MenaRD Wins Back-to-Back Evo Without His Main Character

MenaRD has once again proven why he is considered one of the best Street Fighter 6 players in the world by winning his second consecutive Evolution Championship Series in Las Vegas. This victory brings his total Evo wins to four, including back-to-back titles at Evo Las Vegas (2025-2026) and Evo Japan (2024-2025). Throughout the tournament, his Blanka appeared dominant, but a surprising story emerged from the top eight: in his most crucial matches, Mena opted not to use his signature character.

In Winners Semis, Mena started with M. Bison against Shigematsu, going 2-2 before switching to Blanka for the deciding game. He won a hard-fought match that went to the final round, sending Shigematsu to the losers bracket. However, Shigematsu fought his way back through Dogura, Craime, and Kilzyou to reach Grand Finals, setting up what many expected to be a Blanka mirror match. Yet Mena again chose Bison for the first set.

Shigematsu managed to reset the bracket by defeating Mena's Bison 3-1. After the reset, Mena finally switched to Blanka and dominated, winning the next set 3-0 to claim his fourth Evo championship. When asked about his character choice, Mena explained, "Shigematsu is a teammate with another top Blanka player from Japan called Takagi. I took that into account and had confidence in my Bison after practice. My Bison actually produced better results against the Blanka players I practiced with. But I also suspected his style was a bit different—more aggressive with many tricks."

After the close call in Winners Semis, Mena still felt he could win with Bison and, being on the winners side of Grand Finals, could afford to lose a set. But after Shigematsu took the first set, he realized he needed to switch to his bread and butter. This strategic flexibility highlights Mena's deep understanding of the game and his ability to adapt under pressure.

Mena credited his training in Japan for his improvement as a player. "I'm staying in Japan right now, playing in the Street Fighter League. My teammates in Zeta Division—Momochi, Higuchi, and Yamaguchi—are all amazing players, and I see them every day," he said. This environment has clearly helped him refine his skills and maintain his edge in the competitive scene.