COINBOX GRAND FINALS - Marlon (Wrastor) vs Rongunshu (Clairen) - Rivals of Aether 2

I hosted THE LARGEST Rivals of Aether tournament EVER with the Coinbox during the preview week of Rivals of Aether 2! The exciting competition all came down to this, with Marlon and Rongunshu fighting for their winning cut of the $3,000 pot!
Watch streams at:
► / hungrybox
Social Media:
► / liquidhbox
► / liquidhbox
Connect with Liquid fans across the globe on Liquid+
► tl.gg/lplusyou...
Follow and subscribe to keep up to date on all of my content. Click the bell next to the subscribe button to receive instant notifications on all uploads!
#Hungrybox #RivalsOfAether #Rivals2 #SmashBros

[@SALTYTOAD00]

This game is looking to be an actual competitor to Smash that won't just die out in a few weeks.

[@theclub3498]

Gee... Kinda like rivals 1?

[@gerardo6525]

It is gonna die in 2 weeks lmao like every smash “copy”

[@ellie8272]

​@@gerardo6525Rivals 1 is still going strong

[@theclub3498]

@QueenUnohana What I meant was that Rivals II is not going to die in 2 weeks, just LIKE Rivals 1. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[@Pyronic_]

@@gerardo6525ain’t a smash copy. Rivals has been a thing since 2015. This will not die.

[@wildmonkeycar]

I'm so glad Rivals 2 is popping off with the Smash community! Here's hoping it continues into the foreseeable future!

[@artezac]

As someone who has only played smash ultimate, it's so fun but takes a lot of getting used to, the thing that is the hardest to adapt to is the buffer system kinda sucking

[@wildmonkeycar]

@@artezac Oh, yeah, coming from Ultimate's system must suck, if that's all you're used to! But I hate to tell ya, if you think Ultimate's buffer system is good, you've got quite a unique opinion! 😅

[@artezac]

@@wildmonkeycar honestly, I play a lot of ice climbers so so of my desyncs and stuff completely rely on buffering 😂

[@wildmonkeycar]

@@artezac Fair enough! If you like IC's, you'd probably do some nutty stuff with Forsburn and his clone, or Eliana and her missiles, if/when she gets added. I'd actually love to see someone take those elements beyond what we've seen, so far, cause nobody really uses the puppet characters to their fullest potential, I feel

[@artezac]

@@wildmonkeycar I'll have a look, tysmmm

[@singingcrow439]

It's so fluid. It's like they're dancing.

[@artca9508]

16:30 "He went to losers because he wanted more screentime" Nah, he went to losers to try and save Wrastor from another volley of nerfs lmao.

[@gelatinousjoe7979]

High key

[@nubunto]

Wrastor could use a couple nerfs tho

[@curse5697]

peak platform fighter right here

[@TempestKrimps]

rivals 2 being featured all around youtube brings me so much joy. i love rivals 1 with a passion and there's no doubt that i'm gonna tryhard on this game if/when the team adds absa, this game just looks way too good man

[@yourenotthatkai3920]

Rogunshu the GOATED PM lucario

[@alex__9001]

I knew i recognized that name from somewhere

[@mentlegen3887]

Makes me so happy that so many peak M players are competing in rivals! That's how you know you've got a promising game from a mechanical and competitive perspective!

[@PocketMaewing]

@@mentlegen3887it’s because the same people that made pm made rivals

[@Kiba114]

bro got clapped

[@broor]

14:06 This combo is so sick and wisely just keeps talking😂

[@sanguinius01z]

I don’t know a thing about the guy but he physically cannot stop talking. He did a cast with void and this Brit caster and they could barely get a single word in. So much yapping it’s genuinely painful

[@OdaGoda957]

Yeah man, they seem pretty knowledgable but they have no sense of cadence. Man was not breathing this entire set.

[@calebrobinson6406]

Hey Wisely is cool, don't be so harsh

[@broor]

@@calebrobinson6406 i agree hes cool

[@broor]

Generally I feel like sometimes commentators who have seen a lot of combos before are like underimpressed by combos in the matches, which kinda kills the hype for viewers (and in this case hbox) who want to be hyped for the combos.

[@jonahbailey1119]

Came to watch grand finals, did not realize I actually clicked on a god damn wisely podcast

[@kevinravelo9932]

Wisely has to learn when to focus on the combos on screen

[@RemoniSnuggler]

Is that my Boi! Rongunshu, The Project M+ Lucario /Marth Main. Let's goo! I hope you had a good time my friend.

[@nontoxic9960]

6-1 with a 3 stock finish, damn.

[@kieranbull1400]

Kusi (Marlon) is so cracked at this game

[@davidsal5253]

Very nice to see RoA 2 represented! Would be super cool have more like these! (That set of Bbats vs Marlon was the most explosive of the whole tournament)

[@electromagneticlemon]

Marlon is the first player I've seen that's really polished and smart, this dude is the real deal

[@morgen3369]

Goddamn those set were brutal. Though gotta be honest. Wisely needs to learn to let other people talk. Not only did he talk non stop he also interrupted when other people were trying to chime in.

[@WesleyFiles]

Need this on all the consoles 🙏

[@lucio-ohs8828]

1-2 years 😬

[@okene]

​@@lucio-ohs8828 not launching consoles is a huge mistake. Even when they do eventually port it, console players will be demoralised from sweating because pc players will already have years of experience under their belt.

[@gluessb]

@@okeneyou can literally run this game on a half decent laptop tbh I don’t think PC will be as big a barrier to entry as for most games

[@okene]

@@gluessb console players are not gonna want to set up a pc just for this game. They want all their games in one library just like I as a pc player will never buy a console for any game. It's not about the specs. And no this game won't run on just any pc, not to mention that not everyone comes from a rich country. The game has regional pricing so gamers around the world can buy it, PC parts do NOT have regional pricing lol

[@Ravonne]

@@okenefacts. Accessibility will be why the game fails if anything

[@Maw0822]

rivals 2 is so sick

[@Meckard11]

This game is so much cooler than the other platform fighters that have come out recently

[@ElectricSphinx818]

Seeing rivals 2 reminds me of the project m days, good times man

[@GREG_WHEREISTHEMAYO]

I love this game, you play the faster melee style, but it is soo much fun when you slow things down

[@Chiplinked]

Wrastor has the best recovery, is the fastest in the game, and has an insane punish/neutral/range. How is this character not by far the best in the game? Does anyone else not see how insane he is?

[@KP_Uravity]

finally a platform fighter that is polished and fast

[@matthewshaw2850]

Gotta say the game looks sick af, but the castor was not even attempting to provide commentary. Glad there are people setting up tourneys, so I applaud the effort. But seriously figure out how to actually do commentary. Players like to learn from high level play and a casual discord conversation does not provide for that.

[@SAClassHunterZero]

11:01 "so melee is the sweatiest game" Dude, melee is like a swimming pool of sweat. And you skydive into it.

[@t9t9t9t9t9]

Hungrybox needs a button to mute wisely during hype combos. Dude just talks through them like people care more about his point then grand finals combos. Really not understanding the assignment.

[@darkeviljaxson]

Video Games

[@MilkyFxFilms]

Any wrastor players out there, I have a question. I’m sort of new and trying to figure out the game as well as wrastor. 1. It seems like, generally his combos consist of up air, side air, nair and then side or up strong as a finisher. Is there a general true combo that you guys know of? 2. Are there any good setups or things I should know of when using his n-special grab, where he rises in the tornado with them? 3. This may be more of a general thing, but how is he doing his nair almost touching the ground and so quickly? Is he fast falling? Short hopping?

[@alexmudkip5974]

Pretty sure he's hitfalling, which is a Rivals exclusive mechanic where you can fastfall during the hitpause of an attack. Just press down as soon as you land an aerial

[@lukemorgan2594]

Only just started the game against CPUs to get familiar but have played multiple Smash games for hundreds of hours so take what I say with some salt. 1. Wrastor combos feel very freeform so you can combo most of his aerials into other aerials. Key thing for Wrastor is his side B which makes you move faster. Having that at ground level or short hop level will let you chase your opponent as they are being launched and follow up with his air strong attacks. Forward air into Up strong has been working for me with the slipstream out. 2. The Special grab is very much a mixup situation. If you do get the special you could do multiple things based on stage position and percentage. You could; - throw in any direction and follow up with an attack. Up throw to try and KO off the top or down throw for a tech chase because Wrastor down throw forces tech. - not throw and wait out the grab to then try to regrab with either grab or down special. - not throw and go for some attack or movement option. As you can see you have many options and much more not listed as this will go on for ages. Just know that as you start fighting better opponents, people will be ready to break your special input because they know you want that whirlwind platform. 3. As another commenter already said, Rivals has a mechanic where you can fastfall the rising portion of an aerial attack as long as it hits the opponent and not a shield. You can practice this in training. I've been using the bigger characters to practice on. Set them to shield and try and fastfall the rising portion of your aerial and then turn the shield off and see the difference. Hope you are all enjoying the game as much as I have been!

[@lysanderxx1664]

Other players: I've been playing for 8+ hrs daily for 3 days. Marlon: I've been playing for 8+ hrs daily for 3 YEARS. I also appreciate Marlon's user icon. I'm looking forward to console release and entering all the tournaments to get free skins but not actually playing because I don't have time to play, just like I did with Halo Infinite. Because someday I'll play.

[@calebrobinson6406]

This game is fun. Try it!!

[@carlosrodriguez1265]

This will be the next Melee

[@CarlosMartinez-pz3mb]

this looks so godlike, does anyone know how marlon does the big tornado after the grab?

[@LunaireTD]

So every character has a special pummel in this game. You do it by pressing special after a grab. That's wrastor's. It's super cool

[@CarlosMartinez-pz3mb]

@@LunaireTD wait HUH i need to do this tysm! so its just special input after grab?

[@sylvicx3437]

@@CarlosMartinez-pz3mb Correct! Just press the Special Button after grab like a normal pummel

[@1197awesome]

Clarien is insane.

[@josiejams9018]

did we watch the same set?

[@smashdriven1640]

Dang, it’s scary to see a Wrastor at top level.

[@karlhnedkovsky5214]

Bro! This guy's insane!

[@UCDitto]

I really want to play this game Competitively, but I also really want to play this game using a Steam Deck Exclusively

[@FerretRay]

Bro that one kill confirm on wrastor looks broken lmao

[@crunchoberries4945]

Tbh I wish it was just hbox commentating and talking about his thoughts. Too many cooks in the kitchen.

[@tcsghost6984]

to be fair hbox isn't familiar with the game or a lot of the players yet

[@GREG_WHEREISTHEMAYO]

@@tcsghost6984yeah you can see that most of the time he’s in learning mode. You can see him focusing in on it

[@headcoald]

i agree wisely input was good when he wasn't heavy glazing but sadly that was most of the time

[@worldarria7728]

pls more of rivals 2!

[@felipegodoy5342]

Falco vs Marth matchup looks wild

[@Maw0822]

Except the Falco is Marth + Puff not Falco at all

[@felipegodoy5342]

@@Maw0822 true lmao

[@lucio-ohs8828]

⁠@@Maw0822and caption falcon

[@theblackening76]

@@Maw0822 MK neutral B, Wario Up air (but its a smash attack), Falco Bair, Falcon Nair, Marth Up Air, Luigi Up B, Bayo corner carry potential, Puff melee movement... they were cooking crack cocaine and i love it. W Fornace

[@bacon5481]

Wisely/Kopter were just some yappers, can we have some better commentators for future rivals coinbox?

[@LunaireTD]

tbf hbox was talking about subs half the time too

[@xXTheAroXx]

that one commentator (you know who i’m talking about) really just couldn’t stop talking at any moment huh made this video unwatchable

[@YourCasualPunk]

Wrastor definitely getting nerfed 😭

[@samSCLUB81919]

that's something i was thinking... ridiculous overpowered. He have everything. Projectile, speed, speed buff, long normals, grab, long aerials... almost no recovery on moveset. goddam busted character.

[@princeali2718]

Is there a character tier list? If so, what's your thoughts on the characters

[@readyplayerthree3]

Tbh if this game turns out to be anything like Rivals 1 really there aren't any bad characters. I don't remember the last time I saw someone make a tier list for that game.

[@SALTYTOAD00]

​@@readyplayerthree3 Well, one thing is for certain. Clairen is the best character in the game.

[@Oakwin_mb]

@@SALTYTOAD00 yeah thats just not for certain LOL a lot of people think wrastor is

[@lucio-ohs8828]

@@SALTYTOAD00that’s not certain at all, she’s just easy to play and kind of annoying

[@TheSackersLounge]

@@lucio-ohs8828I got chain grabbed multiple times against her. This game is bull

[@logandm64]

Hungrybox I love him

[@tubesism]

As a melee player: I’m having a hard time finding a reason not to like rivals 2.

[@loganjohnson9322]

I liked rivals 1 but I LOVED melee, this game is like a dream, I can't believe how good it is and I can't wait to see more of the rivals 1 cast join, some really cool characters

[@wesleyclymer9026]

13:22 THERES A CHANCE :)

[@IamSimplyYOSH]

Wisely. Shut up man. Lol. Anyways Marlon sweep. Damn what a god. Im taking notes for sure

[@readyplayerthree3]

As much as I've been sad that Rivals 2 really doesn't follow 1 in terms of keeping the gameplay, adding ledges and whatever but even with all that I'm sure this game is gonna be SICK.

[@lucio-ohs8828]

The only reason that stuff wasn’t in rivals 1 in the first place was budget constraints since Dan would have to make a lot more animations all on his own. I feel like Rivals 2 is a game he’s wanted to make for a while. Plus, Rivals 1 will continue to exist and Rivals 2 instead is more like Dan’s spin on melee/PM and the gameplay changes reflect that

[@Extracredittttt]

It follows rivals 1 very much imo. As someone with about 375 hours in rivals 1, this game doubles down and expands on everything that makes rivals special while filling the gaps that held it back

[@killiangady3056]

Is the game out already ?

[@calebrobinson6406]

Demo is live! Drops next week

[@leero9032]

I'm seeing a lot of insane takes and negativity in this comment section, why

[@theexaltedlt8222]

Strange people right?

[@LunaireTD]

happens with every new fighting game, it'll pass once people get their hands on the game. As for the commentators eh people are just picky

[@sympathy_for_strays]

MiA pfp

[@juanse5601]

SHIEST

[@Rafael-d5e1n]

Wrastor broken af legit smash aerial attacks in which there are No counters too just try to Avoid when he got like 4 Jumps ridiculous. And can kill at stupid percents

[@juliancohn7662]

Sick match. The offscreen commentators need to stfu or talk about the actual match tho

[@ZachStarAttack]

3:12 haahahah

[@RexonNate2031]

Max glazer

[@sydbrown310]

Still salty i can't play this on console

[@okene]

I'm a pc guy but I agree. I wish I could play with my console friends, 1-2 years is too long

[@TheSackersLounge]

@@okenegame will be dead in that time especially if there’s no console port or workshop

[@bstnicky]

w

[@poulanthrope]

Never seen or played before, but Wrastor looks broken as heck if those wings are disjointed. That tornado sets up like a faster Diddy banana that can't be turned against you and appears to leave a highway to move on, they can chase vertically by making a platform to slap you from when you're above the platforms, the character operates like a swordy in general, what's the counterplay? Projectile spam?

[@guitaroach]

Maybe play the game first

[@poulanthrope]

@@guitaroach Before asking a question about it?

[@guitaroach]

@@poulanthrope wrastor is the lightest character in the game. His slipstream only triggers if his tornado makes contact with the opponent, and it has a cooldown whether it hits or misses. His wings are large, but not disjointed like Marth's sword, for example.

[@LunaireTD]

Not too different from rivals 1 and he wasnt too op there. The more you learn about this game the more you'll realize every character is busted somehow but it's fun busted so it works out

[@theviralmelon]

his wings aren't disjointed. trust me, there's a lot of counterplay -- your impression of the character isn't wholly accurate, I'm sure you'll be able to tell how he works better once you get your hands on the game. he is very good, though.

[@caffeinelemon6373]

omg they misspelled wrastor hbox i cant believe you, we need to cancel this man

[@Dreekuz]

..

[@TehWhiteTiger]

Honestly less than the game itself I feel like if anything the concern for Rivals longevity is that it may just be a little too fast to make it a truly hype watching experience.

[@calebrobinson6406]

Tell me you play Ultimate without telling me you play Ultimate

[@RidaRyokoShaBeacoNofHope]

Melee is faster than Rivals 2 and its still the most popular comp platform fighter (Though Melee only has them beat in that regard by just a smidge 🤏)

[@TheSackersLounge]

@@calebrobinson6406ultimate ain’t even this fast Lmao

[@savaget2058]

So what stops Nintendo from suing Rivals, but allows them to sue Palworld?

[@TheSackersLounge]

Can’t even play this game for fun without any sweaty bums in it 💀 Also who’s the guy yapping non stop. Breath sir 😭

[@xaurorazx3462]

Most players come from Rivals 1 so naturally most players are above average. It's just how it is :P

[@TheSackersLounge]

@@xaurorazx3462 I came from rivals 1 as well. And that game is def not as jank as rivals 2

[@LunaireTD]

@@TheSackersLounge what jank? Feels fine to me

[@randomname9723]

I haven't seen much of Rivals 2 but it looks very slow? The movement looks sluggish and plodding? Maybe it's just the animations are not communicating any speed for me?

[@theexaltedlt8222]

That's definitely you. This game is fast as hell and very responsive

[@poulanthrope]

If it counts for anything, it's already 8000 times more watchable than Multiversus and I've only seen this one set.

[@kelpie3271]

the actual movement is very fast but sometimes stocks drag on because neither character can easily find a killing blow. games can commonly go beyond 3 or 4 minutes despite lighting fast movement options

[@theexaltedlt8222]

@@kelpie3271 thats fine that will change when the game is actually out. combos are not optimized

[@jrodd13]

This game feels like a hybrid of Melee and Ult. I was hoping it'd be more of a 1 to 1 Melee clone but this is still awesome lol

[@legendredux1291]

lol hell no just play melee if u want 1 to 1

[@LunaireTD]

takes the speed and explosiveness of melee and combines it with the accessibility of ultimate. Sounds like a pretty good combo to me

[@neodaltiair8624]

So many particle effects I played the first game and I can’t tell that move they are using half the time. This game looks so cluttered to me

[@Extracredittttt]

Can't relate. Don't think I've played a platform fighter with more clearly communicated information I find it way more readable than ultimate or melee and ESPECIALLY compared to rivals 1. To each their own though

[@LunaireTD]

It's likely you just arent used to the game yet. It usually takes a bit of getting used to any new game before things are easily recognizeable. Give it a week or so

[@jjjjuls]

Watered dog melee 🤣

[@lucio-ohs8828]

Play the game before you judge, top melee players are loving this game

[@SALTYTOAD00]

How can it be watered down if all of the roster is viable compared to Melee, which has like 10 characters that are viable?

[@Extracredittttt]

So insanely wrong lmao

[@jjjjuls]

Yall commenting how long did rivals 1 last?

[@RidaRyokoShaBeacoNofHope]

​@jjjjuls Rivals 1 is still being played at tournaments lmao it hasn't gone anywhere. Lets also not forget that a lot of Melee/Project M veterans are playing this and loving the hell out of it. Pipe down.

[@zsabre]

200 views in 10 minutes. Yeah hbox fell off