You know, Ive known REO for a long time, longer than 99% of you have. 3 years ago 9.95 and I brought him into the tournament scene. Long before he was an MK9 megastar, before he was even known in UMK3 Phil,Shock,Summoning and I knew he was going to be big. Everything hes done hasnt been a surprise to us at all because we knew way back then what he was gonna do. How did we know? Well of course he had amazing talent, but there are alot of people who have amazing talent in our community, they havent all done what REO has. So what sets him apart? What sets CD jr apart? Are they really that much better than everyone else?
Well, yes they are. But not because they do things that other players cannot. The biggest reason is the mental state they operate in. The biggest reason they win is because that is exactly whats most important to them, winning.
How many of us go into a tournament saying to ourselves, "Hey Il be happy if I dont go two and out." or "If I can get into top 8 Il feel like Ive accomplished something." Alot of us have, including myself. When I played the game competitively I always made at least top 20 and thought I gave a decent account of myself. We set these goals for ourselves and are pleasantly surprised when we surpass them.
But with a player like REO, its totally different. REO wouldnt even understand the above two lines of thought. He wouldnt even be able to compute them, they would make no sense to him whatsoever. He would scratch his head and say "Whats the point of entering a tournament if your goal isnt to win the whole thing?" Because winning is hardwired into him.
Players like REO whos only concern is winning do everything they can to increase their chances of winning. Every edge is sought, every advantage is exploited. Kabal is the best character in the game, REO agrees with this as well as nearly every top player. Why wouldnt he use him? Because the stream wants some variety? Nonsense. REO's job isnt to entertain the stream, his job is to win. And not just win, but win at all costs.
CD jr has almost the same kind of thought process as REO. As perhaps the best player in the country it would be negligent of him NOT to at least have a high level of understanding of Kabal if not main him. CD jr wants to win and being able to use Kabal at a high level along with the inate talents in the game he already possesses will surely help him continue his winning ways.
People may not like seeing Kabal,Kabal,Kabal all the time but that can hardly be said to be REO or CD jr's fault. They are just using the best tools available to them to win. If you want to point your finger at anyone, point it at NRS. It is they who made the character as good as he is.
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