It seems like every time we turn around, the more we see CYG BST|Daigo Umehara playing Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Between his stream on Thursday with Ogou and Kurahashi, and his pledge to play in ST at Canada Cup, it looks like The Beast is back in his natural habitat.
While at Celtic Throwdown in Dublin, Ireland last weekend, Daigo sat down to a first to nine set against one of England’s best ST players — GolcarJack. Every game was packed with action, and shows not only how strong Umehara is in the game after all these years, but how strong Europe is in the game.
PAX West recently wrapped up last weekend in Seattle, Washington, and Capcom was on-hand with the latest build of Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite for fans to get their hands on.
UltraChenTV’s “Tasty” Steve Scott was fortunately able to capture several matches between Marvel veterans from days both old and new, to give fans a taste of some of the action they can expect in just 10 days time. There are several characters used here, with several notable names showing their stuff in this brand new title. You can check out all of the action yourself in the match videos below.
Mike D (Strider Hiryu/Doctor Strange – Time) vs. GOL|Ranmasama (Haggar/Dormammu – Time)
Mike D (Jedah/Dormammu – Soul) vs. Rocket Racoon/Arthur – Power
Gamora/Dante – Space vs. Bv|Kyle P (Captain Marvel/Jedah – Reality)
Circa|Jibrill (Zero/Haggar – Reality) vs. GOL|Ranmasama (Haggar/Dormammu – Time)
Mike D (X/Iron Man – Soul) vs. Bv|Kyle P (Spencer/Jedah – Reality)
Mike D (Gamora/Spider-Man – Power) vs. Bv|Kyle P (Nova/Jedah – Soul)
Mike D (Morrigan/Thor – Space) vs. Circa|Jibrill (Zero/Haggar – Reality)
Circa|Jibrill (Zero/Haggar – Reality) vs. KillerKai (Thor/Spencer – Power)
Mike D (Strider Hiryu/Doctor Strange – Time) vs. Circa|Jibrill (Zero/Haggar – Reality)
Mike D (Strider Hiryu/Doctor Strange – Time) vs. KillerKai (Chris/Dante – Soul)
What did you think of these matches? Did they give you some ideas you’re looking forward to implementing yourself come release day? Let us know in the comments.
Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam PC in North America and Europe on September 19th. A Japanese release on the same platforms will follow on September 21st.
As Street Fighter V‘s fifth Season 2 DLC character continues to make waves with players, a strange glitch involving her crystal ball has surfaced that allows the “Eyes Of The Future” to cause her AI opponents to stop all attacks against her.
Looygi has discovered that, when facing CPU foes, placing the crystal ball with Menat’s Soul Sphere will cause her computer-controlled adversaries to immediately cease all forms of offense. Instead of attacking, they will simply begin shimmying forward and backward around the stage. However, once Menat retrieves her ball with Soul Sphere: Ankh, the computer will immediately snap right back into action and resume fighting.
This strange phenomenon can also occur when Menat activates her V-Trigger, Wisdom Of Thoth, which summons six additional orbs around her body that are individually tied to each of the six attack buttons. This will cause the same ceasefire effect with the computer until all 6 orbs are released, which will then snap them back into the fight. Looygi tested all of this against a Zangief set at CPU Level 8, noting that this glitch works best at higher difficulty settings.
For those wondering if this can be utilized to breeze your way through Survival Mode with Menat, looygi said the following in the video’s comments. “Yes it does [work in Survival Mode]. The problem is that it works better on higher difficulty, but in Survival the CPU level is kind of random. So you can use this bug on Survival too, but it’s still not going to be easy to complete.” You can see the full video demonstrating the glitch below.
It will be interesting to see if Capcom patches this out when the final Season 2 DLC character arrives later this year. Give us your thoughts on this strange glitch in the comments below.
The hype and anticipation for Dragon Ball FighterZ is reaching critical mass, with the game’s closed beta being just beyond the horizon. Though we’ve seen plenty of footage and character breakdowns since Gamescom 2017 — including an ESL tournament — we’ve still got gameplay coming down the pipe, as DBFZ was playable at both GameStop Expo and PAX West. As he did with some high-level Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite matches, UltraChenTV’s “Tasty” Steve Scott was on the scene to capture some great high-level DBFZ footage from some notable names in the fighting game community. You can check out the matches below:
Tasty Steve (Krillin/Future Trunks/Goku) vs. BT|Koogy (Android 18/Piccolo/Android 16) Match 1
Tasty Steve (Krillin/Future Trunks/Goku) vs. BT|Koogy (Android 18/Android 16/Piccolo)
BT|Koogy (Android 18/Android 16/Piccolo) vs. CoffeeAngel (Future Trunks/Krillin/Android 18)
TastySteve (Krillin/Future Trunks/Goku) vs. BT|Koogy (Android 18/Piccolo/Android 16)
Tatsu (Perfect Cell/Vegeta/Android 16) vs. Nakkiel (Android 18/Frieza/Vegeta) in a 2-out-of-3 Set
Tatsu (Perfect Cell/Vegeta/Android 16) vs. Circa|Jibrill (Goku/Vegeta/Piccolo) in a 2-out-of-3 Set
Tasty Steve (Gohan/Vegeta/Goku) vs. Tatsu (Perfect Cell/Vegeta/Android 16) in a 2-out-of-3 Set
Finally, we’ve also got some more footage of Maximilian Dood battling developers at Bandai Namco Entertainment’s U.S. offices, as he puts his team of Future Trunks/Perfect Cell/Android 16 through the ringer.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is scheduled for a February 2018 release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam PC, in both standard and CollectorZ Editions. Sign-ups for the game’s closed beta test can be found here, which will run from September 16-17th, with a series of three four-hour sessions each day. An open beta is planned for sometime in January 2018.
Rami “Potatobrain” Nuseir was, during the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 days, easily Canada’s best player. That’s why his appearance on Woolie’s (of Super Best Friends fame) talk show “Tale’s From The Loser’s Bracket” seems out of place: for a show billing itself as “A fighting game show for everyone stuck in the middle”, Rami certainly isn’t.
Not that his appearance isn’t welcome! This 30-minute+ podcast is dense with great information for new and experienced players alike. Rami talks about the surge of players in the Tekken community, parallels between 2D and 3D, and gives valuable advice to 2D heads on what adjustments they’ll need to make way in the 3D sub-genre.
The next episode of Tension Pulse is nearly upon us, and with it, a fresh set of competing Daredevils willing to show off their best. In this next instalment of the streamed Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 exhibition series, you can expect to see some exciting first-to-seven sets from players ready to showcase characters of choice.
We have one player returning from past events, and that’s Mynus with his impressive I-no. He’ll face FNM|HarlockSwag’s Potemkin, so after the REV 2 changes, which have turned the matchup on its head, it will be interesting to see how it plays out! We’ll also see Omi’s Elphelt face off against MechaMacGyver’s Haehyun. Your guess is as good as mine!
FNM|HarlockSwag
On the match: “I think the exhibition will be a good opportunity to showcase what I can do as a Guilty Gear and Potemkin player. I hope that it will also bring some more light to the Toronto anime scene as a whole.”
On his opponent: “I think Mynus is a strong I-no player and probably one of the best in North America. Before REV 2, the matchup of I-no vs Potemkin was pretty bad I felt, due to “Chemical Love” hitting Potemkin even on crouching. However, with the recent changes, I feel he has as much of a chance as any other character. Looking forward to the match!”
On his own playstyle: “I feel that my playstyle is similar to that of any other grappler players in any fighting game. Due to limited mobility, being able to make the right reads as well as finding openings to the opposing players’ blockstrings and approaches in neutral can turn the game around in an instant. Instant Blocking is one of my favorite mechanics, and I do the most of it because it gives me a feel of how my opponent likes to pressure as well giving me Tension resources to work with throughout each round.”
TSB|Mynus
On the match: “In REV 2, this matchup became a little bit more nuanced, and in turn harder for I-no due to functional changes that Potemkin received. His new crouching animation affects poking him from 3/4ths screen with HCL, and some crouching confirms from max range as well. His ability to hold Flick is also a huge boon when dealing with HCL; as a countermeasure you’ll see more approach from the neutral position from me, using I-no’s new vertical dash movement to attack Potemkin from angles I couldn’t do before in REV 1.
All in all, I believe this MU is almost even now, with I-no having a slight advantage because of movement and 663 VCL YRC. Something like 5.5 in I-no’s favor.”
On his opponent: “ I haven’t heard of, nor seen HarlockSwag play before the announcement of the exhibition, but according to our resident NYC Potemkin beast Shine (TSB Shine, not OG|Shine who likes to break stuff) he is incredibly skilled and strong. Of course, I will be training a bit with Shine, and going over some training regimens to deal with a long set in this MU. Not trying to lose fam, really not. If I can control his movements and score an early knockdown without using meter, that round can end real quick in my favor. Obviously though, if you play Potemkin, you’re either really dumb, or incredibly too smart for your own good. I hope HarlockSwag is the latter.”
On his growth since the last exhibition: “Since the last exhibition vs. my brother Doren2K in March, I’ve been training in Japan at Mikado arcade for a month and a half during April-May, playing all of the best Japan had to offer. During KSB in Osaka, I was really close to beating Omito in pools, which was a huge confidence boost, and later came back to Tokyo to one-character-victory some teams (including GF) at Mikado when I teamed up with one of my favorite I-no players and friend, Turio.
Coming back to the US, alongside the NY homies Sway, Makotofox, and Blaze, we have taken over the TSB tournament circuit. In addition to running TSB weekly now (three Fridays and one Saturday each month), we’ve brought the brand to multiple tournaments on the EC so far this summer. This new view as staff, a tournament organizer, and Japanese translator has given me a new focus in the FGC which has helped me become more disciplined as a player.
I hope this focus will translate to me putting on a good show for everyone!”
MechaMacGyver
On the match: “As someone that doesn’t get a ton of chances to travel I’m excited to have the chance to show a style of Haehyun that’s a bit different from what’s en vogue :^).”
On his opponent: “I’ve watched footage of Omi play in Norcal and do well which speaks to his strength as a player given the killers that area has given us. My experience vs. Elphelt I would say is pretty fleshed out thanks to having NerdJosh as a training partner as well as regularly running sets vs. Vevion and Munsu. I don’t want to come off as overconfident since every Elphelt is dangerous in their own unique ways, and I’m well aware I could run into a wall of shotguns and rifles.”
On his own playstyle: “I think my own playstyle is very centered around reading my opponent and trying to overwhelm them before they can react. I believe Jam is a very linear character, so to make up for that, I like to incorporate hard reads and gimmicks into my gameplay to keep my opponents guessing.”
Omi
On the match: “First, I am very glad that Tension Pulse invited me. I didn’t expect that. I’ve been getting ready for the coming matches. I think the exhibition is a good chance for many players to dig more about certain match-ups. I’m excited to play on Sunday.”
On his opponent: MechaMacGyver, I know he’s Socal (correct me if I’m wrong), I think EL v KU match-up is in Kum’s favor. I also talked to Foo about this MU as I lost to him in the United Norcal Dogfight. I am ready and look forward to playing him.”
On his own playstyle: “My Elphelt is, many said, aggressive. I consider myself a rushdown type of player. Once I got the knockdown I have many ways to do okizeme. That is usually the pattern. Once I get the oki-knockdown loop, match-up doesn’t matter anymore.”
Catch the next episode of Tension Pulse live on Silva_hime’s Twitch channel. The first set, between Omi and MechaMacGyver, starts at 9:00 PM ET/8:00 PM CT/7:00 PM PT. Following that, Mynus will fight HarlockSwag. As for the commentator stations, nobodyexe and TheArm will grace the matches with their insight.
Looking to catch up on the last episode of Tension Pulse? The last episode included hectic matches between four players:
Last weekend, Celtic Throwdown 2017 was held in Dublin, Ireland. Though a lot of eyes were focused on the Street Fighter V, Injustice 2 and Tekken 7 competitions, due to this event serving as a Capcom Pro Tour Ranking event, a Ranking event for the Injustice 2 Pro Series and a Challenger event for the Tekken World Tour, this tournament was also the site of the first ever tournament for Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite.
Streamed by Lythero and set up by Capcom UK community manager Matt Edwards, the event featured the likes of Lythero, FH|PaulPesci, PRLS|FaisalDante, Dansim, and of course, Unequalled Media’s Tyrant.
You can catch the event in its entirety below, along with some pre-match comments from Lythero about how this tournament came to be. There’s plenty of strong players and tech on display here, with several characters and Infinity Stones being, so there should be something for any and all fans of Mahvel to enjoy.
Did you enjoy a look at this early look at the potential future of competitive play at this early stage? Give us your thoughts on the comments below. You can also check out our full coverage of the event here.
Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite will be released on September 19th in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, with a Japanese release following on September 21st.
The way “Stage Interactables” (the term for optional, unblockable attacks players can activate around each stage) function in tournament play has been a point of derision in the Injustice community since the dawn of the series.
The derision is mostly centered around their unblockable property, with different sides in the community arguing for and against their perceived fairness. Regardless of which side of that debate you fall on, though, you likely won’t be a fan of the fact that some of these interactables can be glitched to the point of absurdity.
Here, MK_REO demonstrates two o these glitches. On the “Red Sun Prison” stage, the user of the stage’s laser can get interrupted, causing several placement and hitbox size changes for the active laser. More impractically, on the “Metropolis” stage you can actually trap your enemy out of the boundaries of the map. The setup requires crossing up your opponent with an air-to-air, landing a successful grab immediately afterwards, then doing a Super Attack while they are recovering from the throw.
ROX Gaming’s Knee, whom is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of the Tekken franchise, recently put together his own tier list for both Tournament play and Death Match play. In short, this is his view of how character viability changes in short vs. longer sets.
For those that speak the Korean language, Knee joined KURO KURO on their channel for the creation of the tier list.
For those that want to jump to point, though: Flying_Wonkey has helpfully screen capped the final tier lists.
Perhaps the biggest shakeup from the Japanese tier list we saw earlier in the year is the rise of the Mishima Matriarch, Kazumi. Knee’s list includes the new console characters and is, interestingly enough, also more compact.
Competition has always been a constant driving force throughout human history. There has always existed an insatiable need within the human heart to prove one’s superiority over another person. Whether it be gladiators in the ancient Roman Colosseum, sports teams battling on their field of choice, or players squaring off in any type of game imaginable, players and spectators alike always want to know who is the absolute best. However, when it comes to truly determining this, the process can actually prove quite challenging.
Starting off by noting that he got 513th place out of 2,622 Street Fighter V players and 641st out of 1,278 Tekken 7 players this year at Evo, Gerald Lee begins a very intriguing and informative discussion about how these placings are essentially meaningless because they are shared with so many other people. He goes into the topics of seeding by tournament organizers looking to maintain the integrity of the event, so that the world’s best players don’t meet in round one of the bracket.
Lee also debates the merits of single-elimination/double-elimination vs. a round robin format, as well as the reason the FGC prides itself on running open bracket events. While invitationals like ELEAGUE’s Street Fighter event are becoming more popular, events like these reduce the chances of unknown players make big upsets.
It’s a great watch if you’re unfamiliar with how this process tends to work, or if you would just like a refresher course on everything. You can catch the video below, and be sure to give us your thoughts on the types of tournament formats you prefer, whether they be inclusive or exclusive, in the comments section below.
