The odds had been about as dangerous because it will get
The Capcom Pro Tour 2023 US/Canada West ran its course this weekend, and this high-stakes on-line occasion introduced in a number of the finest expertise the area has to supply. Not solely was there prize money to be earned from competing and inserting excessive, however the participant who took first would additionally safe their spot within the Capcom Cup 2023 finals.
Despite every thing we now have been seeing and every thing we now have discovered during the last almost three months that Street Fighter 6 has been launched, the story line that performed out final evening was one which almost nobody anticipated. Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis, one of many preventing sport group’s long-running and legendary Zangief gamers, pulled off an absolute miracle by not solely profitable the Capcom Pro Tour 2023 US/Canada West with the character who’s broadly thought-about the worst within the sport, however he did so by toppling arguably the very best character in Street Fighter 6 proper now.
If you’ve got been following aggressive Street Fighter 6 in recent instances, then you definitely’ve most likely heard a factor or two about JP. M. Bison’s former accountant has confirmed to be a really robust character within the sport, along with his recent showings at Evo 2023 and Gamers8 securing him a spot as one in every of, if not, the very best character in the complete sport among the many group.
With a instrument for seemingly each scenario, excessive injury output, unbelievable full display screen zoning, intense nook lockdown and blend ups, nice footsies instruments, and a counter transfer that is likely to be the very best counter ever in a Street Fighter title, it is no secret that JP could be very possible high tier. On the opposite finish of that spectrum, although, we now have Zangief.
Over the final three months, we now have seen Zangief positioned as absolutely the worst within the sport by quite a few high gamers and pundits. Though sport mechanics like Drive Rush assist Gief shut the hole and regain some floor after a knock down, a number of of his instruments usually appear to fall quick, typically even in basic conditions, and the group has general felt like he simply hasn’t had what it takes to hold on the highest stage among the many Kens, Lukes, and JPs.
The disparity between these two characters, in and of itself, is already fairly staggering. However, we even have so as to add on high of this that JP, stylistically, is an absolute nightmare for Zangief.
You see, Zangief is a conventional grappler character in Street Fighter 6. This signifies that his motion velocity and talent to get in could be very restricted, however in alternate, he offers unbelievable injury if he can get in shut sufficient and discover a gap.
Simply taking a look at preventing sport character archetypes, conventional grapplers have the toughest time preventing hardcore zoning characters, and JP’s means to zone might be the very best in the complete sport. Zangief vs. JP could be very possible a 7-3 match up in JP’s favor, that means that out of 10 video games the place two equally expert gamers went towards one another with both character, JP would win nearly all of the video games as a result of his benefit over Zangief.
This brings us to final evening and the highest 8 on the Capcom Pro Tour 2023 US/Canada West.
Snake Eyez had an unbelievable run all through the event, taking his Zangief all the way in which to winners finals earlier than struggling his first loss. The first participant to beat him within the occasion was Reynald, a well-known King of Fighters champion who performs JP right here in Street Fighter 6.
Much such as you’d anticipate based mostly on every thing I defined above, Snake Eyez suffered an 0-3 loss towards Reynald’s JP throughout their first encounter in winners finals. Though Snake undoubtedly put up a combat, he simply couldn’t constantly discover the openings he wanted to safe even a single sport win.
In losers finals, Snake Eyez would go up towards Nephew’s Juri for an opportunity to tackle Reynald as soon as once more in grand finals. After a 3-1 win over Nephew, Snake Eyez discovered himself within the finals and getting his runback towards the JP participant.
Now, the stage was set right here with what was actually absolutely the worst circumstances Snake Eyez might get. Taking every thing concerning the characters’ energy distinction and match ups into consideration is already dangerous sufficient, however now you will have a participant who has to face the one competitor to beat him within the event with the identical horrible match up — and Snake Eyez must win two full units of 3-out-of-5 if he wished to take home the gold.
The solely approach this example might have been stacked any worse towards Snake Eyez is that if Reynald went up 2 video games within the first grand finals set and Snake needed to battle his approach again from the brink of demise. Well… that is precisely what occurred.
In grand finals, Reynald went up 2 video games to Snake Eyez’s 1, and never solely that, however there was even a degree the place Reynald sat only one spherical away from profitable the entire thing. After an unlucky enter mistake the place a random floor spike was carried out, Reynald’s JP discovered himself falling prey to Zangief’s advances, and with just some robust reads on Snake Eyez’s half, the grappler participant managed to steal the spherical and cling to his event life.
SNAKE EYEZ HAS DONE IT! WE HAVE OUR FIRST ZANGIEF IN CAPCOM CUP! 🏆🏆🏆#CPT2023 #StreetFighter6 pic.twitter.com/zOuz0efQyS
— Capcom Fighters (@CapcomFighters) August 28, 2023
And similar to that, the momentum began to shift as a bracket reset was now fully do-able right here. The remaining sport of the primary grand finals set noticed a visibly shaken Reynald attempting to fend off the highly effective Zangief, however in the long run, a giant bounce in combo with stage 2 tremendous to counter JP’s zoning would shut out the sport and safe Snake Eyez’s bracket reset.
With a reset in full impact and only one extra 3-out-of-5 set to be performed to resolve the champion, Snake Eyez had to verify he was on high of his sport if he supposed to win the entire thing. The remainder of the event noticed Reynald dropping conversions and lacking punishes that had been essential to victory, all whereas Snake Eyez appeared assured and cozy within the remaining matches of the occasion.
As if final evening’s Street Fighter 6 event had been a film script a few preventing sport Cinderella story, Snake Eyez would go on to carry out a miracle and defeat Reynald within the remaining set of the occasion with an extremely spectacular 3-0 victory. Defying all logic, cause, and expectation based mostly on what we have seen from this sport to this point, final evening Snake Eyez pulled off one of many first historic moments Street Fighter 6 has needed to supply.
While this would possibly appear to be a fully out of left subject win from Snake Eyez right here, it’s value noting that this Zangief participant is legitimately the most effective to ever play the character. Snake is thought for having unreal persistence and reads on his opponent, so I additionally need to commend Reynald right here for taking part in extremely effectively all through the occasion.
Reynald’s run by means of the Capcom Pro Tour 2023 US/Canada West was extremely spectacular as effectively, and he can hold his hat on the truth that he solely occurred to lose to that one in one million Zangief participant.
Banner photograph supply: Stephanie Lindgren.
