After a very successful inaugural Sajam TEKKEN Slam, everybody involved was excited to run it back as soon as possible, once again on TEKKEN 8, and it didn't take long before plans for the next Slam were in motion. Featuring a mix of returning players and coaches together with new talent, Sajam Slam 2 took place approximately two months after the first Slam, with a similar prize of a trip to EVO 2024 on the line.
The Teams
Schedule
May 15, 2024: Round Robin #1
May 17, 2024: Round Robin #2
May 19, 2024: Finals
Prizes
1st-2nd: All inclusive EVO 2024 trip sponsored by EVO & Sajam, JunkFood Arcades: Snackbox Micro controller
3rd-4th: Granola Leverless (Sajam edition), SGF Leverless (Sajam edition)
All: ArcadeShock button (Sajam edition)
Partners
JunkFood: Snackbox Micro
Granola Leverless
SGF Leverless
Results
Round Robin #1
The second Sajam Slam saw a refinement in the Round Robin format. There would be two separate Round Robin tournaments on two separate days, allowing for more matches and the ability for teams to make adjustments and practice between the tournaments. Rather than ending the match after three wins (and thus often skipping many exciting sets), now all players play their sets in each match, with each player win awarding 3 points to their team.
Team Brawlpro, with 4 of the same 5 members as the previous Slam and looking for the title after a 2nd place finish, continued their strong play, going 4-1 in overall match wins and earning 45 points. LazyMattman once again won each of his sets, although two players earned a game win, showing that the others in that anchor slot were catching up. Right behind them was Team Hidetone, also going 4-1 and earning 42 points, and Team MYK, going 3-2 for 42 points.
[ Full results of each match ]
Round Robin #2
After a day's worth of practice following the first Round Robin, the teams came together to play another tournament, this time with each win counting for 5 points for their team. The combined total of points for the two events would determine their seeding into a 6-team double elimination event to determine the eventual champion.
Teams Brawlpro, Hidetone, and MYK all started the day close at the top, and they each continued strong, winning their first matches of the day. They remained close all through the day, culminating in an exciting final set of matches where Team Brawlpro beat Team MYK 4-1 for a huge point swing to snag the second seed, while Team Hidetone defeated Team Kaizur 3-2 to clutch out the first seed. LazyMattman also took his first set loss in either of the two Slams, 2-0, to Amaz from Team KawaiiFaceMiles.
[ Full results of each match ]
Round Robin #1 Results
Round Robin #2 Results
Final Round Robin Results
Finals
The finals were structured as a double elimination bracket, with the top two seeds (Team Hidetone and Team Brawlpro) earning byes past the first round. The strong third seed, Team MYK, won their first match but then fell to Team Brawlpro and Team KawaiiFaceMiles for an early end to their finals day. Team Hidetone and Team Brawlpro predictably met in the winners finals match, where Team Brawlpro took a nailbiter 3-2 in a tense coach's match, and guaranteed a trip to EVO 2024 for his team.
Team PhiDX made a strong run through the losers bracket, eventually matching up with Team Hidetone in the losers finals. Team PhiDX continued their run by pulling off a strong victory and earning a trip to EVO 2024, including a clutch win in the first position for Eskay over Team Hidetone's ESAM, who had lost only 1 of his previous 12 matches in this Slam. However, in the grand finals, Team Brawlpro continued their strong play, winning the tournament 3-1 over Team PhiDX and avenging their second place finish in the first Slam.
[ Full bracket and match results ]
EVO 2024: Beat-a-Pro
In addition to the two teams that earned trips, many other players decided to attend EVO 2024 to experience the excitement of the biggest event in the FGC calendar. Since both Sajam Slam 1 and this Slam occurred before EVO 2024, players from both Slams attended! While there, Sajam ran a Beat-a-Pro event, where fans from the audience could challenge a Slammer to a match on stage. The final challenger of this event was TEKKEN game director and producer Katsuhiro Harada, who played against Lilypichu in a fun, memorable match.
Photo: RellFGC
Photo: Terence Rushin
Resources
VODs
Links
Sajam TEKKEN Slam YouTube Playlist
Liquipedia Results Page
Evo Attendees Try Their Best to Beat a Pro with the Sajam TEKKEN Slam - EVO