Link to Whobo 4 Tournament Information: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=317496            
Buttons for Sale: http://allisbrawl.com/blogpost.aspx?id=141643   
Link to LiveStream: http://www.twitch.tv/chibosempai   

    
Nothing could possibly bring more heat to a Texas summer than World Hobo 4. The Whobo series has always been the largest event in Texas, and one of several in the United States. But the hype travels even past the states, bringing the fire to an international degree. Today, we will be getting an insight from Xyro, who will be hosting this tournament and will give us an idea of what to expect from this exciting event. Xyro, thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview.  

   

Now, from what I understand, this is the first national MK banned tournament, am I correct?   

Xyro: Yes, this should be the first one of its kind. I'm excited!   

Based on the past 3 Whobo results featuring MKs off the roof (no surprise), I'm sure it'll be interesting to see how the results will play out.   


   





Do you think Houston is the best MK-banned city for Smash? If not, then what do you think IS the best? What about without MK banned?   

Xyro: Well about 1-1.5 years ago I'd say Houston is probably the best city in the USA when it came to none MK users because we had Gnes/Razer/Trela/Illmatic/Jerm/Zori/Sync/Pj and many more. But if you look back at the last 4 months, Houston has been on the decline. Gnes/Jerm/Zori/Pj have put more focus into other things like CoD/Marvel while Razer has been chasing after girls(I still think he's into men) and Trela/Illmatic/Sync are pretty much the only ones who have kept on playing. So if i were to look at Houston NOW and ask if they are the best city when it comes to non MK mains, I'd say no. This doesnt me we SUCK now... it's just we ALMOST suck. 

As for the city who replaced Houston as the best non MK city(imo), I have no clue. MK has pretty much infected every level of almost every city in America. Super sad.   

How do you think MK being banned will affect the results of this tournament?   

Xyro: I'm glad you asked! People like Dojo/Pwii/Inui will automatically suffer due to MK being taken away. At the same time, this MK ban situation also provides them a chance to prove me as well as many other people wrong by still placing decently high even with out their Batman. Think of it as a new challenge. Anyways, people like like Esam/Trela/Gnes should do VERY well at this event because usually it's MKs that take down these kids. No matter the out-come, I feel that the results for WHOBO 4 will be varied and definitely a sight for sore eyes. Seeing MK plague results for 4 years has gotten pretty boring imo.   



I'm sure we're expecting quite a number of people to come to this tournament. At least how many do you think will come? 

Xyro: TBH I do not know the current number of players signed up. I'm not in charge of sign-ups (my partner in crime De Angelo is in charge of that stuff) and I won't know numbers until July 31st when online reg stops and I begin to make pools. I'd like to point out though that I'm not trying to become the next Genesis/Apex/MLG or Evo. If I get 50 players, 100 players, 150 players or even 200 players I'll be happy. My goal is not to "1-up"  TO ABC or gain more sponsors than TO XYZ, my goal is to save my city/state/game from extinction.   





Any known players that are coming out of state? What about out of country?   

Xyro: Though this isn't a full list (cause I dont have the sign-up list): Esam/NickRiddle/Shaky/Ally/Falln/Atomsk/Will/Chibo/Inui/Bloodcross/MikeRay/Hinkage/Izumi/Seibrik/Mvd/Ryo/Mjg/Kain and of course our local TX heroes like Razer/Gnes/Trela/Dojo/Espy/Denti/Infinity…..etc   

   

Are there going to be any exciting money matches to look forward to yet? Or is that all up in the air, shrouded in mystery?  

Xyro: Well Ally and Esam apparently have a beef with each other so iirc Ally is gonna MM Esam in either 2 50$ MMs or a 100$ MM. I think it's because of a comment made at SKTAR that the "new generation" like Esam/Nairo is better than the old gen like M2K/Ally/Anti. Also, I think Razer is gonna do a big MM with a special person at this event. I'm not sure if he's 100% gonna do it or not so I don't wanna spout out anything and cause hype for no reason. Off topic kinda but Dphat challenged REFLEX to a eyebrow mm first to 5. Not sure how that's gonna work but I'm sure it will be retarded and funny. 



Lol! An eyebrow mm? That should be the highlight of money matches right there. In any case, these look promising - and I guess we can only wait and see about this mysterious person who will be money matching Razer, if they decide to play it out. But most importantly, the eyebrow mm.    



Ah, before I forget. Doubles looks like it'll be pretty eventful. Do you know of any interesting teams that will be in this? Especially after some of the fantastic teams we witnessed at SKTAR? I'm sure Trela will have eyes turned on him again after that one.   

Xyro: Since there is no MK, teams will probably be the best event IMO. Esam and Mvd. Shaky and NickRiddle. Ally and Trela. Gnes and Razer. Mjg and Jerm(double Toonlink lol). DMG and Esca. I think Kismet and Reflex. Denti and Alsm. Will and Inui. Illmatic and Falln. Like I said before, I don't have the player list in front of me so I'm going off of what I have and think I remember.   



On another note, people have been asking me about Gnes and his thoughts on quitting Brawl, and how he's moved onto Marvel. Gnes has always been a talented and respected Diddy main who has come far in his Brawl experience. Do you really think he's going to quit?   

Xyro: Though I cant speak for Gnes, from talking with him over the years I've gathered that he feels about the same way I do when it comes to smash and its community. It's a bad game(competitive wise) and at the end of the day "work" and "talent" DOES NOT equal "reward." You can train all you want, learn every MU in the game, main a high-top tier character, go to all sorts of nationals/regionals/locals, read about smash, analyze ids…etc and all it takes is ONE Ice Climber grab to claim a stock/ONE MK to scrooge or platform camp or dair camp or time out….etc and all that work/skill/whatever you did is all for nothing.

Brawl has become a combination of gayness(no offense to the man lovers out there) like camping/playing overly defensive and MK. Not to mention the STUPID rule-sets like the Japanese ruleset created and/or adopted babies who can't handle perfectly normal stages like Brin/RC/Japes/PS2….etc. Then the over-used/not funny memes and sayings that EVERYBODY in tournaments use is just icing on the cake. There's much much more but I'll stop here. Anyways, I feel that Gnes(as well as others in Houston) are just sick of it all and want to move on to a "real" fighting game that rewards work/talent in a community that is NOT filled with 14 year olds.   



You mentioned that one potent MK or one grab from Ice Climbers just ruins the game for you, no matter how much practice one can go through. Do you think that if chain-grabbing/infinites/MK were banned, then would it really make a difference? Do you think it would be more enjoyable, or make no difference? Or do you think that it'll only be a matter of time before someone finds some other tactic to abuse?   

Xyro: Regardless of the game, infinites or near broken tactics that require very very low risk but provide very high rewards or death is not good for the game. I know I'm in the minority on this issue but thats how I feel. Would banning MK or these infinites make the game more fun? Probably. Provide varied results? Singles, yes. Doubles, hell yes. Fix brawl? No. Brawl is TERRIBLE as a competitive fighter not just cause of infinites and MK. Grab armor/tripping from a banana even though you power shield/jab or tilt locks/aura (rewards a player for LOSING) /tripping/unlimited airdodging/grab releases/buffering/next to no hit or shield stun/ move decay & refresh system/retarded hit boxes  and the list goes on.

Its a party game that we (the people) turned into a fighting game. Because of that fact, we have to deal with this garbage. As for MK, yes he will continue to find ways to be stupid. We banned planking, he then ledge stalls. We add a LGL, he scrooges. We ban scrooging, he platform camps or just times people out in other ways. We add a 10min timer(aka stupid Japanese ruleset) and he STILL runs 8-9 min matches and even timeouts (thanks SKTAR). The fact that we allow this or add multiple rules to curb his abilities is embarrasing and just another reason why this game is STILL considered a joke by the real FCG as well as our own community.   



Speaking of quitting, is it true that this will be your last Whobo that you'll be hosting? Does this mean you won't attend any more tournaments too?   

Xyro: Yes its true. I've ended the longest running tournament series (HOBO 38 was the final HOBO) in brawl history and WHOBO 4 will be the final regional/national I'll host. The reason why I "have" to quit is because the reasons I mentioned in the previous question as well as the fact that I have a wife, 1 year old daughter, work, college (at night) and I'm basically a stay at home dad. On top of that, I realized I've missed out on many things (social mostly) over the years (been running events since 04) and I dont want to miss out any more than I already have. I might attend events every once in a while but it will not be a priority   

I'm sure Sync will do a good job. We'll miss you though.   





For those of you who don't know, Xyro mains Samus. Xyro, as a long-term Samus main, I'm sure you've seen enough of her to venture a good guess as to what will become of her metagame. Do you think Samus will ever evolve (not counting Zero Suit hah), and even, dare I say this - move past being a low tier? Or do you honestly think she'll stay where she is… or get worse?   

Xyro: Samus moving up on the tier list or getting better? I want to say I could see her at the bottom of mid tier one day but thats HIGHLY unlikely. I think she will stay where she is at or maybe move up one spot in the future. She is really bad and not deep at all.  
   
   



Off the top of your head, based on what you've seen as of late from tournament results (such as SKTAR), who do you think will place top 5 (in no particular order). And who do you think will win?   

Xyro: Esam/Trela/Gnes/Razer/Ally/Atmosk should be top 5. Esam should win singles. In teams I think Ally+Trela vs Gnes+Razer in GFs.   



Alrighty, well that concludes our interview. Xyro, thank you again for filling us in on what to expect for Whobo 4 - it'll be so hype! Also, shoutouts to everyone that's contributing in helping getting enough TVs, housing, and accommodations in the best way they can. I really enjoy how helpful and spirited this community is. And shoutouts to Chibo for getting this streamed.

 Mocha