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Tournament Viable Characters for 2013

Fractured_Shadow

Really likes to throw things at you.
According to recent tournament results cyrax is better than smoke and Freddy. Cyrax has meterless resets. Breaker combos. Unbreakable combos. A command grab. 2 corner infinites on Shang and sektor. He's beyond tournament viable
How does he handle Kabal and Kenshi? I would say Smoke > Cyrax because Smoke's footsies are better, resets hit harder, he can't be effectivly zoned, standing 2 is an AMAZING AA..... The command grab is a guessing game, if you let him have the JIP and he does command grab it is full combo punishable
 

Fractured_Shadow

Really likes to throw things at you.
Also, for anyone with armored combo starter Cyrax cannot zone nearly as effectivly.... Kabal can sit full screen and wait for his chest to open and get a full combo punish, Sonya can play closer and EX Kartwheel, shit Cage can just EX shadow kick him into a corner and shut him down....
 
D

Deleted member 9158

Guest
No Quan-chi

I realize he's got a lot of bad MU's, but it still brings a tear to my eye ;_;
 

Briggs8417

Salt Proprietor of TYM
Treadmill
Also can we look at Reptile's matchups?

I mean just look at him vs all the characters on Pig's list.

Jax - Maybe Even (Tyrant makes it look bad, but it's Tyrant so who knows?)
Shang Tsung - Even
Smoke - Maybe even
Mileena - Maybe even or slight disadvantage

Liu Kang - Loses
Kung Lao - Loses
Johnny Cage - Loses
Cyrax - Loses BAD
Sonya Blade - Loses BAD
Kabal - Loses
Freddy Krueger - Loses

Kenshi - Originally though even, but Pig thinks Reptile loses, I agree.

Kitana - Originally Reptile's favor, but getting closer to even now IMO. When is the last time a Reptile beat a top Kitana? MIT lost to a Kitana at Dallas with Rep, Nubcakes (who is REALLY good) lost to a Kitana at SCR, and I saw at the last BnB TylerLantern lost in GF to a Kitana. Kitanas have really adapted and learned to play this matchup smart.

so how can a char who has MAYBE ONE winning matchup (Kitana) out of all of the top 13 characters be tournament viable? Especially when more than half of those matchups are losing ones.
I have been trying to make this case for a year and been shunned as a downplayer...WTF?!
 

smokey

EX Ovi should launch
Cyrax is better than Smoke because;
- EX Net
- Unbreakable combo damage
- Projectiles have hitboxes
- +on block normals
- Command grab gives safe jumps (best reward from a grab in the game)
- Ending combos with double net gives more free pressure
- Low combo starter
 

G4S Claude VonStroke

@MK_ClaudeVS on twitter
How does he handle Kabal and Kenshi? I would say Smoke > Cyrax because Smoke's footsies are better, resets hit harder, he can't be effectivly zoned, standing 2 is an AMAZING AA..... The command grab is a guessing game, if you let him have the JIP and he does command grab it is full combo punishable
Ok I hate to do this but enough is enough. What experience do you have playing against cyrax players at the highest level? Multiple people in this thread have lots of it. Personally I've trained with Maxter, j360 and winter wars quite a bit. Also have played gga Han and most recently noobe. Those are all at the highest level right now. Maxter being the best cyrax in the world. As far as smoke experience I've trained with Kt smith and gga waffles and also played xsmokex offline. IMO cyrax is better and more dangerous.
 

Fractured_Shadow

Really likes to throw things at you.
Ok I hate to do this but enough is enough. What experience do you have playing against cyrax players at the highest level? Multiple people in this thread have lots of it. Personally I've trained with Maxter, j360 and winter wars quite a bit. Also have played gga Han and most recently noobe. Those are all at the highest level right now. Maxter being the best cyrax in the world. As far as smoke experience I've trained with Kt smith and gga waffles and also played xsmokex offline. IMO cyrax is better and more dangerous.
Hey man, you are totally right... none, just speculating here... just trying to learn more about Cyrax... like I said this was all my opionon.... I just happend to find Smoke more threating...
 

xKhaoTik

The Ignore Button Is Free
Cyrax has a fucking special called "ANTI AIR" everything you say from this point on should be disregarded.
I mean, you can't really bash him for this. Yes, Cyrax has the amazing AA, but when it comes to normal AA, smoke's is GDLK. i think that's what he was trying to say
 

Zoidberg747

My blades will find your heart
Cyrax is better than smoke overall. Both characters are bullshit though.

You guys have to understand that Fractured Shadows roommate is a pretty good smoke player, so thats where I think he is coming from. But yeah, Cyrax has more meterless damage, better pokes, better rushdown.
 

Metzos

You will BOW to me!
Ok well good luck

Ermac community needs you

Hell Metzos needs you and would love nothing more than you to place higher than me lol
Not only him, all US and Canadian Ermac players. As for me i have proved my point about the particular character to the entire community for almost a year now and no one can deny that. Yeah i know, someone will tell, that i havent attended any US tournaments, but i have played the best in EU, placed top 5 in two majors, present MU tips, techs and strategies, weekly high lvl casuals and tournament footage, a MU chart acceptable by the whole community (with some minor disagreements) and exposed Ermac to its fullest. Call me whatever you want but it was i who brought this character to the spot light. Its just sad that i wont be able to attend EVO cause of the price of the tickets and really i was looking forward meeting and hanging around with all of you guys (yes,even you Death). Sorry guys but i cannot afford it, neither me, neither Hidan. Pig we talked about the price numbers and i believe you find it reasonable why i cannot come.
 

Fractured_Shadow

Really likes to throw things at you.
Cyrax is better than smoke overall. Both characters are bullshit though.

You guys have to understand that Fractured Shadows roommate is a pretty good smoke player, so thats where I think he is coming from. But yeah, Cyrax has more meterless damage, better pokes, better rushdown.
I still handle him up with Cage though lol....
 

coolwhip

Master
Kabal, Sonya, Kung Lao, Kenshi, and Freddy... I would also make the argument that Smoke > Cyrax depending on how consistantly the smoke is landing resets.... Also you have to consider that without meter Cyrax is not scary at all.... I'm pretty sure he has the lowest BnB in the game without meter...
Cyrax can do 37% meterless, and his 34% meterless is hella easy. Also, saying he's not scary without meter is a bit dubious. One D4 from Cyrax and it's terror time. He's in, and good luck dealing with pressure/command grab mix-ups. His anti-air grab is good, his command grab is freaking retarded, his D4 is easily one of the best in the game (has good reach and provides ridiculous advantage), his D3 is good, he can put 3 combos on screen at the same time (2 bombs and a net), and controls spacing better than the vast majority of the characters in the game.

Oh, did I mention he can take your meter and life at the same time in a single combo? 40% unbreakables? Breaker traps? Yeah...
 

THTB

Arez | Booya | Riu48 - Rest Easy, Friends
If Reptile is not tournament viable, why the fuck is Kitana viable???

She does allegedly worse vs Kabal, Kenshi, and Freddy(?) than Reptile does...and vs Kenshi it's a death sentence unless you're 16 Bit. She also loses to Sonya (not as hard, according to Kitana mains), has problems with Smoke (last I recalled).

Reptile is even with Kenshi and has manageable disadvantage matchups vs Freddy and Kabal, does not lose to Smoke, and Sonya is the one matchup Reptile does worse in, alongside Cyrax (which is still manageable) and Kung Lao (Where she wins instead of going even).

Kitana has better players dedicated to her, really. A bunch of them, I might add. More than Kenshi. More than actual Kung Lao mains. More than Kabal, too, I believe (shit, I've seen enough Kitana players beat Kabal in tournament...).

Reptile literally only has Chris G as a consistent representative. Han and MIT both use Reptile where fit.

It makes a difference. Reptile has much more manageable matchups as a whole, which gives him stronger stability in tournament than Kitana.
 

GGA Wafflez

the kid
what has smoke done in tournament within the 9 months?? also we need ikizzle back... plzzzz. smoke players need a secondary imo in order to get to top 8 unless they are presented with a bracket from the gods of brackets.
 

Fractured_Shadow

Really likes to throw things at you.
what has smoke done in tournament within the 9 months?? also we need ikizzle back... plzzzz. smoke players need a secondary imo in order to get to top 8 unless they are presented with a bracket from the gods of brackets.
Can't the same thing be said for most of the "Viable characters" listed though? I mean if Smoke can't win without a secondary than how the hell is say Kitana going to?
 

GGA Wafflez

the kid
Can't the same thing be said for most of the "Viable characters" listed though? I mean if Smoke can't win without a secondary than how the hell is say Kitana going to?
never said win. so far kabal has taken every tournament that has been of recent. i am talking top 8. kitana is extremely viable for top 8... not because of MU's though..