Will we see more character specialists in MKX?

[Invincibeast]

With the new implementation of each character having 3 different grooves that apparently change the character and how he/she/it plays all together, do you think we will see more character specialists and character loyalty in MKX? Learning one character now essentially means learning 3 because of the different tools and properties for each groove.
IMO I think yes, if each character has a stance or groove that can aid in coping with a hard match up then I think more players will be sticking to their mains instead of going for a different character as a counter pick. I also think it will be WAY more difficult to be a multi-character specialist due to all the different options.
Discuss.

 

[callMEcrazy]

We won't just have more character specialists, we could even have style specialists. Pro players may not even learn all the styles of a character. They only care about performance. If styles make a big difference then each style effectively becomes a character. Chances are they'd just learn one style and master that. They are so performance oriented that even if they want to have options (more than 1 style), they may not choose both styles from the same character. They'll pick the most competitive styles from the 72 (or whatever the number is).

 

[Invincibeast]

Thats a valid point ^, I hadn't thought of that. I'm hoping there won't be much of a need for choosing different characters though. If it's all doable with just one that would be awesome!

 

[Youphemism]

I'll most likely end up picking specific styles for multiple characters, depending on which suit me. Because EVERY style will be different so it just depends on which ones are cool to work with and play as.

 

[kabelfritz]

We won't just have more character specialists, we could even have style specialists. Pro players may not even learn all the styles of a character. They only care about performance. If styles make a big difference then each style effectively becomes a character. Chances are they'd just learn one style and master that. They are so performance oriented that even if they want to have options (more than 1 style), they may not choose both styles from the same character. They'll pick the most competitive styles from the 72 (or whatever the number is).

true. on the other hand, loyalists for character design get more options to stick with their favourite. Overall you get more freedom of choice, wether you play different chars AND versions or just versions of one. and thats a good thing.

 

[Invincibeast]

Overall you get more freedom of choice, wether you play different chars AND versions or just versions of one. and thats a good thing.

Hopefully this leads to really diverse top 8's consistently throughout the life of the game. With every character having 3 different play styles I'd love to see lots of diversity.

 

[callMEcrazy]

true. on the other hand, loyalists for character design get more options to stick with their favourite. Overall you get more freedom of choice, wether you play different chars AND versions or just versions of one. and thats a good thing.

Definitely, its a win-win. Pros get a ton of options and loyalists have incredible depth to explore just from their favorite character.

 

[Rampage254]

I have trouble learning 1 character let alone 3. I'm gonna be a super fraud in MKX, more than I was in MK9 and Inj.

 

[haketh]

It'll most liekly end up like Melty did, for the most part people learning one style and mastering it for competition play with a few exceptions if a character doesn't change much between a couple styles. In Mlty most Nero players learned Ball three Moons because the character changed but not to much between each style and each one was a bit more useful in certain MUs despite F being the strongest.

 

[HeroesNZ]

I think there'll definitely be more character specialists than on Injustice because different styles could overcome different MUs, but I can imagine a tournament player like PL choosing the best variations of each character which is fair enough

 

[Invincibeast]

Mentioning the choosing of best variations of each character as tournament players may do, I could see huge risks coming from that. For example, what if one character excels in one style with rushdown, but then has little to no way to overcome any zoning that a different variation of an opponents character has who utilizes mediocre zoning. So then player 1 loses, decides to switch to a strong counter zoner who may not be as good up close but can deal with zoning, but player 2 can just have the same character with a few switched options that let him/her excel at close range....which leaves player 1 at disadvantage either way.

It'll be interesting to see how tournaments and match ups pan out, I'm excited

 

[callMEcrazy]

Mentioning the choosing of best variations of each character as tournament players may do, I could see huge risks coming from that. For example, what if one character excels in one style with rushdown, but then has little to no way to overcome any zoning that a different variation of an opponents character has who utilizes mediocre zoning. So then player 1 loses, decides to switch to a strong counter zoner who may not be as good up close but can deal with zoning, but player 2 can just have the same character with a few switched options that let him/her excel at close range....which leaves player 1 at disadvantage either way.

It'll be interesting to see how tournaments and match ups pan out, I'm excited

Well it won't be any different than the counter picking we see in Mk9 tbh, unless the rules force it. Just think of every style as a separate character. Tier lists will be comprised of styles, not characters.

I know its tempting to think that all the styles make a character complete. But unless styles can be switched in game (which we know won't happen) pros will never see it that way, and nor should they. Learning all the styles to "complete a character" is for normal players like us.

 

[John Grizzly]

I think you absolutely will. I get bored playing just one character, but I definitely have my favorites. If I could pick Ermac and explore him in all 3 variations, it adds a ton of depth and strategy. It's an amazing idea that will really separate this game from anything else out there right now. I really hate when people counterpick in a tourney to a character they don't main just to try to cheese out a victory. I'd much rather see someone stick with their character and explore all their options.

TL;DR: Yes, there will be a lot more character loyalists for MKX.

 

[RHCP]

I hope people aren't getting their hopes up for nothing. This could be something amazing though. I hope that I can have different Rains to master.

 

[Tony at Home]

It should mean more character loyalty.

I mean, Lex vs Deathstroke is a pain because trait becomes useless- all his specials are multi-hits (so dumb). If I had a different style of Lex that traded the trait shield for a quicker projectile, I wouldn't have to ever counterpick the match.

 

[Invincibeast]

Well it won't be any different than the counter picking we see in Mk9 tbh, unless the rules force it. Just think of every style as a separate character. Tier lists will be comprised of styles, not characters.

I know its tempting to think that all the styles make a character complete. But unless styles can be switched in game (which we know won't happen) pros will never see it that way, and nor should they. Learning all the styles to "complete a character" is for normal players like us.

By no means do I think all characters will be complete, but I am hoping that with the different styles that all of them can compete with each other in some sort of way. Some styles could be 7-3 vs another, but then the disadvantaged character switches styles to make it maybe 6-4 or 5-5. Thats what I'm hoping for.

It should mean more character loyalty.

I mean, Lex vs Deathstroke is a pain because trait becomes useless- all his specials are multi-hits (so dumb). If I had a different style of Lex that traded the trait shield for a quicker projectile, I wouldn't have to ever counterpick the match.

Something exactly like this, a couple changes that makes the match up more doable