PSA: we have 2 weeks until we need to decide on 10 sets for EVO. lololol. Good luck us.
That's why I wanna really start locking down what we really want to use, why we want to use it, and what we can live without.
Right now, I genuinely believe we can live without
Hyper Bomb, Ice Slasher, and Beat. The first two just need a bit more time, though I've seen and read their applications. The third one's more controversial, having a clear niche in being able to dive really deep below the stage and still recover easily. I just think for now Rush Coil an acceptable comfort pick as every Mega Main is used to it and it's still a very good recovery. Perhaps as we finalize sets there can be one or two where we can genuinely say "Yeah, put Beat on that it'll make the set better".
So from there we confirm our two absolute moves that are going to be most favored:
Metal Blades and
Danger Wrap. Expect half the sets to have these two.
Then there's the secondary offensive specials:
Shadow Blades and
Crash Bomb. They'll take less sets, but they should definitely see action as they have their niches and even work well together.
Finally there's the supports:
Tornado Hold, Leaf Shield, Skull Barrier, and
Plant Barrier. These complement the Neutral and Side specials. It's just a matter of figuring out which combinations cover the greatest gamut of options.
So from here I'm gonna start listing off a bunch of move pairs and trying to identify what they cover. I just wanna see what I come up with off the top of my head. I'll avoid going over combinations that are guaranteed to see action on several sets.
(11xx) MB + CB - Seems obvious, but as Danger Wrap is so favored, I'll add this anyway. Long-range pair for distanced horizontal zoning and pressure.
(31xx) SB + CB - Crash Bombs compliment Shadow Blades, giving the user a long-range option while still maintaining mid-range pressure.
(33xx) SB + DW - Anti-air set, lacks horizontal long range options but excels at mid-range zoning and aerial pressure
(1x2x) MB + TH - Metal Blade drop shenanigans strongly complements Tornado Hold
(3x2x) SB + TH - Not as strong a combination as MB+TH, but it can't be denied it brings support to a less distance focused set.
(1xx3) MB + PB - Slower than Leaf Shield but sturdier and better up-close pressure (I think). Also pairs well for edgeguard tactics.
(1xx2) MB + SkB - For when an opponent's projectile can trump or get around Mega Man's projectiles.
(3xx1) SB + LS - Its relatively quick start-up and duration can compliment Shadow Blade's zone of pressure.
(3xx2) SB + SkB - As Shadow Blade lacks distance, it really benefits to have a reflector in case the opponent shoots lots of projectiles
(x1x2) CB + SkB - Apparently these pair well as Skull Barrier protects Mega Man from his own Crash Bomb explosion.
(xx23) TH + PB - Something about timing Plant Barrier's activation out of Tornado to cancel landing lag. Worth considering.
All right, that's all I can come up with at the moment (it's late for me as it is). Feel free to further explain any of the pairs in my list or even add more pairs that would be worth considering. Again I tried avoiding combinations that I figured would surely see action (MB + DW, Anything + Rush Coil), but if there are combinations that should be detailed regardless, by all means. And if for any reason you think there's a totally viable pair that involves Beat, please explain as well!
Heck, feel free to list any pairs that may
not work together optimally. Perhaps something that's done better by another pair or simply don't compliment each other well. That way we can just outright avoid certain setups. Just don't try to downplay single moves. I don't think anything else is going away at this point.
The idea here is to get a real good idea of what Mega Man's vast array of options are and how we can best fortify his custom list by covering as many options as possible, avoiding redundancies but still having enough options to satisfy as many Mega mains as possible. We note the pairs, we piece 'em together, we have our 10 sets.
'Cause right now, trying to explain and validate whole sets is noticeably more difficult and time consuming.