In Depth: Is Marvel dead? Part 2: ApologyMan — EventHubs investigates and speaks with pro players to finally answer the question
Posted by Ryan Tryken Tullis • February 15, 2015 at 10:56 a.m. PST • Comments: 31
But one perspective isn't enough, even if it's from a top player. Next up is Vineeth “MMG|ApologyMan” Meka. His unique team of Firebrand, Dr. Doom, and Super-Skrull netted him 1st place at SoCal Regionals in 2014, 13th at Evolution 2014, and second place at Curleh Mustache Norcal.
Since MMG|ApologyMan runs in the same, high level tournament circles as Filipino Champ, I was curious to find out how different his thoughts could be.
His answer makes a very intelligent comparison between a certain version of Street Fighter 4 and Marvel vs. Capcom.
Read below to check out his thoughts and my reflection.
Ryan “Tryken” Tullis: Is there still meta in the game to be explored and discovered in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3?
MMG|ApologyMan: I still think there are many characters that have yet to be fleshed to the level of most the top tiers you see normally. Hell, I think even characters like Strider (who is somewhat popular) aren't being played to their full potential. Characters such as M.O.D.O.K., Viewtiful Joe, Trish have so much potential and only a few of players are really pushing these characters to their limits. More front heavy teams like x character/Doom/Dante have strength too, but aren't very popular, so I feel there is room for the meta to develop for sure. Part of what drew me to Firebrand was the unexplored abilities he had with his unblockables, wall cling fireballs, and movement.
Ryan “Tryken” Tullis: Does the competition in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 continue to rise or is it stagnating?
MMG|ApologyMan: I think competition is pretty stagnant nowadays and there aren't many new players in general. The game is somewhat inaccessible considering you can no longer purchase the game. Also the game's lack of a balance patch and a majority of players utilizing powerful/overwhelming characters such as Vergil, Doom, Zero etc. really offsets new players from wanting to get into it. Now it's mostly old faces just getting better which is still really cool to see.
Ryan “Tryken” Tullis: Do you think Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will have the staying power as some of its predecessors and other Capcom classics such as Capcom vs. SNK 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, etc.?
MMG|ApologyMan: I think Marvel will still be around, just not to the popularity it used to have. People still enjoy watching the game on streams, so I think it will stay around just from all the hype and exciting moments that the game generates.
Ryan “Tryken” Tullis: Finally, and most importantly, do you find Marvel vs. Capcom 3 dead? Are there any reasons aside from the ones you may have mentioned above?
MMG|ApologyMan: I think, at most, local scenes Marvel is somewhat dead or not played as much. I really feel that if SSF4: AE never got a balance patch the same thing would happen to their local scenes. Imagine Yun and Yang dominating the game for 4 years—I'm sure I would get tired of that. But Marvel continues to get good numbers at majors and still continues to have great gameplay for viewing. I think the hype for the game can continue as long as the entertaining players such as Moons, Rubeks, FullSchedule etc. continue to succeed and pull upsets. It's those players that can really spark interest and inspire the lower level/new players and could possibly bring back life to Marvel's local scenes.
The comparison to Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition is a rather interesting one. Many fighting game fans remember the vehement outcries to Capcom concerning Yun and Yang. Capcom responded with a free update that heavily nerfed the twins.MMG|ApologyMan: I still think there are many characters that have yet to be fleshed to the level of most the top tiers you see normally. Hell, I think even characters like Strider (who is somewhat popular) aren't being played to their full potential. Characters such as M.O.D.O.K., Viewtiful Joe, Trish have so much potential and only a few of players are really pushing these characters to their limits. More front heavy teams like x character/Doom/Dante have strength too, but aren't very popular, so I feel there is room for the meta to develop for sure. Part of what drew me to Firebrand was the unexplored abilities he had with his unblockables, wall cling fireballs, and movement.
Ryan “Tryken” Tullis: Does the competition in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 continue to rise or is it stagnating?
MMG|ApologyMan: I think competition is pretty stagnant nowadays and there aren't many new players in general. The game is somewhat inaccessible considering you can no longer purchase the game. Also the game's lack of a balance patch and a majority of players utilizing powerful/overwhelming characters such as Vergil, Doom, Zero etc. really offsets new players from wanting to get into it. Now it's mostly old faces just getting better which is still really cool to see.
Ryan “Tryken” Tullis: Do you think Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will have the staying power as some of its predecessors and other Capcom classics such as Capcom vs. SNK 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, etc.?
MMG|ApologyMan: I think Marvel will still be around, just not to the popularity it used to have. People still enjoy watching the game on streams, so I think it will stay around just from all the hype and exciting moments that the game generates.
Ryan “Tryken” Tullis: Finally, and most importantly, do you find Marvel vs. Capcom 3 dead? Are there any reasons aside from the ones you may have mentioned above?
MMG|ApologyMan: I think, at most, local scenes Marvel is somewhat dead or not played as much. I really feel that if SSF4: AE never got a balance patch the same thing would happen to their local scenes. Imagine Yun and Yang dominating the game for 4 years—I'm sure I would get tired of that. But Marvel continues to get good numbers at majors and still continues to have great gameplay for viewing. I think the hype for the game can continue as long as the entertaining players such as Moons, Rubeks, FullSchedule etc. continue to succeed and pull upsets. It's those players that can really spark interest and inspire the lower level/new players and could possibly bring back life to Marvel's local scenes.
But does lack of character variety in the meta game hurt popularity? Let's look at the results from Marvel vs. Capcom 2 throughout various years of Evolution tournaments. As stated in Part 1, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 held a reign of nearly a decade as one of the major attractions. If character variety at the highest level is a major concern, then one can assume that MvC2's victor list will feature a large cast. This isn't the case, however. Even in 2002, Sentinel appears in all top 8 winners' teams. By 2008, his dominance is less noticeable, appearing in slightly less than half of the teams, but three out of the top 8 players used the identical match-up of Magneto/Storm/Psylocke.
In ApologyMan's defense, these were different times. Having a balanced Capcom fighter just didn't happen. Whether it be Old Sagat in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo or Chun-Li and Yun in Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike, the expectation of Capcom balancing top tier characters was simply out of the question due to technological limitations. That's different now. The reaction to Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition represents a new generation of players that expect more viability and balance in their roster—especially since character changes can usually be done via a quick patch.
So maybe it's right that ApologyMan looks at the players—not the meta game—to inspire others to play. Perhaps hype moments and the people behind them act as the greatest catalyst. How many casual fans have come over to Street Fighter because of MCZ|Daigo's famous EVO Moment #37?
If that's the case, the hype of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 certainly didn't end with Evolution 2014. EG|Justin Wong's stunning victory and subsequent celebration-roll dominated fighting game forums and Subreddits for weeks.
Speaking of which, what does the most distinguished Marvel player of all time think about Marvel vs. Capcom 3's future? Find out next time in Part 3.
