Pools for the Street Fighter V portion of the annual Midwest fighting game tournament, Combo Breaker, took place at The Mega Center in St. Charles, Illinois, on May 26th and 27th. Though many fan-favorites from the Street Fighter V world couldn't make the tournament because of ELEAGUE's televised invitational, there was plenty of quality action to enjoy. The top 16 roster has some familiar faces such as Justin Wong, Du "NuckleDu" Dang and Darryl "Snake Eyez" Lewis, as well as Balrog fan-favorites Bryant "Smug" Huggin and Brian "Brian F" Foster. They will compete on May 28th to see who will be crowned champion of Combo Breaker 2017.
The Phantasm of Snow and Ice
Kolin made a pretty big splash during the pools at Combo Breaker. The second newest character to the roster, pros and esports fans alike were treated to a display of versatility and power from those who have been putting in some practice with the "Phantasm of Snow and Ice". Here's how two of the most notable matches played out.
Lee Chung "Poongko" Gon and Tanaka "Daikoku" Yohei had one of the most intense matches in pools this weekend, bringing stellar Kolin and Birdie play to the table respectively. Set one was an excellent indicator of what was to come, with Poongko scoring a Perfect in Round 2 to push the set to the final round, where Daikoku had a fantastic comeback to win the set. Poongko won the second set with chip damage in the final round as time ran out, setting the stage for a dramatic third and final set. Daikoku had no response for Poongko early on, but managed to recover from heavy corner pressure to push the set to the last round. Down to very little health, Daikoku made some risky plays that paid off, as he was able to defeat Poongko in a pixel-to-pixel brawl that had everyone cheering.
Ludovic "Ludovic" Mbock brought an incredibly oppressive Kolin out against Alex Myers on Saturday, leaving the Cammy master disappointed and shaking his head. Myers' best chance was in the first round, but after a missed Critical Art that got punished, Ludovic proceeded to steamroll, ending the match in two very quick and surprising sets.
EG Switching Things Up
Evil Geniuses continues to be one of the most well-represented teams in Street Fighter V despite losing some big names such as Justin Wong and Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi to Echo Fox late last year. Christopher "NYChrisG" Gonzalez has been a good addition with his strong Guile play, but his Ibuki helped him reach the top 16 out of pools on Saturday. Ricki Ortiz has had a back pocket Cammy since Chun-Li hasn't been as strong this season, and she brought her out against Bryant "Smug" Huggin, though Ricki didn't fare too well, getting stunlocked and obliterated in their last set. Kenneth "KBrad" Bradley has been a Cammy loyalist for all of his Street Fighter V career, but he went with Karin against Darryl "Snake Eyez" Lewis. Unfortunately, he didn't fare too well either, as Snake Eyez won with some crafty Spinning Piledrivers and aggressive corner pressure.
