How do you make a Premier Tournament champion?
You need a fair bit of hard reads, resource management, ground game, and a little bit of bracket luck. For those that want to break out, Dreamhack Summer was a great learning experience. The road to the Capcom Cup continued with the start of the summer season in Jönköping, Sweden and it did not disappoint. Dreamhack Summer was an international affair with top-level action with both European and Asian representation in the top eight. More importantly, it was the breakout performance of BX3's Arman "Phenom" Hanjani -- the first European player to win a Premier Tournament.
Your Dreamhack Summer champion: Phenom
Phenom was one of two European players in the top eight and the first player outside of the Asian region to punch his name into the Capcom Cup. Between his spectacular M. Bison and Necalli play, he was a man on fire. Two set victories over Ai "Fuudo" Keita and a thriller with Daigo "The Beast" Umehara was what he needed to defend European soil over international players. He refused to be conditioned and mimicked the Japanese use of hard reads and high-risk when the pressure started to reverse.
Once a player began a swing, Phenom swung back with a reversal or uppercut and absolutely shocked his opponents into submission. His highlights were numerous, but one does stand out -- three command grabs in a row -- against Daigo Umehara in the corner. Phenom did not stop and was never bullied.
A special consolation for Tatsuya "Haitani" Haitani and his tournament run. His list of victims read like a fighting game hall of fame: Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi and Daigo Umehara in 3-0 sets. His near fall to Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi was a classic as well. Overall, he needed to beat three of the most feared Japanese players in the top eight for a chance at a loser's final.
Contrast of styles
Dreamhack Summer showcased the stark differences in playing style between Europe and Asia. From a movement perspective, European players were static and patient, willing to wait out their opponents for an opening. Olivier "Luffy" Hay stayed still for seconds at a time and attempted to react to projectiles and whiffed normal attacks for the majority of his offense as Rainbow Mika.
In contrast, players like Tokido and Daigo Umehara pressed forward and controlled the ground with superior spacing and fireball pressure. The initiative came from the Japanese players, even when they were pitted against each other. The other large difference was the understanding of resource management. While players like Momochi and Haitani were not shy about spending their critical arts, it was a different story for both Luffy and Phenom. The European players looked to unleash their meter for large burst damage and momentum swings while the Asian players spent their bar when the opportunity presented itself. The use of v-reversals to break pressure and stun was mostly on the Asian side as well.
The last large difference was risk and reward. It was not uncommon to see a player from Asia wake-up with a reversal or uppercut during supposed block strings, but European players reserved their hard reads during their offensive attacks and strings.
The gap may be closing
Phenom proved that players will eventually emerge to challenge the Asian region. It took a combination of bravery and a refusal to be bullied and conditioned to do so, but those are the necessary ingredients to emerge victorious. The threats and favorites from the Asian region started the season in dominating fashion, but it's an eventuality that international talent will start to research and play similar styles. With that said, the elite tier of players remain in Asia as Fuudo and Tokido's consistency in high-ranking events continue to prove, but it's definitely not an impossible climb.