« FINAL ROUND 12: INTERVIEW WITH SHINBLANKA »

So we have a special interview with ShinBlanka, the organizer of the largest tournament not only in the South East but one of the largest in the world: Final Round.  In classic ShinBlanka style, he is speaking his mind on a  number of different subjects from the tournament itself, Street Fighter 4 and something he holds dear to his heart, the Street Fighter community.

Personally, Final Round was the first tournament I attended as I became a competitive player and have attended many times since then. I've had highs and lows at Final Round, both going 2-and-out at some, and placing as high as 2nd in others. Every year though with out a doubt it is one of the most exciting tournaments you can attend, with players coming from literally all over the world to compete. 

Check out the full thread on Final Round 12 (March 14th-15th ATLANTA GA) on Shoryuken.com

iPlayWinner: How did Final Round begin? Who came up with the name? What was the first couple years like? Give us a history lesson!

ShinBlanka: Final Round is a tournament that started back in the day to get the best players in the ATL to compete to see who was the best in the "A"! As you know EMS crew is the OG capcom player group in the ATL and we wanted to make sure everyone knew who was the best in the city/state. It also was a promotional tool for Scott Popular's radio show when he was in college at Ga State. The 1st FR we had to beg people to come play in a FREE tournament with the prize being a Neo-Geo Pocket.

My 1st FR advertised on Shoryuken.com was FR3. It was at my hommies Damien's and Scott's crib! That's where the old saying "CONSOLE WARRIORS" came from was FR3. That was the 1st tournament another regions top player attended FR. (Arturo Sanchez "Sabin" from NYC) That was a huge deal to me and I'll always be grateful for him for coming down and giving this console tournament a chance.

After that many Southeast players started to make their names at Final Round. They were labeled CONSOLE WARRIORS! The 1st was Mike Mixon "MiXuP"! He was an unknown to not only the community as a whole, but he was even unknown to the players from Florida! That's when the Apex system was up on Shoryuken.com and no one had played against this dude who was #1 in the ATL South region. Most people thought he was some scrub that played against other scrubs and that's how his ranking was so high, but that was put to rest at FR3 and he destroyed everyone he played! A star was born and to this day he is still one of the top 10 best mvc2 players in the world imo.

As the years went by, more top players started to emerge from the SE region. Players like FlashMetriod, Alex Garvin, Clint Lamar, RTD, and many more started to get props for being top players in their games around the nation and they were regular attendance's at FR every year. After awhile more top players from other regions started to attend FR each year. Some only came for 1 year while others come back every year.

Final Round was The 1st Console Major in the USA. When we started we only had console to play on, so that's what I used. As FR grew I started to make new friends through FR and some of these people offer to donate their arcade cab's to FR so we can get that old school arcade tournament feel to future FR. Back in the day people looked down on console tournaments. They would say "Console tournaments don't mean shit. Ya'll better get your tournament in an arcade or no one will respect that shit!"

The irony in that statement makes me chuckle everytime I think about it now. I think I was ahead of the curve and I saw what direction competitive fighting game tournaments were heading. We were dissed back in the day for being all console, but now the biggest fighting game tournament in the world is all console!

I grew up in the arcades, so I did want to keep some of the games on arcade cab's if I could. I bought a cab and you gave me a cab that I restored (thank you by the way for that cab) [iPW: No Prob! Couldnt take it to California anyway!] that we use for our OG tournaments like ST, A3, and A2. I would also like to thank all of those that donated their cab's/arcade equipment to FR. People like Eli & Adam, Ted, Phi, Steven Tran, Tony Majors, Kajoq just to name people off the top of my head that donated arcade cab's/superguns for past FR's and sorry if I forgot someone. That helped us get some other top players to FR in the past because there was a war going on in the community at that time was Console vs Arcade. Arcades were dying all over the usa and we had to use what we had to compete. FR was a home for the console warriors for the early years until people started to understand that the future of competitive fighting game tournaments were in consoles.

The biggest issue was if the game had an arcade perfect version on console. If so then there wouldn't be a problem, but it wasn't arcade perfect the tournament wouldn't have the "SO CALLED" crediblity of being a true major! This is a problem the early FR's had with running 3S tournaments. We always had SF3 games at FR, but some people said that the Dreamcast version wasn't arcade perfect, so FR tournaments wasn't a real 3s tournament. Well when I made friends with people that had 3S cab's we started to use them until they finally made a console version that is near arcade perfect.(ps2 anny collection) Slowly this mind set has changed over the years and NOW people prefer to play on consoles than play on arcade cab's! Almost everyone has a personal console joystick or fighting pad to play with now and they don't want to adjust to some random arcade cab joysticks. Funny how times change people views of topic's like this.

While I enjoy the console tournament I still feel that there is no other feeling you can get while playing someone when you play them on a cab! I think the community overall has that missing in their tournaments now of days with most of the arcade scene in the USA dying or dead! Yes Cali, the Northeast, and Texas stil have an healthy arcade scene, but the rest of america are on consoles. A3, A2, and ST will alway be on arcade cab at FR because that is my gift to the younger generation of 2d fighting gamers! Back in the day you had to adjust to joysticks, hostile arcades with rowdy crowds and playing elbow to elbow vs your opponents. That's my gift to the young'ins. Don't forget your roots!

iPlayWinner: Why should top players attend FR?

ShinBlanka: Well that's easy man! Because FR is the shit that's why! Anyone that has been to FR can tell them that! You can tell them that sir!

One of my favorite moments at FR is when you beat me in the losers finals at FR7. To see you grow from getting last place at FR6 to getting 2nd at FR7 was great! I was so proud of you that I wasn't even mad when I lost. Over the past 4 year people have told me that FR has been the 2nd biggest tournament in the USA! 2nd only to Evo World. These aren't my words sir - these are the words of people that have been to multiple event during the year and they told me that FR has been the 2nd biggest tournament in the USA for the past 3-4 years.

While we lack in the huge names that EVO can bring, we have most if not all of the top EC players attending FR every year. A lot of midwest players and some SW players attending FR. We have had a couple of west coast greats attend FR in the past. Well known WC players like Mike Watson, Paul Lee, ComboFiend, Pighadoken, DarkPrince, and EvilElvis just to name people off the top of my head.

FR is also the home of the best Namco tournaments in the USA from what I'm told. It's really hard to come in the ATL and win anything that is Namco imo. Nothing but beast come to FR for Tekken. Scrubs need not apply! With the ATL legend "Clint" leading the way in Tekken and "RTD" leading the way in Soul Calibur mixed in with the rest of the ATL players you'll be lucky to make it in the top 10 in a namco game at FR if your from other region. WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE is the war cry at FR and they always do! If anyone that hasn't been to Final Round are interested in coming please come out and give us a try ONE time. I promise you that you'll want to come back again in the future after attending FR!

iPlayWinner: Do you ever see Final Round scaling back in games similar to EVO or will it always feature virtually every competitive game thats out there?

ShinBlanka: You know me Neidel, so you know I never base anything I do on what "OTHER" tournaments do! It's more of a feel thing for me when it comes to adding games to future FR's. I try to put in all of the regular/favorites that everyone plays, but I also like to give little scenes a chance to shine on the big stage. From what I've been told FR was the 1st major that allowed Guilty Gear to be apart of the official games in a major! They supported me so I'll always support them if I can. I also like to throw some SNK flavor into my tournament also, because they also show love to FR. As long as we have the time, space, and people wanting to play a game I will think about adding it to FR if the demand is high. FR is a tournament for the people and by the people.

Word on the street is that I'm the outcast tournament organizer anyways. I'm not in the "in crowd", but I don't care about that as long as people respect my effort I put into the community every year with running FR. That and if people enjoy their time during FR. That's all I care about. I have a saying that I beleive is very true. "I don't make FR a good/great event. The people attending FR makes it a good/great event!" Why do I say that? Because the people make the scene great imo. Not the organizers. We provide them with a place they can gather and compete, but it's their energy that makes FR an event great imo.

iPlayWinner: Best year of Final Round?

ShinBlanka: All of them I didn't lose money on running FR. hahahaha. J/K yo. Seriously every FR is unique and has a special place in my heart! You beating me at FR7 is a highlight for me. That's also the last FR Mummy-B attended before he past away. We miss you hommie always! I can't choose which one was better! It's like choosing what child do you love the most! THAT'S NOT A FAIR QUESTION NEIDEL!!!!

iPlayWinner:  Worst moment?

ShinBlanka: When my light's got cut off and I had no phone for a month trying to pay bills, because I didn't make my money back for running FR6. There was almost no more Final Rounds.

iPlayWinner: Tell us about the most HYPE moment of Final Round!

For me there has been so many, but are the main ones that I remember off the top of my head. FR3 when an unknown player named Mike Mixon "MiXuP" beat a well known player: Arturo Sanchez! Not only win, but come out of the losers bracket and he was down 0-3 to start in the 1st set of the grand finals to comeback and win it all! That house was going crazy son! A great moment in FR history and that's where the whole "Console Warrior" term came from! It came from Mike beating a top player in a console tournament at FR3. Mike Mixon is the original Console Warrior Top tier player!

Last year by far when Steve Harrison FINALLY BEAT JUSTIN WONG IN CVS2!!! That shit was epic man! He let out a huge yell and then jumped on top of the table and RIPPED HIS SHIRTS OFF LIKE HULK HOGAN!!!!!!!! Then he jumped off the table and openly weeped in his friends arms and they hugged him!

Last year with the T5:DR tournament when NYC tried to invade the ATL and I screamed out "WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!!!!!!!" The ATL crowd went crazy as Clint and Me_ATLRedd started to protect the ATL house last year! The other time was at FR9 when it was ATL vs Tx in T5dr.

At FR9 Before the tournament I was told texas players was talking mad shit about what they was going to do at FR to the ATL Tekken players. I don't remember who was playing but it was ATL vs Texas. The guy from the ATL was whooping that guy from Texas sooooo bad that the guy from Texas started to take his controller out of the ps3 before the match was over! The crowd started to Chat "ATL ATL ATL ATL" That was to crunk yo! The Texas guy had a friend tell him he still had another match with him and was telling him not to quit like that during the tournament!

iPlayWinner: Is there anyone in the South who is going to step it up for Street Fighter 4? Right now West Coast and the North East have this game on lock. What are you guys gonna do to answer to all the competition thats out there already?

ShinBlanka: That's a great question. Since we in the SE just got the game it's going to be atleast until FR13 before someone get's to Cali's and the NE level imo. You guys have a healthy arcade scene and have been playing it non-stop since it came out in the states. I'm sure Jason Wilson will be a great top SE player in SF4. I'm going to put a lot of effort into SF4, but I suck at fighters. That's why I organize. hehe.... I won't beable to properly respond to that question until after FR12. Since all of the best SE players will be there competing against the rest of the EC it should be a good test on how good we have gotten with ONLY 3 WEEKS of the console release. We don't have a SF4 machine within a driving distance of 10 hours of Atlanta. There isn't a state in the southeast that has SF4. The closet place is north Va or houston texas. So imho it wouldn't be fair to compare those regions with the SE .

iPlayWinner: With the south so spread out do you see online for HD Remix and SF4 helping get more players involved and ready for competition? 

ShinBlanka: Online is the key to SE players imo. Since we are so spread out the internet is the best way for us to practice against people that are on our level or better. The good thing right now is that in the ATL a lot of new heads are popping up in the scene and SF4 has people wanted to gather on the weekends like we use to do in Athen's or at Eric Williams crib. Also there are a couple of guys in the ATL that are planning to run monthies and tri-monthies to help our scene grow again. I'm going to show them that old man crusty dirty shit and try to whoop up on the kiddies in SF4. SF4 will prolly be my last game I try to play hardcore.

I'm getting old and I don't know how much longer I will compete in these games. I don't have the time to practice like I use too and I hate losing to dumb shit all because I don't practice. That's the only way to stay sharpe imo. Play against good people makes you better.

On the HD Remix tip, i'm not a huge fan of HD Remix. I will play it, but I perfer OG ST. It's just not the same as the original and why mess with perfection imo. I haven't touched HD Remix since SF4 hit the consoles and I prolly won't touch it ever again unless asked. IMHO HD remix will not replace og ST as the tournament standard unless they patch a lot of gameplay issues! I won't get into that right now, but it has mad bugs that needs to be patched before I play that game seriously again.

iPlayWinner: What do you think about Street Fighter 4? Who is your main and how much have you been practicing?

ShinBlanka: SF4 is the 2nd coming of SF2 imo; I got chills playing SF4 for the 1st time, just like I got chills when I 1st played SF2 at market square mall back in the day! I see commercials on TV for sf4 everyday. SF is back and it's showing everyone that's it's STILL THE DADDY when it comes to the fighting game genre! Who is my main? That's was a dumb question sir! WHO DO YOU THINK?!?!?!?! Here's a hint sir : what is my online tag name? shin"BLANKA". [iPW: Hey! I know, but the readers may not! LOL]

iPlayWinner: Any other thoughts?

ShinBlanka: Yes I have a few that I can talk about, but there's only 1 that needs to be address because it's IMHO I think it's a CANCER in our community! As i've been in this community for over 9 years i've seen things that I don't like. There's this high school cliche type shit that is going around the community and it makes me sick to my guts! I've always been a cool person towards everyone, so I can't relate with this elitist mind set that some people have. I have an ego like everyone else, but it's not out of control. I don't act cocky or be an asshole towards anyone unless they have been that way towards me 1st. I'll sit there and talk with any at FR or other tournaments I travel too.

I just keep in low key when I do travel to other tournaments. Which is really rare since I do have a wife and a life outside of videogames. We all enjoy the same hobbies, so why can't we all get along? Online drama does add hype to the tournaments, but too much drama takes away from the fun aspect of the tournaments imo. I would like to say that no 1 person is greater than the community! The people are what make the community great. Not the organizers, the sponsers, or venues! The people are the key to any great event. I just lost my job, so this might be the last FR if I don't make my money back.

If it is my last I would like to thank everyone that has supported Final Round and the Souetheast scene in the past! Thank you for putting your faith in a guy in the ATL that had a dream to unite the SE region. It has grown into something I could have never dream of and it has been fun running FR every year for the people! If this is the last FR then I hope people will remember FR as one of the great tournaments in our community history. I hope everyone that plans to attend FR12 to make a safe flight or drive to the ATL.

I would also like to thank you Neidel for giving me this platform to speak about Final Round. Good look out hommie and with that i'm gone.

2 finger's we'll holla at ya!

iPlayWinner: Anytime Larry! Thanks for the insight and good luck with the tournament! Sorry I can't make it this year!