Coliseum

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

Bruce “GamerBee” Hsiang of Zowie is one of the leading players to emerge in the Street Fighter IV era. Hailing from what was once a vacuum of top fighting game players in Taiwan, he emerged as a sudden powerhouse in the game, proving the viability of what was then-considered a weak character in Adon, and becoming one of the most popular players in the FGC.

Despite his popularity, Hsiang has never been the favorite when it comes to major tournaments. Has that changed in this season?

Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride

The first thing that comes to mind with GamerBee is his perpetual underdog status; although he’s always a threat, GamerBee registers an unusually low number of tournament wins. Over the course of his career, he has seen–at most–three wins per season. This is by far the lowest out of any player analyzed so far, save for Liquid|NuckleDu.

Also of note is the fact that, much like NuckleDu, Hsiang is yet to capture any sort of win at Evolution. Sure, he has come close many times over. He has been runner-up twice, made three top 8s, and has not been outside of top 16 since he began competing at Evo.

The consistency of ‘Bee is well noted, and he is never not a threat in any tournament. He is always on the verge. But often, when it’s time to show that he well above the echelon of players that just come close, he fails to set himself apart.

Learning Curve

Much like Daigo Umehara, GamerBee had a difficult transition to Street Fighter V. This was evident in ‘Bee’s early results. Even at Street Fighter V Crash, where he fought on Team Southeast with Secret|Poongko and HuomaoTV|HumanBomb, GamerBee appeared the weakest out of the three, with Poongko and HumanBomb doing the brunt of the work in taking out teams on their own.

GamerBee actually admitted to not understanding the game during an episode of the Jump-In Podcast, and it is evident in his early play. He was relying on what he already knew from Street Fighter IV, and was playing Necalli as though it were his patented Adon. The similarities between the two are duly noted: both have strong DPs, both are able to change their jump arcs, and both have amazingly strong pokes in the neutral.

It was the differences in the characters and the core mechanics of their respective games that hindered GamerBee’s progress this season. Once he began to understand this and overcome the differences, he became a more complete player in Street Fighter V, and the results began to reflect that.

Ramping it Up

Any doubts whether GamerBee could compete in SFV were wiped clean at Japan Cup. Facing a top 8 that included two Evo 2016 top 8 players, as well as other strong players like Poongko, Mago, and GGP|Kazunoko, GamerBee stood out on top of a stacked bracket. To further prove that win wasn’t a fluke, he went ahead and took EGX in a field that included Daigo Umehara, OR|Onuki, and BX3.TP-Link|Phenom–two of the three with tickets punched directly into Capcom Cup.

If GamerBee weren’t a real threat, would he seriously be able to do that?

Proving Himself

GamerBee has always had a hard time in a field that, given his strength as a player, he should be able to trounce easily. It could be attributed to a number of things that may be true or not, and only Hsiang may fully know the reason. Some could be bad luck, such as losing momentum after the stick disconnect issue in Evo 2015 grand finals against EG|Momochi. Some could be choking under pressure, such as Evo 2013. It could even be attributed to just coming up against players who were just absolutely impossible to beat at the moment they played him, such as Infiltration at Evo 2012.

The account of his losses have been more telling than his wins over the years. In 2014 he missed out on Capcom Cup, and nearly made the decision to retire in 2015. He has obviously decided to stick around, and you know that in his mind, he is wanting to prove in every instance he was right to do so.

When a man has so much to prove, it can be a double-edged sword.  GamerBee has been known to play more emotionally at times than other top players, so it’s definitely a worry that, by attempting to prove his worth at Capcom Cup, he do just the opposite. It will take a lot of chutzpah to keep himself focused, but he is capable of doing so. We’ll know in December which side of the coin he lands on.

Final Thoughts

Going into his second Capcom Cup, GamerBee will to want to win. So does everyone else, but no other player has as much emotionally invested into this as Hsiang.

Bruce will–in my opinion–not finish lower than top 12. If he is able to treat this as just another tournament, and not let his emotions or nerves get the better of him, he has the capability to finish top 8 or even higher off the strength of his Necalli pick alone. The risk is the fact that when he is emotionally invested, he tends to lose more often, and I have a hard time seeing him not doing so here.

The field is irrelevant because he has proven he can outdo the best in the world. At this point, GamerBee’s worst enemy is himself.