Go for Pro – EVO 2016
Yes, it’s that wonderful time of the year where we’ve all scheduled time off on Monday so we can watch the best FGC competitors go head to head in what many consider to the best Fighting Game Tournament around.
There’s something special about EVO, I like to think it’s something that helped sustain the FGC eSports scene through its humble beginnings of enthusiasts and casual fans alike, to the gargantuan proportions of prize money and spectators alike that demands attention from all the corners of the world. I’m not even exaggerating, EVO has consistently gotten bigger every year and the numbers only continue to rise in both live and virtual viewers as well as competitors. The numbers this year completely exploded with Street Fighter V alone getting over 5000 competitors alone, the winner of which is going to be rewarded greatly with that increased pot for sure!
So what can we expect this year? Well luckily for all of us, the wonderful people at www.ozhadou.net have prettied up a lovely stream schedule with Australian times that is easy to follow:
For those who hate typing of course, the Twitch links you’re looking for are as follows:
As for my few predictions on things, I actually feel qualified to talk about? Well here are my extended thoughts:
Street Fighter V
Clearly, Tokido and Infiltration are the two favourites going into this bracket. Both have shown a consistent level of play that most other players are playing catch up. In so many Tournaments we’ve seen these two titans go head to head in what has always been a close and entertaining battle.
So easy money is on either of these players taking it out, however, if you’ve been paying close attention you’ll find that Momochi and Justin Wong have also upped their level of play and could very easily take the EVO title this year. Many would be surprised to find out that Wong is actually the highest ranked player in the Capcom Pro Tour Standings right now.
Personally, I’ll also be keeping a close eye on ChrisG (if he even entered this year). His dominance at Wednesday Fight Nights using Guile has been nothing short of entertaining and I’d love to see how he goes in a pool such as this.
Mortal Kombat XL
OK short one here, it’s basically SonicFox and everyone else who could potentially beat him. He’s the best for a reason and chances are if you watch a tournament this yeah for MK XL, SonicFox either won it or was in the finals.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
It’s so wonderful that this game is still popular enough to be played at EVO. With no actual successor, it makes sense and it’s always been a fan favourite. There are two players who are easily the favourites to win this year. The first is Kane Blue River (KBR). The winner from last year’s EVO, KBR has only increased his dominance on the tournament scene with his unique team choice (Hulk, Sentinel and Haggar) I’m convinced that KBR is and always be someone special who can only make that team work.
The second is easily ChrisG. He’s come so close many times to winning EVO and last years he’d probably want to erase from his memory. I wasn’t sure if he’d moved on from UMvC3 until I saw him pop up at a few tournaments this year and to put it simply, he’s still in red hot form. I’d like to think that this is ChrisG’s year and would be stupidly happy if he took first place.
Killer Instinct
And finally, we come to my personal favourite, KI! But gosh, who can win it? The top 8 have all looked so good lately it’s a coin flip and a prayer for who you think is going to win it, some names do stand out, though.
Thompson and his Jago have really steam rolled all other competition lately and his winning streak coming into EVO against good competitors will only strengthen his mindset. I’m partially biased here because I love Jago players, but his opponents will need their AAA form to beat this guy this year.
MyGod and Sleep will no doubt be in the top 8 again, it’s a pre-conceived fact! These guys trade wins against each other all the time so your guess is as good as mine as to who is going to take the other out, but on top of that, either player is easily good enough to take first place.
And of course, you can never count out last year’s EVO winner Rico. This guy seems to take KI and break its mechanics and turn them into wins for himself. Let’s hope a broken Fight Stick doesn’t smash his chances this year.
That’s about it from me, get your viewing on and stay tuned for a write up shortly after the event!
Adam out!