Tier Lists Are Full Of Shit
Almost no one played as Blanka in Street Fighter IV. This is because the low-tier green Brazilian is weird, doesnt play like any other character in the game, and is widely considered not to be very powerful. Nonetheless, Street Fighter V is adding Blanka into the game this January after two years without him. I cant wait for him to come back.
His perceived low-tier status in SFIV meant that no one bothered to figure out how to fight somebody who had bothered to learn how to play a passable Blankasomeone, in this case, like me. I used to enter online competitions hosted by the Street Fighter subreddit and show off my Blanka skills, and I could always capitalize on my opponents uncertainty about how fast and how far Blanka could move across the screen with his dashes, his face-plant slide, and his somersaults that can vault him over projectiles to twist a hapless enemys neck.
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Over the past two years without Blanka, I sank deep into the world of tier listsfan-created lists of characters, ranked from best to worstto determine the best choice for a replacement. Fighting game fan site EventHubs has a collection of ever-changing tier lists; gaming subreddits also often have their own running lists and charts.
SFIVs Blanka didnt feature well on these lists. Its not just that Blanka is low-tier; hes considered a troll pick, the type of character youd choose if you want to fuck with people. Being good with Blanka requires some psychological trickery, since almost all of his moves rely on punishing an opponents behavior. You lie in wait, observing your opponents bad habits, and then you use Blankas unpredictable flying somersaults to ruin them.
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Fuck tier lists
When I saw SFVs announcement that Blanka would return, all the uncertainty I felt after the nerfing of Chun-Li melted away. My choice was obvious. Its Blanka. Its always been Blanka.
I have no idea where Blanka will end up in the eyes of Street Fighter V fans. Maybe, by some happenstance, hell be deemed overpowered and Ill get accused of hackery by choosing him. Thatll be a first for me.
The thing is, people will judge my choice no matter what. Tier lists exist so that fighting game players can offer one another endless unhelpful advice about which character they should have chosen. Its a great way to justify why you lostyour opponents character was overpowered, right? Or maybe you chose an underpowered character. Or both! Its also a great way to forget why you chose the character that you did.
If everyone diversified their fighting game portfolio by learning some weirdos in addition to the more conventional fighters, tier lists would look very different. But that wont happen. Tier lists appeal to the fantasy of a get-good-quick schemechoose the best fighter, youll be guaranteed a win. It feels safe, even smart, to rely on these tier lists. But choosing an unpopular fighter can grant you an advantage you never considered. Great players innovate on established strategies, and that includes picking fighters with tactics that catch opponents off-guard.
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Those supposed top-tier characters might not even be the strongest, really. The only thing we know for sure about those characters is that they are popular. Perhaps its because they play in a way that fits a certain expectation, or because they look a certain way. Perhaps effective counters to their abilities have yet to be discovered. Perhaps those counters exist in the bottom half of the list, down where no ones looking for them.
I dont look like someone who would play competitive fighting games. Its annoying enough at tournaments to have to constantly justify my presence without also having to defend playing the character that makes me happiest. I miss Blanka, so Im going to play as him next year, even if they have to add a new tier to the basement of the list just for him. But Im not just picking Blanka because hes fun. Hell help me beat up on some rubes, too.