CRUM Recounts - NEC XIII

RUNDOWN OF THE WEEKEND

I just got home from NEC and go some much needed sleep. Now I'm going to give a recount of my experience at NEC 13.  I will try to be as accurate as humanly possible and most of it will come straight from the heart.  I'd like to start by saying that NEC 13 was one of the most surreal and incredible events that I have ever attended in my life.  I will go into more detail about it later, but I'd like you all to know that despite any frustrations that I may display in this post, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at NEC 13.

I woke up at about 8 in the morning on Friday, November 30th to finish packing and finally hit the road with my girlfriend, Jenelle, for NEC 13.  It was about a 6 hour drive and overall it was not as bad as the first time we attended an event in Philadelphia back in August.  We arrived at the Sheraton Suites by the Philadelphia Airport and checked in.  We decided to room with an MK player from our area in New England because he needed a room to stay in.  His name is Garrett aka Dramatica and I would like to say that we couldn't have asked for a more gracious guest.  While my girlfriend and I awaited his arrival, I set up my ViewSonic monitor as well as my PS3 for casuals.  He arrived at around 4 in the afternoon or so and we began to play casuals.  Dramatica and I played for a couple of hours and I got some much needed matchup experience against Sektor and some other characters.  Later in the night I was contacted through testyourmight.com by a Cyrax player from Florida who goes by the name of Noobe.  He was looking for a place to play casuals so he, Starcharger and ReyTheGreat made their way up to our room to play some casuals.  I got some games in with Noobe and it was the first taste of what the rest of the weekend would be like for me.  Those three were also respectable guests and were very cool to hang out with for a while.  After they left, Dramatica and I continued playing casuals before it was time to get some rest.  Overall the first day was exhausting from all of the traveling, but I got some great games in before the tournament the following day.

Death (Left) Tom Brady (Right) Playing Casuals

The day that I had been anticipating since I first decided to go to NEC was here.  We headed to the venue at the Holiday Inn Stadium at around 11 a.m. to get our badges and familiarize ourselves with the venue.  My first impression of the venue was that it was a lot more roomy than the Sheraton Suites was for Summer Jam.  However the roominess of the venue could not save us from what we endured later in the day.  We spent most of our time in the MK room watching people play casuals as no one felt it was necessary to allow others to step in and get some games in.  Maybe it was just me not wanting to bother anyone who was playing, but if someone is standing behind you with a controller in their hand you would think that someone would offer their spot up.  Nevertheless, we waited patiently for any sort of announcement as the 1:30 P.M. registration deadline approached.  This registration deadline was extended to about 2 or 2:30 for a reason unbeknownst by me as I assumed this would increase our numbers.  As far as I know this was not the case, the original number that I heard was 117 in regards to the number of players, then I counted all the names on the pools and I came to 112.  I still don't quite understand what happened there.  But I digress, I was placed into Pool 1 or Pool A with the likes of EMP REO, Curbolicous, GGA Soonk, NeoRussell, Matix (who eliminated me at Summer Jam), and some others.  I was content with this as it would undoubtedly challenge my skills as a player.  The first two people I met were Big D and Tom Brady, who were both great guys.  Brady called me a dark ninja and instructed me to never post matches that he wins online.

Big D (Left) Tom Brady (Right) Playing Casuals

At this point I was hit with how surreal this experience was.  Just seeing Tom Brady, Big D, Tyrant, Curbolicous and others in person was something that was difficult to fully process.  After watching and listening to these guys on stream for the longest time it was hard to believe that I was now in the presence of the most influential and controversial voices and personalities in the Mortal Kombat Community.  The day progressed as we all awaited brackets and for the matches to eventually commence.  Unfortunately the 3 P.M. start time was not honored just as the registration deadline was not.  Pools didn't get underway until around 4:30 P.M.  Mind you that me, my girlfriend and I'm sure about 80% of the people who were there for Mortal Kombat were standing the entire time.  So we were standing for probably 5 hours before I got to even play one game.  Pools began and this is where anxiousness turned to frustration.  The tournament operators made it blatantly clear that they would run Pools 1-8 in succession with two pools at a time.  I was pretty confused when they began calling players like AC1984, Sonic Fox and Tom Brady to play when they were listed as in Pool 5.  The announced matches were all over the place.  One of the first people called was Crosstalk (a player from my local scene), who was listed in Pool 8 and then was told that it was the incorrect match.

To say the least I was in complete disarray as to what happened.  Did the tournament operators not keep track of who was in each pool? Your guess is as good as mine because I had no clue what in the world was going on.  About an hour after the tournament actually began I was called to play TTT NeoRussell.  I sat down at my assigned station and awaited his arrival.  Another player from my local scene (BlueNine) offered to play some casuals with me in preparation for my match.  We played for about 10-15 minutes and there was no sight of NeoRussell.  I was content with waiting but I couldn't help but feel that it is unfair to disqualify a lesser known player because they were in another room, but we hold a more popular player to a different standard.  I was told that people were constantly texting and calling NeoRussell with no answer at all.  Maybe 15-20 minutes after my match was first announced NeoRussell was given 5 more minutes to show up or he would be knocked to losers bracket.  He never showed, and I was left sitting there anticipating my first match of the tournament.  He showed up after the permitted time that he was given because he was playing Tekken.

So it was time for my first match of NEC 13 about 2 and a half hours after the tournament was supposed to begin and an hour after my pool specifically was supposed to begin.  Needless to say I was less than enthusiastic about the match.  NeoRussell and I did a quit button check, shook hands and picked our characters.  I chose Johnny Cage and he picked Jade.  Jade is considered one of the worst characters in the game, however if you don't know how to fight her it's going to be trouble.  He beat me pretty convincingly the first game and just like that I was a game away from getting knocked to losers bracket.  NeoRussell was great with Jade's overhead staff and had a great corner game with Jade as well.  He trapped me in the corner and kept me there with her EX Low Boomerang.  I was upset but went right to rematch and was ready for whatever was ahead.  This game was A LOT better for me, I was on point with my pokes and this allowed me to setup my pressure and get my frametraps going with Johnny Cage.  I was able to punish his jump-ins with b3 into full combo and was able to take the second match.  For what it's worth I made great adjustments and realized that I didn't have to be too flashy with Cage in order to defeat Jade.  NeoRussell went straight to character select and opted to pick Kitana, which is a match that is widely considered 6-4 in favor of Kitana against Cage.  I don't get much matchup experience against Kitana so I wasn't feeling too great about this match.  He zoned me really well in the match as I tried to crouch block my way in to do some damage.  I would get him into the corner and he would easily jump out.  I had a great opportunity to punish a blocked fan lift, but I guess I didn't wait long enough and the last frame of the fan lift caught me and it was pretty much over at that point.

There I was, in the same predicament I was in at Summer Jam.  I lost my first match and was 1 match away from elimination.  I was frustrated with my performance and was really upset that I couldn't deliver the performance that I know I am capable of.  After that I collected my thoughts and anxiously waited my first match in losers bracket.  Wouldn't you know it the first person that I play in losers was the same player who knocked me out of the competition at Summer Jam.  His name is Matix and he is an extremely consistent Smoke player. This match took place maybe a half hour to 45 minutes after my first match.  I was very indifferent about this match because he stated beforehand that he and his brother play often and that he is familiar with the Johnny Cage matchup.  I remember him saying that he has had previous trouble against Kung Lao and considering I have been using Kung Lao a lot lately I thought that this would be a good decision.  It was not the best decision that I have made as a player.  I relied on a lot of Kung Lao's randomness to carry me through the match.  I abused a lot of fullscreen divekicks and teleports.  Unfortunately my teleports were quickly stuffed or just blocked altogether.  I was able to take 1 round in the first match from Matix but he took the match.  Considering I didn't perform too badly with Kung Lao I decided to stick with him in the second match.  Matix adjusted well to my gameplay and utilized Smoke's d3 and corner pressure to pretty much stuff anything I had to offer back.  Quicker than my day began it ended, and I was extremely upset and disappointed in myself for everything that took place that day.  I didn't want to talk to anyone and I more or less wanted to bury my head in the sand and quit Mortal Kombat.  Usually I'm pretty easy with losses, but it was hard for me to not feel as if all that I had trained for was a complete waste.  There I was, left with the impression that had I picked Johnny Cage, I may have performed better than I did with Kung Lao.

I have no bad blood against Matix at all, he is probably the nicest player that I first met and Summer Jam and reacquainted with at NEC.  I believe he went on to win his next two matches before getting eliminated by GGA Soonk in a close set.  I was proud to lose to someone who doesn't attend tournaments too often, but next time I will stick with what I know and that's Johnny Cage.  The rest of the day was a blur, I got some casuals and Cage mirrors in with Matix's brother and watched some enjoyable matches.  I got to watch K-Frog defeat GGA HAN and pop off harder than anyone else that day.  I witnessed Showtime vs. J360 take place while CD Jr and Winter Warz were talking trash the entire match.  I introduced myself to the likes of REO and Showtime.  Showtime was an awesome guy and was very welcoming to both my girlfriend and myself.  He invited us up to his room for casuals where I got to play Tyrant and Showtime himself.  He even taught me some strategies that I can utilize with Cage against both Jax and Kitana.

REO (Left) vs Sonic Fox (Right) on the Main Stage

Championship Sunday was the following day and it was an early start us.  After staying up until 2 A.M. we were up at about 8 A.M. to get ready and to check out of the hotel.  We packed up and headed to the venue for the final day of NEC 13.  The Mortal Kombat room had a considerably smaller amount of people than the previous day.  The sight of a chair to sit in was one of the greatest out the whole weekend considering how badly my legs and feet were killing me from the day before.  My local scene; Dramatica, Steven A, and Crosstalk were all in attendance as Crosstalk was in the 8th and final Pool.  Pools began at 10 A.M. and the majority of the players were present.  The last player from our scene (Bluenine) was no where to be found and was unfortunately disqualified from the competition.  The matches went on and a player named Seven really stood out to me as he brought w1nter warz right down to the wire in the Ermac vs. Cyrax matchup.  There was a lot of noticeable Kitana and Ermac representation this past weekend.  I also must take a minute and recognize Crosstalk as one of the strongest players to not make it out of Pools.  After winning his first match,  he lost to Krayzie in winners in a close 2-1 set.  He then took out DrFlash before meeting Riu48 and losing again in a VERY close 2-1 set.  He is undoubtedly the kind of player that my fellow New England players I need in order to improve our gameplay.  At this point I believe that top 16 winners and losers were set in stone.  Craziness ensued from here as losers were played on the Kombat Network stream and the winners were played on the Team Sp00ky stream.  It's hard to accurately recall all of the matches that I watched as my girlfriend and I were constantly moving back and forth between both rooms.

Tom Brady dropping knowledge on Big D

I tried to watch most of Insuperable's matches as he is one of my favorite and also a very underrated player. He displayed some excellent new Jax gameplay and obviously did not abandon his Quan Chi roots.  I also tried to keep up with GGA 16 Bit as much as possible as he has been one of the biggest supporters of all of my NetherRealm Coverage and interviews.  I finally got to formally meet 16 Bit on Sunday, unfortunately it wasn't under the best of circumstances as he had just come off his razor-thin loss to Sonic Fox.  I also got to meet CD Jr and some other people as well.  I got to watch Curbolicous vs. Tom Brady, Big D vs. Sonic Fox, Maxter vs. 16 Bit, SwiftTomHanks vs. 16 Bit, Tyrant vs. Insuperable, Insuperable vs. Krayzie, Showtime vs. Tom Brady and much more.  Finally it came down to Top 8 and we were left with Riu48, Tyrant, 16 Bit, Sonic Fox, CD Jr, Maxter and REO.  Sonic Fox was able to defeat Riu48 and 16 Bit, while his only two losses were handed to him by REO.    Championship Sunday came to a close with REO and Maxter in Grand Finals yet again.  Maxter decided to stick with Cyblax in this matchup presumably because of his safe teleport.  In the end it was REO who completed the MK Grand Slam by winning his third major in a row and also securing a trip to the Video X Games in the Caribbean.  Congrats to REO on another job well done.

View of Grand Finals | REO (Left) Maxter (Right)

View of the crowd for Mortal Kombat Grand Finals

The biggest problem that I saw with Saturday was that the tournament seemed to have been run in a disorganized manner.  I'm not trying to take away from any of the organizers because they are all an inspiration to me.  I give all the props in the world to Dark Rob, Shock, SwiftTomHanks and Phil for putting up with people's problems and trying to satisfy everyone to the best of their abilities.  I know that they are only human, but most of the time that the tournament was running there were 4 or 5 of the setups open or being used for casuals.  Pools could've easily wrapped up on Saturday, unfortunately that was not the case as the given setups were not properly utilized and two of the Pools needed to be delayed until the next day.  I was fine with it seeing as I had a hotel room and was planning to come back on Sunday anyway, but I felt for the people who were only there for the day and didn't plan on returning the next day.  Paying $40 dollars for a tournament and not getting to play must be devastating.

Whatever else happened that day was really not of my concern.  Any sort of controversial event that took place didn't effect me past a certain point.  Whether or not there was this discrepancy about who was in each pool and who was seeded where didn't really matter to me.  I was there to support the community that I am apart of and to meet some people who I've wanted to meet for a long time.  There were talks of laggy stream setups, rigged brackets, late pool entrants and disorganization.  As I said, my opinion on these events will be discussed on Test Your Might because this is simply a rundown of my weekend at NEC.  Now for my shout-outs, I will also be doing an awards ceremony of some sorts for the weekend of NEC.  To close my recount I would like to say that this tournament was a surreal experience and I cannot wait til my next opportunity to attend one just like it.

GOOD SHOUT OUTS

- First off shout outs to my girlfriend Jenelle for making the 6-hour trip with me, letting me take her car down to Philadelphia yet again and for supporting all of the asinine decisions that I make in my life (such as driving 6 hours to get bodied by Jade).  She really has stuck with me for all of this and for that she is the best.
- Shout outs to Phil, Pherleece, Shock, Dark Rob, STH and the rest of the TO's for dealing with everyone's BS and trying to handle all of the situations with the utmost respect and thoroughness.
- Shout outs to all of my local guys (Dramatica, BlueNine, Peanuts, Steve A, Crosstalk, DeftonesRC, Ford Cruller and Pickle Keeper) for helping build a scene that we so desperately need for Mortal Kombat in New England.
- Shout outs to Crosstalk for dealing with my emoness after I lost to Matix and for performing the best out of any New Englanders.
- Shout outs to Matix for bringing out my competitive edge and forcing me to work for the mere rounds that I was able to get out of him.  Also shout outs to him being a great guy who can actually hold a conversation.
- Shout outs to Big D and Tom Brady for being the first to shake my hand the first day of the tournament.  Shout outs to Brady for advising me to never post matches that he wins on any website.
- Shout outs to K-Frog, Zaf, Big D and Seven for bringing proper Ermac representation at NEC.  Huge props to K-Frog for taking out HAN and earning that pop off.
- Shout outs to Showtime for being the most welcoming and hospitable player that I met at NEC.
- Shout outs to 16 Bit for shaking my hand and giving me a few words despite just having lost to Sonic Fox.
- Shout outs to Insuperable for the Quan Chi representation and for remaining as one of my all time favorite players to watch.
- Shout outs to Pherleece for recognizing me and actively pursuing a conversation on more than one occasion. And also for letting me sign his fight stick.
- Shout outs to Darknatas for nearly beating SwiftTomHanks in Pools.
- Shout outs to w1nter warz for making me crack up every time he did "The Snake".
- Shout outs to Tyrant and Showtime for granting me the opportunity to get some casuals in with them (even if Tyrant used Sheeva on me :P)
- Shout outs to CD Jr and Maxter for having so much swag.
- Shout outs to Sonic Fox for putting up with everyone's trash talk and taking 4th place.
- Shout outs to REO for threepeating and for continuing to prove that he is the current best MK player in the world.
- Shout outs to Jupiter for having one of the most impressive and underlooked Jax's that I have ever seen.
- Shout outs to Noobe, ReyTheGreat and Starcharger for the casuals in my room.
- Shout outs to Aquaman for being an all-around cool dude.
- Shout outs to 7L and TetraSpirit for briefly holding conversations with me.
- Shout outs to "The Snake" in general for providing me with and endless amount of comedy.
- Shout outs Sp00ky and Big E for giving MK the respect it deserves even nearly two years after the games initial release.
- Shout outs to WaWa for truly being Godlike.
- Shout outs to Mike Metroid and Phil for shaking my hand and complimenting me on my interviews.

BAD SHOUT OUTS
- Shout outs to my two favorite players Dizzy and Pig of the Hut for not showing up.
- Shout outs to disorganization and standing still for 10+ hours.
- Shout outs to no casuals at all until just before my first match.
- Shout outs to me getting bodied by Jade and Smoke once again.
- Shout outs to no chairs in the MK room.
- Shout outs to idiots talking crap about MK during Grand Finals.
- Shout outs to not getting w1nter warz vs. Seven and DarkNatas vs. SwiftTomHanks on stream.

That's really all I can think of right now.  If I think of more I will add it and make a note of it.  Thank you for reading although I doubt that most of you didn't read the whole post.  I will also be addressing some issues from NEC and giving my take on the tournament as a whole on "The On Blast Show" tomorrow night sometime after 10 eastern.  Tune into twitch.tv/theonblastshow for that and stay tuned for my awards ceremony for NEC.

Photo credit to shoryuken.com

NEC 13 Mortal Kombat Top 16 and Remaining Pools

TOTAL NUMBER OF ENTRANTS FOR MK - 112
Pool A - REO (Winners) Curbolicous (Losers)
Pool B - Showtime (Winners) J360 (Losers)
Pool C - CDjr (Winners) Wafflez (Losers)
Pool D - Death (Winners) Tyrant (Losers)
Pool E - Sonic Fox (Winners) Tom Brady (Losers)
Pool F - Maxter (Winners) Big D (Losers)
Pool G - Not yet to be played. Has 16 Bit, SwiftTomHanks, W1nter Warz, Trepound and BlueNINE.
Pool H- Not yet to be played. Has Krayzie, Insuperable and Khaotik.

InjustCast Episode 1 - Featuring VSM Claude VonStroke, OBS Big D, TFA/RZR Pig of the Hut and WNBA SwiftTomHanks

      Episode 1 of a brand new podcast features Claude VonStroke, Big D, SwiftTomHanks and Pig of the Hut discussing all things Mortal Kombat.  They will be doing this weekly podcast up until Injustice: Gods Among Us releases in April of next year.  In this particular episode, the crew discusses the fallout from MLG Dallas, tier lists in Mortal Kombat, they play the K7 word game, talk about Kenshi and Kabal, they do a 90 second hot seat on a variety of topics, and they also preview who each of them will use as their main character in Injustice.  Check InjustCast and support a new podcast in the Mortal Kombat Community!

You can download the MP3 for this podcast here: http://injustcast.libsyn.com/injustcast-episode-1
Follow @VSM_ClaudeVS, @OBS_BigD, and @bambamguitar on Twitter.

Donate to Big D to get to NEC: http://insuperabletodallas.chipin.com/big-d-nec-trip
Donate to EGP Tyrant to get to NEC: http://egptyrantnec.chipin.com/get-tyrant-to-nec

Represent NetherRealm Coverage at NEC XIII

Greetings from the NetherRealm,

      I hope that you all enjoyed MLG Dallas as much as I did.  I also hope that you enjoyed my Pre-MLG Dallas Interviews.  The feedback that I received was borderline overwhelming.  Not one of the interviews failed to exceed 400 views, which comes as a delightful surprise to me.  I'm writing this post to bring some exciting news to all who read this blog.  NetherRealm Coverage will be back in a week or so with new interviews to build hype for NEC this year.  The usual suspects will be back and I've got a lot that I want to ask them.  Look for these interviews to start releasing within the next couple of weeks while I collect my thoughts from MLG Dallas.

      I am also coming to you to see if anyone would be interested in representing NRC at NEC.  If you are interested, please contact me through Twitter or testyourmight.com.  Representing NRC would mean a lot to me personally and it would further spread the word of these interviews that most everyone in the Mortal Kombat community have taken a liking to.  My Twitter handle is @NRC_CRUM, feel free to contact me anyway that you can.  It would be great to see people represent NRC at what is looking to be one of the strongest turnouts for Mortal Kombat this year.

Thank you for your time,
NRC CRUM

MLG Dallas - Fighter Preview

I'll let this sink into to all of my readers minds and hearts.  MLG Dallas weekend is here ladies and gentlemen.  GET HYPE

video credit to MLG

Pre-MLG Dallas Interview with GamerBlake90

Name - Blake Whitworth

Age - 22

Fighting Out Of - Oklahoma City, OK

Character(s) of Choice - Sonya Blade, Raiden, Noob Saibot

Major Accomplishments - 1st at Uppercut Circuit 2012

I am here with the host of the D4Cast, GamerBlake90, how are you doing sir?

I am doing quite well. Permit me to thank you for gracing me with the chance to do this interview, as I love to be very open about myself to the community, and not for reasons of fame but rather the chance to get to know the ones I have played Mortal Kombat with, online or offline.

How is your training for MLG Dallas coming along?

It is sketchy at best. I have trained against a few players online throughout these past few weeks, but I refuse to develop horrible habits I’ll have to shake off for when I compete in the first MLG event of my gaming career. This tournament is far too important for me to just go in there so unprepared. So I will have to grind out casuals like no other player has ever done when I arrive in Dallas.

Do you expect to use Sonya for the majority of the tournament?

Indeed, I do. There is no other character I would rather win a tournament with…well, except maybe Raiden, haha.

I understand that you use Raiden in addition to Sonya, what situation will cause you to switch to Raiden?

As powerful a character as Sonya is, she is very susceptible to zoning. Her damage can only be achieved if she is up in your face. I mean, her projectile is admirable, but by itself it won’t give her the zoning game she would need. Really I am only saving Raiden for the few match-ups she cannot find an answer to, such as Kenshi and Freddy Krueger.

How confident are you that your Raiden will be an effective secondary character for you?

My confidence is high up in the clouds. Raiden has always been my second-best character towards whom I’ve devoted much of my time to. Come this weekend, he will get his share of the glory. People underrate Raiden so much and I never understood why. The character is capable of space control and I intend to demonstrate this when the chance arises. Players have given up on some characters far too quickly after they received nerfs, instead of sticking it out and leveling up. For example, some have said that Kung Lao could no longer be viable for tournaments after he was nerfed, and yet…what did Perfect Legend accomplish with him? Oh, that’s right, he won EVO 2012 with Lao, marking two consecutive years of MK9 victories for him. There is no doubt in my mind that Raiden can achieve just as much success.

Where do you think your Sonya ranks among the other Sonya players in the community?

Ah, now that’s not a question I can answer with words. My skills do the talking for me. While my goal is to become the best Sonya player on the globe, I understand that I have a long way to go.

Do you plan on using any other characters beside Sonya and Raiden?

…there is a slight chance that I may consider busting out Noob Saibot for an element of surprise or in desperation, but I cannot say for sure if this will hold true. I do not wish to stray too far from my best characters. I can assure you, though; I know my stuff with this character. I did my fair share of exploration on Noob and his options fascinate me a great deal. You’d best pray I do not catch you in the corner, or it is game over.

Do you see online practice as a positive way to level up your game? Or do you think it opens up the possibility of not being fully accustomed to the offline setting?

I am a bit mixed on this topic. If you have a well-built offline scene, then online practice may not be needed; if you don’t, then you will need some way to keep yourself active in the game lest you slack and become unfamiliar with your options, regardless of how imbalanced the netcode is. I don’t recommend playing online too much since you won’t achieve a complete understanding of the match-ups there and you’ll find yourself developing habits that are altered by frame delays. Mortal Kombat 9 is the kind of game where even the smallest change in frame data can mean everything. Now if you intend to just be casual about the game, then by all means, play your online hearts out. Just be sure you have a solid connection and are prepared for irritations, heh heh.

Is this your first major? If so, what do you expect to accomplish when MLG Dallas is all said and done?

No, this is not my first major. For those who are unfamiliar with my exploits, EVO 2011 was the first huge tournament I ever got to attend. Much to my dismay, I did not even make it out of pools, and it left a hole in me that still has not healed. Given that it was my first foray into the big world of competitive gaming, the event held great importance to me and it carved out memories that I still cherish to this year. I vowed to attend EVO 2012 in an effort to absolve for the failure, but was unable to make it. Up until three months ago, I got to attend a few locals, but no majors. Finally my chance came during the Uppercut Circuit tournament in Texas, where I came out on top. Now, MLG Dallas is right around the corner, and it will be a test to see how far I have come ever since EVO.

Which of Sonya’s matchups are the worst in your opinion? What are your plans in the event that you come up against one of her bad matchups?

We Sonya players get asked this question often, since a lot of players say she has an answer to everything the game has to offer. Her worst match-ups are Kabal, Freddy Krueger, and Kenshi, and that is pure fact. There are potentially a few other characters who can annoy her as well, but not as much. I intend to use the casuals to grind out these uphill match-ups so that I may prepare for them, and if they prove to be simply unwinnable, I will have to put my trust in Raiden or Noob Saibot when the tourney begins.

What is your favorite part about running the D4Cast?

Bringing on these guests I meet with so that the community can get to know its own warriors. I feel that the more the community knows about its players, the tighter it will become. An even greater part of this show is the team I work with. They share a lot of common goals and interests and I am honored to have them there when I need them.

Will you continue to run your stream when Injustice releases?

Of course I will! After MLG Dallas wraps up, I have a massive overhaul in my streaming schedule coming soon. You can expect to see numerous fighting games streamed each week, as well as DownFourCast episodes including Tekken Tag 2 tutorials and discussions from my fellow co-hosts and Tom Brady. We are very excited for this new phase in our program. Just note one thing…the show is getting a name change. What exactly its new name is, you will find out in due course.

How long have you been making YouTube videos for Mortal Kombat?

If you mean for the MK franchise as a whole, I started my video career as of October 2010, when I was an online player for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. If you’re referring solely to MK9, then I am happy to say that I have released videos consistently ever since the day it was released. I’ve touched upon arcade ladder runs, run-throughs of Challenge Tower Mission 300, combo videos, online/offline gameplay videos, and even special tributes for the holidays and birthdays. I also plan to feature footage for other games in the future.

When will we see a TylerLantern/GamerBlake90 combo collaboration video?

Hopefully by the end of the year. I’ve completed a few combos for it, but still need to undergo some stress and hard work to get the rest of the project done. I admit that I put off its completion due to other matters, but I swear it will be done. Tyler and I intend to make this project a huge success

What are some of your favorite moments since becoming an important part of the Mortal Kombat Community?

My goodness, there are far too many for me to describe here. Perhaps I will just share two such memories. One would be the time where I found my instincts of a commentator…that part of me came to life at EVO 2011. As I stood by and watched great fights in Room 985, I simply could not contain my passion for the game, and it seemed to sweep through everyone else’s spirits. I never realized how much I enjoyed the game until it happened.

Another moment was when I was riding away from Las Vegas in the bus with my friend DetroitBalln313. At the time we were both in the same clan (Crazy 88’s), and I felt very depressed having to leave behind EVO, but riding with Detroit helped to make it bearable. I hadn’t seen him since we parted ways at a bus station, but we kept in contact via the forums. Now, after over a year I’ll be meeting with him again at MLG Dallas. I cannot wait!

Why exactly did you decide to step away from the MK Community after the whole REO/Marvaz debacle? What led you to the decision of coming back?

I feel I must apologize for this. In addition to accumulating stress from personal situations outside the community, having to deal with nonsense from within the community itself made it feel even worse. When the aforementioned REO/Marvaz debacle went down after the first PSN tournament for MLG Dallas, I was saddened to see that instead of people feeling hype over the outcome as well as the possibilities of Madzin’s attendance for Dallas, there was extreme anger and a tense air of speculation regarding fraud and deceit. The XBL tournament had a similar outcome when Shujinkydink denied WoundCowboy his chance to reschedule their matches, and a heated feud arose between them. After watching and experiencing all kinds of bad situations, these served to be the last straw for me, so once I kept my word to Pig of the Hut and streamed the redo for his tournament, I stepped away to collect myself and concentrate on other matters.

It seems I focused too much on the negativity that would infect us at times. I understand that in life, you cannot always avoid such situations and you have to make the best of them. But alas, I have my limits and I had reached them…or so I thought. When I considered not going to MLG Dallas, I was persuaded by MaceWind to reverse that decision, and I am glad for that. There is also the fact that I am now an assistant operations manager for the Hardcore LAN Center stationed in Oklahoma City, where I manage online tournaments for the fighting game division and help to organize their offline events. I’ve had to pass through the forums to spread the word on our organization. Then you have me streaming DownFourCast episodes, and keeping in touch with my closest friends.

Through doing these things, I remembered what it was about the community that made me dedicate so much of my time to it. I never wanted to let go of that. So I suspended my “hiatus” and…here I am. To those who reminded me of the values I work for, thank you guys so much. The recent acts of generosity you all have pulled off reminded me of what we stand for. I’ll never lose faith in you guys again.

How anxious are you to get a runback with WoundCowboy after he defeated you in the PS3 MLG Dallas Online Tournament Re-Do?

The best way to describe my feelings on this would be a mixture of excitement and anxiety. WoundCowboy is a fearsome opponent. For our fights to have become as close as they did during the PSN tournament…I hated it that I was the one to make the mistake that cost me the whole thing. When we do fight, I’m going to give him every ounce of my attention and push myself like no other so that the outcome will be different. If DetroitBalln313 didn’t convince you guys that Shang Tsung is a viable character, Cowboy will give you all a wake-up call!

Do you foresee any tournament nerves considering you will be playing under the MLG spotlight?

Yes and no. I’ve become used to playing in tournaments no matter the stakes, but because this is my first MLG event, I am taking it very seriously. I may have fallen flat on my face in my first major, but I promise you all that I have no intention of going home early. I will fight tooth and nail to earn my credentials and come out on top!

Who are you most looking forward to playing during MLG Dallas weekend either in casuals or tournament play?

TylerLantern. We had known each other for three long years since meeting in the MKDC online lobby, and now we will meet offline for the first time. He is someone whom I have learned much from, and I am forever grateful to him for the role he played in my development as a player. I don’t think I’ll ever stop saying “thank you” to him when I see him, haha!

I also look forward to playing WoundCowboy, for a chance to redeem my loss to him in our PSN tournament and also for the fact that two Crazy 88’s from distant lands will get to chill and be cool with one another.

And Pig of the Hut deserves special mention, too. I had always helped him train online to prepare for some huge tournaments, and we worked together to organize many tasks geared towards improving our community. Like with Detroit, we hadn’t met since EVO 2011, but now our second meeting is at hand.

Of course I do look forward to playing the rest of the roster in MLG Dallas. Each of these fighters carries special qualities that define who they are. This tournament is gonna be one Hell of a show!

What are your thoughts about ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’? Is this a game that you will invest the same amount of time in as you did with Mortal Kombat?

To both questions, I really have no answer at this time. I’ll save it for when Injustice hits the shelves next year. I do know this for a fact: even if I should take a great interest in the game and play it competitively, it will not surpass MK9 in terms of priority for me.

Do you think Mortal Kombat will make another run at the EVO 2013 lineup?

That…is something that only our community can determine. As long as we maintain consistent turnouts at the big tournaments, I have faith that we can get our game a third year at EVO. And even if it does not make the line-up, I’ll go to EVO anyway. It’s just not the kind of thing one can pass up! You would need to live through that experience in order to understand. I’m still in a daze from what I experienced there in 2011.

What are your thoughts about international players like DR Gross and Madzin making the trip all the way to Dallas?

It fills me with glee and anticipation. Players from all over the globe coming to battle it out in Mortal Kombat? This just screams hype. I’m very happy to see our community reaching out to these players financially so that they may be given this chance, for they deserve it. The more countries that are represented in MLG, the better.

How do you think each of them will do in the actual competition?

Whenever I am asked about how well I believe I will do, I always say that I allow my skill to answer that question. This applies to Gross and Madzin also. Only they can answer that question through their performances. I will say that, given their accomplishments, it would be unwise to underestimate them.

I’ve seen a decent amount of people picking you to place top 8? What do you think about this? Are you a kind of player who can channel the hype that people are placing on you?

I simply must thank everyone who has expressed confidence in me. While I do not believe myself to be a top Sonya, it nevertheless honors me to be recognized as such, and I will fight my hardest so as not to disappoint you. (and no, I am not downplaying myself, please don’t kill me for saying that!) As for the hype…sir, if you’ve been following what I do in the community, you know that hype is one of my strongest points at these tournaments. It is intoxicating. It adds purpose to being a competitor. And I desire to experience that hype over and over again, be it through gameplay or commentary!

What are your top 8 predictions for MLG Dallas?

With a gathering as big as what we’ve got for this tournament, it would be foolish to assume anything. All of these players have immense talent to bring to the table. I shall therefore allow fate to unfold as it is, and hope that I can crack top 8 myself.

Lastly, is there anything that I didn’t add that you would like to? Any final words of hype or shout-outs?

I would like to convey a message.

Everybody who plays our game supports something that is greater than you realize. You are not just supporting a game, you are also paving the way for something where mankind’s desire to surpass one another in competition can shine at its brightest. That is one of the best things about being a competitive gamer and supporting the entertainment industry. Everyone is a part of something greater. Do not ever allow anyone to make you feel ashamed of what you choose to be. Chase that drive and break your bounds!

Shout-outs to all the friends I’ve come to know through being a part of the Mortal Kombat community! Shout-outs to the Hardcore LAN Center for bringing me onto their team so that we may breathe life into the Oklahoma scene. Shout-outs to the staff teams of Mortal Kombat United and Test Your Might for making their forums into what they are today. Lastly, shout-outs to all the clans, especially my beloved Crazy 88’s family. You all are awesome. I look forward to meeting every one of you! 

Pre-MLG Dallas Interview with WoundCowboy

WoundCowboy (Left)

Name - Ryan Gonzalez aka WoundCowboy

Age - 20

Fighting Out Of - San Jose, CA (NorCal)

Years Competitively Gaming - 1.5

Character(s) of Choice - Shang Tsung

Major Accomplishments - Winner of two locals, MLG Dallas Online PS3 Tournament, Winner of MLG Side Tournament

I’m here with the winner of the MLG Dallas PS3 Online Tournament, WoundCowboy.  How are you doing?

Pretty good, Crum. I feel ready and I can’t wait for this upcoming tournament.

How is your training for MLG Dallas coming along?

Well- I have mostly been working on a couple of matchups and on my execution and punishment. I have also been playing online with my usual partners.

Let’s go back to the original XBOX Live MLG Dallas Online Tournament you took part in (sort of).  For those who are unsure, what exactly took place during that tournament?

It went like this: I signed up for the tournament when it was slated to happen in early September, before I went back to school. But it got pushed back to after I returned to school, and I was forced to play on a restricted connection that only allowed me to connect to a small margin of people online. It became a problem against a few people, and I was forced to either forfeit or let somebody place in my place against those that I could not connect to. Eventually it was just me, J360 and Shujinkydink left in the tourney. Both J360 and I agreed to postpone the tournament for a few days until I could get back home and connect to everyone. But Dink refused to agree because the online tourney was scheduled for “today”. Eventually J360 forfeited due to Dink’s ridiculousness and I was forced to let Anti-Static play for me. Dink beat him and “won” the tourney without having to play me.

Do you have any bad blood with Shujinkydink due to what happened?

Yes, I was truly disgusted by what he did. LBSH, this guy RARELY beats me when we play and his excuses for not wanting to postpone kept changing. First it was “cheating the viewers” (virtually all of them were cool with the delay) and then it was because he didn’t have time for the ENTIRE week (even though he ended up on XBL all weekend after the tourney). He was so full of shit and it wasn’t at all difficult to see through it. It was totally uncool.

How disheveled were you when you found out he wouldn’t be attending MLG Dallas?

I am not surprised, honestly. He knows that he can’t compete with top players that can’t be gimmicked out by his low tier characters. I did want to play him just to solidify what I said and did in the PSN tourney and prove that his “win” deserved an asterisk.

Do you think you will ever get the necessary rematch that you deserve?

Probably not offline, but it really doesn’t matter much in my mind. There is no hype or drama in my mind because Me, Dink and everyone who is non-STB knows what would happen if we played.

How confident were you going into the PS3 Online Tournament Re-Do?

I was pretty nervous tbh. I love my XBL brothers but the competition on PSN is definitely more intense and I was a little shaken after the Xbox debacle. I just decided that I was going to play and try not to worry about the skill of my opponents.

Talk about some of the better and more entertaining matches that you took part in.

My best matches are usually against my online training partners such as Mygod and Dab. They are always close because we know each other well. My best match in tourney (sadly enough) was against Chris G at NCR. All of our matches were pretty close but I was able to beat his Reptile and take the set. My matches against 16 bit at EVO were pretty close but I made some critical mistakes and missed combos and punishes.

What is your opinion of the online for Mortal Kombat? Do you think it is reliable in regards to leveling up your overall game?

The online is pretty bad overall and even worse on PSN. It isn’t totally reliable but it is all that a player has when they are lacking a big scene. I have gotten to my current skill level by playing online (and cramming sets offline), so take that for what it is worth. You definitely can’t learn to reliably punish or move properly online.

What makes you a character loyalist with Shang Tsung? How long have you mained him?

Shang is my favorite MK character period. He is pretty much THE villain of the series and is totally evil and awesome. I have mained him since the game came out and I will never drop him. His playstyle never really mattered to me because I had zero competitive experience before MK9, so I built it around him.

Where do you think your Shang Tsung ranks among the other greats in the community like DetroitBalln?

I think that I have one of the best Shangs in the country, maybe even the best. Detroit is really good and is still the only Shang player to win a major (up to this point). However, I don’t think his Shang is built to fight every matchup like mine is. It is difficult to win with him, so it is understandable why Detroit hasn’t stuck with him and also why there aren’t many ST players. Lethal Legend, EMP Dark, and Khaotic Shang also have really good Shangs.

Do you have certain strategies set for Shang’s bad matchups? Or does it depend on who you are playing?

My Shang is built to fight every MU and I think I have a good sense of a player’s tendencies after a round or two. I do have a couple of backup characters if I need them, because some MU’s are REALLY difficult for him.

Give me a rundown of your time at EVO 2012 considering it was the last time you attended a major tournament.

EVO was great. I got to hang out with my Vegas friends (mostly Dab) and meet a ton of community members. I was relatively satisfied with my performance since I made it out of my pool, but I know that I could have made it further. Pboard took me out with Lao. Watching PL win again was also impressive.

Do you feel that you have leveled up since EVO?

Yes, I think I have gotten much better at the little things such as proper counter poking and at controlling my movement. I have also grinded a few MU’s and went in the lab with some new characters in order to gain a better understanding of them.

Have tournament nerves ever been a factor in your matches?

They were definitely a huge factor earlier in my tourney career, but have dropped off recently. I still get nervous but not like before; now I can focus. My biggest issue at tournaments is adjusting to the timing of the console and the monitor. I will make a big effort to adjust once I get to Dallas so that there is nothing stopping me from playing at my full potential.

There has been a trend of call-outs on my interviews as of late.  Care to add to the hype?

There are a couple of people that I need to fight against in Dallas, but Showtime is high on that list. His arrogance is unbelievable, especially when he tries to call a good player like mygod free. I respect KH and Showtime but he is in for a rude awakening if he thinks good players are free. Also, Pig: I’m coming for you!!

There have been a lot of people on Test Your Might that are picking you to place top 8.  What do you think about all of this hype? How will it affect your game play at MLG Dallas?

Since my nerves aren’t as high anymore I don’t think that I will feel especially pressured. Really, I have high expectations for myself and since I control my own tournament performance, everyone else’s opinion can’t influence how I play. The hype is great and I love playing against the top guys on a big stage; I will be ready and motivated.

For those who aren’t familiar with you, why should people be convinced that you will place top 8 MLG Dallas?

I am a good player that can hold my own against other good players- the results will speak for themselves. I am also dedicated to my character so nobody will catch me in a MU that I don’t know.

Do you think EVO 2013 will have Mortal Kombat on the lineup?

It would be really difficult for MK to make it again simply because of the number of new games (including NRS’s Injustice) coming out. It might appear as a side game though.

What is your take on Injustice? Is this a game you will be picking up?

Injustice has amazing potential. I think NRS has really been doing their HW and listening to the community, especially regarding balance and bug issues. It should be even better than this game. The only problem is that I am not particularly familiar with the DC universe beyond the big names. Nonetheless, I will definitely pick it up because I love this community and I have faith in NRS. I will definitely pick up a villain (probably Lex Luthor).

What are your thoughts about international players like DR Gross and Madzin coming from across the sea to attend MLG Dallas?

It is definitely good to get international players involved because they help add credibility to our scene and add to the competition.

How do you think their talent will stack up against the competition?

Unfortunately, I don’t think there is any way that they can prepare for the best that the US has to offer. Rarely in this game’s history has anybody challenged the big boys and won. They are good players but they will likely have an extremely difficult time and follow in the footsteps of their UK counterparts.

Who do you see placing top 8 at MLG Dallas?

I will not make any specific predictions since I am in the tournament, but I can say that there will be some surprises :)

Before we wrap this up, is there anything else that you would like to add to this interview?  Any final words of hype or shout-outs?

I would like to thank my online training partners mygod, Blak Felow (an underrated Reptile player), and my boy Dab. I would also like to thank Pig of the Hut for giving me another shot in the online tourney and for giving me the opportunity to take his money in Dallas ;) Shout outs to Blake and groups like EGP that help keep this game alive. Thank-you for the chance to express myself. See you all in Dallas!!

Thank you for the time WoundCowboy, best of luck at MLG Dallas.

Follow me for LIVE updates during MLG Dallas and for the rest of my interview: @NRC_CRUM

Photo credit to MLG Video Credit to Test Your Might

Pre-MLG Dallas Interview with EGP Tyrant

Tyrant (Right)

Name - EJ Williamson aka EGP Tyrant (Twitter - @EeeeJayyyy)

Age - 20

Fighting Out Of - River City, CA

Character(s) Of Choice - Jax

Major Accomplishments - Top 8 at EVO 2012, 4th at SCR 2011, 5th at MLG Spring Championship, 3rd at MLG Summer Fighter Arena

For those who aren’t clear, is it true that you do not own a copy of Mortal Kombat?

Yes it’s true. I do NOT own a copy.

Why is this?

Well I don’t exactly live the luxury life so money is hard to come by. I have responsibilities that come first before anything.

How are you able discover new techniques or even practice in general without having possession of the game?

I pretty much know the game mechanics well enough to think of new tech when I’m not playing. Then I test it out when I go play casuals with the WC crew.

Is it difficult to rely solely on occasional casual get-togethers to improve your abilities and maintain a high level of play?

It’s very difficult actually. Luckily I play other FG's just to keep my skills mentally up to par when I can’t play MK. Idk how I do it sometimes.

How long have you mained Jax?

The first week MK came out I wanted to main Sektor and have Jax as my secondary. I went my first EGP tourney and met XBlades for the first time...he bodied my sektor lol. Ever since that loss I’ve been using Jax 100% and I vowed to stick through the bad matchups. I personally think it makes you that much more mentally stronger when you use one character. It pushes you to the limit and your victories are much more satisfying.

Is there a correct way to use Jax? Or does it vary depending on the player?

Well Jax is a very momentum based character in my opinion. You have to keep some sort of pressure on your opponent whether it’s zoning or rushdown which makes him a versatile character. Be sure to utilize all of Jax's strings since most are safe.

CD Jr has recently stated on Twitter that, despite dropping Jax, he is still the best Jax player.  What is your response to this?

That cute ;)

Are you familiar with DAB?  If so, where does his Jax rank among the rest in the Mortal Kombat community?

DAB is beastly. He is definitely underrated in the community. I hope he's going to Dallas so everyone can see his Jax.

Have you found any new techs with Jax that will make you an even more lethal player at MLG Dallas?

I do have some new techs but I won’t reveal anything till after MLG Dallas. I haven’t really been posting in the Jax forums but ill post everything I know to all my Jax mainers. I promise you guys its actually NEW tech. Not stuff someone else found and is taking credit for...

Not many people thought you would place top 8 at EVO, what did it feel like to take Jax all the way to top 8 and defeat some extremely talented opponents?

It felt amazing. A certain someone (who will remain nameless) said I will never beat Maxter's Cage...and I did. People said I wouldn’t make out of pools and lose to Dizzy...I made it out in winners and beat dizzy. I honestly couldn’t care less what people think about me but I wanted to prove everyone wrong who doubted me at EVO.

You and GGA Dizzy have consistently gone back-and-forth in tournament play, what is your opinion on him as a player? Do you believe he is the best Johnny Cage player?

Most definitely, He works so hard on his Johnny Cage and he only gets better every tourney. I love playing him.

Looking ahead to MLG Dallas, what are you most excited for going into this tournament?

I’m looking forward to playing the Kombat Houston guys for the first time.

What is your overall goal at MLG Dallas? What will you need to do to accomplish this goal?

I’m going to go for the number 1 spot or at least top 3. My mind needs to be absolutely focused on the tourney and nothing else.

What would you say to the people going into Dallas that don’t see you as a major threat?

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Who do you see as your biggest threats going into this tournament?

Perfect Legend REO and Pig of The Hut.

Is there anyone in the Mortal Kombat community who you have yet to play in competition that you would like to?

I’ve always wanted to play Showtime and CD Sr.

What is your opinion on the future of competitive Mortal Kombat? Do you think it will make another appearance at EVO in 2013?

I believe it will be alive so long as the community shows love for the game. I'll still keep supporting it no matter what.

Have you been following the news about ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’? If so, what do you think of it? Will it be a game that you pick up?

Most definitely, I’m so hype for this game.

What moment in your competitive Mortal Kombat career would you say is your favorite?

I think it would be my EVO'11 match with OnlineTony. Probably the most hype I’ve ever been.

What tournaments will you be attending for Mortal Kombat after MLG Dallas?

My next tourney will probably be SoCal Regionals. After that I'll probably take a break from traveling.

Where do you expect to finish when MLG Dallas is all said and done?

I definitely see myself somewhere in top 8.

What is your opinion on Tomlulsbrady?

He's my number 1 fan since day 1. If I win has getting a shoutout.

Before we wrap this up, is there anything you would like to add to this interview? Any final words of hype or shout-outs?

I’m really looking forward to Dallas. I’m going to give it my all. West Coast, EGP is nothing to joke about. If you guys still underestimate our skill...you'll regret it when you're in the losers bracket. I’m done playing around. Time to take down these frauds.