 That must mean it. Aaron Black versus Kung Lao. Foxy's still rocking Kung Lao all the way. No more Cassie until Shang Tsung is legal. No, I feel like watching Foxy's Kung Lao, since he's pretty much made the decision to play just Kung Lao, he's looked a lot more comfortable, a lot more kind of into his own element than Hayate, bringing in that Aaron Black again, looking so strong. But this is officially going to be it. I believe this is going to be no button checks. They've done the fist pump, three out of five territory, no more two out of three here, my friends, as we're going to look for our first winner's finals participant. I think they can let it rock, for sure, 100%. And I'm going to keep quiet while it happens. Come on with this hat, go on. So this is going to be officially the first match of VN 90 2019, top eight. It's going to be Foxy Graham, part of the UK, and Hayate flying it all the way from Canada. Both of these players have looked so dominant this entire tournament. What a matchup. But I mean, both of these players are really well known, kind of sticking with one character and really trying to make it rock. If you've seen Foxy before, you know this guy likes to grab. It's the mix up forward for all grab. If you're going to disrespect and challenge forward, forward, choose you up. If you sit and wait for the mid, grab finishes you off. Z hat. And here comes the pressure. Wonderful whip. Oh, he missed the string. Yeah, it did quite get it. Into a whiff punish from the dive kit from Foxy. Deep jump kick. The respect Hayate. Very respectful player. And I feel like that's going to be a style that you have to go against Kung Lao. Because if you want to disrespect Kung Lao's options, he is just going to chew you up and spit you out. Especially the hands of Foxy. Love that dive kick making the slide whiff. Well, the gun show if actually, sorry I should say. It's a very, very slow match until we get point blank. You know, because Aaron Black has that sort of tried and true overhead mix up there. And then Kung Lao, you know, it's going to be grab or mid. We say this over and over again because it's so prominent. Now Foxy contends sitting there. It's very hard to throw this man very characteristically. Throw text. Throwing a spanner in the works with that spin on block. Very risky, but it's going to work out Hayate. Will he pull the trigger on fatal blow? No, he won't! Applify the hat. And we're going to get a confirm into spin for round one. Now a crucial thing. Those of you a bit more aware would have seen the escape failed, so Foxy Grandpa does have that back throw crushing blow locked and loaded. Now, will he save it for a rainy day? Or will he just pull the trigger whenever he gets the chance? I don't know. Hayate going to get a grab here. Two very snowball heavy characters, right? But Aaron, he needs the knockdown. Aaron needs the knockdown to get his game started. The quick crouch into the whiff punish with the height. Drops the combo though. Foxy leaving a lot of damage on the table. Now, Foxy doesn't usually drop that combo, but I feel like this immediate first game of top eight has had a bit of a bearing on both these players. Hayate dropping the string at the very beginning. And not getting the follow-up heals looking for either. Wonderful whiff punish. Taking the plus frames on down three. Now he's going to enforce. Here's the launch. Down one as well. And we're going to go for damage. Into amplify. Into acid pressure. Hayate now. Really content sitting there, holding every single forward four. Foxy sends his way at the moment. And as well, we're spending the advantage of the jump kicks, right? Foxy is doing these deep jump kicks all the time. No, he's not going to spend it. Not going to spend it. Not until it's absolutely guaranteed. Maybe now. Maybe. No, no, he's holding it. You madman. He's really trying to fish for it. Here goes for the counter post fatal blow using the armor to power through. And honestly, I'm genuinely surprised he held it both times in a row. Is this going to be enough to kill? Not quite. Oh, Foxy grandpa. Not going to be able to take that. Oh, but Hayate, he's not holding onto it. He's absolutely going to spend the throw crushing blow. Gone. Both players with some very useful utility now not on the table. Hayate losing that throw. Foxy grandpa losing that fatal blow. Oh, with punish. Immediate reaction on that teleport. I mean, that's going to be just data for Foxy really. I mean, he put it to the test and coming out of teleport, definitely not what it used to be. The highest level of players can react to that one every time. Hayate absolutely going to be one of those. Now believe it or not, the crushing blow throw is still locked and loaded. I do wonder if Foxy's going to be in a position to actually enforce that. Oh, okay, no. Oh, am I seeing it now? And there it is. Going to use it to take the life lead away. Obviously held that three times. Escape failed again. Hayate. Watch out for that fatal blow though. Ten frames on startup. One of the better fatal blows in the game. Wow. Wake up. Oh, if that whips, he could have died. And there it is. He waits. Put the pushback. Hayate. It's alive. Oh, down through catch. Jumping out into another throw. Foxy grandpa sticking to it. And it's going to be a brutality to start things off in this top eight. Normally, Foxy fishes have a brutality in tournament, but that was just another part of the extended mix up. You'll notice that most of the time, Foxy threw out a forward four. That two hit kick. Every single time Hayate was content to sit there and take it. And at the last minute, he's enforcing grabs at a much more unpredictable time. The thing about keeping a mix up that simple is that players of almost every skill level are victim to it. They have to hold it just like everyone else. It's true. It's legit. There are no gimmicks here. This is all conditioning. And it's why Foxy is so good at enforcing it, right? He's so good at just making the reads, enforcing his decisions. Hayate. Wake up down three. You're going to be able to take the advantage away again. Hayate again. He's a very respectful player, but at the end of the day, I feel like Foxy's the kind of player that will use that against you if he really senses that you're just never going to challenge on defense. But at the same time, Hayate, we're already beginning to now see these jump kicks. He is going for these folks. And there's the whip punish. Unfortunate for Hayate. Big combo coming out from Foxy. Oh, going to use the bar on the setup, not the combo. Trying to fish for more. Okay, the back to connects. Strong mid. Hayate going to enforce it. And there's the set up with the acid. Wake up. Oh, good throw tech. Crucial throw tech, in fact. Keeps him in the acid. And the acid's where the money maker is going to be. The digital jump kick. The combo there, unfortunately. Wake up fatal blow and trying to be a little bit eager. Hayate, I love the patience. And I mean, patience is what Hayate was always known for. Now that's kind of like reversal fatal blows, right? It's being used for the armor. It's not a very Foxy thing to do to kind of throw out a fatal blow like that. But I think going for an armor to reversal with the kind of play style he enforces, it can completely throw you off. Well, it's a game of taking turns, right? If you block forward forward in many ways, it's your turn to now do something against Kung Lao. If he's minus in any way or whips to grab again, it's your turn. When you throw armor, it will make you second guess. Okay, there it is. You can see that Scudshot be a big thorn in the side of that full screen game. You know, we used to see in Foxy go for those z-hat game full screen, you know, the guided hat, trying to really establish some threat. The Scudshot is going to say no. There's a lot of big whips punished, but enough to take some advantage. The Scudshot again coming through. Oh, okay. Yeah, that dash in down three definitely to make the jump kick whip and actually gives Hayate some form of offense and there's the neutral jump for another time in a row. And yeah, up three. On wake up and that's a full confirm now. He's going to be dead. He's going to get acid too. This should be dead. Yes. Okay, cool. The patient's Hayate. Going to be waiting out the acid. Really patient play at the end there. He had the life advantage on his side. Foxy didn't have too much to threaten with there, but afford to be patient. But it was also Hayate's positioning. And I think that's what's really important in this matchup is that he was actually more often than not outside of down three range, so he's not going to get those plus frames he has to hold into the tried and true mixer. It was just a game of spacing. And I think in game two, Hayate definitely adapts faster than most. That was what he was really famous for. And why is Winner's top 8, dude? Hayate, he has been a top five player arguably in almost every Netherrealm game he's competed in. I'm really showing us why. We're punished again. Hayate with the knowledge. I mean, he knows he can make with. But that's the thing. Some of these characters have really unique situations and actually went for it again, even though he mistimed it. The knowledge and the attempt was there. He could have easily with punished and got another punished forward throw. Now the forward throw are much more likely throw for Kung Lao because the fact has no defensive bar to break away. And now, oh my word, he's actually dead. His toes in the acid man increased damage. Now, a mistake we're seeing Foxy consistently make here though is normally he's very good at reacting to when you've delayed wake up or not and then committing his option from there. Right here, we're seeing him go for a lot of throws too early. Hayate hasn't decided what kind of wake up to go for yet. There is the amazing forward reversal. But Foxy, he's committed to throws a lot of the time and he's kind of just getting with punished for free. And Hayate is consistently making him pay for it. He's playing this match up again. That down one reaction always ready. Do not challenge this man and he is just zoning Foxy out, here, there and everywhere. But I was mentioning the jump kick. It jails so much into a guaranteed down three that the flawless block is the next level of that tech. Hayate showing a lot of matchup knowledge. And just like that must have two to one. What an adaptation here for my matchup knowledge though. I actually really like Hayate's choice not to go for the slide there after the mid's connected because if he goes for the slide and you break away, you actually stand up and get with punished for free. So Hayate decided to not go for the kill and potentially throw himself away with the slide if it didn't do it and maybe give Foxy the comeback potential keeping it very clean as Hayate, one game away from making it into winners finals. But Foxy, only one game behind can definitely still make it work. And now action is will he? Oh, okay. Amazing break with Hayate, a lot of damage saved from but the escape failed for Grandpa. I mean the snowball is beginning to roll. The reason escape failed happens in that situation is purely looped and ends Kung Lao much closer. The forward throw sends full screen. You always want to try and tech the version that causes Lao to increase his pressure. The forward throw sometimes may as well be guaranteed if you're looking for a reaction either way. Wow. Now came to the grab. Foxy still committing to the telepathy now then. And Hayate, his decisions on when the grab is coming versus when a mid is coming has been on the money. Is he going to use this? Of course. No, no, no. He's holding onto it. I really thought Foxy was going to be dangerous, doesn't it? Oh, the delay. Oh! That is why Foxy holds onto it just because you have the crushing low throw ready to use. Doesn't mean you have to pull it out. And Foxy, deciding not to saving it for the best moment, jumps over. Oh, amazing throw escape. Oh, and there it is. That's one of the first times Hayate actually got clipped. Foxy going in for the one, two, one. It does side-twitch on hit. Here comes the loopable pressure. Dash in. Z-hat now. And Hayate sitting there in a combo. I mean, look what happens. Oh, going to the stream, but it is going to be safe. Oh, the delay. I like how Hayate he chooses to wait to see Foxy go for that extended forward ball before he decides to break away. He's just keeping his options on the table. I think Foxy was content there. Just staying there and waiting for the minus frames. And then he can enforce his turn, the scud shot. Get away from me. The down three on the jump in, literally not to add the effort to make it win. He is dead. 100%. Forward four and two of the best NRS players in their business. Both of these players were completely unchallenged on their way through to Winner's Side Top 8. Right? They stormed through their pools. They stormed through the next round. And I'm not at all surprised to see it. I think looking at the player list before we went into this, if I was to pick two players that I was like convinced would be an easy lock for Winner's Side Top 8, these two would be up on that list for sure. But it's going to be game five, regardless. We're seeing a lot of on the fly adaptation here. Oh, the skate failed on the first grab. That's not good. It's because Hayate knows that Kung Lao and Foxy in general really favors that forward grab. And he's going in for again. Foxy so convinced now that you're not going to consistently wait. There we go. And there we go. Full combo. That by itself could have evened it out. Foxy, going to be coming off that defensive bar. Breakway used. Plus frames again. Hayate, the respect. Foxy actually ready to challenge me. Very surprised that Scott chose to start. Wow, wake up. But no counting it though. So again, every time he's going for that Scott shot cancel, Foxy's recognizing with a button every time. And there's the anti-air. He's going to get a full combo. Immediate breakway. Smart stuff from Hayate. Throw a skate. That's going to leave the escape failed. I love the anti-air. Spending his last ounce of resource on the puddle. But this actually might actually be dead. That's like full damage. Oh, not quite. Yes. And there we go. Hayate is going to take a little bit of chip damage. Foxy trying to wake up with jump or some kind of movement. He had to meet and take the last breath, but the call out. Oh, immediate dive kick. Choice to get Hayate out of the corner. Guess the dive kick again. Well, the drop kick, I guess, is a more accurate term. Throw escape. Hayate guesses right. Oh, the whiff punish. And again, too far away for the 2-1, 2-1, 2. Oh, going to walk away. And that's going to be a full whiff punish. That's what Hayate has been scared of. Look at how much time Hayate had though. He killed his bar back. Forward, forward, off the cancel. This is very, very close. Hayate, he still has his fatal blow locked and loaded. That might be a real game changer if he chooses to go with it. Oh, that was one more good clean connection. Might actually be game over. Oh, he's opened up. He's opened up, and he has no brakes for either. He doesn't do a lot of damage. Oh, no. He is going to do just enough. And Hayate, the last hit on the slide is enough to take it down. I was convinced that the slide wouldn't be enough. But Hayate, a sigh of relief. I'm not sure if even he was ready for it. That was such a good series, man. That was a real treat to watch. And I think,