Author: John "Zidiane" Silvia

Skullgirls is a unique fighting game, thanks to the way it learns from and builds upon the genre–but one feature of the game in particular is a large contributor to its success. That feature is custom Ensembles (assists), which allow players to choose any move a character has as an assist move. While the launch of the new IP was rocky, this mechanic gave Skullgirls the depth it needed to build a cult competitive following and leading to today’s revival of the scene.

Due in part to the game’s rough start, there are not many people outside of its community who comprehend the most basic aspects of the title’s team mechanics, or how they managed to successfully keep players coming back for the past five years. Today, I’ll do my best to break down what I believe is Skullgirls’ biggest saving grace: the custom assist, and how this feature lets Skullgirls stand out while still feeling familiar.

A lot of Skullgirls’ depth comes from its team mechanics. For those unfamiliar, players are allowed to pick teams of one, two, or three characters. They can do this regardless of their opponent’s team, so one could use a team of three characters against another “team” of just one character.

This is in part balanced with scaling health and damage based on team size, meaning the more characters you pick, the less damage you do and the less health you have. [See also: Capcom vs. SNK series. – Editor] More characters are less durable, but they are rewarded with more options overall. Should you pick a duo or trio, you have access to custom assists, which allow you to use nearly any ground move a character has as your assist move. Teams also have access to Stunt Doubles (Alpha Counters): on block they can bring in their teammate using their assist for one bar of meter, as well as Blockbuster Sequels (DHC), which allow one character performing a super to cancel into their teammate’s super.

This is Skullgirls’ systems as boiled down as they can be, but therein lies the vast majority of the game’s depth. Before moving further into why a thing like the custom assist makes Skullgirls a truly stand-out title, let’s get into how the assist mechanic traditionally works in the better-known Marvel vs. Capcom titles.

In MvC games up until now, characters usually have three assist types to choose from. Some characters have great assists overall, some have situation-specific assists, and others still don’t have very good ones to choose from at all. After being restricted to three developer-decided assists, the choice in assists is further limited by which point characters are good and can utilize the assist well.

These limitations placed on assist choices influence the game’s evolution, by dictating which characters end up getting used. Player choice narrows to good point characters and good assist characters, which ultimately influences the competitively-viable team choices. This type of influence is greatly deconstructed in Skullgirls, because with custom assists the players themselves can find what works best for their team and against their opponent.

While this is great, it is not immediately apparent what this feature does for Skullgirls as a whole, and what it means as far as tier lists are concerned. Traditional tier lists attempt to rate how effective a character is and how they stack up against the rest of the roster. In SG however, it is generally accepted that there are no weak characters, and few matchups are significantly harder to deal with than others.

While there are several games today that are balanced well and can be given similar descriptions, Skullgirls achieves this in a unique way: the game is balanced not because each character has all the tools they need to succeed, but because every character can find multiple assists with varying teammates that cover their weaknesses or amplify their strengths. The best characters in the game aren’t the best because in 1v1 they dominate, they’re the best because they work well with a wide range of characters.

Let’s look at an easy example in the form of Double. Double is considered one of the best in the game thanks to her options and reset game. For assists she has access to Hornet Bomber, which between the light, medium, and heavy versions can function as an invincible reversal, a mid-range pressure tool, or a long range poke respectively. She also has Cilia Slide, a mid-long range poke that hits low, as well as her Luger Replica which can act as an anti-zoning tool, or can make specific confirms for the point character easier.

She also has amazing supers, in both her uses for them and their DHC potential. Beast of Gehenna (BoG) creates a puddle that attacks approaching characters, which can be used before she tags out to protect the incoming teammate. She also has access to great DHCs; with Bella/Double for example you can reversal with Cerebella’s Diamond Dynamo, which if it hits can be DHC’d to BoG for a full confirm, or if it’s blocked can be DHC’d to Catellite Lives to stay safe and pressure the opponent on block.

She has a lot more options, but this sets the tone for her character. Every character in the game can find something in Double’s kit to use for their team, but not every character is blessed with great assists. Let’s look at another example, Painwheel:

Painwheel’s assists consist of essentially just Pinion Dash, a long reaching move that takes a while to start up, and c.mp, which functions as short range lockdown. She also has Hatred Install, a power-up super that lets her DHC in and be safe to act in every situation; while not gamebreaking, this setup brings Painwheel in while at advantage regardless of the scenario, and gives her access to her amazing neutral buff with the super activated. She’s the perfect example of a character that can’t be used on every team but has niches that she shines in.

The other aspect of custom assists that ensures diverse playstyles is the ability to call assist and use normally unsafe moves at the same time. This is a tactic that is used in Marvel games occasionally, but it’s a lot more widespread in SG. Certain moves that are otherwise very unsafe or hard to confirm off of become a usable assets in neutral with the right assists. Parasoul with Robo-Fortune’s H Beam can use Napalm Pillar as a reversal a lot more often with H beam both keeping it safe on block and allowing Parasoul to convert on hit. Cerebella can get a similar situation with Fukua’s H Platonic Drillationship assist, letting her go for Battle Butt more freely.

Lets take a look at a character like Eliza, who has a hard time getting out of trouble due to her reversal options being weak. Her meterless reversal, Upper Khat, can be grabbed and is unsafe on block, with her only metered reversal costing 3 bars of meter where most other characters get a reversal for 1 bar. Let’s pair her up with Painwheel, a unique combination to be sure; this setup sees Eliza with the option of increased lockdown and pressure once she gets in with Painwheel’s c.mp assist, and also sees her meterless reversal buffed slightly. If Upper Khat is blocked Eliza can cancel into super followed by a DHC to Hatred Install, which leaves a powered up Painwheel with a +21 frame advantage to do what she wants. This does cost 2 bars of meter to perform, but is a much better reversal option than any she had available to her before. Other than Upper Khat she also has her air super, which she can use when she’s in the air to DHC to Painwheelin more situations.

There are of course also the standard uses for assists, in choosing assists that cover spaces of the stage that your point character needs help with. Peacock for example makes great use of Big Band’s invincible reversal assist, Beat Extend, letting her protect herself from advances and discouraging opponents from approaching too quickly. Big Band can also make great use of Peacock’s George’s Day Out assist, letting him approach his opponent while being protected from approaches with the little bomb.

This fluid interpretation of how good a character and their options can be depending on their teammates is the main reason why tier lists just don’t apply to Skullgirls the way they do every other fighter. There are many synergy setups, with many more combinations that the community is still discovering, and there just flat out isn’t any bad characters. While the game is filled with mechanics that highlight player choice and decision making, the impact of the custom assist is one of the main reasons the game is still being played today and why–despite a rough start, and being an brand new IP–Skullgirls 2nd Encore is definitely a game that could be played and enjoyed into the next decade.

If you read our recent article on the potential impact an esports mentality could have on the FGC, you might already know what to expect here. We’re continuing the conversation of exactly how much we’re changing as a community, but this time looking at the other end of the spectrum in the events we enjoy. Exactly what kind of effect is this large-scale growth and organization having on our events?

One change we’re already seeing comes in the form of bigger venues. We’re being seated in bigger stadiums than ever before, with sponsors paying more attention to our players and our tournaments. This leads to bigger pot bonuses, with organizers and players starting to get to the point where they’re able to make enough money to live on. This is the clearest change, being the one held up as the reason we should accept everything else that comes with esports. It’s a good reason, yes, but let’s think about some other potential long-term ramifications.

One recent development on the FGC esports circuit has been the rise of qualifying events. Qualifying events are easy to understand: you go to events A, B, and C, which gives you enough points to go to events X, Y, and Z. This has been happening at an increasing rate over the years. It has happened this year most notably with Capcom Cup and Red Bull Battle Grounds–where only the top-ranked players could compete–but it has also been occurring in games like Super Smash Bros. and Mortal Kombat.

On paper, there’s nothing wrong with a qualifying event. It simply ensures that the best of the best are competing, which is a good thing for spectators, and a good thing for players who make the cut. However, take a moment to think about what kind of message a qualifying event sends. This is an event that is exclusively attended by select players, where everyone else’s role is “spectator.” only. This scenario is fine for one or two events, but how many events do we want like this a year? Is one good? Five? Ten events? How many events throughout the year do you want to require you to place at pre-determined events, before you qualify? What is your limit?

With qualifiers, there comes the topic of players whose life situations/job availability dictate how many events they can attend a year. We saw recently how Juan “HungryBox” Debiedma, one of the top Melee players in the world, came to the point in his life where his job prevented him from attending specific events, leading him to quit his job in order to continue competing. Many players, no matter how good they are, have limited freedom in which events they can attend. If they are then obligated to attend specific events in order to earn qualifying points, they are severely limited in both which events they can attend, and the margin of error they have in their play if they want to qualify. Players who make every event can afford one or two sloppy plays, but a player who can make five tournaments a year certainly can’t.

Let’s step outside of the FGC for a quick moment, and look at qualifying events in other esports. In League of Legends, in order to compete on the largest stage in the world you need to first become noticed and sponsored by an established team. To get noticed, you usually need to place in the highest percentile of online rankings, which requires countless hours to climb the leaderboard, which is before even the hours of dedication needed to improve and adapt to each drastic season update. After which, you and your team compete against ten other teams in the region. Winning the Regional tournaments puts you in the Playoffs, and winning that tournament puts you in Worlds, where you compete against the winners of four other regions. This system can be sustained in League because the majority of the game is played online, but this is an example of how far qualifying events can go, and how they function in the world of esports outside FGC borders.

Back to the FGC: esports has also changed the tournament environment, and what was once known as the aesthetic of the FGC. The “no thuggery” clause that’s been added to our events is at times overbearing, but has done its part to create a healthier and more inviting environment. We’ve had moments of sexual harassment that before may have gone unnoticed or unpunished, but now are being treated very seriously. This is in addition to things like Smash Sisters, which sees a welcoming environment for women wanting to grow as players and enjoy their game of choice. These changes in making the environment more welcome are at times uncomfortable for those already enjoying the community, but the end result of more players, and a greater variety of players, is something no one can argue.

The next thing to look at is events choosing specifically to choose sides; namely siding with companies over fighting game fans. We could look at Project M–the Super Smash Bros. Brawl mod–for a perfect example of the power a company has and what happens when tournaments side with them: Nintendo outright forbids Project M from events they’re involved in, which, whether or not it is legally acceptable, means that a lot of people who enjoyed their game are denied it at certain venues.

There are also FGC-specific examples of tournaments favoring the newest games over what players already enjoy. The best example of this is Evo 2016, where both Pokkén Tournament and Tekken 7: Fated Retribution were announced as main games before either was released. Pokkén was released after the announcement and a few months before Evo, but US fans are still waiting for Tekken 7 on console. This is particularly noteworthy with Evo, due to the limited number of titles that event can run–meaning those slots could have been used for games that players were already playing.

The biggest effect this has comes from the spread to other events, where cherry-picking games is becoming a mainstay of our new esports FGC formula. It’s easier to provide setups and run a handful of games, and a bit of support from the bigger game’s parent company helps tips the scales in which game gets featured and promoted. A good example of this is CEO, which has splintered into 3 events: CEO, CEOtaku, and CEO Dreamland. CEO provides a large stage for all the biggest games, the ones with the most player and company support. After that, CEOtaku provides a separate venue for players who enjoy anime fighters, and then CEO Dreamland for players who enjoy Smash and similar “platform fighters” like Rivals of Aether and Brawlhalla.

Another thing that could go hand-in-hand with tournaments moving to optimize their events by featuring sponsored esports games for a sleeker experience, is eventually moving away from casual setups and BYOC areas. Most other esports don’t have casual setups for anyone to play, making us the anomaly in field. The fact that we’re unique in this makes it all the more important we make sure to keep a tight hold on what makes us distinct moving into the future.

The problem is, most of the things I’ve mentioned could make tournaments easier to run than our current model, making it an eventuality that would result in more manageable events for tournament organizers. As a thought experiment, let’s combine all of the issues I’ve talked about at once here, and imagine an event that runs as “esports” as possible. Let’s say an FGC-sports group appears and becomes the name of the game, the biggest series of events through the year. Their events have massive pot bonus to entice all the big players to attend, which would result in the rest of the community following and supporting the events as well. Each tournament in the series gives points which go into the big qualifying events in the back half of the year, meaning they don’t need to provide the amount of setups an FGC event normally would due to the lower turnout, and the limited number of games further simplifies the experience. No casual or BYOC areas ensure optimized use of space for vendors, both generating revenue and further reducing the need for organizers to pay for setups and excess stream stations. Both the event and the players get to the point where they’re removed from the general audience, and the causal players are treated like consumers rather than attendees.

This is the kind of thing we need to be careful of the most: an optimized experience designed to make money, one that thinks little of the casual audience. If you truly don’t believe that we would ever come to the point where we would ignore the casual audience at a tournament, just think about Street Fighter V; despite this game having what the community acknowledges as the worst launch in recent history, it still gets high accolades and was sponsored and supported due in large part to the esports-style Capcom Pro Tour. This is all while arguably ignoring the casual audience, in favor of appealing to esports; not even dedicated long-time fighting game players, but esports specifically. The fact is: we are headed in a very different direction than where we came from, and not enough people are thinking about of the long-term effects of this transition.