CPT Europe West 2022: Takamura Qualifies for Capcom Cup

And we have another qualifier for Capcom Cup! This time, it is none other than Takamura from Belgium who took the tournament after an impressive 3-1 win against Mr. Wolf. While Takamura's win is not a surprise by any means, the biggest talking point from this CPT was the impressive showing by Italy. Italy hasn't always been considered a powerhouse in Europe within the FGC, but recently, this has started to change as some impressive results at the World Warrior events and strong CPT showings are starting to really elevate Italy in the eyes of the world. 

The top 8 featured four Italians which was a real statement of intent considering this is the same region that has Germany, Holland, Belgium and Switzerland. 

CPT Top 8

Another thing of note was the surprising lack of Luke players in top 8. Unlike most regions that have had at least one Luke main, Europe West was refreshingly different, giving us a character variety that has been sorely missed. 

Mr. Wolf was especially impressive with his Seth utilizing VT2 to great effect. He defeated fHassa's VT2 Urien twice before closing out a tense match against fellow Italian, Geecko to face Takamura in Grand Finals.

Takamura's win is made even sweeter considering how much Akuma has lost in recent times. Once considered one of the most feared characters in the game, Akuma has now become at best, mid-tier which has seen less and less people use him including stalwarts like Tokido who switched first to Urien, then Luke. Currently, there are very few top players still using Akuma with Takamura's loyalty to the character unquestioned and he is still using him to get great results.

All through top 8, he was rarely troubled except when Mr. Wolf came close to a reset in grand finals, but he was able to overcome that too.

With Takamura qualified, he no longer has to compete in the World Warrior events where he was in 4th place. Garnet currently leads the standings there, followed by Geecko and Mr. Wolf which just again highlights the strength of Italy in Street Fighter V

Takamura did not hang around for a winner's interview and gave a terse statement on his Twitter which is par for the course from a typically reticent Takamura. Next up is the Middle East, which should feature both Angry and Big Bird as the favorites.