SoulCast Episode #2: Esom

Calling the extended sets a 'Starcraft rule' just shows your ignorance about the whole thing. That rule was used before Starcraft was at MLG, and several people in the Starcraft community don't like the rule.

Likewise I don't understand the hate toward the 'loser selects stage' rule. It's somewhat understandable since you guys have been playing with random stage select since forever. However no one has provided an adequate reason to me why it's bad.

In both cases while the rules may be unpopular neither one is unfair. It was a bad idea for MLG to change the rule so close to the tourney starting, but I also think it was a bad idea for people in the community to complain about it so close to the tourney date as well.
 
Likewise I don't understand the hate toward the 'loser selects stage' rule. It's somewhat understandable since you guys have been playing with random stage select since forever. However no one has provided an adequate reason to me why it's bad.

In both cases while the rules may be unpopular neither one is unfair. It was a bad idea for MLG to change the rule so close to the tourney starting, but I also think it was a bad idea for people in the community to complain about it so close to the tourney date as well.

I won't go so far as to call the stage select rule "unfair," but the reason that it's not popular for certain fighting games is because winner is already stuck on their character and loser is given free will to change. With counter-picking being a reality with fighting games, this means that loser is already gaining one advantage. With certain fighting games, especially ones like Calibur and Tekken that involve walls, being able to pick the stage as well gives you another advantage. Esom's situation was actually a perfect example because he was playing a Seigfried player who, obviously, wanted to choose a small stage.

Personally, I've always been a fan of events that made players declare their characters up-front and then had every match be a new, random stage. But, that's just me. :)
 
I understand the stage select is giving the loser a second advantage in addition to counter-picking, but this is not a game-breaking advantage. And, again, it's simply not unfair. There are pros and cons to both systems, but since neither one is unfair complaining about it seems silly. Just use the system to your greatest advantage.

The con to random stage select is that you can be fighting at a disadvantage for every game in the set. For everyone that doesn't like a second advantage for the loser, why is it fair to randomly give an advantage to the winner?

Also consider this: with the stage-select rule even if the winning player walks away from the game the best the losing player can do is even up the set, and he'll still be at a disadvantage because the winner gets to pick the stage at that point.

In Esom's case if he loses the match against Seig then he gets to counter-pick him back. Simple as that. I don't think there is a character-stage combo that is so unbeatable that the better player won't be victorious in a 5-game set.

Also consider it from a viewer's perspective. This rule ensures that you get to see players at their best which in turn tends to get you more exciting and better played matches.
 
I didn't have a beef with the extended set rule. It has its pros and cons, but people already know going in that is something to expect at MLG.

My concern was with the loser picks stage rule because it's an unfamiliar rule to those competing with not alot of time to prepare for it, plus the advantage it gives to the loser when they already have the ability to counterpick. At least use the rule at some other tournaments before using it in a tournament with so much money on the line to make sure that it's not stupid. But when I brought this up as a concern, the response that I got was that it works for Starcraft.
 
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