This article is part of our FGC series.
Outside of EVO, Combo Breaker is the biggest fighting game tournament of the year, boasting a ridiculous 19 games and almost 3,000 competitors. With three full days of competition and some of the biggest names in the FGC to pour through, it can be a bit overwhelming.
What follows is a (non-exhaustive because we'd be here the whole weekend trying to go over everything) list of the biggest things to look out for over the weekend.
Who will come out on top in Dragon Ball FighterZ?
Are you a fan of hype anime fighting game action? Well, this DBFZ bracket is by far the most stacked that we've seen in the game's short existence. Just look at these names:
- Goichi "Go1" Kishida
- Osaka Ryo "Dogura" Nozaki
- Naoki "moke" Nakayama
- Dominique "SonicFox" McLean
- Eduardo "HookGangGod" Hook
- Christopher "ChrisG" Gonzalez
- Derek "Nakkiel" Bruscas
- William "Leffen" Hjelte
- Steve "Supernoon" Carbajal
Like, damn. This entire bracket is going to be an absolute bloodbath. I can't even imagine the levels of hype and skill that will flow through the Top 8 on Sunday.
Any of the people I listed above have a chance to take the whole thing. Goichi is certainly the favorite as he has won every single tournament he's entered this year. You can almost lock him into the grand finals now. That leaves two major questions for the rest of the bracket: who will he face and will he be defeated?
If I had to put money down, I'd say that either Dogura or SonicFox have the best chance at meeting the king in the finals. Dogura almost beat Goichi last weekend at Stunfest 2018 and SonicFox has been on his heels all year (not to mention he has yet to face Goichi with his current team). Still, it's hard to imagine a world where Goichi doesn't walk away with the win. His defense is simply godlike and he has nerves of steel. Regardless, the Top 8 starts at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday and you will not want to miss it. Trust me.
Man, this Street Fighter V bracket is stacked, too
Okay, so anime fighting games aren't your thing, that's totally fine! There is plenty to like about the SFV bracket as well.
You've got the last two Capcom Cup champions in Du "NuckleDu" Dang and Saul "MenaRD" Mena. You've got reigning EVO Japan champion Lee "INFILTRATION" Seon-woo and reigning EVO champion Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi. You've got Combo Breaker 2017 runner-up Darryl "Snake Eyez" Lewis. You've got Atsushi "Fujimura" Fujimura and his crazy Ibuki. You've got legends like Daigo "The Beast" Umehara, Justin Wong, and Ricki Ortiz. Basically you've got it all. Seriously, there are 686 people in this bracket. It's actually difficult to comprehend.
Having great players is well and good, but I'm sure you want to know who has the best shot at victory. That's honestly a tough one with the sheer number of competitors at this tournament. Unlike DBFZ and Tekken 7 (which I'll get to in a second), there isn't a clear favorite. Tokido and INFILTRATION certainly are at the top of the list, having won all the big tournaments this year between the two of them. But even then, you can't count out guys like Fujimura, who just had a ridiculous run to win Stunfest 2018, or NuckleDu, who is always dangerous.
If I was a betting man, though, I'd go with Tokido. His Akuma is really strong lately and he always is one of the most poised players out there who won't crack under the pressure.
Ready for some retro Street Fighter action?
Modern Street Fighter not your thing? I got you.
With the release of Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, there will be a special exhibition taking place Friday night featuring some of the most storied players of all time. Alex Valle, Daigo, Justin Wong, and Ricki Ortiz, along with four players from an on-site auction bracket, will compete in a tournament that will have them play any one of the 12 games at random.
And if that doesn't peak your interest, they'll be joined by the announcing duo of James Chen and Michael "IFC Yipes" Mendoza which will be sure to bring out the intensity of the moment.
If that's not enough for you, there will be Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo brackets to consume, too. There will be no shortage of old school fighting game action, if that's what you're into.
Will Knee show up the Echo Fox duo in Tekken 7 once again?
Alright, alright. Too much Street Fighter for you? I've got one last thing (well, I could add in 10 others, but again, don't want to be here all weekend) for you. Tekken 7.
While it feels like Echo Fox's duo of Kim "JDCR" Jyun-hin and Choi "SAINT" Jin-woo have been running the gamut on this community lately, there is one man who has been standing above even them. That man is fellow Korean, Bae Knee" Jae-Min. Not only did he beat SAINT just last week at Battle Arena Melbourne 10, but he won Final Round 2018, EVO Japan, and came in second at TGU 2018. The man has been on a roll.
Don't expect anything to come lightly in this series, though. Even outside of those three, you've got Jeon "JeonDDing" Sang-hyeon and Joseph "Joey Fury" Bennett that can make a run of their own. That feels like the theme of all these brackets, to be honest. All of the major games in the FGC are experiencing some solid parity, leaving fans with plenty to be excited about.
So there you go. That's the best of what you can expect this weekend at Combo Breaker 2018. If that doesn't peak your interest, then you've got plenty of other games to sink your teeth into. Everything from Injustice 2 to Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 to Smash Bros. Melee.
There is plenty more to consume, as there are nine other games besides the ones that I mentioned here. You can take a look at the full schedule over on the Combo Breaker website.
Prepare yourself for an entire weekend of amazing fighting game action. I'll see you guys on the other side, as I'm about to go lock myself in my office for three days.
