Here is a sample detailing Sol's thoughts on the games competitive depth:
"Does arms have competitive depth":
Absolutely. The strongest barrier for arms in this regard is that to the casual spectator it the depth is not intrinsically evident however in high level competitive play there are lots of nuances and microspacing that can completely (and methodically) turn around the momentum of a fight. The other issue is that low level play currently gives the game a bad reputation ranging anywhere from it being a throw-spamming fest to the false belief that the game is strictly defensive when in high competitive play its actually quite to the contrary.
You can find the full AMA after the page break.
Ultimately that isn't for me to decide. If I were to insist on listing a set of credentials, I have been a competitive FGC player for several years now. I'm sponsored by Noble Esports for my work / play and I've hit rank 15 in ranked mode exclusively using default toasters and tribolts. As well, I am the champion of the first Arms Major at 2GGC: Arms Saga. Above all of those qualifications however, first and foremost I love the FGC and want to see this game thrive for us as a competitive community.
"Does arms have competitive depth":
Absolutely. The strongest barrier for arms in this regard is that to the casual spectator it the depth is not intrinsically evident however in high level competitive play there are lots of nuances and microspacing that can completely (and methodically) turn around the momentum of a fight. The other issue is that low level play currently gives the game a bad reputation ranging anywhere from it being a throw-spamming fest to the false belief that the game is strictly defensive when in high competitive play its actually quite to the contrary.
"What does the game do right?"
Presently it has an array of systems in place to reward both defense and aggression. Both playstyles can intermingle effectively and have their own respective places. Specific characters can actually excel at rushdown to the contrary thought of the average spectator and The game has a solid level of diversity. It leans predominantly into its fundamentals allowing you to generally play near every character well as a byproduct of even mastering only one. High competitive play also is exciting and robust to watch, and in some ways there are elements of the game that even mimic actual boxing techniques (such as slipping to the outside of the opponents jab to cut off their remaining arm etc). It has a high rate of accessibility and a solid level of demand to mastery with an incredibly flavorful cast of characters.
"What are the biggest glaring flaws right now?":
This is a multi-part answer but ill do my best to break it down. 1) The camera does not adjust nearly as well as it needs to in response to vertical motion of an opponent. Particularly abused by ribbon girl and customs helix. Aiming up or down ultimately needs to be more flexible and effective.
2) The timer is flatly too brief. More often than not you're left fighting the timer, even in closed narrow stages in which both players are effectively consistently aggressing one another. Time outs are not just uncommon, in certain matchups and stage lists theyre inevitable. We need an extension of the timer to 120 seconds to stop tying the hands of players so firmly to the timer itself.
3) Rush cancels should not activate inside of 30 frames of the grab activation. One of the deadliest (currently uncapitalized) strengths of rush at the moment is the ability to pressure grab in close quarters combat. The grab to rush cancel mixup is an unwinnable exchange and can lead to endless chains and an unforgiving corner pressure with an overwhelmingly skewed risk to reward ratio. Simply grab at your opponent up close, then rush initiate as an option select out of the grab as its about to connect. If done correctly it will only rush if your opponent does react to the grab attempt, giving a guaranteed followup.
4) Spring Stadium needs to be at BEST a counterpick stage. Certain characters can effectively spring camp ad nauseum to devastating result, and this forces an auto ban of the stage against anyone with a pocket ribbongirl etc (lest they face devastating consequences).
Recommended Stage List is:
Neutral - Mauseoleum, Ribbon Arena, Buster Beach, Sky Arena (DLC) and Ramen Bowl Counterpick - Dna Lab, Spring Stadium, Scrapyard Ban - Cinema Deux, Ninja College, SNAKE PARK
With two bans being made available to players. I actually do strongly recommend the implementation of DSR, (Daves modifiedstupid rule is a ruling that states players can not return to the last stage they won on in a set)
"Default or Customs"
Oh boy, time to flame up the comments section. First let me say that there are a lot of people in both camps within the community and each viewpoint has its own validity and worth. I myself have flipped from both sides back and forth for a while until coming to a more definitive conclusion/mindset after long thought on the matter. As it stands (without tournament unlocks auto included), logistically for TOs the only logical conclusion is Default. However I will take this a step further and say that Default arms loadouts should be the standard regardless of whether such an option were implemented.
As it stands competitively you have 7-8 competitive viable characters in default meta with a wide array of arms seeing use, roughly 24+ of 30. One of the predominant arguments for customs is versatility. What people often neglect is this - It is physically impossible to balance 30(33) customs options across 10(11) characters and not begin to create over-centralization towards select loadouts. Sometimes creating MORE (but inherently superior) options, actually restricts the variety of a game by forcing competitive play to utilize those options over all counterparts due to raw power factor. As it stands in customs, I only see 5 competitive-worthy characters and 8 arms being worthwhile on the highest level of play. I feel this has the huge potential to stagnate the game and its viewership / growth.
Once again, ultimately I acknowledge that this is a controversial opinion and it will create friction with many of the readers of this article. My thoughts have also factored in the top 15 Japanese invitational as well just to be clear. (Good job mechanica!) That said it is my honest insight that default is what is good for the scene in the long run. Default is seeing solid diversity with character counter-pick matchups right now, and actually emphasizes variety more so than its counterpart. Its largely balanced, split only between 3 tiers of character and focuses more on character matchups rather than diluting the characters and making the game strictly about arm counters. The metagame is actually very healthy overall in this moment. Especially after a few tweaks / balance patches. Default has become my stance. Of course its ultimately up to the community as a whole to decide and my assessment alone is not the only one worth considering.
I'd also like to bring up a suggestion and hear out the communities thoughts on this. What about Default+1? Provided Nintendo organizers allowed an instant unlock or we could pass save files effectively to present customs as an available option, what if instead of the community committing to an all or nothing (Defauls or customs), we simply allowed players to exchange one arm of their kit for 1 custom. This would expand viability while still forcing players to really think about their arms choices without letting them create a full loadout to counter their counters. In this sense we keep a lot of the diversity and unique flavor of the cast, as well as expand helix into actual playable territory, while simultaneously letting players still partake in the customization and options they so desperately crave. Thoughts on that?
"Whats your Tier List?"
In Default (Order Matters):
|S|-Ribbon Girl, Kid Cobra, Springman |A|-Bark and Byte, Twintelle, Min Min, Ninjara |B|-Mechanica, Helix, Master Mummy
In Customs:
|SS|-Helix, Ribbon Girl |A|- MinMin, Springman |B|-Kid Cobra |C|-Twintelle, Mechanica |D|- Ninjara, Bark and Byte, Master Mummy
These views are 100% subject to change and merely the accumulation of my knowledge with the game in the brief time that I have had it. Full disclosure.
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