Capcom Pro Tour 2020 NA East #2: The Top 5 Moments

The Capcom Pro Tour online 2020 North America East #2 (that's a mouthful) took place over the weekend between Saturday and Sunday, August 29th and 30th, 2020. Rise Smug was crowned the champion of the event after a pulsating final against END Shine, whom he won 3-1 against.

Therefore, he joins the likes of Idom, Daigo, and Nephew in the Capcom cup next year.

The Capcom Pro Tour 2020 has been a little different this year with a few rule changes, and this weekend was chock-full of exciting fights. Understandably, you might have been unable to catch up with everything that happened, so we have a list of the competition's five top moments. These are the storylines and moments that popped and made the regional tournament such an amazing time.

My Juri is Nice

Shine's tournament arc was somewhat tragic as he lost twice to Smug with the Winner's final, in particular catching the eye (more on that later), but one of the more interesting bits from the first day of action was his match against Rob TV. Rob broke out his iconic Chunli with Shine opting for Ibuki. Before the games, each player was asked to write a little something about themselves, and Shine simply wrote, "My Juri is nice." This was a somewhat odd choice as he is mainly known for his kickass Ibuki, but soon enough, his statement made a lot more sense. After losing his first game to Rob TV, Shine made an interesting switch, picking Juri to finish the game. He subsequently proceeded to thrash Rob with some impressive gameplay. Therefore, he was able to turn the game around and progress, sending Rob into the losers' bracket in the process.

While we never saw his Juri again, it became evident that he wasn't kidding when he said, "My Juri is nice."

Gatekeeping Mandrake

Mandrake is relatively new on the scene, but his meteoric rise has seen him recognized as one of the most exciting talents in the Street Fighter V circuit. He further proved his credentials by coming out as the Winner of the Capcom Pro Tour 2020 North America East #1 tournaments. However, while Idom, who was also eligible to participate in this tournament, opted not to, Mandrake decided to enter the tournament in the hopes of gatekeeping and gaining further experience. He started out in the losers' bracket and notched a few wins ripping through opponents with his relentless Urien. However, his dream of progressing in the Capcom Pro Tour online was cut short by a resurgent Du 'Nuckledo' Dang, who defeated Madrake using Guile.

Resurgent Nuckledu

Sometime in July, the FGC was hit with the devastating news that Du 'Nuckledu' Dang had been involved in a pretty nasty car accident. A couple of days later, the former Capcom Cup winner put out a tweet where he said he'd be 'putting my controller down now,' which was interpreted by many to mean that he would be retiring. There was a deluge of support when the news broke and some sadness at the prospect of never seeing such a unique talent play again. So, imagine the excitement that accompanied the news that he was in contention for the Capcom Pro Tour online qualifiers. While he didn't win a spot at the Capcom Cup, he still produced a spectacular showing and reminded everyone watching why he is considered one of the world's best players.

He was thrown into the losers' bracket by Chris 'CJ Truth' Jayson, where he got some pretty sweet wins, including against Mandrake, before losing to Truth in the losers' semi-final.

Brutal Brutus

Kyle 'Brutus' Gallant was the only Canadian representative in the top 16, and his run was characterized by some pretty brutal displays. The Canadian native is a fan of the bigger boys in Street Fighter V, and his Zangief and Abigail are a joy to behold. They were on display again as he swept through the top 16 with 2-0 wins against Adnan's Dhalsim and Itachi's Legacy's Chunli. The fights themselves were full of excitement, and Brutus gave a really excellent showing; though he would eventually lose out to Terrence, he can be proud of his performance, and I can't wait to see him fight again.

Winner's Final

The Winner's final of the Capcom Pro Tour was between Shine and eventual Winner, Bryant 'Smug' Huggins, and while the two will play again in the Grand Final, the Winner's Final really caught the eye. Smug had hitherto dominated the tournament with his Balrog, but up against Shine's Ibuki, he was on the ropes. Shine's tactical approach and aggressive fighting saw him race to a two-game lead. In danger of falling to a 3-0 defeat, Smug changed tactics and started countering with a lot more purpose. Also, he pressured Shine, placing him in the corner as often as possible. Using this method, he was able to claw the game back to 2-2. This meant that the game came down to a final fight, which was as close as it could get. Shine and Smug won a round each, and just when it seemed that Shine might just edge it, Smug unleashed Balrog's critical art at the perfect moment to finish off the game.

With such exciting qualifiers, the Capcom Cup next year is sure to be an incredible showpiece. There are still a couple of regional tournaments to go as we search for the other ten participants in next year's tournament. Smug was a worthy winner, and we applaud one of the finest players around on this remarkable achievement.

Can't wait for what's next.