Mailed response to DailyRadar.com

Actually, the mini-gathering I described in my original email will be taking place Nov. 12-14 in Omaha, NE. There will be 3 Dreamcasts with TVs and VCRs since we almost always tape all of the action. We will be having this at one of the competitors apartments, Omaha Jeffry, with possibly another 1 or 2 staying at my place (Nutlog). This was originally going to be a couple of friends visiting, and it grew into a gathering of the pretty much the best "Specialized" players in the US.


*** Hiro notice ***
As something of a notice before breaking down the character specialists, it should be said the Hiro from Crew NYC (New York City) is placed in a class by himself. His knowledge of tactics and counters, as well as situational consequences for all of the characters is staggering. As a result, Hiro can wield nearly any character at a level beyond all but the most practiced here in the States.
*** Hiro notice ***


Specialist Breakdowns:
----------------------

That I know of, there really isn't a Aoi specialist among us. That title goes to a guy named Hans(Clopin on the net). He lives in L.A. I believe, right now.

The foremost Pai player also lives out that way, as Hans is always raving about it. But east coast belongs to a fellow by the name of Andy. (His picture can be found in Guinness' little book under "Controlled Hand Twitching Speed)

I haven't really seen or heard of any "excellent" Taka players in the USA, but consensus from some of the more recently traveled says that Hiro of NYC is the only one who can lay claim to Taka.

For Lion, the two specialists seem to both live in Chicago. Ed Cruz, the more unorthodox and riskier Lion, and Shota Tamura (yes, the Jacky Specialist) who plays a similar manner to his Jacky -- hard, fast and cheap. There is a third whose name is Jason Cha, but I have not yet met him or played him. I know him from the message boards, and he's always been spot on about his posts. Consensus amongst the overseas travelers places him among the top as well.

For Akira, the man with the hands won't be in Omaha. That's Adam Yuki. The man with insane reflexes that make you feel like your playing in a vat of chocolate pudding compared to him.

For Sarah, probably one of the least desired titles for one of the USs most unexplored characters, the title goes to Alexei (Minneapolis), myself (Nutlog - Omaha) or Harold (also known as "Bastard Kage").

For Lau, the man to see is affectionately termed himself Sumeragi(Mike). Known for the Lau that "absolutely will not stop until you are dead." -- Terminator.

For Wolf, Hiro (New York) hands down. So damned frustrating that it's frightening. Of course, that could be applied to almost any character that Hiro plays. Probably the best VF player that most Americans will ever have the chance to meet. Close second is Andy (Chicago). "Iron defense" defines the man, though "Boring and cheap" will be from the people who lose to him.

For Jeffry, our own Omaha Jeffry has made a name for himself in the VF circles. He can weild the big man like most would in their dreams. Quick and unrelenting, he will pound you into the dirt if you back off for just a second.

For Shun-Di, Nelson is the man. He is the only one on the list I have not played personally, so far. Reports from friends all say the same thing, though. "After he beat me the 8th or 9th time, I realized that Shun does have more than 5 good moves..."

For Kage, this one gets fuzzy. Easily the most popular character in the states, Kage has some very good specialists all over the place. Jeff-Maru will be attending the Omaha gathering, and is definitely one of the top 5 in the US for Kage. Others would be Harold (Chicago) with his "Bastard Kage", Hiro (NYC) the omni-VFer and just about anyone from Toronto or Boston, since all you ever hear from them is "Kage and Akira this, Kage and Akira that..." (I believe the specifics are Rich - Boston, and Llanfair - Toronto)

For Jacky (Jerky), Shota Tamura from Chicago seems to edge out the "Air Jackys" from Minneapolis, Boyd and Jesse. Famous for his "4 move" Jacky, he can play with some real style when he relaxes a little about winning.


I've passed on your response to the 2 most visited VF sites that I know of:

www.virtuafighter.com
www.hardcoregaming.com

I'll be getting some tape bits from each of the attendees of the Omaha event, and get some tape of each playing against the other specialists.

Attendees for the Omaha Mini-gathering:
SausageMan(Troy) - Akira
Jeff-Maru - Kage
Nutlog - Sarah
Hiro - Wolf
Shota - Jacky
Mike - Lau
Nelson - ShunDi
Omaha Jeffry - Jeffry (duh)

Hope this a bit of what you wanted. I'll send more as the Omaha event stirs up.

Nutlog/Jason Clontz
Omaha, NE

 

About Hiro

Personally it kinda surprises me that when most people talk about Hiro they talk about his knowledge about the game. For me, i think he is a better player much because of his yomi/reaction speed developed since vf2 time. No matter how much you know there is a limit, which can be easily achieved by just cramming all the mooks and magazines. What seperate players' level i think , is the ability to digest those knowledge into the gameplay, experience and sharp decision making skill. At Hiro and Shota's lvl (in fact even though i haven't play in japanese arcade but i think the same apply to all players in japan now), all these knowledge are just common sense, just knowing them won't raise your winning rate much (if at all).

Also as for the mentioning of me being Lau "specialist" (heheh this is much more sensitive then i expected), i really appreciated it but i have to say i am kinda embarassed. I have never seen nor played any other designated Lau player during my entire vf life ^^; (!), much of the reason i think that people thought my lau is hard to deal with is due to the lack of experience of actually playing a Lau. And, for me to be the one to ask about Lau's stuff, is not because i am the number one, but really just because i am the only one ^^; .

 

Re: About Hiro

Actually, Mike there are plenty of Laus in Minneapolis (or at least they showed up in the gathering there). Yours is much more complete than any other that I have seen, and when I ask you a question 1) You're usually nice about wanting to answer it. 2) You actually CAN answer it in the detail I need to exploit as best I can. Usually, at least. So don't be embarassed. You've worked hard on your Lau, and it shows. I do agree with your post, however that being able to use info by reaction is crucial. I know quite a bit, but I guess I'm just old and slow

Nutlog

 

Re: About Hiro

Mike, it's unfortunate Lan no longer plays much anymore. His famous Lau from VF2 carried over to VF3 and he was a monster during the tournament days of VF3 original battle. His Lau was very tight and tactful. I'm surprised that there are few Lau players in the US - he's a character with an excellent flowchart and can be very deadly when played with yomi and thought.

Cheers,


<font color=white> Llanfair the prized <font color=green>cabbage</font color=green></font color=white>

 

Re: FYI

btw, jason, i'm in the bay area, and have been for over the past year. just giving you all FYI.

-clopin
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