Absolute Guard

The Absolute Guard returns from a 3-week hiatus, just in time for new Street Fighter 6 footage. Benny and Jon reunite with Tanner and T-Dot to talk through their SF6 CBT2 impressions. We also discuss the groups' opinions on Blanka, Dee Jay, Marissa, Manon, Dhalsim, JP, and Honda. Starting this month, we're going to try to have a 4 person panel with returning guests once a month! Stay tuned for mor...

T-Dot returns for his own biography episode! Jon and Benny reflect on T-Dot's history in the Arizona FGC, including some events that Jon worked directly with T-Dot on. We also discuss tournament payouts and general ideas behind running a tournament, as well as how they relate to the national FGC current events. Follow us on Twitter at @absolute_guard Subscribe on YouTube at youtube.com/spiralserie...

While Benny is away, Jon, T-Dot, Sabre, and Lukesballs sit down to discuss the Street Fighter 6 Closed Beta that occurred in December of 2022. We discuss how our opinions have evolved since last beta, the experience in and out of the fighting game, and individual character strengths/weaknesses. We also briefly reflect on the year 2022, our first year as the Absolute Guard. Follow us on Twitter at...

Let's talk anime! Rath joins Jon and Benny to discuss his personal fighting game journey and the variety of hats he's worn over the years: Top player, Tournament Organizer, Content Creator. We also discuss the history of anime games in the AZ FGC, as well as the impact that rollback re-releases of anime games have impacted the scene and the current state of online vs offline play. Please consider...

Forward stops by to chat with Jon and Benny about his history in both the Smash and traditional fighting game scenes both locally and nationally. True to his varied background in competitive gaming, Forward demonstrates mastery of multiple topics this episode: Being an innovator, being the first professional Smasher, and his original quest for notoriety that drove him to be a top player in Arizona...

In a quicker, shorter episode with a unique format, Jon and Benny interview Mr SNK (http://twitch.tv/mrsnk). He and Benny reflect on their long-lasting friendship, and how Mr SNK's mentality has changed and grown over the years. After the interview, Benny and Jon reflect on their experiences playing online card games. Please consider supporting Jon's fiancee in gift wrapping this season! https://f...

The Absolute Guard returns after the Thanksgiving break, joined by Arakune specialist Tubazo! Together we discuss his fighting game history and reminisce on what it means to leave a legacy in the competitive fighting game scene, while balancing the expectations one can place upon oneself over the years. Please consider supporting Jon's fiancee in gift wrapping this season! https://forms.gle/NNHEqj...

Angelic tags in to drop some history of AZ Marvel and his fighting game career, and sheds some light on the origins and future of Undefeated, the most recent Arizona major tournament. Please consider supporting Jon's fiancee in gift wrapping this season! https://forms.gle/NNHEqjPUXY8AzBP3A Follow us on Twitter at @absolute_guard Subscribe on YouTube at youtube.com/spiralseries Follow on Twitch at...

Benny and Jon sit down with core members of the Devastation team, Makaveli and Yoshi! Together we discuss the history of the Devastation event and its impact on the local and global fighting game community.   Please consider supporting Jon's fiancee in gift wrapping this season! https://forms.gle/NNHEqjPUXY8AzBP3A  Follow us on Twitter at @absolute_guard  Subscribe on YouTube at you...

Benny and Jon get into a topic they've been looking to tackle since the start of the podcast, in Character Selection! What makes people gravitate towards certain characters/styles/aesthetics/gameplay? Sabre gives us his insight, as well as the context on how character selection has evolved throughout fighting game history. We also did our first ad read! Please consider supporting Jon's fiancee in...

WillGetPaid returns! Benny and Jon sit down to pick his brain on graphics engines and how they relate to fighting games, particularly Tekken. The Absolute Guard also discusses how they each handle the sunset period of games, where the community knows a game's end of life is coming in soon in favor of its sequel (Tekken 8 and SF6 being the modern, relevant examples). There's also some talk about FG...

Another first! Benny and Jon reach out of state to our first guest from California (and honorary AZ), @SHBL_Tim ! He's a player with deep roots in both the SoCal scene and later on in Arizona's Street Fighter 4 scene. Together we discuss some of the current hot topics in the FGC, with an overarching theme of Tim's passion for the growth of the community. Follow us on Twitter at @absolute_guard Sub...

Season 2, start! We've upgraded our video production a bit for this special episode, check out some footage from Street Fighter 6! The Absolute Guard got its hands on the Street Fighter 6 Closed Beta and have loads of impressions to discuss with the group! SabreAZ and OldManRiver/Lukesballs join Benny and Jon to discuss their general impressions of SF6 and its Drive system, as well as deep dives i...

In this special episode of the Absolute Guard Podcast, Jon and Benny reflect on Season 1 and what a finale means for the (bright) future of the podcast. We also unveil the Absolute Guard Timeline project, a visual guide to the history chronicled on this podcast. Jon and Benny each reflect on the different eras of the FGC: The Classic Era (1984-1998), The Dark Era (1998-2008), The Revival Era (2008...

Nefertiti joins Benny and Jon to discuss her history in the fighting game community Dark Ages, and her contributions to the fighting game club at the University of Advancing Technology, Quarter Circle Forward. We also discuss the value of creating a welcoming environment and balancing that with the competitive mindset.

We went a bit long today, but it was worth it! NinjaNam joins Benny and Jon to discuss his fighting game career, and sheds some light on the world of commentary in the FGC. We also grabbed some drinks for this episode, maybe that's why we went long! Note: We're experimenting with different audio optimization techniques. This episode may sound a little different.

In our third "Drinks" episode, Benny and Jon bust out iced teas and IPAs to go meta as we chat about the origins of our podcast and Benny's flight school experience. We also reflect on fightsticks in the SF4 era.

What's the latest story? Jon and Benny sit down with investigative blogger KingHippo of themsfightingwordsblog.com to go over his competitive history in Arizona and his experience with the Netherrealm Studios games (MK9-11, Injustice 1+2), as well as history as a blogger and some of the waves he's made in the national scene. We also touch lightly on NFTs and the new Tekken and Street Fighter news...

Jon and Benny sit down with Driftwood, a TO and SF4 top player, to go through his history with the Arizona fighting game community, and his contributions as a tournament organizer. We also chat a little about the parallels between fencing and fighting games.

In this episode, Jon and Benny sit down with FrankAZHP, the founder of AZHP, to learn about the organization's origins and history woven throughout the AZ FGC. We also talk about the different audiences that a tournament can cater to, and offer a variety of perspectives on the role of a TO.

Roch Kiss has entered the room, and he had next! Jon and Benny discuss Roch's competitive history and a bit of his mindset as a player. Then, all three of us discuss the history of Hitbox locally and weigh in on its legitimacy in competitive play in 2022. Note: There are some audio glitches due to connection issues throughout this recording. 

Jon and Benny chat with Dragon Ninja about his fighting game origins all the way to his power combination of top player and community TO. We also discuss DOA at length, its F2P model and the impact of the end of developer support on a modern community.

In our second "Drinks" episode, Benny and Jon continue with the 1:1 chats over drinks. Tune in as we reminisce on our origins as tournament organizers in the Arizona Fighting Game Community, and advice to new aspiring TOs in 2022.

We listened! Our most-requested guest, SabreAZ joins Benny and Jon with a high-level retrospective of his competitive fighting game career, and his experience at Evo 2022.

In the first of our new "Drinks" mini-episodes, Benny and Jon chat 1:1 about topics with our beverages of choice. Both of them had some stories to share from their past weekend, with Benny attending GameOn Expo in Phoenix and Jon attending Evo in Las Vegas.