Capcom Cup IX Day 2 Recap

Day 2 of Capcom Cup is now over and things are looking a little clearer in the race to qualify for top 16 of Capcom Cup. Unfortunately, this also means we already have some people who are effectively out of the tournament.

It was a day of upsets and rethinks, and it is somewhat safe to say that it is anyone's game right now. Let's run down the groups and see who is in the running for a place in the Top 16.

Group A

Yesterday, we got the impression that Group A's top spot was decided, considering how well iDom played and how he defeated everyone else. However, what we hadn't considered was that this is Capcom Cup, and everyone has a chance, especially in a first-to-two format. So, we watched, shocked, as Takamura, one of Europe's top players, defeated iDom with his Akuma. This was not an upset, but it also wasn't a result anyone was expecting. This could perhaps be down to the two players' contrasting fortunes in their respective leagues. While iDom finished a successful season with his team, Endemic, by being their highest points scorer by a large margin, Takamura was part of Team Wild Blast, who failed to do much in Street Fighter League Europe. It was reported that Takamura spent the entire night prepping for iDom, and it showed as he shut down the Capcom Cup defending champ and defeated him 2-1.

This puts Takamura at the top of the standings as he also won his other game of the day against SolVNG. This means that Veggey and Oil King are also still in with a chance as they are both tied with two wins and one defeat. We will find out tomorrow who will make it out of Group A, with the four top players still having a mathematical chance of going through.

Group B

If you thought Group B couldn't get more perilous, how wrong you'd be. Kawano was the leader of the group, winning every game with relative ease and he started the day in fine form, defeating Phenom in the Luke mirror. But, he came up against YoungHou, who in a surprising twist, defeated him 2-1 with Birdie. This also threw Group B wide open, and while Kawano is still at the top of the table and will, in all likelihood qualify, his place at the top might be in some danger. We also saw Justakid crash out in disappointing fashion losing to Doomsnake, which closes the door on any chance of qualification.

The4philzz still has a shot but will face stiff competition from Phenom who is desperate to make it out of the group too. Philzz had a great chance if he was able to beat Phenom whom he came up against. Phenom, who had pretty much stayed with Luke so far, made the switch to Necali against Philzz's Falke. It seemed like a bad idea at first as Philzz took the first game, but with some adjustments, Phenom had a barnstorming two games and beat Philzz comprehensively to put himself in a good spot. 

The story of the group remains YoungHou who finds himself in second place after his remarkable win against Kawano. He did lose to The4philzz but his win against Doomsnake means that if he can somehow find a result against Justakid, and most importantly, Phenom, he just might be the most unlikely fairytale of the competition. 

Group C

Group C had always been an intriguing story, but it deepened yesterday as we saw Punk lose yet another game against Brandon, meaning he now has one win and two defeats, and to qualify will need to win his two remaining games and hope his opponents drop points. 

VXBao continued his winning streak as he defeated both Valmaster and Frozen to put himself firmly at the top of the group. For Frozen, it could have been different, as he was a pixel of health away from a great victory over VXBao. Unfortunately, VXBao was able to survive the round and then go on to dominate Frozen and win the match. It's not all over, as Frozen did win against JabhiM, and if he can get results against Brandon and Valmaster might have a chance of qualification. Meanwhile, JabhiM's run at Capcom Cup is over as he lost all his games, but he can still play spoiler against Punk, and he can leave the competition with his head held high.

Group D

EndingWalker was all the rage going into Day 2, and he showed why he is considered one of the favorites to win the whole thing. The 16-year-old won both his games in contrasting fashion. His match against South Africa's Ren was a bumpy one and required all his skill to win. He was expected to take the victory, but Ren's Ibuki was such a hassle to deal with. Ren was persistent and pushed EndingWalker to the very brink, but the Englishman was able to clutch it out with a great win. His match against M.Lizard, however, was somewhat anti-climatic. Billed as the game of the group, EndingWalker would go on to defeat the South Korean Vega specialist with some ease cementing his place at the top and putting himself at an advantage to move on to Top 16.

Group E

NL is certainly a man in form. He played only once but was victorious 2-0 making it his third 2-0 win and setting up a possible five-game winning streak. If he maintains his form, it is hard to see anyone else toppling him from top spot. The second place spot is a little more contentious as it is currently occupied by Kalmal09 but, as he is still to play VegaPatch, things could change. The Spaniard endured a forgettable day one as he lost to NL. But, he was revitalized one day 2 winning both his games and potentially putting himself in a strong position to qualify from the group. He would need to defeat ROF and Kalmal09, but no one would put it past VegaPatch to do it, so watch this space. 

Group F

Group F, much like group B, was following a pattern and suddenly saw the script flipped in the most fascinating way. Mister Crimson started the day at the top of the pile with big wins against ChrisCCH and DCQ, but the twist was waiting around the corner as he lost rather surprisingly to Travis Styles putting a serious dent in his hopes of making top spot and he must now play a tournament defining set against Angry Bird and try to defeat Uriel Velorio to make it out. Angry Bird, for his part, is sitting pretty at the top and can consolidate that position on Day 3. ChrisCCH, however, is in dire straits as he is facing the real possibility of crashing out. He would have wanted to improve on his Day 1 performance, where he lost to Mister Crimson, and he went some way in doing so with a statement win against DCQ. However, he missed a huge chance by losing to Uriel Velorio, which means that to have a chance to make it out of the group, he'll have to defeat Angry Bird and Travis Styles, which is a big ask. 

On the other side of things, DCQ will be disappointed with his outing so far, as he is most certainly out of the running after suffering three defeats and only notching one win.

Group G

Zhen continues to set tongues wagging with his performance so far, and his blockbuster match against Big Bird saw him come out on top to all but ensure his qualification for top 16. His run has been nothing sort of legendary, as he is yet to lose a set since the LCQs began, which is insane when you consider that he has come up against Problem-X, Kichipa, Shuto, and many other top players. He will have his work cut out for him when he faces Momochi, which could go a long way in deciding Momochi's fate in the group. Momochi, a former Capcom Cup winner, won both his games of the day, but his defeat at the hands of Big Bird throws a huge question mark in the air, and he'll need to win both Zhen and GeeckO to qualify. 

In terms of highlights, the match between Mortsy and Mono was of particular interest because it introduced something that not many people can claim to have seen— a F.A.N.G mirror match. Mono is widely considered as the best F.A.N.G in the world, but today, that title might be called into question as he lost the set to Mortsy. The set itself was very entertaining as it was a poison part with thick plumes of purple covering everywhere, but Mortsy won the day, and while it is unlikely any of the two would qualify, they did provide some great games for the fans. 

Group H

Group H is perhaps the most predictable so far. MenaRD is on top as would be expected from a player of his caliber. Pugera also recovered from a disappointing loss to MenaRD to win his next two games and put himself in 2nd place. The main match will likely be between Samurai and MenaRD, who both have very great Lukes. If Mena wins that and Pugera takes a win against Myrken, then Samurai is out. If Samurai does win, we could find a very interesting 3-way tie with Mena, Samurai, and Pugera, potentially with three wins and one defeat each. It'll be fun to see what happens. 

Day 3 promises to be a defining day and we can't wait to announce who our top 16 will be.