ikodomo
Well-Known Member
As one of the few players that has traveled to Japan and competed in the country's circuit scene to introducing me to a plenty of players from all over Asia and Europe; Tina specialist CatzDaLegit now is traveling all the way from Germany to play in this year's DOA premier event, NEC. Bringing along Tina for the ride, he will be making his East Coast debut and will be playing in one of the toughest pools at this year's NEC.
If a DOA character were to be become a real person in real life, who would you want to hang out/date? Why? GOOOO!!!!
Ahhh shiieet~ Is this the anime waifu question?! Man, you know I have to throw in with my girl,Tina, because everyone knows betting against waifu is always leads to absolute tragedy. Casting that aside, I’d probably like to hang out and chill Hayabusa. That cat is mad philosophical, and I’d jump at any chance to learn some Ninja Wisdom. Can you imagine him as a gym partner? That would be sick.
Name? Gaming alias?
Marc Johnson. I primarily go by my PSN name, CatzDaLegit. My Xbox Live gamertag is Yeah Showtime. If anyone knew me from back in the DOA2U/DOA4 days, they might recognize me from my old Xbox Live gamertag Vizierde and my DOAC forum name PlayerNotHater.
Country of Origin?
USA - North Las Vegas, Nevada
How did you come up with the names Vizierde, PlayerNotHater, and CatzDaLegit?
Vizierde comes from a fantasy book series my friend wanted to write. He based a character off me with the name and I ran with it; however, I eventually retired it as I didn't think it was really fitting for a gamertag.
DOA2U online had the ability to spoof a nickname over your gamertag, and I used the unoriginal name PlayerNotHater because I thought it was funny and didn't think I'd ever take the game seriously.
CatzDaLegit is actually based off an oldschool DOA player's name: LajinDaGreat, which was one of the aliases BlackMamba used to go by. I liked the formula of "Noun/Name + Da + Adjective," and I made my own original name while still paying homage to a player I looked up to. When I became a dedicated Tina player in DOA5, I changed my XBL gamertag to Yeah Showtime, which is the intro quote Tina says at the start of a match.
Who is your main character in DOA5LR?
Tina of course, haha. That’s my main character, but I’ll play around with other characters that are associated with Tina, like Mila, or Lisa, but really they are just for fun.
A Tina player? What made you switch to Tina in DOA5LR? Why do you like her more than any other characters? What would be her pros and cons in your eyes?
In the previous DOAs, I switched mains far too often. I probably mained more than half the cast at one point or another in DOA4 causing me to become more of a jack of all trades, master of none.
When DOA5 came out, I pulled an Awesmic and claimed a “I Never Drop X” by promising to stick with someone despite any inevitable nerfs or buffs; I thought that this must be the best way to really flesh out the nuances of a character and actually master one for once.
Tina was the last character I was attempting to learn in DOA4/DOA
and she seemed the most appealing. She was a grappler with good throw and counter damage and I thought she seemed simple enough to use, and I liked her beanie. I think she’s probably one of the best throw punishers in the game. And if I wasn’t going to be playing Tina, Rachel or Leon would have been the next runner-ups as I feel they are good in similar ways. She’s faster than Bass and I didn’t want to use parries as BaymanFavorite Tina Costume?
There are a few costumes I like, but my favorite costume of all time is Costume 2 reppin’ the star beanie. Costume 1 for training mode, and her Ninja Costume to switch it up every once in awhile. The new costume that changes forms is pretty sweet with Tina because her taunt actually does stuff so things can look pretty flashy if you wanna be a cool kid.Her mermaid costume and other wrestling costumes are kind of cool, too.
You have your own Tina cosplay you wore at one of the Japanese Tournaments. Can you show us a picture of it? (^^)
Oh god. That’s on the internet somewhere if you’re stalkerish enough to go looking for it haha. I suggest if you ever go to a Japanese tournament, try to cosplay because that's something Japanese players like to do as well, and they will want to take pictures with you; it breaks the ice. I think cosplaying is actually kind of lame, but I think it shows enthusiasm. I’ll go to great lengths to rep my character even if it’s something stupid just to be silly and have fun. That’s the whole point, right?
How long have you been playing DOA casually and competitively?
At least 10 years if you do the math. I was first introduced to DOA with DOA2U about maybe 6 months after its release, which I picked up as a sort of fun experiment to pass the time.
When DOA4 came out I definitely started putting in more effort, but I would say I was still pretty casual. Only until DOA5U did I really start getting serious with the game, seeking out the strongest players I could find, spending a ton of time in training mode, and going to tournaments.
If you were to describe your play style in 3 words; What would they be?
Risky, Tenacious, and Practiced
Risky because I definitely get a sense of satisfaction by winning big/pulling off big moves, so I can be kind of yolo at times. Probably one of the reasons why I can be inconsistent.
Tenacious because I tend to be very set in the way that I've come to play the game. I first learned to play DOA by feel and not by frames, and thus have learned to augment it gradually after getting an understanding on how I could improve my play by incorporating frame data. I notice that a certain part of me is still very ingrained in the 'feel' aspect though.
Practiced because I don't consider myself to be very good at fighting games and pressing buttons. I'm a big fan of drills and I tend to put a lot of time in training mode. Anything I've done in a match you can bet I've done countless times beforehand.
What are your weaknesses in your game that you need to improve on?
I think my biggest weakness is probably tournament nerves and not being consciously aware of myself mid-match. I could definitely benefit from being more patient and using up more of the time provided with every round as well.
What's your typical routine when preparing for an upcoming tournament?
To be clear and make sure that I answer the question, I do not have a 'typical routine' in order to prepare for tournaments, but this doesn't mean I haven't put forth a great deal of effort into the concept of Tournament Preparation. I've tried a ton of experimental things and finding out what works best for me is still a work in progress that I'm trying to refine.
I don't think anything can replace putting in the time, getting matches in, and adhering to a strict discipline of continual self-improvement, so I try to play often. That's probably the single best thing I do to prepare for tournaments.
Oh, and cover your logistics. Make sure you play on a proper monitor. EVO advertises what monitors they will use for example, so if you’re really feeling froggy, you can always practice on a somewhat exact setup.
Right before you start playing your tournament matches, what do you typically do? Talk with Friends? Listen to music?
Well I think this is split between two main parts: the waiting period before and in between your tournament matches and the immediate time you have after you’re called to face your opponent and you have the controller in your hand. I don’t have a solidified routine for these, but I have some ideas I’d like to share:
Regarding the first scenario, I used to think I could play cold and just jump into a match without preparation like I’ve seen some Japanese players do, so I thought standing on the sidelines and watching players play was more important than potentially giving away your secrets and playing in front of everyone, but I’ve since changed my mind about this. Now I think getting used to offline play is better, so I’d like to see myself putting in plenty of practice offline in casuals as much as possible.
Regarding the second scenario, I think it mostly revolves around how you go about mentally
preparing yourself. This is personal and is something that is going to differ from person to person, so the only objective advice I’d give is to at least develop some kind of personal button checking routine instead of just winging it on the fly every time you start your match and doing whatever you gotta do to get yourself comfortable so you can focus.
What are the tournaments you have attended? What were those results you have had on those tournaments?
In my entire DOA career, I've been to five offline tournaments and I could say a lot about each and every one of them, as they all contain stories, but I'll try and keep it as brief as possible (in chronological order):
EVO West 2006:
This was the year EVO held two smaller tournaments (EVO West & EVO East) with the winners getting seeded positions to the final EVO in Vegas. I ended up with a seeded position at top 8 because no one really showed up. I was a Busa Scrub at the time, lol.
EVO 2006:
I'm not sure what I placed exactly. I was sent to losers by JustOwnin', who was probably my #1 DOA Hero at the time, and eliminated by Offline Semi, defeating me with Bass. I played Ein.
DOA5U Official Tournament 2013-2014:
This was a Japanese single elimination, one match 64 man same day qualifier and final tourney. I qualified and ended up officially at 9th place (same as Matt Ponton).
http://challonge.com/doa5uotic
http://challonge.com/doa5uotfinal
http://shoryuken.com/2014/01/12/dea...nt-2013-2014-streaming-live-from-tokyo-japan/
http://shoryuken.com/2014/01/12/dea...nt-2013-2014-streaming-live-from-tokyo-japan/
This was was my first real tourney as someone who wanted to take the game seriously. I had practiced and played with Japanese players online before coming to the event and I think I did good overall, but I ended up getting bodied by a Jacky/Eliot player named Ley.
D-1 Ultimate Climax Blade:
Another Japanese single elimination style, one match qualifier and final tourney with previous tourney winners, except this time it was DOA5A and the qualifier was capped 32. I did not qualify and I was eliminated by Japanese Ayane player, Sambar3.
EVO 2015:
Straight up sent to losers and eliminated by Commanda Panda, haha. I actually busted out my Mila because I was having a hard time pressing buttons for some reason, tournament nerves I suppose. Definitely not my best perfomance ever.
Can you further explain to the players how the Japanese Tournaments are organized compared to anywhere else?
So I’ve been to only two Japanese tournaments, but I think they generally run the same with some small things changing here or there. In these tournaments they create the bracket on the spot and the person you fight is random based off pulling numbers out of a hat or something like that. Another thing to note is they are very punctual and plan on getting the tournament done on time and quickly, which is probably the real reason they do single elimination. They also like to cap out at like a nice even number, say, 32 or 64. Single elimination one match (talk about pressure) has been the standard of every tournament I’ve been to. They changed it to first to two in the final tournament of the official DOA5U one though.
The first one was via console and everything was pretty much standard. This was the official tournament so they provided adapters and things for people wanting to use pads. The second tournament I went to was on DOA5A.They had 3 arcade setups in the vs style and everyone was expected to play at the exact same time from a countdown, so there wasn’t much time to sit around or gather your thoughts before the match. I didn’t expect that, haha.
We are one of the few players that have played in the Japanese arcades. Can you tell the players who are interested in visiting the arcades one day what they would need to expect? What would they need to bring along for the ride?
Everything costs a dollar. So no matter what game you’re playing, you’re going to be putting in a 100 yen coin to play every time no matter what unless you’re playing a vs game and beating everyone, because otherwise “I Got Next” is 100yen.
Almost every machine practically utilizes a card to track your progress in some type of way, so if you plan on playing a lot, buy one. Smoking in arcades is perfectly fine, too, so expect that to be in the air. U.F.O. claw games are winnable believe it or not. Don’t bring any drinks because there are vending machines on every corner.
Best places to visit in Japan? Restaurants, Shopping etc?
Everyone is different and Japan has a lot to offer besides the interest of weebs and gamers, but if you fall into that category, you gotta hit every arcade you come across, that’s a rule. You gotta find a week to go to every figurine store and spend a couple evenings in the crowded smoke filled arcades like Hey!
Any and all food a Japanese gives you, you better put in your mouth because it’s going to be good guaranteed, and if you don’t like it, you’re either allergic or annoyingly picky. I really like their chain fast food like restaurants that are pretty much scattered across Japan. CoCos Ichibanya and Yoshinoya was always there for me in my time of need.
Can you tell the players not living in Asia how amazing the online play is like in Japan?
Haha, it’s so funny how people talk about the online being so bad, and it is, BUT if you’re there over in Japan you’re like, “I don’t know what they’re talking about.” Online in Japan is pretty damn good. Everyone is generally closer to each other, they have better infrastructure/fiber.
Which version of DOA do you like and hate the most? Why?
DOA5:LR hands down without question. This has to be the most balanced version of DOA by far, as well as the most played and most popular, being multi-platform to include PC and arcade.
I didn't like any DOA with the 3 point counter system. I liked DOA4 and DOA2U more than DOA
, but DOA4 a little more than DOA2U, but just because that was when I mostly developed as a DOA player. Also because of the variety and because Spartan was in that game. I used to be quite the Halo player so having such an unlikely/practically unheard of combination in a fighting game at the time was awesome.I understand DOA4 is hated by a lot of people, but I still believe the better player would win overall in DOA4 despite whatever anyone says. The top four DOA4 players were a testament to that.
Is there anything you would like to see changed, added or deleted in DOA5LR such as character balances, more characters or stages?
My Dreamsheet? Eff DOA6, just add these changes and call it a perfect game. Here it goes:
- More unique stages
- Couple more characters (at least one fan made), bring in as many VF characters as you can without copying/taking the place of other people. I want DOA to absorb their entire community, lmao (#Vanessa #Aoi),
- More costumes 'cuz why not (less fetishy, more fan creation/contest, changing with taunt),
- More features in the training mode à la Skullgirls
- Better UI for viewing/deleting replays
- Bring back CG cutscenes
- Fix the useless/broken moves going over barricades
- Beef up tag mode: make tag mode not broken so that can become a thing again (Remember the glorious days of DOA2U tag?).
- Tag stages
- More character combinations/intros/throws
- Implement unique tag team dangerzones aka character specific team cutscenes from environmental interactables
- Tag stages
- Fix exhibition/tournament mode/put a desyncing controller function on that bitch somehow/make that obviously stupid easy.
- Better netcode (as always).
Any players you enjoy watching or would like to play against?
I don't really actively watch any one person specifically unless I'm trying to learn something about a character or want to know a player's tendencies, otherwise I just watch whatever current tournament is being streamed. Sometimes I watch TeamTestHero’s match vids.
Who I'd like to play against!? I'm a big fan of playing people in some type legitimate set like ft3, ft5, or ft10, with the classic ft10 Endurance Match being my favorite every since the oldschool DOAC videos of Master ft10ing people.
I'd like to play literally all y'all fools on the planet willing to accept the challenge! I'll play your little sister! Your mailman's cat! Idgaf!!! Even people from the grave that don't even play this game anymore!!
But if I had to name people, I'd name all the best players because I haven't got to fight a lot of them (missing some names for sure somewhere): SonicFox, Kwiggles, SweetRevenge, Eman, Master, Gehaktbal, Hajin, CrazySteady, XCaliberBlades, Perfect Legend, Koompbala, Commanda Panda (#revenge), Test, Katsuninken, TeruRock, Popo, JCA, Flack, and Ley
You've been traveling everywhere this past couple of years. Japan...USA.... and now Germany? You also definitely played with most of the players in Asia and some Europeans as well. Can you describe to us each countries play style and their mentality on the game?
Here’s my basic opinion. Overall Asia has a lot of strong players and their group average is probably the strongest in total in the world while the US probably has the strongest top 5 player average compared to everyone else’s top 5.
My disclaimer/thought: The higher the skillcap of any player, the more solid they are as a whole and the less weaknesses they have in general. Obviously this may not apply to specific individuals, but it’s just my opinion based off the different regions overall.
I think Japan’s is more yomi based/more reliant on yomi and just generally more defensive. I think the US players plays a better spacing game, and a tad more yolo. I’ve only got to play against some European players online, but I am impressed with what players that actually play. I’ll reserve my judgement until I play people offline though.
Do you have a personal tier list on DOA5LR?
God this question is so hard. I don’t really have a tier list because I think everyone is legitimately mad good and I have trouble thinking of bad characters. I think certain characters do better in ceiling stages, or maybe even in specific match ups, but overall, it’s hard to fit anyone into tiers for me. I think the game is pretty balanced because of the system and how the game is played.
What's the best significant memory you had with DOA?
There are so many great memories I’ve had in DOA, but if I had to single out one and choose the ultimate best one that has impacted me the most? I’ve have to say my entire time in Japan trying to play in arcades and going to tournaments, specifically the after party get-together following the D-1 tournament where I hung out with the Japanese DOA community. It was a unique experience and I’ll never forget it.
Any interesting or funny stories you would like to share?
Some highlights I remember was having to adapt to playing on an arcade stick almost immediately and still doing fairly okay. At a free play event the day before the DOA5U Official Tournament, I played Katsuninken for the first time and beat him on stream without knowing who he was after he racked up a 20 something streak.
At the tournament I eliminated my friend Under_23, a Japanese Pai player that would body me all the time online, so beating him meant something to me.
The first time I played JCA, I put 1700yen into the machine trying to beat him, and then my friend Sakicoa, another Tina player, beat him the first time in front of my face.
If you could create a DOA character from scratch for DOA6, How would you make that character? Gender? Martial Arts? Default Costumes?
I think the only niche that hasn’t been covered by TN is like a punk rock tatted and pierced up type chick. I think it would be cool if she had like an unconventional brawler style. I’m talkin’ headbutts, elbows, stomps, tackles, headlocks, soccer kicks, I dunno, all that dirty shit. That would be sweet.
I heard that you are not interested in DOA6. Do you really not want to see DOA6 come out?
Yeah man, it’s just another game with another number on the end of it. How about re-releasing DOA5:LR entitled “DOA6” with better graphics with everything on my Dreamsheet. I’d buy it.
DOAX3 is coming out next year. Interested in snagging a copy of it?
DOAX games kind of piss me off. I think they are mad lame, but I have been too ashamed to actually play them. That being said, I still think it’s lame that it’s not getting a western release supposedly and that people still cry about sexually clad anything in gaming in the year 2015. That’s weaksauce.
Do you feel you are one the best DOA military players in the competitive scene?
Let it be known, I, CatzDaLegit, without a doubt must be the strongest DOA player currently in the US military and I am accepting of all challenges to prove otherwise. Get at me.
Can I challenge you???
Hell yeah. We all know you ran away at EVO ;D aka our only offline opportunity to play for realzies.
I had a poker tournament to go too lol! Also that Spaera game was too much fun to pass on! I also did get top 8 at EVO. Just saying…
Yeah I know. I don’t hold it against you. I just have a burning desire to try and prove myself and play against good players and I really just wanted to play you and everyone else because it was going to be my last time in the US for a while and I didn’t know when I was coming back exactly.
What are the places people need to do when traveling to Las Vegas besides gambling?
Apparently we have a Fukuburger sit-down restaurant now. Psh, it’s Vegas, you already have in mind what you want to do~
Favorite Foods and Beverages?
Maaan, I’m living life by like those irl frames, son. Food ain’t nothin’ but macronutrients so I ain’t even care! But if I have to say something, Japanese food and the Kabab places in Akihabara are S+ tier and my favorite beverage has to be chocolate milk.
Roses are Red, Violets are Blue…
Get 33T’d by Tina and it sucks to be you.
This is your first time going to one of the East Coast Tournaments. How are you feeling right now? What are your expectations going into this tournament?
I can’t wait and I know it will be fun so I’m excited. I hope to get a ton of matches in regardless of how well I place in the tournament. I think it will be interesting to be in a tournament in the US that’s not EVO for once, as it’s not really the norm.
Who would you want to play in the tournament? Why?
Anyone really. I want to play some strong players.
Who would you not want to play in the tournament? Why?
I wouldn’t want to play someone I easily play or someone I’ve played before.
Foreigners such as Netherland's own Gehaktbal, Japan's own Teru Rock and JC Akira will be participating in this year's NEC. What do you think about this? Good for the community? How do you think they will do in this tournament especially the Japanese players who haven't really ventured outside their comfort zone and into US territory besides Mochi-A?
I think DOA at NEC this year will be the biggest and most competitive DOA tournament so far in DOA history. DOAFES was crazy, but this is going to have to top it. and it’s going to be important because this is the first time we have champions from different countries coming to the states. It’s going to be hella stacked and I think it will pave the way for DOA and other tournaments to come and may have an affect on more Japanese players coming in the future.
Do you think Team Ninja did a good job implementing a Capcom Cup tour like event like Battle Royale? What can they improve on this? Can you consider this a success?
It’s definitely been a success as this has probably been DOA’s most competitive year ever in the history of DOA. That being said I’m not really sure what they can improve on. They’ve done a lot.
What are things Team Ninja could do to implement a better system in allowing players from all parts of the world to unite thogether?
I think they just need to keep supporting DOA and keep the momentum going. A campaign to get new players into the game would be nice.
Flame Threads…..DOACentral. Man those were the days. Do you miss them? Do we need it back in our lives?
Yeah that was entertaining. I’m a big fan of anything goes as long as no physical violence or anything stupid like that is happening. No mods, people getting offended. That stuff is great. Because what was the alternative to that? People rarely posting at all? Nowadays things are more chill in everything. It’s like gaming in general is reaching its more mature/professional married stage in life where everything is hella boring. Conflict is interesting and a villain has its purpose.
We both have grown up playing together since back in DOA2U on the original Xbox. It feels like a long time in my mind. Even though we are both considered young in age, would we be considered old school? Why?
I think we are considered oldschool weather we like it or not. I’d rather not be considered oldschool, but a couple iterations of the game have come out now and we’re still playing it, so something’s gotta give, ya know?
Who are the DOA commentators you enjoy listening to?
No one in particular has really established themselves for DOA I don’t think. Someone that can bring hype, be funny, and be able to explain the game to the masses, as well as having knowledge of the players history is what I think would make a good commentator.
Any other games you play for fun? I know you were beastly in Halo 2... It was so much fun playing on your team and getting those free wins!
It’s hard to find time for other games these days. I used to play a ton and I’d like to play more though. I stopped at Halo Reach. I started playing other fighters for fun despite being terrible. I plan on getting into SF5 and repping a Mika. I’m a big fan of David Sirlin’s Yomi card game, but it’s not really popular.
For a player going to the their first offline tournament, what would be one thing you would say to him/her?
I’m probably not the best person to ask this, but I would say meet people and try to play your best and have fun. There’s not much else to it is there?
If you could give an advice for the aspiring competitive DOA player, what would you have to say to them?
Other interviewees have already said a lot of greats things, but here is my take on it whether it sounds like a repeat or not:
Play the game. Don’t let supposed “drama” or whatever in the community discourage you, and if it does, don’t make a facebook post about “quitting” because no one really cares; just play the damn game. You’re going to have high times and low times in the journey of progressing to become a better player and that’s natural. People will be willing to help you in this community despite what some people say, so listen to top players and try to take something from them.
Explore the cast and find the character you want to play. This may change overtime and that’s fine. There isn’t any special secret otherwise. You can’t get around knowing your movelist and the strings of characters, look at frame data to see what moves are fast and what moves are punishable, which most moves are. Focus on maximizing damage, but not to the point of dropping combos. Eventually start working on situational environmental stuff. What is really ignored and hard to learn is understanding spacing/footies, which is something that I think strictly DOA players tend to ignore until later levels in the game. Get tons of match experience in and try to play sets with people if possible.
Do you have a Twitter, Facebook or Youtube channel people can follow you on?
https://twitter.com/CatzDaLegit
https://www.facebook.com/thinkofthenow
https://www.youtube.com/yeahshowtime
You have lots of tech videos of Tina on YouTube. Anything specific you want to share to anyone that hasn’t been performed effectively in a tournament?
I only made a power launching guide, options knocking off the stage on The Dangerzone, and an environmental stage guide. My youtube page is currently banned until March though because of the music I used in endurance match videos though, so I have a ways to go.
Honestly, I don’t have any ground breaking crazy tech to share, but I did discover some interesting things from WAZAAAAA’s frame counter tool because you’re able to find out the exact frame of chain throws. I’d really suggest checking it out. I plan on doing a video on it eventually unless someone else gets to it.
Any last messages? Shoutouts?
First and foremost shoutouts to all the people that have continued to play and support DOA, specifically anyone who has participated in offline DOA tournaments, whether it be hosting them or playing in them.
Free flowing shoutouts: iKodomo for doing all these interviews. UprisingJC, Hajin, anyone who enduranced matched me, ThePerfectCure for going to EVO and repping a Las Vegas Tina besides myself, Nykko for running tournaments, Matt Ponton, Koompbala, Johnny, Evan, Prince Adon, Vincent Rayne, Madian, CommandaPanda, Roger, everyone that was in that room haha!
Shoutouts to the European players
yers people I’ve got to play online with: SeikenPaladin, Gehaktbal, xMiss_Ellax, Carl, HurricaneRev, Seigenl, NinjaMonkeyMax, Ltr84100, Murasaki_Dono, Sossyo, JayceeChris
Shoutouts to all the Japanese players I interacted with and got to play offline and online:, @leyzac1, @takattaa125, @tatekihaido , @SMUwasao22 , @tanato_kr , @sambar31 , @FLACK5 , @koisi_, @uniuni11, @hidetopapa , @duminus0810 , @souma_sfn , @Siologica , @t_kuro , @AKAsan_doa, @J_C_Akira , @togurokappa5u , @valeur_pre ,@teruchina, @tomo_ex_ex, @under23DoA , @GknkA, @pecatta400, @sakicoa, @dai_vidson . You should probably follow all these cool kids on twitter.
Special shoutouts to Sakicoa and Pecatta, for helping me on a variety of levels.
Best of luck to you at NEC. Thank you for introducing me to a lot of players in Asia and Europe. I appreciate you for helping me edit the interviews as well. I will also give you that offline Endurance Set the next time we meet again. I promise you that.
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