VF4:EVO Tourney at TiT5(Dallas TX), 3/22/2003

impressions

So I finally made it back to work, meaning I finally have time to write about the weekend. I love my job.

The BR click arrived in Dallas mid-evening on Friday tired but eager to locate the vf action. William (IceCold here) was the natural choice for phonetag and after 50 calls or so back & forth to Cosmic & Blondie a plan was formed. We were to pick up the FLA guys and caravan them over to Cosmic's hotel to play some videogame or something.
We got to the motel 6 of FLA and discovered there that the Golden's were staying at a motel 6 literally a stone's throw away. William was dispatched to retrieve them while I made "room" in the back of my car for a ton of would-be Darwin Award winners.

I don't say "ton" without reason...here are my rough figures (give or take a giant cheeseburger or two):
myself: 190
BigBoy: 325
william: 210
dirty: 145
pablo: 325ish
imf: 160ish
blonde1 160ish
goldens 380ish

So, my best estimate (sorry if I guessed wrong here) had 1895lbs of vf fun in 1 volvo 240 wagon lowwwwriding through Dallas. There are reasons someone came up with words like "absurd" and "clusterfuck".

So we made it to the hotel after some confusion and discomfort & it was clear to my guys as soon as Blondie & IMF plugged in to accept challengers that wins aren't easy to come by in FLA. Or cali. Or Rochester. Brisal's Wolf, Namflo's Shun & Blondie's Jacky did me sufficient psychological damage that night to guarantee my place as "informed spectator" once I was knocked out as early as possible in the next day's event...apparently okizeme is japanese for "fred gets raped".

The next day was as much a clusterfuck as the car ride. First we were gonna do the IronMan thing & that got nixed after a few matches as time/organization was lacking. Then brackets were made from what looked like a random grouping of names, which made for some plainly stupid matchups early. I honestly doubt if fixing this would have changed the ultimate result, but I don't think for a second certain people wouldn't have faired better had they not been paired as they were. None of this is to say that I didn't have fun. I had a blast.

Highlights:

Watching Dre unleash his Catch-custom stick & training mode polished Akira on challenger after challenger. I got the impression he doesn't get to do the versus thing very often, but you couldn't tell from some of the win streaks he racked up. Dre is the shit.

IMF switching from Kage to Akira after losing his first match vs Namflow in the finals. High drama folks. IMF is a special player.

Spotlite's evade>DBC vs modest's Lion was the nastiest thing I saw in the tourney. This guy's play was just plain cool. Back at the FLA room after the tourney Spotlite was playing IMF and passed up the opportunity to d/f P Kage for lifebar & instead passed through the grounded Kage, 8way'd to avoid any rising kicks & backturned BC'd for lifebar. Style.

Pablo. & realizing that even though there were only two of them in the room, the tourney featured damn near 700lbs of LAU!

Twins. Two sets of them and all performed well. The constant familiar opponent can't be bad for the old training.

Namflow...I know I wasn't the only one there wondering "how do you beat this guy?" You found a way. Impressive.

BigBoy actually getting in there and doing a bit of damage. I love Richard & it seemed like the crowd did too. I never once heard anyone accuse Lau of being boring even. YAHHHHHHH! (even if it's blocked)

Gathering the night after & getting some fights in with Pablo & Tim.

Okay, so...thanks all for the great weekend. This ain't the last time you'll be seeing BR by a long shot. Enjoy.

 

Re: impressions

Hey guys, I'd like to say YO to everyone that made it to TiT. This was the largest VF tourney I've ever seen in NA, and let's see to it that it's just the beginning!

sanjuro, dirty, bigboy and william: what can i say, it was great meeting new enthusiastic VF players from the south! you guys rock, i loved the stands, keep it up!

spotlite: playing with you was a treat, i hope to get some more matches in with you in the future. make sure you kick mike's ass and keep him playing alright? /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif

plague, catherine, phoenixdth, brisal and everyone else that made the long trip in the bus from cali: you guys are truly hardcore, i hope you all had a great time and managed to enjoy the road trip as well. making that trip for TiT is awesome stuff and makes me glad i that i went. pleasure to meet all of you.

nam and superG: you guys are also hardcore, travelling everywhere for VF over the last few months. my hat goes off to you guys. nam, you ran away with this one in the end. /versus/images/graemlins/wink.gif good job. hope to see you guys at MoAT!!! good luck with your position in japan! im coming to visit!!

tim: my fellow ninja player, always great to hang out and play VF with ya, keep up the ninja tricks and forget about aoi. /versus/images/graemlins/blush.gif i hear we may be seeing you in FL sometime soon, i can't wait. =)

modest, juno and CO crew: way to show up and represent! see you guys at events in the future eh!

vulcan: you rock dude, making the trip all the way from NYC. next time we're in the area we won't forget about the CTF crowd!

dre, jedi and blondie: yeah, you know what i think of you guys /versus/images/graemlins/cool.gif


the tournament was great fun and i hope we were able to put on a decent show for some non VF players there...sorry for leaving anyone out! ill have to post again im sure, there were so many players to remember.

the dinner after the tourney was enjoyable and i hope to see you all again at TiT next year! /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

Re: impressions

Wanted to post some quick impressions up before I take my first crack at Zelda tonight, and start forgetting everything.

Thanks to Cosmic, Plague and Catherine for making everything run, I usually don't pay too much attention to the runnings of the tourneys. As a player, everything seemed to go relatively smoothly... no real complaints here (aside from having to play so close to the TV on the right hand side setup, but there was no other option I guess).

Oh yeah, I do have one gripe about the tourney overall... NYC pussed out! So did Shou! And Andy, Mike, Joon, Tom, Wes and Joey couldn't make it.

On the whole, I have to say I was looking forward to finally getting the goods on Florida first hand, with all the hype over the last year or so. For the record, I wanna say these guys are cool by me, and I'm happy to have made some new friendly rivals, esp. IMF, who I played with more than anyone else from FLA. Jedi, Blonde and DRE are also super cool, and I was bummed Cappo couldn't make it.

Also, it was cool to meet everyone from Louisiana, NY, Texas, and everywhere else (I also enjoyed William's humor, and Baton Rouge's beer & cigarettes).

Well, going into the tourney, I was expecting to get shut out by Blondie and IMF, but I think Namflow suprised us all in the end. As usual, all the things I trained for in training mode didn't really come into play for the tourney. Lots of Lion, which I wasn't expecting, and the only Jacky I had to deal with (unfortunately) was SG's.

a quick rundown of what I can remember:

Modest Mouse: you have a really solid grip on how to use Lion, with some more experience, I think you'll be able to do really well. Avoiding b, d/f+P while getting up is a bitch.

DRE: Dre has REALLY nice input, and can do most of Akira's basic combos much better than I can, which I admire. Nice DE- DblPm, ST combo etc. Playing against Dre, I felt he could do what he wanted, knew when to do what, but there was a little something missing. To be honest, I thought Dre would kick my ass when I watched him play. I think Dre only lacks the drive to win. DRE: get the eye of the tiger, man! Winning isn't everything, but, I think if you focus on what you need to do to win more, your game will go to the next level, and you and your opponents will have more fun.

You're kind of the opposite of the typical VF4 player: you focus more on nice technique and less on wins, kind of like my old pal VF4Akira (who used to kick my ass even when he was just spacing out). I wouldn't give the above advice to many people, but I think the game will blossom for you if you try it out.

Jedi: you'r the only Lau player I know who uses the fPP, ffP+K technique, and it's a nice one. Kills high and low punches and dodges to the front side, follow with TT games. Jedi is fun to play with, and his humor and personality could make anyone feel like an old friend. Meeting him was one of the highlights of the trip.

BlondeOne: Well, I think we just played the one Brad/Brad match, so we didn't really get to see who was swallowin' what, but we will next time /versus/images/graemlins/cool.gif! From what I saw it looks like Blondie is fun to play with, with a more aggressive Jacky than what I expected. For some reason, I was expecting a really conserative, defense-heavy game from all the Florida guys, but it wasn't really like that (aside from IMF's fuzzy guard). Blonde uses most of Jacky's moves, and pretty well, too. He makes nice use of f+K to counter hit low punchers in tight situations, and his okizeme mix-ups are tight and confusing. If you freeze up on the guard button with him, he'll have you. One of the few Jacky's I've seen recently who understand's Jacky's true nature: continuous offense at high speed. If anyone thinks he only uses P, elbow, throw, and low P, think again. He was sandbagging us.

IMF: I don't think I've ever played a fighting game with someone like IMF. If I have, I don't remember, or wasn't a good enough player to realize what was going on. When I got to Texas, word on IMF was "he's boring", "bores you to death with perfect fuzzy guard"... and I just played one match with him bofore the tourney, using Brad (who I don't know much about) agaist his Kage. I basically felt the same way, but I think it was due to my lack of ability with Brad, because he did guard PERECTLY just about everything I tried. When the tournament came and I finally started using Akira, things changed.

IMF doesn't play machi, but he lures you into going for a middle attack by standing in front of you in a crouch. I guess technically, this is "waiting", but he doesn't run away, and he'll attack if you just stand there. When I met him in the semi-final, I was thinking "how can I have a fighting conversation with this guy when I can't get my character to 'talk' to his?" "this is going to suck". See, IMF doesn't say anything with his Kage unless he has something to say, and that's what makes him different than every player I know. I feel IMF uses fuzzy guard not so much to defend himself, but more because by defending perfectly, he has time to WATCH you, and learn your way of handling your character. Once he thinks he undertands how you will move, he'll react accordingly, and he's usually right. It's hard to see this in florida clips, because I think he knows his friends well enough to more or less play like a normal fight, you kind of have to fight him to understand.

So, I began to realize that if I could trick him a little into doing something, I could talk with his Kage. That's when things got REALLY fun (in the middle of the semi, no pressure...), because I felt that what was happening between us was about our minds. The characters, stage, combos, etc. were just incedental. Many players rely on the strength of their character, using strong moves at the correct time to win. IMF doesn't do that, you have to fight Eric's brain to win, not Kage.

After he won 2, then I won 2, then he beat me in the last match to eliminate me. Which is fine, because I was enjoying that it felt like my brain was actually growing after our fight. More casual matches later re-confirmed that playing with Eric is super fun, not boring, but I think the subtle nature of his style will be lost on many people. I'm really looking forward to fighting with him and the rest of the florida guys in the future (and IMF's akira... all I can say is that I need more practice).

SuperGolden: We only played a few times, so I can't say too much other than you seem like a nice guy. Remember that if Akira's gonna try to ring you out with b, fP+G, you can RO him if you TE /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Like I was saying about Blonde One, Jacky's specialty is offense, so don't be scared to attack a lot, I think Jacky functions best at close-mid range, instead of mid-long. Oh, and for both you guys, I'd recommend trying to use a stick, esp if you want to play in Japan!

Namflow: well, I think we all under-estimated you, nice guess work in the finals to take it all, that was a hard won fight. Keep it up, and I look forward to seeing you at another gathering soon!

I'm hoping to see everyone again in Florida in the Fall!

Now, who's got the videos?

Spotlite (bryan)

 

Jedi's report

Well TIT was awesome. For those who didnt go, you missed out on some very good VF competition. I hope that more people show up next year. So here is my report.

Brisal- My new rival, hopefully next year its me and you in the finals. I think you have a exceptional wolf and you anit-tech rolling game is one of the best ive seen outside of FL. Keep practicing dude, and if you want to come to FL your invited.

Plauge and Catherine: VF love is great. I think you two are very cool. I didnt get to see you VF play too much but from what I saw, for that amout you play, you too are on your way. You love for VF is whats going to help this country start playing the game. Thanks for driving half of socal in your Van 20 hours. Thats hardcore.

Spotlite-playing you in the tournament reminded me of playing DRE or IMF. You akira is bar-none. You dont play around, but you also go for things. IF you see and opportunity for big dmg, youll take it. I could play you at VF all day. You style is true to the game, and at the same time, difficult. You need to move to florida!!! Congrats on Third, definatly and accomplishment.

Namflow & SuperGolden: Great showing, you guys are definately out of my league lol. Your machi style is strong, and effective. Keep playing VF guys. See you at MoAT

Baton Rouge boys- You guys are awesome. Now you have seen high level VF play. YOu know what you have to do, and what you have to practice on. Just keep playing. YOu have a strong group and thats probably the best thing you can have. BigBoys lau is no joke, williams vanessa will mess you up, Freds akira is still a bit rough, but will still mess you up. You guys are cool people, and everyone will have to keep there eyes on you guys. Your going to be dangerous real soon.

Austin guys-Throw breaking is not that hard. Just keep playing guys. Well see you at TIT6. Let me know cosmic if you want me to run the brackets at TIT6 lol.

ModestMouse and Junosynth: I didnt get to play you but your wins speak for themselves. Modest, good job taking out blondie. Well see you guys again.

NIkajujukukikikookookakikukanikakakeki a.k.a Tim: Nice Kage, You remind me of Strider when you play. Very Technical and too the book. Hopefully you can come down to florida. Your a strong player with a strong game. And your pretty funny to boot. Plus you can read japanese. BONUS

Florida guys: Your my boys, stay strong. Its a new age in VF, TIT just got this thing started. Its time to get badass.

FInally, i just want to say this. Think what you want about who won and who loss, but now that if you didnt go to tit, you cant say shit. TIT has defined clearly who is the best in the country. Thats what its there for. You wanna be the best, dont hide behind gathering play. YOu go to MoAT or TIT and you take out Namflow.

Thanks to those who made it, and to those who couldnt, perhaps next time.

Peace.

 

inaccuracies & omissions

It has come to my attention that certain gross inaccuracies were made by me in the volvo load estimation portion of my last post. Apologies all around. I suggest that everyone practice eating between now and MoAT or October(?) so that maybe we can meet these goals. Soup's on, fellas.

And then, y'know...I missed shouts out to Plague & Catherine and Phoenix. Lovely to meet each of you & it sucks that the weekend couldn't have been longer.

I'm sure Dom's out there somewhere, quietly plugging away with Sarah & Akira...Keep it up.

Blonde_one...beautiful jacky...I think I finally understand what all this HOT talk was about. Maybe next time my play will be worthy of some back 'n forth shit talk with ya.

Again...much love to ALL.

 

Re: inaccuracies & omissions

Its cool sanjuro. I knew you were just messing around. lol

 

Re: Pics

I see Will aka Vulcan in one of those pics. One of the CF regulars, we like to call him "that Jeffry guy" not for the fact that he plays Jeffry but that he looks like him. /versus/images/graemlins/tongue.gif He even has a Jeffry iron-on atop one of his hoodies
I remember him telling me he was interested in TiT and asked if anyone else from NYC was going. Can't wait to see him and hear his impressions about the tourney.

 

Re: Pics

oh shit you're right!! that's will! wow he actually made it there eh /versus/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

Videos?

Okay so who has the vids from the tourney and gathering? Don't be shy!