(Note: This is all coming from a non-competitive player’s perspective.)
Haitani was playing Akuma during the latter half of last year and seemed to do okay? Crossover won the LATAM Regional Finals with Akuma, and Haitani won the open with Akuma. The SRK rankings list Akuma taking first in 27 non-local circuit tournaments since Jan 2017. While Tokido is the only consistent winner, he accounts for only 12 of those wins.
You can say that about several characters, where one player is considered to dominate with that character and others struggle to show worthwhile results. This expands even more when you open it to characters that are “shared” by two dominating players.
For one thing, there are only so many meaningful tournaments and so many players (and their character choices) can win them. And SFV honestly gets a fairly decent variety of characters at tournaments.
For another, there is the whole “dominating player” factor. While a character racking up “easy” victories can cause a lot of bandwagon jumping, at a high level you are arguably also facing disadvantages for playing a character that someone else already dominates with. That dominating player(s) not only acts as your personal road block, other players are also putting effort into figuring out how to beat your character because they have to overcome that dominating player as well.
There is the money and pride factor. Winning is best, but if you aren’t going to win, then you might aim to achieve fame in other ways. Being the best Cody might be better than being the 3rd best Akuma, even if you won more playing Akuma.
As for Cammy, I remember one player making an argument that (at least some) pros were switching to her because they were splitting their attention with other games. Those kinds of switches weren’t that a highly skilled player putting in a ton of effort would dominate with Cammy, but rather that a skilled player putting in half the effort would see better results with Cammy than with other characters.
Or we can compromise and make Ed’s backdash like it was when he first released so he can just backdash after Psycho Knuckle and avoid the opponent’s response entirely
To me it was basically the fastest kneejerk way to remove the reason why Ryu, Ken and Cammy were top/nearly top in S1. Meterless DP means you basically have 2 v triggers since you’ll always have super and always have v trigger to come back with. If Cammy still had meterless DP by the time season 3 hit she’d have better comeback potential than current balance cycle Akuma.
Could have fixed the meterless DP meter whoring problem like 50 other ways instead, but that’s what they chose.
Putting you in the corner from neutral usually requires meter.
Cody’s h ruffian kick special doesnt but if you burn a bar you can. Sakura’s h dp likewise doesnt but ex tatsu puts you in the corner clean. Ryu’s heavy tatsu leaves himself in the corner which is somewhat a disadvantage. Akuma’s h tatsu ender doesnt leave you in the corner and only gets him a dash in cr hp meaty. Neither does anything zeku, ibuki, alex, etc.
Secondly you said get in and put in the corner. Very few meterless options can get you that. I realise that it’s a offensive based, fast paced game but having meterless dp is just a scrubby design mechanic that just adds more randomness. And it will hurt the flow of a game where every frame trap is a bait and people do more dumb shit like neutral jump and dp in the neutral.
DPs are still important especially since all of the top characters have one. In a vacuum an EX DP is only so so in this game, but when you combine it with the toolset of the top cast it gives them that much more room to escape scenarios that 3 frame only characters like Boxer, Laura and Bison have to hold. Gief being good again means Bison not having a DP will actually be a real problem again.
No having to hope they screw up the meaty or make sure you have the right partial invincibility read. You just use it and get out as long as they don’t do some anime cross behind bait shit. Plus at higher/top level it forces people to back up or stifle their pressure because you could bust it out during anything that isn’t a true block string.
Yeah i suppose so. At least a counterhit 3 framer links into a med button and usually into a full combo i suppose.
I never really played that much of 4. Could a meterless dp be used to blow through say a 3 frame trap?
Cuz thats something that cant be done in 5 without meter. Even if you KNOW someone is gonna frame trap you without meter the best (only) option is to hold it.
The top top like Akuma, Rashid and Ibuki. Those characters you mentioned are below them. Although frame 1 Birdie armor is like a DP light in some respects.
V Trigger DPs are still function as meterless DPs and they blow through 3 frames just like any DP would blow through 3 frame traps in SFIV. Same shit.
Also part of why Akuma is top because once he gets trigger he then gets extra meterless DPs that dont burn his EX meter. Letting him save for invincible super with huge range or more extra EX DPs after. His DPs have mega range also and hit from ranges that other EX DPs would whiff.
