G-League 2016 Results
G-League 2016, held July 7th through 10th in Shanghai, China, is over and China’s Qanba Douyu|Xiao Hai has taken 1st place! Not only does he win 256 Ranking Points, but he also earned an automatic qualifying spot to Capcom Cup 2016 in December! Singapore’s RZR|Xian took 2nd place and Japan’s HM|Go1 took 3rd. Check out the G-League 2016 Results.
If you missed any of the action, be sure to visit our videos page, where we have a playlist for matches from G-League 2016!
Top 16 Results for G-League 2016
| Placing | Handle | Characters | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Qanba Douyu|Xiao Hai | Cammy | 256 |
| 2nd | RZR|Xian | F.A.N.G./Ibuki | 128 |
| 3rd | HM|Go1 | Chun-Li | 64 |
| 4th | RZR|Fuudo | R.Mika | 32 |
| 5th | DNG|Itabashi Zangief | Zangief | 16 |
| 5th | HM|Eita | Ken | 16 |
| 7th | GGP|Kazunoko | Cammy | 8 |
| 7th | HumanBomb | Chun-Li | 8 |
| 9th | Mago | Karin | 4 |
| 9th | EG|Momochi | Ken | 4 |
| 9th | YOUDEAL MJS|Haitani | Necalli | 4 |
| 9th | Secret|Poongko | Characters | 4 |
| 13th | Verloren | Cammy | 2 |
| 13th | Huan Jing | Laura | 2 |
| 13th | Qanba|Abao | Ryu | 2 |
| 13th | RB|Bonchan | Nash | 2 |
G-League 2016 Highlights
One of the many great things about the Premier Tournaments in the Capcom Pro Tour (and this is the case with many Ranking Events as well) is the regional flavor that is part of the event. G-League 2016, held in Shanghai, China, had a unique Chinese flair that made it stand out from other events. The opening act for the Finals saw girl-group ATF gracing the magnificent, brightly lit stage singing their song ‘Reborn’ with a gracefully choreographed dance routine. After some introductions, the players took the stage and the competition was on.
One thing that stands out about how G-League 2016 played out is that several players who you usually expect to see in top 8 were eliminated earlier than expected. The biggest surprise was Japan’s Tokido, hot off his win at CEO 2016, was expected to go far. He didn’t even make top 16, taking 17th. EG|Momochi and YOUDEAL MJS|Haitani, both also from Japan, also didn’t quite make top 8 ending up tied at 9th place. It goes to show that in Street Fighter V anything can happen, which will make the upcoming Evolution Championship Series (EVO) even more interesting if that were indeed possible.
Highlights:
DNG|Itabashi Zangief vs RZR|Fuudo:
DNG|Itabashi Zangief (nicknamed Itazan) and RZR|Fuudo train with each other often, and it showed at G-League 2016 where they played against each other twice. The first encounter took place in top 32 and RZR|Fuudo came out on top (2-1), sending Itazan into the Losers Backet. They met again in top 8 and it was an incredibly close match. Fuudo’s more technical style for R.Mika tried to gain position, keep Itazan’s Zangief away and slowly chip away at his lifebar. Itazan himself made great use of Zangief’s abilities to score hits with normals but it was his ability to make clutch plays for big damage in a scramble which made the match so much fun to watch. Fuudo eventually won 3-2, eliminating Itazan from the tournament.
HM|Go1:
Japan’s HM|Go1 has been a regular participant at CPT events this season, having taken part in 3 Ranking Tournaments and 3 Premier Tournaments prior to this one. At G-League 2016 he got his best Premier placement of the year, taking 3rd place, as his Chun Li continues to improve over time. On his way to top 8 he defeated EG|Momochi (2-1) and was beaten by China’s Qanba Douyu|Xiao Hai (0-2) in top 16. He went on to beat HumanBomb (3-1) and HM|Eita (3-2) before being eliminated by RZR|Xian (1-3).
HM|Eita vs HM|Go1 in Top 8
RZR|Xian:
RZR|Xian from Singapore has been one of the few standard bearers for F.A.N.G. in the Pro Tour, a character many are looking on as a weaker character in the cast. In Xian’s hands, however, the character looks incredible with crazy mixups and tricky normal, being held back by his inability to do large amounts of damage to make a comeback. Aside from the Grand Final (more on that below), Xian was as thrilling to watch as always as he makes the character look like something out of Marvel vs Capcom rather than Street Fighter. His 2nd place finish at G-League 2016 is his best Premier Tournament finish this year and puts him on a great pace to possibly getting into Capcom Cup via Ranking Points if he doesn’t win a future Premier outright in the future. Now we know he has a pocket Ibuki (again, see below) so he will be even more fun to watch.
Losers Finals: RZR|Xian vs HM|Go1
Qanba Douyu|Xiao Hai Makes a Statement and Grand Finals against RZR|Xian:
China’s Xiao Hai was a consistently good player through the 2015 Capcom Pro Tour season and qualified for Capcom Cup 2015 with Ranking Points. He’s got a low-key personality, so he may have been flying under many people’s radar. This year he’s kept up that trend, taking 4th place at Stunfest and 13th at CEO 2016. At G-League 2016 he will have gotten people’s attention if he hasn’t gotten it already, earning his first Premier Tournament win. We’re sure it’s even sweeter that he did it at this specific event, defending his home turf.
The Grand Finals against Singapore’s RZR|Xian felt like it was over quickly. Xian opened the set with his F.A.N.G. but Xiao Hai took the first match lead. In the second match Xian surprised many by selecting Ibuki as his character, which is one of the recently released DLC characters for Street Fighter 5. The switch did not change his fortunes, however, as Xiao Hai’s persistent offense kept Xian on his back heels. Xian never looked comfortable in the entire set and Xiao Hai won the set 3-0, closing it out with a Critical Art.
Grand Finals: Qanba Douyu|Xiao Hai vs RZR|Xian