With only a week and a half to learn the match-up, pros are going to have their work cut out for them.
Capcom recently released full details on Rashid, the first downloadable character for Street Fighter 6. First appearing in Street Fighter 5, the acrobatic, high-flying Arabian noble was an instant fan favorite and is a welcome addition to SF6’s roster.
A key identity of Rashid is his wind powers which allow him to summon tornados and zip across the battlefield. This mobility allows him to keep the pressure on his opponents while flying out of danger when he needs to. Fans are excited to get their hands on “The Soaring Eagle of the Desert,” who’ll be available on July 24.
Evo Ready
Not long after, Capcom announced that Rashid will be a legal character to play in Evo 2023.
Evo, aside from being the biggest fighting game open tournament in the world, is also the launching point for the Capcom Pro Tour. Many pro players have been training hard for this and are aiming to place high in the standings. Winning the Evo championship also gives the winner a direct invite to Capcom Cup X, the biggest SF6 tournament happening next year.
The kicker is that Evo starts on August 4, meaning that pros only have less than two weeks to familiarize themselves with a new character. This news has set the high-level SF6 scene abuzz as this is a rather unusual move.
Many video games get constant updates and changes throughout the year and, in the interest of fairness, the esports side of things lets professional players delay or ban the use of these updates until they’re more familiar with them.
How long this lasts depends on the game and its developers. In Capcom’s case, it looks like they think that a week and a half is more than enough time for Street Fighter 6 and its players to prepare for Rashid.
It’s going to be interesting to see how players adapt to the chaos once Evo starts.
Banner image from Capcom.
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