The man nicknamed "the Murder Face" was ever emotive throughout his difficult trek through the top 8 of Community Effort Orlando's Street Fighter V tournament. He was seen often with his eyes closed, his head dipped, and deep in thought in-between rounds and games; his expression was a clear sign of his craving for victory.
For Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi, a player of many near-misses in tournaments, defeating his rival Razer's Lee "Infiltration" Seon-woo to win the Premier Event was like a longtime thirst thoroughly quenched.
The top 8 contenders made for some of the hardest competition in Street Fighter V, including four of the "Japanese gods." From the winner's side of the bracket: Evil Geniuses' Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi, Tokido, Infiltration, and YouDeal Majestic Athletic's Tatsuya "Haitani" Haitani. And, from the loser's side: Kenryo "Mago" Hayashi, Daigo "The Beast" Umehara, Du "NuckleDu" Dang, and CBZ Shinya "Nuki" Onuki.
Your winner: Tokido
Tokido entered the final day on the winner's side, paired in a matchup against the player that defeated him in two Premier Event grand finals: Infiltration. After his loss, he won in comeback fashion against Umehara in a Ryu mirror match in an absolute nail-biter of a set. Tokido's aggressive style proved too strong for the fireball-heavy and defensive style of Umehara.
Next, he stomped through one of the best Japanese players, Haitani, in a 3-0 crushing win. His baits were beautiful, his spacing on-point and his punishes brutal to enter the loser's finals against Momochi. Against Momochi, Tokido was a highlight reel. He was absolutely clutch and mixed his wake-up options just enough to confuse Momochi. While usually the aggressor and the initiator, Momochi's game was eventually reduced to reactionary and defensive when Tokido finally grabbed the momentum for good.
Finally, the grand final was the masterpiece of the tournament run. Tokido ran through Infiltration to reset the finals through a combination of smothering offense and the whiff punishes. The final match was no different as Tokido won 3-0 with his expert use of meter management (both in meter use and conservation for v-reversals) and meaty pressure. Overall, he showed why he's a threat in the new game and why his tournament win was a natural outcome.
The warm-up before the Evolution Fighting Game Championships
With Evo just a few weeks away, we can look to the CEO top 8 for a preview of the level of play and talent expected at the Street Fighter V tournament.
The favorites continue to be the players from Asia. While DreamHack Summer proved that other international players could emerge as threats, the consistency of Asian players, notably the Japanese, is undeniable. They easily enter Evolution as the biggest threats to take the crown.
For gameplay, CEO showed us that meter management and spacing are absolutely crucial. The use of a character's v-gauge is arguably the most essential tool in Street Fighter V; whether it's used for defensive purposes or a momentum swing could be the difference between a win or loss. Because momentum is incredibly important in this game, the use of a fresh reset due to a v-reversal is paramount to a player's success. It's equally as important when used to induce fear in an opponent from an offensive activation to start a pressure guessing game. The spacing of normal moves in the neutral is the best indicator between a contender and a pretender. If there's one wrongly spaced move, the consequences could be the entire round.
The elite level of play features hard reads and unpredictability. An opponent's robust pressure could be negated if your wake-up options vary from knockdown to knockdown; the same could be said about a "random" uppercut or reversal during a block string or wake-up. It's these factors that could prevent an opponent from predicting your motions and options easily.