LP, you just nailed the EXACT reason why i quit playing MvC3 after 3 days. i remember when all of my friends were hype to play tekken and calibur, and how many great times we had playing them for hours on end, like every day. then, one day, i started looking shit up online, going to lacal tournaments, and learning frames.
within 6 months none of my friends would play me anymore. they would even stop playing when i showed up. :(
after MvC3 came out some of my friends came over and we had a blast scrub mashing in it. i realized that if i learn the game they will no longer have fun playing me and i will be trading real face to face gaming time with my friends for frustrating, laggy, nerd time with my internet friends, and i am not willing to make that trade.