SFV at First Attack 2022: The Trophy is Going back to France

First Attack 2022 is now concluded for Street Fighter V, and we have a winner in Mister Crimson. The Frenchman won in the Grand Final against Justakid 3-0 to continue his impressive form this year.

First Attack 2022 is the 10th anniversary of the event, and it was a special affair. The post-pandemic tournament situation has seen dwindling numbers of players willing to travel for most tournaments, with Evo 2022 being the first time a lot of overseas players ventured outside. First Attack 2022 was able to draw a pretty decent crowd, with some really top players making an appearance and making for a very entertaining top 8. 

Top 8 List

Top 8 Action

The first match of the top 8 was between Caba and Mister Crimson. Caba has been a threat all year long with his impressive Guile play, pushing iDom at Combo Breaker 2022 to the very wire. He was at it again today as he gave Mister Crimson a lot of trouble pushing the champion to the very limit before losing 3-2. This was a feature of a lot of the matches on display as we saw the same results between Caba and Mono and Justakid and HotDog29. 

Also in top 8 was MenaRD. Unfortunately, the former Capcom Cup champion didn't seem to be at his best today as he lost first to Justakid in winners, before bowing out to HotDog29. In both cases, he lost 3-0 and while Mena is a prolific player with a bag of characters, he wasn't able to use any of them to great effect. 

Meanwhile, Mono continued showing that he is still one of the top players in the world and certainly the best F.A.N.G. He defeated Strangehail before taking out Caba in a close set. He would eventually lose to Red Rooster teammate, HotDog29. 

Personally, the player that caught my eye the most was Justakid. He has generally been considered a player on the come-up, but in 2022 he has really blossomed into a truly world-class player. His results at Evo 2022, while a shock for some, was really as a result of his relentless grinding and a continuation of some amazing form from the start of the year. He placed 4th in last year's First Attack tournament, and by taking 2nd place here, he has shown tremendous improvement. We must also not forget that he was one of the first players to qualify for Capcom Cup. 

He was comprehensively defeated by Mister Crimson, but his performances were imperious, especially his win against  Mena in top 8 winners' where he was up for anything thrown against him by Mena. 

The Street Fighter 6 beta might be all the rage now, but we still have some great tournaments lined up for SFV, with Street Fighter League action still taking place and, of course, the final Capcom Cup for Street Fighter V. It all seems set up for an exciting finale for SFV, and we can't wait to see how it plays out.