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These Pros Ain’t Loyal: The Crisis of Character Loyalty
Certain players in the FGC are synonymous with their characters, and have mained them throughout their competitive careers. What drives their loyalty, despite getting kicked around in tier lists?
Every fighting game player has to make the decision at some point. They sit down in front of their setup, open the character select screen and study the rows of portraits laid out before them. Which character do they choose? What are their strengths? What fighters should they watch out for?
As fighting games evolve, certain trends arise: characters who gain significant buffs, or new characters with widely viable tools, become popular picks at tournaments. In the SFIV era, this character was Elena: not only could she regain significant health with her Healing Ultra, her focus attack absorbed Ultra meter without costing her life, and her quick walk speed afforded her greater mobility. In SFV: AE, this character appeared to be Abigail: his high damage output, armor, and V-Triggers allow him to put his opponents into stun with short combos, while his moveset covered a wide variety of scenarios.
SFV’s Season 3.5 balance patch has upset this trend — characters who dominated the cast not even a week ago are now nerfed into the floor, while others appear to gain continuous improvements throughout the game’s lifespan. As is customary, with the introduction of a balance patch, a character crisis begins: many players seek out top-tiers in an effort to use their broad toolsets to hold a competitive edge. However, some users have stuck to their guns throughout the franchise, despite a constantly changing climate. How do they manage to overcome drastic shifts in strength? Is character loyalty a weakness in an environment that necessitates versatility and praises top-tiers?
Choose your fighter
Longtime Chun-Li main Able Gamers|Brolylegs has stuck with Street Fighter’s strongest woman since the SFIV era. He believes that loyalty in the face of adversity (such as Chun-Li’s major S1 nerfs) doesn’t have to be viewed as a handicap.“As a competitor, I feel the effects of the changes and plan whether I can still win,” he stated. “At the end of the day, I will still play [Chun-Li,] because she works out for me better than anyone else. I am always prepared for changes. It is a mentality I have to never really blame character changes to my results. Just keep moving forward.”
Chun-Li loyalists have kept up with the high kicks since S1
© Capcom
Of course, that doesn’t mean that pocket characters are completely out of place. Not every fighter will remain viable in each matchup, so a decent strategy to remedy these weaknesses entails learning a second character to make up for the deficiencies of the first. “I truly believe that a secondary character helps a player use his main character better,” Broly said. “It lets them see a different perspective, and a different playstyle can give them additional insight on how opponents play them.” Broly also uses new character releases to help learn matchups; instead of fighting against new characters, he gives them a test run in order to scout out their strengths. “I play them for a week until I learn everything I can in case I get matched up against them,” he imparted.
Broly himself has two secondary characters: M. Bison and Karin, which he utilizes in order to surprise his opponents. However, RISE|Smug is a notable player who has no pocket character, and relies on his primary character, Balrog, at all times.“I chose to play Balrog in SFV because he's a black boxer that hits really hard, and he puts fear into his opponents.” he explained. “His playstyle is a rushdown-heavy character that's always in your face. He's one of the four [kings] of Shadaloo as well, which is cool.”
Despite Smug’s character monogamy, he likewise believes that possessing a secondary fighter is a strength, looking to Infiltration’s success as a guide. “I feel it's still important to have a secondary in SFV … [for example] Infiltration plays Menat, a character that completely dominates 90 percent of the cast,” he stated. “And he has a pocket Juri to handle Menat's hard matchups, like Rashid, and probably Cammy as well.” Smug’s own journey through SFV has been quite different: His dedicated use of Balrog has afforded him a general consistency throughout the seasons, and Balrog’s strength gives him no reason to seek out a secondary fighter. “I've decided to stick with this character for so long because I've had good tournament results with him,” he explained. “Overall, a lot of his matchups are still the same which still makes me stay with him.”
Handling getting hit with the nerf stick
Even Balrog has not been exempt from adjustments however, and one of SFV’s strongest characters was taken down a peg in Arcade Edition. But even a single character can become versatile in the right hands. “I can handle the nerfs — they nerfed TAP, but it wasn't a tool I relied on to win my matches,” Smug said. “Also, I use V-Trigger 2 in some matchups, which works well in that it makes them a little better for me.”
Despite his own ability to overcome Capcom’s modifications, Smug understands why so many players are at the end of their rope with the new release. “Many people are in a character crisis because of a couple of options,” he stated. “Most is mainly because their character keeps getting nerfed in every season, to where that character is pretty much not very useful in tournaments, or their favorite character is not in the game.”
Some characters can bust opponents up despite the series’ changes
© Capcom
For Broly, character crises occur when players forget the joy of the game. “It's not easy finding the character that fits you,” he stated. “It took me months before I mained Chun-Li. What I usually tell people when finding their main is to find something fun and forget about competition. The important aspect of searching for your character is becoming comfortable with their moves, playstyle and sometimes their design. Once you feel like you’ve found your character, work hard to master them.”
For Broly, maining a staple character throughout Street Fighter’s lifespan has helped give him an edge on the competition. “I feel as if the game doesn’t change her moveset too drastically, then yes, I have a competitive edge,” he stated. “Players that choose something new or different has to start from scratch, while the character I repeat with usually has similarities from its previous installments.”
For Smug, the answer is different: He feels that going steady with Balrog doesn’t actually give him a leg up at all. “Maining the same character doesn't give me a competitive edge,” he explained. “I'm a character specialist, and I love learning every matchup with my character, which also makes me a better player. There's not a character where I feel the matchup is not winnable for Balrog. You will be surprised when you learn a matchup how many things you learn. There's a lot more to learn when the matchup is not in your favor.”
“If you want to be a true fighter, go and train!”
In the end, the game of Street Fighter isn’t about staying true to one character or choosing to switch it up. Like many fighting games, the key to success appears to be a combination of knowledge and skill. While limiting their game knowledge to one character can leave players in the dark about certain matchups, it provides a familiar consistency that might pay off in the end.
Whether competitors choose to stick it out with their tried and true character or feel the need to seek out bigger fish, success can be found with any fighter — provided that their player is tough. Infiltration’s win with Juri at Evo Japan last year speaks volumes to this account, as does Bonchan’s continued success with Nash, a character largely left behind since the days of Season 1. Ultimately, Street Fighter is a test of the strongest warriors: while it is grueling to get to the top with any character, once they’ve made it, it is the players who are remembered for their prowess.
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