DOA6 Cyber Interview & December 'Cyber Monday' Announcement

Cyber is a multi-converged player that regularly attends offline tournaments for Dead or Alive 6, creates content, organizes tournaments and hosts a popular stream on Twitch. He's here at Free Step Dodge for the promotion of his next Cyber Monday, but also reveals himself to the players of the FGC that have clearly made a positive impact on his life. Get to know Cyber better in this exclusive interview, and you can choose to support the community & DOA6 by getting involved with Cyber Monday whether it be spectating or making a donation to the prize pot.

Cyber Monday could be the first live tournament to showcase Rachel's return to DOA6 and starts on the 29th of December and concludes a day before New Year's Eve. This online tournament is FREE to enter via Smash.GG and the prize pot starts at $150 with the ability to grow through community funding and donations. Please follow Cyber at Twitch to watch his regular DOA6 content and get involved with Cyber Monday's!

DOAN: Cyber, it's awesome to have you at FSD for this interview! Would you mind giving the community a recap of the first two Dead or Alive 6 Cyber Monday grand finals as an extension to this article?

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Cyber: XcaliburBladeZ and Hoodless are our only champions so far, and it was an honor to commentate both of their matches. Both are talented, but what makes watching them play is how different their approach is to the game and to their opponents.

Xcal's grand finals match was a match-up we've all seen before: BladeZ vs Kwiggle. Xcal took that set in a commanding fashion, using his dominance and aggressive play-style to overpower Kwiggle, like we've seen him do many times before. It is always interesting to witness Cal's calculated aggression, he knows how to round out his play-style but using measured bursts of pressure while being able to immediately switch to a more defensive style. He uses this method to secure a clean sweep as the first champion of Cyber Monday!

Contrary to Bladez, Hoodless played with a more measured style. His opponent is the complete counterpart to his play-style - Monavanderwaal. Mona is notorious for using Chrisite in a hyper aggressive manner, smothering his opponents before they have a chance to think. It seems like in a way Hoodless was the only man to take the challenge; having bested Mona with immaculate defense and control of the neutral game. Hoodless' ability to stay calm and poised in battle secured the victory as the second champion of Cyber Monday, and even the World Championship.

Although Calibur and Hoodless gave two totally different perspectives, the end result from both were dominant finishes. It was a pleasure watching and commentating such top level play.

How long have you been attending offline Dead or Alive tournaments and what stimulates you to regularly attend?

Cyber: I’ve been attending tournaments since TFC 2018. Final Round of this year was my first major, and I've been competing consistently ever since. The main reasons that stimulate me to compete is to one see my close friends scattered around the world. Because of the long distance, tournaments make it easy for us to group and hang out. I also love competing because I love to push myself to be a better player and person. Every tournament I learn so many things about myself as a person and as a fighter. It inspires me to shake myself and go to the next event.

Lastly, my favorite reason for going to events is being a content creator as well - being able to meet the people who watch my streams and videos in person is a priceless experience. I had so many people come up to me at ECT just because they tuned into my streams or participated in Cyber Monday’s. It makes me feel good that someone would want to come up and approach me based off my streams, and it makes me want to keep streaming; to keep building those connections.


Your Twitch stream has no doubt blown up recently for DOA. Why do you think that is and where do you plan to take your content in the future since developing a regular audience?

Cyber: I think it’s because I’m fabulous! LOL! On a more serious note, I think my Twitch blew up because I have a one of a kind personality. You can’t have an experience with others like you will with me because I’m just such a different kind of person, and so by that logic alone it becomes a must watch. I have a personality that entertains and fills up a space and that’s not something you come across everyday, let alone in a small FGC as DOA.

Another reason is because I’m a human before I’m a “streamer” - when I stream I give my raw unfiltered opinion and I’m not interested in being politically correct. I’m Cyber and I’m going to always tell it like it is, and people have just grown to love me for that. My viewers are my friends; I know a lot about them because I am genuinely interested in their lives as they are in mine. It's that relationship I believe that makes them want to come back. They know when they tune in it won’t be the same as the last time.

Also, I find myself to be pretty good at the game, and when I’m live I am usually training versus Killy, Calibur, Monavanderwaal, Hoodless, and other top players. Viewers love being able to tune in and watch me grow as a player, but to watch other very strong players play as well.

I have so many things planned for the future of my channel, but I’ll have to keep most of it a secret for nowa! I will say I have some projects and collaborations aimed at YouTube, because I feel like even more can be done on that platform for the community and for content creation. My YouTube is really just a lot of gameplay, but I’m looking to take it to the next level.

Cyber Monday will be happening every month, so that’s pretty exciting. The community really liked the first one I hosted on Twitch and the turnout was great. If the community keeps showing an interest, I will continue to host them because I have zero interest in slowing down.

Do you have any future aspirations within the Dead or Alive community?

Another project that I'm really interested in embarking on is commentary. Having to inadvertently fill the gap for the past two Cyber Monday’s, I realized I actually enjoyed commentating tournaments. There’s something really exciting about casting a match live, and bringing a fresh new energy to the match. I also love commentating because it allows me to create learning experiences for newer players. It's exciting to add my own unique personality and perspective on a match. I feel like I represent a different demographic in the DOA community, and in the FGC as a whole.

The Cyber Monday tournaments will be a great way to practice the craft of commentary, since I am unable to participate. I've had great experiences commentating with Killy and International Sensei in September, and Allan Paris (Lucky Loopz) in November. These different partnerships have already started my training on the art of commentary. I look forward to commentating with many other fighters into the next year. Hopefully, you see me providing commentary at an offline event.

What is your take on Nyo-Tengu? Offline or online your character selection is unique and you showcase one of the only regulars offline. How do you go about making your character selections in Dead or Alive 6?

Cyber: Hmmmmm Nyo is an interesting character. I believe she is the hardest character in terms of application. She forces the individual to:

  1. Have near perfect knowledge of frame data, of hers and her opponent. Because she is so slow, every frame is vital in making decisions.

  2. Be fluid in terms of playstyle. With Nyo you have to have the perfect mixture of defense and pressure. If you do one of too much, you will lose. This becomes even harder once someone knows the match up, because it further limits her options.

  3. Be adaptive at making perfect reads. What I mean by perfect is a read that will net you maximum damage to take full advantage of an opportunity. Not only situation reads, but player to player reads, You have to know what tricks will work and what will not and adapt quickly in the match.

  4. Nyo has some of the worst match-ups in the game. It takes a lot of lab work, to overcome these challenges.
I think Nyo is in a good spot overall for DOA6. She has the best ground game option selects in the game, incredible stun game and pressure. Her neutral game from a distance is lacking outside of PP, she has no reliable moves in the neutral game. That’s an issue in DOA6 when most of the game takes place in the neutral game. I think for the average player she is in an A tier zone. Once you master her and can play her in a high level setting she shoots up on the tier list significantly.


As for character selections, I just play who I like and let the rest happen. I’m not one really into to tiers or needing anyone for match ups. If their fun and fit my style, that’s who I’m using.

After Hoodless won your last DOA Cyber Monday, did you expect him to dominate the DOA6WC 'Main Event' shortly after?

Cyber: Hoodless surprised me going into the World Championship, but he played immaculate during Cyber Monday. He had complete control of every match (not just grand finals) and played so effortlessly and clean. He kept that momentum with every match I saw him play in Japan. I was proud of his performance, and it just goes to show how vital online tournaments can be sometimes.

Cyber would like to share the VOD of the second Cyber Monday to further cement its history into the record books. The master file for his first Cyber Monday was destroyed and will never be viewed again - so we hope this interview will help cement that memory as well. Stay tuned on his YouTube channel to watch that tournament in its highest quality.

Now that the Dead or Alive 6 World Championship has ended, what are your thoughts on the circuit itself?


Cyber: Well... I think as a concept the World Championship was a great idea. DOA6WC is ultimately great for the community, especially if they tweak a few things with the standing point system. I hope they have another circuit because I believe the game really needs it. I don’t always know how the game would last without Team NINJA's offline support. There are still many players who love the game and will continue to support it regardless.

A lot of people were disappointed with the overall structure of the 'Main Event' at DOA6WC since many great matches were skipped completely.

Cyber: I unfortunately do not know the full details, but it was definitely disappointing to read into. I guess the best solution is to be completely on top of the stream for all matches for the next WC.

DOA6 has been out for a while now so what are your overall impressions of the game and how do you think Team NINJA could improve the formula before moving on to their next WC?

Cyber: Fundamentally the game is exactly the same as DOA5. The meter system doesn't really change much because Dead or Alive 6 still follows the same rules as any Dead or Alive game. I think the big drama boils down to DOA6s awful launch and the poor DLC that has been released since post launch.

I think competitively DOA6 is a very solid game. DOA6 is neutral heavy which is odd for DOA especially coming from 5, but it is ultimately up to the player to adapt to the new mechanics of the game. A lot of people complain, but they haven’t truly adapted to the new game, and it shows in their game-play. I think Team NINJA has to accommodate the players if they want bigger turn-out at events which was shown with the numbers for their first circuit. To be frank, people will not support a game they don’t enjoy or find fun. I personally have no issues with DOA6, and it's quite fun in high/top level, but I am only one person. Team NINJA needs to look at the community as a whole! Even if they change minor things, it shows they care which will encourage people to come out to more events. I think how Team NINJA went about the first circuit overall was great. Maybe they could a West Coast event? It would be nice to try and explore California for a change!

Some players expressed interest going back to DOA5. Are you one of those people or are you focused purely on DOA6?

Cyber: I am 100% focused on DOA6. Some things are better left in the past.

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How much work goes into your own 'Cyber Monday' online tournament? What do you need to do to keep this event going for the Dead or Alive community?

Cyber: A lot of work goes into Cyber Monday believe it or not. Most of the work is getting people to register on time, and working with others to provide valuable prizes for the contestants. Since I don’t charge people to enter and play, it's not always easy to come up with the prize pot and/or prizes. Nonetheless, I'm blessed to have people support me and Cyber Monday. I think with two successful events under my belt, I am looking to include other communities into Cyber Monday. DOA community: our group will never grow if we only stay within ourselves.

Cyber wanted to close this interview & year expressing gratitude for the hard workers in the community that have helped build his platform.

Cyber: I have to take everyone from Cyberia! Without you guys there would be no me!

Special thanks from fellow content creators Blackberry, Memphis Legends, Badonkiezonk and Bunny Von Doom. You guys have been here from the beginning and pushed my channel farther than I could see for myself. Thank you for sharing your communities with me.

To the Lord X, Bboy, Rikuto, and Hoodless - thank you guys for supporting my channel and helping me out with my more technical things. I don't forget when anyone goes out there way with kind words or advice.

Lopedo! Thank you for supporting me and passing your toxic trolly mantle off to me! LOL!

Cler, Loony, Riot, Videogames, Death, Malfury, Tonamii, Shotness, BlkJacc, CookingMama, Genny, Don-Don and Steady. I love you guys so much. Thank you for the endless support and thank you for ALWAYS being there! You all in some capacity go out of your way to make Cyberia even better than it already is.

To my close friends Xcal, Mona, Killy, Ducky, Blackberry, thank you for always being there for me. When I met you all I didn't even know how to throw punish, and now look at me! I love you all forever!

Thank you for this opportunity, FSD and DOAN! Not many people give me a chance, and I thank you for your support!

Thank you to Allan Paris and Co-D for funding and believing in Cyber Monday's. I appreciate you leaving your vision with me!

We hope that the community has enjoyed learning more about Cyber and will get involved with his incredible event that at the end of the day only means good things for the community, Team NINJA and our favorite fighter. Look for more awesome content at Free Step Dodge as the holidays approach! There is something at FSD for every Team NINJA player and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

If you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift. Consider ordering merchandise from the
Free Step Dodge Shop! Plenty of awesome and exclusive DOA shirts for events and other content designed by the talented artists in the community!
 
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