• Show all categories

    News

    Jetsplit
    Happy Friday everyone, and welcome to the first ever Weekend Watchlist on Pokkén Arena! Like Blue Link's Morning Discussion post from the other day (which you should go read and respond to, by the way), the Weekend Watchlist is something that the Writing Team has been discussing for a little while now. These posts will (normally) happen each Thursday before a major tournament, and will give viewers everything they need to know to enjoy Pokkén during the weekend. DreamHack Denver is taking place this weekend, so let's give this Weekend Watchlist idea a shot!
     

     
    DreamHack Denver
    October 20-22, 2017
    Denver, CO
    _____________________________________
     
    The information below is specific to Pokkén Tournament DX. For information regarding the other events happening at DreamHack, check the official website.
     
    Stream:
    https://www.twitch.tv/nebraskapokken
     
    Schedule:
    (Times are in Mountain Time)
     
    Saturday
    12:00 PM: Pools
    06:00 PM: Top 8
     
    Prize Pool:
    $1000
     
    Notable Entrants Include:
     
      Double   Fable | Suicune Master   Twixxie   NG-Obscure  
    More Info:
    https://smash.gg/tournament/dreamhack-denver-2017-1/details
     
     

     
    Inferno 4
    October 21, 2017
    Wallingford, CT
    _____________________________________
     
    Stream:
    https://www.twitch.tv/underworldgamez
     
    Schedule:
    (Times are in Eastern Time)
     
    1:00 PM: Team Battle Bracket
    3:30 PM: Main Bracket
     
    Notable Entrants Include:
     
      InC | Rokso   InC | Flegar   HBA | Oreo   Bosshog  brocooli  
    More Info:
    https://smash.gg/tournament/inferno-4/details
     
    Hope you enjoy this weekend's events! Be sure to let us know if you want the Weekend Watchlist posts to continue by leaving a comment below.
     
    Blue Link

    Morning Discussion: Synergy Burst

    By Blue Link, in Pokken DX,

    Today, we will be starting a new type of thread here in Pokkén Arena called "Morning Discussion". Once in a while, our front page team will pick a relevant topic about the game and invite people in the community to discuss about it.
     
    Let's begin with a subject that a lot of people are discussing lately, Synergy Burst Meter. As you all may know, every character has a different size for their Synergy Burst Meter, meaning each character takes a different amount of points to fill that Meter. Additionally, every Synergy Burst has a different duration time, with some ending quicker than others. BurnsideBH (one of the most active players of the community) did two amazing charts that illustrates how that work:
     
    What are your thoughts about it? Do you think the developers did a good job balancing this unique and important mechanic? Or maybe some adjustments are necessary? Let's discuss on the comments section below!
    Jetsplit
    As one of the world's best Pokkén Tournament players and a well-known community figure, it makes sense that Anthony "Rokso" Paratore would be a prime candidate for eSports organizations looking to get more involved in Pokkén Tournament DX. Over this past weekend, InControl Gaming announced their signing of the top level Garchomp player.
     
    The team started by teasing the signing of a Pokkén player. The 40 Like goal was quickly met, which led to the announcement.
     
     
    With such an impressive competitor joining their already existing line-up of Pokkén players, it looks like InControl has high expectations for competitive Pokkén. Hopefully we'll see more teams join the likes of InControl as more DX events pop up!
     
     
    You can congratulate Rokso on his Twitter, and you can follow InControl here.
    skysmaug384

    Combo Dojo Combos

    By skysmaug384, in Pokken DX,

    The Combo Dojo is unique to other game modes since it removes one of Pokkén's most fundamental mechanics, Phase Shifts. This has given rise to a new small trend known as Combo Dojo Combos, which are centered around this nonexistence of Phase Shifts. In a normal battle, the phase will change between Duel Phase and Field Phase once one player receives 12 Phase Shift Points or lands a combo with 21 hits.
     
    For more information about the technicalities of Phase Shifts, such as moves' Phase Shift Points, here is a datasheet by SSJ-Luffy (@SSJLuffy):
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qEBZFpcP84FdMa7rxirWZpV1UIXNYLCb8uq-uPiK3JE/edit#gid=76683771 
     
    Without these restrictions in the Combo Dojo, it is possible to keep a combo going as long as the opponent doesn't reach the ground. Otherwise, the Combo Dojo will automatically reset. 
     
    Examples:
    Darkrai Combo Dojo Combo by S-Ki (@SKi_Pokken): https://twitter.com/SKi_Pokken/status/918629015740489729 
     
    Empoleon Combo Dojo Combo by Akahoshi (@akahoshi07): https://twitter.com/akahoshi07/status/912995158555107328 
     
    NOTE: Once again, the infiniteness of Combo Dojo Combos will ONLY work in the Combo Dojo and are primarily for fun and intrigue. They will NEVER work in an actual match or competitive setting! 
     
    DragniRake

     


     
    When a video in the FGC comes out with the word “documentary” in the title, the mind automatically flies to the Smash Bros. Documentary. The Smash Documentary was an integral part of a greater formula that led to a drastic increase in user base for the Smash Bros. franchise. The question for those of us in the Pokkén community going forward is simple- can UchiGames’ Pokkén Tournament: The Deluxe Documentary emulate that same success? In short: yes, I believe it can.  Uchi has been an integral part of the community from day 1, and his biggest project yet might very well lead us into the next chapter.
    The Smash Bros. Documentary did a lot of things right, but among them were two elements that stood out. First, it introduced viewers to the passion for the game players have without getting into the nitty gritty technical side of the game. Then, it introduced the story lines that have risen out of the competitive scene up to its recording. These two elements of the documentary, coupled with a number of outside forces, created an environment that was both friendly to newcomers, as well as light a fire under the existing to community- ultimately leading to an astounding increase in both raw numbers, and attention from other parts of the world. The Pokkén documentary excels in the very same ways.
    The Pokkén documentary opens with a community montage. In this opening scene, the documentary showcases the backbone of every successful eSport- a passionate community. In doing so, the true strength of the Pokkén community becomes very apparent. The community is tightly knit, and full of heart. This point gets touched on throughout the documentary, from interview to interview. Players and personalities alike express their appreciation for the familial nature of the community. They describe the scene as open to newcomers and always willing to help- a breath of fresh air from many other competitive games. For many, picking up a new game is akin to walking into a room full of people they’ve never met. The Pokkén documentary clearly shows that there are plenty of people ready to hold the door open. Once the montage comes to a close, the music slows, and then we move to interviews.
    Storylines drive competition. This is a well-known fact of competition- from the NFL to Magic: The Gathering, story lines drive viewership, and ultimately funding. For the Smash documentary, the story lines were easy- the game has been played competitively since 2002. We, however, do not have the benefit of a decade and a half of community development to build on. That said, we have our own story lines. In fact, we have two that stand out above the rest. The most obvious one is, of course, the release of DX on the Switch.
    The Wii U was a garbage console, and playing Pokkén locally was an absolute chore. With the release of DX on the Switch comes a new era of Pokkén. More people than ever are going to have access to the game. There are five new characters that are joining a roster that already has years of play under its belt, with an incredible amount of player resources to support it. Everyone in the community is excited to see both what the new characters can do for the game, but also how the community will evolve as it rides the wave of the Nintendo Switch. It is abundantly apparent throughout the interviews in the Pokkén documentary that the community is brimming with excitement for the changes coming with DX.
    The other major story line is one that is slightly more difficult to articulate, but that may actually be the more important of them all. At the moment, the community is scraping by. We’re resilient, but small. We live in the realm of the side event, and none of us are content with that. All of us care, all of us have the passion, and with this new era of Pokkén comes a new chance for success. What Pokkén faces, in this moment, is the potential for redemption.
    Potential is unique in that it never lets you down. Potential is always what could be, never what has happened, or even what will be. It is the hope we feel, and it is the dreams we have, of what might be just over the horizon. Today, the world of Pokkén is buzzing with potential. We’re not as big as Smash Bros. or Street Fighter, not even close- but that doesn’t mean we never will be. All we have to do is play our cards right.
    We as a community have to play into the potential. We have to find our Daigo Umehara’s and our Mang0’s- our Mew2King’s and our Justin Wong’s. Stories need heroes and villains.  We need up and comers and veterans, and we need to see them square off on the main stage at events like EVO and CEO. We must start small, but we cannot be afraid to dream big. We’re in the lion’s den out here in the FGC. It’s hard to break in to what is one of the oldest communities in all of gaming, but we have the strength of a passionate scene and the opportunity of a shot at something more. All of this, backed up by one of the most recognizable franchise IP’s in the history of gaming. It will take a whole lot of work, and even more dedication, but it is possible. Each of us has a role to play- a piece in a bigger puzzle. Pokkén Tournament: The Deluxe Documentary laid the edges out. We just have to fill them in.
     
    Sabrewoif

     
     
    A new patch has been announced for Pokkén Tournament DX providing some features that have been heavily requested so far, such as the ability to play Team Battle online and the addition of recording/replay in free training. 
    The patch also features new ranked rewards and various minor fixes. 
    The full extent of what's in the patch is unknown for now but this leaves hope that perhaps the Team Battle mode could also be added as a LAN mode feature in the future.
    The patch is not currently live nor has a scheduled date for it's release yet. 
     
    Update 1: The official English website has now posted on the patch providing a bit more clarity on what's coming up:
     
    It is also specified that this is "first" update, eluding to further updates along the game's lifespan. 
     
     
    Image Source: Serebii.net
    Sabrewoif

     
    As the dust settled after a long-fought bracket reset in London, one man emerged victorious: that man’s name was Goreson.
    The newly crowned Revolution UK 2017 champion fought his way back from top 8 losers side after being downed once by his adversary from America: Oreo.
    Goreson showed no mercy on his path to grand finals taking out big names like RoksoTheSavage, xAbsoluted and Rubs to earn his shot at revenge against Oreo.
    Standing tall atop the European meta once more, Goreson has proven he’s still EU’s shining star.
    Congrats to EMT Goreson for his thrilling performance as well as to HBA Oreo and all the other members of top 8 at Revolution!
     
     
     
    Special shout out to all who attended including the players who flew over from America, who helped make this the biggest major Pokkén event in Europe so far.
     
    Group A1
     
    Group A2
     
    Group B1
     
    Group B2
     
    The full bracket is available here: 
     
    If you missed the 9 game thriller that was the grand finals or simply wish to relive the Top 8 in its entirety, the VOD is available here:
    Timestamp 03:02:36 – 05:35:34
    And will be uploaded to YouTube in due time.
    Bughead

    POKKÉN X TOURNAMENT, a recent tournament in Japan, brought together total of a 64 people to compete in Pokkén Tournament DX. After a long day of competition, here are the results for POKKÉN X TOURNAMENT.
     
     
     
    Top 8
    Group A
    Group B
    Group C
    Group D
    Group E
    Group F
    Group G
    Group H
     
    You can watch the entire VOD here. 
    Blue Link
    Being one of the best characters in the game, Braixen is always on the spotlight when it comes to people wondering how the metagame will be affected by the balance patch of the next iteration of the game, and it was no different now with the release of a completely new version for Nintendo Switch.
     
    Taking that into consideration, the PokkénArena's Braixen moderator Double made a video about all the balance changes for Braixen moving forward from Wii U 1.3 to DX, and although it includes a lot of nerfs, there are a few buffs here and there as well!
     
     
    Jetsplit
    Earlier today, McDareth, Rudafuda, Burnside, and Mins hosted the second ever Ferrum Heights Pokkén Podcast on McDareth's Twitch channel. This podcast revealed the Pokkén Tournament Season 1.3 Rankings - a list of the top 50 players in Pokkén Tournament (based on the season's North American events). The rankings were determined by a group of dedicated community members tirelessly studying results and making decisions based on events, games played, and win/loss ratios, among other factors.
     
    Pokkén Tournament Season 1.3 Rankings

     
    Click the Spoiler below to view the full rankings.
     
     
    You can watch the full VOD announcing the placements here, and you can follow the hosts (McDareth, Mins, Rudafuda, Burnside) on Twitter.