Esports
Dusting away his doubts, Adel 'Big Bird' Anouche's results are another example of how world warriors can come from every part of the globe. In this interview he assesses the scene in the UAE.
Nervous and sleep-deprived, a professional Street Fighter V player paced the Evo 2019 floor while waiting for the start of his pools. Apprehension attempted to cloud his mind. What if he wasn’t good enough to survive the brackets that contained some of the world’s strongest competitors? What if the countless training hours culminated in nothing? Was he prepared for the fights to come? These doubts continued until he sat down on the sticks and started his first fight.
A few days later, Adel ‘Big Bird’ Anouche shocked the fighting game community by coming second in the Street Fighter V tournament. Along his path, the Emirati defeated the likes of Japan’s Masahiro ‘Machabo’ Tominaga and Atsushi ‘Fujimura’ Fujimura, and Europe’s DC ‘Infexious’ Coleman. He was only bested by his team-mate Masato ‘Bonchan’ Takahashi in a close Grand Finals. Deep down, he knew he could stand on the main stage, but this was a moment of affirmation he needed.
Unbeknownst to many, it takes quite a lot for fighting game players not to be consumed by doubt. Every warrior in the scene is constantly improving and training and with today’s expansion of the community, that unknown face sitting beside you at the next event could be the one that sends you home. Your play is constantly tested and in many cases demands a level of perfection few can attain. It can take years to sit at the highest level, but the story of Big Bird proves that perseverance can overcome any hurdle – and that much like other regions, the Middle East is a hotbed for FGC talent.
Big Bird started his path towards competitive esports by taking to the streets. “Street Fighter was just iconic,” he says. “Everyone knows Ryu and Ken and their Hadokens and Shoryukens. It was also the most popular fighting game series here in the United Arab Emirates.”
But pursuing a career wasn’t originally in his mind – just enjoying the genre's concept. “I've always loved fighting games. I loved the 1v1 feature and the fact that it's just you versus the other person and nothing else,” says Big Bird. “I didn't plan to be competitive or anything. You could say one day I found myself going down this road. I felt like it was natural and meant to be.
The player took time from playing with his friend and fellow competitor Amjad ‘Angry Bird’ Alshalabi in Street Fighter IV and began taking it seriously. Then, his first breakout moment came – winning the Last Chance Qualifier of Street Fighter V Red Bull Kumite 2016. His notoriety exploded and Big Bird kept pace. Throughout the lifetime of the game, he’s earned some incredible victories. No matter the tournament, personal skepticism of skills would attempt to halt him, but attempt was all it could do.
“There were a lot of those moments, moments where I thought I wasn't as good as I thought I was,” Big Bird recounts. “Then, boom, I'd make a Top 8 or even a win. Every season I had my doubts about myself. In 2017 I did until I went to the E-Sports Festival Hong Kong. Next year, I had doubts until I won the SEA Major 2018 Open Event. In 2019, I also had that feeling until I got second place at Evo 2019. Every year I feel down then something brings me back up again.”
What Big Bird goes through is something nearly every player in the scene faces. Finding confidence whenever it wanes is what separates the good players from the best players. It helps that he's continuously driven to stay solid by Angry Bird, as the two not only practice together relentlessly, but also run support at tournaments. Win or lose, it’s not peculiar to see them drop words of encouragement after a match.
To better solidify his chances, Big Bird makes sure to come prepared. Throughout his career, he’s wielded multiple characters at a high level to cover as many match-ups as possible and all based on simple criteria.
“I look for mobility, air control, fast-paced style and reliability,” he mentions. “The design also matters, but very little.” The fiery Ken, aerobatic Rashid and diplomatic G are the ones commonly used in competitive play. It’s with Rashid, however, that he’s done the most work with during tournaments. The quick-paced oppressive nature suits him the best and many of his results have come from rushing his opponents down.
At the moment, fighting game tournaments and circuits are on pause, but the quarantine hasn’t stopped the community’s drive to improve not only themselves but those around them. Both Big Bird and Angry Bird still train together just as they always have to keep sharp. “I tend to play online or practice with Angry Bird offline,” he says. “I still watch online events and online streams to keep up and discuss with others the game.”
To keep tabs on what’s happening in the world of Street Fighter and provide content, Big Bird hosts a Twitch stream with Angry Bird in attendance and chats with the viewership. In-between their banter, they trade tips and answer questions about their characters, their opinions on the meta and their experiences traveling the world. The pair have also begun making training videos. “We're making coaching lessons on our channel to help new players,” says Angry Bird. “Also, we're planning on running online tournaments where Big Bird and I will not participate, but instead commentate.”
Street Fighter is all about the concept of world warriors. Fighters from all parts of the planet face off to find out who'll reign supreme. This axiom seeps into the sticks – where you hail from doesn’t matter, only how good you are when your quarter is put up. It did, however, take some time for lesser-known and smaller regions to get their shine. At first, eyes were many locked onto players from the US, Japan and Europe, but as the scene grew, more opportunities arose for players to showcase their skills. Big Bird and Angry Bird’s accomplishments have made the community consider the UAE as an absolute powerhouse.
A new powerhouse
They aren’t the only players that the scene should be looking out for. “Zaabi is a strong Urien player from the UAE,” says Big Bird. “And although he’s from Kuwait, Aziz has a pretty powerful Akuma. Both are great, they just lack experience and that’s a necessity in Street Fighter V.” It’s a similar situation to what Big Bird and Angry Bird dealt with – a dearth of regional events means it’s harder to get match-up knowledge. But once they were able to fly the coop, the players took advantage of every opportunity.
To make it easier for the next run of hopefuls, Big Bird is working hard to preserve his status as a top esport player. He hopes to lead his scene by example – the better he does, the more he provides a blueprint for what can be done. “There are few events in the area,” he says. “I want to change that by creating content and being a strong player.” If more gather in the scene, the return should be the tours responding in kind, providing more arenas where new faces can test their skills and have reason to improve.
As one of the reps for his region, there’s a lot of pressure riding on Big Bird, not including the strain which comes from staying at the top of the fighting food chain. But Big Bird is not concerned. Over the years, he’s learned how to deal with his doubts, not letting them impede his play. To him, it’s become another challenge that he seeks to overcome. After reflecting on a spectacular few years, he feels more than ready for the next battle.
