After a long day of enormous battles, and even matches we thought we'd never see, the Final 2 Kombatants came down to 2 very familiar faces in the ESL Realm. @SonicFox5000, and @YOMI REO, who during the ESL Season amassed some of the larger amount of the points of all the kombatants, battled for the First Place prize of $60,000 AND that amazing ESL MKX Championship Belt, and rising to the top like most weeks, SonicFox took the Grand Finals in a domination fashion. Even a switch to Bone Scraper Shinnok, which got him a win, wasn't enough to fully keep SonicFox's Kitana at bay. Congrats to SonicFox, your ESL MKX Pro League Season 1 Champion!! (See below image for full write up on the event, broken down by @huh!!)
FULL RESULTS!
1st Place, $60,000 AND the ESL MKX Championship Belt: cR SonicFox (RS Kitana/Outlaw Erron)
2nd Place & $25,000: Yomi REO (Kobu JutsuTanya/Bone Shaper Shinnok)
3rd Place & $10,000: Yomi Pig of the Hut (Kenshi - Balanced/Possessed)
4th Place & $5,000: RZR Perfect Legend (Buzz Saw/Tempest Kung Lao)
5. Lar (Hollywood Cassie Cage)
5. EVB Big D (MoS Ermac)
7. Madzin (Grandmaster Sub Zero)
7. TE_App AF0xyGrampa (Tempest Kung Lao)
9. CrawlingShadow (CO Sonya Blade)
9. CheapEddie (A-List Johnny Cage)
9. EG_Nivek (Thunder God Raiden)
9. CrazySteady (Demo Sonya Blade/Dragon Naginata Tanya)
13. FASSOL (Tempest Kung Lao)
13. Master VHD (Cut Throat Kano)
13. Mitsuownes (Inferno Scorpion)
13. LLL. Taco (Grandmaster Sub Zero)
VOD's of the entire Finals:
https://m.youtube.com/#/playlist?list=PLhCH_nPE4JTrQLbGA7xf9AfUG7FjT7NBG
Special thanks to @Clutch8 & all of the ESL MKX krew for an amazing FIRST Season of MKX Pro League, and yes, first season because it was also announced tonight to konfirm there is indeed a SECOND Season of ESL MKX Pro League koming!! More info on that as we learn it, but stay tuned!! Kongrats to all the kombatants who kompeted in any ESL event this year, to everyone to purchased the Steel Blue Sub-Zero skin & to everyone to tuned in & supported ESL on our forums.
Full Write Up by huh
The ESL Finals took place in Burbank, CA on July 11th. After a whole season of weekly disputes in three continents, the top 16 players faced off to dispute a $100,000 prize pot. Beating the competition from Europe, CIS and North America, Sonicfox made an unbeaten run and claimed the first ESL MKX title. He is now the champion of the world and owner of the ESL MKX belt.
The Finals had 7 players from North America, 7 players from Europe and 2 players from CIS. After all action unfolded, USA emerged victorious from the dispute among regions dominating exclusively the top 4. Russia had the next best placer with a 5th and the best europeans were at the 7th place.
---------
Top 4 Players Dissection:
RZRPerfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest, Buzzsaw
How he won: high pace with tempo variation, good reads. Perfect Legend used his usual fast and all over the place style to overwhelm adversaries. Making a move faster than his opponents' reactions and reading them on the fly were the two foundations of his success.
How he lost: bad reads and risks not paying off. Once he found opponents with fast reactions and a certain amount of unpredictability, his strengths were nullified and Perfect Legend was put on punishment situations due to wrong reads and unsafe attempts with spins and teleports. Ends up with $5k with his 4th place.
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced, Possessed
How he won: craftiness and knowledge. Pig combined his crisp zoning with unexpected spurts of close pressure to keep his opponents guessing. At his best, he was controlling the tempo of the matches, making it look as victory or defeat were always in his hands to take or miss. And with increased matchup knowledge, he was never in doubt about what strategy and moves to apply.
How he lost: not being able to control space. Against fast reacting and good reading opponents, with superior game upclose, Pig found himself cornered and pressured several times, and was not able to do enough damage on this opponent's way in to balance things. Once he was facing an undamaged Erron Black or Tanya under his nose, even putting up a fight with the same amount of exchanges he was outdamaged in the end. Ends up with $10k for the 3rd place.
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
How he won: clutch factor, good adaptation, spacing. Usually getting behind in the first rounds of his matches, REO showed remarkable adaptation to download his opponents' habits, strategies and holes. Then, spacing himself well, and using those holes to revert pressure and punish bad habits. His clutch gene showed in most of the close matches, giving him the win mostly than not.
How he lost: being out-footsied and losing control of spacing. He allowed himself to be kept away and revealed that being forced to do things does not fit well with him. Losing the command of the strategy and the direction of the match was a tough pill to swallow, and he never found a way to adjust. Ends up with $25k as the runner-up.
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm, Erron Black Outlaw
How he won: footsies, reads and execution. Sonicfox, uncharacteristically using a fighter without a strong 50/50 game, made a statement for the doubters. His ability to put himself always on his preferred spots and then pressure, punish and full combo, made his adversaries look like low tiers.
How he lost: He never lost, is $60k richer and became the ESL MKX Season 1 Champion
---------
Picks from the ESL Finals
- The Hype: Nivek vs. A F0xy Grampa (Loser's Round of 8B). In a classic european clash, F0xy and Nivek played a match with nuances only those two completely know of. With the two of them acquainted to each other's game, it was obvious that this fight happened on several layers of counter strategies based on mutual history. It was a deep match, played as a chess game until the last round.
- The Counterpick: Perfect Legend against Madzin (Loser's Round of 4A). Being frustrated by Madzin's Subzero punishes on his Tempest Kung Lao, Perfect Legend changed to Buzzsaw and was a completely different player. Instead of straightforward pressure, he used setups with slow hats and advanced to the next phase.
The Comeback: Perfect Legend against Crawlingshadow (Loser's Round of 8B). Having a huge life deficit on game two, Perfect Legend made a comeback mostly with chip damage from a relentless pressure. As a runner up, Fasoll against Crazysteady (top 16). With only 1 pixel left in his health bar, Fasoll was able to ex-spin and convert to take the game to the last round.
- The Drop: A F0xy Grampa against REO (Loser's Round of 4A). Winning 1-0 and being able to close the deal in the second round of game 2, F0xy dropped two consecutive combos, giving REO a light at the end of the tunnel. REO proceeded to win the match.
- The Download: Lar against Crazysteady (Quatefinals). After being cornered and dominated, Lar started to read Crazysteady patterns, won the footsie battle and made the corner his friend.
- The Showman: hands down, Pig of the Hut. From his cosplay profile picture to his trash talking, Pig acted and was seen as the protagonist of the Finals, the man in the spotlight. Confident and outspoken he backed up all his talking with a strong gameplay, and the hypest celebrations, going all the way up to the finals.
- The Best Matches: Nivek vs. A F0xy Grampa; REO vs A F0xy Grampa; Perfect Legend vs. Madzin
- The MVP: Sonicfox displayed a recital of footsies, reads, execution. Without 50/50's, his all around awesomeness in fighting games shined even to the blindest doubters. His fundamentals were at the highest level today and nobody can deny that this player has matured in all aspects of the game. He seemed to be two steps ahead of the competition, a fox that no hunter was able to catch.
---------------------
Game Analysis
Winner's bracket
Loser's bracket
Finals
------------
Winner's Finals:
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced, Possessed
vs. cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm; Erron Black Outlaw
Sonicfox tried to space his Kitana between jump distance and fullscreen, a position that proved to be out of Kenshi's comfort zone. It was a perfect place to block and punish several Kenshi's attacks and convert full combos from hitting fans. Pig, on the other hand, attempted to push Sonicfox to full screen and used good reads and mixups upclose to do so with combos. The stalemate was broken when Sonicfox changed to Erron Black, now positioning himself upclose and pressuring Pig with superior mixups and normals, which Pig was not able to break even with Possessed Kenshi teleport escapes. 3-1 Sonicfox
Loser's Finals:
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced, Possessed
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
REO didn't lose time to get close, use teleport cancels to apply pressure and put Pig on the defensive. Pig, as usual, was able to find reads and the right tools to push him back full screen. However, in an even match where both were exchanging momentum, Tanya's superior damage output and chip damage on block made the life lead favor REO. Not being able to keep REO away, and having to open him up more times to get the same damage, Pig tried Possessed Kenshi but REO's pressure was too much. 3-0 REO
Grand Finals:
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu; Shinnok Bone Shaper
Repeating their confrontation in the first round, REO and Sonicfox seemingly picked up from where they stopped with Sonicfox's Kitana dominating from full screen and waiting for REO to approach. As he did during the whole tournament, Sonicfox chose what was the best spacing for the matchup and kept the fight mostly there. This time, being full screen and throwing fans, negating REO's pressure with Tanya. When REO went to Shinnok, Sonicfox inverted his spacing strategy, fighting upclose and crossing up (with occasion float cancels) to deny Shinnok's best weapons. The fight became closer but Sonicfox imposed his will at the end. 4-1 Sonicfox
Congratulations to Sonicfox and all top 16 from all around the world. And huge props to ESL for an amazing season. Looking forward for the next!
FULL RESULTS!
1st Place, $60,000 AND the ESL MKX Championship Belt: cR SonicFox (RS Kitana/Outlaw Erron)
2nd Place & $25,000: Yomi REO (Kobu JutsuTanya/Bone Shaper Shinnok)
3rd Place & $10,000: Yomi Pig of the Hut (Kenshi - Balanced/Possessed)
4th Place & $5,000: RZR Perfect Legend (Buzz Saw/Tempest Kung Lao)
5. Lar (Hollywood Cassie Cage)
5. EVB Big D (MoS Ermac)
7. Madzin (Grandmaster Sub Zero)
7. TE_App AF0xyGrampa (Tempest Kung Lao)
9. CrawlingShadow (CO Sonya Blade)
9. CheapEddie (A-List Johnny Cage)
9. EG_Nivek (Thunder God Raiden)
9. CrazySteady (Demo Sonya Blade/Dragon Naginata Tanya)
13. FASSOL (Tempest Kung Lao)
13. Master VHD (Cut Throat Kano)
13. Mitsuownes (Inferno Scorpion)
13. LLL. Taco (Grandmaster Sub Zero)
VOD's of the entire Finals:
https://m.youtube.com/#/playlist?list=PLhCH_nPE4JTrQLbGA7xf9AfUG7FjT7NBG
Special thanks to @Clutch8 & all of the ESL MKX krew for an amazing FIRST Season of MKX Pro League, and yes, first season because it was also announced tonight to konfirm there is indeed a SECOND Season of ESL MKX Pro League koming!! More info on that as we learn it, but stay tuned!! Kongrats to all the kombatants who kompeted in any ESL event this year, to everyone to purchased the Steel Blue Sub-Zero skin & to everyone to tuned in & supported ESL on our forums.
Full Write Up by huh
The ESL Finals took place in Burbank, CA on July 11th. After a whole season of weekly disputes in three continents, the top 16 players faced off to dispute a $100,000 prize pot. Beating the competition from Europe, CIS and North America, Sonicfox made an unbeaten run and claimed the first ESL MKX title. He is now the champion of the world and owner of the ESL MKX belt.
The Finals had 7 players from North America, 7 players from Europe and 2 players from CIS. After all action unfolded, USA emerged victorious from the dispute among regions dominating exclusively the top 4. Russia had the next best placer with a 5th and the best europeans were at the 7th place.
---------
Top 4 Players Dissection:
RZRPerfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest, Buzzsaw
How he won: high pace with tempo variation, good reads. Perfect Legend used his usual fast and all over the place style to overwhelm adversaries. Making a move faster than his opponents' reactions and reading them on the fly were the two foundations of his success.
How he lost: bad reads and risks not paying off. Once he found opponents with fast reactions and a certain amount of unpredictability, his strengths were nullified and Perfect Legend was put on punishment situations due to wrong reads and unsafe attempts with spins and teleports. Ends up with $5k with his 4th place.
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced, Possessed
How he won: craftiness and knowledge. Pig combined his crisp zoning with unexpected spurts of close pressure to keep his opponents guessing. At his best, he was controlling the tempo of the matches, making it look as victory or defeat were always in his hands to take or miss. And with increased matchup knowledge, he was never in doubt about what strategy and moves to apply.
How he lost: not being able to control space. Against fast reacting and good reading opponents, with superior game upclose, Pig found himself cornered and pressured several times, and was not able to do enough damage on this opponent's way in to balance things. Once he was facing an undamaged Erron Black or Tanya under his nose, even putting up a fight with the same amount of exchanges he was outdamaged in the end. Ends up with $10k for the 3rd place.
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
How he won: clutch factor, good adaptation, spacing. Usually getting behind in the first rounds of his matches, REO showed remarkable adaptation to download his opponents' habits, strategies and holes. Then, spacing himself well, and using those holes to revert pressure and punish bad habits. His clutch gene showed in most of the close matches, giving him the win mostly than not.
How he lost: being out-footsied and losing control of spacing. He allowed himself to be kept away and revealed that being forced to do things does not fit well with him. Losing the command of the strategy and the direction of the match was a tough pill to swallow, and he never found a way to adjust. Ends up with $25k as the runner-up.
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm, Erron Black Outlaw
How he won: footsies, reads and execution. Sonicfox, uncharacteristically using a fighter without a strong 50/50 game, made a statement for the doubters. His ability to put himself always on his preferred spots and then pressure, punish and full combo, made his adversaries look like low tiers.
How he lost: He never lost, is $60k richer and became the ESL MKX Season 1 Champion
---------
Picks from the ESL Finals
- The Hype: Nivek vs. A F0xy Grampa (Loser's Round of 8B). In a classic european clash, F0xy and Nivek played a match with nuances only those two completely know of. With the two of them acquainted to each other's game, it was obvious that this fight happened on several layers of counter strategies based on mutual history. It was a deep match, played as a chess game until the last round.
- The Counterpick: Perfect Legend against Madzin (Loser's Round of 4A). Being frustrated by Madzin's Subzero punishes on his Tempest Kung Lao, Perfect Legend changed to Buzzsaw and was a completely different player. Instead of straightforward pressure, he used setups with slow hats and advanced to the next phase.
The Comeback: Perfect Legend against Crawlingshadow (Loser's Round of 8B). Having a huge life deficit on game two, Perfect Legend made a comeback mostly with chip damage from a relentless pressure. As a runner up, Fasoll against Crazysteady (top 16). With only 1 pixel left in his health bar, Fasoll was able to ex-spin and convert to take the game to the last round.
- The Drop: A F0xy Grampa against REO (Loser's Round of 4A). Winning 1-0 and being able to close the deal in the second round of game 2, F0xy dropped two consecutive combos, giving REO a light at the end of the tunnel. REO proceeded to win the match.
- The Download: Lar against Crazysteady (Quatefinals). After being cornered and dominated, Lar started to read Crazysteady patterns, won the footsie battle and made the corner his friend.
- The Showman: hands down, Pig of the Hut. From his cosplay profile picture to his trash talking, Pig acted and was seen as the protagonist of the Finals, the man in the spotlight. Confident and outspoken he backed up all his talking with a strong gameplay, and the hypest celebrations, going all the way up to the finals.
- The Best Matches: Nivek vs. A F0xy Grampa; REO vs A F0xy Grampa; Perfect Legend vs. Madzin
- The MVP: Sonicfox displayed a recital of footsies, reads, execution. Without 50/50's, his all around awesomeness in fighting games shined even to the blindest doubters. His fundamentals were at the highest level today and nobody can deny that this player has matured in all aspects of the game. He seemed to be two steps ahead of the competition, a fox that no hunter was able to catch.
---------------------
Game Analysis
Winner's bracket
Top 16
TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Master VHD: Kano Cutthroat
The #1 seeded A Foxy Grampa (Great Britain) cautiously took his time to approach Master's (Belgium) Kano, apply pressure and oki with the orbiting hat. He was able to convert his opportunities with full damaging combos, and not give much openings to Master, who inflicted damage in smaller bunches. 2-0 A F0xy Grampa
Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
vs. Crawlingshadow: Kung Lao Tempest
In a match where nerves were very apparent on Crawlingshadow's (US) side, Lar (Russia) dominated with good baits and big combo punishes, displaying an experienced Cassie with eloquent tools. 2-0 Lar
Crazysteady: Sonya Demolition
vs. Fasoll: Kung Lao Tempest
In a very close set, both players were comfortable fighting upclose, exchanging blockstrings and alternating combos. Fasoll (Spain) had the edge in air to airs and mobility while Crazysteady (US) used baits to punish spins and Sonya's grenades to apply good damage midscreen and in the corner. Crazysteady patience paid off in the end. 2-1 Crazysteady
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Justsu
Working from fullscreen fans to upclose float cancels, Sonicfox (US) put REO (US) on defensive mode, giving Tanya a hard time to make an approach on her terms. Taking control of the pace, Sonicfox dominated masterfully the outcome. 2-0 Sonicfox
LLL.Taco:Subzero Grandmaster
vs. RZRPerfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
In his usual overwhelming style, Perfect Legend (US) applied pressure, ex-hat blockstrings and teleports to open up Taco (Netherlands). Not being able to corner Kung Lao was a huge blow for Taco and his Subzero, while Perfect Legend made even better adjustments in game two. 2-0 Perfect Legend
EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
vs. EG_Nivek: Raiden Thunder God
Big D (US) dominated the match with his defensive and safe style. Not giving much openings to Nivek's (Greece) Raiden, Big D was always on life lead and punished always sharply. 2-0 Big D
Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
vs. Mitsuownes: Scospion Inferno
The two iconic MK characters faced each other speaking German. Madzin took the fight to the corner, and kept it there, proceeding to the usual Subzero clone shenanigans. Mitsuownes' point blank low minions gave him a limited success, with emphasis on limited. 2-0 Madzin
CheapEddie: Johnny Cage A-List
vs. YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced
After winning the profile picture battle with an amazing american Kenshi cosplay, Pig of the Hut (US) entered the battle stage against CheapEddie (Russia). Mixing fullscreen zoning with spurts of upclose and corner pressure, Pig faced a dangerous Johnny Cage that was able to adapt and find ways to approach and punish rising karmas. Pig kept his composure and armored to the win. 2-1 Pig of the Hut
-------------
Quarterfinals
TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
vs YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced
F0xy initially chose to stay fullscreen and zone against Pig, waiting for opportunities to come close. That made Pig very comfortable, with time to think and pick the best move. Being dominated, when F0xy decided to put some pressure in, it was too late. 2-0 Pig of the Hut
Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
vs. Crazysteady: Sonya Demolition
Crazysteady's Sonya Demolition started strong. Once in the corner, his mixups and big damaging grenade combos were overwhelming. On the other hand, In midscreen, with space to move back and forth, Lar dominated the footsie game. Step by step, Lar forced Crazysteady to live in the corner, but on the wrong side. 2-1 Lar
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm vs
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Buzzsaw
Against an unusually cautious Perfect Legend, Sonicfox zoned and pressured at will. Doing tons of chip damage and converting opportunities from Perfect Legend attempts to get in, his Kitana looked very strong and impenetrable. 2-0 Sonicfox
EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
vs. Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
Big D phenomenal defense once again locked down his opponent's attempts and generated openings due to frustration. Combining it with a very safe offensive style, he forced Madzin to make the most of his few opportunities. Madzin did that everytime he was able to put Ermac against the corner and played safer in the end but was not able to ultimately pass the "Big D test for offensive prowess". 2-1 Big D
------------
Semifinals
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Possessed, Balanced
vs. Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
Pig of the Hut was crafty with a Possessed Kenshi to hurt Lar from chip and combos during Cassie's long way from full screen. Lar made every opportunity he had count with huge combos, the match became very tense for Pig who was not allowed to make mistakes. When Lar was adjusting well o his Possessed Kenshi, Pig changed to Balanced and saving meter for the very last round proved to be instrumental to an armored win. 2-1 Pig of the Hut
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm vs
EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
Sonicfox chose to surprise Big D and avoid zoning, running to fight upclose as soon as he had an opportunity. Pressuring Big D to the corner, and with amazing reads to punish Ermac's attempts, Sonicfox was able to make his offense overcome Big D's defense and be one of the very few to pass the "Big D test for offensive prowess". 2-0 Sonicfox
TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Master VHD: Kano Cutthroat
The #1 seeded A Foxy Grampa (Great Britain) cautiously took his time to approach Master's (Belgium) Kano, apply pressure and oki with the orbiting hat. He was able to convert his opportunities with full damaging combos, and not give much openings to Master, who inflicted damage in smaller bunches. 2-0 A F0xy Grampa
Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
vs. Crawlingshadow: Kung Lao Tempest
In a match where nerves were very apparent on Crawlingshadow's (US) side, Lar (Russia) dominated with good baits and big combo punishes, displaying an experienced Cassie with eloquent tools. 2-0 Lar
Crazysteady: Sonya Demolition
vs. Fasoll: Kung Lao Tempest
In a very close set, both players were comfortable fighting upclose, exchanging blockstrings and alternating combos. Fasoll (Spain) had the edge in air to airs and mobility while Crazysteady (US) used baits to punish spins and Sonya's grenades to apply good damage midscreen and in the corner. Crazysteady patience paid off in the end. 2-1 Crazysteady
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Justsu
Working from fullscreen fans to upclose float cancels, Sonicfox (US) put REO (US) on defensive mode, giving Tanya a hard time to make an approach on her terms. Taking control of the pace, Sonicfox dominated masterfully the outcome. 2-0 Sonicfox
LLL.Taco:Subzero Grandmaster
vs. RZRPerfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
In his usual overwhelming style, Perfect Legend (US) applied pressure, ex-hat blockstrings and teleports to open up Taco (Netherlands). Not being able to corner Kung Lao was a huge blow for Taco and his Subzero, while Perfect Legend made even better adjustments in game two. 2-0 Perfect Legend
EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
vs. EG_Nivek: Raiden Thunder God
Big D (US) dominated the match with his defensive and safe style. Not giving much openings to Nivek's (Greece) Raiden, Big D was always on life lead and punished always sharply. 2-0 Big D
Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
vs. Mitsuownes: Scospion Inferno
The two iconic MK characters faced each other speaking German. Madzin took the fight to the corner, and kept it there, proceeding to the usual Subzero clone shenanigans. Mitsuownes' point blank low minions gave him a limited success, with emphasis on limited. 2-0 Madzin
CheapEddie: Johnny Cage A-List
vs. YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced
After winning the profile picture battle with an amazing american Kenshi cosplay, Pig of the Hut (US) entered the battle stage against CheapEddie (Russia). Mixing fullscreen zoning with spurts of upclose and corner pressure, Pig faced a dangerous Johnny Cage that was able to adapt and find ways to approach and punish rising karmas. Pig kept his composure and armored to the win. 2-1 Pig of the Hut
-------------
Quarterfinals
TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
vs YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced
F0xy initially chose to stay fullscreen and zone against Pig, waiting for opportunities to come close. That made Pig very comfortable, with time to think and pick the best move. Being dominated, when F0xy decided to put some pressure in, it was too late. 2-0 Pig of the Hut
Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
vs. Crazysteady: Sonya Demolition
Crazysteady's Sonya Demolition started strong. Once in the corner, his mixups and big damaging grenade combos were overwhelming. On the other hand, In midscreen, with space to move back and forth, Lar dominated the footsie game. Step by step, Lar forced Crazysteady to live in the corner, but on the wrong side. 2-1 Lar
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm vs
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Buzzsaw
Against an unusually cautious Perfect Legend, Sonicfox zoned and pressured at will. Doing tons of chip damage and converting opportunities from Perfect Legend attempts to get in, his Kitana looked very strong and impenetrable. 2-0 Sonicfox
EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
vs. Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
Big D phenomenal defense once again locked down his opponent's attempts and generated openings due to frustration. Combining it with a very safe offensive style, he forced Madzin to make the most of his few opportunities. Madzin did that everytime he was able to put Ermac against the corner and played safer in the end but was not able to ultimately pass the "Big D test for offensive prowess". 2-1 Big D
------------
Semifinals
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Possessed, Balanced
vs. Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
Pig of the Hut was crafty with a Possessed Kenshi to hurt Lar from chip and combos during Cassie's long way from full screen. Lar made every opportunity he had count with huge combos, the match became very tense for Pig who was not allowed to make mistakes. When Lar was adjusting well o his Possessed Kenshi, Pig changed to Balanced and saving meter for the very last round proved to be instrumental to an armored win. 2-1 Pig of the Hut
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm vs
EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
Sonicfox chose to surprise Big D and avoid zoning, running to fight upclose as soon as he had an opportunity. Pressuring Big D to the corner, and with amazing reads to punish Ermac's attempts, Sonicfox was able to make his offense overcome Big D's defense and be one of the very few to pass the "Big D test for offensive prowess". 2-0 Sonicfox
Loser's bracket
Round of 8A
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. LLL. Taco: Subzero Grandmaster
With good spacing, REO put his Tanya on step out of Taco's reach. With good mobility, REO was never cornered by Subzero. With teleport cancel pressure and good punishes, REO was an unsolvable puzzle for Taco. 2-0 REO
Mitsuownes: Scorpion Inferno
vs. EG_Nivek: Raiden Thunder God
After a shaky debut in top 16, Nivek took back some of his usual gameplay, with good reactions and conversions. Mitsuownes' YOLO style did not survive for long after Nivek started to expect the point blank low minions and punish them accordingly. 2-1 Nivek
CheapEddie: Johnny Cage A-List
vs. Master VHD: Kano Cutthroat
Exchanging pokes and blockstrings, both players made it a very back and forth match, where a good chunk of the damage came of chip. The outcome remained unpredictable until the very end, when CheapEddie was able to corner Master and take the final round. 2-1 CheapEddie
Fasoll: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Crawlingshadow: Kung Lao Tempest
Crawlingshadow took the early initiative, being more aggressive and damaging than Fasoll. Never letting the spaniard take control, Crawlingshadow was only at trouble when his dive kicks were read and punished. Not enough for Fasoll though. 2-0 Crawlingshadow
-----------
Round of 8B
Crazysteady: Sonya Demolition; Tanya Dragon Naginata
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
REO kept himself out of Sonya's reach, forcing Crazysteady to go to Tanya. For then on, REO and Crazysteady played conservatively, respecting each other's mobility in a dead even dispute. REO was able to apply more pressure on block, while Crazysteady had better reach. In a tense final round, REO's greater experience helped him tremendously to keep his cool and close the deal. 2-1 REO
TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. EG_Nivek: Raiden Thunder God
Those two new each other deeply, and it showed on screen. The match was cerebral, back and forth, and any opening lead to big damaging combos. In a very hype set, they showed a glimpse of how MKX can be deep as it evolves to the point when players know all matchup and oppenent's tendencies. 2-1 A F0xy Grampa
Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
vs. CheapEddie: Johnny Cage A-List
Madzin denied CheapEddie footsies using clones to take off space from his Johnny Cage. The match developed midscreen and the clone barrier really annoyed CheapEddie, who suffered from clone tosses, crossover JIPs, and armored ground pounds to stay always far from Madzin, and from victory. 2-0 Madzin
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Crawlingshadow: Sonya Covert Ops
A typical high paced, overwhelming Perfect Legend flied and spun all around to make Crawlingshadow's Sonya look dizzy. Playing a little bit more YOLO this match, Perfect Legend ended with a huge comeback to send Crawlingshadow home. It remains unknown if Crawlingshadow tried to convince PL to play a best of 5. 2-0 Perfect Legend
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Round of 4A
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
F0xy has an unique style with Kung Lao that mixes pressure and upclose game with cautious full screen moments, when he reads and waits for his opponent's moves. Not being totally cautious nor totally offensive, F0xy's strategic style often grants him an edge in safety and adjustment against his competition. However, this time, it gave REO time to adjust and come from behind to revert an initial domination and find ways in to hurt F0xy when he least expected. 2-1 REO
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest, Buzzsaw
vs. Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
Madzin showcased a superb Subzero the whole tournament and started strong, blocking and punishing Perfect Legend with poise and assertiveness. Not being able to have success with his straightforward approach, Perfect Legend recurred to Buzzsaw setups to add some complexity to his game and put Madzin out of his confident status. 2-1 Perfect Legend
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Round of 4B
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
Big D remarkable defense and safe offense encountered a strategic keen eye for flaws in REO. Making good reads, REO was able to find the almost invisible holes in Big D's Ermac, pressuring and inserting a breath before the next attack to catch Big D just out of releasing block. Picking the right spots and moments to do so, REO almost made BIG D look reckless and although not properly passing the "Big D test for offensive prowess", he baited and punished him a lot. 2-0 REO
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
Lar's Cassie Cage acted as a punching bag during the whole match, not being able to have anything going against an overwhelming Perfect Legend. A very one-sided contest. 2-0 Perfect Legend.
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Round of 2A
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
In a classic battle from MK9 days, Perfect Legend started pressuring REO and putting him against the ropes. Blockstrings and grabs were working to give Perfect Legend a chance to close it 2-0 with one more round. REO struggled and crawled out from the hole, being able to put his offense on the table, breaking Perfect Legend's confidence. Pausing his attacks and slowing his pace, Perfect Legend respected too much and gave REO just the opportunity to take control of the pressure game and convincingly win the last game. 2-1 REO
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. LLL. Taco: Subzero Grandmaster
With good spacing, REO put his Tanya on step out of Taco's reach. With good mobility, REO was never cornered by Subzero. With teleport cancel pressure and good punishes, REO was an unsolvable puzzle for Taco. 2-0 REO
Mitsuownes: Scorpion Inferno
vs. EG_Nivek: Raiden Thunder God
After a shaky debut in top 16, Nivek took back some of his usual gameplay, with good reactions and conversions. Mitsuownes' YOLO style did not survive for long after Nivek started to expect the point blank low minions and punish them accordingly. 2-1 Nivek
CheapEddie: Johnny Cage A-List
vs. Master VHD: Kano Cutthroat
Exchanging pokes and blockstrings, both players made it a very back and forth match, where a good chunk of the damage came of chip. The outcome remained unpredictable until the very end, when CheapEddie was able to corner Master and take the final round. 2-1 CheapEddie
Fasoll: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Crawlingshadow: Kung Lao Tempest
Crawlingshadow took the early initiative, being more aggressive and damaging than Fasoll. Never letting the spaniard take control, Crawlingshadow was only at trouble when his dive kicks were read and punished. Not enough for Fasoll though. 2-0 Crawlingshadow
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Round of 8B
Crazysteady: Sonya Demolition; Tanya Dragon Naginata
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
REO kept himself out of Sonya's reach, forcing Crazysteady to go to Tanya. For then on, REO and Crazysteady played conservatively, respecting each other's mobility in a dead even dispute. REO was able to apply more pressure on block, while Crazysteady had better reach. In a tense final round, REO's greater experience helped him tremendously to keep his cool and close the deal. 2-1 REO
TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. EG_Nivek: Raiden Thunder God
Those two new each other deeply, and it showed on screen. The match was cerebral, back and forth, and any opening lead to big damaging combos. In a very hype set, they showed a glimpse of how MKX can be deep as it evolves to the point when players know all matchup and oppenent's tendencies. 2-1 A F0xy Grampa
Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
vs. CheapEddie: Johnny Cage A-List
Madzin denied CheapEddie footsies using clones to take off space from his Johnny Cage. The match developed midscreen and the clone barrier really annoyed CheapEddie, who suffered from clone tosses, crossover JIPs, and armored ground pounds to stay always far from Madzin, and from victory. 2-0 Madzin
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Crawlingshadow: Sonya Covert Ops
A typical high paced, overwhelming Perfect Legend flied and spun all around to make Crawlingshadow's Sonya look dizzy. Playing a little bit more YOLO this match, Perfect Legend ended with a huge comeback to send Crawlingshadow home. It remains unknown if Crawlingshadow tried to convince PL to play a best of 5. 2-0 Perfect Legend
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Round of 4A
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. TE_App A F0xy Grampa: Kung Lao Tempest
F0xy has an unique style with Kung Lao that mixes pressure and upclose game with cautious full screen moments, when he reads and waits for his opponent's moves. Not being totally cautious nor totally offensive, F0xy's strategic style often grants him an edge in safety and adjustment against his competition. However, this time, it gave REO time to adjust and come from behind to revert an initial domination and find ways in to hurt F0xy when he least expected. 2-1 REO
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest, Buzzsaw
vs. Madzin: Subzero Grandmaster
Madzin showcased a superb Subzero the whole tournament and started strong, blocking and punishing Perfect Legend with poise and assertiveness. Not being able to have success with his straightforward approach, Perfect Legend recurred to Buzzsaw setups to add some complexity to his game and put Madzin out of his confident status. 2-1 Perfect Legend
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Round of 4B
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. EVB Big D: Ermac Master of Souls
Big D remarkable defense and safe offense encountered a strategic keen eye for flaws in REO. Making good reads, REO was able to find the almost invisible holes in Big D's Ermac, pressuring and inserting a breath before the next attack to catch Big D just out of releasing block. Picking the right spots and moments to do so, REO almost made BIG D look reckless and although not properly passing the "Big D test for offensive prowess", he baited and punished him a lot. 2-0 REO
RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
vs. Lar: Cassie Cage Hollywood
Lar's Cassie Cage acted as a punching bag during the whole match, not being able to have anything going against an overwhelming Perfect Legend. A very one-sided contest. 2-0 Perfect Legend.
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Round of 2A
YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
vs. RZR Perfect Legend: Kung Lao Tempest
In a classic battle from MK9 days, Perfect Legend started pressuring REO and putting him against the ropes. Blockstrings and grabs were working to give Perfect Legend a chance to close it 2-0 with one more round. REO struggled and crawled out from the hole, being able to put his offense on the table, breaking Perfect Legend's confidence. Pausing his attacks and slowing his pace, Perfect Legend respected too much and gave REO just the opportunity to take control of the pressure game and convincingly win the last game. 2-1 REO
Finals
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Winner's Finals:
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced, Possessed
vs. cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm; Erron Black Outlaw
Sonicfox tried to space his Kitana between jump distance and fullscreen, a position that proved to be out of Kenshi's comfort zone. It was a perfect place to block and punish several Kenshi's attacks and convert full combos from hitting fans. Pig, on the other hand, attempted to push Sonicfox to full screen and used good reads and mixups upclose to do so with combos. The stalemate was broken when Sonicfox changed to Erron Black, now positioning himself upclose and pressuring Pig with superior mixups and normals, which Pig was not able to break even with Possessed Kenshi teleport escapes. 3-1 Sonicfox
Loser's Finals:
YOMI Pig of the Hut: Kenshi Balanced, Possessed
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu
REO didn't lose time to get close, use teleport cancels to apply pressure and put Pig on the defensive. Pig, as usual, was able to find reads and the right tools to push him back full screen. However, in an even match where both were exchanging momentum, Tanya's superior damage output and chip damage on block made the life lead favor REO. Not being able to keep REO away, and having to open him up more times to get the same damage, Pig tried Possessed Kenshi but REO's pressure was too much. 3-0 REO
Grand Finals:
cR Sonicfox: Kitana Royal Storm
vs. YOMI REO: Tanya Kobu Jutsu; Shinnok Bone Shaper
Repeating their confrontation in the first round, REO and Sonicfox seemingly picked up from where they stopped with Sonicfox's Kitana dominating from full screen and waiting for REO to approach. As he did during the whole tournament, Sonicfox chose what was the best spacing for the matchup and kept the fight mostly there. This time, being full screen and throwing fans, negating REO's pressure with Tanya. When REO went to Shinnok, Sonicfox inverted his spacing strategy, fighting upclose and crossing up (with occasion float cancels) to deny Shinnok's best weapons. The fight became closer but Sonicfox imposed his will at the end. 4-1 Sonicfox
Congratulations to Sonicfox and all top 16 from all around the world. And huge props to ESL for an amazing season. Looking forward for the next!
