It’s been a week since EVO 2013 , and while you can revisit any of the Grand Finals, or an anthology of the best combos, sometimes it takes a video like this to unify the themes of a chaotic, energetic eSports spectacle that crowns nine champions.
https://kotaku.com/missed-this-years-evo-watch-all-the-grand-finals-here-786611298
Edited and uploaded by evo2kvids yesterday, it’s as good a keepsake for this tournament as anything a fan may have take home from it. It distills the weekend down to its important moments and key themes: Xian, the champion of Super Street Fighter IV: AE, celebrating that triumph with teammate Zhi; Justin Wong, deep in the well of the loser’s bracket, beginning his march back to the grand finals with that spellbinding comeback against Chris G. And then match commentator Yipes, on the projection screen, giving the double thumbs-up as Flocker cradles his Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 trophy.
https://kotaku.com/the-best-storyline-of-evo-2013-was-justin-wongs-amazing-784941557
Those were the highlights. The key theme, as ever, is the enthusiasm of the crowd throughout. I like to consider myself a competent judge of crowd roars, and this isn’t the kind of vicarious, partisan cheering you hear at most sporting events. They’re pouring energy into it, as if they know they, too, have a key role to play in what makes EVO so special.
As Seth Killian says, in the conclusion: “If you put amazing people in a room, have them duke it out, what rises to the top is just an incredible story.” Well said. Those on stage weren’t the only amazing people in the room.
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