Pre-EVO Interview with Lucky

Crowd pleaser, Norwalk squad member, and Californian Melee legend Joey "Lucky" Aldama is one of the best Fox mains in the world. With years of experience in both singles and teams, his work ethic and mentality are razor sharp, even when leading up to the most prestigious fighting game tournament of our time, EVO.

Lucky gave an outstanding performance last year and landed an impressive 5th place. With mere days left before this year's EVO event kicks off, Lucky gives us a peek into his preparation and mental process.

EVO is creeping closer and closer, and it’s one of the distinguished fighting game tournaments in the world. Luckily, you’re from SoCal, which is a powerhouse region; home to some of the greatest players in the game. With these resources, how have you prepared for EVO technically and mentally?

Lucky: I have more or less focused a lot on tech skill and will continue doing that. I'd rather fully focus on my mentality instead of worrying about tech skill during the weekend.

Fox is the most popular character in Melee and arguably the best. This means he is played by competitors of all abilities worldwide. If you could easily implement any Fox players’ techniques into your gameplay to improve it, which Fox players’ techniques would you use in your own gameplay? What would you like to learn from them?

Lucky: Honestly, I would just take Leffen's punish game and ledge dashes. I'm very happy with a lot of my gameplay but you usually can't find much better with either of those two things than you can with Leffen.

With so many players looking to you as an inspiration and a source of their Fox knowledge, which of your own techniques or combos would you like other Fox players to learn from you?

Lucky: First hit up-air into a follow-up always gets me pretty excited so I would love to see other Fox players do it more. Granted, it's definitely far from optimal haha!

Your last event before EVO is Low Tier City in Texas. How do you think this particular tournament will help you prepare for EVO?

Lucky: With a couple good underdogs and even a few of the top six in attendance, I'm definitely just going to do my best to pretend it is EVO. I want to really try working on energy and mentality more than anything since if I can get those feeling good then I'm confident in my in-game ability.

Different players find strengths and weaknesses in different areas of Melee such as neutral, technical ability, decision making, and punish game to name a few. Last year, you got an outstanding 5th place EVO. What do you feel your strengths are in your gameplay and how will you utilize them to get 5th or higher this year?

Lucky: I wouldn't go as far as to share my weaknesses but I'm constantly working on ways to improve in every way that I can. EVO is no different from any other big tournament for me though. It's a chance to show what I can do on the big stage when it really matters.

Regardless of match ups, each player has their personal favourite characters to fight against. Players also have characters that they see as problematic obstacles in tournament. Which characters do you most like to see in bracket and which characters you hate to see in bracket?

Lucky: I would say that's a weak way to go into a tournament to begin with. If you're going into an event worried about a match-up, then you're already playing from behind before you even get into a set with that match-up. For now, I'm just excited to play against the best players that I can, and I've done everything I can to prepare for anything.

Las Vegas is a fantastic area that distracts even the strongest minds. It’s a very fun city and it’s easy to slip into the wonders of casinos and cocktails. Sometimes, a distraction from the tournament can be a curse or a blessing. Is it best to keep a concentrated mind on the event or can a little ‘play time’ help with relaxing before the tournament?

Lucky: I'm not exactly big on the Vegas lifestyle, so it isn't too much of a concern for me. I'm usually relaxing in my hotel room at big events in my downtime anyway, so this won't be very different for me.

Whether it be stage fright, stream nerves, or just lack of confidence in ability, players of all calibre can fall to mentality issues. EVO is an enormous event with thousands of people watching at any given time. How do you keep composed during intense matches?

Lucky: Whenever I play my best, I am usually focusing on myself and each match at a time. Worrying about things besides the match is usually really bad for me, so I try my best to forget things like what tournament it is and what part of the bracket each set is.

The competition is always heating up and people are hungry to prove themselves and set goals. Competitors tend to have someone that’d they’d like to upset in tournament; someone they’re pretty determined to beat them which becomes a strong motivation. Which player would you like to meet in bracket this year and why?

Lucky: I don't have any one person in mind but the higher ranked the opponent is, the better though. Granted, I'm pretty much excited to just beat every person that I can.

Similarly, competitors dread running into particular players in bracket. When it comes to higher ranked players such as yourself, the dreaded players are usually someone who lies within the top six. You’ve mentioned before you feel no one in the top six is completely unbeatable but with great reason, players would rather avoid them in bracket. With that in mind, which player would you rather avoid in bracket this year and why?

Lucky: I only fear a nervous Lucky. If I can keep my nerves in check, then my tech skill will be on point. When I get to a point where both my nerves and tech skill are solid, I really mean it when I say I know I can beat anyone. The top 6 is no different for me, even if that sounds outlandish, haha!

To stay up to date with Lucky's daily ventures, Smash streams and tournament updates, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Twitch!