EMP DarthArma -- A formidable killer capable of beating anyone on any given day. A character specialist with an arsenal of deceptive tricks

EMP KDZ -- The EVO champion, removed from his original glory days, but persevering to find new life and motivation after the patch

EMP Tom Brady -- A longstanding challenger fighting to maintain his lofty perch in the balance between top spokesperson and top competitor

AK Glass Sword -- One of the most improved IGAU/MK players of this generation, coming from the best pools performance of his career

RM SonicFox -- A volatile prodigy whose fearlessness is only matched by his tendency to cost himself at inopportune moments

Viking305 -- A new tournament challenger displaying an intimidating command of Zod's mix-up options at every range

Emperor Jupiter -- A quick, accurate punisher who uses the Manhunter's tools to the fullest and has proven to have the keys to victory

Emperor Zyphox -- At last backing up his talk with his walk, a newly-patient Flash main with a dangerous surge of momentum behind him

RECAP

CONCLUSIONS

TOP 8

STREAM ARCHIVE

The air before today's Top 8 was fraught with uncertainty and nervous energy. If you'd asked a fan or player beforehand who would win, they might have replied that they had a favorite, but they weren't sure. Two of the perennial favorites, Forever King and Rico Suave, met with an untimely death in pools the day before. And with $1000 in pot bonuses on the line, the stakes heading into this afternoon were as high as ever.After months of being given relatively short shrift on streams and in tournament schedules, Injustice had now found its home at a 4 PM FGC prime-time slot on the main stream. So the stage was appropriately set; and the only question was if today's finals would deliver. The lineup:And deliver they did.In front of over 19,000 stream viewers, Viking305 charged out of the gate with a full head of steam; and although Glass Sword maintained his composure and fought back, Viking's smattering of close-range mixups made the difference and earned him the win. Jupiter came out against Zyphox with some laser-sharp reads and looked to be gaining momentum, but Zyphox fought about as hard as he ever has, and refused to go down, closing out a pair of rounds with the aid of timely meter-burned b3's.Sonic Fox had the audience and everyone watching at home on their feet, as went headlong into his set against Tom Brady with absolutely no fear or regard for Tom's tournament pedigree -- at one point hitting Tom with 5 Bat Evade divekicks in a row on his way to the win. Afterwards, KDZ and DarthArma played a fantastic back-and-forth match, with KDZ's Wonder Woman looking the best it ever has. Although Arma fought back with everything in his power, KDZ was unfazed and cooly peppered Arma with mixup after mixup, relying on some late-game divepunch swag to narrowly close his teammate out for the win.Viking305 looked similarly undaunted as he faced off against Tom Brady in losers. But Tom showed his time-proven ability to adjust as he stymied Viking's long-range offense with well-placed From the Deep counterzoning. After an agonizing delay caused by an overheating Xbox console, Tom was collected as he picked apart Viking's offense to advance.The match between DarthArma and Zyphox is probably better seen than described. With Zyphox popping off midway through and very nearly losing the set to a dropped combo before picking it back up, DarthArma eventually succumed to Flash's corner pressure and Zyphox advanced to fight Brady. Clearly feeling his momentum solidify and building his condifence as he went, Zyphox fought through Tom's patient style with an onslaught of trait-cancel-fueled high-octane Flash pressure. Although Tom made some timely reads and attempted to make space for himself, Zyphox's quick launchers rendered Aquaman's trait ineffective and Tom was unable to mount a strong enough defense. Upon clenching the victory, Zyphox stood up and proclaimed himself to be thein front of the cheering crowd.After Sonic Fox made short work of KDZ's resurgent Superman and Wonder Woman, KDZ found himself facing off against Zyphox in Losers Finals. Although Zyphox quickly got the upper hand, KDZ stayed patient, making good reads and eventually evening the set at 2-2. With members of the audience sweating and yelling, and KDZ and Zyphox going down to the wire, Zyphox finally pushed the match to his favorite place -- the corner. With KDZ whiffing wakeup air grabs, the writing was on the wall; but when Zyphox went airborne, KDZ reclaimed one of his classic hallmarks, finishing with a clutch anti-air super and throwing Zyphox back down to earth (figuratively and literally) to end his storybook run.But ahh, the Grand Finals. After having a moment to think things over, KDZ turned the tables so quickly and forcefully that Sonic was seemingly left trying to pick up the pieces. But following an expedient 3-0 reset, Sonic took a break for an equipment check -- and asked for a new pad. After switching out his controller, Sonic was back in his original form, quickly firing back with a 1-0 on his first life bar. KDZ did his best to stem the tide, but Sonic Fox seemed to have too much momentum and was rolling to his wins. But KDZ continued to stay strong, adjusted, and brough the set to 2-2. And in the final game, in an absolutely stunning conclusion, with the crowd on their feet as both players ran the clock to its final seconds, KDZ closed with his trademark once again -- a clutch conversion to super, for the win!It's nearly impossible to describe the hype of today's finals in words; it has to be seen to be seen to be believed. But one thing is clear; Injustice is bigger, badder and better than ever, and it proved that today in front of 20K plus fans. Any last vestiges of doubt about the hype or excitement level of the game have been blown to smithereens. Congratulations to KDZ, EMP, and to all fans of one of the undisputed marquee attractions of the tournament fighter scene -- INJUSTICE!1) EMP KDZ (Superman, Wonder Woman)2) RM Sonic Fox 88 (Batgirl)3) Emperor Zyphox (Flash)4) EMP Tom Brady (Aquaman)5) EMP DarthArma (Batman)5) Viking305 (Zod)7) Emperor Jupiter (Martian Manhunter)7) AK Glass Sword (Raven)