Ryan "Filipino Champ" Ramirez, also known as "FChamp" and "FChampRyan," found success in early Street Fighter V with Dhalsim. He made Top 8s at six ranking events in 2016 and finished 13th at that year's Capcom Cup, his only Capcom Cup appearance in the SFV era despite a Top 8 finish at Evo 2017. Filipino Champ's attendance was scarce in the second half of the game's life, as he recorded CPT points at only two events in 2018 and did not attend a single ranked event in 2019.
By Nathan "Blackimar" Cole
Smug has been a constant presence in Street Fighter V since launch. The mayor of Duff City himself has seen great success with his swing-heavy yet patient playstyle. Whether with Balrog or G, he’s great at both waiting for opportunities to go in and coming down like a sledgehammer when he sees a crack in an opponent’s defense.
2017 saw Smug reach his SFV peak. He would snag top-eight finishes at three premier events, placing third at Combo Breaker, fourth at CEO, and fifth at SoCal Regionals. His 2019 proved he remains a force, as he placed seventh at Game Over, fifth at NorCal Regionals, and first at The Fight.
Smug is not a player to be slept on. After all, we’ve seen what happens to those who act like they won’t get command grabbed.
By Nathan "Blackimar" Cole
Fresh off of his success in Street Fighter IV, Gamerbee is still one of the best in SFV. With no Adon in the game this time, Gamerbee now plays Necalli and Cammy. While his characters have changed, the Taiwanese jaguar’s simple but effective offensive playstyle is still a difficult one to deal with.
Gamerbee had a strong start in SFV, evident when you look at his 2016 and 2017 results: first at EGX 2016, seventh at NorCal Regionals 2017, and first at Japan Cup 2016 are just a few of his impressive finishes. That being said, he still remains one to look out for now, with more recent admirable finishes that include fifth at Taipei Major and third at SEA Major 2018. Gamerbee did all this while TOing TWFighter Major through 2018, a duty he has since passed onto Oil King. And while GamerBee did fail to make the Capcom Cup cup twice, one of those can be chalked up to his generosity towards his scene:
The growing level of competition in Street Fighter 5 seems to have made it harder for Gamerbee to replicate the high notes he started the game on. Despite that, he can still hang with the best of them and will remain a relevant player for as long as he competes in Street Fighter.
By Nathan "Blackimar" Cole
Angry Bird is one half of the UAE’s avian duo, along with Big Bird. His playstyle fits his name, as he puts on relentless displays of offense until his opponents' walls break down. Although he didn't become internationally known until 2018, his influence still showed as he pushed Zeku up a few spots on everyone's tier list.
Angry Bird’s breakout performance was his victory at the 2018 EU regional finals, securing him a spot at Capcom Cup. Though he started Capcom Cup sent to losers by Tokido, he ended strong with a seventh place finish marked by wins over Big Bird, Nuckledu, and Mago. Angry Bird rode this momentum to a strong 2019, where he took third place at The Mixup, fourth at VSFighting, and third at the Asia Premier.
Having gotten better every year, Angry Bird seems poised to continue on his upward trajectory in the future.
By Andrés "AndrewEast" Aquino
The strongest man in the world of Dragon Ball FighterZ, Goichi "GO1" Kishida is not only a master of anime fighters. Playing a wide array of characters including Chun-Li, Ibuki and Menat, GO1 has shown his Street Fighter V chops as well.
GO1's initial results were impressive, with Top 8 placings at his first six tournaments, including a win at KVO x TSB 2016. Later that year at Evo, GO1 finished fourth while defeating Nemo, Justin Wong, Gamerbee, and Luffy. His standout year was capped with a seventh place finish at the Capcom Cup.
2017 saw GO1 maintain consistency as a top competitor, compiling results including 13th at Final Round, seventh at Ultimate Fighting Arena, ninth at both COMBO BREAKER and Thaiger Uppercut. A second-place finish at Canada Cup stood out as the moment GO1 came closest to securing a tournament win all year, with a heartstopping set against Dogura in Grand Finals the only thing keeping him from the trophy.
By Brandon "Writewell" Brathwaite
Yeh “HotDog29” Man Ho’s curious handle may make some do a double take, but the man behind the name has become a serious contender in Street Fighter V. The Hong Kong player has been a part of the M.Bison army since his debut on the scene. However, he plays with a more aggressive style than his fellow Bisons and is more likely to take his opportunity to press a button no matter the risk involved.
Despite no significant placings to his name in 2016, HotDog29 was suddenly within the Top 8 of Saigon Cup 2017 with names like Oil King, Tokido, and Bonchan, where he finished fourth place. He continued to keep his name in the conversation in the Asian region of the Capcom Pro Tour, finishing in the Top 8 of events like Abuget Cup 2017, FV Cup 2017 and TWFighter 2017. The next year, HotDog29 was able to defeat 2018 Capcom Cup winner Gachikun at the Red Bull Kumite Last Chance Qualifier to earn his way into the prestigious event.
Something clicked after his ninth place finish at Red Bull Kumite, and the 2019 season became his breakout year. He finished third at FV X Sea Major 2019, beating Sako, Itabashi Zangief, and Bonchan. He was able to beat Punk in Winners Finals of DreamHack Dallas, but came up short in the runback in grand finals and finished second. His first tournament win in SFV came at PPL Fighter Masters, a premier event where he beat the likes of September Mago and Kichipa-mu to earn the win. To cap it off, he went on to secure victory at the North American Regional Finals Super Premier event, where he beat Sako, Punk, 2018 Evo Champion Problem X and 2016 Capcom Cup Champion NuckleDu.
James Chen eloquently stated that HotDog29 was the big “weiner” after his super premier win, and with his performance all throughout 2019, things are projecting upward for one of the game’s promising new names.
Naoki “moke” Nakayama is seemingly unstoppable in any game he plays. From his Trunks play securing him placement on the PGRZ all the way to his Rashid bringing us here, moke's love of movement-heavy setplay characters has brought him success across the FGC.
Some players make a big splash when they enter a new world of fighting games, and moke is no exception. At Evo 2017, moke defeated Big Bird and MOV to make Top 8 at his first international Street Fighter V event, eventually falling at fifth place. He saw continued success in 2018, including a major victory at OzHadou Nationals. 2018, though, saw moke shift his focus to Dragon Ball FighterZ.
You wouldn’t know he had spent the time away; in 2019, moke claimed the Capcom Cup 2019 Last Chance Qualifier over Commander Jesse to qualify. He was able to take 13th with his Capcom Cup berth, a run that included wins over Kichipa and Momochi.
Armed with a new sponsor, Gyogun, and his hunger for victory, moke might just need to be one of the players you need to keep your eyes on whenever the CPT returns to offline action.
By Brandon "Writewell" Brathwaite
With an unshakeable demeanor and an ice cold stare, DC “Infexious” Coleman may seem like a sudden mysterious entry within the long life of the Street Fighter V competitive scene. The United Kingdom player played Zangief, Necalli, and Abigail in the early years of competition, but his Zeku has been the character that has earned him critical acclaim. Infexious was always known for digging into his large roster of characters to adapt to situations, but Zeku’s ability to shift tools combines with his game knowledge to allow him to play a reaction-heavy style on the fly.
Infexious has had an unconventional rise, with major developments outside of the established Capcom Pro Tour sphere. A third place finish at Red Bull Kumite 2016 showed that he’s capable of taking down the likes of Evo 2016 Champion Infiltration and the legendary Daigo. In 2017, he was a big factor in winning the Gfinity Elite Series Season 1 with his exceL teammates Hurricane and Brian against Europe’s best SFV players.
After a boost from Daigo’s Team Beast, he rose to the occasion in 2019, placing at more tournaments than any previous year. This included a fifth place finish at VSFighting 2019, second place at Sonic Boom 2019, and most importantly a third place finish at Evo that led him to his first Capcom Cup. His Evo run included wins over Haitani, Xian, Fujimura and Machabo.
He ultimately finished 13th at Capcom Cup, but unsurprisingly his best showing for the year was at an event outside of the CPT. Infexious finished second at Red Bull Kumite 2019 where he beat YHC-mochi, 801 Strider, and Capcom Cup 2018 Champion gachikun. Infexious’ SFV career is certainly more dynamic than his trademark blank stare, and shows that success in the game can exist outside of the Capcom Pro Tour.
By Zackary "Zackage" Potter
Joe “MOV” Egami is one of the few character specialists still around to this day. A Chun-Li main dating back to Street Fighter III: Third Strike, MOV continues to be a leader with the character. Anybody seeking the latest and greatest in Chun-Li tech has certainly seen a few MOV clips along the way.
He had a stellar first season of SFV, with a major win at Sonic Boom and fifth place finishes at Evo, Japan Cup, and Capcom Cup. He went on to get a handful of top 8 placings in the years that followed, most notably a fifth place finish at COMBO BREAKER 2017, but saw his results drop off past Season 2 as many Chun-Li players sought greener pastures. MOV has yet to qualify for Capcom Cup since 2016 and only attended a total of eight events this past season.
Even with MOV’s recent placements, he still has shown himself capable of taking sets over top-level players such as Phenom and Smug. Despite his drop-off in attendance, MOV is a member of a small and illustrious group including just Fujimura and Phenom to earn Top 32 placements in all four SFV Evo brackets. And with Chun-Li showing new life in recent updates, it’s very possible we could see MOV return to form when the CPT returns to offline events.
By Brandon "Writewell" Brathwaite
Olivier “Luffy” Hay has built a career upon proudly representing his country and Europe on the international stage. Still rocking the original Playstation controller at events, Luffy has made his mark in Street Fighter V with R.Mika, playing an aggressive style that utilizes all of her tools to keep his opponents susceptible to her devastating command grabs.
As a Street Fighter IV Evo Champion, Luffy was expected to be one of the early stars in Europe’s SFV scene. Luffy would go on to snag tournament wins at Celtic Throwdown 2016 and Liga Official PlayStation Tournament in Spain and place second at Hypespotting V, the beginning of a years-long rivalry with British legend Problem X.
Luffy's peak performance to date has come in Season 3, which he started with a bang with a win at Brussels Challenge. To supplement a win at EGX 2018 that included sets over John Takeuchi and Infexious and second place finishes at Headstomper and Fight Club NRW, Luffy would go on to finish fifth at Evo 2018, his best finish since his USFIV Evo win back in 2014.
Like so many of the players from the SF4 era, Luffy represents a tier of player that remains consistent with the growing generation of talent in the FGC. As long as his classic PSone controller can still function, he’ll be right up there with the best of them.
