The pandemic has been brutal for the fighting game community. Without competitive real-world events, the FGC had to be moved online, and the players competing at the highest level suffered for it. This meant that every player entering the Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas 2021 had something to prove, and no one proved their point better than the Street Fighter V champion, the UK’s Benjamin “Problem X” Simon.
Problem X is not one to shy away from the fact that his online performance hasn’t been too impressive. “I have noticeably better results offline,” he tells us. “Even when there was no pandemic, in Capcom Pro Tour online, I’d never usually win, or I wouldn’t even enter.” Though that certainly shouldn’t reflect on his abilities. “It sounds a bit like an excuse for not winning,” he continues. “So I’m glad that I could go offline and just win. It was a good reminder for me, and hopefully, it was a good reminder for everyone else.”
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Many competitive players lose their touch when not regularly facing off against some of the best fighters in the world, so Red Bull Kumite this year was a test of how sharp and focused players can be throughout one of the most difficult periods the FGC, and the wider world, have ever seen. But Problem X managed to pull through thanks to practice and research. “To be honest, all we had is online,” he explains. “Just playing online, watching videos. I was lucky enough to have gone to Street Fighter League. That was a good time to have some offline practice.”
I'M THE BOSS! pic.twitter.com/2w6rwa1aoX
— Benjamin (@MrProblemX) November 15, 2021
Luckily, the UK’s Street Fighter scene was there to help stay fresh and prepare for Kumite. “Originally Mr. Crimson was on the lineup so I was playing with Broski who is a Dhalsim player, and I was playing with Shivryuken for Laura because I knew iDom was going to be there,” he says. But no amount of preparation can make up for experience. “The rest are matchups I already know in a bit more depth, so I didn’t feel I had to take extra time out to practice.”
All of that preparation led to a climactic finale against NL, an experienced Korean player. Problem X took the win in the end, but it didn’t always seem that way. Even the commentators expressed some doubt on how likely a comeback was, and when you’re down 0-3 in a first to five, it can be easy to lose hope. But Problem X turned that 0-3 into 5-3, sweeping the rest of the match utterly and convincingly.
“Generally, I think Cammy’s a bad matchup for M. Bison (Dictator),” Problem X explains. Initially, he tried playing against NL with Alex and E. Honda, characters he quickly switched away from in favor of the Dictator that is practically synonymous with his name in the FGC. “I played a couple of casuals in the back with NL, and those characters seemed to be doing quite well,” he continues. “Obviously, either he had done his homework and came ready, or he wasn’t playing at 100% when we were playing in the back, but I just didn’t feel as comfortable as I expected. So I decided to reset the playing field and go back to my tried and tested.”
The tried-and-tested method often works best, as the 5-3 scoreboard clearly demonstrated when the dust had settled. “He was a bad matchup but when it comes to winning high-profile events under the highest pressure, it seems to be Dictator that pulls it out for me,” Problem X says.
After taking down NL and emerging victorious, Problem X still seemed as calm and relaxed as ever. Excited, clearly, but composed and proud. At no point in the match did he look truly taxed, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to accomplish. “It was definitely not an easy fixture at all,” he admits. “I was just in the zone, and I was trying to look at everything that he was doing in each situation before trying to recollect, ‘Okay, he did this before here, so he might do this here now…’ I was just going at 1,000 miles per hour and really zoned into it.”
Problem X could be seen closing his eyes between each match, and that’s how he stayed sharp. “You try to answer seven questions in your head that could apply to the next match,” he explains of his internal process. “I’m just trying to stay focused and not miss anything because any decision here could turn a game.”
Throughout the conversation, Problem X gives the impression of someone who is simultaneously humble and boundlessly confident. He knew he needed to practice his weak points in order to win Red Bull Kumite, but never for a second doubted that he could do it. Now that he’s proved that to the world once again, his sights are set on the next goal. “Hopefully I can ride this momentum,” he says. “If I can qualify and get to the offline Capcom Cup, then I’d be really excited to hopefully get the win there.” The man himself summarized it best when accepting his Kumite prize. “When it comes to offline, man does the ting.”
Finally, Problem X couldn’t sign off without acknowledging everyone who helped him win. “Shoutouts to Mousesports, my sponsors, and all the supporters,” he says. “Shoutouts to the American and DR crowds, because the crowd was amazing, and all my supporters worldwide.”
You can follow Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas 2021 champion Problem X on Twitch and Twitter.
Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.
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