To start the recap of the first of my victory with Cammy, let me say I wasn't in X-ISM like Headquarters was with his Dan - I was in A-ISM. The fight was difficult, but with certain elements of strategy with Cammy's arsenal of attacks, I was able to hold my own while being bombarded with attacks from every direction (in a match that went to the very end against Headquarters' Sakura). With a few Reverse Shaft Breaker counters, my Cammy was able to bide time (and damage) until clean hits were safe and effective to use. Some combos were also responsible, but for the most part my combos were interrupted by a flurry of attacks by one opponent, so the most successful of all hits were single or double. Another strategy in that particular fight was the invincibility of Cammy's throws; they allow here to grab one opponent, and pass through a projectile of the other opponent while in the throw animation for the first opponent. With this, it allows Cammy to make her next move either based off the animation the projectile hurler is still in, or off of her position on the screen. Cammy's SK Cannon Spike is great because she can hit both opponents with it and recover to walk in pressure (keeping them from throwing out projectiles!), or it can hit one, and even if one of them blocks it and the other doesn't, Cammy has usually already recovered from the SK Cannon Spike. The most important strategy that the Cammy and Dan victories have in common? Close combat, pure and simple. In both instances, close fights were what got the victor a match, and eventually the win. Without one fighter at bay hurling out projectiles like there's no tomorrow as the other fighter pressures to find a hole in defense, the match has a very different outcome.

Close combat doesn't always guarantee victory perse, but it can prove to be effective when compared to the shameful alternative of being slammed in the corner with projectiles from across the screen while being pressured. Even if you do get hit when you're in close, 8 times out of 10, your friendly opponents will attempt to trap you by surrounding you and low Jabbing you into a 20-30 Hit Super combo; do get-up Special Moves or Super Moves to counter them as their throwing out their Jabs and Shorts. "But can't my opponents get me in some powerful moves with the grapple characters if I stay in close like that?" True, but only about half the time. Why? Because a significant portion of your opponents' strategy will revolve around attacking, attacking, and attacking. Therefore, they hit you, screwing up their partner's grappling ability; when your character gets hit, grappling moves cannot catch you. However, if they do happen to catch you in a grappling move or Super Move, be careful; they can still hit you when you are landing from the move's last hit. For example, with some characters, my partner could throw our opponent, while I caught the opponent just after the throw finished with a Special Move. (As soon as I can get some more clear situations on this phenomena, I'll post it up.) Another strategy I used was attacking with Supers only of Level 1 power; this prevents you from wasting a Level 3 that would take longer to gain back than a single Level (that could have possibly did more damage). Most of the time, I found that a significant amount of the Level 3 Supers were just too long and were easy to be hit out of by an opponent that either didn't get hit by it, or recovered quickly midway through the move. Projectile Supers are a bit different, but some of them can be hit out of as well, just not as much (it's best to put them into combos). Last but definitely not least, use Alpha Counters if you are able to; chances are they'll be humping you when you get up, so get them off with a polite and well-placed Alpha Counter. Sometimes you can be hit out of them from the opponent on your rear, but the hits trade often, and there have been times when I've seen an Alpha counter hit both fighters.

My war-torn Cammy victory against two of my skilled comrades was great, but the most memorable match of the Throwdown at the Bro-Down competition was by far the unforgettable Dan victory Headquarters got. Through and through the match, he fought and fought, once catching both of his opponents simultaneously in a Hisshoubu Raiken Super for 22 hits of fury! To go with that hurt, he kept a good defense going, with several uppercut counters and great zoning with Dan's Gadokens at close range. Dan's Gale kick also persisted as well, since Headquarters used it several times not only as an attack, but also to work his way out of the corner when trapped by his two bloodthirsty 'friends.' An amazing match, truly amazing. With a character that most regard as completely useless and ridiculous, Headquarters beat his way to the top of the hill unmercifully, defeating two skilled opponents at the same time. His opponents weren't just some scrubs off the street who can barely pull off moves; they actually play the game, and they know what Street Fighter is (about). It's not as much the fact that he beat two opponents simultaneously as it is the fact that he beat them with Dan. Now that was a sight to see - two dumbfounded opponents lying in the despair/education/amazement that is being defeated by Dan. In the end, Headquarters' persistence with his X-ISM Dan paid off when both of his opponents were in a jaw-dropped coma.

Lastly, I won a match with not one, but TWO A-ISM characters; my second of the two victories was with A-ISM Fei-Long. Contrary to some saying that only X-ISM characters can prevail when against two opponents due to their higher damage ratio, A-ISM can actually be powerful if used right. Though my X-ISM Fei-Long was doing well (no victory), it seemed I was hit out his Super enough times to make my head spin (counterclockwise). With X-ISM Fei-Long, hitting with his Super can be tough, since it lasts so long, allowing the opponent's partner to hit you out of it if recovered. This problem, however, is not present in the A-ISM Fei-Long, since Level 1 Supers are possible, creating a shorter animation window of the move. The benefit to the smaller animation window is that you can't be hit out of the move as quick, since the animation window is so short by the time the opponent throws out an attack, the move's already finished. Though this only works in certain situations where the opposition hasn't already planned on you doing a Level 1, it works a good portion of the time because of its relatively quick striking ability. Alpha counters were also effective with A-ISM Fei-Long, since there was no guard break meter to lower, Alpha Counters can be used as many times as you can gain a Level. The good thing about Fei-Long's Alpha Counter is that it flies off a bit toward your opponents to catch them easier if it's a distance hit, but the bad thing is that it's a bit slow until the initial animation of the actual hit, and even at that point, he can still be hit out of the Alpha Counter! The best tactic for Fei-Long's Alpha Counter use is when two jumping opponents are leading in to wreak havoc; even if one attacks later than the other, the counter usually hits both opponents out of the air almost every time I've used it. With both versions of Fei-Long though, the Shien Kyaku is very effective to destroy dual threats in a number of different ways. The first, most effective way to use the Shien Kyaku, is when getting up with opponents on both sides of you (!); by using the SK Shien Kyaku at this time, you can prevent being a punching bag for 30 hit combos (even if you can block well), while also keeping the Alpha Counter-lacking X-ISM Fei-Long safe from certain combo devastation.

The second way to use it is when both opponents are in the corner, just itching to escape and use you for their evil combo experiments; a RK Shien Kyaku should usually do the trick, hitting both if they decide to jump, and also hitting both if one decides to stay behind and attack on the ground. If a SK Shien Kyaku is used first, there's a possibility that you can juggle them both with a second RK Shien Kyaku, and catch them even if they recover. The SK Shien Kyaku can also be used to lure your bloodlusting opponents into the second RK Shien Kyaku as well, which is a particularly useful strategy. Rekka Kens are ok, but very difficult to actually place well unless you want to interrupt one of their moves, then get hit by another almost immediately after. You can chain it into some low jabs when they're in the corner, but if one of them blocks, counters are possible, and if both block then it's back to square one. They're not useless though, since the Rekka Ken can actually work as an anti-air move, it can be used in keeping your opponents at bay and to counter some air attacks. Oh, and like always, Fei-Long's Crouching RK is just as effective in a multi-player match as it is in a single-player match ; it has great reach for them out of those damn fireball tactics they'll use. Them same Cammy strategy goes for Fei-Long as far as throws go; Fei-Long's throws are quicker than Cammy's, allowing more surprise attacking, but for the most part also allow the same type of invincibility as Cammy's throws. Fei-Long's Punch throw is especially tricky, because the recovery after the throw is extremely quick, with some time to attack instead of blocking. And Last but not least, is Fei-Long's Jumping FK and RK; I used these quite a bit to attack when I saw an opening, but caution should be used since all jumping attacks are big risk of being juggled to hell and back by your two heathen 'friends.' If you do happen to connect a hit, however, use the SK Shien Kyaku to juggle if you're not sure you hit both opponents, or attack with the RK Shien Kyaku if you're certain you attacked both with the air RK.

The first Throwdown At The Bro-Down competition was a lot of fun, and thanks go to all who participated. There will be many, many more to come.