GGA HAN
Galloping Ghost Arcade
Galloping Ghost Arcade, home to many well-known Mortal Kombat 9 players, has announced they are sponsoring 3 players to represent the Arcade at Evolution 2014 next month. Included are some questions and answers from these players about Evolution; Hopefully you find them interesting!
GGA Dizzy (Killer Instinct)
Tournament Resume includes:
5th place at UFGT X (Killer Instinct)
4th place at Kumite in Tennessee 14 (Killer Instinct)
1st place at UFGT 9 (Mortal Kombat 9)
1st place at Season Beating:Ascension (Mortal Kombat 9)
and many others...
Q: You are known in the NRS community for having a calculated rushdown style of play...Does your main character in Killer Instinct follow your trend of rushdown characters, or did you make a style switch for this game like GGA 16 Bit in Injustice?
A: That is true I am primarily known as an offensive player. I generally say that I prefer to play a character that doesn't have a projectile. My main would definitely fit this archetype. However, in KI I feel as though at high level play there isn't much "rushdown" as there are very few true blockstrings that can't be shadow countered. KI is just an intensely footsies based game in the neutral, and in an offline setting against top competition, you can't really get in for free. Sabrewulf, my main character, has very good footsies tools, while he lacks a heavy comeback factor instinct that other characters possess. I think I enjoy this character style very much. I think that Aquaman in Injustice was more of an archetype change, as he is best used as a turtle char.
Q: How confident are you going into Evo? Are there any players or characters that you are particularly studying going into Evo?
A: I am fairly confident going into EVO. That said, half of any tournament is bracketology, as some call it. Anyone can get paired up against players they struggle against. The only person who has proved that he is not weak against any player or character is Justin Wong, and he is easily the favorite. But it's EVO, and upsets always happen. I will definitely be working on all MUs. There is only 8 characters in the game at the moment, so you have to be comfortable in every match at a big tournament like EVO, as you will likely have to play a large number of matches.
Q: Can online totally replace offline training in your opinion? How does the difference in the 2 work against players that train exclusively online?
A: Although some may say yes, I am inclined to answer no to this question. All my instincts and my training style is that of an offline player. To be honest, I don't feel I have transferred well to the online warrior style of playing, due to lack of a local scene for KI. Playing online you can get away with a lot of things that don't fly offline. The footsies game is totally different online. You can't play the same spacing game offline and online, or you'll get blown up in one of the two realms. I very much miss not only the offline scene that GGA had for MK9 and Injustice when playing KI, but the fun atmosphere. Training online, by myself in my room can really feel like a grind, unlike it did when I would training exclusively offline for MK9 and INJ. Generally, I think online can bring strong players to the scene, as long as they are mindful of the differences between offline and online.
Q: Which character from a video game is blue, collects rings, and goes fast?
A: A favorite character of mine from my childhood...DANKEY KANG!
Q: Anything or anything you'd like to shoutout?
A: Shoutouts to all the fans of NRS and KI games, and anyone who cheers for me to do well in tournaments. Shoutouts to TEAM GGA, which I am always honored to be apart of. I cannot wait for MKX to come out and to start grinding it out with my teammates at GBS!
GGA Pimpimjim (Injustice)
Tournament Resume includes:
2nd place at Toryuken 2013 (Injustice)
1st at Place North East Championship 2013 (Injustice)
7th place at Kumite in Tennessee 14 (Injustice)
7th place at Frost Faustings VI (Injustice)
4th place Frosty Faustings V (Mortal Kombat 9)
and many others...
Q: How confident are you going to Evo this year? Last year were you more focused on your MK9 placement over Injustice, or were they equally as important to you at the time?
A: I tried to balance both games last year with a bit more focus on MK9. Although I had a great time at my first EVO, I felt like I underperformed in both games, narrowly missing top 16 in both. This year I only have Injustice to worry about, and I'm going in feeling macho.
Q: Are you doing anything different to prepare for Evo over other tournaments?
A: Putting extra time in training mode, playing hella serious at GGA practice, and once brackets are out, studying each bracket and helping my teammates train for potential matchups. Also, if possible, see where members of each pool will play eachother in winners/losers top 64.
Q: You are known for having a "team" of characters that compliment each other and cover each others bad matchups...will this be your plan for Evo, or will you be sticking with just one character? Or will we just have to wait and see...?
A:
Q: Which character from a video game is blue, collects rings, and goes fast?A:
Q: anyone or anything you'd like to shoutout? Or call anyone out?
A: When the spotlight and all the pressure is off me, I play my best. The drive I had pre-NEC is coming back for one huge adrenaline rush. I've already had my fall, and I have nowhere to go but up. I won't have any self doubt this time around, or will brackets suspiciously be against my favor like in the past. Saturday night, when the pair of buttocks of all you hiveminds are glued to all of your seats checking the front page of this one website called testyourmight.com for the top 8 set for Sunday, don't be surprised to see my name there one last fuckin time. Sorry not sorry.
GGA 16 Bit (Injustice)
Tournament Resume:
2nd place at MLG Anaheim (Injustice)
5th place at UFGT X (Injustice)
2nd place at Final Round 17 (Injustice)
7th place at Kumite in Tennessee 14 (Injustice)
4th place at Frosty Faustings VI (Injustice)
1st place at SoCal Regional 2013 (Mortal Kombat 9)
and many others...
Q: How confident are you going into evo this year? Last year, Injustice seemed like it was on the "back burner" compared to MK9 for you?
A: That's true. Last year I really wanted to place top 8 in MK since I knew it would be the last year for it. I was also unhappy with playing Killer Frost and extremely disappointed in how I was playing in tournament with her. This year I feel good. I believe if I can avoid a few matchups and play my best I can place. Ever since GBS started last year I've been becoming a stronger tournament player. I feel more calm, make better adjustments and play more clutch in losing situations. A good reason for that is the weekly practice at GBS. Injustice is a tough game to play in tournaments sometimes because of the nature of the round system, the movement and the deadly mixups. It's easy to get impatient and start freaking out and when that happens you're done. Until and even during the first months of GBS I fell victim to this. I now feel I'm playing my best in tournament. Perhaps even stronger than I did in MK.
Q: Are you doing anything different to prepare for Evo as compared to the recent MLG and UFGT events that you placed at?
A: Not really. Still grinding in training mode and playing everyone at the arcade. My goal is to have more match up knowledge than any of my opponents, so I spend a lot of time in training mode soaking up the little details. Sometimes I think this is arguably more important than actually playing the matches, where you might be too busy playing to try new things.
Q: Do you feel character loyalists are rewarded in this game? You've been 100% Selina after Evo last year and seem much more confident in your play.
A: Passion is rewarded. It's not a coincidence that the best players are the ones who dig the game and don't complain about it non stop. For me character loyalty builds passion. I care about playing Catwoman so I have worked much harder than I ever did playing Killer Frost. For others counter picking is their style but the ones winning doing it are the players with the passion to work hard and really explore the game in depth, not just try to get easy wins.
Q: Which character from a video game is blue, collects rings, and goes fast?
A: Dankey Kang!
Q: Anyone or anything you'd like to shoutout? Call out anyone or put them on blast?
A: Shout outs to GGA owner Doc Mack for hosting an amazing venue for us to play in. If you're in the Chicago area you absolutely must visit the arcade. I mean we seriously now have Primal Rage II. It's a crazy place. Shout outs to the players there. There's a team mentality here you won't get anywhere else. The way I train in this game wouldn't work if I wasn't coming to GGA.
Tournament Resume includes:
5th place at UFGT X (Killer Instinct)
4th place at Kumite in Tennessee 14 (Killer Instinct)
1st place at UFGT 9 (Mortal Kombat 9)
1st place at Season Beating:Ascension (Mortal Kombat 9)
and many others...
Q: You are known in the NRS community for having a calculated rushdown style of play...Does your main character in Killer Instinct follow your trend of rushdown characters, or did you make a style switch for this game like GGA 16 Bit in Injustice?
A: That is true I am primarily known as an offensive player. I generally say that I prefer to play a character that doesn't have a projectile. My main would definitely fit this archetype. However, in KI I feel as though at high level play there isn't much "rushdown" as there are very few true blockstrings that can't be shadow countered. KI is just an intensely footsies based game in the neutral, and in an offline setting against top competition, you can't really get in for free. Sabrewulf, my main character, has very good footsies tools, while he lacks a heavy comeback factor instinct that other characters possess. I think I enjoy this character style very much. I think that Aquaman in Injustice was more of an archetype change, as he is best used as a turtle char.
Q: How confident are you going into Evo? Are there any players or characters that you are particularly studying going into Evo?
A: I am fairly confident going into EVO. That said, half of any tournament is bracketology, as some call it. Anyone can get paired up against players they struggle against. The only person who has proved that he is not weak against any player or character is Justin Wong, and he is easily the favorite. But it's EVO, and upsets always happen. I will definitely be working on all MUs. There is only 8 characters in the game at the moment, so you have to be comfortable in every match at a big tournament like EVO, as you will likely have to play a large number of matches.
Q: Can online totally replace offline training in your opinion? How does the difference in the 2 work against players that train exclusively online?
A: Although some may say yes, I am inclined to answer no to this question. All my instincts and my training style is that of an offline player. To be honest, I don't feel I have transferred well to the online warrior style of playing, due to lack of a local scene for KI. Playing online you can get away with a lot of things that don't fly offline. The footsies game is totally different online. You can't play the same spacing game offline and online, or you'll get blown up in one of the two realms. I very much miss not only the offline scene that GGA had for MK9 and Injustice when playing KI, but the fun atmosphere. Training online, by myself in my room can really feel like a grind, unlike it did when I would training exclusively offline for MK9 and INJ. Generally, I think online can bring strong players to the scene, as long as they are mindful of the differences between offline and online.
Q: Which character from a video game is blue, collects rings, and goes fast?
A: A favorite character of mine from my childhood...DANKEY KANG!
Q: Anything or anything you'd like to shoutout?
A: Shoutouts to all the fans of NRS and KI games, and anyone who cheers for me to do well in tournaments. Shoutouts to TEAM GGA, which I am always honored to be apart of. I cannot wait for MKX to come out and to start grinding it out with my teammates at GBS!
GGA Pimpimjim (Injustice)
Tournament Resume includes:
2nd place at Toryuken 2013 (Injustice)
1st at Place North East Championship 2013 (Injustice)
7th place at Kumite in Tennessee 14 (Injustice)
7th place at Frost Faustings VI (Injustice)
4th place Frosty Faustings V (Mortal Kombat 9)
and many others...
Q: How confident are you going to Evo this year? Last year were you more focused on your MK9 placement over Injustice, or were they equally as important to you at the time?
A: I tried to balance both games last year with a bit more focus on MK9. Although I had a great time at my first EVO, I felt like I underperformed in both games, narrowly missing top 16 in both. This year I only have Injustice to worry about, and I'm going in feeling macho.
Q: Are you doing anything different to prepare for Evo over other tournaments?
A: Putting extra time in training mode, playing hella serious at GGA practice, and once brackets are out, studying each bracket and helping my teammates train for potential matchups. Also, if possible, see where members of each pool will play eachother in winners/losers top 64.
Q: You are known for having a "team" of characters that compliment each other and cover each others bad matchups...will this be your plan for Evo, or will you be sticking with just one character? Or will we just have to wait and see...?
A:
Q: Which character from a video game is blue, collects rings, and goes fast?A:
Q: anyone or anything you'd like to shoutout? Or call anyone out?
A: When the spotlight and all the pressure is off me, I play my best. The drive I had pre-NEC is coming back for one huge adrenaline rush. I've already had my fall, and I have nowhere to go but up. I won't have any self doubt this time around, or will brackets suspiciously be against my favor like in the past. Saturday night, when the pair of buttocks of all you hiveminds are glued to all of your seats checking the front page of this one website called testyourmight.com for the top 8 set for Sunday, don't be surprised to see my name there one last fuckin time. Sorry not sorry.
GGA 16 Bit (Injustice)
Tournament Resume:
2nd place at MLG Anaheim (Injustice)
5th place at UFGT X (Injustice)
2nd place at Final Round 17 (Injustice)
7th place at Kumite in Tennessee 14 (Injustice)
4th place at Frosty Faustings VI (Injustice)
1st place at SoCal Regional 2013 (Mortal Kombat 9)
and many others...
Q: How confident are you going into evo this year? Last year, Injustice seemed like it was on the "back burner" compared to MK9 for you?
A: That's true. Last year I really wanted to place top 8 in MK since I knew it would be the last year for it. I was also unhappy with playing Killer Frost and extremely disappointed in how I was playing in tournament with her. This year I feel good. I believe if I can avoid a few matchups and play my best I can place. Ever since GBS started last year I've been becoming a stronger tournament player. I feel more calm, make better adjustments and play more clutch in losing situations. A good reason for that is the weekly practice at GBS. Injustice is a tough game to play in tournaments sometimes because of the nature of the round system, the movement and the deadly mixups. It's easy to get impatient and start freaking out and when that happens you're done. Until and even during the first months of GBS I fell victim to this. I now feel I'm playing my best in tournament. Perhaps even stronger than I did in MK.
Q: Are you doing anything different to prepare for Evo as compared to the recent MLG and UFGT events that you placed at?
A: Not really. Still grinding in training mode and playing everyone at the arcade. My goal is to have more match up knowledge than any of my opponents, so I spend a lot of time in training mode soaking up the little details. Sometimes I think this is arguably more important than actually playing the matches, where you might be too busy playing to try new things.
Q: Do you feel character loyalists are rewarded in this game? You've been 100% Selina after Evo last year and seem much more confident in your play.
A: Passion is rewarded. It's not a coincidence that the best players are the ones who dig the game and don't complain about it non stop. For me character loyalty builds passion. I care about playing Catwoman so I have worked much harder than I ever did playing Killer Frost. For others counter picking is their style but the ones winning doing it are the players with the passion to work hard and really explore the game in depth, not just try to get easy wins.
Q: Which character from a video game is blue, collects rings, and goes fast?
A: Dankey Kang!
Q: Anyone or anything you'd like to shoutout? Call out anyone or put them on blast?
A: Shout outs to GGA owner Doc Mack for hosting an amazing venue for us to play in. If you're in the Chicago area you absolutely must visit the arcade. I mean we seriously now have Primal Rage II. It's a crazy place. Shout outs to the players there. There's a team mentality here you won't get anywhere else. The way I train in this game wouldn't work if I wasn't coming to GGA.
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But awesome, good luck to you guys. It's always hype to see the 'home of the shitters' tear it up.
