I’m a pacifist by nature, but boy, do I love a good fight. Hear me out—when you see a spectacle that gets the blood pumping, paired with a passionate crowd, even the most caffeine-fueled, sleep-deprived bystander would get hyped. What started as a day with some unavoidable technical difficulties ended with a night filled with great moments and storytelling.
Tale of the Tape
Leading up to the event, we had Team Hadoshoryu at the top of the pack, coming in with a twice-to-beat advantage due to being in the winner’s bracket. Originally composed of MinuhanaVT, Chiaki Rei, HadoShoryu, Pneumo_NDRS, and ANDRO_DioneVT, the team had to make last-minute adjustments. Due to scheduling and location issues, Goth3412, Meekopod, and VeegPP subbed in for MinuhanaVT and HadoShoryu.
For context, each team consisted of five members, with one representative per division: Fresh Egg, Softboiled, Scrambled, Hardboiled, and Omurice. Fresh Eggs were enthusiasts who understood the game, ramping up to Omurice, who were the team coaches and veteran players.
On the other side of the bracket, coming all the way from the loser’s side, was Team Yagami, composed of Syluse, Stratego, Yagami, Ashley Cloud, and Kirae_Tomaru. However, due to scheduling conflicts, KaosTheCosmicBeing (all the way from Vietnam) and Cyannevil subbed in for Yagami and Kirae, respectively.
A noteworthy aspect of this tournament was that both teams had substitutes from their opponents. Not only did the guests participate, but even other international players stepped up to represent their adversaries, showcasing strong community ties that transcended competition.
Tournament Proper
The tournament started with delays due to venue issues, but thankfully, it pushed forward without a hitch, thanks to the overwhelming crowd support and the nearby Tekken community sharing the love.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the round-per-round matchups, starting from Fresh Eggs all the way to Omurice.
Fresh Eggs – Syluse vs. Goth3412
Championing two franchise favorites—Mai Shiranui from the Fatal Fury series and Juri from Street Fighter IV—Syluse and Goth put their hearts into the match, with their love for the characters shining through. In a decisive 2-0 victory, Syluse came out on top in a slobberknocker, with both sides going hard and fast. Defense doesn’t play as big of a role until higher levels of play, but both competitors gave it their all. One key factor in the match was character knowledge—Mai had only been released recently.
Team VeegPP (Winners’ Side) 0 – Team Yagami / Kaos (Losers’ Side) 1
Softboiled – Ashley Cloud vs. AndroDioneVT
In the Softboiled division, we had Ashley Cloud, an actual idol, facing off against AndroDioneVT, a chill variety streamer, playing Cammy and Ken, respectively. Both players’ native game was Tekken, which gave them a game sense unique to FGC competitors. Unfortunately, the transition from Tekken to Street Fighter proved difficult. Ashley put up a strong fight, even pulling out her patented “Ashley Special,” but it wasn’t enough.
Team VeegPP 1 – Team Yagami / Kaos 1
Scrambled – CyannevilVT vs. NDRS
With a loss for Team VeegPP leading to a bracket reset, NDRS was determined to prevent that from happening. CyannevilVT took the first game of the BO3 with his majestic Zangief Spinning Piledrivers, but NDRS wasn’t about to let it slide. Utilizing spacing effectively with Juri, he made it clear that Team VeegPP was here to fight. Clawing his way back from a deficit, Cyannevil showed signs of life for Team Yagami.
Team VeegPP 1 – Team Yagami / Kaos 2
Hardboiled – Meekopod vs. Stratego
With a win for Team Yagami / Kaos leading to a bracket reset, the big guns were brought out. Stratego, one of the top Ryu players in the Philippines (and a true “Mister Worldwide”), had an arsenal of tools and fundamentals at his disposal. Meanwhile, Meekopod ran with AKI, an obscure character from Street Fighter 6 with a poison gimmick.
Meekopod took the first set, being one of the few players in the tournament to land kill combos from over 50% health. What seemed like a one-sided match was flipped when Stratego secured the ONLY perfect KO of the tournament. What could have been a swift 2-0 for Meeko slipped away after a dropped combo, bringing it down to the wire at 1-1.
With both players hungry for victory, the match came down to one final round—and Meekopod stood victorious.
Team VeegPP 2 – Team Yagami / Kaos 2
Omurice – KaosTheCosmicBeing vs. VeegPP
The Omurice division, where the coaches played, was set to decide the fate of the tournament. Would Team VeegPP clinch victory, or would Kaos complete the runback?
A little context: Kaos is the Saigon Cup champion, meaning he’s one of the best Vietnamese players out there. Meanwhile, VeegPP, one of the event’s organizers, was also one of the best Manon players in the Philippines. Lovingly referred to as “Papa” by his team, VeegPP faced off against Kaos, with Manon taking on Zangief.
The first round saw Kaos firmly in control, demonstrating why Gief’s Spinning Piledriver is so devastating. But one key observation—VeegPP was steadily conditioning his opponent with overheads. In fighting games, forcing a reaction can lead to exploiting that reaction. By making himself appear predictable, he became unpredictable. With these mind games in place, VeegPP and his team completed the reverse sweep, securing the championship!
Team VeegPP 3 – Team Yagami / Kaos 2
Beyond the Fight: A Community’s Strength
While I may not be a Street Fighter player myself, watching this level of competition on the big stage, in person, is an entirely different experience. What impressed me the most wasn’t just the international participation—it was the fact that almost every competitor would be playing in a national tournament the very next day. A community united is a community strong.
I spoke with the organizer shortly after the event, and he expressed how privileged he felt to organize it. He extended his gratitude to partners such as VeegPP, Juanminidiy, and event partner Geek+Pop Alpha for making it all happen.
Fighting games are cool, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this organizer!
