By Ginx TV<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Evolution Fighting Championships (AKA EVO) takes place this coming weekend in Las Vegas and is considerably bigger than anything they\u2019ve put on during it\u2019s 20 year existence. The Finals day is taking place in the MGM Grand Garden arena \u2013 a far cry from the conference halls of previous years and a world apart from \u2018Battle At The Bay\u2019.<\/p>\n
Street Fighter 5 is the biggest of the lot. Five thousand plus entrants, an ESPN TV deal to show the top 8; it\u2019s going to be absolutely huge and the must-see game of the entire weekend.<\/p>\n
Is this the year that an American wins the big Street Fighter game at EVO? Could this be Justin Wong\u2019s 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 \u2018Rise Up\u2019 to put themselves on the map?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s 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.)<\/p>\n
Who To Look Out For At EVO 2016<\/p>\n
Infiltration<\/p>\n
Infiltration has been dominating throughout these early months of Street Fighter 5\u2019s lifespan, but at CEO 2016 he was finally bested by the man he usually beats to first place \u2013 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 \u2018pocket characters\u2019 he\u2019s set to unleash on an unsuspecting set of opponents.<\/p>\n
Tokido<\/p>\n
He had a pretty poor performance last weekend at G-League in Shanghai, China, but other than that he\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Justin Wong<\/p>\n
Justin Wong has been America\u2019s most dominant player, winning almost every event he\u2019s appeared at since the start of the Capcom Pro Tour season. And yet, he still hasn\u2019t managed to win a Premier event, falling short at Final Round, NorCal Regionals and CEO 2016. The points don\u2019t lie, though, and right now Wong sits atop of the Capcom Pro Tour leaderboard. Could this be his year?<\/p>\n
Daigo Umehara<\/p>\n
What is going on with the legendary Daigo Umehara? A few top 8 finishes, but hasn\u2019t won anything so far since Street Fighter 5\u2019s first Pro Tour began. He has even stated that he \u2018isn\u2019t ready\u2019 for EVO this year, in terms of where he feels his current ability is. Saying that, it\u2019s hard to rule out Daigo. He\u2019s been consistent and \u2013 with the exception of Haitani, who appears to have his number \u2013 could beat anyone on his day. He\u2019s also got the most experience with the spotlight, which could be a factor given the TV deal.<\/p>\n
Phenom<\/p>\n
Europe\u2019s 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\u2019s absolutely a threat to everyone.<\/p>\n
Momochi<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s 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\u2019s lifespan. Has he been saving some unseen tech for EVO 2016?<\/p>\n
Xian<\/p>\n
Singapore\u2019s 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 \u2013 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\u2019s G-League Premier event, finished as Runner-Up and \u2013 most surprisingly \u2013 showed off his Ibuki, one of the new characters added to the game who is allowed at EVO. People still haven\u2019t fully figured her out yet, could Xian use this to his advantage?<\/p>\n
PR Balrog<\/p>\n
PR Balrog hasn\u2019t 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 \u2013 Balrog is allowed to be used at EVO 2016 \u2013 and early signs indicate that he is one of the best in the game. Can PR \u2018Rog 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?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Ginx TV This year\u2019s Evolution Fighting Championships (AKA EVO) takes place this coming weekend in Las Vegas and is considerably bigger than anything they\u2019ve put on during it\u2019s 20 year existence. The Finals day is taking place in the MGM Grand Garden arena \u2013 a far cry from the conference halls of previous years … <\/p>\n