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Casuals: Luffy, the Definitive Rose
Red Bull Athlete Luffy talks about the challenges of competing, winning Evo, and his PS1 controller.
Olivier "Luffy" Hay, Red Bull Athlete
© Katya Mokolo / Red Bull Content Pool
In the anime One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy is a carefree, troublemaking pirate who is rarely concerned with the consequences of his actions. Olivier “Luffy” Hay may have taken his nickname from One Piece, but he doesn’t have the same traits as the animated character in Street Fighter competition. His meticulous playstyle, which balances great offense and defense, made him one of the premier Rose specialists in Street Fighter IV. But as we sit at the gates of the Capcom Pro Tour 2016, Luffy is undergoing a massive transition into Street Fighter V. Leaving behind his beloved Rose and gaining a new sponsor, he’s entering a whole new world as a pro SFV player.
Luffy with his trademark PS1 controller
© Katya Mokolo / Red Bull Content Pool
Perfect Rose
Street Fighter IV brought in a new generation of players, some of whom have built illustrious careers in a short period of time. The 29-year-old from Paris was a player who came into the scene on the ground floor with Street Fighter IV. Within five months of him buying a PlayStation 3 and the game, he was competing and winning local tournaments. Despite his love for MOBAs and Japanese RPGs, he showed an aptitude for Street Fighter with Rose, a character he stuck with through the entirety of his competitive career.
“I chose Rose because I liked her visual design and playstyle,” Luffy said. “She can turtle out her opponent or suddenly go on the offensive as her dash is very good.”
Superb probably doesn’t even come close to describe Rose’s ability to dash in and out of a scramble. Combined with her focus ability in Street Fighter IV, great Rose players rarely need to block, turning her defensive capabilities into offensive openings under the right circumstances.
In 2011, Luffy made his first trip overseas to Canada Cup. It was his first opportunity to test himself against international competition, and it didn't go well - he didn’t place at the tournament. However, Luffy was making a name for himself outside of Europe a short two years later. He attended his first Evo in 2013, finishing in 17th place and losing to eventual winner Ho Kun Xian in Top 32 play. Competitive gaming can be a grind, but the first day of Evo is unlike anything most people have ever experienced. Pools start at 8 AM, and the final matches to determine the Top 8 might not end until after 10 PM the same day.
“I was very happy with my performance at my first Evo. The trip was exhausting. I couldn’t sleep for almost 40 straight hours because of the jet lag. My pool was at 8 AM and my Top 32 matches were at 7 PM. I could barely walk without someone helping me,” Luffy said.
Luffy competing in USF4 at Capcom Cup 2015
© Robert Paul / http://rmpaul.com
Evo Champion
Luffy’s breakout year was 2014. He had incredible success that year but ascended to the top of the Street Fighter world, winning Evo 2014. Many people were introduced to Luffy, the first European to win Evo, and his unconventional weapon of choice, an original PlayStation controller, that year. Why the hell would anyone use a PS1 controller for Street Fighter?
“I used to play with a DualShock 3 on PS3 but I switched to Xbox 360 because the online play was better and it became the tournament standard,” Luffy said. “At the time, there was no DS3 to 360 adapter and the only thing I could play with was a PS1 controller. I got very familiar with it and I can’t even play with any other controller now.”
That controller served him well at Evo 2014 as he took arguably the toughest road to Grand Finals. He lost an early match to Xian (someone who has proven to be a thorn in Luffy’s side over the years) and went to the losers bracket. From there, Luffy ran through a gauntlet of some of the world’s best Street Fighter players. Tokido, Misse, Mago, Eita, Pugera, Momochi, Gackt, Snake Eyez, and Fuudo all fell to Luffy. He fought an epic 30 minute Grand Finals match against Masato “Bonchan” Takahashi, confidently warding off Bonchan’s fireballs and applying pressure at the right moments. Luffy reset the bracket, defeated Bonchan, and his friends and countrymen swarmed the stage in celebration.
“It was my second Evo, and I wasn’t very confident because at my preparation tournament (Dreamhack Summer 2014), I did poorly,” Luffy said. “I beat so many strong people that day. There’s no way I can do that again, but I have hope.”
Take the Good and the Bad
Fate can be unkind and for as much hard work and luck went into winning Evo 2014, the following year was a huge disappointment for Luffy. He lost badly to Dieminion and followed up with another loss to Itabashi Zangief at Evo 2015. Luffy “drowned” in pools as they say in the FGC. It can humble the fiercest of competitors, especially when the pressure is on to repeat as champion. It's not an easy task; the only player who did so during the lifetime of Street Fighter IV was fighting game legend Daigo Umehara.
Despite a third place finish at Capcom Cup 2014, where he lost to Xian and was eliminated by Momochi, Luffy was determined to get back to Capcom Cup 2015. Frankly, he dominated the European competition in 2015. Luffy finished in the top 8 of three different Premier Events and won five different Ranking Events on the Capcom Pro Tour last year, assuring himself a spot in Capcom Cup for a second straight year.
While the Capcom Pro Tour upped the financial ante for Street Fighter competition and Capcom Cup brings the best of the best together in one tournament, Luffy still thinks winning Evo is the hardest accomplishment for any player.
“A little luck with the bracket, win four times, and you’re in Grand Finals,” he said about Capcom Cup. “Winning Evo is harder with more than 12 matches to play to get into finals on the winners side, but double or triple that if you end up in losers. Staying focused in every match is a real challenge.”
As the opportunities and challenges continue to grow, so must the players. After almost two years with his previous sponsor, Meltdown, Luffy made a change. At the start of the year, Luffy announced his departure from Meltdown. The day before Valentine’s Day, Luffy announced his new partnership with Red Bull Esports. He joins Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis and Bonchan as a powerful international trio of Red Bull Athletes.
With Red Bull at his side, Luffy moves on from Ultra Street Fighter IV. It’s a bittersweet situation as the players who came into the competitive scene with Street Fighter IV. Like many players, Luffy has strong ties to the game that made him the competitor he is today. He won Evo. He’s been to multiple Capcom Cups, Japan for Topanga World League, a special honor for non-Japanese players, took part in the inaugural Red Bull Kumite, which he will return to in 2016, and even had a tournament named after him, The Luffy Beatdown Special.
“Before every Capcom Cup match, I kept saying to myself, ‘This might be my last match with Rose on a big stage. I don’t want it to end now.’ It was a bit sad because of the end of an era,” Luffy said.
“All the opportunities I go and the closest friends I have now are thanks to Street Fighter IV.”
Luffy holds his Evo 2014 trophy high after the win
© Robert Paul / http://rmpaul.com
Now he looks forward to Street Fighter V and the challenges it brings. He’s enthusiastic about learning a new Street Fighter and looks forward to Western players’ chances in competition.
“Everyone knows the best training methods to improve faster in the game now. I’m playing Nash and I want to be as strong in Street Fighter V as I was in Street Fighter IV. I want to win Evo and Capcom Cup in another game,” Luffy said.
Luffy will no doubt bring the same level of intensity and precision to Street Fighter V. He’s survived some of the hardest trials a Street Fighter competitor can endure and come out on top. He’s experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in Street Fighter competition in the last couple of years. No one can predict what will happen this year, but we know the turnouts will be massive, with Street Fighter V’s Evo registration already breaking last year’s USF4 records. One thing is for sure: it won’t be the same without Luffy’s Rose.
Check back next Thursday for another installment of Casuals and follow @RedBullESPORTS on Twitter for more Street Fighter coverage.
