Big E Gaming's Winter Brawl: 3D 2023 started at 12pm EST at the Double Tree Hotel located at Cherry Hill, NJ. This tournament is a small, comfortable and intimate environment for 3D fighting games of all types, including three different Dead or Alive games. The first title to be showcased at Bifuteki's Twitch stream is Dead or Alive 6, and you can observe the complete bracket for all three featured games at Big E Gaming's Start.GG for Winter Brawl: 3D 2023.
One of the star performers at this show was Scarlet Hurricane & Tina. While they may have lost to Jager in the opening fight, the movement, speed, reaction and timing has been nearly impeccable. Hurricane made a great tournament comeback after his loss to Jager by defeating Kambo with flash, substance and attractive HC throws with Tina in neutral.
IT would not be a complete tournament experience if Jager's arcade stick didn't disconnect, and it did so in his battle against Buckshot's Bayman. Jager was able to pick up the pace after the automatic round loss and exerted some insane pressure on Buckshot to get a few games out of the set. On top of Jager's controller issues Buckshot put on a technically impressive set with Bayman to get a big win over Jager in the Winners Final set. Buckshot's fundamentals are all there: he gets his damage; he's entertaining to watch, and he made his way to the grand finale by legitimately defeating Jager.
BBoy Dragon's electrifying performance with NiCO at this tournament has been a stunning attraction at Winter Brawl: 3D. His complete combos with NiCO, his wall-game, his reversals and reactions were all spot on throughout this entire tournament. BBoy looked great in matches he won and great in matches he lost. When he fought Jager, it was a back-and-forth battle between his NiCO and Phase 4. Easily one of the best sets of the DOA6 tournament.
Dragon fought his way out of the loser bracket to meet Buckshot at the Grand Final. This was a beautiful set because not only did they adapt to each other, but they also got to put in serious work with Bayman and NiCO's finest setups and moves on display. BBoy was super hungry to win this tournament and you could feel the energy behind his moves. Buckshot's Bayman has great composition, and he was relaxed pulling out advanced & offensive holds while baiting NiCO into HC backbreaking damage.
Despite everything Buckshot tried with Bayman, it just wasn't enough so after two losses he switched to Tina for extra speed and mobility against NiCO's genius. BBoy Dragon's spacing was turned up so high that Tina couldn't seem to get anything done against her in this match; proving that side characters aren't always a perquisite after consecutive losses. Buckshot wasn't happy with his Tina's performance, so he went right back to Bayman now that there has been a tournament reset; it's all or nothing.
You could sense the frustration from Buckshot building after the reset. He lost his composure and looked for new tricks that might work against Dragon, but he ultimately struggled at taking NiCO's space and zoning techniques away from her. BBoy's stunning pressure turned into dominant patience over the catty Bayman and Buckshot's psyche. Complete Bracket & Congratulations Tournament Winner: BBoy Dragon
It has been a very long time since Dead or Alive 3 has been showcased at a tournament, and it's a pleasure to see the game at Winter Brawl: 3D and is perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the whole tournament as we get the opportunity to watch Matt Ponton perform at his best DOA title. Ponton shows with his masterful Ayane that DOA wasn't always about big combo strings, it was more about getting big damage off the wall, or a big mind-game play that completely outwits your opponent.
Jager attempted to use Ein in DOA3++ and he was able to pull off some solid strings and punishment with the character despite not having much experience with this particular title. It was great to see him compete and try the game out against Ponton regardless of his more proficient skill in Dead or Alive 5 or Dead or Alive 6.
Project Bokuho was next to fight Matt Ponton, and Ponton decided to use one of the most disrespectful characters in ++, Hayate. With Dead or Alive 3 ++ Hayate can pretty much out pressure anyone and the updated title fixes almost every last one of his mistakes in the original version of the game. Despite the jab pressure of Ponton & Hayate, Bokuho demonstrated that his hold ability is extremely impressive, and he can maintain his character well on slopes as shown at the snowbound stage.
Gill Hustle vs Scarlet Hurricane was an incredible set because they both seem like two old-school vets taking a trip down memory lane. Gill Hustle is great at DOA3, and you can see that experience on the snowbound stage where his Ayane pulls off the infamous infinite on the slope, but he lets it go early. Scarlet Hurricane's Hayabusa is no slouch against Ayane, utilizing great defensive capabilities and pulling off HC Izuna drops whenever he can. The evasive skills of both these ninjas creates top tier entertainment, but it was the strength of Scarlet Hurricane and Ryu Hayabusa that ultimately won this set.
Jager started coming into his own whilst fighting Majin in Losers Round 2. Jager's defense and timing really started to come into play before defeating Majin, and this gameplay mentality carried over into his next set with Gill Hustle. Hustle and Jager had a defensive and nail-biting battle from start to finish with Gill Hustle having a slight advantage in experience. During the middle of the third game in the set Jager was able to secure a 'great' round with Ein by literally just using a series of various throws. That being said the entire set was won by Hustle because he had the perfect coupling of defense and high damage output with Ayane.
BBoy Dragon started off his appearance in the DOA3++ strongly and continued the built momentum from DOA6 against Project Bokuho. PB's Helena matched well against BBoy's Kasumi and Bokuho landed a series of great air throw combos and holds, keeping solid defensive strategy throughout. BBoy's shenanigans with Kasumi proved to be the deciding factor in his match with Bokuho despite the strong performance and effort.
Dragon continued to play Kasumi in his next set against Gill Hustle's Ayane and they had what the kids today like to call a "banger." BB Dragon's stun game was used perfectly for launcher follow-ups proving some type of experience with DOA3. He won a match against Gill, but his wins never came easily as his defense with Ayane was near perfection. His block execution led to damage and ultimately the set victory.
Matt Ponton was up next showing off with Leifang (a character he doesn't normally use) flexing and taunting Scarlet Hurricane like a WWE heel. Scarlet Hurricane was trying to build offensive strings into his gameplay with Hayabusa, but Ponton just continuously pushed him around in this set for a quick FT3 victory. Ponton's Leifang selection along with the incredible spacing, advanced holds and throw punishments were a delight to see on the Bifuteki stream.
Hurricane may have lost to Ponton, but his gameplay was "evolving before us" in his set against Hustle. You were seeing successful launch combos, successful Hayabusa hand-stand techniques, successful pokes and jabs; and all against a veteran like Hustle. Hayabusa was cleaning Ayane's clock, but Gill once again started using her more defensively and he effectively chose his spots to get damage and set wins. Hurricane and Hustle had a on the edge of your seat final round where almost every attack was a trade; making this entire set an absolute must watch in our twenty-five-year history, this is a set to highlight in the record books.
For the grand finale of this DOA3 revival tournament we got Matt Ponton the seasoned vet vs the adaptive Scarlet Hurricane. Matt Ponton picks Bass and starts slamming Hurricane around making the first round of the first set a great. Matt Ponton continued to lift Hayabusa off the ground for more and more HC powerbomb throws ending the first game with another great on Hurricane. If you've been desiring, or maybe I should even say lusting to see Bass absolutely destroy a high-level player; watch this finale. I don't even know what to say or how to articulate it, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. It was complete domination and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like it. Complete Bracket & Congratulations Tournament Winner: Matt Ponton
Sadly, even though Dead or Alive 6 & Dead or Alive 3 were the highest viewed games of the tournament, DOA5LR was cut from having stream time and Tekken 7 and Soul Calibur VI were prioritized despite having less viewership. If any of the matches in the DOA5LR tournament are recorded, we will be sure to update the community with those, and at least the community was able to make a statement with DOA3 and DOA6 that people do want to see them in action when they watch FGC tournaments.
Complete Bracket & Congratulations Tournament Winner: BBoy Dragon
Thanks to Mr. JA Horbes for the excellent banner photography. Follow JA Horbes on Twitter for the latest NiCO news and say hello to him here at Free Step Dodge!
Dead or Alive 6 Top 8 Results
One of the star performers at this show was Scarlet Hurricane & Tina. While they may have lost to Jager in the opening fight, the movement, speed, reaction and timing has been nearly impeccable. Hurricane made a great tournament comeback after his loss to Jager by defeating Kambo with flash, substance and attractive HC throws with Tina in neutral.
IT would not be a complete tournament experience if Jager's arcade stick didn't disconnect, and it did so in his battle against Buckshot's Bayman. Jager was able to pick up the pace after the automatic round loss and exerted some insane pressure on Buckshot to get a few games out of the set. On top of Jager's controller issues Buckshot put on a technically impressive set with Bayman to get a big win over Jager in the Winners Final set. Buckshot's fundamentals are all there: he gets his damage; he's entertaining to watch, and he made his way to the grand finale by legitimately defeating Jager.
BBoy Dragon's electrifying performance with NiCO at this tournament has been a stunning attraction at Winter Brawl: 3D. His complete combos with NiCO, his wall-game, his reversals and reactions were all spot on throughout this entire tournament. BBoy looked great in matches he won and great in matches he lost. When he fought Jager, it was a back-and-forth battle between his NiCO and Phase 4. Easily one of the best sets of the DOA6 tournament.
Dragon fought his way out of the loser bracket to meet Buckshot at the Grand Final. This was a beautiful set because not only did they adapt to each other, but they also got to put in serious work with Bayman and NiCO's finest setups and moves on display. BBoy was super hungry to win this tournament and you could feel the energy behind his moves. Buckshot's Bayman has great composition, and he was relaxed pulling out advanced & offensive holds while baiting NiCO into HC backbreaking damage.
Despite everything Buckshot tried with Bayman, it just wasn't enough so after two losses he switched to Tina for extra speed and mobility against NiCO's genius. BBoy Dragon's spacing was turned up so high that Tina couldn't seem to get anything done against her in this match; proving that side characters aren't always a perquisite after consecutive losses. Buckshot wasn't happy with his Tina's performance, so he went right back to Bayman now that there has been a tournament reset; it's all or nothing.
You could sense the frustration from Buckshot building after the reset. He lost his composure and looked for new tricks that might work against Dragon, but he ultimately struggled at taking NiCO's space and zoning techniques away from her. BBoy's stunning pressure turned into dominant patience over the catty Bayman and Buckshot's psyche. Complete Bracket & Congratulations Tournament Winner: BBoy Dragon
Dead or Alive 3 ++ Top 8 Results
It has been a very long time since Dead or Alive 3 has been showcased at a tournament, and it's a pleasure to see the game at Winter Brawl: 3D and is perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the whole tournament as we get the opportunity to watch Matt Ponton perform at his best DOA title. Ponton shows with his masterful Ayane that DOA wasn't always about big combo strings, it was more about getting big damage off the wall, or a big mind-game play that completely outwits your opponent.
Jager attempted to use Ein in DOA3++ and he was able to pull off some solid strings and punishment with the character despite not having much experience with this particular title. It was great to see him compete and try the game out against Ponton regardless of his more proficient skill in Dead or Alive 5 or Dead or Alive 6.
Project Bokuho was next to fight Matt Ponton, and Ponton decided to use one of the most disrespectful characters in ++, Hayate. With Dead or Alive 3 ++ Hayate can pretty much out pressure anyone and the updated title fixes almost every last one of his mistakes in the original version of the game. Despite the jab pressure of Ponton & Hayate, Bokuho demonstrated that his hold ability is extremely impressive, and he can maintain his character well on slopes as shown at the snowbound stage.
Gill Hustle vs Scarlet Hurricane was an incredible set because they both seem like two old-school vets taking a trip down memory lane. Gill Hustle is great at DOA3, and you can see that experience on the snowbound stage where his Ayane pulls off the infamous infinite on the slope, but he lets it go early. Scarlet Hurricane's Hayabusa is no slouch against Ayane, utilizing great defensive capabilities and pulling off HC Izuna drops whenever he can. The evasive skills of both these ninjas creates top tier entertainment, but it was the strength of Scarlet Hurricane and Ryu Hayabusa that ultimately won this set.
Jager started coming into his own whilst fighting Majin in Losers Round 2. Jager's defense and timing really started to come into play before defeating Majin, and this gameplay mentality carried over into his next set with Gill Hustle. Hustle and Jager had a defensive and nail-biting battle from start to finish with Gill Hustle having a slight advantage in experience. During the middle of the third game in the set Jager was able to secure a 'great' round with Ein by literally just using a series of various throws. That being said the entire set was won by Hustle because he had the perfect coupling of defense and high damage output with Ayane.
BBoy Dragon started off his appearance in the DOA3++ strongly and continued the built momentum from DOA6 against Project Bokuho. PB's Helena matched well against BBoy's Kasumi and Bokuho landed a series of great air throw combos and holds, keeping solid defensive strategy throughout. BBoy's shenanigans with Kasumi proved to be the deciding factor in his match with Bokuho despite the strong performance and effort.
Dragon continued to play Kasumi in his next set against Gill Hustle's Ayane and they had what the kids today like to call a "banger." BB Dragon's stun game was used perfectly for launcher follow-ups proving some type of experience with DOA3. He won a match against Gill, but his wins never came easily as his defense with Ayane was near perfection. His block execution led to damage and ultimately the set victory.
Matt Ponton was up next showing off with Leifang (a character he doesn't normally use) flexing and taunting Scarlet Hurricane like a WWE heel. Scarlet Hurricane was trying to build offensive strings into his gameplay with Hayabusa, but Ponton just continuously pushed him around in this set for a quick FT3 victory. Ponton's Leifang selection along with the incredible spacing, advanced holds and throw punishments were a delight to see on the Bifuteki stream.
Hurricane may have lost to Ponton, but his gameplay was "evolving before us" in his set against Hustle. You were seeing successful launch combos, successful Hayabusa hand-stand techniques, successful pokes and jabs; and all against a veteran like Hustle. Hayabusa was cleaning Ayane's clock, but Gill once again started using her more defensively and he effectively chose his spots to get damage and set wins. Hurricane and Hustle had a on the edge of your seat final round where almost every attack was a trade; making this entire set an absolute must watch in our twenty-five-year history, this is a set to highlight in the record books.
For the grand finale of this DOA3 revival tournament we got Matt Ponton the seasoned vet vs the adaptive Scarlet Hurricane. Matt Ponton picks Bass and starts slamming Hurricane around making the first round of the first set a great. Matt Ponton continued to lift Hayabusa off the ground for more and more HC powerbomb throws ending the first game with another great on Hurricane. If you've been desiring, or maybe I should even say lusting to see Bass absolutely destroy a high-level player; watch this finale. I don't even know what to say or how to articulate it, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. It was complete domination and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like it. Complete Bracket & Congratulations Tournament Winner: Matt Ponton
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round Top 8 Results
Sadly, even though Dead or Alive 6 & Dead or Alive 3 were the highest viewed games of the tournament, DOA5LR was cut from having stream time and Tekken 7 and Soul Calibur VI were prioritized despite having less viewership. If any of the matches in the DOA5LR tournament are recorded, we will be sure to update the community with those, and at least the community was able to make a statement with DOA3 and DOA6 that people do want to see them in action when they watch FGC tournaments.
Complete Bracket & Congratulations Tournament Winner: BBoy Dragon
Thanks to Mr. JA Horbes for the excellent banner photography. Follow JA Horbes on Twitter for the latest NiCO news and say hello to him here at Free Step Dodge!
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