Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited Global Championship ’13 Tournament Preview

This weekend, some of the best Tekken players in the world will square off for cash and the right to be called the best Tekken player in the world at the 2013 Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited Global Championship Tournament.

To be held in South Korea, The Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited Global Championship will see over 20 players who qualified from North America, Japan, South Korea among others. Here’s a full list of countries where qualifiers were held and the players who will be competing:

• South Korea (Saint, JDCR, Help-Me!)
• China (shutdown, SHADOWFOX)
• Japan (Nobi, Kagemaru)
• Australia (Marimo/SC/, MMT)
• Singapore (ZF, Zap Hwoarang)
• Indonesia (Hero, LEXUZZ)
• Hong Kong (Xi dú níng chá-Lightning!)
• Taiwan (Snake)
• Malaysia (Fate_Q)
• Philippines (AK)
• Thailand (Book)
•  New Zealand (BG)
•  USA (Mr. Naps)

Here are the rules for the tournament:

Basic Rules

• Each match will be one-on-one. (One player vs. one player, no Pair Play.)
• 1 round = 80 seconds, Life bar = Default, 1 game = first to 3 rounds.
• Both Tag (2 characters) and Solo (1 character) styles are allowed.
• Customized characters are allowed.
• No character changing allowed. (Neither main nor sub.)
• Stage selection rights and 1P/2P selection rights will be determined by rock-paper-scissors or by drawing lots.
• During play, if a malfunction complaint is determined to be unfounded, the player who lodged the complaint may be disqualified.

Preliminary Round: Round Robin Format

• The 20 competitors will be split into 4 groups of 5 players for the preliminary round robin qualifier.
• First to 2 games wins. The top two competitors from each group will proceed to the final round.
• If there is an in-group tie with respect to games won, the player with the least number of lost rounds will be given the higher rank. (Round won = +1 point, Round lost = -1 point. If there is a tie in points, a tie-breaker match will be held.)
• Groups and scheduling for the round robin qualifier will be determined by lots the day before the tournament during orientation.
• Players of the same nationality will not be placed in the same group.

Final Round: Double Elimination Format

• The top 8 competitors from the preliminary round robin will proceed to the Final Round.
• The Final Round will be conducted as a double elimination tournament.
• First to 2 games wins.
• For the Championship Match, first to 2 sets wins. (1 set = first to 3 games.)
• Note: The player from the winner’s bracket will have a 1 set advantage. In other words, the player from the winner’s bracket only has to win 1 set to claim the championship. The player from the loser’s bracket must win 2.

Finally: here’s footage from some of the qualifiers that have been held.

First up: the Grand Finals of the U.S. qualifer, which was won by Mr. Naps.

Next: the Japanese qualifier, which was run as a 2v2 tournament. This tournament was won by Nobi, who played Dragunov and Lars, and Kagemaru, who played JACK-6 and Bryan.

Lastly: the first of three Korean qualifiers, which was contested through the finals of a televised Tekken-themed competiton called Tekken Strike. This tournament was won by Saint, who played Bob and Ganryu.

The Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Global Championship 2013 will be streamed Saturday October 26, 2013 on CafeID’s Twitch Channel at 2 PM Korea time (GMT +9) with English commentary provided by Sp00ky of Team Sp00ky and Mark “Markman” Julio, MadCatz’s Community & Sponsorship Manager and longtime Tekken player. Be sure to tune in!