I really don't care about tiers much. I'm not a high level player, but I'm not casual either. At the same time, I obviously don't want to play as someone who has an uphill battle against most of the roster. I think when it comes down to it, the characters in this game really just don't appeal to me. Maybe not the characters but their design. The graphics are beautiful, but some of the aesthetics are just off.
I pick a main first and foremost on playstyle, but aesthetics, backstory and nostalgia play a role as well. I'm not really feeling servant mummy Ermac. I was really hoping he'd break free of Outworld. Something just felt better about playing as a mysterious ninja sorcerer in MK9. There are also no characters that gave me that "holy fucking wow" factor I got from picking up Smoke in MK9. No main has "chosen me," and that's rare for me with MK games.
Don't get me wrong, I still like this game and I still enjoy playing as my typical co main Ermac but it feels different. I switch between him and Revenant Sub Zero. I don't use characters that look like shit and I don't care for any of Sub's costumes other than revenant as they are too clunky looking.
You guys remember that Tom Brady interview where he basically said "I don't play Sub Zero, I AM Sub Zero?" That's what I want, a character I connect with. I've been playing MK since I was 8 years old back in 93 so I've been there from the start. I guess if you are a pro and play tournaments it's easy to just pick someone who is high tier, but it's not that simple for me and many other people. Some people need to actually vibe with the character on a deeper level.
But every time I turn on MKX and go to the character select screen it feels like something is missing... And I think that something is Smoke.
Decrepit, rotting Ermac and Sub Zero will have to do until that day.