The stage floor lit up with purple clouds and lightning. There were four screens, composed in the shape of a square and hanging over the entire stage showcasing the action below. The Mortal Kombat XL character select screen emanated out to the incoming crowd of the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The Evolution Championship Series (Evo) was the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, and Mortal Kombat XL was one of its headliners. In the middle of it all was Sayed "Tekken Master" Hashem, who had ascended from the loser's bracket to the grand finals. He took his seat next to the best Mortal Kombat player in the world, Dominique "SonicFox" McLean, and did not flinch. His stoic expression never changed when the lights dimmed and his seat became center stage.
When asked about the grand finals, Hashem merely said, "I expected to reach the top three at Evo, and was confident enough to [achieve] it. My only concerns, when it came to rivals or players in the tournament, were Brad 'Scar' Vaughn, Denom 'A F0xy Grampa' Jones, and SonicFox."
When Hashem won 3-1 in the first series to reset the bracket during the grand finals at Evo, he finally showed emotion. He stood up and pumped his fists. But he never broke his focus or altered the expression on his face, even with so much riding on this tournament. A victory for him would mean recognition for an entire region. It could catalyze a new generation of players at home. That would validate the entire journey.
"Nobody in the crowd saw this coming," MK commentator Aris Bakhtanians said to the audience.
A big fish on a small island
Hashem is from the Kingdom of Bahrain, an island near the western shores of the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. Although he hails from a small nation, Hashem did not come out of nowhere; he was already well known to the top players in the community. His success began with a victory in a Bahrain qualifier for the Mortal Kombat X Cup during Animania Bahrain in 2015. From there, he was the Middle East Finals champion (a feat he's accomplished twice) and then the runner-up for the Mortal Kombat X Cup in 2015 and 2016 before the breakout at Evo.
Hashem remembers playing video games when he was six. Fighting games caught his attention when his older brothers played The King of Fighters 96 and Tekken Tag Tournament. He chose to compete in fighting games because of the emotional aspect and reward for fast thinking.
But his island was hardly a fighting game hotbed. Mortal Kombat, especially, was a not a popular pastime. Hashem cites one training partner, Abdulaziz "X-Azeez" Aljowder, as his only consistent practice for the game. This solitary role still comes with high praise, however. He considers Aljowder a top 10 player in the world for the game and credits him for much of his Mortal Kombat success.
"Our community here in the Kingdom of Bahrain consists of Street Fighter, Super Smash Brothers, and King of Fighters players. We have really good players who excel at Street Fighter V," Hashem said. "Sadly, our Mortal Kombat community is quite small, but I personally play and train with X-Azeez."
His current sponsor, Middle Eastern esports organization Power League Gaming (PLG), has hosted the majority of the tournaments and cups that Hashem has played in. Aljowder also plays for PLG.
"If it was not for PLG then the scene for Mortal Kombat in our region would have died out completely and I would not have made it to Evo," Hashem said. "They ran professional tournaments in the Middle East since Mortal Kombat 9, and now with X and XL, things were really big. Everyone knows the PLG tournaments are the ones where you can prove yourself. When you do, they'll support you and fund you to go to the global competitions. They are passionate and they understand how difficult it is for the community."
The final step
Back at Evo, Hashem's grand finals opponent McLean took the lead 2-1 in the ultimate series, turning the tables. Hashem started to show a little concern. He rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. After a moment, he selected a different character variation and played the fourth game. The change worked; the set was tied.
McLean took a deep breath and adjusted his headset before changing his character. The two clashed in one final game, Alien against Kotal Khan. McLean took advantage of his character's tools: overheads, safe chip setups, and pressure on pressure. Hashem took everything in stride and struggled to fight back. A missed combo and another missed opportunity for a punish from Hashem and McLean finally took the tournament down. He rose from his seat in excitement as Hashem slumped in his chair. He had fallen just short of arguably the largest upset in Mortal Kombat history.
Even though he didn't take home the gold, Hashem's run at Evo was inspiring. A lone representative from his community, he nearly took down the biggest Mortal Kombat tournament ever against the best player on the planet. The Middle East and PLG have a fighting game superhero, thanks to his amazing Evo weekend.
"It would be an honor for me if other players in the little island of Bahrain or the Middle East would consider me as an inspiration," Hashem said. "I feel a sense of responsibility to raise awareness for my local and regional community. I was very happy to represent my country at Evo on that stage, especially coming from the smallest country in the Middle East; I was more than 8000 miles away from home. It was an indescribable feeling."