Here comes the 2 cents.
First of all, I don’t know shit about how the Marvel scene is like. I just play the game to have fun. I don’t think I can say anything that hasn’t been said already, but I’m going to say something that is hella obvious anyways. All these arguments started because of the RESULTS, and in retrospect the tournament for even existing because of the game even existing, in which this massive competitive player base has come into existence. Results say a lot but it doesn’t say everything. Other people have said it better; you win some, you lose some. The results tend to favor in the Sanford/Yipes/JWong category because they have proved their capabilities in this game through tournaments, MM’s, and so forth. Yes it’s because of their skill and knowledge, but sometimes it takes more than that to win. This game really is about skill, luck, randomness, and all that other shit ya’ll said but the truth is no matter how much you play this game and know more or less than another person, it might work, or it might not. Either you might mess up, or they mess up, or they block low and you attack high or they block high and you attack low, or you cross up or double cross up or lead into a throw, you never know and it could cost you the whole game. This to me, seems to point out the fact that the RESULTS do not directly correlate to your skill level, though it is undeniably the BIGGEST factor in determining those results…however, the skill involved will sometimes NOT get you the win, for example Yipes might beat the other player so bad with MSP that they might as well have just sat there and pressed the start button, even though the player that was beaten might be at a close to or equal skill level. Sanford might pull off one Sent combo which totally turns the tide of the game and then it’s over from there. JWong might pull off some crazy comeback and dominate with his “smart” tactics. This is a game where the top 4, and I guess IM as well, are so broken that copying what people do in match videos is sufficient enough to take out anyone. People seem to consider the Top 4 the TOP 4 because of their ability to dominate all other characters except the other 3, so anyone of them are just as broken as the other, it’s just up to the player to take advantage of it. In essence, the higher skilled player or more knowledgable player might still lose so the RESULTS are just the results; the theme is you win some, you lose some, you just never know because it’s not just about skill; luck, randomness, and the fact that no one is perfect are the other factors also involved which could cost you the favorable results. Basically, playing Marvel with the Top 4 or a team around them gives you so many options that it’s impossible to prepare yourself for every possibility.
So in conclusion, the results of any tournament do not necessarily show reliable RESULTS of just skill; it’s about skill (in offense and defense), luckiness, “right” choice of tactics, and experience in the game. I don’t pretend to know any more than this; this is just what I have observed. It seems like there’s at least 30 different Marvel players that are good enough to take ALL of each other out; though the possibility is slimmer for some and higher for others, it is not absolute and not good enough to say that “they are a better player than the other.”
And yes, I’m a nobody but I felt like my 2 cents had to be thrown into this crazy Marvel crowd. :looney: