We are just a few weeks away from the Playoffs and only two of the four teams that will make the cut have secured their spots. NASR X BANDITS in first place has earned enough points to not only qualify but also to go as the first seed on the Playoff Bracket. Second place ENDEMIC also has enough points to get a spot as well while the last two spots are still up for grabs. UYU in third place is in a good position to qualify but they have only one Team Battle remaining to earn points currently hold a 45 to 55 point lead over the remaining teams. The three teams below them all have three Team Battles remaining and with up to 40 points up for grabs for any one Team Battle it is still possible they can be pushed out.
Starting us off in this week’s Team Battles was CL GAMING as the home team facing off against RED ROOSTER. Both teams are tied at 120 points at fourth and fifth place so this is the chance for both teams to create some distance. CL GAMING has lost three straight coming into this week and RED ROOSTER is on a two game losing streak, so a win here is a chance to reverse the trajectory for both teams.
Up next was ENDEMIC as the home team against PANDA GLOBAL. This is ENDEMIC’s last regular season Team Battle and while they have earned enough points to make the Playoffs they would very much like to go as the second seed. PANDA GLOBAL is a shining example that its all about points and not wins and losses this season. Coming into this week they had a 1-6 record but because many of their Team Battles were close they are only 10 points behind CL GAMING and RED ROOSTER and 55 points behind UYU in third place.
If you missed any of season 5 and want to get caught up before reading further, check out the STREET FIGHTER LEAGUE: Pro-US Season 5 Archive or the Capcom Fighters YouTube channel’s STREET FIGHTER LEAGUE: Pro-US Season 5 video playlist for the full episodes.
CL GAMING (HOME) vs RED ROOSTER (AWAY)
Away Team Player and Character Order: 1) Mono (F.A.N.G.), 2) HotDog29 (M.Bison), 3) Ajax Fidelity (Ed), SUB) Smug
With both teams tied at 120 points this Team Battle was incredibly important to both teams and CL GAMING came through to defeat RED ROOSTER 30 to 10. Both teams put forth tremendous efforts with every match in this Team Battle being close. It also had one of the most sensational finishes so far this season with the win coming down to a clutch combo.
Justakid led things off with his Juri going in to face Mono’s tricky F.A.N.G.. It was a back and forth match with Mono playing patiently, using F.A.N.G.’s far reaching normals to stymie Justakid’s offense. Mono won a close first game two rounds straight only to have Justakid return the favor in the second game, making some great reads and using Juri’s fireballs and dash-in throws to great effect. Justakid also had great success using neutral jumps to catch one of F.A.N.G.’s outstretched normals. It would go to the final round with Justakid finishing off Mono with a throw to give CL GAMING the early lead.
Up next in the away team lineup for RED ROOSTER was HotDog29 and his M.Bison and CL GAMING elected to send in ChrisCCH and his Luke to face him. HotDog29 expressed some dissatisfaction with his play this season in the pre-battle interview but he had to be happy with this match. This was the most clear-cut match of the Team Battle with HotDog29 making great use of M.Bison’s powerful and far reaching normals to keep Luke out of his comfort zone. ChrisCCH had a very strong first round of game two but HotDog29 was in control for most of this match to tie things up at 10-10.
It was little surprise to see the phenom Ajax Fidelity in the anchor position for RED ROOSTER, a player who until this week had only been beaten once all season. CL GAMING felt that Filipinoman and his Rose would make a good counter to Ajax Fidelity’s oppressive Ed and they were right, but by the slimmest of margins. This was a thrilling match from beginning to end with Filinoman using Rose’s zoning abilities using normals and projectiles to make it difficult for Ed to get in. For Ajax Fidelity not only did he have to go around Rose’s zoning to get in but it was not easy to crack Filipinman’s defense to get damage once he got there. This one would go to the very last round of the final game with visible tension on the faces of both players. Ajax Fidelity had a big life lead and one hit away from getting a stun when Filipinoman pushed him back and landed a clutch combo to instead stun his opponent to win. Team CL GAMING erupted from their seats after the final hit to hug and congratulate Filipinoman after his hard-fought win.
| Match | Player | Team | Character | | Player | Team | Character | Result |
| 1 | Justakid | CL GAMING | Juri | defeated | Mono | RED ROOSTER | F.A.N.G. | 2-1 |
| 2 | HotDog29 | RED ROOSTER | M.Bison | defeated | ChrisCCH | CL GAMING | Luke | 2-0 |
| 3 | Filipinoman | CL GAMING | Rose | defeated | Ajax Fidelity | RED ROOSTER | Ed | 3-2 |
| Tie-Breaker | – | – | – | defeated | – | – | – | – |
| SCORE | TOTAL | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Break |
| HOME | 30 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| AWAY | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
ENDEMIC (HOME) vs PANDA GLOBAL (AWAY)
Away Team Player and Character Order: 1) JB (Rashid), 2) Nephew (Kolin), 3) Punk (Luke), SUB) Kami
Coming into this week in last place PANDA GLOBAL needed every point they could get. As has happened several times this season it was a close Team Battle with Punk in the anchor position being the pivotal player. PANDA GLOBAL comes away with its second win of the season 25-20 against ENDEMIC. Both teams got points but neither got as many as they hoped for.
The first two matches of the Team Battle were wins by ENDEMIC. GamerBee with Lucia took on JB’s Rashid in the first match with GamerBee winning 2-0. Both games were close but GamerBee was able to convert more interactions into high damage combos. JB was getting a lot of hits and throws but not enough to close out rounds.
The next match had NuckleDu with Guile going in against Nephew’s Kolin. NuckleDu’s Guile used Sonic Booms masterfully, making it hard for Nephew’s Kolin to get in for much of the match. In the second round of the second game Nephew surged and won the next game and seemed to have incredible momentum building. In the last game NuckleDu was able to re-establish his wall of Sonic Booms to reverse the situation to win the third game and the match 2-1.
Punk and iDom were both in the anchor positions for their teams and once again it was an epic clash between two of the world’s best players. iDom went with Poison in this match against Punk’s Luke, using her whip’s long reach to try to keep Luke at a distance. Both players traded games until the fifth and final game with Punk coming out on top. Both players got a lot of help from thier teammates between rounds but Punk’s Luke was able to get in close for big damage enough to get the win.
With the score now tied 20-20 it was time for a tie-breaker game and ENDEMIC elected to put forth Shine with his Cody to go against Punk. With enough points earned to secure second place it is likely that Shine was chosen to give him another opportunity to boost his confidence ahead of the Playoffs. Whatever the real reason for the choice, Punk would cruise to victory in this game in two straight rounds with neither one really being in danger.
| Match | Player | Team | Character | | Player | Team | Character | Result |
| 1 | GamerBee | ENDEMIC | Lucia | defeated | JB | PANDA GLOBAL | Rashid | 2-0 |
| 2 | NuckleDu | ENDEMIC | Guile | defeated | Nephew | PANDA GLOBAL | Kolin | 2-1 |
| 3 | Punk | PANDA GLOBAL | Luke | defeated | iDom | ENDEMIC | Poison | 3-2 |
| Tie-Breaker | Punk | PANDA GLOBAL | Luke | defeated | Shine | ENDEMIC | Cody | 1-0 |
| SCORE | TOTAL | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Break |
| HOME | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| AWAY | 25 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
TEAM STANDINGS
After this week the top two three positions remain unchanged although ENDEMIC has now earned enough points to secure their position as the second seed in the Playoffs. UYU is still in a good position in third place but the bottom three teams are incredibly close. Every point counts for the bottom four teams over the remaining two weeks of the regular season.
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK!
Be sure to catch the next episode on Twitch and YouTube on Friday at 4:00 PM Pacific, 7:00 PM Eastern!