The Evolution Championship Series took place in Las Vegas over the weekend, where scores of fighting game players clashed for the title of ‘world champ’ in their respective games. The three-day competition was full of its fair share of surprises, upsets, and excitement as the matches went on.Â
An early surprise for the tournament was the elimination of the number one ranked Ultra Street Fighter IV arcade player, Daigo Umehara, on the first day of competition. His early exit was not the only shock, as the EVO 2012 SSFIV champ Infiltration was also sent home early in pools.
Tekken Tag Tounament 2 crowned JDCR its world champ with his winning duo of Heihachi and Armor King. Injustice: Gods Among Us was decided mid-weekend with Sonic Fox defeating Pig of the Hut’s General Zod with Batgirl. King of Fighters XIII ended with a final battle between noted tournament players Tokido and Xiao Hai, with Xiao Hai winning it all.
The action severely kicked up on a notch on Sunday, during which a majority of the top eight finals matches would take place. Blazblue: Chronophantasma came down to Garireo and Dogura duking it out in two sets of matches, with Garireo emerging with an emotional win using Litchi. The Killer Instinct tournament saw CD Jr. crowned the world champ, an impressive improvement from his second-place in Mortal Kombat 9 during the 2012 EVO event. The 2013 EVO Smash champion, C9Mango, was able to catch the title a second time in a row in the Super Smash Bros. Melee competition.
The Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tournament became a battle between several previous champs including Chris G., Filipino Champ, and Flocker. Justin Wong managed to best them all and emerge the world champion; marking his first total victory in a Marvel vs. Capcom title since his win in MvC2 during EVO 2010.
Ultra Street Fighter IV no doubt harbored the most intensity and drama. Known for being dominated in previous years by Japanese and Singaporean players, the bracket was reset by French player Louffy using an impressive Rose against one of the highest ranked Sagat players in the world, Bonchan. Louffy ended up winning 3-1, becoming the first European to take a Street Fighter IV EVO championship series title.
