The game may have changed, but the name at the top of the standings remains the same.
Dominique “SonicFox” McLean won the Injustice 2 tournament at Combo Breaker on Sunday. The event was the first major tournament for the game and the first tournament in the recently-announced Injustice 2 Pro Series. SonicFox sealed the victory with a 3-1 win over Sayed “Tekken Master” Ahmed in the grand final.
The result was not unexpected. SonicFox was the world’s best player in Mortal Kombat X, the previous fighting game released by Injustice 2 developer NetherRealm Studios. SonicFox won the Evo title in the game in 2015 and 2016, as well as all three ESL Pro League Seasons of the game in that same span. With the strong similarities in gameplay between the two series, many presumed SonicFox to be the preemptive favorite heading into the weekend.
Combo Breaker was one of the few Mortal Kombat X tournaments he’d failed to win in the past, however. He finished second to Aaron “Dizzy” Davis in 2015 and bowed out in fourth place last year. Those struggles continued on Saturday, when SonicFox finished third in the Mortal Kombat X tourney, including a loss to eventual winner Tekken Master.
On Sunday, he would not be denied.
After surviving a strong challenge from Christian “Forever King” Quiles in the winners’ quarterfinal, SonicFox and his Black Adam found an extra gear. He scored a 3-0 win over Tekken Master in the winners’ semifinal, then beat Frank “Slayer” Perales to secure a spot in the grand final. Once there, he scored his second win of the tournament over Tekken Master to take top honors.
Slayer finished in third place, while Forever King ended the weekend in fourth. Matthew “Biohazard” Commandeur and Ryan “Dragon” Walker tied for fifth place. Alexandre “Hayatei” Dubé-Bilodeau and Phillip “KDZ” Atkinson rounded out the top eight.
Combo Breaker was the first of 18 events that make up the Injustice 2 points series. The top 16 players at the end of the season will qualify for the season championship in Los Angeles later this year. After their performances this weekend, both SonicFox and Tekken Master will be heavily favored to reach the finale.
