Tag: fgc

CouchWarriors League Recap – May 2021

The fires of competition have burned more brightly than ever before across the CouchWarriors League, as we count down the days before the long-awaited BAM12 major. The month of May set a new all-time record for most ranking points on offer, impacting the race across all five CWL games.

In the past, the league rankings have often been dominated by a handful of regional champions who can reliably scoop their local tournament every time – but 2021 is looking different. Not only have we seen a few instances of top players traveling interstate to play spoiler for one event, but almost every game and region is seeing a more even spread of winners as the months roll on. It’s been the perfect way to foreshadow the inevitable clash for bragging rights we’ll see at BAM.

STREET FIGHTER V

Street Fighter May Results

Street Fighter V is likely still the most top-heavy national field, although no one name currently stands clearly above the rest. Defending CWL champion Ervin-Jason “pahnda” Garanovic took out the Queensland ranbat, holding Benjamin “Destiny74” Jakabfy off as he tried to repeat his breakthrough victory from April. Those two and Michael “GodlyEffect” Wright seem to be a step ahead of their competition this year, with Dale Roy the best of the rest as he finished 4th for the third month straight.

Down south, the Christian “ORDER|ROF” Dedalija comeback tour continued with another triumphant sweep of the Victorian ranbat. We also had a fresh face breaking up the podium as Austerzone took advantage of some earlier upsets to sweep into third place.

Xavier “DS|Somniac” Nardella fell to 5th in Victoria after one such upset, but his season continues to demonstrate the value of consistency. He once again backed up points at the ranbat with a huge run in the CouchWarriors Online Series, extending an undefeated netplay streak which has lasted months at this point.

Somniac stayed clean all the way through the bracket, including a smooth 3-0 over old rival Kevin “GG|bksama” Nguyen in Winners Finals. But the wheels finally came off in their Grand Final rematch. The matchup between the two evolved several times; bksama repeatedly chased down Somniac’s slippery Ed to take a set 3-1, prompting a more aggressive approach from Som after the reset. The adaptation was good enough to force a final game, but bksama found enough good hits to hang on for the win. With their head-to-head in games dead even for the night at 6-6, we can anticipate a real classic next time these two collide in a big offline set.

 

TEKKEN 7

Tekken results May

Tekken 7 saw even more hopefuls leaping into an already-packed points race, as noted Alisa lover Budget Chanel swept the Online Series event for his first 5 CWL points. Other fresh faces joined him in the top placings, including fellow grand finalist UoN|twygs and Thiogian “kamasutraspirit” Damalis.

Their appearance hampered the runs of championship hopefuls Harlem Barriball and Peter “Ravenboy” O’Flanagan, but like Somniac in SFV they were able to bolster those Online Series points with a second helping from the Queensland ranbat. There the Grand Finals saw a second consecutive showdown between kewlkats and Tom “yiggs” Ho, with Yiggs winning both sets to take the clear senior position in their rivalry.

Victoria’s contingent of players are beginning to fall a bit behind in the overall points race, due to less Online Series success and less consistent ranbat results. The one player holding firm month to month is DHT|Yagami, who successfully repeated his maiden win from April to easily lead the state going into their home major.

 

SMASH ULTIMATE

Ultimate results for May

I made big promises about the exciting state of Smash Ultimate heading into the 2021 season, and so far I doubt anybody is feeling disappointed. The breakout stars from 2020’s predominantly online tournaments trying to earn their place on the PR charts against the established stars of each state has been riveting narratively as well as a source of quality gameplay. Of course, the CWL Online Series remains home ground for many of these phenomenal young players, with WA’s Fryd Ryce especially prominent. He improved from 3rd to 2nd last month, and in May his rise proved to be inevitable as he took Grand Finals over our nation’s leading Lucario, chizzL.

After Fryd Ryce clutched the Pokemon battle in Winners Finals, chizzL reached into his insanely deep character pool for the eventual rematch. After failing to dent Fryd Ryce with Ridley or Wolf, chizzL seemed to really hit on something with Jigglypuff. His deft control to float around and even under thundershocks caused a stir in the commentary box, and some clutch rests were enough to take a game back. But Fryd Ryce steadied on his Lylat Cruise counterpick, and sealed an exciting victory to stay in the overall points race.

This season’s established “big 4” of Victoria continued to brawl over the top places in their latest meeting. Bradley “GZ|DD” Kun finally got one back against sometime doubles partner Jonathan “KANGA|Jdizzle” Douglas, who had taken the honours over DD in Grand Finals the last two months. With Jdizzle out of the way, DD just had to hold off CWL 2020 points leader Sebastian “GZ|SebPro101” Poli-Tabone to take home the win amidst an ultra-stacked Top 8.

In fact VIC was so stacked this month that it again spilled over into Queensland, where visiting VicHub PR honcho R!OT|THE GWIF made a big impression on their May ranbat. Kyra “Spammage” Corben ultimately defended the home state’s pride to secure a second consecutive win. Daniel “Recon” Guo made a big step up to secure a podium finish and leapfrog up the season rankings.

And while all of this goes on, reigning CWL Smash Ultimate champion Joshua “KANGA|Ghost” Francis continues to rack up the wins in Adelaide’s Cheese League monthlies. He’s now 3/3 for trophies there this season, in absolutely lethal form, and looks to already be a certainty for another Season Finale appearance in 2021.

 

SMASH MELEE

Melee results for May

Over in Smash Melee it’s actually the absence of the defending champion which promises the most interest for this season. With Sora taking a hiatus the Victorian crown is the subject of a running duel between Miles “LGC|DonB” Dobney and KANGA|Dekar. This month it was the Legacy veteran stepping up, with a win in the ranbat and a strong 2nd in an Online Series dominated by out-of-state ringers.

Queensland remained highly unpredictable, with neither the March nor April ranbat winners appearing in the Top 8 this time around. Instead Carlisle “Kami” Miller improved from 3rd last month to claim the maximum 10 ranking points, while a chorus of new names also entered themselves onto the CWL 2021 leaderboard.

 

DRAGONBALL FIGHTERZ

DBFZ results for May

DBFZ is the “new” game on the block for CouchWarriors League this season, but the community is very well established with some clear leading characters set up to control this inaugural championship.

Queensland’s rising star RelatingBeef registered back-to-back ranbat victories while relegating MitchN64 to the bridesmaid’s role for the third time this season. The 10 points weren’t free, however – RelatingBeef took a humbling loss to Phillip “APEX|Newspectre” Repia along the way. Newspectre also registered his first CWL points at the event with an eventual 5th place – something to build on in coming months.

RelatingBeef attempted to double up with a win in the CWL Online Series, but was thwarted by a strong field including noted netplayer the_racoonisme and interstate rivals from Victoria. Ray “Agent17805” Usanto in particular was poised to maintain the highest individual points total across all CWL games just by making Grand Finals – which he accomplished. But once he got there, “Agent Numbers” ran afoul of Nolbie, who made a big comeback to CWL competition this month.

Not only did Nolbie take the W in the Online Series, but we got to watch a repeat of the match in the VIC ranbat – also ending in defeat for Agent. This set Nolbie up against Agent’s long-time rival John “ZEDDD” Le, one of a handful of players good enough to make leaderboard for multiple games this CWL season. Nolbie proved the stronger in DBFZ however, completing a stellar overall performance for May.

 

That’s all the results from May’s CWL competition! With so many events every month, it’s important to keep checking the league website and smash.gg/league/couchwarriors-league-2021/ for the upcoming schedule. And remember #BAM12 is just a month away too – smash.gg/bam12 to register for the events there. See you all next month!

BAM12 Registration Roundup!

Get hype! The biggest AusFGC news of the year is the biggest AusFGC event of the year: BAM 2021.

Battle Arena Melbourne is making its comeback in 2021. Held from July 9th-11th, #BAM12 will feature the peak of competitive play for fighting games across Australia as part of the CouchWarriors League, as well as a rare chance for our top talent to battle world-class opposition. Expanding the gaming on offer, alongside BAM will be ITZ Gaming PC LAN (more on that below)!

BAM’s status as Australia’s top Major on the official circuits brings together players and broadcasters from all sorts of games, and CouchWarriors are going in even harder on that big-tent ethos with this year’s event. Whether you count yourself among the hardcore competitors, niche game specialists, casual fans, artists, cosplayers, or game developers, #BAM12 has something to offer.

 

You can buy your ticket to the show – $25 for spectators, $60 for competitors and casual play, along with sign up to individual events through the main portal at smash.gg/BAM12. Now, read on for a quick blow-by-blow of the individual attractions that will make this another amazing BAM!

Registrations are open now at smash.gg/BAM12

OPEN-ENTRY BRACKETS & COMMUNITY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The heart and soul of BAM, our TO’s will be running official brackets for the following games over the weekend: 

  • Street Fighter V: Champion Edition 
  • Tekken 7 
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Singles & Doubles) 
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee (Singles & Doubles) 
  • Guilty Gear Strive 
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ 
  • Mortal Kombat 11 
  • Soul Calibur VI 
  • Dead Or Alive 6 
  • Killer Instinct 
  • Rivals of Aether 
  • Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
  • Brawlhalla 

 

That’s a TON of chances for you to become a BAM champion this year! All of these tournaments will feature their own prizes, with timetables staggered across the weekend so you can fit in as many sets as possible. Schedule will be released soon.

 

We’re also producing a second schedule of community-led tournaments, featuring a broad cross-selection of cult-hit games, special rulesets and other fan favourite stipulations. Check the schedule closer to the date so you don’t miss out on these wild and wonderful side events!

 

ARTIST’S ALLEY RETURNS 

Artist's Alley announcement

After a great reception for the community artists appearing at past BAM events, we’re renewing our efforts to attract more amazing local creatives to table at BAM12! However, table space will still be limited compared to a normal convention, so make sure you fill in your application at the link below ASAP (closes June 18th).
Those artists who do secure a spot will be showcasing their work to the entire Australian FGC, as well as the audience of the ITZ Gaming LAN event n! The Artist’s Alley is open to creatives from a variety of disciplines, even if their work doesn’t focus on fighting game characters. We just want to see some incredible art at BAM12!

bit.ly/BAM2021Artists

 

BAM12 INDIECADE

Indiecade announcement

Indie game developers have a special reason to have their work appear at BAM. We’re eager to promote the work of local devs who are creating all genres of game to shine before our huge audience of passionate gamers. While it doesn’t have to be a competitive game, indie devs who have presented at BAM before have relished the insightful feedback on mechanics and game balance from attendees. Fill in the application form below (closes June 6th) to negotiate space for your demo or other preview in our dedicated indiecade space on the main BAM floor! 

bit.ly/BAM2021IndieArcade 

 

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer applications open

Of course, every BAM runs on the skill, charisma and pluck of our heroic volunteers – community members who take the chance to help ensure that the event lives up to its long tradition of excellence. Volunteers get free spectator passes and can also register normally as a competitor – we will work with you to ensure that your volunteer duties don’t clash with your tournament matches! We also treat volunteers to food & drink throughout the weekend, and access to the famed BAM afterparty once the festivities are all wrapped up. It takes all-hands-on-deck to run an event of this size, so fill in the form below, join our TO staff and loyal community, and do your bit to make BAM12 a hit!

bit.ly/BAM2021Volunteer

 

STREAMING TO FANS AT HOME AROUND THE WORLD

As befits the status of an international Major, BAM12 will feature simultaneous streaming broadcast for many of the official brackets, as well as some community tournaments! A list of the main games and streams is below, with full details to be announced closer to the event. Note that some official world series events will instead be featured on the international channels for those circuits.

twitch.tv/couchwarriors – Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat 11

twitch.tv/couchwarriorssmash – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Singles & Doubles)

twitch.tv/melbournemelee – Super Smash Bros. Melee (Singles & Doubles)

twitch.tv/couchwarriors2 – Dragonball FighterZ, Guilty Gear Strive

Further channels for more events to be announced

 

ALL THE MAKINGS OF GREATNESS

Pulling off Australia’s biggest fighting game event ever isn’t easy – but luckily, CouchWarriors has received gracious support for #BAM12 both within the community, and without. We have the tireless efforts of the CouchWarriors committee and regional organizers to thank, along with all of our outstanding volunteers who will be giving their time to make BAM a reality. Our long-time PC hardware sponsor Mwave have once again pledged their support to the event as well as the broader CWLeague tournament season. 

Mwave Sponsorship announcement

Furthermore, this year marks a new partnership with ITZ Gaming LAN – their 1000-seat BYOC LAN will be taking place under the same roof as #BAM12 over the same weekend. We have arranged for both events to be open for spectators from the other side – giving attendees the chance to take in even MORE exciting tournament action, as well as our range of exhibiting artists and Indiecade developers! Check out ITZ Gaming on social media for further details, or to book a BYOC spot for their event.

 

It’s going to be an absolutely frenetic weekend, a momentary gaming paradise under one massive roof. Don’t forget to register on smash.gg/BAM12 – and we’ll see all of you in July!

 

CouchWarriors League 2021 – The Season So Far!

Get ready for the next battle – because CouchWarriors League is back for 2021!

Rising from the ashes of last year like a wakeup shoryu, Australia’s first unified fighting game circuit has begun a fresh season, now with more games and more events to compete in!

With monthly ranbat events in four state centers and the revamped CouchWarriors Online Series, there’s a huge expansion in the amount of season points available – which seems destined to produce a much tighter title race in each of the five featured fighting games.

Read more

CWL November Report – Melee & Tekken

The pivotal final month of Saturday online events for CouchWarriors League 2020 has delivered a barrage of top-flight competition, with three games having concluded their ranking seasons so far. The last two weekends were a study in contrasts; Smash Melee was reduced to a victory lap for an unstoppable champion, while Tekken 7’s overall season winner wasn’t decided until the very last blow!

Read more

CWL November Report – SFV

This strange, abbreviated but intense 14-event season of CouchWarriors League SFV came to a head on Saturday with the final CWL Online for the year. Doubled ranking points meant stakes were high, with the ladderboard leaders desperately holding onto the cash bounties attached to their top 3 spots. Even those well outside the top 3 were playing for keeps, since reaching the Grand Final here would be enough to earn another shot at the money in next month’s Season Finale. The competition has been fierce all year long, but now the finals atmosphere was palpable as players busted out pocket picks and some elite ringers showed up to snare qualification.

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CWL October Report – SFV & Melee

The 2020 CouchWarriors League is well onto the home stretch, and halfway through October competition we can really see who is pulling ahead among the top contenders for each game.

Both the Street Fighter bracket on the 3rd and the Melee competition on the tenth pulled 24 attendees, giving us short but extremely fierce tournaments. It seems like after the initial boom of contenders entering following the double-points announcement, we have once again crunched the numbers down to just those players with the most points, or the most self-confidence. Read more

CWL September Report – Tekken

As we covered in our last report, the leaderboards for the inaugural CouchWarriors League had been shaken up by the announcement this year’s remaining tournaments would offer double ranking points. The Tekken 7 race was already close; now it was virtually open season.

Despite the heightened stakes – further amplified by this event’s inclusion under the official PAX Online banner – the spike in registration witnessed in other CWL Online events this month didn’t materialize. This bracket saw a bump in quality rather than quantity – Naveed “Kanga|Chand NY” Iqbal signing up for his first CWL Online event of the season, while “Moose” from SA entered for the first time since April. Two of the very best in the nation, the double points incentive had finally forced them to pick up the sticks again in defense of their leaderboard rankings.

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CWL August Report – Tekken 7

Out of the four major games covered as part of the CouchWarriors League, Tekken 7 continues to be the most unpredictable and hotly contested. Months of national competition in these online events has failed to show a single dominant champion. Instead, a host of talented and dedicated players are constantly one-upping each other as they struggle to reel in the points totals amassed by ranbat winners in the first months of the year.

Six grinders in particular have been consistently scooping top points; Lucky Chloe main Chris “Stuckles” Stuckey, Queensland champion “Harlem”, community mainstay Kun-Mo “FAM|Gun_Mo” Yon,  Master Raven players Raphael “FAM|Daitooka” Batskos & Peter “Ravenboy” O’Flanagan, and online warrior “arbiter”. Read more

CouchWarriors League Online Results – July

Another awesome month of online competition brings new developments to the CWL leaderboards!

The weekly CouchWarriors League Online events each focus on one of the major games supported by the League, with the placegetters receiving League points as part of our ongoing tournament season. Our monthly winners also received Steam vouchers from CouchWarriors.

A handy reference for our online tournament schedule during the pandemic period is on Twitter. You can always check the current standings for each game and player in CouchWarriors League here.

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