In the 2nd set of post-WUFL S1 interviews, let’s look at what Aelz, Party Wolf, Saiyne and Yoki have to say about the event!
Can you briefly introduce yourself as a SC competitor?
Aelz: Hey, I’m Aelz, A french player maining Tira. I’ve been playing competitively since SC6.
Party Wolf: Hey I am Party Wolf. I am a Cassandra player that always gets confused for a Kilik player. I have been playing competitive SoulCalibur for 8 years, and I am from Florida.
Saiyne: I am Joshua aka Saiyne. I play SOULCALIBURVI but first started competing in SoulcaliburV. I generally play Ivy in tournament and you can find me playing super colorful in tournament sets.
Yoki: Hey, I’m Yoki, a SoulCalibur competitive player based in the USA representing Team Deus and I main Seong Mi-na. I have been playing this game since forever and have been focusing on the competitive scene for about 2 and half years now.
Photo credit: WePlay
How did you enjoy WUFL S1?
Aelz: WUFL was probably one of the best event i’ve ever participated in, high quality production across the entire board and coming back to offline felt real nice.
Party Wolf: WUFL is by far the best event I have been to. There’s obvious bias due to being treated like a VIP, but I truly think the event is a great direction for the FGC. I don’t feel like normal fighting game tournaments try to make the stream care about the players, and they rely on the commentators and skill to do it for them. While I do think open bracket tournaments are important, I think WUFL genuinely cared about our careers as fighting game professsionals.
Saiyne: I really enjoyed WUFL S1 because this event was a lot more player focused. I usually go to events that generally the event itself gets highlighted and the players happen to just be playing in them. WUFL S1 was one of very few where it was the other way around and it made me appreciate myself and even other’s presence throughout the event and I hope to attend more events with that type of focus.
Yoki: I had a wonderful time participating in WePlayUFL’s S1 competition. It was an exquisite and memorable experience that I am honored and grateful for the opportunity that was given. The staff were amiable and made us feel welcomed and right at home in Ukraine!
Photo credit: WePlay
What was your personal highlight of the tournament?
Aelz: Too many epic things happened, but if I had to pic a single one, it would be Party Wolf VS Skyll during the playoffs. Best match of SC6 in my opinion.
Party Wolf: My highlight for this tournament was my own performance and support I had received. Everybody was so happy for me for making a 7-0 record in Group A. It was also nice to show that Cassandra isn’t as bad as some Americans were saying. The staff I met from WePlayUFL and DashFight were all awesome too. I felt like I became actual friends with some of them from this experience.
Saiyne: My personal highlight of the tournament would have to be my match vs. Keev. I think that this match was the total embodiment of who I am as a player and how strong I can be when I am playing for fun and no pressure.
Yoki: Hmm, When I 3-0 Skyll in a match haha. This felt like a mighty boss battle and I did not want go down without a fight. Despite losing in the end, I felt happy and I have a lot of respect for him and same for Linkorz. One day lol! Also MYLOES!!!!! Clearly one of the best highlights during the tournament! He was definitely the MVP in the entire event for me xD
Photo credit: WePlay
How did you prepare for the tournament?
Aelz: I was playing sub characters for fun before, i just came back to play Tira full time to prepare and get back in shape.
Party Wolf: I prepared by complaining about online and playing training mode/arcade mode so that I could simulate offline play at least a little bit. It helped me brush up on my skills, since in my opinion, online doesn’t have the same meta as offline due to lag. I did play online in small burts of long sets with one player.
Saiyne: I didn’t really prepare at all for this tournament being that I work full-time and go to school full-time. I have however been labbing general things in the game throughout the past two years. A lot of the stuff I lab has been place in video format inside of SOULCALIBURVI music videos in my YouTube channel.
Yoki: I reached out to some of the Calibur members for tips on some character matchups I had trouble with but honestly I had to work on my own mental attitude and stamina. As much as I wanted to place in top 8, I felt like I had trouble keeping up with the longevity of the games which I did not train for.
Photo credit: WePlay
How do you feel about your performance?
Aelz: I’m very disappointed in my performance, I personally didnt expect to qualify except if some of the monsters in group A underestimated me but I basically melted down mentally after my first few defeats and I just didnt play well. I do not care to loose against a stronger opponent, but I care very much about not being able to play properly and disappoint people expecting at least a nice Tira exhibition from me, which I couldnt do at all during this tournament.
Party Wolf: I feel great. Even when I lost, I was happy. The event paying out to Top 8 and making the players feel like superstars helped so much with my mentality.
Saiyne: At first I was sad about my placement however looking back at my replays I was very pleased that I played sharp considering I have so much to juggle outside of SOULCALIBURVI. I also was delighted that I was able to entertain the audience watching SOULCALIBURVI. I believe that be one of the most interesting players despite not winning is a victory in itself.
Yoki: I was very disappointed with my performance because I went 0-7. I am pretty hard on myself but this experience has given me the knowledge I need to better improve myself. I will never give up!
Where there any significant differences between your local competition and what you experienced at WUFL S1?
Aelz: The overall level is wayyyy higher, every opponent is basically final boss level. And you fight top players from unknown match-up. The round robin format was also rougher than I expected, you have to face EVERYONE, you catn prepare your tournament road as normal, which was very upsetting for me.
Party Wolf: ah, I would say that every player there could beat me in tournament. They all had their own approach to the game too, so it was interesting. I don’t really have locals anymore due to COVID, so most of my “locals” are just playing people online which doesn’t help a lot.
Saiyne: The main differences between my local competition and what I experienced at WUFL S1 was, the players I couldn’t beat off of them making silly mistakes. Each match I played, the players had tight defense and offense and this tournament was the first tournament I have been to where each match felt like a grand finals match.
Yoki: I did not see a difference because in my local I was fighting players like Linkorz, EndersJ, Saiyne, Ramon, Thermidor so basically the mighty bosses of NLBC haha :,(. I have so much to learn lol I am super lucky to be part of the NLBC crew. I must say WUFL S1 exceeded my expectations in terms of their hospitality, production, and passion for what they want to do for the FGC.
Is there anything else you will like to mention or talk about?
Aelz: What more to say except this tournament reminded me that the SC community is amazing and that offline events of this caliber are always an incredible experience. thanks again to Weplay for this amazing opportunity, lets hope for a season 2 !!
Party Wolf: Please support more events like WePlayUFL! #CassIsNotAss
Saiyne: I want to mention that I used to only find happiness in coming in first place or placing really high in SOULCALIBUR tournaments. I had more fun at this tournament than at tournaments that I have won. I think to be able to sit back and enjoy your surroundings sometimes means more than winning itself!
Yoki: Try to experience the SoulCalibur community in person because there is a huge difference between online and offline. You will meet wonderful people and make awesome friendships. I cannot wait for offline events again to be able to hang out and have fun beating people up in Calibur haha.
Thanks a lot for the interview!