By Ginx TV
This year’s Evolution Fighting Championships (AKA EVO) takes place this coming weekend in Las Vegas and is considerably bigger than anything they’ve put on during it’s 20 year existence. The Finals day is taking place in the MGM Grand Garden arena – a far cry from the conference halls of previous years and a world apart from ‘Battle At The Bay’.
Street Fighter 5 is the biggest of the lot. Five thousand plus entrants, an ESPN TV deal to show the top 8; it’s going to be absolutely huge and the must-see game of the entire weekend.
Is this the year that an American wins the big Street Fighter game at EVO? Could this be Justin Wong’s year, or will it be another top 8 made up entirely of International talent? Will we see a legend win the first Street Fighter 5 EVO, or will a newcomer ‘Rise Up’ to put themselves on the map?
Here’s a rundown of eight notable players and why they could be a shout for winning the whole thing (and if this ends up being the top eight, call me The FGC Oracle.)
Who To Look Out For At EVO 2016
Infiltration
Infiltration has been dominating throughout these early months of Street Fighter 5’s lifespan, but at CEO 2016 he was finally bested by the man he usually beats to first place – Tokido. A one off, or signs of burnout just before the biggest event of them all? Still the favourite to win the lot and rumours are abound that he has an arsenal of secret ‘pocket characters’ he’s set to unleash on an unsuspecting set of opponents.
Tokido
He had a pretty poor performance last weekend at G-League in Shanghai, China, but other than that he’s been consistently finishing in the top 8 of all tournaments he has entered so far in 2016 and showing some incredible adaptation when things don’t seem to be going his way. For sure, the dark horse to win the whole thing, as his Ryu looks to be the best in the world right now. Even better than Daigo’s.
Justin Wong
Justin Wong has been America’s most dominant player, winning almost every event he’s appeared at since the start of the Capcom Pro Tour season. And yet, he still hasn’t managed to win a Premier event, falling short at Final Round, NorCal Regionals and CEO 2016. The points don’t lie, though, and right now Wong sits atop of the Capcom Pro Tour leaderboard. Could this be his year?
Daigo Umehara
What is going on with the legendary Daigo Umehara? A few top 8 finishes, but hasn’t won anything so far since Street Fighter 5’s first Pro Tour began. He has even stated that he ‘isn’t ready’ for EVO this year, in terms of where he feels his current ability is. Saying that, it’s hard to rule out Daigo. He’s been consistent and – with the exception of Haitani, who appears to have his number – could beat anyone on his day. He’s also got the most experience with the spotlight, which could be a factor given the TV deal.
Phenom
Europe’s best hope of winning EVO for the second time is likely Phenom, the only non-Asian region player who has already qualified for the Capcom Cup. Phenom has quietly put together an extremely strong resume of wins since the start of the Pro Tour, besting Mago, Daigo and Fuudo (twice!) on his way to victory at Dreamhack Summer in Sweden. If he can continue that form, he’s absolutely a threat to everyone.
Momochi
Last year’s EVO champion became the first man not named Infiltration to qualify for the Capcom Cup with his first place finish at StunFest in France earlier this year. He has stuck with his favoured Ken, who he innovated with so much during Ultra Street Fighter 4, and has already started to show signs of being able to do the same insane reaction/extremely technical stuff even at this early stage in Street Fighter 5’s lifespan. Has he been saving some unseen tech for EVO 2016?
Xian
Singapore’s Xian is the wildcard of the current Capcom Pro Tour. Always been one to use more unconventional characters, Xian has stuck with F.A.N.G throughout tournaments this year – a character most consider fairly weak and has plenty of bad match ups. However, Xian won a Ranking event in Russia and at last weekend’s G-League Premier event, finished as Runner-Up and – most surprisingly – showed off his Ibuki, one of the new characters added to the game who is allowed at EVO. People still haven’t fully figured her out yet, could Xian use this to his advantage?
PR Balrog
PR Balrog hasn’t had the best of starts to the 2016 Capcom Pro Tour, finishing second place twice in two weeks at Texas Showdown and West Coast Warzone and then floating around the top 8 at other events he has attended with some decent Necalli play. Now, his character has arrived – Balrog is allowed to be used at EVO 2016 – and early signs indicate that he is one of the best in the game. Can PR ‘Rog use this combination of a character with ludicrously high damage potential and the fact that people are still unwise to what he can do to take EVO?