If you think you can live and die on rock-paper-scissors alone in Pokkén Tournament, you’ll do a lot more of the latter versus good players then you’d probably like. The reason why this happens is because the “attack triangle” — so prominently plastered across Pokkén’s tutorial and marketing — is a guide, not an absolute rule.
There is no substitute for learning the nuance of mechanics in fighting games, and that is why McDareth (with the help of Pokkén Pro Slippingbug) has put together this excellent breakdown of the counter attack mechanic. With Pokkén Tournament DX only a few months away, now is the perfect time to get educated on the juicy depth of this unique series.
Today’s video roundup takes a bit of a different twist. There’s still plenty of combos and new tech to share, but let’s take a trip down memory lane first. Bandai Namco put together an excellent recap of CEO 2017, including a series of interviews with the big Tekken names in attendance.
New characters are always big problems in 3D games. Theer numerous strings and new qualities have to be learned, and fast. Proper Tech is here to help you punish Katarina’s new moveset.
World Warrior has some Devil form-specific combos for you to try out.
If you like your combos flashy and impractical, you should check out this wild Kazumi combo video from KYSG_Guc. Back-turned states are notoriously hard to juggle in Tekken, but you wouldn’t know that after watching this video.
Xiaoyu continues to be a tech trap monster. Thanks to her back-turned state, TheComboSmithy explores some deadly traps with her BT 3, and other curiosities.
Aris at Avoiding The Puddle shows you how to crouch cancel. Knowing this further opens up your rush-down possibilities and combos.
BLKthunda 1220 has wakeup options to cover everything after her F+4 knockdown.
You don’t have to get demon-like damage by picking Devil Jin. All you need is Savage Ogre‘s latest combo video, and rage.
hakazuki breaks down the Yoshimitsu vs. Gigas matchup in intricate detail. Yoshi is very good at punishing, if you didn’t already know!
ranzudezu has a quick PSA: Eddy’s Rage Art breaks balconies.
And lastly, Russianarm has found a way to setup back-turned Rage Drive’s with Gigas. You tech, you die.
How is your own tech coming along in Tekken 7? What have you been working on improving?
Tension Pulse, a Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 online exhibition series, features quality matches between well-versed opponents with commentary. The organizers, Silva and zenzen, are going strong into their second episode of the mayhem, which continues later tonight. It’s a great opportunity to see some valuable Guilty Gear play with entertaining commentary and extra insight (and all in English)!
We have a new set of Daredevils this time, with one returning from the past. We’re going to see how much REV 2 changes have affected SQ’s Sin Kiske in comparison to Native’s Dizzy. We also have Zinac’s Faust going against Mr.Dolphin’s “Seaworld” May.
Native
On REV 2 changes: “Overall, I feel REV 2 completely changed who I play, she’s 100% stronger considering they really buffed some of her zoning tools, i.e. JH Fish, Bubble not going off screen, both Fire and Ice Dagger getting better. So I’d say that’s the newest thing for me, Dizzy’s a lot stronger!”
On his opponent: “I’ve never really seen or played SQ but I know he plays Sin, and he was a really strong Persona player, so I think he’s probably really solid. Usually in the Sin match-up, I have to be really careful of summoning. Since Sin has Beak Driver, I can’t really throw things out recklessly, so I’m going to really fish out for Sin’s air approach and react to Leap with either 2S or 6P then go from there. Also really looking out for Elk Hunt — since Dizzy’s dash goes under lows — and really capitalizing on a knockdown.”
On his own playstyle: “I usually main grapplers, so when playing other characters I try to translate that as best as I can, so I’m pretty nutty — I like to usually ride on good sequences/setplay. I’m 100% a nut though.”
SQ
On REV 2 changes: “I feel like Sin overall didn’t change much this version. Air Beak Driver not knocking down anymore and 6P not being jump-cancelable hurts his air control a bit, but it’s nothing too bad. Meanwhile, I’m Sure I’ll Hit Something knocking down let’s him convert his pokes more often, improving his ground game. While his changes might not be very impactful to his strength overall, I find him more fun!”
On his opponent: “I don’t know much about Native. I know he was an SF4 player before getting into Guilty Gear. So we both have some amount of a Street Fighter background, which is interesting. That’s all I know though.”
On his own playstyle: “I think I’m a patient, defensive player. I really try to focus on the neutral game and playing safe. I’m able to switch up my style to be more aggressive if need be, but I prefer a slower, more reactive approach!”
Mr.Dolphin
On REV 2 changes: “To be honest nothing significant enough changed for May. She had a change to Ensenga that doesn’t give her as good okizeme midscreen, but with how far she can corner carry, I hardly notice the change. All of her tools are still there, and she was relatively untouched.”
On his opponent: “I don’t know too much about Zinac, but I know he’s a solid player. Faust is a character I’m generally comfortable playing against. It’s an interesting match-up: Faust has tools to anti-air her properly, and May has a couple of ways to get around that and interact with his gameplan. I’m interested to see how comfortable Zinac is with the May match-up.”
On his own playstyle: “I think I have a very aggressive playstyle. I’m OK with sitting back and zoning with Seaworld but generally prefer to get in someone’s face and run an okizeme train. One of the things I find best about May is her ability to convert off pretty much everything with consistency.”
Zinac
On REV 2 changes: “Faust had a few changes in REV 2 that are mostly to his items. I haven’t had time to explore the new “Jackpot” items yet, but I’m sure I’ll find new setups.”
On my opponent: “I’ve heard from a few people that Mr.Dolphin is a serious May, so I’m not going to take him lightly. May has never been a character Faust can challenge directly. So I take advantage of Faust’s zoning ability and preemptive attack May before she can get any momentum.”
On my own playstyle: “The last match wasn’t that long ago. I’ve mostly been focusing on adapting to the REV 2 match-up changes for Faust.”
Tension Pulse starts up later tonight on Silva_hime’s Twitch channel. Look for the beginning at at 10:30 PM EST/9:30 PM CST/7:30 PM PDT. CH_tenpai!! and Mr. K will get on the microphones to talk about the matches.
To learn more about this online league, read all about its predecessor: the Super Steam Xrd Exhibition League. Also, don’t forget to catch up on the premiere of Tension Pulse. There are matches between FaultyDefense’s Answer and TheArm’s Ramlethal, as well as TSB|Blaze’s Raven and my own Baiken.
It may have been posted a month ago originally, but some achievements are simply worth crowing about. We received a tip from the Amazing Diablo II Sorceress owner “Aeraloth”. Not many of us can say we took on all the game’s Super Uniques from Corpsefire all the way to the Cow King without a merc, portals or without taking damage. Aeraloth can.
In one of our previous reports on the status of Gundam Versus, it was noted that Gundam Barbatos Lupus of Mobile Suit Gundam: IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS would be the game’s first DLC. Bandai Namco has released a gameplay video that shows off Barbatos Lupus’ capabilities, and gives us a first look at its pilot, Augus Mikazuki.
Though this suit and pilot duo are not included in the standard version, those who buy the Premium G Sound Edition — the import version of Gundam Versus that comes with additional music from the anime franchise — will get this bonus for free.
Gundam Versus for PlayStation 4 is currently available for pre-order. Also, registration for the AnimEVO Gundam Versus side tournament is currently open, and if you wish to participate, you can do so by registering here!
With the increasing number of fighting games on PC, we’re now getting used to seeing them being tweaked by modders. What we’ve seen less of, however, is modders modifying existing games to become fighting games. That’s exactly what one player has done with this mod for Counter-Strike: Global Ops: turning it into a Tekken parody. With chickens.
Called — fittingly enough — CHIKKEN, the mod turns Valve’s competitive tactical first person shooter into a feathered fighter, featuring flightless fowl. As you can see in the video below from KnockingOn, the mod is still in a very, very, rough state. (Note that some of the audio commentary is NSFW.) That said, creator Crashz has stated that improvements are coming to the game, including an actual basic fighting system, combos, more stages, music, sound effect, and unique characters.
CHIKKEN is currently being beta tested on Steam. Interested players can check it out over at the Steam Workshop.
Collating together results from several tournaments around the world, Panda Global and their stats team have begun to release the third PGR for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. This ranking covers tournaments between January 7th and June 18th, with CEO 2017 being the last tournament that counted towards this list.
Tournaments were rated via the PG Tournament Tier System, and player rankings were determined by looking at their placings at various events, combined with their respective wins and losses. For a complete breakdown of the methodology for the PGR v3, check out the FAQ over on its official website.
So far, only ranks 41-50 have been declared, with the PG Stats team planning to release ranks 40-31 on June 29th, ranks 30-21 on July 3rd, ranks 20-11 on July 5th, and then the top 10 on July 7th. This means we should have an up-to-date ranking ahead of Evo 2017.
This official trailer for Canada’s biggest fighting game event gathers answers to that question from players and FGC personalities.
Canada Cup Gaming has released a retrospective trailer for Canada Cup 2017, set to take place in Toronto, Ontario on October 26-29 as a Capcom Pro Tour Premier event. The new trailer asks “What does Canada Cup mean to you?” Alex Valle, James Chen, Echo Fox’s Justin Wong, Razer’s Xian, EG|K-Brad and others talk about their experiences and perspective on this event and its history.
Additionally, 2017’s Canada Cup Vancouver takes place this weekend, after a venue change.
Now that Eagle has joined the Killer Instinct roster, the lab monsters have come out in full force to push this archer to his limit. From safe counter breakers, to knockdown setups and general information about his various projectiles, these videos should prepare you for the hunt.
First off we have top ARIA and third place at Evo 2016 SeaDragon, with some hard knockdown setups and a free counter breaker trap for Eagle. Just from these initial concepts, Eagle is going to be a setplay machine once people figure out the best ways to pressure with his projectiles and bird companion.
3HP (low) ranges. Don't expect to have a fullscreen low projectile, basically. This ain't Injustice 2. Half screen is still pretty good tho pic.twitter.com/uyzNAKGkRu
If you want to see some Day 1 Eagle action, Street NS has gone up against Europe’s best Hisako Ki4Life in a best of five Eagle mirror.
And finally, here is Iron Galaxy’s initial character breakdown for Eagle. It runs through all of his normals, specials, Instinct and some basic combo ideas to get you started.
After a long road, Philadelphia’s team stood victorious in Santa Monica.
This past weekend, the top twelve 3-player teams from across North America fought it out at the Red Bull eSports Studio in Santa Monica, California to determine the winner of Red Bull Proving Grounds! The teams battled over two days, concluding with a final East vs. West fight that saw the Philadelphia crew crush the favorite, well-established Los Angeles team in a surprising upset. The champions JB, Darkchild, and PIE Kami — along with five other top-ranking competitors — will thus represent Philadelphia at Evo 2017!
The team matches indeed proved hugely entertaining and pushed hype to new levels! You can rewatch the matches leading to Philadelphia’s victory on Red Bull eSports’ Twitch channel.
Source: Red Bull; [Team Philadelphia photo by Carlo Cruz, courtesy of Red Bull]
