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Find out how Punk the God made a big comeback for the season’s first Street Fighter V tournament as Final Round got the 2019 Capcom Pro Tour under way in the US metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia.
The Street Fighter V competitive season is back with a bang, as Final Round 2019 wrapped up in Atlanta, Georgia, Sunday night. With a stacked series of competitors taking part, including Tsunehori ‘Gachikun’ Kanamori, Hajime ‘Tokido’ Taniguchi, Masato ‘Bonchan’ Takahashi and more, the first event in the 2019 Capcom Pro Tour was always going to be electrifying.
Victor ‘Punk’ Woodley won the event to get his game back on track after suffering a debilitating loss to Hajime ‘Tokido’ Taniguchi at Evo 2017. This marks a return to form for the American after he made a big impact in 2016 by securing a third-place finish at Red Bull Battle Grounds in Seattle, Washington, before taking first place in the 2017 ELEAGUE invitational in Atlanta and back-to-back wins at NCR Sacramento and Dreamhack Austin that same year.
Let’s review the state of play right here.
Frosty Faustings and EVO Japan
Punk’s performance at Final Round comes as no surprise. The Alpha made a strong showing ahead of the CPT at Frosty Faustings 2019, where he managed to take the tournament against some of North America’s best players. Facing off against the likes of Jonathan ‘JB’ Bautista, Brian ‘Brian_F’ Foster, and Elchakotay Andrich, Punk managed to reset the bracket and score a convincing win, just ahead of Evo Japan in February, where his opponent in Final Round’s Grand Finals would ultimately emerge victorious.
Yusuke Momochi is known for his well-documented Street Fighter prowess. He was Capcom Cup champion in 2014 alongside and scored a slew of other victories and top placements in multiple tournaments. After a successful 2017, Momochi went on to achieve a spot in Capcom Cup 2018’s Top 8 bracket, ultimately cashing out in seventh place. Despite this loss, the pro continued to put up a strong showing, later taking Evo Japan against Keita ‘Fuudo’ Ai’s Birdie in spite of a convincing bracket reset.
America is no longer land of the ‘free’
Both Punk and Momochi possessed strong momentum heading into Final Round, with a win under their belts and a solid understanding of Street Fighter V’s Season 4 patch. But they weren’t the only killers in the room. In fact, a big mix of players ended up making it to the Top 8 bracket, such as Dexter ‘Tampa Bison’ James, Chris ‘CJ Truth’ Jayson, Momochi’s pupil Ren ‘Johnny’ Sato, and Boxer main Brian_F.
Brian’s performance in Frosty Faustings carried over to Final Round, where he took out the likes of Hyungsuk ‘Verloren’ Kong, Joe ‘MOV’ Egami, and even Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara before making it to Top 8, where he faced off against CJ Truth in a nail-biting set of matches.
CJ Truth’s own results have been steadily increasing since 2017, after which he took the North America Regional Finals at Red Bull Conquest, thus scoring a spot in the 2018 Capcom Cup. His subsequent victory against Brian_F, after taking out Tampa Bison 3-1 in Final Round’s Losers’ bracket, continues to showcase his hunger for victory and steady improvement alongside that of his American competitors – who made up half of the competition.
Shinobism’s hopeful student
While the USA came out swinging in the first CPT Premier of 2019, Asia wasn’t far behind. Johnny put up a stunning showing, taking his training with Momochi to the next level by eliminating Bruno ‘Doomsnake’ Grotta, Ceroblast, and even the 2018 Capcom Cup champion, Tsunehori ‘Gachikun’ Kanamori. While Johnny had a strong streak in the Winners’ side, he was later knocked out by Momochi in the Winners’ Final 3-2, despite a clutch comeback in the middle of the game.
Johnny went on to face Punk in a tense Karin mirror, where it seemed like America’s young SFV prodigy could be knocked out of the running. But Punk managed to run it back, securing a win over Johnny 3-2 after nearly choosing Chun-Li, instead.
The Alpha returned
The Grand Finals pitted Momochi and Punk against each other in an explosive matchup between Karin and Zeku. Working his way up from the Losers’ side, Punk managed to reset the bracket in a convincing 3-0 showing, going on to ultimately secure the win against his opponent 3-1.
This victory marks a major comeback for the player, who now sits at the top of the CPT standings. With 700 points, he’s already essentially a shoo-in for the Capcom Cup in December, designating a major win in spite of his 2017 loss against Tokido.
Season 4 speculation
Although Final Round is notable as one of the toughest tournaments of the season, both America and Asia brought out their A-Game, showcasing a slew of hard-working players who made a splash in an incredibly important Top 8 bracket. With Momochi and Punk having succeeded so early in the season, it stands to reason that both players could be aiming even higher later on in the game.
But there’s no denying that other top players could also make waves further down the line, as well, considering their breakout performances on Sunday.
Despite these early predictions, one thing was missing from Final Round’s conclusion: an announcement. As Kage was been released at the Capcom Cup 2018, alongside the game’s Season 4 patch, fans have been eagerly awaiting a development since December.
With radio silence on Capcom’s end (aside from the 2019 CPT stage), one question remains – what character will we see next? So far, nothing is certain. It seems that Capcom intends to shake up their usual DLC format, but fans will have to carry on speculating until more information comes forth. Stay tuned.
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