This thread is closed to cool off for a day. If everyone is still heated and wants to come back for another round fine, but I'd rather do this than pass out infractions for people getting this heated over numbers next to names. There is no reason to amend the tier list constantly when so many players have specific feelings about specific characters, and oftentimes are in disagreement with others.
As long as they are both breaking 50% on average, it doesn't matter who averages more when you are just looking at combos. It just takes a little bit less of the second combo to win in the case of "2 mistakes and it's over" for one character. In that situation, tactics prevail because they make the combos possible, if they are even needed to win. This is where it is proven that Reptile is a better character than Stryker, hands down, which apparently, this discussion has become. Somehow proving Stryker to be better than Reptile would have led to Reptile being demoted and Stryker being promoted. Since that isn't true, we'll continue.
There are also times when Stryker's infinite is not possible to complete due to corner location, and I'm not talking about Stryker just getting pushed back by his uppercut, I mean mid screen when it appears it is available, but really isn't.
In terms of execution, (both situations being a successful non-push back pop up) Reptile's big damage juggles, and infinites are always available in full, without interruption, anywhere on screen and they are only affected by the corner when he is pushed back by his pop up, again also a factor for Stryker. What I am referring to is when you get a mid screen 4 hit pop up, riot gun, whiff dash, aaHP and then there is push back, which means no gun available, or even after another juggle, which is entirely dependent upon where you are when you start the combo.
This situation happens a lot, especially where you cannot run in and do an aaHP before the gun because that might not be close enough to the wall, or, you can't run in and JK from long distance to start the infinite without any mid screen juggles. That is a situation where his infinite isn't available, and his combo might not break 50% otherwise. Reptile in the same situation, simply has his infinite, or 50%. The point being, Reptile has a sure 50% on everyone except Shang, at anytime he enables the juggle, in any situation. Stryker does not.
The difference here is arguing whether or not it is more critical to a person who is playing Reptile if they are being deterred by their own ability to perform a combo, or if it's a mechanic of the game that just doesn't allow Stryker's combo to be completed because of the wall, regardless of the player's ability to perform the combo.
On top of that, using just the cross screen infinite as his damage, it is the same amount of hits, and effort, for Stryker to break 50% from a knee lift without using the corner as it is breaking 50% with Reptile, without using an infinite and just a simply, aaHPHP, aaLPHP, aaLPLP, uppercut = 50%. Reptile's juggling also has a more reliable, simplistic timing and repetitive pattern than Stryker's mid screen semi inf, but still, both concepts are similar. Two juggles and a whiffed dashing attack, however with Stryker's requiring another move in between that makes up for its usage with adding damage to the combo. It is completely opinion whether you think it is more difficult to Stryker's set up to the corner infinite, or Reptile's 50%+ combos.
It's a matter of practice, and that is it. If you can't break 50% with Reptile and you still want to learn Reptile, then you suck I guess. If you don't care about his 50%+ combos, you can still win with him. It is a serious display of low level skill to say "Oh that Reptile juggle is too hard." when it's completely not. His infinites vs male ninjas, Kano, Kabal especially, yes, extremely difficult because there is more positioning and rhythm breaking segments. His standard 50% is easier than Ermac's 82%, or even Ermac's 50% knee lift combo.
In the most technical sense, Stryker's mid screen infinite is more dexterity intensive since there are two specials being performed each volley, and a run cancel between his jabs if you want to be sure to keep them high enough. This requires as many, if not more total button presses than Reptile's infinite. Lots more micromanagement.
Something else worth mentioning, the 360 gamepad hinders Reptile greatly overall, which is just another reason why people don't pick him. 360 gamepad is also not taken into consideration, at all, as it is doesn't allow players to fully explore the game. The vast majority of the info in these guides was presented/worded before XBLA UMK3 was even announced.
On a side note, I really love, and think it's amazing how the crybabies can weeded out by threads like this. They complain, they whine, they make wild claims. "My words don't mean anything!" "I'll post obstinate signatures or profile information! That'll show em that I know I'm right and this site is run by a big meanie." Cry me a river. What do you think is going to happen? You guys think you're going to come up with something that hasn't already be said or reviewed or seen before?
It's like you do it to try and show "me" or "ultimatemk" up, when I merely reworded most of the guides built from information of years of experience from many players, and didn't just simply "create" the tier list on the site based on personal preference like many of you do. Most of the stuff people post on here is very old news or even obselete because a lot of you are still learning the game and seeing the same tactics come up that appeared and vanished as others who were playing this game in 1995-1997. The only difference now, is many of you have the benefit of the knowledge that players from basically a generation ago layed out. Unfortunately, you have to learn and apply this by playing online. There are a number of you who are complete jokes, and are representitive of the reasons why UMK3 is a cesspool of baby bullshit. You don't see this with other fighting games because no other games have a such a lopsided player base. Those games are determined in person.
Some of you mistake effort and efficiency for something like - "Oh well Stryker has the knee lift combo which leads to big damage." the problem there is, it's harder for Stryker to get that seemingly simple knee lift than it is for Reptile to connect a forceball in some way. Reptile's pressure is far greater than Stryker's, as is Human Smoke's, or Ermac's. Stryker ONLY has big damage combos, he has no real pressure game, and no tactics to write home about. Reptile has big damage combos, and tactics, plus excellent normals. You'll find in many cases, pure tactics outweigh pure combos, maybe not online because combos occur by luck and accident far more often there.
Don't post here anymore if you don't like it. It is a tier list discussion, but there are some extremely brazen members who think they can just barge in and change things because they said so! Oh hell yeah! And that's the bottom line!
Stryker is a good character, but he is not a top tier character. I provide an unbelievable wealth of information with my posts in this thread. I have to dig through my brain and present things in words that I shouldn't even have to bother. Things that I don't even know specifically myself, I have to explain because I still understand what things mean. I suggest reading through carefully.
