The best tournament of Injustice ever played. Yeah, I said it -- and for anyone who was there or watched it live on Twitch, there is little dispute. What happened on Tuesday night will be remembered as a landmark event for the game; and it will set the bar for all future tournaments to follow. It was not only the most exciting local event the game has seen so far, but it was likely more unpredictable, more intense, and more tightly contested than all of the IGAU majors to this point.
What was it that made Tuesday's slugfest so compelling? With SummerJam just behind us, complete with its array of upsets, surprises, excitements, salty moments, and a newly-minted SJ champion in Rico Suave, something unexpected happened; instead of satisfying the hunger for top-level Injustice action, it created an insatiable and immediate craving for more. And riding the wave of that hunger this week were a host of some of the top players in the game, who descended upon Dunellen, NJ to make this the most talent-dense Break tournament seen to date.
Barely two days from the weekend, a cornucopia of resolute warriors made their way down to 8 on the Break to test their might, including Rico Suave, CD Jr., Tom Brady, REO, KDZ, and Summerjam top-8 placers Riyo and DarthArma. The action was as thick as you'd expect it to be and more; with the amount of runbacks, salty moments, chair-gripping finishes, and nail-biter showdowns, you'd probably be better off just watching it than reading about it.
REO's Martian Manhunter was on fire, appearing to have levelled up even in the scant time since he appeared in Top 8 over the weekend. His comfort level with the character is clearly increasing week by week, and his punishes and pressure are becoming more and more accurate and deadlier. Utilizing every trick in the book, he went toe to toe with Rico Suave in an electrifying match. Rico fought well and displayed his usual poise; but REO looked a half-step ahead at all times and continued to improvise setup after setup as he generated a dizzying array of offense.
Likewise, a resurgent and newly focused-looking CD Jr. made an appearance on Tuesday. After losing a match with his Black Adam and Killer frost to Tom Brady (who looked to be playing in top form), Jr. stuck with his new main Wonder Woman as he slashed his way through the Losers bracket. In what seemed to be a rebirth of the warrior spirit he displayed during his run as one of the most successful and dangerous players in Mortal kombat 9, Junior seemed steadfastly committed to playing excellent footsies and patiently honing his spacing to a knife-edge; but he also displayed a fresh smattering of WW's combos and setups. Eventually he would meet up with Rico in losers, resulting in fireworks as they played one of the more exciting matches of the night -- but it only continued to get better from there.
After a battle for Aquaman supremacy between Brady and Riyo, the tension and excitement continued to ratchet up with each match, from Losers and Winners Semis through Losers/Winners Finals and all the way into Grand Finals. With stream monsters and Break onlookers beside themselves, the action reached a fever pitch by the third round, and stayed there through the entire night. There is literally too much to write about, and the only way to experience the raw energy of last night's event is to click either the Youtube or Twitch archive link, grab some popcorn, and view it for yourself.
KDZ displayed why he has been a feared competitor in multiple fighting game franchises, and the footage of this tournament should silence any final doubts that may have arisen post-EVO. In the face of a multi-faceted and ever-changing assault, he remained sturdy and composed as he dissected the puzzle and topped one of the most irrefutably challenging small-brackets we've seen. But in addition to the sense of pride that accompanies watching a great display of the game's strengths by all the players involved, it's impossible to escape the feeling of a page being turned to a new chapter full of welcome uncertainty. There were a number of matches that could have gone either way, and many of the night's wins were anything but a foregone conclusion. With REO looking like he's found a home again, CD Jr. playing with renewed vigor, and DarthArma and Riyo pushing themselves farther bit by bit, it's hard to predict what will happen next -- and that's a great feeling.
Here's to the future of the game -- as the plot thickens, and Act Two begins.
*Also, special thanks goes to Jaxel from 8wayrun for streaming this tournament in its entirety; without that, we'd have missed all or part of what made this such a memorable night.
Top 8:
1) EMP 8WR YKK KDZ
2) REO
3) RG|EMP CD Jr.
4) EMP Tom Brady
5) RG|MCZ Rico Suave
5) EMP Riyo
7) EMP @Darth Arma
7) IPG Static Gorilla
Jaxel's Youtube Archives:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfsHddFGhhKhviWow9FzbhAfNRrTRSf4Y
Twitch Stream Archive:
http://www.twitch.tv/8wayrun/b/448897675?t=1h16m49s (Cauals start earlier, if you want to see them)
Bracket:
http://8wayrun.challonge.com/thebreak221igau
What was it that made Tuesday's slugfest so compelling? With SummerJam just behind us, complete with its array of upsets, surprises, excitements, salty moments, and a newly-minted SJ champion in Rico Suave, something unexpected happened; instead of satisfying the hunger for top-level Injustice action, it created an insatiable and immediate craving for more. And riding the wave of that hunger this week were a host of some of the top players in the game, who descended upon Dunellen, NJ to make this the most talent-dense Break tournament seen to date.
Barely two days from the weekend, a cornucopia of resolute warriors made their way down to 8 on the Break to test their might, including Rico Suave, CD Jr., Tom Brady, REO, KDZ, and Summerjam top-8 placers Riyo and DarthArma. The action was as thick as you'd expect it to be and more; with the amount of runbacks, salty moments, chair-gripping finishes, and nail-biter showdowns, you'd probably be better off just watching it than reading about it.
REO's Martian Manhunter was on fire, appearing to have levelled up even in the scant time since he appeared in Top 8 over the weekend. His comfort level with the character is clearly increasing week by week, and his punishes and pressure are becoming more and more accurate and deadlier. Utilizing every trick in the book, he went toe to toe with Rico Suave in an electrifying match. Rico fought well and displayed his usual poise; but REO looked a half-step ahead at all times and continued to improvise setup after setup as he generated a dizzying array of offense.
Likewise, a resurgent and newly focused-looking CD Jr. made an appearance on Tuesday. After losing a match with his Black Adam and Killer frost to Tom Brady (who looked to be playing in top form), Jr. stuck with his new main Wonder Woman as he slashed his way through the Losers bracket. In what seemed to be a rebirth of the warrior spirit he displayed during his run as one of the most successful and dangerous players in Mortal kombat 9, Junior seemed steadfastly committed to playing excellent footsies and patiently honing his spacing to a knife-edge; but he also displayed a fresh smattering of WW's combos and setups. Eventually he would meet up with Rico in losers, resulting in fireworks as they played one of the more exciting matches of the night -- but it only continued to get better from there.
After a battle for Aquaman supremacy between Brady and Riyo, the tension and excitement continued to ratchet up with each match, from Losers and Winners Semis through Losers/Winners Finals and all the way into Grand Finals. With stream monsters and Break onlookers beside themselves, the action reached a fever pitch by the third round, and stayed there through the entire night. There is literally too much to write about, and the only way to experience the raw energy of last night's event is to click either the Youtube or Twitch archive link, grab some popcorn, and view it for yourself.
KDZ displayed why he has been a feared competitor in multiple fighting game franchises, and the footage of this tournament should silence any final doubts that may have arisen post-EVO. In the face of a multi-faceted and ever-changing assault, he remained sturdy and composed as he dissected the puzzle and topped one of the most irrefutably challenging small-brackets we've seen. But in addition to the sense of pride that accompanies watching a great display of the game's strengths by all the players involved, it's impossible to escape the feeling of a page being turned to a new chapter full of welcome uncertainty. There were a number of matches that could have gone either way, and many of the night's wins were anything but a foregone conclusion. With REO looking like he's found a home again, CD Jr. playing with renewed vigor, and DarthArma and Riyo pushing themselves farther bit by bit, it's hard to predict what will happen next -- and that's a great feeling.
Here's to the future of the game -- as the plot thickens, and Act Two begins.
*Also, special thanks goes to Jaxel from 8wayrun for streaming this tournament in its entirety; without that, we'd have missed all or part of what made this such a memorable night.
Top 8:
1) EMP 8WR YKK KDZ
2) REO
3) RG|EMP CD Jr.
4) EMP Tom Brady
5) RG|MCZ Rico Suave
5) EMP Riyo
7) EMP @Darth Arma
7) IPG Static Gorilla
Jaxel's Youtube Archives:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfsHddFGhhKhviWow9FzbhAfNRrTRSf4Y
Twitch Stream Archive:
http://www.twitch.tv/8wayrun/b/448897675?t=1h16m49s (Cauals start earlier, if you want to see them)
Bracket:
http://8wayrun.challonge.com/thebreak221igau
