Echo Fox' Dominique "SonicFox" McLean is your Injustice 2 Combo Breaker 2017 champion. Combo Breaker in St. Charles, Illinois, provided the world with the best extended look at what top competitive Injustice 2 looked like. Despite the field of talent, it was SonicFox's world once again.
The best player in the NetherRealms Studio community sat on top of the mountain once more. SonicFox entered as the favorite for the tournament and lived up to all the expectations. He used mainly Black Adam and Deadshot (arguably two of the best characters in the game so far) and controlled the pace of every match he played. If he wanted to slow things down and dictate the zoning game, it was Deadshot's turn, and if he wanted to be oppressive in neutral and harass with great buttons and forward-moving strings, it was Black Adam's game. The biggest takeaway from Combo Breaker was SonicFox' dominance. He didn't just take the tournament, he won with ease; he dropped only two games in the top eight with the world gunning for his crown.
After watching the tournament and the top eight, one thing remains crystal clear in the Injustice 2 competitive world -- play a top tier or use one as a secondary. There were certainly exceptions to that rule with a couple players rocking a unique choice instead of an Aquaman, Black Adam or Superman. Panda Global's Alexandre "Hayatei" Dub-Bilodeau (Robin), Noble esports' Ryan "Dragon" Walker (Poison Ivy), and Critical Reaction's Matthew "Biohazard" Commandeur (Bane) opted to stick to their guns.
The last impression from Combo Breaker? The stars of Mortal Kombat X's twilight hour ended up as some of the best early Injustice 2 players. Top eight finishers, Hayatei, Dragon and Biohazard proved that their stay on top of the leaderboard may be indefinite. Dragon, a player many tout as one of the best in the world, showcased innovation and oppression with his Poison Ivy; he may be the one to topple the king.
Grand Finals: SonicFox against NASR's Sayed "Tekken Master" Hashem
The Evolution Fighting Game Championships (Evo) Mortal Kombat X grand finals rematch happened twice in the top eight -- winners semifinals and grand finals. Tekken Master, the surprise second-place finisher from last year's Evo, was one of the most exciting players during the entirety of Combo Breaker. His Atrocitus was head-and-shoulders above the field with pinpoint control over the neutral game and an incredibly difficult mix-up game. The only one to solve his puzzle was SonicFox with a 3-0 victory in their first meeting and a 3-1 finish in the grand finals. It may have taken the best character, Black Adam, and the best player in the world to do it, but Tekken Master proved that he's already one of the threats in the game.