It’s another great weekend for fighting games as Final Round 2018 kicks off in Atlanta today. There’s going to be a lot of top players in attendance, which means a full slate of incredible fighting game action to take in. Here’s a little preview of what’s going down at Final Round.
An Exhibition for the Ages
Kicking things off is an exhibition in Dragon Ball FighterZ that is weeks in the making: Dominique “SonicFox” McLean vs Goichi "GO1" Kishida. The budding rivalry began back at Mix-Up Night #37 just before Winter Brawl 12, when GO1 laid down the gauntlet to the American fighting prodigy:
SonicFox responded by winning the DBFZ tournament at Winter Brawl 12, screaming “GOICHI, YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD”, then tweeted this response:
GOICHI COME. IVE BEEN MEANING TO TAKE YOUR HEAD AND SHOW YOU WHOS PERFECT https://t.co/wQOfFEHVjr
— Echo Fox | SonicFox @ FR 2018 (@SonicFox5000) February 24, 2018
The official Final Round twitter then announced the exhibition (and custom poster) with a Tweet of its own:
Friday, March 16th - 6pm EST #FR2018 ft10 @sonicfox5000 VS @go13151
— Final Round (@ATLfinalround) March 12, 2018
YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS #DBFZ pic.twitter.com/7FkIUroDsl
The rest, as they say, is history. Will SonicFox defend his home turf in Atlanta against GO1, or will the Japanese sensation follow up his challenge with a win? We’ll find out at Final Round.
Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Second Round
After an impressive showing at Winter Brawl 12, Dragon Ball FighterZ looks to have lost very little momentum with 314 players getting ready to do battle at Final Round. One key player to watch is Christopher “NYChrisG’ Gonzalez, who placed runner-up to SonicFox at Winter Brawl 12 and is looking for redemption. There was no big-time exhibition at Winter Brawl however, so maybe NYChrisG can take advantage of a possibly tired champion.
Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite Continues to Make Its Case
Despite being left out of the EVO 2018 lineup the latest Marvel vs Capcom game continues to bring in solid attendance at fighting tournaments. Only Street Fighter V, DBFZ, and Tekken 7 have more players than MvC:I at Final Round, ahead of EVO selections Injustice 2 and Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2. With continued support from the community, MvC:I may be able to rise from the ashes, and Final Round could be a major part of that resurgence.
Tekken 7 Showcases Its Top Talent
Final Round is hosting a ton of tournaments over the next weekend, but few are as star-studded as the Tekken 7 competition. Jae-min “Knee” Bae is coming off of his return victory at EVO Japan 2018 and looking to take another title, while longtime Tekken competitors and Echo Fox teammates Kim "JDCR" Hyun Jin and Jin Woo “SAINT “Choi look to cut this tournament down at the Knee(s). With close to 300 participants Tekken 7 is the third largest tournament at the event, but don’t be surprised if those 300 end up coming down to these three.
Street Fighter V: The EVO Preview
If you thought Tekken 7 brought the heat to Final Round, Street Fighter V would like to have a word with you. Here are just a few of the 373 entrants in this Street Fighter slugfest:
- EVO Japan 2018 Champion Lee “INFILTRATION” Seon-woo
- EVO 2017 Champion Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi
- Capcom Cup 2017 Champion Saul Leonardo Mena “MenaRD” Segundo
- Capcom Cup 2016 Champion Du “Nuckledu” Dang
- Ryota “Kazunoko” Inoue
- Daigo “The Beast” Umehara
- EVO 2017 Runner-Up Victor “Punk” Woodley
Imagine being a first-time competitor at Final Round and seeing that murderer’s row of talent standing between you and the championship. Final Round could set the tone for the entire Street Fighter V 2018 season, and we’re excited to find out who will rise to the occasion.
Whoever comes out on top in the mayhem, Final Round 2018's competitions from top to bottom is looking exceptional to say the least. There's no doubt that we can look forward to a full weekend of good fighting fun, glory, and devastation.
