@LeeVanDam, I respect and understand your passion for your character/variation (ditto to the other BG and SG advocates). And if you just want to play for fun, or perhaps place well at a local, or even maybe get into the top 25% of a major with the right draws, then more power to you: use what you love. However, if we're talking about winning a major, or at least getting paid out, which I believe is the point of this thread, then BG and SG are not viable choices. WG, which I main, can hopefully make it, but even he might cap out at top 8.
When money is on the line, a good number of people, especially those that are skilled and hoping to make a living at this game, will gravitate toward characters that give them the greatest chance of winning. It's not so much a question of how Kotal's variations stack up to each other, but how Kotal stacks up to the rest of the cast, and right now, Kotal is lacking. If he wasn't, if he provided easy wins, then we would see people picking him in droves, like Kung Jin and Sub, or we would see top players using him at tournaments, like Quan. These aren't the only good characters of course, we've seen Raiden, D'Vorah, Sonya, Kano, Erron, and Ermac perform well (though I doubt the last). What has Kotal accomplished in comparison? Very little so far. Don't get me wrong, HUGE props to Mr. Aquaman and Pnut, and others, who have shown that there is potential with this character, but obviously, it's not as easy as other character choices, otherwise we'd be seeing more people play him or more top level players, who are more concerned with a paycheck than character loyalty, experimenting with him.
Are these trends and results the only things that determine Kotal's, or other's, viability? Of course not, but they do provide information regarding the situation. Could there be undiscovered tech? Of course, the game is just over a month old. However, if we take as a given that Kotal is not currently an "easy win" character, then that means we need to pick a variation that gives us the greatest chance of catching up to characters with more obvious/better tools. With that in mind, as others have said, Kotal is an up close character, no matter which variation, so the one that provides the most options, on both offense and defense is best.
Blood God:
Offense- Overheads and lows are limited to combo strings/unique attacks, and while Kotal has both, the only time he could 50/50 the opponent would be on the first hit (B2 or F3). Since both are relatively slow attacks, especially B2, which gets stuffed by lows that look like they shouldn't connect, this 50/50 will often be avoided. Even if it hits, B2 doesn't lead to a combo, and while F3 does, this combo string is very limited for BG and SG, unless they give up a bar, which isn't ideal, due to the lost resource and because it moves the opponent away, when Kotal usually wants to be close. He also has a throw, which, as people have said, when buffed with the damage totem does more than SG's choke, but the totems aren't the best because, one, you have to find a time to set them, and, two, you can't refresh them whenever you want. This second is a BIG hindrance, as it means you're beholden to a set cool down, instead of the actual pace of the match. He of course has good punishes against back dashes and moves with long recoveries, but that's the same across variations, and if we're factoring in the totem, the same problem with it exists as said above. All in all, BG's offense is very poor, with few options.
Defense- BG's only unique defense, compared to WG, is the parry, which, unfortunately, isn't very good. If the parry worked differently, perhaps it could be as consistently useful as WG's enhanced overhead sword or SG's enhanced choke, but as it is, the damage boost lasts too short a time to capitalize with much and often the attack can be avoided, blocked, or it will get stuffed by the next hit of the opponent's move/string. This means BG's defense is just as lacking as his offense, with his only options being things that both other variations have.
Overview- We all agree that BG can shell out massive damage (the combo videos exist to prove it!), but that's not going to matter if you can't get a hit or can't get the opponent off of you.
Sun God:
Offense- the only difference here is of course his sun choke and scorch. Having a command grab definitely gives Kotal another way to open the opponent. However, as MANY have said, the damage on it is abysmal. Plus, at level 3, it throws the opponent away, which is again where Kotal usually doesn't want to be. Perhaps it would be worth it if the meter/life return was useful, but it's so slow to come out and provides so little back, many SG players don't even use it.
Defense- again, the choke features, because it can be enhanced for armor. This does provide a much more reliable "get off me" than the parry, but, as always, does very little damage and, at level 3, where many players keep it, doesn't lead to oki.
Overview- having a command grab is nice, but due to NRS not being sure how to balance it, it's one of the worst ones out there (i.e. speed, damage, recovery). Even with it, SG still faces many of the same challenges BG does.
War God:
Offense- the sword gives him range (which Mr. Aquaman put to good use against Tom Brady), overheads/lows, and safe enders for his strings (though, of course, the opponent can armor through before the special, but then you can armor back with a two hitting move that starts a 30%+ combo).
Defense- he has armor on most of his moves, but the two important ones are enhanced overhead sword and enhanced sword shake (sword sweep can also help when they become conditioned to the overhead, but I prefer the shake). The overhead catches down-backers, which is ingrained in so many of us, and as stated above deals a big chunk of damage. It is punishable (it would be nearly broken if not), but the threat of it checks many players. Sword shake is unblockable, but it's true strength is that it can be canceled, leaving you with a nearly safe, armored wakeup, much like Kabal used to have in MK9. Not as good mind you, but similar.
Overview- the sword gives Kotal the ability to open people up and defend himself, as well as make his strings much safer, in a way that the other two variations don't come close to, which is why, if you want to win, and you want to play Kotal, this is the variation to pick.
Please know, the point of this post is not to inflame, though it might have that result with some, but hopefully to save people time. Looking back, at previous FGs I've played competitively (SF4, MK9, SFxT, and UMVC 3), in most of them, I wish I hadn't been as stubborn about my character choice, and instead picked someone that would have given me an easier chance of winning, since I don't have the time to be a Pro Gamer, but still want to compete. Hopefully, this thread will help some of you avoid the same mistake, though, at the end of the day, it's all about doing what makes you happy, so ask yourself what it is you want to get out of your time with MKX and that will help you decide what character/variation to play. Honestly, I hope I'm wrong about BG and SG, as I'd love some variety, and BG is hella fun to play.
Sorry for the crazy long post. I'm delayed on a train to Chicago for Combo Breaker and don't have much else to do, lol. Speaking of, good luck to all my fellow Kotals, regardless of which variation you choose to use! =)
