Pre-MLG Dallas Interview with GGA 16 Bit

Name - Steve Brownback aka GGA 16 Bit (Twitter - @Osu16bit)

Age - 31

Fighting Out Of - Chicago, IL

Years Competitively Gaming - 7

Character(s) of Choice - Kitana

Major Accomplishments - 1st at SoCal Regionals, Top 8 at MLG Anaheim, Top 8 at EVO 2011, Top 8 at UFGT8

Hello 16 Bit, nice to speak with you again.  How is your training for MLG Dallas coming along?

Hello and thanks for the chance to do this interview. My training for MLG Dallas has been pretty standard. To me it doesn't really matter if a big tournament is coming up. I am dedicated and serious about training at GGA and home regardless. My game plan for Dallas is the same as it was for Anaheim and Raleigh. Meaning I am emo and convinced I am going to get bodied but then will try to find some way to sneak into the top 8.

First things first, how hard have you been working on the Reptile matchup?

It's one of the MU I play the most lately. Possibly second after Johnny Cage. The problem is I don't seem to be making much ground in it. I have improved at the execution aspects like punishing dash on block and interrupting EX Dash with d+3 but it still remains an uncomfortable MU to play. Ironically, HAN and I ran the Kitana/Reptile MU a lot before Season's Beatings to prepare for THTB and Chris G and in the end it was HAN himself I had to play. Young Wafflez took care of Chris G for me and THTB didn't show up because his wife wouldn't let him or something. 

What is it about Reptile that causes you trouble?

It's about the lack of control. What makes Kitana good is her footsies and ability to control a MU with her zoning and range. Reptile has answers for these and with the threat of Dash and the Forceball he has the control. She is forced into a reactionary role. It's easy to say "well just block and punish the dash". 2 is an 11 frame move, it is a tight punish. The dash punish must be the most downplayed punish in MK9. Reptile players blow you up for suggesting it's a hard punish yet in all the tournament footage you see dashes go unpunished constantly. Even with the characters that have an easier time punishing it than Kitana. Let's be serious here. You need to be looking for it. Even when you're on point with the punish the threat of it is a powerful tool that compliments his rushdown game. Then there's the Forceball. My master Chris G figured this out ages ago. The Forceball is basically Guile's Sonic Boom. You put the ball out and follow it. It's basically a free way to get in. Add his good cross-up defense, fast back walk speed to out space f+2,1 his d+4 to stuff 2,1 and his tools for punishing Ass and you have an obnoxious MU. As always I need to put the Reptile community on blast for their serial downplaying. STOP. They're the worst. 

What is a worse matchup for you, Kenshi or Reptile?

Kenshi is unquestionably a tougher MU for Kitana. Even though I hate Reptile and spend roughly half my time in stream chats ranting about him I would rather have two top Reptile players in my bracket at MLG than Pig. With Reptile it's easier to figure out a player's weakness and exploit it than Kenshi, who is seemingly a fortress built to stop the princess. Reptile is a more awkward MU; Kenshi is straight forward but is still tougher.

You had a tough break at Seasons Beatings, other than losing to HAN, talk about some of your matches from earlier in the day.

My two notable matches before being eliminated were beating Master D and Carl once again beating the bejesus out of me. I was confident against Master D. I knew from playing him at EVO that he did not have much Kitana experience. I basically just used all my gimmicks and tricks and he was overwhelmed. The same thing happened to all of CoCo. There is no Kitana in Ohio so they weren't ready for the onslaught of jk~fan and d+1~cutter horseshit. They're good players but Kitana blows you up if you're not used to her. I almost feel bad for them. No, wait, I don't. M2Dave eliminated me from EVO 2012 and this was his just deserts.

Is it safe to say that Perfect Legend is the toughest Kabal matchup for you?

Carl is by far the toughest Kabal I've played. He is not the best Kabal overall but he is the best in that MU for sure. He is also the best Kung Lao and Raiden in that MU. I am not exactly sure how much is the way Carl plays Kitana specifically or if he just has my number as a player.

How does he compare to what REO brings to the table against you?

To me the biggest difference between playing Carl and REO's Kabal is that Carl does not fear or respect Kitana AT ALL. He is completely willing to get in and go nuts. He just doesn't give a fuck. Carl's fast paced style really takes me out of my comfort zone. 

I think hype is one of the best aspects of the Mortal Kombat community, what is your defining moment of hype in your competitive MK career?

I will give you my top 5 list in order.

5. SoCal Regionals. "Tom Brady I'm coming for you!"
4. Devastation. Making an insane comeback against B W1zz then getting on the mic and popping off on Sao and Dr. Dogg. 
3.MLG Anaheim. Beating REO to make top 8 and going ape.
2.EVO 2011 top 16. Charging into the wall like the Juggernaut after beating Konqrr in the Kitana mirror and making top 8.
1.EVO 2011 top 8. Winning game 2 against Online Tony, doing the fatality, then standing up and doing the chest pound pop off for the first time.
 
Shout out to Tom Brady for my favorite that doesn't involve me, which was after he beat Forever King at PowerUp. "Fuck you west coast....and fuck you Pig of the Hut!".

Which GGA member would you say has the best shot at finishing in 1^st at MLG Dallas?

I believe Dizzy is capable of beating anyone on any given day. REO, Detroit and Pig are probably the biggest road blocks for him. At this point, there are so many great players it's coming down to matchups (both player and character) and the any given Sunday factor. We could get a favorable bracket and get into top 8 winners just as easily as we get a bad draw and don't make top 8. I also believe HAN and Moe are capable of upsets and could both be in the top 16.

Who are you looking forward to going head-to-head with at MLG Dallas?

I want to play MIT the most. It's been a year and a half and we've actually never played. Not in tournament or casuals. He is probably the best player I've never played. I also like his hype and he's one of the only Reptile players that aren’t a filthy downplayer. Maxter is another I'm eager to play. We've never met in tournament and only played casuals at Final Round. I feel I've reached another level since then. If we played I'd want to play his Johnny Cage. 

What does it feel like to play a fellow GGA member in a tournament?

You never want to send your own team mate to losers or home. On the other hand, at least one of us would be sure to move on. For me it's especially bad since my strength as a tournament player is based on Kitana BS. These guys know the MU so well. I actually have to think and outplay them. It's so irritating. It would be unfortunate if Dizzy and I had to play at MLG Dallas in a match to make top 8. The poor guy would be in a no win situation. If he loses I'd be feeling myself and he'd have to hear my boasting. If he wins then he's made top 8 but now has made me emo and has to deal with that. 

Who do you see as your biggest threats in the actual tournament?

There are many players who I think are as good as me or a little better. Carl and Pig are the two that make me feel free. They're the guys I absolutely want to avoid. CD bros, REO, Terry Bros, Tyrant, ect. They’re all threats. To be honest I worry and panic about everyone. I've never had a pool assignment where I've looked at it and was happy. 

If you could play one other character other than Kitana, who would it be?

If you mean who I would play if Kitana was not in MK9 then the answer is Mileena. She is the next best thing. I play her as an alt in casuals and enjoy playing her and think she is cool. If you mean if I wasn't going to be loyal to Kitana and pick up a character for tournament play it'd probably be Kung Lao. He would be an easy secondary to learn and I'd use him against Kenshi. If I was going to just have a completely new main it would be Kabal. We should all be maining Kabal. 

Do you think Mortal Kombat will make another appearance at EVO next year?

It probably depends on if they're expanding. If the're going with the standard 5-6 games it isn't likely but if they're going to feature more it has a shot. Injustice is almost a shoe in so hopefully that helps MK's case. Injustice will be big and people would enter MK if it was there too even though it would no longer be their main game.

Here’s a hypothetical scenario for MLG Dallas, 16 Bit vs. Crazy Dominican in a Kitana mirror match, what happens and why?

I am confident I would win. I probably practice the game and play her more than him and the mirror match suits my strengths as a player over his. Zoning is good and a lot of his rushdown, jumping and counter poke shenanigans are shut down by her own tools. On the other hand, I can make no guarantees. CD is fundamentally strong and understands this game at a very high level and the mirror is awkward and rarely played. If we do play again I'm not sure he'd even use Kitana. He may try Skarlet again or Freddy. CD doesn't seem like the kind of guy that's going to play a MU for the sake of hype or TYM "Kitana of America" drama. I probably care way more about that than him. 

I’m going to give you a list of characters, tell me who you believe is the best with each:

Reptile – MIT

Cyrax – Maxter

Sonya – Showtime

Ermac – Big D

Kabal – REO

Kenshi –Pig of the Hut

Kung Lao – Perfect Legend

Jax – Tyrant

Will MLG Dallas be the last time Mortal Kombat sees the major spotlight?

It's up to us. Reaching the cap for MLG Dallas was a big deal. Let's keep it up. I am not ready for this game to die and I'm tired of hearing about how it's on its death bed. I intend to play this game even after Injustice is out. 

Who do you think are some of the underrated names coming into MLG Dallas that are being overlooked?

Crazy Dominican comes to mind. This guy made top 8 over and over again for a year and now has placed 13th and 9th at EVO/MLG and is considered "washed up"? Insuperable, Wound Cowboy, Cat, Dab and Scar are guys I could see placing top 8 that haven't before. Krayzie could breakthrough, he got 9th at EVO. For some reason he seems really inconsistent, like sometimes he can hang with the WC's best and other times he's getting bodied. If he brings it like he did at EVO he could do well. He is very cheap.

Where do you expect to place when MLG Dallas is in the books?

My expectation is to make top 16. I don't know my odds of top 8. I did it twice; getting that luck a 3rd time is pushing it. Somehow I seem to wake up and play my very best at MLG though.  

What would it take for you to walk away from MLG Dallas as a satisfied competitor?

I would have to win losing no games for me to be completely satisfied. Even then I'd probably beat myself up for losing rounds and not babying every opponent. Emo is my natural state. I'm perpetually disappointed in myself, insecure about my skill level, and starving for props. If I get 7th again I'll say I'm bad because I'm capable of "only" making 7th. If I get top 4 I'd complain that I could have won but didn't. If I won I'd assume it was just Kitana, she is too good, or I got a lucky bracket, or everyone was off. Basically if I make top 8 again I'll be happy for about a week until I got CAGED at home again or lose in an insignificant local tournament and then I'd be back to being emo. I've been trying to get over this whole emo thing but I can't help myself. 

Which tournaments to you plan on attending after MLG Dallas?

NEC. Frosty Faustings in Chicago, SoCal Regionals and Final Round for sure. Maybe one other, I would like to travel to each region one more time before Injustice drops. 

What do you recognize as your favorite memory as a competitive Mortal Kombat player?

Top 8 at Evolution 2011. Being on that stage and looking out to the crowd was incredible.

Will we see another episode of the Kombat Tomb Podcast anytime soon?

No. 

Before we wrap this up, I would like to get a top 8 prediction out of you. Who are some of the players you are expecting to place top 8 at MLG Dallas?

I am not going to make top 8 predictions because they're always wrong. It's the only thing consistent about the MLG results. 

Is there anything you would like to add to this interview? Any final words of hype or shout-outs?

Shout outs to everyone who sent me birthday props. Shout outs to everyone at GGA. Shout outs to everyone I talk to, you know who you are. Shout outs to reaching the cap for MLG. Shout outs to Injustice; make sure you pre-order your copy today.

Thanks for the time Steve, I wish you luck at MLG Dallas and I appreciate the continued support for these interviews.

Follow me on Twitter @NRC_CRUM for more interviews like this.  Also check out the rest of my blog for my previous interviews.

Photo credit to MLG and video credit to GGA HAN