IlluZion's Sonido has been keeping himself super busy over the past two weeks, attending both MomoCon 2022 and InfinityCON Tally 2022 back-to-back.
At MomoCon 2022 two weeks ago, Sonido managed to place 33rd out of 666 entrants while taking wins over reputable players such as the 8th best Dominican Republic player, Chazz and Mississippi's best player, YoseFu while only losing to IlluZion alumni, yonni, and eventual fifth place finisher, DDee.
Sonido's run at InfinityCON Tally 2022 last weekend started out superbly dominant, as he didn't drop a single game through round one pools, making top 32 without breaking a sweat.
Waiting for Sonido in his first match of top 32 was Tachyon, a player who is not only considered to be one of the best Pikachu mains on the east coast, but also one of the best players in the incredibly stacked state of Florida. The odds were even more stacked against Sondio when one factors in that Tachyon had actually defeated Sonido in their only two encounters before InfintyCON Tally 2022; they previously played two best of three sets, and Sonido not only lost both sets, but he also only ever took a single game.
However, the world's most physically strongest Sonic main was entirely undaunted by his Floridan foe or his past wins over him, and Sonido vanquished Tachyon from the winners bracket with a devastating 3-0, earning his shot at facing Goblin in winners quarters.
From crossing controllers with one top Florida player to another, Sonido found himself opposite of one the top two Roy mains in the world in Goblin. This wouldn't be the first time the pair had ever played each other, though, as they had faced off in the past almost three years ago at DreamHack Atlanta 2019, where Goblin took the set 3-0.
Sonido vs Goblin
Game 1:
Game one started out very well for Sonido; he managed to secure the first stock of the game by landing a solid forward aerial off stage to edge guard Goblin after taking on a great amount of damage from nailing a couple of solid up air combo strings early, in addition to utilizing forward aerials from the ledge. However, this would be the final stock that Sonido would take, as Goblin adapted quickly by making use of Roy's disjointed attacks to not only keep Sonido at a distance but also to counter Sonic's Spin Dashes in neutral, taking all of Sonido's stocks in nearly two minutes.
Game 2:
The second game started out with Sonido going for a more elusive neutral, opting to use his Spin Dashes to try and get behind Goblin and hit him. This would work to some degree, but it was Goblin who was getting the better of the exchanges by using dash dancing and waiting for Sonido to come in. Goblin was also making it supremely difficult for Sonido to recover, as he continually used forward aerial and down tilts to keep Sonido off stage. Goblin would take the second game with an expertly timed spot dodge to counter down smash combo.
Game 3:
Goblin would be the one to take the edge early by jumping backwards to catch Sondio coming in with aerials and dashes, on top of responding with aerials out of shield when ever he blocked Sonido's aerials. Sonido was really playing from behind all game, but whenever Goblin would leave an opening, Sonido would capitalize fully by completing some pretty extended Spin Dash combos. Alas, our hero would unfortunately lose to the Floridian titan in the end 3-0, falling to losers bracket.
Now in losers bracket, Sonido would have to test himself against top 10 South Florida Zero Suit Samus main, Grimm.
Sonido vs Grimm
Game 1:
The first game started off pretty competitively, with players getting pretty scrappy in neutral, but Sonido ended up taking the first stock. Grimm answered back soon after by planting Sonido into the ground and then following up with an up aerial to even out the stock count. The pair would continue to trade stocks for the rest of the set, but it was Sonido who managed to secure the first game after scouting out one of Grimm's jumps with a back aerial.
Game 2:
In game two, Sonido started to get into his grove more with his aerial placements and Spin Dashes by forcibly getting in Grimm's face and pretty much suffocating his movement. He also made life for Grimm very miserable off stage with well-placed aerials to nail crucial edge guards, which actually won Sonido the game when he called out one of Grimm's recoveries with a drop zone back aerial in the last moments of the game.
Game 3:
It was evident in game three that Grimm was not about to go down without a fight. He really brought on the pressure in the first couple of minutes of the game by doing his damndest to keep Sonido on the defensive with Zero Suit Samus's longer reach. He also pulled off a pretty clever empty land to forward smash combination that took the first stock in his favor. The set then boiled down into very fun barnburner that saw both players really push each other. Grimm put up a very worthwhile effort, but it was Sonido who ultimately earned the win, putting himself in the top eight.
After running the gauntlet of some of Florida's best players in top 32, Sonido found himself, again, opposite of another esteemed Floridan in JAVI ON EARTH, one of the best Villager players in Florida.
Sonido vs JAVI ON EARTH
Game 1:
Sonido seized the initiative early by going on the offensive, preventing JAVI ON EARTH from utilizing Villager's wide array of projectiles. This worked to stymie JAVI ON EARTH, however, they still managed to keep it mostly competitive by calling out Sondio's jumps by baiting them with aerials and planting trees on the ledge to prevent Sonido from recovering to stage as easily. It went down to last stock, but Sonido pulled away with the victory.
Game 2:
Game two would largely play out as close as the last game, with Sonido maneuvering as best he can through JAVI ON EARTH's projectiles and JAVI ON EARTH finding ways to nail down Sonido's dash approaches. It was tough, but Sonido found the means to Spin Dash his way past JAVI ON EARTH's shield and deliver an empathic forward smash to close the game.
Game 3:
For the first two games, Sonido was able to maintain the pace of the set very slightly in his favor, but, now, JAVI ON EARTH had seemingly found their rhythm, as they were able to secure a pretty significant lead in the third game, bringing Sonido to his last stock at about 138%, while keeping a two stock lead. Sonido did find the way to take JAVI ON EARTH's second stock, but they would end up taking the third game, staving off elimination.
Game 4:
For the first two games, Sonido was able to hold onto the pace of the set ever so slightly. But now, the situation had completely reversed with JAVI ON EARTH now in complete control of the momentum; their aerial placements had noticeably become more sharper as the fourth game raged on. Sonido wasn't being suddenly outmatch, however, as he did manage to bring the game to a last stock situation. He even almost clutched it out by scouting out JAVI ON EARTH's recoveries by popping his balloons in an attempt to edge guard them. In the last moments of the game, it was pretty evident that both players were getting incredibly nervous, with both players whiffing moves in neutral and becoming frantic in their movements. In the end, it was JAVI ON EARTH who secured the final hit of the game, bringing the set to a game five.
Game 5:
After four grueling back-and-forth games, our hedgehog hero found himself in his first game five set of the tournament. The fifth and final game would prove to be even more grueling, as it came down to a climatic last stock slobberknocker, but, unfortunately for our hero, this is where his InfinityCON Tally 2022 journey came to an end, as JAVI ON EARTH was able keep Sonido in the air long enough to deal the final blow, ending Sonido's run at seventh place out of 182 entrants.
While his exit from the tournament may not have been the most ideal, Sonido still managed to not only make top eight, but also rode back home to Georgia with wins over some of Florida's best, including a former bracket demon. Catch Sonido next at CEO 2022!
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