Tekken’s Best Players Battled It Out at Rev Major PH

Last Sunday saw the top 16 players of the Tekken 7 tournament battle it out at Rev Major 2017. This Tekken 7 tournament was part of the Tekken World Tour and thus, several international top players such as Knee, Yamasa | Nobi and Echo Fox | JDCR, etc., participated. The matches were intense, hype, and filled with drama. The best in the world faced each other and showcased their high level knowledge of the game. Perhaps the best match in the whole tournament was Knee vs JDCR. Their history made it a bit more personal, but that rivalry added more intensity to their match. They ended up facing off twice — in the winners finals and grand finals. And as he did in Rage Art, JDCR emerged as the champion once again. With these matches in mind, Rev Major 2017 was probably the best Tekken 7 tournament since the game launched on consoles. Rev Major 2017 was a complete success for the local fighting game community (FGC). The turnout of players (both local and international) was something to behold, and it could only grow bigger from here. Plus, it showcased that the Philippine FGC can organize an event in this scale, that even top players from around the world are willing to participate.

Drew Bagay

Writer – Gaming, Tech and Comics

It was a laid back Sunday afternoon as I made my way to Circuit Makati to attend REV Major PH. It was a busy weekend for myself and I was really looking forward to attend the event and take it easy and enjoy watching the matches. I’m no fighting game expert or even a competitive player. I’m one of the casual button-mashing players, who only knows a move or two of a character with no combo knowledge. I play the occasional fighting game sessions during game nights. The only experience I had to fighting game tournaments was Rage Art, so I’m still a noob when it comes to fighting game tournaments and to the fighting game community.

As soon as I enter the Power Mac Center Spotlight, the atmosphere immediately changed. The venue was packed to the rafters and it was almost a standing room only. Rev Major was well underway when we arrived, it was the start of the Top 8 winners. Luckily, as we squeezed through the venue we were still able to get a good spot right in front of the stage, seated at the floor. The matches were broadcasted on a big screen which everyone can clearly regardless on where you’re seating or standing.

Unfortunately, there were no more Filipino players during the Top 8, it was an all Korea vs Japan matches. As I previously mentioned, I have no idea about the tournament more so on the players, with the exception of Echo Fox’s Saint and Rage Art champ, JDCR. So, I asked around who’s who in the tournament and learned that a well-known veteran Tekken player was in the tournament, who goes by the name of Knee. It didn’t take long for me to know who he is, aside from seeing his name on the screen, it felt like REV Major was his home court as fans shouted his name whenever he goes on stage; KNEE! KNEE! KNEE!

Also, I learned that there is a long-standing rivalry between Knee and fellow Korean player, JDCR. I don’t know anything but that explains why the fans went crazy during their matches. All the matches were intense and the crowd was always hanging on at the edge of their seats, with every punch, kick and combo got a corresponding ooohs! and aaahs! from the crowd. It felt like as if it was Manny Pacquaio fighting on the screen, that’s how dedicated and enthusiatic the fans were. It was as if REV Major was a well-written screenplay because as fate would have it, it was JDCR and Knee who met during the grand finals. It was also a rematch as JDCR defeated Knee during the Winners finals. Knee had to fight his way back to the grand finals by defeating Japanese player, Take .

It was a gruelling and well-fought match between JDCR and Knee during the grand finals. Like a boxing match, there was no clear winner but in the end, JDCR took the championship. This is a back-to-back win for JDCR as he also won Rage Art. Not only would these players take home their medals and prizes but they’d also bring along with them the points they earned here at REV Major, as it is a Tekken World Tour qualifier with the culminating event at this weekend’s EVO 2017.

Aside from the high level matches at REV Major, it was also notable to mention the highly entertaining commentaries provided by these legendary FGC personalities, Jiyuna, Spooky, Markman and my favorite, Tasty “Do It Again!” Steve! There were alot of memorable and funny comments, which greatly hyped up the matches.

Overall, REV Major was a memorable experience for the FlipGeeks team. There was so much love between the players, their fans and the love for the game of Tekken. With a strong support from the sponsors, organizers, and the fighting game community, this year’s REV Major is only the beginning. With world class players participating at events like REV Major, it’s only going to be a matter of time, most likely sooner than later, that a Filipino player would top REV Major or even represent the country at EVO.

The other tournaments held at REV Major were Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros Wii U, King of Fighters 14, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Injustive 2 and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3.

To everyone behind REV Major, congratulations for a very successful tournament! We appreciate the invite and we look forward to next year’s festivities.

Here are the results for the top 8 for TEKKEN 7:

1. FOX|JDCR (Dragunov, Heihachi)
2. Knee (Feng, Bryan, Devil Jin, Steve)
3. Yamasa|Take (Kazumi, Bryan)
4. Kkokkoma (Kazumi, Dragunov)
5. FOX|Saint (JACK-7)
5. Yamasa|Nobi (Dragunov)
7. Dimeback (Asuka)
7. Tsubumi (Shaheen)

Ryan Villanueva

Managing Editor — Gaming, Tech, Music and Collectibles