ネロ Nero

あんまりダド相手にガー不狙うことは無いかな。。

Drew a flyer for the next Vampire Savior tournament @nycnextlevel - this Friday August 31 Hosted and ran by @Apollo19999 & @DaiAndOh1 #vsav #darkstalkers #fanart

NINE STRAIGHT. 🤯 Nica K.O wins Run The Se.T! #119, extending the streak to 9 consecutive victories! Who ends it? 1st @NicaAndCo 2nd @YungSwip3s 3rd @n_cruz89 4th @luvkurby 5th @Garfield / @downright_lag 7th @KyoShiro3S / @nerofgc #Tournament #FGC #3S #StreetFighter

We're excited to announce that 3S legends Mester and Michael-tan will be joining us for this year's 3rd Strike Open! We still have more guests on the way, so stay tuned! Please check out the trailer by @Ichiro_dfw, and and sign up at the link below. youtube.com/watch?v=sezznI…

Drew a flyer for the Tekken 8 & 3rd Strike tournaments @Liretro - brought to you by @bklynvideogames Tekken 8 - Saturday August 8 5PM 3rd Strike - Sunday August 9 2PM $100 Pot Bonus, free to enter #3rdstrike #streetfighter #fanartㅤ

On Wednesday we will be announcing the latest guest(s?) for the @3rdStrikeOpen on our good friends @SeThrowdown3S weekly tournament! Some legends don't stay gone forever! Tune in at 8PM eastern. Twitch stream located below.

i wont be here for the store closing in september so yesterday was my last time visiting ooyama newton. i'm going to miss this place but i look forward to seeing new location in the future.

Just a reminder boys and girls, the @3rdStrikeOpen is capped this year due to venue capacity at 175. We hit this last year and I feel confident can we can do so again. Please sign up early at 3sopen.com to secure your spot. Event is just a few months away!

Jazzy Finale 1st Place plaque enshrined at @nycnextlevel to be loved, appreciated, and aspired to by all~!! ✨ Courtesy of the champ himself 🏆: @nowbandnyc !! THANK YOU POEEEEE! AND CONGRATULATIONS!! 🎊 2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣

ニュートン大山店がある【板橋区大山ハッピーロード商店街再開発計画】でニュートン無くなるんですか？との問い合わせが増えてます。再開発に伴いビルの取り壊しは事実ですが，近隣への引越しを予定しております。今の店舗は9月27日が最終営業日となります。再開発＝閉店ではないのでご安心ください😊

The Jazzy Finale Recap Poe-st (This is not a "tweet" but a very long blog post, and I was going to use TwitLonger but it's down. Recap broken into chapters for easy stopping and starting!) This has to be the hardest tournament recap post I've ever written, not because it's painful (although even triumph is complicated), but because it's just so damn big and complicated and rich... and how do I separate Sunday's magic from the Homeric epic poem that has been my fighting game career and life, a story most you have heard a dozen times by now? But, as Troyboy said, "That longass Poe recap tweet gonna hit like crack," so I'm going to do my very best to give the people Shin Tweet. Chapter One: The Medium-Term Lead-up My 2025 was full of ups and downs. I certainly leveled up significantly from 2024, and the highs were high as hell (many of them taking place in Japan!) The second half, though, was a lot less fun, and it was less successful, too. Having crushed it in Tokyo, I felt a metric fuckton of pressure to perform just as well back in the States. The Ken sidequest was fun and helped me learn some things but was probably a net negative because my motivation in switching was purely to achieve stronger tournament results. I went through some personal difficulties, too. And with all of that combined, somewhere along the way, I stopped caring about anything but winning. The chase for glory can affect us like the One Ring or the forbidden apple in Eden. We all want to win, and it's natural, but it can consume you. Like with a Chinese finger trap or quicksand, the more you struggle to win, the more stuck you become. It's a pitfall that I've succumbed to—and, thankfully, recovered from—over and over, but I usually don't even realize I'm trapped until I'm up to my neck in "Must-Win Quicksand." Eventually, I hit a rock bottom, and I realized I just couldn't chase wins anymore. I'd already achieved more than I'd ever hoped for, and if I wanted to keep playing, there was absolutely no point in continuing if I wasn't enjoying it. So, I tried to just flip a switch and stop caring about my results. I knew that it wasn't really possible to do so 100%, but I tried the best I could. Frankie had invited me to Frosty Faustings, and I'd been feeling so burned out that my interest was initially very low—traveling to Chicago in the FREEZING cold (I mean, the tournament has fucking "Frosty" in the title...) just to stress myself out with yet another tournament?—but at the last second, in the spirit of my new "I play because I love it and to celebrate the game" mentality, I said you know what? Fuck it. Let's go to Frosty, and I don't even give a shit how I place. I'm just gonna go hang out with friends and play 3S the best I can. It's probably not a coincidence that Frosty ended up being my best performance since Japan, as I took some big scalps and finished 3rd out of almost 200 behind Frankie and Yogurt Brain, battling Mark to final hit twice. As much as I was trying to deemphasize results, that performance was like mana from heaven, not just because I got the bronze in a huge, widely viewed tournament but also because I played well and I played like myself. I was rewarded with a result that I felt was commensurate with my talent and all the hard work I'd put in. Emboldened by my experience at Frosty (which, btw, wasn't actually any colder than NYC at the time), I worked harder and continued to focus as much as I could on improvement and fun, trying my best to ride my results—not just my losses but even my wins—like gentle waves rather than driving at them full speed like a tornado chaser. In March, I interviewed my dear friend Billy Kane for my podcast, Spiritual Street Fighter (youtube.com/playlist?list=…). Toward the end of the podcast, I said that I wished I could simply accept that I've proven myself enough and thus consider everything going forward icing on the cake. And he challenged me. He said, paraphrased, "Poe... I mean... Why don't you just DO THAT? Why don't you just let yourself be proud of what you've done and let yourself relax and have fun?" Something about hearing that from BK in the specific way he said it reached my heart. The idea of letting go of insecurity and desperation to prove myself felt like amputating an infected limb: I couldn't imagine my life without it, yet I knew that I had to let it go or it would kill me. I knew he was right. I resolved to keep flipping and reflipping that switch each day as best I could. The more I competed, the more comfortable I became in tournaments and the more comfortable I became with my identity as a player. This was an evolution that certainly did not begin this year—I started that process of growth very intentionally in 2024, when I first tasted success but repeatedly crashed with every disappointment. This year, the desperate hope that I was a great player began to morph into deep knowledge and true belief, specific results be damned. And the more I trained and traveled with my friends, the more fun I had! I began to realize that the solitary late night training mode hours and the small basement training sessions were in many ways just as special as playing on stage at majors. I began to realize that my close friends in the scene love me as a person whether I get top 3 at a major or lose twice to "people I'm supposed to beat" (whatever that means). I began to trust myself more. And I began to realize that I enjoy playing more than I love winning. I do love winning... but I just love this shit, PERIOD. And that comes first. Chapter 2: Mindset Approaching Jazzy When I found out I would be a Jazzy Finalist again, I was excited to perform and to do well, but the idea of winning it all was not at the top of my mind. My philosophy has been to focus on my gameplay and my mental/attitudes and, from that foundation, to just give it my all and see what happens. But as the Finale approached, people I respect started saying, "Poe... you know, you can win this." I brushed it off at first, not wanting to raise expectations or pressure, but as my level of play inched higher and higher over the last few months and my confidence grew and the list of demons and top players I slayed became longer... I began to think that they might be right. So, entering the Finale, I tried to hold two ideas simultaneously: 1. As Coach Gene Stallings said just before Alabama destroyed Miami in the 1993 Sugar Bowl to win the national championship, "We've been playing big games all year, and this is just another big game for us." I've been on stage playing famous top players in front of phat stream viewership and loud crowds many times just this calendar year. No FT2 tournament set defines me as a player, and I've done more than enough this year and in my career to prove myself to my peers and, more importantly, *to myself*. So, just go out there, do your best, see what happens, and it's all good no matter what. There's another tournament just around the corner. 2. I can fucking win Jazzy. This is my time. Chapter 3: Jazzy Finale—The Team Tournament The team tournament did so much to set the tone for me. I was thrilled to partner with two awesome people and players—Nero and Big Red—and I believed we had a chance to do very well and have a great time doing it. We had a first round bye, and as a result, our first opponent was not easy. As I like to do in early rounds of team tournaments, I elected to go first to get settled into the tournament, shake off some nerves, and build confidence. I faced InsomniacRobot Ibuki, and I'd won some casuals against him already but they were competitive for sure. He's strong. In the team tournament, I played uptight, made one or two bad decisions, and he totally bopped me. Thankfully, Nero OCVed them (beast!) A year or two ago, I would have spiraled. "I'm one of the Jazzy favorites and I badly lost my first tournament game and let my team down... I'm a choker, I'm a fraud," etc. And yes, those thoughts were there for a moment. But I stopped them quickly. I put it in perspective. Alex is very good, it was FT1, Ibuki is pound-for-pound my worst matchup, and I play a glass cannon character. I forgave myself and trusted that no matter what FT1 or FT2 result I had or would have, I was one of the best overall players in the building, and I was going to trust my play and keep fighting. The next round, we played the stacked #1 seed team, and I doubled down on competing. I told my teammates "I want to go first again. Let me at 'em." Despite my previous setback, I somehow had complete confidence in my play, and I OCVed them. We ended up winning the team tournament pretty clean, and that tone-setting experience solidified my confidence for the whole Finale. It was an awesome team win: we all did work, we all supported each other, and we all got sickass bead art plaques. I knew that no matter what happened the rest of the weekend, I had succeeded at Jazzy Finale, and that instill me with both confidence and a hunger for more. Responding to that early adversity was SO KEY. I felt mentally strong. I felt unflappable. Chapter 4: The Finals The day of the Finals, I was of course keyed up, and nerves and small worries popped up in my racing brain, but for the most part, I was just very excited to play 3S on a big stage and to show what I've got. In round one, I chose to play Rescue Ryan first because I wanted to control my destiny as much as I could, and Necro is a matchup I know well and a character (slightly) less explosive and a bit slower paced than those of the other LCQ players. With how well Rescue Ryan played, I definitely second guessed that decision haha He played his ass off, and it took all of my strength to come out on top. I was so proud of him for qualifying in the epic manner in which he did, reversing a double jeopardy situation 3-0 to make his first Finals after knocking on the door for years. The set definitely wasn't my very best play, with a couple of errors like the accidental air super costing me big, but I made some key adjustments and was just able to clutch it out. As in the team tournament, I'd hoped for a stronger start to Finals (not results-wise but general gameplay and execution wise). However, I trusted that I would find my groove and that my skill and mental toughness would see me through. And sure enough, that's what happened, as I played much better in the next set against DJ Izco and advanced again. That brought me to winners semis against Amir the GOAT. One thing that helped me believe in myself going into this tournament was that most of the field played top tiers (or Necro haha against whom I also have massive experience.) This is counterintuitive, but I am actually more comfortable playing Chun, Yun, Makoto, Dudley, and, begrudgingly, even Ken than I am some of the less common characters like Ibuki, Oro and even SA1 Ryu. My experience level with Chun gives me confidence to play assertively and free. So, despite Amir's godly nature, thanks to my thousands of games against Smoothcat, FACENC, Nero, Skipper, and even Frankie's and Nica's Chuns, I knew that I knew what to do. I executed very well, and the set felt extremely brief (as FT2s often do...). I came out on top. At this point, having defeated the two time defending champ and advanced to winners finals, it was hard not to think about taking home the belt. Though I've played in many big moments, sitting in grand finals of a major on winners' side was new territory for me, and I don't know if imagining taking home the trophy was all bad in a "manifestation" sense, but I tried to push those thoughts away and to refocus on gameplay. I went into my little corner and plotted my strategy for Phil, who has had an amazing year! In game one of winners finals, I executed my gameplan just about perfectly for a comfortable win. In game two, I got too cute with a couple of aggressive approaches, and it completely failed. REBOB two-touched me in round one for the KO at 92 seconds lmao Round two wasn't much better. But I didn't panic. I knew that I'd gotten away from my basic gameplan, so I just went back to that, trusted it, and it worked. Chapter 5: Grand Finals At this point, things got blurry. I had already prepared plenty for Amir, both before the tournament and knowing I would play him in winners semis, so there wasn't much to do but continue to mentally review the last set and rehearse my gameplan, imagine possible scenarios, and try to get in the right mindset. Just before grand finals, I went to the bathroom, and something pretty cool happened. In the past, I've sometimes looked myself in the bathroom mirror deep in the eye and said affirmations like "You've got this!", "Just play your game!" etc., and it always felt kind of cringe to me. But while I was washing my hands, I thought maybe I'd check in with myself before such a massive moment, and when I looked up, I realized I had a huge smile on my face. That had never happened before. In past tournaments, the face looking back at me always looked tense and like I was trying to convince myself that I could succeed (and sometimes, I did, in fact, end up succeeding, but I was still uptight AF lol), but this time, I was happy, just excited and grateful as hell to be competing so epically. I was comfortable in my skin, confident, and savoring the moment. No affirmations needed. I knew that grand finals would be a war, but I was ready for it. I was locked in. It was very tempting to relax or shrink, knowing that I'd already had a great tournament and that if I lost to Amir in grand finals, there was absolutely no shame in that... but I just wanted this way too badly to let those thoughts creep in. In the past, thoughts like "You've done great already, and let's be honest, you probably won't get farther, but it's ok if you bow out now" distracted me and took away my edge. But not this time. I kept telling myself, "Amir already has two belts. He deserves them, and maybe more in the future. But today is my turn. I deserve one, too." It's hard to describe and maybe I'm just reading into it in hindsight knowing that I won, but it truly felt like My Moment, like everything had somehow led perfectly up to this. It felt like I was in front of the correct door, and that I just needed to trust and to open it and walk through. My memory of set one is hazy, but I do recall trying to chip out Amir with a super in neutral. He was already jumping backward, and it looked like he would land on it, but he wall jumped back over it and punished me FTW. I shook my head in a mixture of disappointment and approving awe and told him "Wow, that was sick, dude!" It wasn't a conscious choice to say that to him but merely what came naturally, and it felt like I was merely playing sweaty games with a good friend in that moment. Set one came down to final game, and in the first round, I had a life lead and positional advantage. I didn't want to go into full turtle mode, though, and after retreating for a few beats, I tried to land a cheeky poke. Unfortunately, Amir pressed cr mk at that exact moment and confirmed into super, and I lost that round and the next. REEEESEEEET. Naturally and admittedly, my first thought was "Oh fuck, I am playing a very hungry AmirXL and he is storming back in losers and just reset the bracket. This is not good." The storyline in my head for just an instant, and I'm sure in the heads of many watching, was that the legendary vetaran and defending champion Amir would finally take control at that point and take home his third consecutive belt. But I stopped those thoughts in their tracks. This sounds insane, but I shit you not, I actually said to myself "I'm glad he reset the bracket, because I never wanted this to be easy. I *wanted* this to be hard. Just like when I won my first ever offline 3S tournament in final game, final round of GF reset, it will be even more epic when I finally win." I thought about all of the amazing players I've defeated this year, including Amir himself just a few minutes earlier, and reminded myself that he wasn't dominating at all—far from it, we were going toe-to-toe... And the narrative was NOT yet written. I didn't know if I *would* win or not, but I knew 100% in my soul that I had what it took to win the second set and win the championship. My level of concern was shockingly low. Of course there were nerves, but I simply thought "Well, I'll just win this set, then." Amir won the first game of Shin Grand Finals, but I didn't panic at all. I knew that I would make it hard for him until the bitter end. I started making pointed gameplay adjustments. They worked. I tied it 1-1, and the crowd went wild. I thrust my hands up to call for more noise, which I've hardly ever done... but I was feeling it. It felt like the whole universe, so many souls in a spirit bomb and also all of my past experiences, the brutal losses and the triumphs, were pushing me, urging me to keep fighting to victory. He won game 3, but then I won game 4. At this point, everything is a complete blur. I am now completely lost in the game. I am one with the game. There is zero room for doubt or concern even when he takes the lead because I am just fighting with all I have, one round, one interaction at a time. I have entered Neo-mode. I have become Shin Poe. I am 95% sure that the score is 2-2, but I hold up two fingers on each hand and call to the TOs to confirm. I also turn to the crowd with the same gesture to check, and some viewers evidently thought I was just holding up 2s as a reference to my gamertag. Someone connecting the score with my name yelled "Poe... it's TWO... to TWOOOOOOO!" And I just laughed out loud, because, as someone who doesn't reeeeally believe in signs, "2" had been shoved in my face yet again, for the final and most decisive time, and I couldn't ignore it anymore. 2-2 was my score. It was Poe22222's time. I was having an absolute blast, living my dream playing a Mt. Rushmore legend whom I respect so much in front of my whole community. The last game didn't feel different than any other game. I just played with all I had. I won the first round and felt a bit of momentum on my side, and in round two, we both had low health, and with the simplest move of all, I just did a well-timed walk up low forward... I was not afraid to play footsies even with Amir Chun, and with the simplest of attacks, I landed a crouching medium kick, and I won the Jazzy Circuit Championship. I thought I might collapse and cry if I won... I had almost cried several times *before* grand finals, just reflecting on everything that had led me to this moment, but I'd shoved the tears deep down. I'd expected a huge release if I won, but when it actually happened, the release was of a different kind. There were no tears. I was just so fucking happy. And I was so happy to see my *friends happy*. One by one, my friends and training partners rushed the stage. Skipper, my performance coaching book club buddy. Nero, my teammate and Fightcade training partner. Kyoshiro, whose journey has run parallel to mine for four years and countless local tournament showdowns. Dankah, my infamous Fightcade rival, slapped me on the back and shoulders like an overjoyed father and said, "I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, MAN!" Wolfrayne. Rescue Ryan. My dear friend Herbal Tea. In that moment, all of the connection I've felt these last few years flashed before my eyes through the faces of my friends... All of the first-to-deaths, the pep talks, the laughs, the commiserations, the strategizing, the cheers... The connection we share is so powerful. I felt like George Bailey at the end of It's a Wonderful Life, just overwhelmed to feel, concentrated in a single moment, all of the friendship we have shared shining bright in my face like the sun. I swear, those hugs and seeing the joy on my friends faces—everyone was SO HAPPY—were every bit as special as winning the championship as such. I felt like the luckiest guy on earth to have y'all. Thank you!!!!!!! <3 Here's to so much more, and may I celebrate all of your successes as wholeheartedly as you celebrated mine. I promise I will try, because you deserve it. (1/2)

Grinding with all my homies for this event everyday and then seeing everyone this week and competing together and against each other on the biggest stage was so fucking cool. Let’s keep it going!

On my way home from Jazzy now! Had a ton of fun this week, shoutouts to everyone I met, played and hung out with. Feeling very blessed to be able to do this shit with you all 😊 Very happy with how I did. But I still got more left in my tank, this is just the beginning

Well, I guess that happened.

This is Poe22222’s management. Poe would like to extend his heartfelt thanks and love to everyone who has reached out regarding his Jazzy Finale victory! Please know that he is still recovering from the celebration and will be responding to every message as soon as possible!

【ストIII3rd】ユンが8回攻撃！？ジャンプ攻撃をブロッキングされた時のおもしろ話【ゆっくりギル解説】 を公開しました！ ジャンプ攻撃をブロッキングされても諦めるなかれ！この動画で仕組みを理解して、ライバルに差をつけろ(`･ω･´)ゝ youtu.be/FHK-wlh7eq4

突然閃いたユリアン対ユン、端背負いで大肘スタート