Big Bird at Evo Las Vegas 2024: “People started calling me ‘washed,’ so when I switched to Rashid, I had a point to prove.”

The Street Fighter 6 competition heats up as the top players aim for the coveted Evo Las Vegas 2024 title. Among these top players is Adel "Big Bird" Anouche, who sat down with esports.gg for an interview! Read on for Big Bird's thoughts about the event, the competition, his choice on playing as Rashid, and more.

When talking about this year's competition, Big Bird said he saw many upsets, with only a few repeat finalists like Amjad "Angry Bird" Al-Shalabi and Victor "Punk" Woodley making it to the top.

"There has been a lot of surprises," he told esports.gg. "There's been a lot of people cementing themselves, and that's been great. I think Evo this year has been amazing to watch. I've seen and hung out with everyone I expected to see. There are people who didn't make it like, for example, Luffy from France. He didn't make it. But I feel like a lot of people who I would expect to see at Evo have made it. Usually, my circle involves hanging out with Punk and Problem X."

Big Bird shared his thoughts about Evo's three-day format as well, with the first day being relatively easy and involving just a few matches. The second day, however, was much more demanding since competitors needed to progress from Round 2 to the Top 6. This required a lot of stamina.

He continued, noting that competitors must always be prepared to handle the physical and mental strain of playing and preparing all day. Big Bird then gave a shoutout about his partnership with Red Bull, saying that the drink helps him with his energy levels during these long hours.

The player also described how so much has changed since he got sponsored by Red Bull. Before the sponsorship, it was difficult for him to find consistent support and resources for tournaments. Now, he can count on their support wherever he goes, whether its in the US, France, or Japan.

In terms of his own gameplay at Evo Las Vegas 2024, he told esports.gg that he's happy about playing as Rashid again. He went back to Rashid after a stint with Marisa. This led him to better gameplay at DreamHack Summer 2024 and his recent CPT 2024 World Warrior tournament.

"When I went to Dreamhack Dallas and I lost with Marisa, I switched from Marisa to Rashid," he said. "I did not focus on him until the second season where I committed to him full time. As soon as I committed to him full time, I won DreamHack Summer in Sweden, I got fourth in the The MIXUP in France, and now I'm in the running for an Evo win. So going back to the my main proved how good that is for me and how much Marisa was holding me back."

This year, Evo is taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, which is different from previous years at the Mandalay Bay. To Big Bird, this location means that folks are a bit more scattered outside of the convention. In previous years, players simply walked out of their hotels and hung out without much traveling distance. However, there are pros for the new location such as lots of room for artist alley and access to the arena. Additionally, despite the cons, he gets to meet up with familiar faces.

"This global network feels like a big family," he said. "They're always there for me even if they know me only by name, which is one of the most amazing aspects of being with Red Bull."

Big Bird then shared how it all began for him. He told esports.gg that he started playing Street Fighter 4 just for fun. Initially, he didn't know that people played it for money or even in tournaments. After discovering a community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he realized the depth of the game and wanted to improve after losing to more experienced players. This journey continued with the release of Street Fighter 5, and the rest became history.

As for parting words, Big Bird said the reaching the top this year is an amazing accomplishment. He reiterated that switching to Rashid proved that his previous character was holding him back as well.

"To get Top 6 winner's side is an amazing accomplishment because lately, I've been feeling down about my results. People started calling me 'washed,' so when I switched to Rashid, I had a point to prove. It was a character that was holding me back. So I was like playing with the chains on. But now, the chains are off."

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more interviews, news, and updates across the fighting game community (FGC)!