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Doesn't the need for counterpicking...

REO vs Curbo was a good example of this topic.

REO was 2-0 up against Curbos Cage using his Kabal. Curbo switches to Jax, pulls it back 2-1. REO goes for Cage, and somehow Curbo wins again. This could be due to the fact that Curbos Cage is miles better than REO's, so he knows what he can and cant get away with, but ultimately REO sticks with Cage and grinds out a 3-2 victory.

So was it the player or the character that was better in their encounter?
The player. Game 1, Curbo chooses Cage. Fine, it's his main. He loses. He then KEEPS WITH CAGE for one more game, going down 2-0. That's a foolish decision, and that is possibly what cost him the match. And decision making is part of player skill.

Incidentally, REO also plays a pretty good Kenshi, whom he could've used had he known that Curbo might pick Jax.
 
For 95.9% of us the game is balanced and the 6-4 charts are accurate. Most of us have much bigger problems to worry about then a bad matchup...like leveling up our main. For the top pros everything is under a microscope so a 6-4 matchup could be all the advantage one needs to win a match.

I don't think we should watch Reo and them determine this is a counter pick game. For Reo maybe, but that is just because he is so polished he can pick a new char and get the matchup advantage without taking a hit to his chances.
 

Khaotic_xShangx

Fear the Skulls
I say stick to ur character no matter the match up if u want to level your game up. They say jade vs. Shang is 7-3 which believable but my answer to her is to SS the hell out of her so now its 5-5 mirror match :)
 

Espio

Kokomo
Lead Moderator
I say stick to ur character no matter the match up if u want to level your game up. They say jade vs. Shang is 7-3 which believable but my answer to her is to SS the hell out of her so now its 5-5 mirror match :)
In my opinion, that match up is definitely not 7-3 in Jade's favor. It's 5-5 without him ever morphing into her. In fact, Jade's flashing just plays into Shang Tsung's hands due to his frame trapping up close pressure game. Jade checks his zoning, but that just means he's coming in to give her problems.
 
The interesting thing about counter picking is how it will open up the rest of the cast. For instance, Sub Zero is a fantastic pick against Cage and is less execution heavy. Kenshi is also not fully developed and if things progress the way they have been the last few weeks it wouldn't surprise me either if Kenshi was a popular choice to use against Cage.

Next comes things like people saying Cage can't spam F3 against Sektor because he can 6 frame launch a F3 spamming Cage into a 40% combo simply by guessing the first F3 of every Cage will end there and thus, beat the F3 follow up. As a side note, Sektor does fairly decent against Kabal as well.
 

Khaotic_xShangx

Fear the Skulls
In my opinion, that match up is definitely not 7-3 in Jade's favor. It's 5-5 without him ever morphing into her. In fact, Jade's flashing just plays into Shang Tsung's hands due to his frame trapping up close pressure game. Jade checks his zoning, but that just means he's coming in to give her problems.
I'm not going to disagree with u statement cause I don't know what level jades u have played but most zoning jades only use glow from a distance and have good spacing to keep u in check from jumping. A rush down jade is a different story.
 

Wemfs

The only morality in a cruel world is chance.
Ok, say your main is Reptile, but you bust out your "pocket" jax or w/e for one of his bad 4-6 match ups. To me that's a cop out.

Much respect to Tom Brady for maining Sub 100% of the time now.
 

Dann

Noob
Ones you maximize your damage, learn the spacing, learn how to play different match ups, come up with gimmicks and reliable tech there is no reason not to try out other characters.

playing too many games with one character gets boring, being good with multiple characters solidifies your skill as a player and counter picking allows you to advance further in tournaments.

If i pay for an entry fee and have a better chance to win with another character then i'll do it. a bad match up is always an uphill battle. Theres no reason to put yourself in that position.
 

BigC

I'm great in my world.
Ok, say your main is Reptile, but you bust out your "pocket" jax or w/e for one of his bad 4-6 match ups. To me that's a cop out.

Much respect to Tom Brady for maining Sub 100% of the time now.
You know I gotta agree with that. But if you main multiple characters..use them. Like I main the ninjas and for some matches I use Ermac, some Smoke, some Sub. But I'm comfortable with those characters. If you, like you said, pull out a "pocket' jax, when in your mind you are not comfortable with him, that is a cheep way out just to get a win.
 

Khaotic_xShangx

Fear the Skulls
Ones you maximize your damage, learn the spacing, learn how to play different match ups, come up with gimmicks and reliable tech there is no reason not to try out other characters.

playing too many games with one character gets boring, being good with multiple characters solidifies your skill as a player and counter picking allows you to advance further in tournaments.

If i pay for an entry fee and have a better chance to win with another character then i'll do it. a bad match up is always an uphill battle. Theres no reason to put yourself in that position.
i get understand your reasons dann and respect them. I on the other hand dont main any of the top 5 characters in the game which is who you mostly see winning the tournaments. If i have to pick up a character i dont care to learn just to win a tournament i go to then i guess i will never win one but i just want to be known as the best player of the character i main. My mains are JC, Shang, and Skarlet now.
 

Dann

Noob
i get understand your reasons dann and respect them. I on the other hand dont main any of the top 5 characters in the game which is who you mostly see winning the tournaments. If i have to pick up a character i dont care to learn just to win a tournament i go to then i guess i will never win one but i just want to be known as the best player of the character i main. My mains are JC, Shang, and Skarlet now.
I only learn characters i genuinely like. Counterpicking doesn't mean choosing top tier characters. It means picking another character your good with to make the match up more favorable. I think you should know multiple characters but picking up characters you don't even like to get further in tournaments is something i also disagree with. I respect your reasoning. You use a unique set of characters
 

SunnyD

24 Low Hat!
Playing multiple characters vastly increases matchup experience because you will know the characters strings, mixups, spacing, frame data, gimmicks and tech, and anti-tech. Know thy enemy, it helps tons.
 

Khaotic_xShangx

Fear the Skulls
You use a unique set of characters
I like to be different and not with the in crowd. Plus i love the challenge of playing a character that people say have a high learning curve. It makes the game more interesting. I would main sheeva but i think my hands are full right now. Lets show the bottom tier some love people.