In just a few days, Steff and I will be taking a weekend trip to Kingston, Ontario. Roughly a two-hour drive from Toronto, it’ll be host to one of the Street Fighter V regional finals tournaments taking place across Canada. Having earned my spot to compete at this event, I’m excited for the opportunity to throw down with the best that the city has to offer.
This tournament is significant to me for a few reasons. One, it’s out of town. Over the years, I’ve gotten familiar with the faces I normally see at Toronto tournaments. Hours away from the city, this should be an all new set of opponents to face. Kingston might be a smaller city, but that’s not necessarily an indication of talent level. Having played strong opponents who traveled from more rural areas to compete in Toronto, I don’t expect this tournament to be a cakewalk.
Two, it’s the first tournament I’ve been a part of that is backed by a major eSports organization. Owned by Cineplex, the largest movie theatre chain in the country, this is bound to be a far more glamourous event than what I’m used to.
Three, this regional final is not using the standard double elimination format. Instead, it’s single elimination, best two out of three. With everyone’s tournament life in the balance, I need to be firing on all cylinders immediately.
There are no shortage of things to be afraid of heading into this tournament, but I’m more excited than anything. After my experience at the Canada East Championships, I put in the time and effort to address a number of my deficiencies as a Street Fighter V player. As such, I feel like I’m the best I’ve ever been.
Will it be enough to win Kingston and earn one of 32 spots in the finale? We’ll find out together this weekend!
In Third Person 