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Casuals: Will2pac, the World Traveler

Wilfried "Will2pac" Jean-Baptiste leaves France in search of Capcom Cup glory.
By Ian Walker
7 min readPublished on
Will2Pac

Will2Pac

© Anis "Kx" Hachemi

Even in a community as dedicated as the one surrounding fighting games, there are a select few individuals who go above and beyond in their commitment to becoming the best. These world warriors, as they are often called, embody the iconic journey of Street Fighter protagonist Ryu, who endlessly travels the globe in search of his next opponent.
To these players, this journey is just a tiny part of their history, but it may very well be what most influences the competitors they become. Taking the opportunity to visit parts of the world outside of the area you’re used to only serves to expand your knowledge of your chosen game and see how players in other parts of the world have evolved in their own understanding.
While the growing influence of major sponsors has helped fighting game players travel more than ever before, one player in particular is taking full advantage of these opportunities: French player Wilfried "Will2pac"Jean-Baptiste.

A king of fighters

Will2pac is no stranger to the competitive Street Fighter scene. His earliest showing in Street Fighter IV came at Switzerland’s Beat By Contest 2011. While the usual cast of players made up the top spots, Jean-Baptiste finished at a respectable 13th, rocking the C. Viper that would eventually make him a force to be reckoned with on the competitive circuit.
His jumping off point, however, came in a completely different series. "I've been a King of Fighters player since King of Fighters '94," Will2pac explained to us. "I loved the fact that you could play characters from Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury and more in the same game." Like a super group made up of your favorite musicians, King of Fighters combined SNK’s various franchises into a huge dream match environment, ensuring their status as one of the premier fighting game developers.
Will2Pac's journey through the competitive King of Fighters scene stretched to the launch of King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, a PlayStation 2 remake of the original arcade release. After making a name for himself as a top player, he abandoned the series in favor of the newly rebooted Street Fighter franchise.
"I didn’t like King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, and Street Fighter IV had launched around the same time," he said. “I was excited by the game’s graphics, soundtrack and gameplay, but I was most interested in C. Viper, as her mechanics are similar to King of Fighters. That’s when I started to play Street Fighter seriously."
With a foundation of competitive experience and a main character, it was only a matter of time until Will2Pac made his mark on the world of Street Fighter. The year after his placing at Beat By Contest, he would start to make moves in his home country with the release of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition ver. 2012, and became a regular face at the tail end of French tournaments like Stunfest.
Unfortunately, hoisting championship gold above his head never became a reality. Heading into the era of Ultra Street Fighter IV, Will2Pac would continue maining C. Viper, utilizing her pressure-heavy offense and unique movement options to establish himself as one of the strongest players in France. His crowning achievement during this period was a fifth-place finish at DreamHack Summer 2014, a tournament that saw international talent like Lee "Infiltration" Seon-woo and Bruce "GamerBee" Hsiang steal the show against local competitors.

Ready for the next battle

Of course, like with most players, Will2Pac has been given a clean slate with the release of Street Fighter V. Thanks to its updated mechanics, anyone is capable of jumping into the game and learning alongside the best players in the world, and the French competitor has already proven he has what it takes to hang with those that gave him trouble in Street Fighter IV.
"Street Fighter V is a complete change from Street Fighter IV," Will2Pac said of the new title. "The balancing between the characters is pretty good, and I think you can be strong with everyone. Plus, mechanics like V-Reversal remind me of similar techniques from King of Fighters."
Thanks to the even playing field and familiar tools, Street Fighter V has proven to be a godsend for Will2Pac. In just a few short months, he’s won tournaments featuring top local talent, placed in the top eight at two separate DreamHack events and even finished third at KAKUTOP, an invitational league dedicated to high-level Street Fighter play in Europe.
Will2Pac has been dedicated to Laura in SFV

Will2Pac has been dedicated to Laura in SFV

© Capcom

Although C. Viper isn’t in the game, he’s found a new vice in newcomer Laura Matsuda. The older sister of Street Fighter III veteran Sean Matsuda, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master harnesses the same explosive offense Will2Pac rode to success in Street Fighter IV.
"I choose characters based on their design and style, nothing more. I can’t play a character if I don’t like those aspects," he explained. "Laura’s gameplay is very dynamic. She has a lot of tools, including a command throw, a fireball, and special dashes, and she can kill opponents quickly with her high damage mixups."
With another $500,000 on the line during this year’s Capcom Pro Tour, Will2Pac has been incredibly active, traveling the globe in search of the opportunities that will allow him to participate in Capcom Cup later this year. As of this writing, he’s competed in France, the United States, Germany, Colombia and Russia, and has done well enough to become the only player with qualifying points on three separate leaderboards.
"This year, I really want to qualify for Capcom Cup, so I’ve played in as many Capcom Pro Tour events as possible," he said. "I think that if I continue to work hard, I can make it in. I’ll do my best, but winning Capcom Cup may be another thing entirely."
Not only does Will2Pac's travel help him level up personally, it also places a spotlight firmly on France, a country that may not be on the wider fighting game community’s radar. In a world where places like Japan, South Korea and the United States dominate discussion for one reason or another, Capcom Pro Tour allows players from other parts of the world to show both they and the region they hail from are worthy of global recognition.
When asked about how France stacks up against the competitors he’s seen in his travels, Will2Pac is optimistic about his home country’s skill level. "The competitive scene in France is strong, even if we’re still under Japan and the United States on a global level," he said. "However, when it comes down to high-level play, I think French players can definitely compete with the rest of the world."

A bright future

Is Will2Pac on the verge of becoming France’s next break out competitor, aligning himself with other top talent like Red Bull’s Olivier "Luffy" Hay, Team YP’s Valentin "Valmaster" Petit and Alioune Camara? No one can really say for sure, but his exploits across the globe and a promising sponsorship with melty eSport Club bode well for the rising star.
"I think the competitive Street Fighter scene is incredibly active thanks to players traveling the world for Capcom Cup events. Everyone is very invested!" he concluded. "I think things are going in the right direction, and I’d love to see Street Fighter V have as much success as games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Hearthstone. I’m confident we have what it takes to grow up and gain more visibility."
While Will2Pac's travels are first and foremost inspired by his drive to qualify for Capcom Cup, the benefits of looking at the fighting game community as a global phenomenon instead of a local distraction are on full display whenever a player of his caliber steps outside their region and competes. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats, and the swell created by Street Fighter V's international competitors is sure to bring great things our way.
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