Since Final Round 19 is coming up I thought I would contact the current Final Round Champion: "MC Static" also known as Emann to get his thoughts on Team NINJA's Battle Royal and how it has helped the community. He also wastes no time discussing his focus on: JC Akira (Who MIGHT be at FR19), his loss at NEC to JC, and how he's using this loss as an advantage to be in the best condition he has ever been in as a player.
You're not only going to be defending your title at FR19, but also have the pressure of opening the 2016 Battle Royal. How do you feel about this?
E-Mann: I personally believe that Team Ninja's Battle Royal was a great idea to help not only promote the community but to also encourage different players from all over the country and the world to attend and be a part of the awesome offline experience. From what I've seen it has greatly benefited our community, and inspired even more players to attempt and make the next Battle Royal.
How do you feel about taking 2nd to JC Akira at NEC's Grand Finals Event?
E-Mann: I honestly can say I feel many different things towards the Grand Finals at NEC. One thing I have to mention is I was running late on the final day as I (for whatever reason) simply set my head down for a moment and fell asleep -- Kwiggs woke me up; I made my match just in time. I had already been dressed and ready to go lol.
My mindset was up just enough to barely defend myself for my first two opponents Hajin and Lopedo. Then I finally made it to JC Akira and I definitely started to play a little bit better and sharper but my Akira match-up experience was not so heavy. I was punishing -14 attacks with 6k instead of 6T's or HCFT's. Having limited knowledge of what Akira could do turned out to be a critical blow for me and I was defeated.
Even though I lost I was nowhere near salty only down-right confused. I was glad I didn't get completely destroyed as some of the matches were pretty close. One thing I've most certainly learned about myself is that even though I have the ability to use multiple characters I've found that I'm an even tougher opponent when I focus solely on a set number of characters. Changing too many times can be a real risk taker. You might end up either beating your opponent with an unexpected secondary that they didn't expect you to use or it can go South and you simply lose the chance to see what their weaknesses were versus your original character.
What do you have to say to your competition, and how have you improved for Final Round?
E-Mann: My biggest competition can be just about anyone who wants that W as bad as I do. But if I really had to choose I'd say Mr. JC Akira (if he's going). Next would be Kwiggle and XCali for obvious reasons lol
If there is one thing people know about me it is that I review, study, adapt, and overcome anytime I lose a match or even a round. I study whether I need to punch grab, stun launch, or even patiently wait for my opponent to leave themselves wide open. For Final Round and future tournament events I have been training myself to use a more frame-trapping, stun low grabbing, fake-out type of style even more efficient than anything I did last year.
Which I believe says a lot, in Final Round 19 you showed the intense fake-outs of Kokoro and Lei-Fang. I'm going to remind the readers of how that went down with the grand finals against Sweet Revenge at last year's Final Round. Static's electric adaption skills completely overwhelmed the otherwise dominant player.
E-Mann: I'm really excited for this event and I hope the other players and especially Mr. JC Akira are ready because I have no intention of letting up so easily... I got my own goals and run-backs I need to accomplish.
Register for Final Round 19 Today | Give Back to the Offline Scene
You're not only going to be defending your title at FR19, but also have the pressure of opening the 2016 Battle Royal. How do you feel about this?
E-Mann: I personally believe that Team Ninja's Battle Royal was a great idea to help not only promote the community but to also encourage different players from all over the country and the world to attend and be a part of the awesome offline experience. From what I've seen it has greatly benefited our community, and inspired even more players to attempt and make the next Battle Royal.
How do you feel about taking 2nd to JC Akira at NEC's Grand Finals Event?
E-Mann: I honestly can say I feel many different things towards the Grand Finals at NEC. One thing I have to mention is I was running late on the final day as I (for whatever reason) simply set my head down for a moment and fell asleep -- Kwiggs woke me up; I made my match just in time. I had already been dressed and ready to go lol.
My mindset was up just enough to barely defend myself for my first two opponents Hajin and Lopedo. Then I finally made it to JC Akira and I definitely started to play a little bit better and sharper but my Akira match-up experience was not so heavy. I was punishing -14 attacks with 6k instead of 6T's or HCFT's. Having limited knowledge of what Akira could do turned out to be a critical blow for me and I was defeated.
Even though I lost I was nowhere near salty only down-right confused. I was glad I didn't get completely destroyed as some of the matches were pretty close. One thing I've most certainly learned about myself is that even though I have the ability to use multiple characters I've found that I'm an even tougher opponent when I focus solely on a set number of characters. Changing too many times can be a real risk taker. You might end up either beating your opponent with an unexpected secondary that they didn't expect you to use or it can go South and you simply lose the chance to see what their weaknesses were versus your original character.
What do you have to say to your competition, and how have you improved for Final Round?
E-Mann: My biggest competition can be just about anyone who wants that W as bad as I do. But if I really had to choose I'd say Mr. JC Akira (if he's going). Next would be Kwiggle and XCali for obvious reasons lol
If there is one thing people know about me it is that I review, study, adapt, and overcome anytime I lose a match or even a round. I study whether I need to punch grab, stun launch, or even patiently wait for my opponent to leave themselves wide open. For Final Round and future tournament events I have been training myself to use a more frame-trapping, stun low grabbing, fake-out type of style even more efficient than anything I did last year.
Which I believe says a lot, in Final Round 19 you showed the intense fake-outs of Kokoro and Lei-Fang. I'm going to remind the readers of how that went down with the grand finals against Sweet Revenge at last year's Final Round. Static's electric adaption skills completely overwhelmed the otherwise dominant player.
E-Mann: I'm really excited for this event and I hope the other players and especially Mr. JC Akira are ready because I have no intention of letting up so easily... I got my own goals and run-backs I need to accomplish.
Register for Final Round 19 Today | Give Back to the Offline Scene
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