Daigo Says 'Random' State of Street Fighter 6 is Good for Casuals, but Makes it Hard to Crown a GOAT

While Daigo Umehara isn’t dissatisfied with the existent authorities of Street Fighter 6, helium says the game’s “random” benignant makes it hard to find the champion subordinate successful modern tourney settings.

Evo 2026 is successful the books, with Saul ‘MenaRD’ Mena erstwhile again claiming triumph connected the biggest signifier successful each of warring games. It’s hard to reason against his existent presumption arsenic the astir ascendant Street Fighter 6 player, with 2 Capcom Cup championships and 4 Evo victories to his name… but Daigo Umehara isn’t definite a existent ‘GOAT’ of the crippled has yet been crowned.

We got the accidental to beryllium down with ‘The Beast’ of warring games during Sunday finals, who revealed his astonishing instrumentality connected the divisive quality of Street Fighter 6’s equilibrium arsenic it stands astatine the process extremity of Season 3.

Right now, the Western warring crippled assemblage (FGC) is vocally outspoken regarding Street Fighter 6’s Drive Rush mechanic, arguing that the instrumentality is excessively overpowered and hard to ‘check’ adjacent astatine the champion of times — thing that near players adjacent much disappointed aft Capcom told america they person nary plans to marque immoderate gameplay changes astatine present.

This was quality to Daigo, who admitted that though the crippled is ‘random,’ helium sees some the affirmative and antagonistic sides of this peculiar coin, specifically wherever tournaments are concerned.

“The random elements successful the gameplay that beryllium present are doing a bully occupation of bringing successful caller players, truthful I’m not against that,” helium told us. “I’m not astatine each dissatisfied with this thought that [Capcom] aren’t going to marque large changes [to Street Fighter 6]. The lone happening is, I consciousness like, with the mode this crippled works, it's hard for an implicit champion subordinate to emerge, truthful you extremity up with this benignant of fluctuation successful who's doing the champion astatine immoderate fixed time. I would similar to spot an implicit champion emerge, and I would similar for the events to facilitate that.”

MenaRD took location his 4th Evo title this play astatine Evo 2026.

When we brought up the fashionable sentiment that MenaRD is mostly considered the GOAT of Street Fighter 6, Daigo wasn’t successful full agreement, contempt acknowledging his standout show successful the game’s pro circuit.

“Even astatine Evo close now, he's evidently doing truly well, but I privation it to spell adjacent further than that,” helium mused. “I don’t deliberation that it's up to Mena to execute that. It's much astir the rules of the events.”

"[Mena] is evidently doing truly well, but I privation it to spell adjacent further than that."“

Daigo Says SF6 Tournaments Would Benefit From Longer Sets

After asking him for clarification, Daigo said that the rules for tournaments wrong the Capcom Pro Tour restrict gameplay to specified a grade that it doesn’t let players capable clip to genuinely get a consciousness for their opponents — thing that came arsenic nary astonishment from idiosyncratic celebrated for his legendary ‘First to 10’ sets.

Right now, the Capcom Pro Tour dictates a ‘First to Three’ (or Best of Five) format for matches wrong Top 8 brackets, portion games anterior to that usage a ‘First to Two’ (or Best of Three) format. For Daigo, this simply isn’t capable clip to get a grip connected the battle, and he’d overmuch similar a ‘First to Five’ format for preliminary sets, instead.

“Currently, tournaments are formatted successful this ‘First to Two’ structure, which is precise casual-leaning, and it's the aforesaid happening arsenic what you would get successful ranked matches erstwhile you play online,” helium explained. “Everybody already knows that there's nary mode to triumph consistently successful that format, adjacent successful ranked erstwhile you play online. But I besides recognize that this casual format is what brings successful tons of players. It’s not thing I reason inherently, but I deliberation for much important events similar Capcom Cup, they should power to a ‘First to Three’ operation oregon longer.

“With these bigger events similar Capcom Cup, due to the fact that they're erstwhile a year, it would beryllium amended to spell longer, similar commencement astatine ‘First to Five’ successful the qualifiers and past spell up to ‘First to Seven’ oregon something. But the occupation is, there’s a bounds connected however agelong these events tin be, truthful it doesn’t look feasible. But if we’re conscionable talking ideally, possibly person the lawsuit itself past much similar a week oregon 10 days long, conscionable due to the fact that it’s lone erstwhile a year. If I were a younger subordinate and truly acceptable connected winning that prize with money, the existent rules would beryllium benignant of a bummer.”

MenaRD "Split" connected Daigo's Comments About the Hunt For Street Fighter 6 'GOAT'

We got the accidental to talk with Mena pursuing his resounding triumph astatine Evo 2026, wherever we asked him astir his thoughts connected Daigo’s sentiments regarding the existent CPT tourney operation and whether oregon not it’s genuinely imaginable to crown a ‘GOAT’ successful these conditions.

“There’s a broadside of maine that would agree,” helium admitted. “Of course, I privation the astir magnitude of accomplishment to dictate each championship, and arsenic players, I consciousness similar it’s inevitable to consciousness that way. At the aforesaid time, if you deliberation astir the merchandise itself and however boring it could go to a batch of radical [if that operation were successful place], I’m not definite if it’s the close measurement [to take]. I’m a small spot divided connected that. I deliberation for the merchandise itself, if we privation radical to ticker Street Fighter, we request to person a speedy format that radical tin enjoy. But arsenic a player, of course, I privation not ‘First to Seven’ matches, but ‘First to 200.’”

For now, Capcom astatine slightest believes that Street Fighter 6 is successful a coagulated spot, and MenaRD’s prowess isn’t showing immoderate signs of stopping anytime soon. It remains to beryllium seen if Yasmine’s summation to the crippled volition alteration up the meta successful a meaningful way, oregon if Mena and his Blanka volition proceed to ravage the contention going into the remainder of the competitory season.

Todd Gutierrez, Natalia Martinez / Red Bull Content Pool

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With 10 years of acquisition reporting connected games and entertainment, she’s got a storied inheritance successful the warring crippled community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her connected Twitter astatine @TheeMissGlaze.