The Evolution Championship Series. The most famous fighting game tournament in the world. It only happens once a year, or thanks to EVO Japan, twice a year. But even so, Las Vegas is one of the most expensive places to spend a weekend, and their Mandalay Bay is sure to be a hot ticket for Sunday Finals. A ticket you can rushdown with SeatGeek!~. It's an app that nerfs the resale market's recovery on block, and with its smart combo of a 1 to 100 scale plus being able to sort tickets from red to green, you will be able to separate the hitboxes from the hurtboxes. As an added bonus to your DEALS meter, put in the code word TREE to save $20 off your first purchase. Ryu wishes he could be this viable in AE. He'll probably select SeatGeek!~, since that's the only way he'll be a part of Top 8 this year.
---
EVO. What everyone has been saving their shit for, and saving their money just to attend. To a spectator, it is the mecca of the fighting game world. A yearly celebration of the video game genre that is, in the words of last year's Street Fighter V champion, "so great"...Fighting games.
But to a competitor, there is no higher level of play led by the largest population of "would bes" and "have beens" you'll ever see. The upsets and the triumphs are of equal timeless recollection. Its most famous snapshot is still remembered fondly, and the butterflies in one's stomach upon taking the stage are gigantic in mass and excitement.
With all that fellatio in mind, and ignoring the dozens of side tournaments, which games are OFFICIALLY being contested at the 17th annual showcase?
:INJUSTICE 2:
So you're not quite ready to tell us about the new Mortal Kombat, and we end up with this game for another year or two. Good on you NRS for finally showing some restraint in your bi-annual outings. To be fair, there is one thing that Injustice 2 hasn't been in its tournament life as of recent... predictable. SonicFox's reign of terror is crumbling. While NRS has paid his tuition in full, it's not as heavy a payout as MKX was. Now we're seeing a lot more variety in the faces that are taking the spotlight. Whether it's the "Noble"men of Semij and Tweedy, the brothers from a Canadian mother with HoneyBee and Biohazard, the ever present international flavor with people like Tekken Master and Foxy Grampa, or the tried and true American veterans with Theo and Scar. And if they actually make it far, a Rewind here, and an iLuusions there to spice up the higher brackets. I don't believe the game itself is as fun as MKX was. Maybe the grind for better gear has turned me off of going back on a consistent basis, or the fact that I can't consistently play Starfire to save my life. But I don't have to fear the lack of Starfire in high level, she's gonna be everyone's pocket character going into EVO, and that alone is preferable to the NyQuil induced sleep coma provided by Black Adam and Aquaman polluting high level. So who's gonna come out on top?
-EPIC GRAND FINALS PREDICTION JINX BEGIN-
It's gonna be Semij and Honeybee. Honeybee has a history of taking no prisoners come EVO time. Even SonicFox has been made temporarily mortal by Honeybee's big brain plays and shutdowns. He's come close in the past to being EVO champ, but no cigar. With his likely switch to Starfire, the results will more than likely remain the same in him piling up the bodies of the defeated. As for Semij, what do you even need to say? The man has nine lives much like his Catwoman main. And he has been consistent even with a declawed character. If I had to choose, I'd say Semij takes it 3-1. He runs rings around Honeybee, and Honeybee starts wishing for more Flash buffs.
:GUILTY GEAR XRD REV 2:
Ignoring the red hotness of your newer brother and sister, you manage to survive the EVO chopping block. The problem with trying to pin down how your tournaments go is that the sea of talent surrounding your game is planet sized, and of equal strength. Hell, most of them don't even leave their home country to play Guilty Gear with the exception of EVO. Most of them have become legend. Machaboo, Nage, Omito, Ogawa, Samitto... Those are just off the top of my head. The scene is far too vast to see someone crushing the competition single handed. And that's why I feel this tournament is going to be the most interesting of them all. Ruled by the die hards that have yet to be tempted by the fruits of other fighting games. I have yet to show extended interest in this game as of late. I made the mistake of running to Jam when she was released in the first Revelator. So fun, yet SO not viable. And that's probably not going to change anytime- https://twitter.com/Tinshi009/status/956691944960352256 -so you're telling me she's viable now? That's cool. It gives me hope that a Teresa can sneak back into the Top 8 like last year, but who do I feel will step upon the destined ground?
-HEAVEN OR HELL GRAND FINALS! LET'S ROCK-
As I've said before, the talent pool is going to be wild. Do not expect the usual names to populate top honors this time around, especially when the best of East & West are in town. Assuming that Samitto makes the trip, I believe his position in Grand Finals is a literal CHIPP shot. And his opponent, well, let's say, Kazunoko. That guy is long overdue for a rampage. If Samitto is absent, I wanna put my money on Dogura, but I don't wanna commit to it, since he's just not at that higher echelon in Guilty Gear. He's a man of great depth, so if he's not part of Top 8 at Guilty Gear, it's probably because he's Top 8 somewhere else. Sky's the limit, GG community. For all we know, someone like MarlinPie could be opposite Kazunoko in Grand Finals. Stranger things have happened.
:BLAZBLUE CROSS TAG BATTLE:
Speaking of your siblings, holy shit, guys! Double the entrants of last year's Central Fiction, which in its own right was a decent Top 8. I mean you weren't Dogura/Galileo from EV0 2014, but you were pretty close with Fenritti and Ryusei. But now, it's a whole new game. Forget everything you thought you knew about Blazblue; now it's about tag warfare, simplifying the combinations, and coming out of left field with the crossover everyone dreamed of, but had no idea it would be this inviting. Players from all walks of life will be present. The hardcore Blazblue level grinders, the noteworthy Persona nerds, the Under Night masochists, and... well I guess people who tolerated RWBY. The skill level has never been this much of a seesaw. Nor is the variation in player base. Since the game is 2 months old going into EVO, we should expect some similar character selection. An awful lot of Ruby, Es, Jin, and Gordeau are to be expected. Good thing I chose the Yukiko hill to die on. Apparently, her role as a training dummy wasn't too far off from her placement during retail release. What a shame. But hey, people are still getting their hands dirty, diving deep leagues into the depths of this game's hidden tech. And BBXTAG's inaugural year is going to be "show off or shove off". The best thing that Arc System Works could have possibly done is skipping an arcade release. Everyone is on equal footing this time around. But who's got the drive?
-CAN'T ESCAPE FROM JINXING MATES-
It's going to be the people you least expect. Everyone feels like the Blazblue stalwarts such as Fumi and Fenritti have the best shot, but I'm not buying that it will be an All-Japan Top 8. From what I've seen, America has been putting in equal work. People like Flux and KizzieKay have been setting noteworthy examples, and we still have strong Blazblue carryovers like SKD and Grover, who have made the transfer with little sign of side effects. There's always the electric performances of KidViper and Fame96 to consider. There's more names to drop, but the point is that if there's ever been a case of a tournament being anyone's game, it's here. Don't sleep on the American players with this one. It's gonna be a blood filled pool. For the sake of having something to attach, I'm gonna say Fenritti vs SKD is your Grand Final. But I really just wanna see this game in action. It's been a hell of a ride getting here from the block headed DLC decisions to the high praise of its simple yet satisfying gameplay. And that's with the mass appeal of having the combined fanbase of Persona and RWBY converge on a fighting game. Here's hoping the eyes on this game come EVO weekend are converted into players. It could really use the push, especially in Japan, where it's not as popular as its original.
:SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE:
Congratulations, Melee! You've got a spot in the Sunday Finals...with less people than you had last year. Hell, your younger brother squeaked by in player count by THREE! WHOLE! PLAYERS! There's a multitude of factors in play here. Mostly because EVO is sandwiched between other Smash related throwdowns, but the most important one in EVO's mind is that Melee is becoming a bit of a handful to properly accommodate in terms of both a timely manner and manpower. Especially if you manage to maintain that 3/5 ruling as the brackets start to shrink. There's also the adventure of lugging around hundreds of CRT TVs exclusive to Melee, which more than likely doesn't get easier the larger that EVO becomes. This could be your last year, which is probably why you're given center stage, to appease the mighty MrWiz, and ensure the upcoming Smash Ultimate doesn't swallow both playerbases alive. But let's face facts, you are a 17 year old game that is more or less widdled down to 5 people that are actually successful in it. Armada, Mango, Mew2King, Leffen, and HungryBox. This is their paycheck, and they're gonna fight like hell to keep it around the EVO stage, despite them telling you that there's nothing to worry about. AND despite lesser members telling you that they don't need EVO. "We have Genesis, The Big House, and APEX. Pfft, we don't need EVO." Yeah, you kinda do. It was your charity that got Melee back into EVO, and EVO brought it back to relevance. The new blood better be ready to bring the house down if you want there to be actual things of interest happening. You are MvC2. While many people come to see the Five Gods tap dancing on a Gamecube controller, this game will eventually have to make way for the future. Being an old dog doesn't change the fact that Melee's time is running out. And I think people not entranced by Melee are starting to grow tired of the exact same people on top 5 years running. It's slowly becoming the fighting game tournament equivalent to the NBA. Predictable and no parity within the playerbase. Ugh, I gotta do that prediction thing again, don't I?
-GRAND FINAL DESTINATION PREDICTION-
Armada vs Hungrybox. It's the Warriors vs Cavs of Melee. It happened in Smash N' Splash recently, and it's going to happen again. I don't care who wins, flip a coin. If you think you're going to see someone that hasn't made EVO Grand Finals in the past, you're sorely mistaken. Actually, scratch Leffen from my recent list. He's far too busy leveling up in a game that actually released in the current year. Just replace him with Plup. His win at Genesis will SURELY factor into his EVO performance!
Wait, you seriously think Mew2King is gonna be in Grand Finals-hahahahahahaha. Please. That guy won Smash Summit, and even HE was shocked he won something. I'll be surprised if he even sniffs Losers' Finals. I hope for one of two things in this year's Melee tournament. That somebody actually fucking NEW makes an impact, and that Top 8 doesn't have the runtime of Titanic. Otherwise, you are a tournament scene stuck in a weekend marathon of reruns. Please be excited for your lunch break between Guilty Gear and Tekken on Sunday.
BREAKING: Actually, wait a moment, folks! https://twitter.com/LiquidHbox/status/1024764798842679298 The hex I deliberately didn't cast upon the creation of this Haters Guide has taken effect. And Hungrybox has a broken finger days before EVO. Don't worry, old chum, it's just Carpal Tunnel being a complete douchebag. In any case, Wizzrobe, your time is now! Pfft...Yeah right.
:SUPER SMASH BROS. FOR WiiU:
If you're looking for the Smash game WITH parity among its high level colleagues, look no further. Your most dominating single individual, Zero, is a thing of the past. Ever since his EVO dethroning last year, he has hung up his controller, and now streams for pennies on the dollar. And https://twitter.com/theSirToasty/status/1007468803951915008 if he's to be believed, Twitch money will probably pay more then him winning EVO will. Hell, according to him, 2 years worth of McDonald's wages would be a bigger payout. Because who wants to go to a video game tournament for the love of the game when you can get that minimum wage paper instead! In all seriousness, I really hope he comes back for Ultimate like he says he will. Another 56 tournaments of terror await.
So in his wake, we're left with the 2nd most dominating individual: MkLeo. Also known as the world's most insufferable tattletale. https://youtu.be/dfQkoFWWrHw?t=3m33s Listen to that crowd booing the sight of his Bayonetta taking Plup to his Smash 4 neighborhood. As far as Smash 4 players go, he is the man to beat coming into EVO. He will have some sharp competition if all the pieces come together. Guys like Nairo, Abadango, Ally, MVD, and last year's champion Salem are still as strong as they were before. Especially Abadango's EVO Japan performance. Dude played like his life depended on it, and still got 2nd place. I see him working harder to rectify that imperfection. He's absolutely one to watch out for. I probably play this game the least, as I still treat Smash like it's fought on the ground, charging up Smash moves like no one's business with my low tier Charizard play. For fun get togethers, it's either this or Mario Kart. For a fighting game, it's still not my jam. For the rest of the world, better get those Gamecube controllers back in production, Nintendo. You're going to need them by the end of the year. This is no doubt the final year for Smash 4 since Ultimate is hellbent on being the one stop Smash community destination. Remains to be seen, but who will stand tall hoisting the winner's trophy to Smash 4's farewell bash?
-FINALS WRONG PREDICTION PARTY-
Aside from the obvious MkLeo choice, it starts to get a little more difficult to pin down his GF opponent. All of these top players are knee deep in brackets, and they can easily be sent to losers even before Top 16. It's just the nature of the game. As much as I anticipate Abadango's rampage, he'll come short in Losers' Final to Salem. Yes, I'm gonna say Salem makes his way back to the Grand Finals promised land, and we end up closing Smash 4's EVO tenure with a Bayonetta mirror in Grand Finals. Yes, I see MkLeo forsaking his chickens to make this happen. It's just the type of sendoff Smash 4 deserves. "Most requested fan-voted character".Be careful what you wish for next time, internet.
BREAKING: https://twitter.com/Mkleosb/status/1024724098595934210 Wait, MKLeo's got the chickenpox, and can't make EVO? God **TABLE POUND** FUCKING damnit! One time, I'd like a Haters Guide NOT to deliver a hex on someone's physical being! Oh, just toss out about half of what I just talked about! It's fine, really!
...That's the last time I call someone's main character their "chicken"...
:TEKKEN 7:
Wow, you are the ONLY returning fighting game to have a significant INCREASE in player entrants. That's mighty impressive, especially when you've had infrequent content updates. I guess it has to do with making your game Capcom vs SNK 3D what with Akuma and Geese Howard being selectable characters. The mere thought of it would have been laughable years prior, but the crazy bastards have done it. And the sales numbers have rewarded them. While it was off to a rocky start on console as far as the online infrastructure went, it's been a showstopping monster at almost every tournament it's appeared in ever since its console drop. And whether you're Japanese, Korean, or American, you too can be a threat in this game. It certainly helps that the list of people who place consistently is a small percentage compared to the entry numbers. The best part about top play is that it's rare for the cream of the crop to be confined to a single character. They more and likely have multiple blades to kill you with. JDCR's Heihachi/Dragunov, Knee's Steve/Bryan, Jeondding's Eddy/Lucky Chloe, even Saint is willing to experiment at crucial times. Nothing feels too dull, and there's a soul being taken every minute. As an Alisa player, my personal bias lies with the likes of Chanel. Chanel is constantly wowing me with his play, but not leaving much of an imprint in the winner's circle. He came close at EVO Japan, but fell short due to Knee unleashing his latent Tekken powers on an unsuspecting audience. Chanel's true demon? Saint. In a long set, Saint is usually the victor in that exchange. And if Chanel wants to see success beyond his wildest dreams, that is the evil he must vanquish. I sure wish I could see the likes of Nobi and Ao go far. Their EVO 2015 final is one of the most emotional sets of Tekken I've ever seen, especially on the side of Ao. Christ, that was hard to watch. This is going to be the biggest tournament Tekken has ever seen. And it's a game that's only growing in size. The field is wide open, and ripe for upsets and surprises. Who will be the king?
-GET READY FOR THE NEXT JINXING-
Even if the international flavor is strong, there's only one country who shines brightest when it comes to Tekken at EVO... Korea. I'm seeing an All-Korean Top 4 this year. JDCR, Saint, Knee, Qudans. Or replace Knee with Jeondding. More than likely Qudans and Saint in the Grand Final with Qudans being the victor. It's gonna be a close one, though. Keeping in mind this is also another game where you need to look out for the American players. I see Anakin and Speedkicks taking a few noteworthy Asian players down with them. Tekken 7 is top level that hardly disappoints. Be prepared to pick your jaw up off the floor when all is said and done.
And with the previous titles covered, now we get to our DOUBLE main event...
:DRAGONBALL FIGHTERZ:
Q: Dragonball FighterZ, your campaign seems to have the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why are you so popular?
Ever since its reveal at E3 last year, this game's release has been anticipated with bated breath. Finally, a legitimate Dragon Ball fighting game that doesn't get laughed off the main stage with the dial-a-combos of its ancestors. Lo and behold, it was most certainly a good game. The most popular manga series in the world combined with the most adept developer of over the top anime fighters in Arc System Works. A marriage with previous kids in the past, but one that has never grown into such high class status as FighterZ has. Even better, it's a fighting game that came at the perfect time. Spoilers ahead, there's no Marvel vs Capcom title this year at EVO. Wanna know why? Because its latest entry was such a black eye on the Marvel vs Capcom name that not even Marvel wants to promote it anymore. Their Battle for the Stones tournament ended faster than it even started. But EFF THAT GAME anyway. We've got the legitimate successor to the Marvel vs Capcom style of play right here. And the entry numbers! Over 2500 players registered. Outstanding for a first timer.
But the Dragonball love is universal. Several FGC members recall their nostalgia for DBZ. It really starts to pour out on the commentary desk and in the team comp. Lore happy matchups lead to excitement from both character and player alike. Rivalries of legend have been contested upon this digital battlefield. The two most noteworthy players of this game going into EVO need no introduction. If you know anything about the tournament scene, you know their names; SonicFox and Go1. They've been barking and hissing at one another for what feels like forever ever since this game launched. It truly is this generation's Alex Valle/Daigo matchup. A rivalry spawned from two people who are simply the best of their district both with something to prove. The thing is, well, let's take a look at that final player count of over 2500 participants. That's a pretty large swimming pool to dive into. Make no mistake, the best of the best are in absolutely no danger. But this is the land of EVO. An unforgiving tidal wave of upsets and 0-2s await the unprepared. And DBFZ is no exception to the rule. Expect many of the current superstars to get randomed out, only to drop an atomic bomb on the losers bracket. You are not safe at any point in the bracket. You bring your best, or you bring your contribution to the pot. Thanks for playing! Take your All-Goku team back to the online realms!
And there will be plenty of people playing. It feels like they're flying in with every type of fighting game possible. From the obvious MAHVEL champions like ChrisG and Cloud805, the Smash legends like Leffen, the anime gods such as Dogura and Kazunoko, to the "hey why not make this the first game I was actually really good at" crowd like HookGangGod. This is the EVO tournament with the highest possibility of pure chaos in a long time. You all remember how good MvC3's inaugural year was? Yeah, that level. It may not be the entire universe at stake, but players of this game will fight as if their lives, as well as the lives of their friends and family, depend on it. But when the smoke finally clears among the planet sized explosions, and the final match is played, who will Earth's mightiest champion be?
-CHAMPION CROWNED! MIGHTY PREDICTION!-
Sonicfox walked into VSFighting with his newly christened team, and walked out the winner holding a Dragonball in his hand. He left even the gods of Japan stunned. He has a gameplan, and has revealed it to the world with every intention of expanding upon his accolades at EVO. I'm going to make the safe bet and say that if anyone is making it to Grand Finals of DBFZ this year, it's this man. He made Zamasu look like the god he is in the actual anime. With little time to deduce proper countermeasures, it will be nothing short of an upset if anyone knocks him out of the Winner's bracket. He is once again a one man army. A generational prodigy in all things fighting games. For him to not make it to Grand Finals, someone has to have his number. That someone... is HookGangGod. If he plays the same way he did at Summit of Power, he can be the one to outplay SonicFox. Yes, the Japanese threat is still a threat. Go1, Kazunoko, Dogura, Fenritti... they are still really strong opponents. But I don't think they're strong enough to stop SonicFox in his current state. It's going to take an American to beat an American. If SonicFox is not in Grand Finals this year, HookGangGod is the reason. If it's not SonicFox vs HookGangGod, then it will be Dogura and Fenritti. It's either going to be USA vs USA or Japan vs Japan. There's no way I see a USA vs Japan Grand Final occuring in DBFZ. I see destruction. And I see hype. I see... further beyond.
So now to the other main event...
:STREET FIGHTER V: ARCADE EDITION:
Street Fighter being the grand finale of EVO. I don't know what people were even expecting. Numbers do not determine the main event of EVO. DBFZ may have the most population this year, but that population will decrease the following year. And its population does not cover the amount of countries and communities that Street Fighter does. Street Fighter may have taken a small hit, but not nearly as hard as others did. People will be playing this series forever no matter what number is at the end. Because it's Street Fighter. Its very existence created fighting games as a whole, and it's main eventing EVO because it's still the most active fighting game played around the world after all these years across all these different titles. Having the Capcom Pro Tour behind it being as successful as it is certainly backs up this fact. Despite the claim of others that this is the worst Street Fighter with a roman numeral in its title, you cannot deny the scope of the playerbase. The loudest, the most international, and the most star studded. All of the heavy hitters are occupying this game with a force and a power unrivaled in the FGC.
Though I will say that AE and Season 3 as a whole has been the worst version from a spectator's standpoint. Remember how great last year's EVO Top 8 was for SF5? Every member of that Top 8 had a different character. All the woes of Laura, Urien, and Balrog derping their way through Season 2 vanished come EVO time. The pros and the specialists shined. Yeah, you're not seeing that in AE. There are 4 characters most commonly seen at the highest level. Cammy, Menat, Guile, and Ibuki. There are few exceptions to this rule, and many have joined the dark side in exchange for power. One of them is Justin Wong. No longer repping his signature Karin, he has chosen to bust some balls with his Menat play. A play that comes from experience. Sizing up his opponent, and shutting them down piece by piece at his preferred range. Daigo has fully embraced his Guile calling in AE that was foreshadowed near the end of Season 2 with his jaw dropping plays at Capcom Cup. What did that acceptance get him in 2018? Why, he finally fucking won his first CPT 2018 event at VSFighting, a tournament that was quite recent for the record. But the Cammy and Ibuki loyalists? They are out in force. Fujimura, NL, Xian, Verloren. They've done their due diligence, and have received glorious returns for their service. Fujimura's been on a hot streak ever since EVO 2017. What was once kindling is now a raging fire. Over the past year, he has won Stunfest, CEO, last year's SoCal Regionals, up to the aforementioned VSFighting where it took Super God Beast Daigo to finally stop him in his tracks. But I think we're all forgetting the raging demon in the room; Tokido. Allowing Tokido to ascend to his golden platform at EVO 2017 was an omen. A foreshadowing of things to come. Thaiger Uppercut, Norcal Regionals, Battle Arena Melbourne... he has stood victorious at all 3 of those majors. Say whatever you want about the great ELEAGUE pause, but it was a foregone conclusion that Tokido would have beaten Smug in the reset. Why? Because to those who enter a contest with him, and show unforeseen amounts of momentum, Tokido is there to rip your dreams from your body. Ask Punk, the favorite of last year's EVO that had his soul taken to hell by a Grand Finals demon. Where exactly has he been since then? I'll tell you where he hasn't been... The Winner's Circle.
You know how much of a monster the boys of Japan and Korea can be. America still has a few aces up their sleeve. There's always the American pride of the still evolving NuckleDu.The sudden re-emergence of FlashMetroid. The ever present switchblade of Smug. And the Kolins in wait like Nephew and Neon. Europe's gonna bring their best. Problem X is still as advertised: a problem for those who aren't prepared to play a new age Bison with old age strategies and know how. Phenom, who is coming off a respectable 3rd place showing at CEO, and might be the best damn Necall in the world. Luffy's character loyalty to R.Mika has not hindered his output. Look at his work at the recent HeadStomper event in Denmark to validate that. There's plenty more people to discuss. Hundreds more. From plenty of countries, and tons of talent to unleash. And the worst part about Street Fighter V at EVO is that both the skill level and the drive to succeed are at their highest difficulty yet. Get ready for some shocking early eliminations of well established veterans and high rolling executives of the Street Fighter community. And it WILL happen. They don't get any bigger than this one. A new year, a new version, and a new meta to calculate. Who's ready to be EVO Champion?
-FINAL PREDICTION! FIGHT-
I really do feel that momentum is everything, but at EVO, your greatest ally is Lady Luck. To anyone who correctly chooses the Grand Final of this year's event, contact me the day after. I could use some state lottery numbers. Now then, predictions...
If America has any hope of showing up in Grand Finals, it's on the shoulders of NuckleDu. The man managed to conquer the north at Defend the North overcoming strong American play. It's not that often you see him outside Top 8 at a premier event. You get the rare instance of Combo Breaker, but it proved that event had no shortage of international intervention playing for points. The UK better start injecting all their knowledge and tech directly into Problem X's brain hoping none of it spills out. In all honesty, aside from your prodigal sons, it's just not your year this time, America. Fight your international battles in Blazblue Tag and Dragonball. That's your best opportunity to come away with an American win. As for SF5, I can't even give my predictions the proper conviction. While many names are racing around in my head for a potential finals, there's the matter of who can actually win it all. I'd put that honor on the man who has much luck AND momentum on his side this year; Daigo. I'm going with Daigo to appear in the Grand Finals, regardless of whether or not he's got a (W) or an (L) next to his name. His opponent has to be someone who has already gone through hell to keep his character in the top tier conversation. I say Tokido. Either an undefeated run through the Winners bracket, or a cold emotionless killing spree in the Losers bracket. Daigo beats Tokido 3-2 in the end. The beast reigns supreme once again. And then I wake up.
---
Whew, that was exhausting to write. I had to nurse this haters guide for about a week or two to get my proper thoughts in there. I know there's at least a passing interest in the Esports side of things, but I'm willing to bet the followers of the FGC is a much smaller ratio of members in comparison. If you lasted this long, thanks a ton for reading. If you want to yell at my absurd projection, and supposed lack of knowledge, and any other bouts of bitter contempt you think of, feel free. Otherwise, EVO is only days away. Grab your sponsored shirts, your custom arcade sticks, and your 11"x17" signs demeaning friends and foe alike. Get ready to EVOlve, motherfuckers!
---

Friday

Is JPN server down or do you guys cancel the JPN server?

Hey everyone, we’ve been working on connectivity problems for PC players to the PNE1 (Japan) region servers.
The region is once again available now, but we’re continuing to investigate connectivity and will post any further updates in this thread.

• Warnecke | Lead Software Engineer

Pink Mercy Shirt Disaster

Hi Tristiana,
First and foremost, please accept my condolences for the loss of your mother. Moms are important and special people. I am so sorry for the loss of such a valuable person in your life. Secondly, I want to apologize if this experience may have caused you more pain, that is not our intent.
I pursued this issue on my end and discovered that some of our BCRF contributors have yet to receive their PINK MERCY T-Shirts. We are aware of this issue and are close to shipping out the remaining quantity. Contributors impacted by this issue should have their T-Shirts by the end of this month.
I’ll be keeping an eye on this topic in case the issue persists beyond that point.
I and many others appreciate you, thank you so much for supporting the BCRF.

• Powers | Community Manager

OWL News | Offseason | Free Agency Tracker

• Overwatch League to open 2019 Season with 20 Teams
  
• [Wolf] Sources: Overwatch League to add D.C., Hangzhou, China teams
  
• [Wolf] Sources: Overwatch League to add Chengdu and Vancouver teams
  
• [Rand] Overwatch League reveals Toronto, Paris, and four other new franchises
  
• [Hume] Overwatch League expands en masse in China; Europe eyed next
  
• Overwatch League Player Signing FAQ | Blizzard Entertainment
  
• [GoopyKnoopy] Interview with The On Camera Talent of the Year, Mitch "Uber" Leslie
  
• [Beezy] You Left a Zebbosai Sized Hole in My Heart: An Empirical Analysis of The Impact of The Off-Season Drops
  
• [Steiner] The Overwatch League is Forcing Young Players to Mature
  
• [Segarra & Hance] How the Overwatch League Is Breaking the Rules of E-Sports
  
• [Jing Hao Liang] The End of an Overwatch Era
  
• [WolfofVillainy] 9 Potential Sleeper Picks for OWL 2019
  
• [WolfofVillainy] 9 Potential Busts for OWL 2019: Sacred Cows Edition
  
• [Muuush] Overwatch League and the power of China
  
• Nate Nanzer hosted an AMA on NGA, a Chinese forum. I've translated their questions and his responses
  
• Video | Overwatch League Viewer's Guide: How to Watch Pro Play and Follow the Action | Blitz Esports
  
• Video | Overwatch League: E-Sports Done Differently | Fortune
  
• Video | What Does Deathball Mean? | Akshon Esports
  
• Video | The OverView #98 - Expanding and Rebuilding (feat. Jacob Wolf and Innerflame)
  
• Video | Will We See A Full Chinese Team In Overwatch League Season 2? | Volamel's Viewpoints
  

Atlanta ??? | Expansion Team

• [Scrubasaurus] Atlanta announces coaching staff
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Sources: Sephy to coach Atlanta
  

Boston Uprising

• [Scrubasaurus] Boston Uprising release Mistakes

Chengdu ??? | Expansion Team

Dallas Fuel

• [Cecconi] Dallas Fuel Announce Release of Chipshajen, Will Transition Cocco to Coaching Staff
  
• Dallas Fuel Re-Sign Seven Players Ahead of Overwatch League Season Two
  
• [Rizzo] Dallas Fuel CEO Hastr0: "I think a lot of players rely too much on their in-game statistics sometimes to try and market themselves."
  
• Video | Thank You Chipshajen!
  
• Video | Welcome Coach Cocco!
  

Florida Mayhem

• [Vejnovic] Florida Mayhem release six of nine players ahead of Season Two
  
• [zappis] Thank you Mayhem
  
• [Manneten] Mayhem Situation
  
• Video | Penthouse Tour
  
• Video | WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
  

Hangzhou ??? | Expansion Team

Houston Outlaws

• [Snivy] Houston Outlaws release FCTFCTN
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Outlaws move clockwork to staff
  
• [Razgriz] Mendo moves to content creator for Outlaws
  
• [FCTFCTN] Goodbye Outlaws, you'll always be my family
  
• [Clockwork] Stuff
  
• [Wenrich] Houston Outlaws to host watch party for Team USA
  
• [GoopyKnoopy] Making Sense of Free Agency
  
• Video | BEST OF CLOCKWORK & FCTFCTN!
  

London Spitfire | Season 1 Champions

• London Spitfire Welcome Kwangbok Kim
  
• Video | All Star Weekend Doc | Bdosin Hugs
  
• Video | Monte's Musings: London Spitfire's New Coach 815 and Korean Coaching Systems
  

LA Gladiators

• [Wenrich] Los Angeles Gladiators are hiring for multiple positions

LA Valiant

• [Vejnovic] Valiant release three players and assistant coach Grimreality ahead of Season Two
  
• Video | Goodbye OWL Season One | Inside Overwatch League All Star Weekend
  

New York Excelsior(NYXL)

• [Nash] NXYL All-Star watch party features fans, fun, and more growth
  
• Video | PROfiles: Do Hyeon "Pine" Kim | Akshon Esports
  
• Video | All-Star Weekend
  

Paris ??? | Expansion Team

• Esport - Overwatch League : Un McCourt à Paris

Philadelphia Fusion

• [Vejnovic] Philadelphia Fusion announce release of three players ahead of second season
  
• [Wenrich] ShaDowBurn: "I helped my fan to follow his dream."
  

SF Shock

Seoul Dynasty

• [Vejnovic] Seoul Dynasty release three players ahead of Season Two
  
• [Tepojama] Dynasty Resumed: How Fissure Makes Seoul A Top-Five Team in the Overwatch League
  
• Video | Fissure Explores The New Busan Map!
  
• Video | The Man who Taught the World how to Play Winston | Dividing by 0
  

Shanghai Dragons

• Video | All star week-end best moments ft. Geguri

Toronto ??? | Expansion Team

• Launching An Overwatch League 2019 Expansion Franchise
  
• [Fischer] Sources: Top Canadian Olympic Exec Joins Toronto OWL Team
  
• [Wenrich] Toronto and D.C. announce general managers
  
• [Carpenter] Former London Spitfire coach Bishop joins Toronto’s Overwatch League team
  
• [D'Orazio] Toronto's OWL team allegedly planning on full Korean roster, already hired Bishop, ex-Spitfire head coach
  
• [Bennett] Q&A: Why former COC CEO Chris Overholt bet on Overwatch, esports
  
• [Heroux] From Olympics to esports: Former COC boss to run new Toronto Overwatch franchise
  

Vancouver ??? | Expansion Team

Washington D.C. ??? | Expansion Team

• Washington, D.C. Overwatch League team announces new Assistant GM

Contenders News | Playoffs

• [Volamel] Angry Titans’ ONIGOD on the EU Grand Final: “The meta suits us well, but I think it wouldn’t matter which metagame it was.”
  
• [Mailorder] Mangachu of XL2: "Roadhog sucks...I pray to God they revert it and buff him some sort of way."
  
• [Groot] Zacharee is Just Getting Started
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Finding a place for Bumper's flexibility
  
• [Volamel] LEGDAY’s crash course on commentary: “… casting is a conversation with two talking parts and one silent listener; the audience.”
  
• [Nash] Fusion University unveil latest jerseys, include even more "FUs"
  
• [Mert] MGC's Overwatch roster disbands as organisation integrates with ORDER
  
• Video | Will Sydney Drop Bears continue to dominate without Colourhex? Interview w: Elfishguy – OWC Daily
  
• Video | Nerf This: Korean Overwatch Round-Up
  
• Video | This is Overwatch Contenders Australia
  
• Video | Road to Overwatch League | XL2
  
• Video | NRG Esports Overwatch House Tour - Washington DC
  

World Cup News | LA Group Stage

• [Savery & Gao] Postcard from Los Angeles: Day 1
  
• [Savery & Gao] Postcard from Los Angeles: Day 2
  
• [Savery & Gao] Postcard from Los Angeles: Day 3
  
• [Savery] Overwatch World Cup Origins: Surefour
  
• [Savery] Overwatch World Cup Origins: The Honorato Copypasta
  
• [Shinoda] Put Ourselves On The Map
  
• [Sensotix] Ready For An Upset
  
• CompetitiveOverwatch's OWWC Power Rankings - L.A Qualifier
  
• [Mangachu] Expect The Unexpected
  
• [Cuevo] Surefour Talks His Experience in Widow Duels, Overwatch World Cup, and More
  
• [Geracie] Agilities on Team Canada's success: "We relied a lot on personal popoffs last year, but this year, we have a full coaching staff."
  
• [Cuevo] Team Norway’s ONIGOD on His Journey in Overwatch, His Mission in the World Cup, and His Chances in Signing with an Overwatch League Team
  
• [Nash] Team Spain announce new head coach for the 2018 Overwatch World Cup
  
• [HammerKick] Once upon a time, Michael « winz » Bignet
  
• [HammerKick] Once upon a time, Dylan « aKm » Bignet
  
• [Baker] Custa: "China and Sweden are the ones you’ve got to worry about." | Interview
  
• [Mailorder] USA and Canada aren't sleeping on Brazil. Yet Liko of Team Brazil stays humble: "We expect to be in the middle of the pack"
  
• [Alonzo] Going For Gold: Team USA and Team Canada are the 2018 OWWC Favorites
  
• [shomman] Introduction to Team Austria!
  
• [shomman] Introduction to Team Sweden!
  
• [Halo] No More Xcuses: How Team Canada Could Be XQC’s Chance To Show He’s Overwatch League Ready
  
• [Laughton] Scott ‘Custa' Kennedy on his Overwatch League career and how Aussie esports players can make it big
  
• [Baker] The L.A. Group Stage should be played on Patch 1.26, not 1.27 | Opinion
  

Remaining News

• [Wenrich] Registration for Tespa's Overwatch Collegiate Championship is open
  
• [Carpenter] Overwatch is $12 as part of October’s Humble Bundle subscription
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Argentina Game Show to host Copa Overwatch LAN
  
• [Scrubasaurus] GameXP LAN to be held in Rio de Janeiro
  
• [Mert] NeXT Summer Online Qualifier set to kick off
  
• [Scrubasaurus] INTZ eSports Club picks up Hephaestus roster
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Contracts expire for Copenhagen Flames
  
• [Snivy] ESL cancels Go4Overwatch series
  
• [D'Orazio] An inside look into the world of personal Overwatch coaching
  
• [Doi & Blum] What new Homeland Security policies mean for the esports industry
  
• [D'Orazio] Mercy mains are, once again, frusterated about the state of their beloved healer
  
• [ValerioMarty] How to Rank Up In Overwatch Without Losing your Mind in the Process
  
• [IBCrazy] Talent Takedown - VOD review and writeup
  
• [Peak] Becoming hyper-efficient as a player or coach
  
• [Friedman] Want Overwatch to get rid of loot boxes? It might get more expensive
  
• [Carpenter] Twitch is giving out another golden Overwatch loot box
  
• [Wenrich] Blizzard releases new gear with the Overwatch fall collection
  
• [D'Orazio] "Situation so offensive that it merits a collective effort" -- esports lawyers team up against Denial founder Robby Ringnalda
  
• [Stenzel] Does xQc have a Future in the Overwatch League
  
• Video | dva_shitpost.mp4 | dinoflask
  
• Video | NetEase Esports X Tournament - Summer Preview | Volamel's Viewpoints
  
• Video | The Next Evolution of Overwatch | Volamel's Viewpoints
  
• Video | Compcast: Korean soloq vs EU soloq | Jaws
  
• Video | Compcast with Jaws and Wolf: Is Ana meta again? | Jaws
  
• Video | Thinking it Over: Nucleus player - The emotional Leader | Yiska
  
• More Podcasts
  

Last Week's Post

Friday

Is JPN server down or do you guys cancel the JPN server?

Hey everyone, we’ve been working on connectivity problems for PC players to the PNE1 (Japan) region servers.
The region is once again available now, but we’re continuing to investigate connectivity and will post any further updates in this thread.

• Warnecke | Lead Software Engineer

Pink Mercy Shirt Disaster

Hi Tristiana,
First and foremost, please accept my condolences for the loss of your mother. Moms are important and special people. I am so sorry for the loss of such a valuable person in your life. Secondly, I want to apologize if this experience may have caused you more pain, that is not our intent.
I pursued this issue on my end and discovered that some of our BCRF contributors have yet to receive their PINK MERCY T-Shirts. We are aware of this issue and are close to shipping out the remaining quantity. Contributors impacted by this issue should have their T-Shirts by the end of this month.
I’ll be keeping an eye on this topic in case the issue persists beyond that point.
I and many others appreciate you, thank you so much for supporting the BCRF.

• Powers | Community Manager

OWL News | Offseason | Free Agency Tracker

• Overwatch League to open 2019 Season with 20 Teams
  
• [Wolf] Sources: Overwatch League to add D.C., Hangzhou, China teams
  
• [Wolf] Sources: Overwatch League to add Chengdu and Vancouver teams
  
• [Rand] Overwatch League reveals Toronto, Paris, and four other new franchises
  
• [Hume] Overwatch League expands en masse in China; Europe eyed next
  
• Overwatch League Player Signing FAQ | Blizzard Entertainment
  
• [GoopyKnoopy] Interview with The On Camera Talent of the Year, Mitch "Uber" Leslie
  
• [Beezy] You Left a Zebbosai Sized Hole in My Heart: An Empirical Analysis of The Impact of The Off-Season Drops
  
• [Steiner] The Overwatch League is Forcing Young Players to Mature
  
• [Segarra & Hance] How the Overwatch League Is Breaking the Rules of E-Sports
  
• [Jing Hao Liang] The End of an Overwatch Era
  
• [WolfofVillainy] 9 Potential Sleeper Picks for OWL 2019
  
• [WolfofVillainy] 9 Potential Busts for OWL 2019: Sacred Cows Edition
  
• [Muuush] Overwatch League and the power of China
  
• Nate Nanzer hosted an AMA on NGA, a Chinese forum. I've translated their questions and his responses
  
• Video | Overwatch League Viewer's Guide: How to Watch Pro Play and Follow the Action | Blitz Esports
  
• Video | Overwatch League: E-Sports Done Differently | Fortune
  
• Video | What Does Deathball Mean? | Akshon Esports
  
• Video | The OverView #98 - Expanding and Rebuilding (feat. Jacob Wolf and Innerflame)
  
• Video | Will We See A Full Chinese Team In Overwatch League Season 2? | Volamel's Viewpoints
  

Atlanta ??? | Expansion Team

• [Scrubasaurus] Atlanta announces coaching staff
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Sources: Sephy to coach Atlanta
  

Boston Uprising

• [Scrubasaurus] Boston Uprising release Mistakes

Chengdu ??? | Expansion Team

Dallas Fuel

• [Cecconi] Dallas Fuel Announce Release of Chipshajen, Will Transition Cocco to Coaching Staff
  
• Dallas Fuel Re-Sign Seven Players Ahead of Overwatch League Season Two
  
• [Rizzo] Dallas Fuel CEO Hastr0: "I think a lot of players rely too much on their in-game statistics sometimes to try and market themselves."
  
• Video | Thank You Chipshajen!
  
• Video | Welcome Coach Cocco!
  

Florida Mayhem

• [Vejnovic] Florida Mayhem release six of nine players ahead of Season Two
  
• [zappis] Thank you Mayhem
  
• [Manneten] Mayhem Situation
  
• Video | Penthouse Tour
  
• Video | WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
  

Hangzhou ??? | Expansion Team

Houston Outlaws

• [Snivy] Houston Outlaws release FCTFCTN
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Outlaws move clockwork to staff
  
• [Razgriz] Mendo moves to content creator for Outlaws
  
• [FCTFCTN] Goodbye Outlaws, you'll always be my family
  
• [Clockwork] Stuff
  
• [Wenrich] Houston Outlaws to host watch party for Team USA
  
• [GoopyKnoopy] Making Sense of Free Agency
  
• Video | BEST OF CLOCKWORK & FCTFCTN!
  

London Spitfire | Season 1 Champions

• London Spitfire Welcome Kwangbok Kim
  
• Video | All Star Weekend Doc | Bdosin Hugs
  
• Video | Monte's Musings: London Spitfire's New Coach 815 and Korean Coaching Systems
  

LA Gladiators

• [Wenrich] Los Angeles Gladiators are hiring for multiple positions

LA Valiant

• [Vejnovic] Valiant release three players and assistant coach Grimreality ahead of Season Two
  
• Video | Goodbye OWL Season One | Inside Overwatch League All Star Weekend
  

New York Excelsior(NYXL)

• [Nash] NXYL All-Star watch party features fans, fun, and more growth
  
• Video | PROfiles: Do Hyeon "Pine" Kim | Akshon Esports
  
• Video | All-Star Weekend
  

Paris ??? | Expansion Team

• Esport - Overwatch League : Un McCourt à Paris

Philadelphia Fusion

• [Vejnovic] Philadelphia Fusion announce release of three players ahead of second season
  
• [Wenrich] ShaDowBurn: "I helped my fan to follow his dream."
  

SF Shock

Seoul Dynasty

• [Vejnovic] Seoul Dynasty release three players ahead of Season Two
  
• [Tepojama] Dynasty Resumed: How Fissure Makes Seoul A Top-Five Team in the Overwatch League
  
• Video | Fissure Explores The New Busan Map!
  
• Video | The Man who Taught the World how to Play Winston | Dividing by 0
  

Shanghai Dragons

• Video | All star week-end best moments ft. Geguri

Toronto ??? | Expansion Team

• Launching An Overwatch League 2019 Expansion Franchise
  
• [Fischer] Sources: Top Canadian Olympic Exec Joins Toronto OWL Team
  
• [Wenrich] Toronto and D.C. announce general managers
  
• [Carpenter] Former London Spitfire coach Bishop joins Toronto’s Overwatch League team
  
• [D'Orazio] Toronto's OWL team allegedly planning on full Korean roster, already hired Bishop, ex-Spitfire head coach
  
• [Bennett] Q&A: Why former COC CEO Chris Overholt bet on Overwatch, esports
  
• [Heroux] From Olympics to esports: Former COC boss to run new Toronto Overwatch franchise
  

Vancouver ??? | Expansion Team

Washington D.C. ??? | Expansion Team

• Washington, D.C. Overwatch League team announces new Assistant GM

Contenders News | Playoffs

• [Volamel] Angry Titans’ ONIGOD on the EU Grand Final: “The meta suits us well, but I think it wouldn’t matter which metagame it was.”
  
• [Mailorder] Mangachu of XL2: "Roadhog sucks...I pray to God they revert it and buff him some sort of way."
  
• [Groot] Zacharee is Just Getting Started
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Finding a place for Bumper's flexibility
  
• [Volamel] LEGDAY’s crash course on commentary: “… casting is a conversation with two talking parts and one silent listener; the audience.”
  
• [Nash] Fusion University unveil latest jerseys, include even more "FUs"
  
• [Mert] MGC's Overwatch roster disbands as organisation integrates with ORDER
  
• Video | Will Sydney Drop Bears continue to dominate without Colourhex? Interview w: Elfishguy – OWC Daily
  
• Video | Nerf This: Korean Overwatch Round-Up
  
• Video | This is Overwatch Contenders Australia
  
• Video | Road to Overwatch League | XL2
  
• Video | NRG Esports Overwatch House Tour - Washington DC
  

World Cup News | LA Group Stage

• [Savery & Gao] Postcard from Los Angeles: Day 1
  
• [Savery & Gao] Postcard from Los Angeles: Day 2
  
• [Savery & Gao] Postcard from Los Angeles: Day 3
  
• [Savery] Overwatch World Cup Origins: Surefour
  
• [Savery] Overwatch World Cup Origins: The Honorato Copypasta
  
• [Shinoda] Put Ourselves On The Map
  
• [Sensotix] Ready For An Upset
  
• CompetitiveOverwatch's OWWC Power Rankings - L.A Qualifier
  
• [Mangachu] Expect The Unexpected
  
• [Cuevo] Surefour Talks His Experience in Widow Duels, Overwatch World Cup, and More
  
• [Geracie] Agilities on Team Canada's success: "We relied a lot on personal popoffs last year, but this year, we have a full coaching staff."
  
• [Cuevo] Team Norway’s ONIGOD on His Journey in Overwatch, His Mission in the World Cup, and His Chances in Signing with an Overwatch League Team
  
• [Nash] Team Spain announce new head coach for the 2018 Overwatch World Cup
  
• [HammerKick] Once upon a time, Michael « winz » Bignet
  
• [HammerKick] Once upon a time, Dylan « aKm » Bignet
  
• [Baker] Custa: "China and Sweden are the ones you’ve got to worry about." | Interview
  
• [Mailorder] USA and Canada aren't sleeping on Brazil. Yet Liko of Team Brazil stays humble: "We expect to be in the middle of the pack"
  
• [Alonzo] Going For Gold: Team USA and Team Canada are the 2018 OWWC Favorites
  
• [shomman] Introduction to Team Austria!
  
• [shomman] Introduction to Team Sweden!
  
• [Halo] No More Xcuses: How Team Canada Could Be XQC’s Chance To Show He’s Overwatch League Ready
  
• [Laughton] Scott ‘Custa' Kennedy on his Overwatch League career and how Aussie esports players can make it big
  
• [Baker] The L.A. Group Stage should be played on Patch 1.26, not 1.27 | Opinion
  

Remaining News

• [Wenrich] Registration for Tespa's Overwatch Collegiate Championship is open
  
• [Carpenter] Overwatch is $12 as part of October’s Humble Bundle subscription
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Argentina Game Show to host Copa Overwatch LAN
  
• [Scrubasaurus] GameXP LAN to be held in Rio de Janeiro
  
• [Mert] NeXT Summer Online Qualifier set to kick off
  
• [Scrubasaurus] INTZ eSports Club picks up Hephaestus roster
  
• [Scrubasaurus] Contracts expire for Copenhagen Flames
  
• [Snivy] ESL cancels Go4Overwatch series
  
• [D'Orazio] An inside look into the world of personal Overwatch coaching
  
• [Doi & Blum] What new Homeland Security policies mean for the esports industry
  
• [D'Orazio] Mercy mains are, once again, frusterated about the state of their beloved healer
  
• [ValerioMarty] How to Rank Up In Overwatch Without Losing your Mind in the Process
  
• [IBCrazy] Talent Takedown - VOD review and writeup
  
• [Peak] Becoming hyper-efficient as a player or coach
  
• [Friedman] Want Overwatch to get rid of loot boxes? It might get more expensive
  
• [Carpenter] Twitch is giving out another golden Overwatch loot box
  
• [Wenrich] Blizzard releases new gear with the Overwatch fall collection
  
• [D'Orazio] "Situation so offensive that it merits a collective effort" -- esports lawyers team up against Denial founder Robby Ringnalda
  
• [Stenzel] Does xQc have a Future in the Overwatch League
  
• Video | dva_shitpost.mp4 | dinoflask
  
• Video | NetEase Esports X Tournament - Summer Preview | Volamel's Viewpoints
  
• Video | The Next Evolution of Overwatch | Volamel's Viewpoints
  
• Video | Compcast: Korean soloq vs EU soloq | Jaws
  
• Video | Compcast with Jaws and Wolf: Is Ana meta again? | Jaws
  
• Video | Thinking it Over: Nucleus player - The emotional Leader | Yiska
  
• More Podcasts
  

Last Week's Post

Verified? (This bot cannot verify AMAs just yet)
Date: 2013-10-19
Link to submission (Has self-text)

Questions	Answers
What kind of animal abuse/cruelty have you seen in the industry?	I have seen a fair amount I am not going to lie. One of the stable I worked at, when the horses were being naughty, I have seen them punched in the nose/mouth, and the worse I have seen is a horse be whipped in the head, the whip struck its eye, and burst a blood vessel in its eye, so its eye was just all red like a demon, we thought it was gonna lose his eye, but a few days at the vets and he was fine.
	I have heard of other trainers putting horses in the pool, and shocking them with a cow prodder, because the water makes it hurt them more. They call it 'hitting them up' If any jockey or trainer is found with one of them in their possession, they automatically lose their license.
	I hate the cruelty that comes with it, I currently work at a stable where the horses receive no abuse, and it's the reason I work there.
Do you turn people in when you see the abuse?	Unfortunately no, what jamessargeant said
I do huntejumpers and i have seen similar abuse. moved barns as well for the same reason.	Yeah it's not jut racing that has abuse,
If you don't consider breeding them in a way that makes them prone to injury abuse.	Unfortunately thoroughbreds are bred to be fast, and fast only. The good thing about it, is they do finish growing quicker than most breeds, but talking to a vet, she said that a big draft horse is more suited to racing than thoroughbreds. Meaning that a drafts body would be able to withstand the pressure of racing better than a tb's.
This is why i refuse to watch horse racing! Thanks OP for your honesty.	No problem, but don't assume the horses are just abused for no reason. What I mean is that the horses were being extremely naughty, they defiantly deserved a telling off, but theres a difference between that and abuse.
Fucking Burnie...	Burnie?
Does this sport still attract large crowds?	The G1,2 and 3 races do, but there are a number of small races during the week, and the only people who come down those days to watch are really the owners of the horses. It's coming into summertime, and that's when all the big races are on.
What is a typical workday for you?	A typical work day, get up at 3:45am, be at work at 4:20am, head to the track, ride between 1 and 3 horses for my trainer there. Then we had back to our stables, feed the horses, work the rest of the horses on the sand track at the stables. After clean all the waters, and pick up the poo from the paddocks, rake the walkway, and just make everything look all tidy and neat. Then take 1 or 2 horses to the beach to just wade them through the water. Finish work around 10am-12pm, we don't get any breaks either.
Jeez. Do they at least pay you decently?	Nope I earn around $400-600 a week, depending on how many hours I do, I get $14 an hour and also work 6 hours a week. I wouldn't recommend this job to anyone. But if I ever found myself without a job, I can always turn to track riding because riders are always in demand, for the reason of it being such bad pay for such hard work.
	This is hopefully my last year riding racehorses, hoping to pursue a career in the police force next year!
Did you say take the horses to the beach? Fuck, I am the wrong species. Nobody ever feeds me, cleans my poo and takes me to the beach. Best day ever might get two of the three but I have to do that myself. Life isn't fair.	Haha yes we do, it's great for them!
	The horses love it too, I got off my horse and he automatically tried to roll in the water, and after we've waded them through the water, if the horses want we let them roll in the sand.
Well that really sucks. At least you can tell people you've ridden million dollar horses. Good luck with police academy.	Yeah the experience I have gained from being in this industry is awesome and really interesting! and thankyou! I really hope I get in
I know nothing about racing in Australia, or about the Australian police forces, but do any of the city police departments have horse mounted officers? Here in the United States, at least in Arkansas, they are pretty popular in cities, particularly in congested areas or during big events since they give the officers the ability to see greater distances, move quickly, and also be somewhat intimidating. Would you consider being a horse mounted officer?	Yes we have them here in Australia, it's quite popular and hard to get into, but I am hoping with my knowledge and experience with horses I will be able to! :)
$14 aud? That's below the minimum wage.	Minimum is $12 for my age
Have you considered that maybe, economically, that's backwards. High demand and limited supply should equal great pay.	Yes we all know it's backwards!
You need a union, sir.	But it is what it is, I can go work freelance and work up to 10 horses a day getting $20 per horse, but it's hard to keep a steady income, the trainers can just stop giving you rides.
That having been said, there were periods where I worked for some shitty trainers where I would have rather gouged my eyeball out with a spoon than go to work.	I've been lucky all the trainers I've worked for have been awesome! one of the trainers use to be a very successful jockey and she would ride around with me and show me all techniques and how to handle different horses, I learned so much from her!
4-600 is not bad pay if it is weakly...	For where I live it's quite expensive, so all that money is gone by the end of the week (well i put 200 away into savings each week) but hey I love my job,
You will see more severe abuse on the police force. You're young enough to rethink that career decision. Don't take this advice lightly. Good luck in your endeavors.	Could you explain a bit more on the abuse in the police force?
Do you hope to ride horses for the police?	Sure do! :)
I imagine the work is really hard but 14/h aint that bad for an 18 y/o. Atleast not where I live (Netherlands). That would be roughly 10-12€ per hour. Im 22 and I make about 8/h working in retail. Ofcourse, I get quite a big tax refund every year. I dont know how that works for you.	It's not really the $14 an hour that's hard, but its hard to work enough hours during the week to get enough pay, but it's enough and gets me by :)
I'm afraid if you have an IQ over 100 you're not gonna get in.	Haha what makes you say that?
No I understand the work is physically demanding. It just sounds like a decent wage but idk how it holds up to the rest of your country.	I would probably be on the same wage if I were to work full time in retail. But for what I want out of life, it's not enough, and I think it's perfectly ok to go for a better paying job.
	But yeah 26k a year is not much in Australia, like I am in my first year out of school and earning that much, so I know I can end up doing a lot better eventually.
How much (if any) of this industry is actually rigged? I know in Ireland there are a lot of people who won't bet on it as there has been so many allegations of rigged races over the years. Thanks for doing the AMA.	I've heard of a few rigged races, the jockey continually lost on very good horses, when he use to normally win. But apart from that, hardly any, very harsh penalties apply if that sort of thing happens, trainers lose their trainers license, and jockeys lose their jockey license, which to them, is their whole careelife, so 95% don't risk it.
Oh really, I thought it would be more common. No rigging would occur in the big races because there is more incentive to win but in the smaller races you could make more money as a jockey or owner by throwing the race. But yeah how tall are you? And would you of become a jockey given the chance? And riding a horse looks really tough, like riding a horse in a gallop seems like it would require so much core strength, how tough is it?	The stable I work at now, we race in most of the smaller races, and I haven't heard of any rigging and we don't do it, but who knows maybe there is, I'm not involved in that sort of stuff in this industry!
	I am 5'8, if I was short enough I would become a jockey in a heartbeat! but I weigh 143lb, and I am not over weight, to be a jockey you want to sit around 110lb!
	Oh man, soo much core strength, I have abs from just riding racehorses! you don't realise how hard you're working your own body till after the gallop because you get such an adrenaline rush.
But if u were to lose your license I doesn't sound like it would be that bad, considering the long hours of hard work	But then they wouldn't have a job, they would lose their whole career and life.
In what country do you race? i just visited toowoomba (queensland) yesterday to see my fathers horses, and if you've raced in different countries are there any notable differences?	I don't race, I just train the horse up to race fitness level. But I work in Western Australia. I know that over east, you race clockwise, and in WA we race anti clockwise, but that' the only difference I know.
	A jockey I work with, has just come back from 11months in england, and she said it's a lot different over there. For starters, here we ride 2, maybe 3 horses at a time on the track. But in England she said there could be 60 horses and riders going around in one big group.
Hey, since you work in australia, do you happen to know a horse called "Red Dazzler" ?	Unfortunately not!
Thank you for replying :D, also sorry for not reading the part where you said you aren't a jockey.	I just looked him up, and he is a 2yo and just ran a trial at larkhill, is that the right horse? I go to larkhill track is the track we train at also.
Link to eurekastud.com.au.	Nice! Don't know who I was looking at haha,
My dad owns him, im actually quite jealous of your job, i love horses but living in the suburbs they are basically aliens. something special about horses.	That's wicked!
	I live and work Rural, but up in the city there a blocks of land that are like 1/4 of an acre, and have stables, they just walk their horses to track each morning!
	I like being rural and working the horse on a sand track rather than going to the actual race track every day.
Dang, thats pretty cool, i have so many more questions but ill stop, thanks for talking with me :D.	Go ahead and ask! I am more than happy to answer :)
	Although I am heading out soon so if I just stop replying I'm not ignoring you
Hardest fall? ever do any showing or jumping?	I have been super lucky with falls! Only had (touchwood) 5 falls so far, lots and lots of near falls though :P.
Im very jealous. i used to show quite a bit. i love hitting the barn before sunrise, the smell of horses hay & leather.	But hardest was walking out on a filly, she jacked up, put her head onto her chest ran backwards quickly, while rearing up and trying to spin. She ended up falling over sideways, my leg was trapped under body, I remember it all in slow motion and just thinking to be calm and weight for her to get up, then get the fuck out the way! haha, one of the workers said if I hadn't of moved to quick I would have gotten kicked in the head!
For personal riding, western, english, or the weird hybrid style saddle?	I did do eventing, but I recently sold my horse (to Olympian Sonja Johnson!) I sold him so I could save up money and just enjoy being 18 and go out every weekend, and he is for a serious competitor, he has 4* eventing potential but I am not good enough to get to that height. So he is now in a home where he will reach his full potential! :)
What's the difference between a jockey and a horse racer?	A jockey is someone who actually rides the horses in the race. horse racer, or I would say track rider, is someone who trains the horses. Rides them everyday and looks after them to get the horse to a fitness level o they can race.
Probably a stupid question but how much communication is there between the jockey and the track rider throughout the training of a horse? And is it possible for someone to be both a track rider and a jockey?	Sometimes the jockey will gallop the horse at the track, other times the jockey, while I am walking the horse around the parade area ready to race, the trainer is telling the jockey about the horse and how to ride it. So not very much! another reason why jockeys are so skilled.
	Yes it is possible for someone to be both, Jockeys come down the track in the morning and ride horses for trainers down there.
How did you first get hired as an exercise rider?	My sister worked them before I did, so I started out on saturdays when I was 14 working with her to earn some money, and then sort of just stayed.
How much do you weigh?	I am 172cm tall and weigh 65kg
5' 6" 143lbs.	I think I am 5'8, but if I wanted to be a jockey I would have to sit at around 110lb, that ain't gonna happen with my height! hahah
Which stable do you ride for? I work for an online racing bookie in Melbourne :)	That's cool! I use to work at Grant Williams, but now work for a smaller place with Kelly Grantham :)
Ah ok. Grant Williams trained Western Jewel yeah? Perth Cup winner I believe.	Yeah he did, I got to ride her! I was working that afternoon she won, my and my friend were sitting inside watching it, he had 3 or 4 horses in the Perth cup, and out of them all we did not expect her to win, it was a very exciting day! :)
Haha congratulations! Don't know if you saw, but one of my old favourites Playing God just won at Ascot at 20/1. I backed that horse quite a few times when it came over to Melbourne for the Autumn Carnival. Good to see him get another win!	I must of missed it! but he would have raced at Belmont, Belmont is our winter track, hasn't been any racing at Ascot yet, but it's always great to see your favorites win! My two favorite horses are Galaxy Prince, and Desert Palace :)
Was definitely Ascot, 9 races there today :) Do Grant Williams horses races in those pink colours with the white X?	Shows how much I know then! didn't realise they were back racing at Ascot! I was supposed to go strap today for a horse called free time, but woke up really sick.
	Most of Grant's horses have those colours, but it's not his own colours, it's a guy called Bob, don't know his last name. But Grant trains a lot of his horses, other trainers also have some of Bob's horse and use the same colours. I can't actually remember what grant's personal colours were.
Just wondering what group 1 winners you have been lucky enough to have ridden?	A mare called Western Jewel, she won a G1 in 2011, Although the race she won, was changed in 2012 to a G2.
	Another horse called Lord's Ransom, he was just retired this year. Actually I just looked him up, he hasn't one a G1, raced in a few, but won a few G2, he raced until he was 8 going on 9!
	Another horse called Ranger, he is THE most laziest race horse, yet he is a superstar!
	I think those are the Winners, but I have ridden a number of G1 place getters and even runners! It's because when we have a G2 or G1 race, security guards come and watch the horses that are racing to make sure you don't give them anything illegal.
Cheers for the reply, I know Ranger well, have torn up plenty backing him before. 2011 Kingston Town stakes, where Playing God went to the lead at the top of the straght and Ranger just couldn't get there coming from way back. Funny how you can remember things like that.	Hahah yeah it is! it's the style a lot of Grant's horses run at, from the back. My last memory of Ranger before moving stables, was I was riding next to him with Grant's apprentice jockey who has come over from Singapore, and it had been raining all night so there was a puddle on the sand track. Ross (his stable name) or Ranger as you know him, lept over the puddle, then took off with his head between his knees bucking!
	He is real cheeky with stuff like that :)
Is it true the horse is made to urinate and ejaculate before a race to make him lighter?	Hahaha, no that's illegal. Never heard of the ejaculate thing before.
	But before we gallop them, only some of the horses get stuff called Lasix (I could be spelling it wrong) it's for horses that bleed out their nose. It's hard work for the horses, and they end up breathing so hard that it can burst a blood vessel in their lungs. As they blow out through their nose the blood is blown up. For a horse to be bleeding, even a trickle 5min after they raced will normally result in them being banned from racing, for the blood to come out that quick would mean the horse would be almost drowning in their own blood.
	But this Lasix stuff does make them urinate, and if given to much can make the horse dehydrated. It's also illegal to race on Lasix in Western Australia.
I took an ex race horse in for rehabilitation and to re-break him. Hes fantastic now, but has no voice box, someone said this is common practice to take the voice boxes out. Is this true? Why?	It's called a tie back surgery, not many horses get them, but it helps with their breathing if they struggle, or if the 'flap' that is tied back doesn't work correctly. What I mean, is when the horse eats or drinks the flap covers the horses air way so food and water doesn't go down to their lungs, sometimes when they start breathing the hard the flap will obstruct the airway and the horse will struggle to breath.
	Does his food and water come out of his nose? it's very common for that to happen to horses who have had a tie back surgery.
Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-size horses?	I'm not a jockey, I just help train them :)
	Defiantly a one horse sized duck, use to dealing with animals that size!
As a long time equestrian who's always wanted to get the chance to work in the racing industry, can you tell me how you started?	I started because my sister got into it and I wanted to earn some money so I went to work on weekends and before school, and just all progressed from there.
What is the typical weight you'd need to get down to?	For what I do, I don't need to be a specific weight, but obviously I can't be overweight.
Did you ride through high school?	Yeah I use to work 2 school mornings a week, started at 5am, finished at 7:30,
Cool AMA! what kind of training must a Jockey go through? What makes a racehorse the 'winning horse'?	I'm not a jockey, but in Australia, jockeys start off as apprentice jockeys for 4 years. They go to a school once a week, and go to fitness classes with other apprentices once a week. They have to do atleast 30 trial races, sometimes they might have to do 60 or more for officials to sign them off and then they begin race riding, still staying an apprentice. Apprentice jockeys have a 4kg claim in racing, meaning if the horse is to be ridden at 54kg, the apprentice is allowed to ride the horse at 50kg.
Interesting anecdote (hope it wasn't too long). In light of that, just how tiring is it during a long race and how do you condition yourself (other than riding)?	Jockeys work extremely hard and have to be very fit
Generally, what is it like to ride young fit thoroughbreds that spend most of their time in a stall? Do you have to deal with a lot of unpleasant behavioral issues or are most of the horses fairly businesslike to ride?	Well when they first come in, their first day of being ridden they will be perfect, normally well behaved and just really cautious of everything.
	Second day they are super naughty, and from then on they are a bundle of energy, after the first few weeks they become a nice ride, well if they are a nice horse.
What is the male-female ratio among exercise riders and jockeys? I've always gotten the impression that it is still a very male-dominated field.	There is probably around 2 or 3 female jockeys in a race of say 10 people.
What's your favorite thing about the industry? Who's the coolest person you've met through the industry?	Coolest thing, pretty much is just understanding how it all works.
	I haven't actually met anyone famous or anything in the industry, but i've met a lot of really rich people :P.
My family used to own a harness race horse when we were kids, and apparently some people used to "shake" the horses, which meant running a tube down into their stomach and filling them with baking soda. It supposedly helped remove lactic acid from muscle tissue so the horses had better endurance during the race. It was illegal, of course, and apparently any time the inspector would show up you'd see a couple of owners loading their horses back into the trucks so they wouldn't get caught. Have you heard of this before/is it common in that type of horse racing?	This is the first I have heard of it! that's actually quite interesting though.
	The only time we have a tube down a horses stomach is when we routinely have the vet out to oil the horses. The vet pumps oil into their stomach which flushes out any sand or blockages and prevents the horses from having colic
Would you have done anything differently as you developed experience? If you could jump into any other job you wanted right now, what would it be?	Probably gotten out of this industry haha.
	And into the police force, preferably mounted police :)
I come from car and motorcycle racing and the skill is obvious (well maybe it's not obvious in NASCAR), but I just don't get it from a horse riding perspective. Can you explain it in ways people that aren't involved can understand?	These jockeys jump on a horse that a lot of the time they've never ridden before, they don't know how the goes round or how it normally feels. The horse is galloping in a group of horses, it wants to run, so the jockey has to hold the horse back, sometimes they can't if the horse is too strong, and if the horse gets to close to the horse in front they clip heels and both horses can go fall down, which can result in both horse and jockey dying. They have seconds to make decisions while riding which could be a difference of life and death. Jockeys maneuver the horse through the pack, they can get boxed in or get stuck 3 deep and it depends on the jockeys ability to be able to get the horse out of the situation. So they have to control a 500+kg animal that they don't know much about if it's not a regular ride, maneuver the horse through the field, keep the horse happy, it might not like being at the back of the field or it might prefer that, whilst watching out around them for what the other jockeys are doing and make sure they aren't interfering or getting to close to them and make sure other jockeys aren't doing the same.
My grandmother always says the sport needs another triple crown winner. Do you agree that this could give horse racing a needed boost?	I think another triple crown winner would be super exciting!
Are you friends with any more well known jockeys like Garret Gomez or Pat Day?	I'm not friends with any super well known jockeys, but I worked for Alana Williams, who was probably the best female jockey in Australia!
Are you male or female? How much sexism do you see on the backside? I know in the US, while it's exponentially better than it was in the past (women are now actually allowed on the backside and can gallop/race/train/walk hots ect), it still exists in peoples attitudes. Edit: how do you feel about people who want to ban racing all together?	Female, there is a whole heap of sexism. A trainer told my female friend who is an apprentice jockey that when she races to try and look like a boy and ride like a boy, that will help her get more rides and become more noticed. It is defiantly still dominated by male jockeys, but there are more and more female jockeys every year. People who want to ban racing all together, well, for starters thats never going to happen, there is so much money in racing. But I think everyone can have their own opinion, but it annoys me how it's often people who bag out this industry have no idea what it's like. The trainers and jockeys love what they do, they have to to be successful, it's their life not just a job.
I work in the equine supplements industry and I wanted to ask what kinds of supplements your horses use? Feed balancers, joint supplements. etc? It would be great, if you as a professional horse rider, could give some insights and tell me what is missing in the supplements market?	Racehorses at the stables I work at don't actually get a lot of supplements, my boss makes her own miss up, and adds a few things like livermol (sp?) and garlic, but that's all I know for what she feeds. With my own performance horse I use livermol and a magnesium powder, stuff called topline, and another powder to help strengthen his hooves.
I dated someone that does your job, and I couldn't do it for five times what they pay you. From getting up way too fucking early, to all the physical injury you have, and will receive doing this? It's totally not worth it.	If you love it though it's alright.
	Been many times when I've gone out friday nights and gone to work still drunk :P
Do you have a favorite horse?	Favorite horse is Galaxy Prince.
Do you own a horse of your own?	Yes I do own a horse, he is 20yo and semi retired, my other horse who I just sold to an Olympian, is a 7yo ex racehorse.
How do you prevent/deal with injures on the track?	Prevent injuries by wearing a helmet and body vest, having common sense also helps as well :P
I meant injuries on the horse, but that's nice to know as well. Do you think the horses like to race? Or do you think they would rather be in the pasture?	When a horse gallops sometimes their fetlocks hit their bumpers and that can cause rubbing, so for races we bandage up their fetlocks so it doesn't do that, some horses that also tend to knock their legs we put boots on them.
	Apart from that their isn't much else we can do to prevent injuries.
	All the good and well known horses do enjoy racing, it's why they are good. But not all horses do, I have seen so many horses come through with heaps of potential, and they get into the race and don't try at all because they don't enjoy it.
	I think majority of the horses would actually prefer to just be in a pasture, that goes for performance horses such as eventers and showjumpers.
My old math teacher grew up around jockeys. She said they would do weird stuff to keep their weight down. Have you seen anybody try something dangerous to stay lean?	Drugs and bulimia are probably the worst
Bute has to stand for clembuterol, another thing we commonly tested for. It's all coming back to me, especially the smell of month old horse piss, lol.	Yeah we all have short names for the drugs, when I look at the bottles I don't even know how to pronounce them lol!
	Bute would be very common, at my old stable we would give it to the horses after they raced so in the morning if they were stiff and muscle sore it wouldn't hurt so much
Im late but if you see my question: How much does the racing depend in the horse and how much on the rider (percentage wise)?	Mostly on the horse, seen some great horses win with terrible jockeys!
	But in saying that the jockey does a shit load of work, and it makes a huge difference on how the horse goes.
	But if you have a slow horse and a good jockey, the horse isn't going to magically win,
How do I get a job like yours???	Ask horse people if they know of any racehorse trainers looking for a worker
Dick Francis (or his wife) wrote a great deal about horse racing and the life of jockeys. Are your lives really that full of mystery and intregue? What's an interesting situation you've been in because of your job?	Jockeys lives are very full on. They work pretty much 7 days a week.
	I think all of it is pretty interesting, people are quick to judge the racing industry, but half the time they don't know how it all works. But what I find interesting is when horses run in a G1 or G2 race security guards actually come to the stable to watch them to make sure they aren't given drugs of any sort and everyone has to sign some forms to say that we worked that morning. It's also pretty cool that because of this job I have gotten to ride some extremely well bred horses and well known horses! (well, well known where I live)
Thank you for doing an AMA - I've always dreamt of being a jockey, but I'm too tall. I didn't that you could be taller than jockey height and still be a track rider! I've been riding horses as far back as I can remember. Do you have any horses of your own?	It's different depending on what country you live in I think. In Australia you can be any height and weight to be a track rider, but I've heard in other countries you need to a certain weight.
Has a horse ever fallen while you were riding it? What happened?	I had one that ran backwards and tried to rear and spin, she ended up falling on her side and my leg was pinned under her. We were both fine, bit bruised though.
	So many times the horses i've been riding have tripped in the sand and nearly face planted it into the ground, that's a scary feeling! makes your heart jump everytime because if they were to fall over fully, well your f*cked is one way to put it haha

Last updated: 2013-10-23 15:20 UTC
This post was generated by a robot! Send all complaints to epsy.