Grudge matches give the fighting game community a special flavor unique among esports. The legacy of both friendly and salty rivalries bring the FGC together for extremely memorable moments. This history of intense competition motivates other players to improve.
Some are played for more money than you’d ever pay to fly out to a tournament. Others are played to settle beef. Many, like Leffen versus Chillindude, even become part of the community’s legacy. Nevertheless, these five iconic rivalries are worth watching for inspiration and emotionally satisfying conclusions.
Fanatiq vs Joker and Ray Ray
This double whammy in 2012 is one of the most hype Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 salty suite money matches. Fanatiq was one of the top Magneto players in vanilla Marvel 3. UMvC3 changed the character’s playstyle forcing most mains to adjust. Newcomers like Ray Ray and Joker drove those changes to the top of the rankings, but Fanatiq thought these new “Masters of Magnet” were all style and no substance. Soon enough that beef turned into challenges.
Joker and Ray Ray both set up $5,000+ money matches with Fanatiq. In the end Fanatiq stood his ground and took down both throne usurpers. Those losses pushed them to get better and become two of the strongest players today.
Neo vs Clockw0rk
You can’t mention money matches or grudge matches in the fighting game community without bringing up Neo vs Clockw0rk, AKA, the Marvel vs Capcom 2 final chapter. While the reasoning behind the match isn't public knowledge, $15,000 was on the line for a first-to-15 battle between two of the best Marvel 2 players in the world. Many believe this is the greatest money match of all-time, and I’m right there with them. If you want to know how it ends you’ll have to watch it for yourself.
Fanatiq vs Xecutioner
Neo vs Clock wasn’t the only amazing high-stakes money match in Marvel 2. Actually it was far from it. Fanatiq and Xecutioner had a decade-long rivalry thanks to Xecutioner’s views on Fanatiq’s macro usage which gave him access to a one-button dash but restricted him to one assist. Such a tactic was and sometimes still is obscene in the face of fighting game purists depending on the game. Come Winter Brawl X in 2016 the two finally clashed in a first-to-15. The match came close, but Fanatiq got the download and took the set.
Sonicfox vs Perfect Legend
Another grudge match engrained in FGC history you can’t skip is Sonicfox vs Perfect Legend. This set lives in infamy, after PL talked down on Sonic’s Mortal Kombat X play with some old school trash talk. Perfect Legend is no slouch, winning Evo multiple times, but Sonic came out on top in a first-to-10 that became a first-to-13. Sonic swept PL 10-0 but PL didn’t give up, resulting in Sonic sweeping three more games. It’s a case of humble-pie that is a tale as old as time in the FGC.
Sonicfox vs Go1
While not a high-stakes money match, Sonicfox vs Go1 is now one of the most recognized rivalries in the FGC. This competitive duo’s influence spanned throughout most of the early days of Dragon Ball FighterZ and started with a call out from Go1 and a quick response from Sonicfox after they won Winter Brawl. Next came the first-to-10 set at Final Round.
This time Sonicfox was on the other end of the results screen, with Go1 taking the first-to-10 set, 10-4. But that wasn’t even close to the end of their rivalry that spans two sides of the globe and different fighting games.
These are only a few of the best grudge matches in fighting games. Across decades of esports there are many that we may never even hear about. With fierce competition, there will always be something special about seeing players so passionate that they dare to directly challenge one individual, then put themselves on the spot.
From smaller grudge matches to the ones with a year’s worth of rent on the line, there’s nothing like a good 1v1 to settle beef and show what the FGC is all about — competition and community.