Forum: Domination 101

Since I wasn’t able to respond to a lot of the comments I received on last week’s article, I’d like to take some time to do that here, squeezing a little more theory in along the way. I didn’t want anybody to think that I didn’t still care! And just...

A big part of controlling the match is controlling not just the opponent, but the space around them as well. Really seeing how moves can control a space is pretty rare- most people just steal tactics they’ve seen someplace else (don’t get me wrong-...

In these opening remarks, we’ll try and come up with some rough definitions for this commonly used term, and investigate whether it’s something we actually want after all... Ever see one of those stories where some goober gets 3 wishes, and ends...

I want to talk about something slightly bigger than just winning at SF today, but something I suspect is of interest to all of us anyway- the status and future of arcades. I was inspired by the remarkably shoddy discussion of same that I had the...

In the remainder of this mini-series, I’ll try to list and explain the many advantages that flow from another central facet of top play: Control. Consistent winners always control the pace of their matches. Controlling the pace of a match sets up...

<blockquote> Notice: For the faint-of-heart, dandies, pimpernels, pretenders, hard-heads and the other subspecies of scrubs- we’re starting to tackle a biggish question this week, and the going gets a little rough. This will be your only warning....

<center>or SF vs. the NFL: Round 1... Fight!</center> <blockquote> "If the Red Chinese invaded tomorrow and banned the game entirely, nobody would really miss it after two or three months. Even now, most of the games are so fucking dull that...

<blockquote>"What qualities do the top players have that put them at the top?" -- Sean Hoyles, NF Canada</blockquote> Most people, when sizing up the opposition, or evaluating how "good" someone is, see only the most superficial aspects of a...

This week's question touches on the ever-controversial topic of "cheapness:" Q: "Why is it that you shoryuken foolz seem to think that playing cheap is cool? You should be a man and take a stand against lamerz for honorable play." (name...

In a disappointing development, it seems we have a new wave of scrubs announcing they’re not only too stupid to play well, but too stupid even to watch a video. As any player whose SF history predates this site can tell you, what you get here every...

Thanks for all the fan mail and praise regarding my first column. You all have excellent taste. However, it seems that most of you are forgetting that this is a questions and answers column; what I really want to hear are your thoughts and questions...

Seth: Hi John. Been meaning to get around to this for forever, but as perhaps you can tell from the state of my article writing, there's a bit of a backlog. Heh. Wizard told me you'd be willing to do an interview, so if this comes as spam,...

"Laugh while you can, monkey-boy!" It’s somewhat difficult to find types of mistakes that occur across a wide variety of games (apart from just "sucking", which isn’t too hard to find). Face it- in the details, games like CVS and say, MVC2 are...

After discussing some specifics of exploiting control in part 3, we return here in part 2.7 to an examination of how to maintain control. Specifically, this is about being relentless, and maintaining pressure even when your character itself isn’t up...

Rather than turning this column into a 14-part series in which I analyze the precise contours of my defeat in agonizing detail (as I’d like to do), I thought I’d try doing something actually useful instead. So here’s a quick survey of some of the...

Winning a tournament requires more than just strategy and execution. It requires being able to look past all the distractions. It's requires being able to grit your teeth and come back from what looks like an insurmountable lead. It's being able to...

In the continuing tradition of abstractions too painful for tiny brains, here's a bit on how to avoid "giving it away"- the famous superpower of scrubs everywhere. Still having trouble avoiding ye olde psychic DP? Smell the shape of the match and...

In the wake of unprecedented recent tournament activity, you’d think that now, more than ever, SF skill was really being pushed to new heights. For the average player, there are more chances to see the best in action, and for those near the top,...

Like a lot of us, Chris Wong (aka "cmutt") has loved games since he was a kid. He’s also been a long-time fan of the SF series, and a good friend to its community, traveling to play in tournaments, always seeking out the best players from around the...