DREAMHACK AUSTIN 2016 PREVIEW

One of the most exciting appearances this weekend will be Kenneth “KBrad” Bradley. The Cammy main is coming off a strong victory in Canada at EGLX. Though the East Coast native had several strong performances during his tenure in Street Fighter IV, he was never able to clench a major win. However, even in SF V’s infancy, KBrad has managed to show that he’s a force to be reckoned with. His strong combo game has carried over with V’s new mechanics and he has shown impressive results early on.

Heading up the West Coast contingent is Capcom vs SNK legend Ricki Ortiz. With multiple podium finishes at Evo under her belt, Ricki is one of the most practiced veterans in the North American scene today. Utilizing a skillset acquired from multiple games, Ortiz has a unique style with a variety of mixups, allowing her to throw her opponents off guard. Ortiz is also a master of the neutral game, using her strong spacing to find minute openings in her opponents’ defense. Similar to KBrad, Ortiz has shown strong play in SF V thusfar, and is certain to be a threat at Dreamhack.

Rounding out the East Coast crew is Eduardo “PRBalrog” Perez. Another relative newcomer to the top level of the Fighting Game Community, Perez first made a name for himself by placing top 8 in the first Evo for Street Fighter IV. He cemented that name in the history of the scene by continuing to rack up multiple top 8 appearances over the game’s lifespan. Though Balrog has since gotten a full time job and lessened his time commitment to the game, he still remains a strong contender for any event that he enters. Perez’s trademark aggression and rock solid fundamentals have transferred over to the new title and have given him great promise.

Lastly… Justin Wong. No other name in the West carries the same weight in the FGC as Wong’s. A living legend, Justin has more Evo titles than any other player in history. It isn’t a stretch to call him the greatest fighting game player of all time. Street Fighter V is no exception to this. Wong is currently ranked 2nd on the Capcom Pro Tour circuit, falling just below Infiltration. In every event that he’s entered, Wong has made deep runs, showcasing his mechanically perfect play. He continues to advance the Karin meta with each match, carving his name ever deeper into the history of the FGC. With a string of strong performance leading up to this weekend, Wong is poised to take his first major tournament victory in SF V.