Our good friend Muttonhead from “Being a Scrub” has kindly taken some pics at the event where Battle Medley Singapore was being held.

He also got a chance to ask Momochi, Chocoblanka and Elton a few questions thanks to the Round1.sg crew. Most of you should by now know who Momochi and Choco are, but for those who don’t know who Elton is, this video should help.

Thanks again to Mutton and the R1 crew for making it happen. Check out the feature and the results of BMS below.

~ Written by Muttonhead

The TGX games convention would be held in Singapore from the 9th to 11th of July. As luck would have it, I would have to be in Singapore anyway to sell magazines at that convention, and I was able to get an interview with none other than Momochi and Choco Blanka, the guests of the Singapore fighting game community Round1.
The tournament would be called Battle Medley Singapore, and would feature a single elimination tournament with a first prize of $500, as well as a team tournament. Unfortunately I had to sell magazines all day all three days, and couldn’t see any SF action from where I was. Doh.

However, I did manage to sneak over for the last part of the top 8 on Saturday, and I witnessed some very hype matches. A Dudley player called Trevos sent Momochi to loser’s bracket. You could tell Momochi did not know the match really well, and Trevos was taking it to him in the first round, rushing that shit down. Momochi adjusted and did better in round 2, and managed to tie it up. In the end, it all came down to Momochi having a significant life lead over Trevos, who was almost dead. Trevos came through in the clutch with a ducking blow through a fireball which was then cancelled into Super! The crowd went absolutely nuts.

Sorry for the quality here guys. Momochi and Choco’s interview. Wish I knew the story of that stuffed toy.

Yagami and Inch Chua rocking the mics. Yagami looking very dapper here.

I was loving the hype in the crowd, and the local flavour in the commentary. There’s a lot of hype in their scene, for example they would call Dudley’s ducking blow “For Singapore” because Dudley says something that sounds like that, and they would yell it out whenever Trevos hit one. They had some awesome culinary-related handles as well, like Milo Dinosaur, and Yong Tau Foo. Even with the limited space, cries of Hey Hey HEY would reverberate around the convention whenever someone hit a throw. They were whipping out Vuvuzelas, commentators were trash talking the players, and the excitement levels were always sky-high. Together with the high standard of play I witnessed at Battle Medley Singapore, I have to say I’m very impressed with their scene.

This would get you kicked out of EVO.

Inch Chua preparing for her performance during the break. She performed songs from her new album, Wallflower.
She also performed a rocking cover of Indestructible. I never would’ve thought I would actually enjoy that song. Download her new album for free at http://www.inchchua.com/
I talked to her later, she’s a cool lady, and she mains Chun!

I also saw Dixon playing his boxer and eliminating Momochi! Dixon made some very ballsy plays, including an EX headbutt to take it, that wouldn’t have done enough to chip Momochi to death if blocked! I later asked someone about it, and they apparently refer to it the “Golden Headbutt” of Dixon.

Boxer vs Boxer, Rog vs Dudley. Dixon playing Boxer. These are the two guys that beat Momochi!

Everyone in the SG community was very friendly, even though they must be wondering who this scrub must be. Yagami was very helpful, and even came over to my booth with Inch Chua later. I had seen Yagami’s face on Youtube before, specifically his interview of TKD and Uryo. It was almost like a celebrity sighting for an SF fanboy like me! I’m sorry guys that I can’t remember many of your names, but thanks again you were all very helpful. Additionally, the name EX355UM and Shadowloo drew a lot of recognition whenever I name dropped you guys!.

I missed most of the team tourney on Sunday, but I managed to conduct my interview in between Momochi’s and Tetra’s matches. Thanks so much Tetra. In all honesty, I was glad to wait! My feet were aching. I got to see some high level matches and to interview Elton. That kid is so talented. Momochi and Choco were very nice as well. Choco in particular seemed full of energy and smiles. Momochi seemed quite shy in the spotlight, but I found very cute the meaningful looks and telepathic communication they seemed to have between each other right in the context of Street Fighter. I really regret not having the chance to play them. I wanted to oil up a little bit, just watching everything.

The lucky dude who won the custom TE signed by M and C.

This would’ve helped sales a little..

The man behind the stream: Farpenoodle. Amazingly, it turns out that he’s actually a friend from my childhood way back when I was growing up in Malaysia. What are the odds that we would meet again like that, and for SF!

Can you get them to say “Exis is godlike?”

Momochi and Choco were really gracious and accommodating.

When watching them play, Momochi didn’t disappoint. His Akuma was always on point; he was just unlucky and fell to some nice, bold play from the Singaporeans. Choco also really impressed me. Watching Naruga and Exis in Melbourne has always impressed me…but her Blanka is…damn. She was hitting crossup hop through Ultras and Mizoteru Bombers consistently. Everything was standing jab electricity with no execution miscues. She was even clutch with cmk standing jab Blanka ball to fadc lvl 1 for that last bit of damage to KO. I saw her opponent jump in on her when she did a slide, and she did a clutch ex up ball up from a slide to KO! To look at her just as a female player is a total disservice; she deserves plaudits for her Blanka play alone.

When the day was over, I came back to see Momochi get some revenge and win it. Even though every other booth was shutting it down, Round1 was still getting hype in the corner of that convention.

I wish I had more time to watch an awesome tournament, but it was a memorable weekend nonetheless. Much props to Round1 for organizing such a hype event, and thanks guys again!

Momochi and Choco Interview:

To Momochi: How was playing Daigo in the Gods Garden online First to 10? What do you
think of Ibuki now. Do you prefer the format of Godsgarden compared to more traditional
single elimination?

He was frustrated that he couldn’t do the things that he wanted to do in that match. He said
he wished he had practiced more beforehand with Ibuki and SSF4 in general. He actually
prefers single elimination format to the format used in GodsGarden.

Tetra, the main man behind translating the interview. Much thanks to him.

To ChocoBlanka: How did you get into SSF4? Did Momochi have a part to play in this?

She first went to the arcades with her friends to play SF4. It had nothing to do with Momochi!

To Momochi: What is the one character you would like to be added to SSF4 and why?

He wants to see Yun in the game. Because that’s the character he used in 3rd Strike.

To Choco: What do you think about the women’s only tournament being held in EVO?
Would the competition be free for you?

It’s good! The competition wouldn’t be easy, but she will definitely try her best.

To Momochi: Are you excited about SBO? What are you doing training wise?

He says he is very excited about SBO. He says he feels that he needs to train up for 3rd
Strike because he hasn’t played in a while.

To Choco: Other than Momochi, are there any other top players you consider handsome?

She laughs a bit and directs a loaded look at Momochi. She doesn’t want to say. No
comment!

To Momochi and Choco: What do you like to eat before a tournament? Favourite flavour
of instant ramen?

Choco says she doesn’t particularly care about what she eats before a tournament. Momochi
says he doesn’t eat! Choco prefers the normal Nissin Cup Noodles. Momochi leads over and
personally writes DON-BEI noodles in my scruffy notebook. Move over, Umehara signature.

To Momochi: Who was your fighting game mentor/idol when coming up?

He says that in the game centre he used to play in when he was young, there were a lot of
strong players who taught him how to play. He says he couldn’t say their names because this
was before the card system was implemented in arcades.

To Momochi and Choco: Who is your toughest opponent? And Choco, have you ever
heard of a female player from France called Kayane?

Momochi: Kindevu.
Choco: Momochi! She scratches her head when asked about Kayane;
she says she’s never heard of her before! (Damn.)

To Momochi and Choco: Yakitori or Takoyaki?

Momochi: Yakitori.
Choco: Takoyaki!

To Momochi: What is your ultimate goal in SSF4? Do you want to be the top Akuma, win
SBO etc?

He wants to be the number one player in Japan.

To Momochi and Choco: What is your favourite anime and manga?

For manga, Momochi likes JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Choco likes Initial D.
For anime, Momochi likes Dragon Ball. Choco looks at my horrible illegible handwriting in my
pad, and repeatedly corrects me to make sure I spell Toradora! correctly. I shame the name
of Shadowloo.

To Momochi and Choco: You two have a huge, huge fanbase in Australia. Will you ever
consider coming down here?

They said that if we ever invite them, they’d love to come down!

To Momochi and Choco: What is your favourite fighting game? Doesn’t have to be a
Capcom game.

Choco says she has only played SF4. Momochi quickly answers with Third Strike.

Is Takeshi Kaneshiro overrated?

They do a Skisonic over/under “He’s where he should be.”

Elton Lim Interview

Elton Lim is 9 years old, and is Momochi’s teammate in the 5v5 team tournament at Battle Medley Singapore. He plays a mean Ryu that is at least ten times better than mine. While waiting for Tetra to finish his matches, and continue translating for my interview with Momochi and Choco, I had the opportunity to interview Elton in the mosh pit. Little did I know that Elton is some kind of celebrity in the Singapore community! Check out his Youtube interview. Peep that execution.

Muttonhead: Elton, who do you play?
Elton: I play Ryu, Akuma, Sagat, Bison and Blanka!

M: How did you get into Street Fighter? Did anyone teach you?
E: My dad taught me how to play Street Fighter! He plays Bison. Sometimes we might play until midnight on weekends.

M: I’m horrible against Bison. What’s your gameplan for Ryu vs Bison?
E: Well against my dad I just try to defend. He likes to turtle so I just out-turtle him!

M: Any tips on getting better?
E: I’m not sure. I can’t play on weekdays because I have to study

M: Any messages for Australia, Elton?
E: Bring it on!

M: Cool. What about me?
E: Your handwriting is very ugly.

M: Thanks. So who’s your favourite player?
E: Daigo. Because he plays Ryu too. Justin Wong sucks!

M: So who do you consider to be the best player in Singapore?
E: Leslie! He plays Sagat.

M: Do you use any plinking in your game, Elton?
E: I plink all the time. It was hard at first, but after practicing a lot, I’m used to it now.

M: Who’s the most annoying character in the game?
E: Honda and Guile is very hard. I don’t like turtles!

M: So when you grow up would you like to have a girlfriend like Choco Blanka? You guys can play SF4 every day.
E: No! I don’t want a girlfriend like that.

M: Why not? You prefer a more conventional lady that doesn’t play SF?
E: No. I just don’t want a girlfriend in general.

M: Girls suck right?
E: …Nah. I just don’t want one!

M: Fair enough. What do you think of Ryu’s nerfs in SSF4?
E: It’s okay. He’s still strong. (When I use him.)
Australia! Come challenge me if you dare! (At Bugis Junction every Friday Night.)

Battle Medley Singapore Super SFIV Results

Top 8 from singles!

1st – Dixon “Gambleboxer” (Balrog) -SGD$500
2nd – Trevose (Dudley) -SGD$300
3rd – Momochi (Akuma) -SGD$200
4th – Xian (Dhalsim)
5th – M.Flo24 (Rose)
5th – Weijie (Ryu)
7th – Milo Dinosaur (Honda)
7th – Rchan (Rufus)

5v5 Champions.

1st – Team Momochi and Choco
2nd – Team Hana Yori Daigo
3rd – Team Big Boys (beat by Hana Yori Daigo in sudden death)
3rd – Team Choco Fan Club (beat by Momo and Choco in sudden death)
5th – Team Fiesta de las Cinco Espadas
5th – Team Chemist
5th – Team Kengho is Last Boss
5th – Team Emorcen

BMS Results Article

Thanks.
Round1.Sg // Muttons “Being a Scrub”