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Evo 2024 was one of the most hype events in the tournament’s history, with the largest number of participants ever. Ever since Evo was acquired by Sony, the Japanese company has been upping the production value with each event. Over 10,000 players were competing for the top spot across eight different titles. Street Fighter 6 got the most love with over 5,000 players, Tekken 8 had well over 4,000, and Guilty Gear Strive had over 2,000. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike also made a comeback to the Evo stage and, pardon the foreshadowing, that was an amazing decision. With this many players fighting to prove they are the best, Evo 2024 was bound to have some hype moments, and it didn’t fail to deliver. Without further ado, here are the top 5 best moments we saw in Evo 2024.
5. Mortal Kombat 1 – SonicFox Takes the Cup Yet Again
SonicFox took the Mortal Kombat 1 tournament once again, proving that he is the best Mortal Kombat player of all time. He took it against Nicolas, but the game went to the last game and the last round. SonicFox was barely alive when he predicted a projectile from Nicolas, jumped in, and landed the winning combo.
SonicFox now has the second-highest number of Evo titles right after Justin Wong. He took the second spot from the legendary Daigo Umehara and moved him to third place. On that note, Daigo Umehara and Justin Wong were given the Evo Impact awards because of all they’ve done over the years to build up a community that we are so proud of now. If you are wondering what makes them legends, look no further than Evo Moment # 37, which is one of the best things you will ever see.
4. Guilty Gear Strive – Nitro Becomes the Only One Who Can Take Down Tatuma
Nitro took down Tatuma in the grand finals, and this one also went to the last game last round and Nitro beat Tatuma’s Sol with an unexpected air-dash. Tatuma was on the winner’s side with an immaculate run which made him seem absolutely unstoppable. Nitro, on the other hand, was in the losers’ bracket, so to win, he had to reset the bracket by winning a best-of-three, and then do it again to take the tournament, and that’s exactly what he did.
Tatuma managed to beat Leffen, which was likely the biggest upset in the entire Guilty Gear Strive tournament. But unfortunately, he wasn’t able to carry his winner-side streak against Nitro’s Jaco-O.
3. Tekken 8 – Arslan Ash Becomes King of the Iron Fist Yet Again By Defeating His Training Partner
Nothing feels worse than running into your own training partner in a stacked tournament, and these guys ran into each other in the grand finals. Arslan and Atif had a tough match, went down to the wire like almost every other final, and Arslan barely came out on top after coming back from a major life deficit and taking the tournament. Atif made it to the grand finals after dominating Nobi with 9 straight rounds, making a statement.
2. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike – Hayao Jumps, High-Fives, & Does the Splits?
Old-timers proved that age doesn’t matter, and just because a game is old doesn’t mean the level of competition has gone down quite the opposite. People have continued playing Street Fighter 3: Third Strike since its release all through the entire lives of Street Fighter 4, Street Fighter 5, and even some of Street Fighter 6. These players have taken the high-level play of SF3 to even greater heights.
The comeback by Hayao from Japan against Frankie from the US was jaw-dropping, he not only parried an air-ex tatsu, which, if you have ever tried it, is not an easy task, but he also punished it and then correctly guessed the chip attempt with Ken’s super, jumped it, taking the match. However, Hayao didn’t win the tournament, because MOV, the legendary Chun-Li player, took over Issei and won Evo. But Hayao was such an entertaining character during the tournament, jumping around, high-fiving the crowd, falling on the floor like his character Hugo, and even dropping straight into the splits.
1. Street Fighter 6 – Punk Finally Beats the Second Place Curse & Conquers His Demons
Punk vs. BigBird went to the last game last round after a bracket reset. These two fought before in the top 8 and BigBird got washed by Punk and lost 3-0. This time he came prepared only minutes after the first loss. This just goes to show how quickly one needs to adapt to play high-level fighting games. BigBird came in swinging this time and took the first set, resetting the bracket. In the final match, BigBird used his level 3 to take the round, but in round 3, he went in with zero resources. Regardless, he played well and with a couple of good decisions, he got a solid 50% life lead.
Unfortunately for Bigbird, he got thrown into a corner and made the horrible decision to try and jump Punk’s throw attempts and escape the corner. He had a massive life lead, and this was likely the worst option he could have opted for. He got clipped twice, and not only lost the lead but put himself in a losing situation. Punk had a level 3 in stock, and the round quickly went into a guess-for-game situation. Punk didn’t drop the ball and took it over BigBird, but even then, both players had immense respect for each other.
These are just a few of the best moments we saw during Evo 2024, and there are many more where those came from. Fighting games are unlike any other esport out there because it’s just you and your opponent. There are no teams, there is no teamwork, there’s no getting carried. When it really comes down to it, it’s only you, your practice, and your skills that get you on the podium. Unless someone is cheating in the Street Fighter 6 ranked mode.
What we saw in this year’s Evo was a master class into how one can read an opponent and even after painful losses, persevere, and come back stronger only minutes later. This is what makes the FGC so great, and these hype Evo 2024 moments so unforgettable.
