, and beyond.
In this interview with theScore, Ortiz talked with them about her desire to keep playing Chun-Li, but admits that she is learning Cammy to cover Chun-Li’s bad matchups. She discusses her opportunity to be on ELEAGUE, stating that the televised tournament “will only make [Street Fighter V] more successful.” She also talks about Chun-Li in Season 2–that if she had just one of the tools she had in Season 1, like better anti-airing or instant air lightning legs–that she would be a perfect character.
Ortiz also calls for nerfs to Urien, and describes Rashid as a “secret top tier.” Read the full interview over at theScore esports.
Source: theScore esports
– PAX Prime 2017 – En Masse Talks TERA & Kritika
This week at PAX East I got a chance to speak to the guys from En Masse about their Tera announcement and their upcoming foray into the MMO scene, Kritika Online. As you might have heard, Tera is coming to consoles.
MKLeo talks about his history of gaming and his travels in this interview
15 year old MKLeo of Echo Fox is quickly rising through the ranks. Currently sitting in eighth place in Panda Global’s rankings for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the Mexican Marth, Meta Knight and Could main has taken great lengths to become one of the premier players on the circuit.
While he was in Austin, Texas last month, he sat down for a solid interview, which was conducted in Spanish and translated in subtitles, talks about his origins with the game, where he was beating all of his cousins and brothers, who would subsequently haze him by making him go to the corner store. He also talks about his desire to make a name for himself with his Marth play, and also about which countries he enjoys traveling to, stating that he much prefers not to go to Brazil for events.
Source: Michael Praeda