Fighting fans were treated to a real spectacle of tournament play this past weekend, as Texas Showdown 2013 set the stage for many of the FGC’s top contenders to once again square off against each other for top placement. Notable entrants included Justin Wong, Chris G., Brolylegs, Alex Valle, and FrankieG. The games featured should come as no surprise, as the main stage streamed the likes of Super Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Street Fighter X Tekken. As always, top commentators James Chen and UltraDavid were on hand to break down the moment-to-moment action as it happened during the live-stream event, courtesy of sponsor levelup.
The night was filled with a surprising amount of quality matchups that went down to the wire, with competitors even fighting down to the very last bit of health during final-round matches in some instances. As expected, many fan-favorites and veteran players went home with top spots, but there were a couple unexpected players who fought their way into the top 8 as well. Before getting to the highlights, here is the full breakdown of winners for each of the tournament games played during Texas Showdown 2013:
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus Results:
1. AB|Jan (Potemkin)
2. Faulty Defense (Chipp, Venom)
3. Ultimate Faust (Faust)
4. Black Snake (Venom)
5. Scottie Yosh (Potemkin, A.B.A)
5. RoBot (Sol-Badguy)
7. Doomscyther (Order-Sol)
7. AB|Stone (Johnny)
King of Fighters XIII Results:
1. DM|Xian (EX Iori, EX Kyo, Mr. Karate)
2. AGE|Romance (Athena, Benimaru, Yuri | King, Benimaru, Yuri)
3. AGE|Mario (EX Iori, Mai, Terry)
4. AGE|NYChrisG (Mature, King, Benimaru)
5. Foxstep Ceo (Chin, Kim, Takuma)
5. Blake Martin (Iori, Kensou, Kyo)
7. Vicio (Leona, Vice, Mature)
7. EG|Justin Wong (Mr. Karate, Athena, King)
Mortal Kombat 9 Results:
1. KH|Scar (Skarlet)
2. KH|Showtime (Reptile, Sonya Blade)
3. AGE|NYChrisG (Reptile, Kenshi)
4. KH|Cat (Kabal)
5. KH|Gamerblake (Sonya Blade, Raiden)
5. KH|Lumberzach (Cyrax)
7. ESP|Black (Quan Chi)
7. ShanxterX (Raiden, Kung Lao)
Persona 4 Arena Results:
1. Kid Viper (Naoto)
2. Scottie Yosh (Kanji)
3. Shugotenshi (Labrys)
4. AB|Stone (Chie)
5. Pfohr (Mitsuru)
5. Danke (Aigis)
7. MMS|Hunted Chimera (Yu)
7. MoFro (Akihiko)
Soul Calibur 5 Results:
1. C-Money (Viola)
2. David Lin (Xiba)
3. Byakko (Natsu)
4. Nate2013 (Xiba)
5. SmartyPants9567 (Ivy, Pyrrha)
5. Jared Filsinger (Natsu)
7. Bryson Potter (Cervantes)
7. Eli (Aeon, Natsu)
Street Fighter X Tekken Results:
1. EG|Justin Wong (Hwoarang, Chun-Li)
2. LU|Alex Valle (Yoshimitsu, Lars)
3. Koryu (Vega, Nina)
4. DM|Xian (Rolento, Raven)
5. AGE|NYChrisG (Chun-Li, Hwoarang)
5. PxG|Ice (Guile, M. Bison | M. Bison, Law | M. Bison, Lei)
7. AB|Jan (JACK-X, Zangief)
7. PxG|Brolylegs (Chun-Li, M. Bison | Chun-Li, Poison)
Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition (ver. 2012) Results:
Top 8:
1. EG|Justin Wong (Rufus)
2. DM|Xian (Gen)
3. AGE|NYChrisG (Sakura)
4. Vangief (Zangief)
5. Integra (Ken)
5. Rain (C. Viper, Yun)
7. Foxy Brown (Adon)
7. FourWude (Akuma)
Remainder of Top 16:
9. Synx (C. Viper)
9. AV Joe (Cody)
9. LU|Alex Valle (Ryu)
9. Hadoken6969 (Ryu)
13. Lone Star (Guile)
13. Hammad (Fei Long)
13. LGI|PCutta
13. Dandy Cheeks (Yang)
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Results:
1. EMP|Kor (Slim Bob, Bob)
2. Electrical Steve (Heihachi, Devil Jin)
3. JoJo (Xiaoyu, Alisa | Miharu, Alisa | Xiaoyu, Lei)
4. Storm of Kicks (Lee, Hwoarang)
5. TMO (Ancient Ogre, Ogre)
5. RayBoneKilla (Baek, Devil Jin)
7. KJ (Anna, Jinpachi)
7. DevilJim (Jun, Jaycee)
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Results:
Top 8:
1. AGE|NYChrisG (Morrigan, Dr. Doom, Vergil | Others)
2. EG|Justin Wong (Wolverine, Spencer, Frank West)
3. DM|Xian (Magneto, Morrigan, Dr. Doom)
4. Buckethead (Zero, Morrigan, Dr. Doom)
5. TFA|FrankieG (Magneto, Vergil, Dante)
5. Rubeks (Super-Skrull, Spencer, MODOK)
7. AB|Young Chow (Taskmaster, Nova, Hawkeye)
7. Rylander (Zero, Vergil, Dante)
Remainder of Top 16:
9. Danke (Spencer, Iron Man, Dr. Doom)
9. AB|Stone (Zero, Wesker, Dormammu)
9. AB|Jan (Hulk, Sentinel, Dr. Doom)
9. Ryan (Captain America, Nova, Hawkeye)
13. Carlos Flores (Wolverine, Dr. Doom, Dante)
13. AJ Tucker (Vergil, Magneto, Dante)
13. Robotic (Wolverine, Dr. Doom, Phoenix | Magneto, Morrigan, Phoenix)
13. Poltergust (Phoenix Wright, Hulk, Dr. Doom)
As is often the case, the fast-paced nature of UMvC3 provided some of the most memorable moments of the tournament. I mentioned previously that a lot of matches came down to their final rounds, as opposed to some of the usual blow ups we’ve come to expect from so many Marvel matchups. This time around however, there were seven matches in the top 16 alone that were decided by 3-2 victories. In particular, the loser’s semi-finals match between Xian and Buckethead was particularly incredible. The exhilarating match between Xian’s fantastic Morrigan play and Buckethead’s strong performance with Zero made for some amazing rounds. FrankieG might start going by the nickname “comeback kid” after some of the outrageous rounds he won (I almost want to say “stole”) when down to his last character against two or three opponents. The grand finals was ChrisG’s opportunity to show some dominant play, as he won out over Justin Wong and his best-in-the-game Wolverine play with some fierce Morrigan and Vergil play of his own. If you missed the live-stream, I suggest taking a look at levelup’s full coverage of the event here, because it’s some of the most fun you can have while spectating.
It’s also worth noting that NYU hosted it’s annual Spring Fighter tournament this past weekend as well. While many of the top players were busy competing in Texas, there was still a solid showing of great performances; and it’s really wonderful to see NYU putting on such a nice venue to accommodate the growing popularity of competitive gaming. Former-Capcom-community-manager-turned-Sony-Santa-Monica-lead-game-designer Seth Killian was even on hand to present the winner’s with their trophies. Here are the top 8 results for NYU’s Spring Fighter 2013:
Street Fighter X Tekken v2013 Results:
1. EMP|Dieminion
2. EMP|Hiro
3. EMP|DragonGod
4. EMP|Sanford
5. TS|Sabin
5. Jeff Sledge
7. EMP|Kreymore
7. Damdai
Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition (ver. 2012) Results:
1. EMP|Dieminion (Guile)
2. EMP|Santhrax (Sagat)
3. EMP|Hiro (M. Bison)
4. TS|Sabin (Dhalsim)
5. EMP|Kreymore
5. DM|Zhi (Zangief)
7. Sketch
7. Lion Heart
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Results:
1. BIFU|Winrich (Wolverine, Dr. Doom, Vergil)
2. BIFU|Insaynne (Nova, Spencer, Dr. Doom)
3. EMP|Dieminion (Viewtiful Joe, Dr. Strange, Morrigan)
4. ERGZ|Dang
5. ERGZ|Sean Y. (Vergil, Wesker, Strider)
5. EMP|Sanford (Wesker, Dormammu, Magneto)
7. EMP|DragonGod (Nova, Taskmaster, Dr. Doom)
7. Manny F.
That’s all the fighting game news from this past weekend, but the road to Evo 2013 continues later this month with the NorCal Regionals, taking place from the 26-28 at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale, California. Be sure to check back for results and highlights of that event as well.
Did any of you folks catch some of the action from either the Texas Showdown or Spring Fighter this past weekend? What were some of your favorite matchups? And are you surprised by how some of the top 8 results played out? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
