This weekend we'll see the South East Asia Major 2016 (SEAM) unfold, one of the final three Capcom Pro Tour Premier Events, and the tournament largely considered as the Evolution Fighting Game Championships (Evo) of the east. It was started by professional player, Kun "Xian" Ho, Zhi "Zhieeep" Liang Chew, and the tournament organizer nicknamed "Cameraman" with the goal to uncover new top players such as Xian.
This year's tournament promises to be as difficult as Evo. With only a few notable absences from the list, such as Bruce "Gamerbee" Hsiang, lots international threats will be in attendance.
"SEAM's scope and prestige was risen this year," Chew, one of the main commentators for this year's iteration, said. "Every pool is a death pool. Every killer from Asia that does not travel will go to SEAM."
The location of Singapore was strategically chosen to provide entertainment, akin to Evo's backdrop of Las Vegas, for players that wanted more than just Street Fighter V. Chew told ESPN that SEAM aimed for a holistic experience for players on the opposite side of the pyramid because they sustain the tournament.
"If players choose Evo and another tournament, it would be SEAM," Chew said. "This is the tournament for those that do not watch pool play because SEAM will not have any throwaway matches."
Zhi's players-to-watch
The list of heavy hitters lists big names in competitive Street Fighter V. The obvious ones include unanimous number one ranked player, Lee "Infiltration" Seon-woo. His disappointing performance at the Brooklyn Beatdown at ESL One New York was still a respectable 13th place. This is a player that was unrivaled for the majority of the year and single-handedly made his character, Nash, into a legitimate top-tier threat.
"He was on hiatus before The Brooklyn Beatdown and I assumed he was just downloading players," Chew said. "But, now he's with a new sponsor and I'm sure he'll want to prove himself."
Then, there's the hometown hero that also happened to be a world-class player. Xian's history with SEAM was mostly positive and this year could be more of the same. His F.A.N.G. play is an inspiration, but it could also be a hindrance to the final placing.
"I'm curious as to how Xian will defend home turf. There may be home advantage, but so many players will rely on him to play host," Chew pondered. "He'd want to repay the players that took care of him when he traveled."
Then, the two hottest players on the planet: Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi and The Brooklyn Beatdown's winner, Zhuojun "Xiao Hai" Zeng. Both enter with plenty of momentum and the pedigree to be favorites for the tournament.
"Momochi is possessed; he's a demon. I'm scared to see what he will do," Chew admitted. "I'm looking forward to Xiao Hai. There's momentum in his favor and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain it."
Chew's dark horse for the tournament is the Korean training partner to Infiltration, "NL." This skilled Ryu player is an unknown name, but according to Chew, will surprise many people.
The rest of the best in the field
The names above only scratch the surface of the overall field as there are still so many ridiculously top-notch players left to choose from. The best from the selection are: Keita "Fuudo" Ai, Daigo "The Beast" Umehara, Ryota "Kazunoko" Inoue, Tatsuya "Haitani" Haitani, Kenryo "Mago" Hayashi, Naoki "Nemo" Nemoto, and Lee "Poongko" Chung Gon.