Fresh off five Weekly Invitational wins and a November Mortal Kombat 11 Open Series Monthly Final victory, Cetrion main Alfio Tommaso “Asodimazze” Zacco of team Esport Empire spoke with us from his home in Lentini, Sicily about his life as a lawyer and scary-talented gamer. Watch Asodimazze’s triumph over LawKorridor in the EU tournament, and learn what makes him tick.
The Foundations of Azodimazze
Theresa: You describe Lentini as a small town. Word usually travels fast — are you known as a great gamer there?
Asodimazze: I work both as a lawyer and in the public administration here in my town, but not everyone knows I'm a gamer. Only my friends and people who have known me for a long time know that I'm a gamer and play in tournaments around the world.
Work by day, FGC by night. You're like a superhero!
A superhero is a bit much, but thanks, haha.
How do you balance work and gaming successfully? Do they complement each other?
I manage to balance work and gaming successfully because I don’t let gaming influence other aspects of my life. When I play MK11 or any other game in which I might be competing, I focus on the things that I need to know and practice them in order to compete well so I don’t waste much time. Also, I don't let my gaming defeats influence my days, which I think is even more important. Competitive gaming may be stressful at times, but I can handle it. I don't think that I play more than 1-2 hours per day, excluding the time I actually compete in tournaments.
It sounds like you have a really mature mindset when it comes to life and gaming in general. Does that give you an advantage over your opponents?
That's a tough question, but that's probably true. I have always been a very rational player, I try to play with patience and with a calm attitude in tournaments, and it probably gives me an edge against some opponents who easily get influenced by their emotions when playing. Being angry or frustrated during a set will rarely lead to victories.
That's a lesson for anyone reading this interview. Stay calm and carry on! With that being said, congrats on winning your first Competition Center open series final. How did it feel to beat LawKorridor?
Thanks, it felt really good! I think I played well throughout the tournament. LawKorridor is always a scary opponent -- we go back and forth and he has beaten me in the past, so getting the victory was a great feeling for sure! His custom Joker build was something else. I think he will do well in future events with it.
On Kustom Variations and Tournament Play
Allowing Kustom Variations in tournaments has definitely changed things up. How do you feel about customs so far and how are they affecting your gameplay?
I like the game so far. There is a lot to explore and practice and I am intrigued by the new possibilities that custom variations allow. My gameplay changed a bit because the variation I am playing now with Cetrion makes her a bit less of a zoning character, and one that plays the midrange better. Sometimes she feels like a different character, but I think I'm adjusting nicely so far. That said, I think that MK11 events for the next few months will have a lot of unpredictable results because with custom variations we basically have a new game. Playing in a tournament against someone rocking a variation that no one has ever used before always means trouble.
That's definitely true. Do you think Cetrion will continue to be your main, or do you see yourself changing it up a bit in response?
She will always be my main probably. She fits my style perfectly in MK11, but I'm looking for the right secondary. At the moment I am also using Shang Tsung, but I rarely use him in tournaments except for a few rare matchups.
Fair enough! How would you describe your playstyle overall?
In MK11, I think my playstyle is 90% keepaway. I am definitely a zoner. I try to zone my opponents out as much as possible, not taking many risks in the process. I would say that I am annoying to fight against, haha. But it's alright, zoners have to be annoying after all.
Just won the @ESLMortalKombat Monthly Finals EU!? ??
— EE/Asodimazze (@AlfioZacco) November 27, 2020
Ggs to my bro @LawKorridor for 2nd place and congrats @FGC_Nivek for 3rd!
As always, thanks to @PNDKetchup and @PNDMustard for the amazing commentary too ?.
On to the next one!
Art by: @yes_danel pic.twitter.com/IM9leCoCOv
Tell me more about your history with the Mortal Kombat series, and the FGC in general. What tournaments have you traveled to in the past?
I have been traveling to fighting game tournaments since 2012. The first tournament I went to was called "Double Impact," an international event held in Northern Italy where I played Soul Calibur V. I got 2nd in that tournament using only Astaroth, my favorite character in the Soul series. After that event, I traveled to France twice to play Soul Calibur V in Cannes, and then I switched games, starting to compete in MKX in 2015. While playing MKX I participated in the 1st edition of the Viennality tournament [in Austria]. I enjoyed the event A LOT, despite playing really badly and losing early. Vienna definitely became my favorite city and I still really love it.
After MKX, I stopped traveling for a bit, but still competed online in various Injustice 2 competitions, then I started traveling again for Dragon Ball FighterZ (I got 3rd in the only event I played in, the Colosseum Tournament 2018 in Rome). I have been to various tournaments in Europe for MK11 as well, like Viennality where I made top 8, the Olympian Kombat invitational where I got 2nd, VCA Vienna (where I got 2nd again, I was cursed in that period!) and some others.
The Value of Online Tournaments
Do you miss traveling to events because of the pandemic? Do online tournaments like the PlayStation Competition Center series help?
I do miss traveling. Playing in offline events is always a lot of fun and I miss my friends for sure, but I don’t think online is inferior to offline when it comes to competing. In my opinion, online tournaments need to be considered more -- the level is always really high, sometimes higher than what we find in some offline events. I think a lot of online players who have not traveled to offline events yet, or have traveled very rarely, are extremely good. Just to name a few from Europe and CIS: Murko, JoshTQ, Dedlaf, LawKorridor, Sikander, are all players that might do really well in any tournament offline. We are lucky that MK11 has a near-perfect netcode that allows online tournaments to run smoothly, giving everyone a chance to compete at the highest level even when they don't have the means to travel around the world.
It's really encouraging that MK11 has such a good netcode, while other games sometimes struggle. Not to mention, those are some quality shoutouts! Maybe we'll see some of those names in offline tournaments after the pandemic is over. Do you ever watch any North American Competition Center Open Series games, and if you could play someone from NA who would it be?
I do watch the NA Competition Center open series from time to time. The players there never fail to disappoint. They have a different meta from what we have here in Europe and that gives me the chance to spectate some matches that I would not see in any tournaments here. I think I would love to play against the MightyUnjust because he plays almost every character in the roster, and it would be the perfect chance to practice a lot of matchups with a skilled opponent. Dragon, who is considered the best Cetrion in the world might teach me some new things, and Ninjakilla, who in my opinion is the best player in the world at the moment. Getting smacked by him would surely be an amazing experience for me!
Let's hope we can get international MK11 events going again soon for that matchup! Last question -- What is one thing that would surprise people to know about you?
I have not always been a zoning player! I have mained characters like Astaroth in Soul Calibur V and VI, who is a grappler, and Johnny Cage in MKX, who is a rushdown character, so don't crucify me on streaming thinking I can only zone please, haha. Have mercy. I just happen to play a zoner in MK11, but who knows, things might change in the next fighting game!
People can’t hold zoning against you -- you're still the champ and they'll have to beat you in order to have a say! Good luck in the December tournament and maybe we'll see you take the win again.
Thanks a lot! I'll try to win again for sure.
Make sure to follow Asodimazze’s successes on Twitter @AlfioZacco. If this interview has inspired you to throw your hat into the ring against the best of the best, sign up for one of the Mortal Kombat 11 Open Series tournaments at the PlayStation Competition Center this month. Maybe a future player profile will be yours.