Who to watch at Capcom Cup 2020

Image: iDOM, left, and SFV producer Yoshinori Ono at Capcom Cup 2019, courtesy of Capcom Pro Tour

We’re heading into that magical time of year again, where the leaves are a-falling, the temperature’s a-dropping, and the best Street Fighter players the world-over are preparing with feverish intensity for the highest-profile event of the season. With just a few scant weeks left to qualify for this year’s Capcom Cup, the competition between the top ranks has been nothing short of brutal, with some major upsets in earlier qualifiers alongside phenomenal performances from CPT regulars. Without further ado, let’s take a quick look at who will be occupying the main stage come the end of November.

Image: Kanamori 'Gachikun' Tsunehiro, courtesy of Capcom Pro Tour

The second round of East Asia qualifiers saw some stellar gameplay from previous 2018 champion Kanamori ‘Gachikun’ Tsunehiro, who comfortably dominated the winner’s bracket with the confident, calculated Rashid play that’s become his trademark and has once again earned him a spot in the finals and should solidify him as a threat to other competitors.

Competitors like perennial crowd-favorite and unstoppable meme-machine Bryant ‘SMUG’ Huggins, the G player that rocked the world back in 2016 and continues to redefine the public perception of so-called 'low-tiers'. Bringing back the G/Balrog combo that’s served him so well recently, anyone in his bracket should know by now that if they let his signature brand of pressure and mind-games overwhelm them, he may just run all the way to Grand Finals “with the greatest of ease.”

Image: MenaRD, courtesy of Robert Paul via Liquipedia

This year also sees the return of the rookie upstart that put the Dominican Republic on the competitive map, the one and only Saul Leonardo ‘MenaRD’ Segundo. His supernatural timing with Birdie’s headbutt made him a force to be reckoned with back during his 2017 debut, and his toolset has only expanded since then, and he’ll be joined by compatriot Christopher ‘Caba’ Rodriguez, also representing BANDITS Gaming. Boasting five mains, including Seth, Abigail, and Sakura, Mena can be likened to a storm; an unpredictable, uncontrollable, unstoppable force-of-nature.

We’ll also be seeing other fixtures from the Pro Tour, including Infexious and Xian and, of course, the Beast himself Daigo Umehara. But there’s also been an influx of fresh faces from unlikely places, including Gonzalo ‘Pikoro’ Buleje who will be competing in his first CPT Cup event, and we still have two qualifying rounds and a grand-melee left to determine who else will be joining the Cup’s roster so fan-favorites like Punk, Fuudo, Problem X and Itazan may still have a shot.

Regardless of who else makes it in, though, this is shaping up to be one for the books. The combination of old-hands, new blood, entertaining personalities (lookin’ at you, SMUG) and so many freshly-minted champions in the mix makes for one of the most exciting lineups in recent history. Only time will tell, though, if any of these contenders will take the crown from the reigning champ, the Poison player that shocked audiences almost a year ago today, iDOM.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.