Hundreds of competitors came to Living Computer Museum from all over the Pacific Northwest for this weekend’s Red Bull Conquest qualifier in Seattle. Locals were also greeted by a contingent from Portland, as 54 players caravanned up together in an effort to challenge the Emerald City players. Seattle is a city long steeped in esports culture and history and Red Bull Conquest did not disappoint with competitive action out of the gate.
In the end, Seattle was able to beat back the advance of their southern neighbors by winning two of three game tournaments. Christopher “Chriscch” Hancock was able to capture the Street Fighter V crown despite a crowded field of killers. Changbin “Binchang” Moon took down the Tekken 7 top honors and Hamad “Hamad” Akbar came out on top of the Guilty Gear brackets after not losing a single game all day. This trio now moves on to the national finals to represent Seattle and beyond in Washington D.C. this November.
Following a set of thrilling takedowns in the early brackets, the Street Fighter V final showdown was not to be missed, with “Chriscch” strong Guile moves besting Westcoastplease’ Birdie in a dominating 3-0 match. Chriscch, hailing from the Emerald City, is known in the Seattle FGC for his cutting moves and demonstrated that he is not to be played with in a resounding performance that left the capacity crowd thoroughly impressed. Following his victory, Chriscch, just 16, reveled in the glory. “The experience today was amazing,” said Chriscch. “I wasn’t expecting to play Westcoastplease in the final. I woke up this morning feeling very confident and I was fortunate to execute on my game plan.”
Tekken’s final matches were filled with nail-biting action, with “Binchang” defeating “Moltaruiz” with a score of 3 to 1 after an epic reset. Binchang hadn’t lost a match up until the final. Moltaruiz proved to be a worthy opponent throughout the back and forth set, but Binchang’s Claudio crushed Kazuya with a few swift kicks leading to a final KO. Binchang, who had never played in a major before, was blown away by the atmosphere in the arena. “I really enjoyed playing in this tournament, I’ve never had an experience like this before,” said Binchang. “I fed off the crowds energy and I’m so happy to now be representing Seattle in Washington D.C. in November.”
Finally, Hamad’s victory over Dave O in Guilty Gear had the crowd on the edge of their seats, with a final score of 3-0. Hamad’s Ky trounced the opposition throughout the tournament, with the crowd soaring at his every victory. Hamad, who flew in from Houston to compete in the qualifier, was thrilled to be representing the Northwest at the U.S. Finals. “I watched the Chicago qualifier and I knew I had to compete in this tournament,” said Hamad. “The production today was remarkable. The Seattle scene is so special and I am honored to be a part of this. I came into this tournament to not lose a single game, and that is exactly what I accomplished.”
After each of the grand finals wrapped, there were three competitors left standing, ready to rep Seattle and fight for glory in our nation’s capital at the finals later this year.
So what’s next…
The quest to find the top fighting game champions in the nation continues, as Red Bull Conquest moves to its third qualifier in Los Angeles on June 16. With some of the world’s most prominent fighting game contenders in SoCal, Red Bull Conquest LA will be a fight not to be missed. Following Los Angeles, the tournament circuit will continue to make its way across the country with 12 more qualifiers taking place leading up to the Red Bull Conquest Finals in Washington D.C. this November where winners from each region will clash in the ultimate battle for superiority. The full schedule is available at Red Bull Conquest, with all future Conquest events streaming at www.twitch.tv/redbullesports.
