EVO is the main FG event of any given year, and SoulCalibur can’t miss it! This year, our beloved game was part of the Community showcase with Top6 being played on the main stage. And the Top3 – Incediate, Boom, and OmegaXcn, responded to our questions!

Can you briefly introduce yourself as SoulCalibur competitor?

Incendiate: Hello! I’m Jordan, better known as Incendiate. I’m a Soul Calibur player who’s been competing for 6 years and have currently been winning all events in the North America region including 2022 and 2023 EVO.

Boom: Yo, whats up everyone! I go by Boom, and I’ve been competing in SC since right before SCV came out. You can catch me playing Hwang now and days.

OmegaXcn: I am Cuong ‘OmegaXcn’ Nguyen, the Taki player. Been a competitor for over 20 years. Jeez.

How did you enjoy this years’ EVO overall and SC6 event in particular?

Incendiate: This year’s EVO was very well-ran and enjoyable they stepped it up from the last one and decided to run Soul Calibur directly as opposed to it being completely community ran which led us to have a main stage stream which is important but ALSO a pool stream which was excellent.

Boom: I thought it was pretty sick. It sucked that it was announced so late when it comes to SC being at EVO, but being able to support this game is pretty dope. Always good to see SC get some shine.

OmegaXcn: This year’s EVO was crazy!! There was so much to do, and Soulcalibur was run very smoothly by Sabin Deus and Big Papa Chunk. It was also really nice to see Okubo checking out the finals too. He told me “I did not know you were so STRONG!” That was cool.
Last year I fell right outside of top 4, so it felt good to be higher this year and be back on the stage.

SC6 wasn’t one of the main EVO titles this year, but TOP6 was still presented on the main stage. How does it feel, to play on such a big stage?

Incendiate: Playing on a big stage never gets old. I’m always nervous, excited, anxious and happy all at once ready to play and entertain some people.

Boom: I don’t get too many opportunities to play SC on a stage as big as that, so it always feels a little surreal to have a live crowd watching you. I absolutely enjoy the energy that comes from it!

OmegaXcn: EVO did a really good job making the community tournaments feel really special. The stage was right at the center of the convention hall, we got top 6 on the stage, and even got some pools matches streamed there.
Last year it was just top 4 on the stage, so it felt nice this time around.
As for being on the big stage, that was SO exhilarating!! I could hear the crowd through my headphones when it got hype.

How do you feel about your performance?

Incendiate: Overall I thought my performance was as good as I could ask. I practice a lot the week prior to EVO and I ended up losing only 1 game the entire tournament. I’ll admit I was somewhat distracted by the release of Street Fighter 6 and had put man hours into that.

Boom: To be honest, I rarely turn the game on anymore, so to get 2nd without playing very much is pretty solid honestly! My Valorant and Honkai Star Rail training regimen is working wonders 🙂

OmegaXcn: God I wish I practiced a little more. I’ll get ‘em next time.
For real though, it was so damn fun to put on a good show on the stage, place well, and earn an EVO medal.

What was your personal most memorable play, or game moment, of the tournament?

Incendiate: My most memorable moment was actually in Game 1 against Manta. He kinda styled on me with several correct reads in an row at very little health and clutched out what would be the only game I lose all tournament. I thought it was very cool but I’m also proud of myself for mentally recovering from that.

Boom: Watching Manta’s Voldo turn some heads was cool, as well as seeing folks I havent heard of before do pretty well at EVO. Shout outs to them!

OmegaXcn: THE RING OUT on Indian Port! It was especially cool since it got Twitch clipped from Maximillian’s stream, and I can hear the crowd going crazy.
Shout outs to Reid Gaming. He’s a cool dude.
As a side note, I got killed by Master CJ last year trying to do the same play, where he did the hard read on me. Felt good to have it clutch out for me this time.

SC6 is quite an old(ish) game now, but was there anything in the tournament, any strategy or play, that took you by surprise, even after all this time?

Incendiate: Manta’s playstyle always takes me by surprise, and despite being well versed in the game’s cast of characters Voldo is a very uncommon pick and no one does it like he does. There’s solid parts of his strategy from optimal whiff punishment and tight mixups and then strange, confusing plays like stance rotations and commitment to active in-your-face play where the frame data is consistently ambiguous.

Boom: Nothing took me by surprise besides the fact that I was able to sort of stay consistent in my own playstyle, even after not touching the game for a while

OmegaXcn: God I didn’t know Voldo’s guard break game was so good. Thanks Manta.

BONUS: EVO being the all-FG event it is… Is there any particular moment from this year that stuck in your head that is not related to SC?

Incendiate: Watching EVO is an incredible spectacle and a right of passage for anyone who calls themself a fighting game player. But being there is another experience with the large crowds and top level play it’s hard to pick any one moment that stuck out to me. The feeling of winning EVO twice in a row is unmatched but if I had to pick, having the crowd roar back at me for my performance was really emotional. I hope to continue being someone to cheer for in Soul Calibur as I enjoy all types of games immensely, nothing compares to the 3-Dimensional Brawler that is this game.

Boom: Probably Jimmy J Tran doing well in Melty Blood. Seeing other 3d gamers thrive in other games is something that I will always enjoy

OmegaXcn: Oh man this moment meant so much to me:
Meeting Jason AfroCole, the two time EVO Champion for Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and all time legendary player during the final night at EVO.
I saw him at the bar and he asked me what I got my EVO medal for (yes I was still wearing it). When I said Soulcalibur 6, he told me he used to play Ivy in SC2.
sat down with him for drinks with his friend Tony the Tiger from Sacramento, where they shared a bunch of war stories about playing Street Fighter, beating players like Daigo and travelling to Japan to compete, which was really freaking cool.
I thought about FGC retirements, how much longer I can do this, and how a lot of players I know aren’t around anymore, so I asked the EVO champ, now retired, if he misses trying to be the best.
He smiled and said “Trying to be the best never stops.”

Thank you for the interview!

Full bracket(s): Start.gg