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Jul 21, 2008 at 05:08 PM CDT
Vanessa vs. The World
Posted by: DrDogg
How does Vanessa stack up against the World?
It has been a year of highs and lows for the SAN FRANCISCO OPTX, but despite all the team has been through, for the first time in the history of the franchise they have made it into the Championship Gaming Series World Final. After defeating the DALLAS VENOM in the quarterfinals, the OPTX now face the BERLIN ALLIANZ. DOA has been a pivotal factor for the OPTX all season, with Vanessa Arteaga coming to terms with the first two losses of her career and adjusting to the roll of franchise player.
The OPTX are two matches away from a World Championship, but they will not be easy matches. From a DOA standpoint, Vanessa will face off against Livia "Liefje" Teernstra in the match against the BERLIN ALLIANZ. If the OPTX win, Vanessa will then face either Kat “Mystik” Gunn of the CAROLINA CORE, or Sarah "Sarah Lou" Harrison of the BIRMINGHAM SALVO. Luckily Vanessa matches up well with all three opponents, but none of them will be a walk in the park.
Character: Kokoro
Record vs. Vanessa: 0-0
Vanessa and Liefje have never played in an official league match. However, Vanessa has a great deal of experience against Liefje’s character, Kokoro. Megan “belle” Ceder and Vanessa’s World Final roommate, Eileen Bell, both use Kokoro. Vanessa played three matches against belle this season, plus a plethora of practice games with Eileen. While many of Liefje’s supporters think she has the ability to take out Vanessa, Liefje herself is only focusing on getting as many rounds as possible. Some may view this as a lack of confidence, but against Vanessa and the OPTX it can also be seen as a solid strategy.
In many cases Vanessa has been the backbone of the OPTX. When she does not perform well, the entire team is affected. If Liefje can win three or four rounds, it will put a great deal of pressure on the rest of the team. In addition, if you look at Vanessa’s matches throughout the season, the first three rounds have a significant impact on the outcome of the match. When an opponent goes up on Vanessa during the first three rounds, Vanessa has a difficult time coming back from the deficit. If Liefje can steal a few rounds early on, Vanessa could be in danger of losing the match.
From a raw talent standpoint, Vanessa has the clear advantage. Liefje does not handle offensive pressure well, and Vanessa’s Hitomi can smother an opponent at close range. Couple this with the close quarters combat of the D.W.A. Coliseum stage and it will be a very steep uphill battle for Liefje. Her only hope will be to stick with low attacks in an attempt to evade and crush Vanessa’s mid and high attacks. But if she abuses Kokoro’s low attacks too much, Vanessa will punish her with counterholds. There’s a low margin of error whenever you battle Vanessa, but this matchup will be especially difficult for Liefje.
Character: Kasumi
Record vs. Vanessa: 0-1
As a player, Sarah Lou has grown tremendously since she first arrived in Los Angeles. While she definitely has potential, her first few matches revealed her play style to be extremely offensively. A patient opponent could play a defensive strategy and Sarah Lou would provide many opportunities for guaranteed throws or attack punishment. Very few opponents have taken advantage of this strategic flaw as Sarah Lou’s offensive strategy has worked almost to perfection. The strategy worked well when Sarah Lou faced Vanessa in the championship match of the Individual World Final. She was up 3-1 at one point, but Vanessa calmed down and began to play with a defensive strategy to eventually take a 5-3 win.
The experience Vanessa gained from this match should allow her to extend her margin of victory to 5-2 or even 5-1. The key is to maintain a defensive style of play for an entire match. Sarah Lou has made a few adjustments to her play style, canceling out of her combo strings to mix in more throws against defensive opponents. However, Vanessa’s lightning fast reflexes should prove to be more than enough to handle these variations.
The outcome of this match goes far beyond skill or match history. This will be a mental battle for Vanessa as she will most certainly recall the 3-1 thrashing Sarah Lou opened the Individual World Final with. If Sarah Lou can take the first round against Vanessa, it will be up to the OPTX superstar to brush it off and focus on her game instead of succumbing to the pressure of the World Semi-Final match.
Character: Hayate
Record vs. Vanessa: 0-4
The rivalry that extends beyond the 2008 season, beyond the CGS and beyond DOA may see another entry before the World Final comes to an end. The rest of the league may not see this matchup as the premier bout of the season, but these two ladies are always ready to go head-to-head in a battle of epic proportions. Vanessa currently holds a 4-0 record over Mystik, but in the 2008 season, Mystik has improved significantly when facing Vanessa.
When the two met during the 2007 season, Vanessa won 5-0 and 5-1. This year, Vanessa has won 5-3 and 5-4, with Mystik going up 4-1 during the latter match. That’s a huge contrast from the previous year and it could mean the difference between a win or a loss if the two should meet in the championship match. Oddly enough, very little has changed for these two. Mystik has improved, but so has Vanessa. It seems as though the primary factor for Mystik’s improved performance stems from Vanessa’s ability to handle the pressure of maintaining high point ratios with every win.
Vanessa knows exactly how Mystik plays and how to defend against her Hayate. In fact, she probably knows Mystik better than any other DOAF in the league. If Vanessa can stop worrying about getting shut out victories and focus on the each round individually, she should have very little trouble reproducing her 2007 victory margins over Mystik. However, if the DOAF game happens toward the end of the franchise match, the pressure to perform may be too much for Vanessa and she could find herself down 4-1 again.
The OPTX are two matches away from a World Championship, but they will not be easy matches. From a DOA standpoint, Vanessa will face off against Livia "Liefje" Teernstra in the match against the BERLIN ALLIANZ. If the OPTX win, Vanessa will then face either Kat “Mystik” Gunn of the CAROLINA CORE, or Sarah "Sarah Lou" Harrison of the BIRMINGHAM SALVO. Luckily Vanessa matches up well with all three opponents, but none of them will be a walk in the park.
Vanessa vs. Liefje
Team: Berlin AllianzCharacter: Kokoro
Record vs. Vanessa: 0-0
Vanessa and Liefje have never played in an official league match. However, Vanessa has a great deal of experience against Liefje’s character, Kokoro. Megan “belle” Ceder and Vanessa’s World Final roommate, Eileen Bell, both use Kokoro. Vanessa played three matches against belle this season, plus a plethora of practice games with Eileen. While many of Liefje’s supporters think she has the ability to take out Vanessa, Liefje herself is only focusing on getting as many rounds as possible. Some may view this as a lack of confidence, but against Vanessa and the OPTX it can also be seen as a solid strategy.
In many cases Vanessa has been the backbone of the OPTX. When she does not perform well, the entire team is affected. If Liefje can win three or four rounds, it will put a great deal of pressure on the rest of the team. In addition, if you look at Vanessa’s matches throughout the season, the first three rounds have a significant impact on the outcome of the match. When an opponent goes up on Vanessa during the first three rounds, Vanessa has a difficult time coming back from the deficit. If Liefje can steal a few rounds early on, Vanessa could be in danger of losing the match.
From a raw talent standpoint, Vanessa has the clear advantage. Liefje does not handle offensive pressure well, and Vanessa’s Hitomi can smother an opponent at close range. Couple this with the close quarters combat of the D.W.A. Coliseum stage and it will be a very steep uphill battle for Liefje. Her only hope will be to stick with low attacks in an attempt to evade and crush Vanessa’s mid and high attacks. But if she abuses Kokoro’s low attacks too much, Vanessa will punish her with counterholds. There’s a low margin of error whenever you battle Vanessa, but this matchup will be especially difficult for Liefje.
Vanessa vs. Sarah Lou
Team: Birmingham SalvoCharacter: Kasumi
Record vs. Vanessa: 0-1
As a player, Sarah Lou has grown tremendously since she first arrived in Los Angeles. While she definitely has potential, her first few matches revealed her play style to be extremely offensively. A patient opponent could play a defensive strategy and Sarah Lou would provide many opportunities for guaranteed throws or attack punishment. Very few opponents have taken advantage of this strategic flaw as Sarah Lou’s offensive strategy has worked almost to perfection. The strategy worked well when Sarah Lou faced Vanessa in the championship match of the Individual World Final. She was up 3-1 at one point, but Vanessa calmed down and began to play with a defensive strategy to eventually take a 5-3 win.
The experience Vanessa gained from this match should allow her to extend her margin of victory to 5-2 or even 5-1. The key is to maintain a defensive style of play for an entire match. Sarah Lou has made a few adjustments to her play style, canceling out of her combo strings to mix in more throws against defensive opponents. However, Vanessa’s lightning fast reflexes should prove to be more than enough to handle these variations.
The outcome of this match goes far beyond skill or match history. This will be a mental battle for Vanessa as she will most certainly recall the 3-1 thrashing Sarah Lou opened the Individual World Final with. If Sarah Lou can take the first round against Vanessa, it will be up to the OPTX superstar to brush it off and focus on her game instead of succumbing to the pressure of the World Semi-Final match.
Vanessa vs. Mystik
Team: Carolina CoreCharacter: Hayate
Record vs. Vanessa: 0-4
The rivalry that extends beyond the 2008 season, beyond the CGS and beyond DOA may see another entry before the World Final comes to an end. The rest of the league may not see this matchup as the premier bout of the season, but these two ladies are always ready to go head-to-head in a battle of epic proportions. Vanessa currently holds a 4-0 record over Mystik, but in the 2008 season, Mystik has improved significantly when facing Vanessa.
When the two met during the 2007 season, Vanessa won 5-0 and 5-1. This year, Vanessa has won 5-3 and 5-4, with Mystik going up 4-1 during the latter match. That’s a huge contrast from the previous year and it could mean the difference between a win or a loss if the two should meet in the championship match. Oddly enough, very little has changed for these two. Mystik has improved, but so has Vanessa. It seems as though the primary factor for Mystik’s improved performance stems from Vanessa’s ability to handle the pressure of maintaining high point ratios with every win.
Vanessa knows exactly how Mystik plays and how to defend against her Hayate. In fact, she probably knows Mystik better than any other DOAF in the league. If Vanessa can stop worrying about getting shut out victories and focus on the each round individually, she should have very little trouble reproducing her 2007 victory margins over Mystik. However, if the DOAF game happens toward the end of the franchise match, the pressure to perform may be too much for Vanessa and she could find herself down 4-1 again.
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AlbeL
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airhead501
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GO VANESSA!
i am batman
if u c4n r34d this ur a g33k.
i am batman
if u c4n r34d this ur a g33k.
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