Verloren has had quite the rocky year. Once the highest-ranking Cammy on the Capcom Pro Tour, he subsequently went 0-2 at Capcom Cup last year. Ever since, he’s had issues capitalizing when need be. He finds himself the last person entering Capcom Cup via points: will this affect his performance?

Still Stinging?

Here’s the deal: from what I’ve seen, there’s not much that has changed on Verloren’s play or approach. Much like NL, he continues the aggressive approach. This is one thing about Korean Cammy play that seems to be a shared trait: aggression. This rushdown approach served him well across the Capcom Pro Tour in 2017. In 2018, it turned out well as well, getting him through to five top 8s across 2018.

Not as Potent

But what this evidenced is the fact that players have begun to catch on. Only in two of those top 8s did he crack the top half. This means that where his counterpart NL has done well at always adapting to what top players attempt on him, Verloren has done less well. This also could allude to patterns that top players are beginning to catch on to.

This could be something that he’s begun to address. It’s unknown if he has, but he could have very well made some major adjustments.

Further of a Dive

But to make matters worse, all of those top 8 finishes were prior to Evo. During Evo and after, his performance continued to deteriorate. His best finish after this point was top 16, and just barely at that twice. Beyond that his performance has suffered. He also traveled far less in 2018 than 2017, which is another big detriment to his success. Had he gotten out there more, his points may have been higher, and he would have a higher seed going into this.

Because of all of this, he now has found himself against Justin Wong. Menat tends to be problematic for Cammy, especially one whose only gear is to push forward. While Verloren has a 2-1 record on the Capcom Pro Tour against Menat, Justin’s turtle playstyle will most certainly be a brick wall that Verloren will have a hard time breaking through — if he manages to get in at all.

Of course, if Verloren gets in, then that becomes a major issue for Justin. But that’s if he gets in, and Justin has faced enough Cammy players to know how to keep one out.

Final Thoughts

Anyone rooting for Verloren to make an improvement on his unexciting first Capcom Cup are probably going to be disappointed. Let’s not forget that if it weren’t for the removal of Infiltration from the event that Verloren wouldn’t be in this tournament at all.

While even being on the bubble to get in if someone drops out is still a feat, it’s not as amazing as getting in outright. And there’s been nothing stellar from Verloren that hints that he will make a major run at Capcom Cup this year.