Fighting game fans have had this weekend circled on their calendar for some time, as Combo Breaker 2019 goes down from May 24-26. The massive event features 23 different tournaments over three days and will draw some of the best players in the world for all 20 games that will be on display.
Keeping track of everything over the course of Combo Breaker is near impossible but that is why we are here.
Keeping track of everything over the course of Combo Breaker is near impossible, but that is why we are here. Here are some of the top games and what you should be on the lookout for this weekend at the Mega Center.
Mortal Kombat 11
Combo Breaker 2019 will be the first major litmus test for the future of Mortal Kombat 11.
Mortal Kombat 11 is still finding its footing in the FGC since the game’s release in April. Unsurprisingly, a who’s who of the best MK players will be in attendance at Combo Breaker, including Dominique “SonicFox” McLean.
SonicFox was undoubtedly the best MKX player in the world and has already proven to be the one to beat in MK11. SonicFox absolutely dominated at the Summit of Time, the first major MK11 tournament, earlier this month, dropping just one game in the entire singles tournament while maining Jacqui Briggs. Aside from winning the main event, SonicFox also won the random tournament, proving his overall skill with nearly every character in the game.
Keep a close eye on Daris “DR Gross” Daniel during Combo Breaker. Though he claimed one of the final spots at the Summit of Time thanks to fan voting, DR Gross was one of the true powerhouses of that event, only losing to SonicFox and Ryan “Dragon” Walker – the two players who finished first and second.
Tekken 7
The Tekken World Tour has been more competitive than it has been in a long time.
The Tekken 7 scene has taken an interesting turn as of late with six different competitors winning the past six premier of major events. For the first time in over a year, there may not be a front runner entering a big Tekken tournament.
One of the reasons for this interesting mix of victories has been the downturn of Bae “Knee” Jae Min. Knee is coming off one of the most dominant years in esports history, winning eight of the 11 Tekken 7 events he competed in. However, he has finished in the top three just once in 2019, which has him sitting 22nd in the Tekken World Tour Standings.
Potentially the most consistent player on the Tekken World Tour, Sun-woong “Lowhigh” Yoon enters Combo Breaker as the favorite. Lowhigh has finished at least fourth in four of the five Tekken 7 events he has attended this year and is coming off an excellent showing at ROXnRoll Korea 2019. That excellent play is not likely to stop, especially until someone proves they can consistently deal with his Shaheen.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
For Smash fans, Combo Breaker offers the opportunity to see some fresher faces with many of the biggest names in the scene sitting this one out. This is largely because Get on My Level took place last weekend, leading many top players to choose GOML over Combo Breaker.
Maybe the biggest name in the field is Eric “ESAM” Lew. ESAM is coming off an impressive third-place finish at GOML, riding his beloved Pikachu to the Loser’s Final. The American player struggled upon the release of Ultimate due to the fact that Pikachu simply wasn’t that good. But patches to the game have since made Pikachu a more viable option and a better option than Pichu.
EAM’s stiffest competition comes from his doubles partner, Jestise “MVD” Negron. ESAM and MVD might be the best doubles team in the world but both have proven they can hold their own. MVD – who beat ESAM in Don’t Park the Grass in December – mains Snake and can create issues for anyone who can’t deal with his zoning. And considering they play together so much, it would be a lot of fun watching these two face-off with a lot on the line.
