导出博客文章The stage floor lit up with purple clouds and lightning. There were four
screens, composed in the shape of a square and hanging over the entire stage
showcasing the action below. The Mortal Kombat XL character select screen
emanated out to the incoming crowd of the Mandalay Bay Events Center.The
Evolution Championship Series (Evo) was the biggest fighting game tournament in
the world, and Mortal Kombat XL was one of its headliners. In the middle of it
all was Sayed Tekken Master Hashem, who had ascended from the losers bracket to
the grand finals. He took his seat next to the best Mortal Kombat player in the
world, Dominique SonicFox McLean, and did not flinch. His stoic expression never
changed when the lights dimmed and his seat became center stage.When asked about
the grand finals, Hashem merely said, I expected to reach the top three at Evo,
and was confident enough to [achieve] it. My only concerns, when it came to
rivals or players in the tournament, were Brad Scar Vaughn, Denom A F0xy Grampa
Jones, and SonicFox.When Hashem won 3-1 in the first series to reset the bracket
during the grand finals at Evo, he finally showed emotion. He stood up and
pumped his fists. But he never broke his focus or altered the expression on his
face, even with so much riding on this tournament. A victory for him would mean
recognition for an entire region. It could catalyze a new generation of players
at home. That would validate the entire journey.Nobody in the crowd saw this
coming, MK commentator Aris Bakhtanians said to the audience.A big fish on a
small islandHashem is from the Kingdom of Bahrain, an island near the western
shores of the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. Although he hails from a small
nation, Hashem did not come out of nowhere; he was already well known to the top
players in the community. His success began with a victory in a Bahrain
qualifier for the Mortal Kombat X Cup during Animania Bahrain in 2015. From
there, he was the Middle East Finals champion (a feat hes accomplished twice)
and then the runner-up for the Mortal Kombat X Cup in 2015 and 2016 before the
breakout at Evo.Hashem remembers playing video games when he was six. Fighting
games caught his attention when his older brothers played The King of Fighters
96 and Tekken Tag Tournament. He chose to compete in fighting games because of
the emotional aspect and reward for fast thinking.But his island was hardly a
fighting game hotbed. Mortal Kombat, especially, was a not a popular pastime.
Hashem cites one training partner, Abdulaziz X-Azeez Aljowder, as his only
consistent practice for the game. This solitary role still comes with high
praise, however. He considers Aljowder a top 10 player in the world for the game
and credits him for much of his Mortal Kombat success.Our community here in the
Kingdom of Bahrain consists of Street Fighter, Super Smash Brothers, and King of
Fighters players. We have really good players who excel at Street Fighter V,
Hashem said. Sadly, our Mortal Kombat community is quite small, but I personally
play and train with X-Azeez.His current sponsor, Middle Eastern esports
organization Power League Gaming (PLG), has hosted the majority of the
tournaments and cups that Hashem has played in. Aljowder also plays for PLG.If
it was not for PLG then the scene for Mortal Kombat in our region would have
died out completely and I would not have made it to Evo, Hashem said. They ran
professional tournaments in the Middle East since Mortal Kombat 9, and now with
X and XL, things were really big. Everyone knows the PLG tournaments are the
ones where you can prove yourself. When you do, theyll support you and fund you
to go to the global competitions. They are passionate and they understand how
difficult it is for the community.The final stepBack at Evo, Hashems grand
finals opponent McLean took the lead 2-1 in the ultimate series, turning the
tables. Hashem started to show a little concern. He rested his chin on his hand,
deep in thought. After a moment, he selected a different character variation and
played the fourth game. The change worked; the set was tied.McLean took a deep
breath and adjusted his headset before changing his character. The two clashed
in one final game, Alien against Kotal Khan. McLean took advantage of his
characters tools: overheads, safe chip setups, and pressure on pressure. Hashem
took everything in stride and struggled to fight back. A missed combo and
another missed opportunity for a punish from Hashem and McLean finally took the
tournament down. He rose from his seat in excitement as Hashem slumped in his
chair. He had fallen just short of arguably the largest upset in Mortal Kombat
history.Even though he didnt take home the gold, Hashems run at Evo was
inspiring. A lone representative from his community, he nearly took down the
biggest Mortal Kombat tournament ever against the best player on the planet. The
Middle East and PLG have a fighting game superhero, thanks to his amazing Evo
weekend.It would be an honor for me if other players in the little island of
Bahrain or the Middle East would consider me as an inspiration, Hashem said. I
feel a sense of responsibility to raise awareness for my local and regional
community. I was very happy to represent my country at Evo on that stage,
especially coming from the smallest country in the Middle East; I was more than
8000 miles away from home. It was an indescribable feeling.
Discount Custom Soccer Jerseys .
What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended
with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday.
Custom Soccer Jerseys Sale .
Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis
surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the
Cancun Challenge.
http://www.customjerseyssoccer.com/
. LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing
new.
Cheap Custom Soccer Jerseys
. Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of
Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics
in Sochi.
Custom Soccer Jerseys
China .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs
chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as
commissioner. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Freshman guard Carsen Edwards scored 16
points, and No. 15 Purdue made 11 3-pointers in the first half Saturday on the
way to a 90-56 victory over Morehead State.The Boilermakers (6-2), coming off a
Wednesday loss at No. 14 Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, used a 15-0
first-half run to stretch a 10-9 lead to 25-9, and Purdue continued to pull
away.Dakota Mathias added 14 points, and Caleb Swanigan and P.J. Thompson had 13
each for Purdue.Miguel Dicent had 11 points for Morehead State (2-5), which
played without coach Sean Woods, who has been suspended with pay since Nov. 22,
when the university launched an official investigation into Woods treatment of
players.Purdue made 11 of 20 from 3-point range during the first half when it
built a 47-25 lead. Carsen Edwards, who made his first start in place of
slumping Vince Edwards, and Mathias made four 3-pointers each in the first
half.The Boilermakers played without fifth-year graduate student transfer point
guarrd Spike Albrecht, who suffered a back injury this week.ddddddddddddBIG
PICTUREMorehead State: With Woods suspended indefinitely, the Eagles are a
distracted basketball team, and it shows as their losing streak reached five on
Saturday, including 0-3 for acting coach Preston Spradlin.Purdue: Its a
byproduct of opposing defenses centering their attention on Boilermaker big men
Swanigan and Isaac Haas, but Purdue entered this game leading the Big Ten in
3-point field goal shooting percentage at 41.8 and made 55 percent from beyond
the arc during the opening half on Saturday.UP NEXTMorehead State: The Eagles do
not play until going to Lipscomb on Dec. 10.Purdue: The Boilermakers travel to
New York City for a Tuesday night game against Arizona State in the Jimmy V.
Classic.---More AP college basketball:
www.collegebasketball.ap.org and
https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace