Tom was good at MK9. He did really well during the first part of the game's life. He also placed at ECT during the first couple months of IGAU when Aquaman was broken beyond all belief.
Tom then spent several years afterward talking other players down, saying he was going to get 1st or 2nd at [insert tournament here] and not delivering, asking for donations to go to tournaments he didn't actually attend, taking shots at the developers, trying to use casuals to justify his ability over actual top tournament players, and generally making excuses loudly and publicly for not doing as well as other people.
I fully believe that Tom's a good guy. I think he's in a better place now (I hope). And as a friend, I'm pulling for him.