I’m a do-or-die, instant gratification type of person. Phrased differently, I’m an impatient person (how I naturally gravitate towards playing blue tempo decks I’ll never know). Part of being impatient also means that I give into temptation easily, and am prone to impulse purchasing decisions.
I originally planned on going to Vegas, but for something else entirely. I’ve mentioned before that I play fighting games competitively, and I originally planned on going to Evolution. To put it plainly, Evo is the biggest annual fighting game tournament, and a must-attend for anyone who loves fighters. I went last year, and it was a blast. I did worse than I expected to, meeting up against Eita, one of Japan’s top pros (who uses the same character as I do, no less) right out of the gate, then almost clawing my way out of my pool on the losers’ side, before running into Eita again and getting eliminated. I did, however, get to sit front and center in the hangar-sized venue and watch my friend from Hong Kong, Johnny “HumanBomb” Cheng, battle it out with the game’s best.
So when it was revealed that GP Vegas and Evo would take place within two weeks of each other, I was torn. Work obligations and my bank account both dictated that I could only make one of those events, and it was a legitimately tough decision to make. I had already registered for Evo online and bought my competitor pass, but hadn’t committed to flight and hotel yet. My fighting game friends and I had been hemming and hawing on that, mostly due to the fact that a flash sale popped up for Evo last year, allowing us to fly for dirt cheap.
In a way, it was fortunate that I hadn’t yet locked in for Evo. Deep down, I wanted to go to Vegas for Modern Masters, but I couldn’t convince myself to back out of Evo, and miss my once-a-year chance to see my international fighting game friends. When it comes down to it, though, I knew I had to make sacrifices one way or another. I made a mental coin flip, and decided on what I wanted before it landed.
“Let’s go to Vegas.”
I really have to thank John Fung on this one. His subtle egging-on of other store regulars, whether intentional or not, was a big part in me finally committing to GP Modern Masters. John’s a great friend, and an all-around pleasure to play Magic and shoot the shit with, and adding Zach B. and Giaco sealed the deal.
So, while I’m a little sad that I’ll have to wait another year to get dim sum with my fellow fighters from China, Singapore, and Australia, I’m excited to be able to make what will no doubt be the biggest Grand Prix ever. Once a year isn’t so bad compared to once in a lifetime.
Now if we could only see some spoilers already. I know I’m getting way ahead of myself with Dragon’s Maze spoiler season just starting, but I can’t be the only one who’s beyond anxious. June can’t come soon enough.