The winners get to call themselves the kings of Tekken, at least for now.
Tekken 8 managed to send its first season off with a bang with the SOOP Nations Cup’s Pakistan vs. Korea showdown live in Seoul, South Korea.
Held from March 14-16, the event brought together 15 of the best Tekken 8 players from Pakistan and Korea to finally decide which one is the best Tekken region in the world.
The Pakistani Tekken scene was thrust into the spotlight ever since Arlsan “Arslan Ash” Siddique’s unexpected victory at Evo 2019. He didn’t just put Pakistan on the map, he opened the door for other Pakistani competitors to show their prowess. Now, the unshakable bastion of Tekken that was South Korea finds itself under siege. Their title as the best Tekken region in the world has been constantly challenged by Pakistan so now it’s time to settle the score.
Three different match formats would be played across three days to truly showcase the might of these titan regions.
Day one would be three exhibition matches featuring storied rivalries. First would be Lee “EDGE” Ju-hyung versus Adeel “THE JON” Sheikh, two rising stars in their respective regions. Next would be Lim “Ulsan” Soo-hoon versus Atif Ijaz, a runback of the legendary Esports World Cup 2024 grand finals. Then it would be Bae “Knee” Jae-Min versus Arlsan Ash, the rivalry that started it all when Arlsan Ash defeated Knee at the OUG Tournament all the way back in 2018.
Day two and three would be where the real Pakistan vs Korea showdown begins with both being a team format. Both teams will play using the Waseda format on day two and then the Unleashed format on day three.
A Clash of Titans
Things were looking real good for South Korea on day one of the Pakistan vs Korea event. Korea would take all three exhibition matches despite the best efforts of Atif and THE JON. They lost their matches 7-10 and 4-5, respectively, but the real surprise was with Arslan Ash. Arguably the best Tekken player in the world was devastated by Knee 2-10, casting doubt on Pakistan’s chances for the rest of the event.
Turns out that fans had nothing to worry about, as days two and three were all Pakistan.
Day two’s Waseda format was a best-of-five, random pairing between the two teams. Losing players were eliminated and boy did Pakistan eliminate the Koreans with the final match score being 7-3.
Day three of Pakistan vs Korea was a lot closer thanks to the Unleashed format. Every match was a best-of-three with each victory being worth one point. The first team to reach 13 points is the winner. Simple and straightforward, but it was clear that Pakistan had Korea beat in shorter match sets. Pakistan triumphs over Korea 13-9, taking the SOOP Nations Cup and the title of best Tekken region in the world.
Of course, the Pakistan vs Korea event was still being played with the season one version of Tekken 8. Season two previews are already promising a much different game than before so Pakistan can’t rest on their laurels. I’m sure that Korea is already fiending for a rematch once the next season rolls around.
Banner photo from DRX ESPORTS.