Takeaways From LG UltraGear Fight Night

LG UltraGear hosted online tournaments for Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V this past weekend, July 10 & 11. The Fight Night invitationals brought together some of the strongest players from North America, South America, Europe and Asia in each game. With a total of $23,500 on the line for Tekken and $22,500 for Street Fighter, the stakes were high for the invited competitors.

TEKKEN 7

Rip & Rickstah on commentary for Tekken. Source: LG UltraGear Gaming

Kicking off day one with Tekken, Rip and Rickstah provided commentary while Europe’s finest began the show. BlackKazama and DougFromParis took third and second place respectively, while Sephiblack claimed first place in the bracket. Europe’s character variety is always noteworthy as every player used a different character, including some swaps like DougFromParis switching to Heihachi in grand finals.

Following Europe, Anakin and Trungy began the competition for North America. Familiar faces like Shadow 20z and Joey Fury also joined the bracket. Grand finals was a brotherly faceoff between Shadow 20z and Joonya 20z, with Shadow taking first place after a bracket reset. While the 20z brothers are well-known within the community, their continued improvement bodes well for an offline return.

Chikurin won LG Fight Night with Geese. Source: LG UltraGear Gaming

Rounding out the day was the Asia bracket. Knee, Rangchu and others began what would certainly be an exciting finale for the Tekken portion of LG Fight Night. Strong characters like Julia and Fahkumram were well-represented in the bracket. Chikurin took first place over Chanel in grand finals using Geese, a sign that the recent TWT champion is still looking dominant as ever.

While many spectators wait for offline majors to return for Tekken 7, this multi-region event provided a more high-stakes environment than typical weekly ICFC brackets. However, the invitational format offered a unique event that has not been seen as frequently online.

STREET FIGHTER V

Fight Night’s South American SFV competitors. Source: LG UltraGear Gaming

Rather than a European bracket, Street Fighter V began with the South America region. This event featured a unique three-round victory format, unlike the usual two rounds necessary to win typical tournament matches. Each round also lasted only 60 seconds, compared to the usual 99. MenaRD battled his way into grand finals with a win over Pauloweb, while Pauloweb defeated DR Ray in loser’s finals. The rematch went in favor of MenaRD as his signature Birdie claimed a decisive 3-0 victory. With more rounds to play, MenaRD’s clean sweep further shows his current status as one of South America’s finest.

The North America bracket was off to a hot start as Punk and iDom battled in winner’s quarterfinals. Many may remember this as a rematch of Capcom Cup 2019 grand finals. However, this time Punk ran through the bracket all the way to grand finals. Punk claimed first place over NYC’s Sabin in an intense 3-2 victory. While Punk has recently put more time into Guilty Gear Strive, he continues to show his dominance in Street Fighter as well.

Daigo won the final SFV bracket of the weekend. Source: LG UltraGear Gaming

Closing out the weekend was the Street Fighter V Asia bracket. Fighting game legends like Momochi, GO1 and Daigo were among the eight players selected for this star-studded event. The grand finals of Oil King vs. Daigo was a test of patience and preparation for both players, showcasing peak SFV gameplay. Daigo eventually swept Oil King with a 3-0 win, claiming first place.

Despite some players possibly putting more time into other fighting games recently, the Street Fighter V brackets still captured the essence of the game at the highest level. Looking towards the future, these players invited will likely continue to be dominant forces at offline tournaments soon. LG’s weekend of fighting games was a reminder of where the meta is for both Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V, while players aimed to cash in on huge prize pots.

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Featured image courtesy of LG UltraGear Gaming

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