Coliseum

Last week we reported on the Samurai Shodown VI coming to PlayStation Network, which arrived this past Tuesday. This SNK franchise has been limited to appearing within The King of Fighters series as of late, with the last “true” Samurai Shodown game being released on the Xbox 360 back in 2008. Hopefully, this re-release will connect new players with the earlier entries in this landmark 2D fighter.

Now that it’s available for purchase, SNK has seen fit to release a trailer for their refurbished PS2 fighter. This trailer shows off the beautiful gameplay, several super moves and some slick combos to entice people into picking Samurai Shodown VI up.

Source: snkplaymoreGame

Cloud has cemented himself as one of the top tiers in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, thanks to his amazing neutral game, great mobility and his Limit mechanic which can result in kills at around 50% with certain setups. While almost everyone can agree that Cloud is a top tier, there is a quite a bit more discussion on who is the best Cloud player.

Komorikiri, Tweek, MKLeo, Mew2King; all are in contention for being the best Cloud player, but how would they do in Cloud mirrors? Well, as MKLeo is currently staying on the East Coast, he was able to get in a first to seven set against Tweek, where they both played Cloud. What results is a great display of how powerful Cloud’s Limit can be and how going down a stock as Cloud may actually be benefit in a 2-stock scenario, as you get extra Limit to play with as the opponent goes into their final stock.

Source: Rush Hour Smash

Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-‘s newest roster addition, Dizzy, has been a part of the overall franchise for a long time. She’s a very stunning character visually, making her presence in an already diverse roster very distinct. Her presence–tournament wise–has been a bit hot and cold however, potentially due in part to just how recently she’s been released.

Part of improving play is sharing tech, and this CMV, created by Y.Xiao, delves into some practical combos to help on this front. While it does offer widely usable scenarios, it isn’t afraid to show off some fancy and situational stuff. There are notations in the video description as well, in case you’re interested in assimilating this into your game.

Source: Y.Xiao

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.

Kenryo “Mago” Hayashi has long been referred to as the 2D God. Always one of the highest ranked players in both arcade and console play, whatever the game, and always having been a threat in Topanga A League in Street Fighter IV, he has already proven himself one of the strongest Karins in Street Fighter V.

But how strong is the deity heading into Anaheim?

Less Than a God

Mago’s reign was not decisive at the start of SFV’s life span. My first real glimpse of Mago’s play was at Street Fighter V Crash. One of the first things I recognized was how he seemed to be the weakest link of Team Topanga. With Tokido and EG|Momochi sporting the best records of the team, Mago seemed to be an afterthought on the championship team.

That’s not to say Mago was bad. Around the same time, the only tournament where he had lackluster results was at Stunfest, where he finished 25th, when he finished 3^rd at Battle Arena Melbourne the week before, and 1^st at TWFighter Major two weeks after. His below-par play continued when it came down to rise to his throne at Evo and prove himself the best Karin in the world; he fell short of top 32.

It’s clear that he had some transition problems going into Street Fighter V. But once he worked them out, he began his ascension.

But More Than a Man

Mago hasn’t traveled much, but what he has done in Asia has truly proven him a force to be reckoned with. Outside of Southeast Asia Majors and G-League, Mago has not once missed a top 8 in Asia.

Further, he capped his season by winning the Asia Regional Finals. Of all the events to directly qualify, he had one of the hardest roads. The bracket was stacked with more killers than you could imagine. Just to win, he had to run through MOV, YouDeal MJS|Haitani, and GGP|Kazunoko, among others.  If anyone has any doubts that he can be at the top of the heap in Anaheim, all they have to do is just look at the Asia Finals for proof.

Straight to the Point

In Street Fighter IV was known for his Fei Long. A straightforward character through and through, he just oppressed you with relentless offense.

After years of sticking it out with Fei, Mago’s pick of Karin makes sense in this game. He puts Miss Kanzuki to work in much the same vein. He doesn’t need fancy mixups. He just needs pressure. Mago is not daunted repeating the same thing endlessly, because at some point, it will work.

He did so much of this during Asia Regional Finals, just picking his spots until he can continue the same relentless offense that scored him wins in the previous rounds. It’s not that his opponents don’t know what’s coming, but that they have difficulty anticipating when Mago will reach in for that strike. That’s what makes him dangerous, round after round.

Coming to America

Here’s the biggest flaw I see in Mago. He has an impeccable record in the East. In the West? Not so much. Sure, he hasn’t been here a lot, but that may be to his detriment.

Early on, he struggled to find footing, barely even coming close at NorCal Regionals and Stunfest. While he just breached top 8 at CEO and Dreamhack, he fell short of top 32 at Evo.

His results in America improved with 9th at Brooklyn Beatdown, and making top 4 at SoCal Regionals. However, losing to names like EG|K-Brad, Commander Jesse, and NVT|Flash suggests that Mago has not studied the American scene. He has not prepared for a Western style of play, so if he goes up against K-Brad, MC|XsK_Samurai, or Liquid|NuckleDu come Capcom Cup, is he going to be ready?

Final Thoughts

Mago is playing out of his mind right now and is peaking at just the right time. American players at the event are minimum, but he is going to likely struggle should he have to face them.

I like Mago to go top 12. Depending on his road there, he could go a lot farther. I’d truly fear this man come Anaheim. After all, what are mere mortals to a 2D God?

Feature image: Bartosz Hołoszkiewicz