There were times when Amy was actually considered mediocre or even bad character, and there was one significant element that changed this perception of her. This element goes by name of JJJ and is not only one of the most accomplished SC players but also our guest today.

Twitter: @JJJ_SC6
Twitch: sinbbad
Youtube: clownswitmuffins
Metafy: @jjj
Birth Year: 1988
Country: USA

If you had to introduce yourself in three sentences to some SoulCalibur player who didn’t know you, what would you say?

I go by JJJ, and have been competing for about 13 years in the community spanning sc4 to sc6. I’ve won majors in 5 and 6, and am considered the best and most accomplished Amy player in the world currently. I also run parsec streams, post match analysis on youtube, and coach on metafy.

What is the origin or meaning of your nickname?

Kind of embarassing. I used to play smash and Naruto GNT4 before sc, and back then I went by “J” as my handle. When i found the sc competitive scene, I registered on the 8wayrun forums, and the site said my name needed to be at least 3 characters long….so….yea. I’m not a particularly creative person.

How did it happen that you ended up playing fighting games?

I’ve been playing fighting games for as long as i could remember. Even when i was a child, without knowing the names or lingo of anything, i was already learning the concepts like timing, mixups, and spacing. I’ve always found the movement of fighting games coupled with the tense moments where anything can happen to be the most aesthetically beautiful thing in the world.

Who do you main in SC6 and why?

I’ve mained Amy since she came out in sc6 in part because she was also my main in sc4 and she plays very similarly, and also because she has tools for almost any situation. She is one of the few characters in sc6 that can really exert a level of conditioning and make people actually second guess using their most powerful options. Amy has a way out of any situation.

What is your opinion regarding SC6?

Frankly, it’s not my favorite. I find characters have certain options that cover so much ground and can be so damaging, that no amount of incorrect guesses will dissuade their use. You take that along with the fact that frame advantage is quite low overall, it means higher damaging characters can always cycle through their wheel of options and win by being correct in only 2 to 3 exchanges. Soul charge slows down the game, the buffering system is confusing, and hitboxes are wildly inconsistent (although that part is not exclusive to 6).

If you could change one single thing about SC6 what would that be?

Hmm, it’s actually a tie between soul charge, and soul charge activation, having more counterplay overall or having frame advantage more amped up similar to scv. Less abstractly though, I would like to see nerfs to overall damage and corner carry virtually across the board to all members of the cast.

What do you consider to be your greatest SC6 achievement and why?

Part of me wants to say my tournament success for proving my playstyle and way of learning, albeit unconventional, does have it’s place in the competitive scene. The fact that a guy like me with poor execution and reaction time, along with limited abilities in patience and adaptation, can survive or even thrive in an intensely competitive scene like this speaks volumes.

Another part of me wants to say my ability to help others that started in scv grow into the players they are now can be a great sense of pride for me. To know I had at least a little hand in expanding the perspective of the many players who have told me I’ve helped them makes me think I’ve had a lasting, positive impact on the scene.

Thank you for the interview!