#mexicutioner86

Name: Daniel Cortes

Handle(s): El_Mexicutioner or Mexicutioner86

Current City and State: Charlotte, NC

Games You Play: Tekken, Street Fighter V

Match Highlight (besides the 100$ Money Match in TTT2 vs TurtleBS): TI|TN El_Mexicutioner (Laura) vs xDSC|TITO_G (Bison) - HYPE MATCH!

(Shoutouts to LeonHartEX for capturing this moment)

Tell us about yourself. How did you get your start into fighting games?

Just a chill dude trying to play and become a successful streamer. I first started playing fighting games when I immigrated to the United States. SNES was in and Street Fighter II had just released. It wasn't until when Tekken 3 came out in arcades that I decided I wanted to play in tournaments. My uncle planted the seed mentioning there are tournaments for fighting games, although I had no idea there was a community for that (this was in my teens).

When Tekken 6 was released, I Googled and found the SRK forums. I found a tournament in Greensboro, NC at Lucky's Card Shop, a classic spot from what I heard in the fighting game community ( 3 hours away from where I lived). I placed 5th at my first tournament ever in Tekken.

That’s where the fire to compete was ignited and I’ve been at it ever since.

In your game of choice, which character(s) do you play and why specifically those characters?

In Tekken, I played a lot of the cast. At first, it was Eddy Gordo (Tekken 3). Then I came across King, the character I'm most known for. I was attracted to his throw game and combinations, I practiced them all out and mastered them (well, sort of).

In Street Fighter I've always played shoto characters but in SFV I play Laura. Her mixup game and command throw game is what attracted me to her. Command throws seem to be the characters I’m most attracted to in this new generation of fighting games.

What are some of the things that you like about being a part of your fighting game scene? What are some things you wish could change?

What I like about the Charlotte scene is the comradery and tremendous support we have for each other and their endeavors whether it’s wanting to open up an arcade, organizing tournaments, etc.

One thing I would change is how egocentric it can be at times. As a scene, we’re strong, we just have to change our training habits. Like instead of playing to count W’s we should play to learn from each other and to teach each other. This is the exact thing that separates the Tekken scene from the Street Fighter scene.

In the Tekken scene, two players can play for hours while we spectate to give advice on how to deal with certain things depending on the matchup. In SFV it’s more about cliques and only playing those you can win against.

These are just some things I noticed between the two scenes.

What is your approach to the way you play your game? What do you tend to go for and what do you tend to look for in your opponents?

To be honest, I like to play nutty until my opponent makes me respect them. Then I play equal parts solid and nutty. Finding a good balance between the two has helped me succeed, although most tournament players definitely force me to play more solid than nutty.

What is the match you remember the most and what made it so memorable?

The most classic match for me was when I went to KIT 2018 (Kumite in Tennessee) and I played against my boy, TitoG. It was like four or five of us from North Carolina that went to support each other (Interviewer note: It was also my birthday that weekend, so naturally I was there). 

He’s a Tennessee native, so a crowd was following him around and hyping him up, pretty cool if you ask me. I find out I have to play him next and there is definitely a crowd hyping him up while my boys were hyping me up. It was cool to see a rivalry between the two communities brewing. At the end of the day, we all have love for each other outside of the game. Those kinds of matches are what I live for.

Finally, any advice for any of the newer players looking to join their local scene?

If you build it they will come. Surprise yourself like I did. I had no idea I was gonna do as well as I did at my first tournament but I did. So keep playing, keep practicing, and learn to take advice from those better than you by putting your ego aside. You will grow tremendously with a willing-to-learn attitude.

You can follow Mexicutioner86:

Twitter: @mexicutioner86

Twitch: twitch.tv/mexicutioner86

Instagram: @mexicutioner86