The best Street Fighter V players in the world will face off in Las Vegas this weekend for the 2018 Capcom Cup, and after last year’s shocking finals, it’s anybody’s guess as to who will take away the trophy. Competitors qualify for the cup based on their performance in Capcom Pro Tour tournaments throughout the year, and the first place winner receives an impressive $120,000.
At the 2017 Capcom Cup, Saul “MenaRD” Mena made a triumphant run through the bracket all the way to the finals, where he faced Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi, one of the game’s best and most consistent fighters in recent years and 2017’s Evo champion. Despite MenaRD seeming outclassed early in the series, the then 18-year-old ended up winning the whole thing in a come-from-behind upset.
This year Tokido looks as impressive as ever, coming into the event ranked number one in the Capcom Pro Tour, in which he also has almost double the tournament points accrued from throughout the year as compared to most of the other challengers. He wasn’t number one at Evo 2018, though, an honor that went to Benjamin “Problem-X” Simon, who bested the former champion in the long, hard-fought finals. There’s also Fujimura “Fujimura” Atsushi, who comes into the weekend’s event ranked second after placing well at a number of events but failing to take home any marquee trophies during the year.
If recent history is anything to go by, it’s possible none of these players will walk away this year’s champion, and a new dark horse competitor will rise up instead. American Street Fighter notables like Justin Wong, Victor “Punk” Woodley, and Du “NuckleDu” Dang will also be in attendance, along with the aging but formidable Japanese legend Daigo Umehara and 24 other top players. Play begins on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET with Top 8 finals scheduled for Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The entire event will be streaming live on the Capcom Fighters Twitch channel.
There’s also a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament this weekend, though it’s admittedly a much smaller affair than Capcom Cup. While some of the bigger names in Smash will be missing, it’ll still be an interesting look at how the game’s competitive scene is shaping up now that it’s been out for a week. (Will Young Link remain a top-tier contender? Please, Smash gods, let it be so). Play begins at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday with Top 8 scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. The event will be streaming live on the End Game TV Twitch channel.
Finally, the first U.S. Nationals for Rainbow Six Siege are this weekend. Eight teams, split into the Western and Eastern Conferences, will compete starting Saturday at 1:30 p.m. with Orgless vs. Evil Geniuses. The Championship Match will feature the winners of both conferences on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. The $50,000 event will stream live on the Rainbow Six Twitch channel.