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Our interview with the MLG National Champion is finally here! Anakin has answered 30 out of all your questions (there were TONS of them!), some of which are covering Jack in Tekken 6, his MLG performance and the gap between USA and Korea. Check the interview in the rest of the entry.

Tundra
How is it possible to beat all best players using Jack? Steve, Bryan. Those characters are so diffrent, maybe match-ups are not so important in Tekken 6, but you won every game so easy. Perfect parry, ducking, I really cannot believe this. How looks your training? You know all characters in 100%, or maybe you have some secret?

I dont believe that match-ups are very important in Tekken 6. The game is probably the most balanced Tekken, and it seems like any with hard work, any character can win. As far as my “secret” goes. . I’d rely my success on the fact that I am able to read my opponents well. In-game I make my predictions based on what I would do if I were my them. I guess it just works out well because of my Tekken IQ.

Akudama
1. Your strategy of dashing into peoples face and getting them with full crouch down forward 1 seems a bit questionable. How do you know ppl arent going to mid launch you on your way in?
2. You never use back 1~1. as far as i know this move is safe, delayable, and great. Why no use of it?

1. My confidence in my ability to walk up and low poke probably comes from the sixth sense I’ve developed from playing this game for so long! Also, nobody really punished me for doing it, so I kept on with what worked. I definitely would have changed it up if someone forced me to stop, but that wasn’t the case in Dallas.
2. b+1~1 is not safe. The charge-up version is I believe, but I haven’t really had much time to practice and work it into my game. If you ever see me do it, it’s probably by accident :D.

CheeseOfTheDay
Your reflex is always that gdlk, or you where on some drugs during last tourney?
No drugs, just a sip or two of some “magic potion” and the will to win one for Atlanta!

MarkMan
Will you sell me your gold PS3 you won from the event?

No way!! But sell me a cheap TE stick on the low. :D I need one to practice for SBO qualifiers next year!!

KNDomino
On the stream, one of the commentators (RiP I think) said that you thought that Nin was easier to fight against than Knee. Why is that? Is it because of their choice of character, their play style, etc.?

For me, I just feel more comfortable fighting against Steve. I have been playing against top level Steve players ever since Tekken 4. Against Nin, there wouldn’t be anything I haven’t seen before. On the other hand, I have certainly NO Bryan experience whatsoever, and the fact that Knee is one of if not the best Bryan in the world doesn’t help either!

IMFAMOUSMINDED
Your are really solid Jack-6 player. Congrats on your recent win win at MLG Dallas. How long have you been playing Tekken?And have you always been using Jack as your main?

Thank you for the compliment. I have been playing Tekken for about 7~8 years now, ever since I was a little kid. I’ve been using Jack-6 as my main since Tekken 6 came out, making the switch from Roger Jr.

SMOZZLER
What was your mindset during the tournament and what was your general strategy against most players?

To be honest, I just really wanted to make top 8, so I could win a little bit of money. . . Never thought I’d win it all. Against my opponents, I would be okay with losing as long as I played to my full potential and not give any matches away due to nerves. So I tried my best to play all matches like they were casuals.

Furb
What do you think about Korea-USA gap after MLG Dallas? Where would you put Jack-6 on tier list? BTW, congrats on your victory in Dallas.

Thanks! I’ve always thought that the top USA players would always go toe to toe with the any top player anywhere, whether it be Korea or Japan or Europe. It’s just on average, Japanese and Korean players are better because their thriving arcade scenes allow for even casual players to be very good.
In Tekken 6, Jack ranks in the top 10 easily. In the right hands, he could be top 5, or better. One would just have to have great fundamentals in Tekken to be successful with Jack-6.

av kazama
Bạn có thích ở lại tx? and will you be back if there are other tournaments?

có! tôi muốn trở lại bây giờ!

ky0n
what are jack6 weakness/strengths? what character is he weak and strong against?
what do you think of the US tekken scene? are there enough players to practice with in order to get closer to korean/japanese level just like you?
why do you think asians always own everyone in video games?
What do you think happened to the koreans(except for holeman; i heard he quit playin tekken for WoW)? I’ve never expected them to lose especially to be beaten so easily. Or did US finally adapted to Korean playstyle? If yes what tips can you give to fight effectively against koreans?
Lastly, why do you think Knee played so aggresively against NYC FAB? Is it the best choice when playing against miguel?

Good questions!

Jack’s strength, is. . . well, his strength! He’s got that dangerous FC d/b+1 to go along with the other scary lows in his arsenal. Half-life combos make the opponent guess twice before they wanna duck too.
The US Tekken scene is very unique. Each individual region has their respective playstyle, and all the top players are extremely competitive with each other. However, video games here aren’t as big as they are in JAP/KOR, so many players [myself included] view Tekken strictly as a hobby. Overseas, they dedicate more time into the game, more like a job, so it makes sense for them to be more skilled in the game. I think it’s pretty impressive that the top USA players are doing well against international competition.
In Dallas, I’m not sure what it is that caused the Korean players to not place as high as they hoped. I guess America’s desire to win kicked in when it counted and we were able to keep the national title IN the nation. =D
I do not remember much from Knee’s match versus Fab. Maybe he was thrown off-guard by Fab’s choice to pick Miguel, and didn’t know how to approach him, as he was probably expecting Bob.

Ejaz Ahmad
hay anakin hope you are doing great.its was really good to see someone new”well i have never seen you playing before MLG :)” playing on such a high level,my only question is why you never participated in any of the earlier tournaments ?

I’m doing great, thanks. The reason I did not participate in previous MLG events was because I was not that interested in Tekken at the time. I did play and keep up with the scene, but I was busy with other things and did not feel the desire to travel. After seeing ATL represent in Raleigh, I wanted to come out and experience the hype tournament scene like old times =).

rinoH
How did it feel to beat Kor in Grand Finals and get that money? How did you OCV the Koreans twice in the 3v3?! Also Vietnamese are the best!!!!!!!!

It felt good to beat Kor, because he’d taken me out of 2 major tournaments in the past. I guess I picked the right time to get my revenge on him. I was able to OCV the Korean team through the power of the Vietnamese flag. Had to prove who the REAL asian powerhouse of Tekken was. Go Vietnaaaaaaaaaaaaam!!!!

chemicalRed
For what reason(s) did you pick up Jack in Tekken 6?
What changes would you like to see made to Jack in future iterations of the game ?
What would you say are Jacks strengths and weaknesses?
With Jack commonly being considered a low tier character, I assume those that use him, as well as those using similarly ranked characters, may feel the need to exercise slightly more caution during gameplay than maybe a Law or Steve player would feel the need to exercise. If this is indeed the case, would there be at least three moves you would advise aspiring Jack players to avoid using or to us sparingly?

I picked up Jack in Tekken 6 because he had everything I like in a Tekken character (strong wall pressure, great 50/50, awesome grabs). To be honest, I don’t really have a wishlist for Jack-6 changes in the next tekken. Haven’t really sat and thought about it.
3 moves that may appear to be good and tempting but I’d advist aspiring Jack players to stay away from. . . HCQF+1 and d/f+1+2 (Both are high risk/low reward low-attacks. He has better alternatives). Only two I could think of at the moment. . .

Vandy
What makes KiT the best tournament you have ever been to? VP

3 Words. Come On Baby!

Zero
Anakin, funny how someone wins with a character and all of a sudden that character is Top tier and broken despite not being on many peoples radars for almost the entirety of the the games release. So my question is do you believe your success at MLG Dallas and DC was due to you playing as Jack or do you think you could have beaten the Koreans with another character like Roger Jr. who you previously played in DR? I mean hypothetically if you had put in the same amount of time into another character as you did Jack.

Interesting question, because I’ve been reading the message boards and this has been somewhat of a hot topic recently. I personally don’t like to make excuses to cover my losses, and I’m sure nobody likes to hear them either. I don’t think there’s any reason to say that I won MLG Dallas because of the lack of Jack knowledge, because the game has been out for over a year in the US, and longer overseas. I think that’s enough time to do all your Tekken homework! As far as second question goes, I do believe I would also have a shot if I put as much time into another character. It’s not like Jack-6 is the best character in the game anyway. .

James Winters
How often do you play durring the week or practice durring the week, do you practice alone or practice durring actual gameplay..
What do you find is the most important thing to practice when you play alone.
Thanks and Congrats very impressive performance

I probably play about one hour a week with the ATL crew. I get bored of the game QUICK if I play for long sets. I do not practice by myself in practice mode, because its no fun! Back in Tekken DR however, I used to play a LOT of Ghost Battle, because the CPU can actually show you a couple of things.

Forest
Just how important is movement in Tekken 6? Is there anything more important?

Movement is extremely important in Tekken 6, and can be used as a defensive tool as well as an offensive tool. Opponents can be baited into throwing out moves because of your movement. Just be patient in those moments and be ready to punish accordingly.

Slash
Do u think that the Koreans lost so badly because they were too arrogant? or did US level up their game? Are they still stronger in terms of execution, movement etc?

The Korean players DEFINITELY weren’t arrogant. They were well aware of what was at stake, as far as cash prizes went. I know for a fact that they had done much research on the playstyles of all the top USA players. I think the American players did not want a repeat of what happened at MLG D.C, and stepped it up for the National Championships. It could have probably gone either way, but the cards fell in favor of America that weekend.

KeyHunt
At MLG DC, you said you weren’t sure you were going to be able to make it to Dallas. You late confirmed this on TZ. How happy are you that you made the time? haha

I’m VERY happy that I did decide to make the trip out to Dallas. If not we probably wouldn’t be talking right now, heh! Funny story: I bought the tickets THE day before the prices increased by $150+. Because of that, a good friend of mine, GoodMoneyDez wasn’t able to attend. I don’t think I would have been able to go either if the prices rose on me.

Icege
Who would win in a drunken bar brawl: Starkid after pedaling across the USA on a bike, or Anakin after a full night’s sleep?

A clash between two titans of that stature would probably cause the world to turn upside-down. Not to mention they’d be drunk. There’s no telling what would happen man. . . There’s just no telling. . .

RyuHashiba
Did the Koreans and Japanese lose because they spent the weekend playing against everyone allowing people to study and counter their playstyles? Do you think they would have had a better chance if they did not practice against everyone the day before?

Not playing casuals before the tournament wouldn’t be smart on their part. Everyone knew how good Nin, Knee, AO, JDCR, Holeman, and aDDung were. . . There are countless match videos online featuring those players. Their playstyles and skill levels aren’t hidden from anyone. Not playing any matches would mean they’d go into the tournament cold. Bad idea.

Reality
What do you think about the gamebalance in Tekken 6 and what systemchanges are you hoping to see in TT2 from it?

Tekken 6 is a very balanced game. There certainly aren’t any imbalanced characters like there were in previous installments. In TTT2, I hope to see the game still balanced even with the addition of all the new elements [tag combos/new characters].

rio
what is the story behind the tag name: mishima_player and anakin?

Anakin was a name given to me by the players at my local arcade when I was younger [7~8 years ago]. They called me a prodigy and predicted that the day would come where I’d be the best in Tekken. Mishima_Player was the name I created on TekkenZaibatsu when I was a little kid because I thought it sounded COOL =P.

Hibakusha
What did you do differently between D.C. and Dallas?
Specifically, did you do things outside of your actual tournament matches any differently?
Did you sandbag in casuals up in D.C. or in Dallas? Do you employ any sandbagging tactics when at tournament? If you did would you even tell us?

In Washington D.C, I was a little more nervous, since it was my first major tournament in a while, and the entire ATL crew was there counting on me to represent. In Dallas, I played more loose and calm because there were so many great players there who were expected to take the top spots, and I wasn’t thinking about that at all. Just wanted to have fun.
As far as sandbagging goes, I personally am not a fan of sandbagging. I don’t sandbang, and I always try my best to win 100% of all my matches. There may be times when I play extra solid in tournaments and crucial moments, but it’s not like thats something I can control anyways.

mojorisin695
1. Now that you’ve won MLG Dallas, are you going to take Tekken more seriously and travel to more major tournaments?
2. Why do you use different names when you enter tournaments,do you not like the name Anakin?

With the MLG Dallas win under my belt, I DEFINITELY will take Tekken more seriously. I am now sponsored by Check-6 Gaming, and I’m really excited to represent a great team.
I like my “Anakin” nickname. I just like to spice things up at tournaments and fly under the radar with different names. I chose “ATL_HOA” for MLG because I wanted to register as my real name for a change.

zetsu
congrats on your mlg win! which part of usa has most no. of competitive tekken players and the most happening tekken scene ?

From what I see, it seems like Southern California has the most competitive Tekken players, and I think they actually still meet up at local arcades to play. The best Tekken scene is none other than the Atlanta Tekken scene of course! Everyone has the time of their life here in Atlanta.

Anirban
This tournament turned out to be pretty easy for u, even u didnt expect that I’m sure! Do you think the world has never seen a Jack-6 player as good as u ever, so its just that they were not prepared at all. Do u think that cud be a reason? Or r u confident u’ll win everything in the future too :D

Jack has always been a force to be reckoned with in the Tekken series, so nobody had a reason to be unnprepared. Arario dominated with Jack and won Evo in 2007, and JOP also used Jacks back in Tekken Tag Tournament. I’m just trying to carry on the torch and continue Jack dominance in the game :).

eL
What is your concept of defense? Especially when you face pitbull characters. How did you manage to get breathing space or create such a solid defense? Especially against pitbulls that just don’t let up.

There are many keys to having a good overall defense. These include throw-break, spacing/movement, and character knowledge, with character knowledge being the most important. The most important thing when facing pitbulls is to be patient and wait for the right opportunity to strike back and build momentum. In Tekken 6 rounds can end very quickly, so try to always be the one on offense, so you don’t have to worry about blocking and guessing all the time.

personalit
How did you feel when you beat Nin, possible and probably the best Steve in the world?

It felt pretty good beating Nin. It moved me one step closer to that National Title. Also, Nin had been on a hot streak of defeating all the top American players, and I didn’t want my name being added to that list.

Anirban
Tell us something about the girl from ur class who still owes u a sushi dinner for winning at MLG, lol.

Ok! I was whoopin’ her in a few games of Jenga that Friday right before my flight to Dallas, and she offered to treat me to a nice sushi dinner if I won the tournament. Im a big sushi fan, so I don’t think anything would have stopped me from winning that dinner! LOL. Oh, and I’m STILL waiting for that dinner by the way. =D

This entry was posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2010 at 11:12 PM and is filed under Korea, MLG, SD TEKKEN, SDT Interviews, TEKKEN 6, TEKKEN 6: Bloodline Rebellion, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.