im not saying that it wont hold up or anything. just interested in how the longer sets lay out
“You cant really predict Haitani”/“You must be really fuckin fast to predict Haitani” (those what ive seen some japanese players said)
One of his strength is the speed/pace of his offense. Up close he’ll make you guess, and even if you guessed right, youre not really safe because he’ll almost immediately will make you guess again etc. I guess in a way, trying to predict him will get you killed lol.
Anyway, like I said, in this league, if he managed to stay on top, he’ll only need to play one opponent in the grandfinals, and he’ll have all the time in the world to prepare.
Round 6 starting in about 30mins
I might miss the first few matches…
Most of the times I’ve seen Haitani lose it’s because he gets overwhelmed by his opponent’s offense and we know Makoto’s reversal options aren’t the best. That’s why I have to give him alot of respect for keeping Kindevu’s Cammy in check considering that matchup is pretty bad for Makoto.
Today’s matches look pretty good… (First up, Kindevu vs Bonchan!)
Managed to get back in time lol
But I dont know the match lineup… its okay bonchan vs kindevu starting
- Bonchan vs Kindevu (3-1)
1st Match: 2-0
1R: Kindevu doing spiral arrow like he dont give a, a few properly spaced ones but still did unsafe ones too. Bon took the round convincingly.
2R: Both were down at 50%, Kindevu managed to land a jump in HK. But Bon managed to get an TU FADC U1 near the corner, enough to take the match.
2nd Match: 2-0
1R: Kindevu be dropping crucial combos and left with 5% before managed to land a FA crumple into U1. Still lost the round, taking a tiger shot to the face.
2R: Close one until Bonchan took it after landing a FA2 U1 in the corner.
3rd Match: 1-2
1R: Cammy’s health is a problem indeed. Bonchan landed quite a few kara TU.
2R: Cammy with the lead until Bon did LOL combo making it almost even. Kindevu took this one with a throw in the corner.
3R: Things arent looking good for Kindevu but he managed to do walk up uppercut fadc U1 near the corner. Took the round with a ex strike combo.
4th Match: 2-1
1R: Kindevu getting punished for that arrows too many times. Bon took this.
2R: Kindevu dropped a combo after a low ex strike. Bonchan tried to do U1 after ex TU but it whiffed and Kindevu punished ftw.
3R: Kindevu in the corner with little health left, and took an elbow to the head and lost.
Kindevu’s misses were most big ones but Bonchan did mistakes that didnt cost him much but became frame traps instead lol.
Kindevu missed a bit too much and didn’t really block that match. I think he’s been spoiled by Yun lol. But in all honestly, hope he does better next time 'cos that wasn’t great.
- Fuudo vs RF (3-0)
1st Match: 2-1
1R: Fuudo took RF to the corner almost immediately, kept him there till the end.
2R: RF controlled the space better this time, but fuudo still managed to take him to the corner and did damage, command throw flame kick fadc U1 but only 2 hits. RF manage to take this one with a tiger shot.
3R: Fuudo dominated RF and took the W.
2nd Match: 2-1
1R: Things were balanced for awhile but once RF’s in the corner, Fuudo just went in and I’m predicting its gonna be the same for the next round too.
2R: I was right for the most part, but Fuudo missed a command throw in the corner and punished by LOL combo, RF took it with a trade(maybe st.mk vs chicken wing/rekka).
3R: RF was down to 10% pretty quick, now in the corner. Fuudo got in with an ex chicken wing(blocked) but followed up with cr.lk that hits into combos ftw.
3rd Match: 2-0
1R: RF doing better this time, leading with 80% vs 20%. Fuudo caught up and managed to land a random ex chicken wing, rekka to the corner. Took the round by chiken wing over TS.
2R: RF had 30%, Fuudo about 20% or less when Fuudo landed a FA2 crumple to U1 ftw.
I think it’s a little “unfair” in some sense that the person who’s first overall is already in the grand finals of the tournament, but maybe a little shakeup in the tournament structure will be refreshing. Though, it basically means it’s incredibly unlikely we’ll see anyone other than 2nd, 3rd, or 4th as the other finalist.
But this isn’t a tournament; it’s a league. Isn’t this how leagues work?
- Kazunoko vs Kindevu (1-3)
1st Match: 2-1
1R: Kazu landed a tandem engine at the start of the round for good early damage. Ran a train over kindevu tbh.
2R: Kindevu failed to hit confirm after landing a j.HK. But still took the round after doing canon strike that landed behind Seth’s U1 punish attempt.
3R: Kindevu had one chance to win the match after landing ex strike into U1 but U1 was blocked. Punished by Seth’s U1 ftw.
2nd Match: 1-2
1R: Kindevu tried to do spin knuckle at the very start but that loses to tandem engine lol. Kazunoko too the round by cr.lk, delayed shoryu fadc combo.
2R: Kindevu took this one after landing spike fadc U1 in the corner, whiff a spinning air grab thing and Kazu failed to block the following canon strike (non cross up)
3R: Low canon strike beatin tandem. Kindevu took this.
3rd Match: 1-2
1R: Cammy stunned at 60secs… Kazunoko crossed up in the corner and landed multiple stomps… Took the round comfortably.
2R: Kazunoko with 80% lead over 15% but ate a focus U1. Hurts a lot. Whiffed a shoryu and punished by Kindevu ftw.
3R: Kindevu getting in damage with high damaging pokes and jump ins. Took the match.
4th Match: 1-2
1R: Kazu going ballsy with the SRK. Landed most of them. Kindevu predicted a backdash and did U1, but failed.
2R: Kazu tried doing cr.hp tandem but kindevu punished with low ex strike to take the round.
3R: Kazunoko whiffed a SRK when he didnt have that much health left, punished by kindevu with hp xx arrow.
Only the first half is a typical “league”… the 2nd half is a system never seen before lol
Kinda like losers-brackets where even those who lost their first match can still come back and win the whole thing… but yeah, different.
- Uryo vs Mago (3-1)
1st Match: 2-0
1R: Uryo doing good, took the round with 70%.
2R: Mago applying jump back HP(worked wonders) to deal with Uryo’s jumps. Uryo landed FA2 against ex rekka, into U1. Punished a whiffed chicken wing with a sweep and j.hp ftw.
2nd Match: 2-1
1R: Just do it EX hurricane kick.
2R: Corner death. Uryo got desperate and did random U1… what a noob.
3R: Uryo applying DAT pressure, with a health lead. Took it with a sexy sweep /pedobear.
3rd Match: 0-2
1R: Uryo did well getting a life lead but he got too offensive and ate a focus crumple U1. About even health now. Uryo whiffed a hp shoryu. Punished and down to a magic pixel. Managed to land a throw before gettin ko’d by a chicken wing.
2R: It was close but Uryo made a wrong read and tried to U1 against a backdash or something. Blocked and punished.
Yomi game is changing now. So they said.
4th Match: 2-0
1R: Rekka to the corner. Command throw, rekka to the other corner. Sakura with 15%. Uryo managed to make it even. Mago abusing that ex rekka. Mago down to a pixel, lost by getting cr.hp out of neutral jump.
2R: Mago keepin Uryo in the corner for a bit. Uryo got out by landing a throw. Managed to land ex safekick into U1. Took the match by just whorin ex safekick twice in a row.
- Kindevu vs Fuudo (2-3)
1st Match: 0-2
1R: Close match down to 23rd secs. Fuudo took it by chipping with EX rekka.
2R: Another close round that could go both ways but Fuudo took it by flame kicking an ex strike attempt.
2nd Match: 2-1
1R: Kindevu drew first blood by punishing a blocked full rekka. Fuudo couldnt block the right way and Kindevu gained momentum gradually and won without taking that much damage.
2R: Fuudo AA perfectly with flame kick and ex flame kicks quite a number of times. Took the round.
3R: Close round, Kindevu took it with a throw in the corner.
3rd Match: 2-0
1R: Kindevu drew first blood FA2 against a cr.hp. Both almost even in health, cammy with a slight lead. Could go both ways but kindevu took it by being more aggressive.
2R: Kindevu dominated the round.
4th Match: 0-2
1R: Fuudo chippin kindevu bit by bit in the corner. Kept him there and took the round by AA ex flame kick.
2R: Fuudo drew first blood with a FA2 crumple but Kindevu came back and took a chunk of health off Fuudo. Fuudo got lucky when Kindevu whiffed an U1 after a spike fadc backdash.
5th Match: 0-2
1R: Fuudo went slightly more aggressive and took this one.
2R: Kindevu did meaty spin knuckle and tried to follow with U1 but only did one hit or something. Fuudo ended up winning the match.
5 minute break.
So Kindevu has played all his games. He said that he’ll do better in the offline half of the game (though he cant promise no dropped combos, but definitely not as much as online lol)… and other non important stuff haha
- Uryo vs RF (3-0)
1st Match: 2-0
1R: Uryo took this with 70% left. RF eating that wake up ambiguous crossup/noncrossup.
2R: RF did a LOL combo but being in the corner it didnt do that much damage. Uryo made him whiff a TU and punished ftw.
2nd Match: 2-1
1R: RF building up his rhythm, controlling the space, Uryo having a hard time to get in. But finally landed a j.HK. Then RF tried to FA backdash on wake up but Uryo OS’d an ex hurricane kick. Sagat > Sakura so RF took this one, landing uppercuts one after another.
2R: Uryo did well to take one round back.
3R: Uryo stunned RF at the 75secs, just rode the momentum and finish the match.
3rd Match: 2-1
1R: RF dealth about 40% damage pretty quickly, but he got U1 between cr.mk and tiger shot. Both had little health left, RF took the round with a throw.
2R: RF stunned in 20+ secs. Before I knew it, its over.
3R: RF with the 70% life lead. Uryo managed to land a cr.hp xx ex shunpukyaku and started his okizeme, RF tried to FA backdash out but Uryo expected that and U1 ftw.
It is certainly going to be interesting to see how the overall performances change when shifted to offline. I def expect Haitani and Sako will drop from first and 2nd place. Overall my expectations are for Fuudo or Kindevu to take it all with Daigo close behind.
- Fuudo vs Bonchan (2-3)
1st Match: 1-2
1R: Fuudo kept Bon in the corner and spammed chicken wing rather recklessly and punished a number of times by jump HK, LOL combo etc. Bon W.
2R: Bonchan held his ground in the corner but Fuudo managed to break in and deal damage.
3R: Both players were aggressive, close round that was decided by a point blank EX uppercut after a kara TU leaving Fuudo with only a pixel left.
2nd Match: 2-0
1R: Fuudo controlled most of the round, took it confidently.
2R: Bonchan defended the corner excellently but later ate a focus crumple into U1, lost the match by ex rekka.
3rd Match: 2-0
1R: Bonchan yet again defended well in the corner but fell to a delayed flame kick, twice.
2R: Rekka hell by fuudo. Fuudo did a few chicken wing, tempting Bonchan to jump to punish but then fuudo did one rekka to move forward and punish the jump back in the corner with flame kick. Fuudo took the match.
4th Match: 0-2
1R: Another episode of bonchan defending the corner but with a happy ending for bonchan this time.
2R: Fuudo being hella aggressive now. Bonchan did FA, fuudo tried to FA backdash but eat a LOL combo. Bonchan with a 35% life lead, took the match with a back throw.
5th Match: 1-2
1R: Bonchan took the round after landing tiger destructshon, and then correctly predicted a chicken wing and punished with jump back HK combo into TU.
2R: Really close round down to the last pixel, Fuudo took this with tiger shot eating ex rekka.
3R: Bonchan with a decent life lead about 40%, took this one with yet another jump back HK in the corner. He landed so many of those in the whole set.
The offline part is no longer a league battle but ladder climbing death match of some sort . Its fights from the bottom up. (i posted about the format earlier…)
If haitani placed 1st in the league (online part), he’s basically already in the grandfinals and confirmed at least the 2nd spot.