The Official "Should/Will Metaknight be banned?" Thread (LISTEN TO THE SBR PODCAST!)

[Justblaze647]

His Up B and Side B need Pikmin to work as attacks. Your point? Oh, that's right. You don't have one, because all of Olimar's natural attacks are A moves.

Actually, the only moves he can use with no pikmin are: jab, d-tilt, u-tilt, f-tilt, and nair...

 

[ZHMT]

except that MK is 10x worse for the metagame than garchomp. at least garchomp has counters and gets ***** by resistant ice-beam weilders

SORRY DOUBLE POST!!!!!

honestly the thread never moves slow enough for me to doubl post

*grumbles*

I dont wanna get into this, but Garchomp can be holding Yache Berry lol.

A counter is something that can RELIABLY defeat something 100% of the time. Which Metaknight has none. If I were to main Metaknight right now, the only Matchups that would be a threat would be against other Metaknights. It doesnt take that much to learn how to play Metaknight. Space yourself with tilts and finish with dsmash (yeah theres more but you know what I mean). Metaknight has far too many spammable broken moves, everyone wants to win, I dont blame people for using him. But its becoming too much.

 

[BentoBox]

As long as fighting MK remains an uphill battle for some characters, while not un-win-able, there will never be a reason not to exclusively play metaknight, simply because people are stubborn like that. Hylian just made a thread on the MK forums detailing how exactly MK shuts down everything G&W has, approach wise, and why a good MK shouldn't have much difficulties fighting one... A matchup that is believed to be 50-50 for some. M2K saw that as an attempt to ban MK... Because as long as such information is kept away from people (or at least not known by all), MK will never be conceived as impossible to beat.

 

[salaboB]

If that were true already then Meta Knight would not just be a dominating force, he would be the only force, with the exception of maybe a few diehard fans of some other character.

So you have the following people not playing as MK:
Diehard fans of other characters that have practiced enough to compete with him (Very rare, and most of the top players at least have MK somewhere in their playable list to break out when they need a counter -- so even most of the diehard ones still utilize him. Plus a number of those who really, really loved their character gave up and switched for the far easier victories.)

People not caring about the rest of the metagame and playing who they like. Pretty similar to diehard fans except that they simply don't care enough about winning to go for the "best" character. They also have low impact on the tournament scene's winners.

That sounds about where the game is at right now, yes. Can we have your permission to ban him if the footstool thing and Wario's CG fall through, plz?

 

[cutter]

Ankoku your sig is AMAZING. Having suffered through the Affinity and Skullclamp days before that, I'm fully aware how broken Ravager was. Although he did have the Vault Ninja to make it a truly degenerate combo.

 

[Sonic The Hedgedawg]

I dont wanna get into this, but Garchomp can be holding Yache Berry lol.

A counter is something that can RELIABLY defeat something 100% of the time. Which Metaknight has none. If I were to main Metaknight right now, the only Matchups that would be a threat would be against other Metaknights. It doesnt take that much to learn how to play Metaknight. Space yourself with tilts and finish with dsmash (yeah theres more but you know what I mean). Metaknight has far too many spammable broken moves, everyone wants to win, I dont blame people for using him. But its becoming too much.

naw that's just a HARD counter.... and yache berry means he'll give up some other options for hold items and will only be protected from one ice beam. an inteligently trained Slowbro, Cresselia, Swampert or Suicune with ice beam will normally beat Garchomp... it's really bad for him if you bring one of them out. And there are plenty of defensive charcters that he can have trouble killing if his trainer has not decided on a moveset involving fire.

also, weavile, starmie and gengar with the right moves are viable counters that garchomp has a just plain hard time with... and my Rampardos w/ focus sash and avalanche kills 100% of the time

but regardless... MK doesn't even have matchups that bad.

 

[Ulevo]

I dont wanna get into this, but Garchomp can be holding Yache Berry lol.

A counter is something that can RELIABLY defeat something 100% of the time. Which Metaknight has none. If I were to main Metaknight right now, the only Matchups that would be a threat would be against other Metaknights. It doesnt take that much to learn how to play Metaknight. Space yourself with tilts and finish with dsmash (yeah theres more but you know what I mean). Metaknight has far too many spammable broken moves, everyone wants to win, I dont blame people for using him. But its becoming too much.

No.

Smash Bros: A counter is defined as a match up between two separate characters in which one has the ratio or 70 over 30 or higher to the opposing character, or rather, that the match is 70:30 in their favor. An example of this would be Zero Suit Samus to Fox, with an 8:2.

Pokemon: A counter is defined as a Pokemon that can safely switch in to an opposing thread reliably, and either force it to return through threat or knock it out.

Counters in Pokemon are reliant on what is commonly used in the specific environment. 252/252 Bold/Impish Bronzong will reliably wall a physical based Salamence, but it is only a reliable counter in the assumption that you know what the Pokemon will be packing. If they host Flamethrower, Bronzong is no longer a counter.

That being said, Garchomp has little to no counters at all. That does not mean he doesn't have threats to deal with. The same is said for Meta Knight. No characters "counter" Meta Knight. Then again, no characters counter Marth either. Meta Knight still has threats to deal with, and another Meta Knight is not always the best solution.

 

[Justblaze647]

LMAO @ Ulevo's sig!!!

 

[Ussi]

Inui proved DK does not counter MK...

So all we have left is Kirby and Yoshi right? I don't see how Kirby beats MK besides fsmash beating tornado.

 

[SothE700k]

LMAO @ Ulevo's sig!!!

Its like an addiction!
"I NEED SOME METAKNIGHT!!!" *Shakes violently from withdraw*

 

[Justblaze647]

I thought we already established the MK has no viable counters (hard or soft)...

 

[Master Knight DH]

B-banning? Pit and Olimar are broken? Good God... what happened to this topic... Seriously, I feel like drinking rubbing alcohol after reading some of the stuff posted on the last couple of pages.

Sorry about that. Pit's arrow spam is annoying either way. Really, the AW analogy I made is looking better and better by the second.

I didn't bring up B-banning on my own, though I saw somebody bring up the possibility within a couple of pages before.

Also, Master Knight DH, Olimar can only use his smash attacks, aerials, and grabs if he has Pikmin which can only be "created" by using the B button. Also, expecting the three Pikmin that are with Olimar at the beginning of the match to live the entire match is beyond ******** especially when his Pikmin automatically die when he loses a stock and they aren't that hard to kill especially if you're playing as someone like Snake or Donkey Kong.

I know how Olimar works, I do main him.

Actually, the only moves he can use with no pikmin are: jab, d-tilt, u-tilt, f-tilt, and nair...

You forgot the running attack. That's the cartwheel. That makes 6. And I count neutral air as an A move.

By the way, I'm guessing the Pokemon mention is due to Pokemon getting exhausted. But in Pokemon, the Pokemon are restricted to a move called Struggle, which backlashes by dealing HP damage to the user. The PD idea isn't like that; you can still use the moves, your percentage won't even get increased by doing so (unless that's the move's natural drawback), it's just that they would have lower priority.

 

[infomon]

I figure a proper banning criteria would be:

If it gets to the point that there's no reason to not exclusively play Meta Knight.

Some characters have worse counters than MK (even tho MK might still have an advantage, if slight). So if you're playing competitively, you might want to main MK but switch to Pikachu if you're faced with a Snake. Or something like that. Does that count as not exclusively playing MK? Your statement is similar to MK having "no disadvantageous matchups", which is only part of OS' proposed criteria... am I wrong?

If you could pick a character that did as well against meta as meta does against them, that would be different in my eyes. But as it stands, if one person is meta, and the other isn't, it's never a fair fight.

Actually I think you're probably right about this, but now the issue is to prove it. According to matchup info, MK is claimed to hvave some pretty close match-ups. It's quite possible that this is wrong, but so few (if any) people play those matchups at a competitive level, so it's hard to demonstrate that it can't be done. To repeat an old idea, I think it would be good to collect some videos of top MKs facing top Yoshis, (other possible near-evens here), etc., so we can analyze them to see if the contenders are actually playing at the highest level or if there are clear points of error that could be improved upon before we make a final verdict.

MK might be too good or he might just be a frustratingly easy-to-play best. We need some way to prove the difference, that can stand as evidence to anyone who questions the ban throughout the rest of Brawl's competitive lifespan.

The Homebrew hack stuff can edit the game, but that will never be a part of tournament play, and your proposed patch doesn't exist. Or did I misunderstand something??

You have any better ideas?

Yeah, we either ban MK or we leave him alone.

Pokemon? Wha?

It sounds like you want a stamina system, similar to what they gave PT in Brawl. Which sucks (It's not like he'd be doing so great without it.) And if you take such an idea to extremes, that after using a move you get tired... well you'll end up with something a lot more turn-based than the fluidity of a fighter, ie. we borrow Pokémon-type dynamics but that's kinda silly thinking, not what I'd originally meant.

That's a pretty bad analogy, considering that pit's arrows aren't even remotely close to being broken.

They are so broken. Just like Grit, who--big surprise--camps like crazy. And you can't say they aren't, if you try dodging, you're just delaying the inevitable just like with the snipers in a certain game reviewed recently by the Angry Nintendo Nerd, he's gonna shoot you unless you put yourself into a prime position to get rammed by a Side B.

I don't know what references you're making, but LOL about Pit's arrows. They're good, not broken. If they were broken, Pit would be higher on the tier list, and maybe doing well in tournaments? But he's not, particularly. Broken means too good. Arrows are avoidable, and as Sonic you won't fire many before I can run up and kick you in the groin. Just sayin'.

1) The priority physics are a mess. How does Falcon Kick get nullified by a move that is nullified by Raptor Boost? That makes no sense.

I'll grant you that priority is a mess, but it's not our job to fix it.... that's way way beyond our ability or responsibility. The answer to your question about Falcon Kick makes perfect sense when you understand how Brawl's priority system works, which I guess you don't.

Tornado will be used from beneath or right in your face. You can't even block it, I have tried.

And we're to take your word on how to avoid a tornado? You think Pit's arrows aren't avoidable. This thread has had some of Brawl's worldwide best players post about the game; and yet there's a reason the top MKs don't just spam tornado all day. Are you so sure you're playing at the highest known level of play?

 

[infomon]

I thought we already established the MK has no viable counters (hard or soft)...

Did we? I don't see how it would be possible to resolve all these "Yoshi is near-even with MK" claims, when I haven't heard of (m)any great Yoshis fighting the great MKs to demonstrate this matchup. But maybe evidence could be presented without a good demonstration being made in practice; that would be okay.

I'm sure I missed it before... what exactly is a "soft counter"? Is 55:45 even whereas 60:40 is a soft-counter?

Edit: blargh, double-post.... such an unpredictable thread

 

[GofG]

Metaknight's Tornado is unblockable. Trust me, I've done extensive testing on this. Master Knight DH is absolutely correct.

 

[Sonic The Hedgedawg]

that's about right.

a soft counter is favoured to win but has to be on their game.

though, honestly, 55:45 doesn' play entirely even either.

generally a soft counter is 60:40... but it also includes 65:35 and, by some definitions, 55:45

 

[Sonic The Hedgedawg]

By the way, I'm guessing the Pokemon mention is due to Pokemon getting exhausted. But in Pokemon, the Pokemon are restricted to a move called Struggle, which backlashes by dealing HP damage to the user. The PD idea isn't like that; you can still use the moves, your percentage won't even get increased by doing so (unless that's the move's natural drawback), it's just that they would have lower priority.

I'm thinking it was a derisive cut at the idea of having a team of 5 or 6 characters you have to play in that link you posted.... and I agree... that is not smash

DANG IT... DOUBLE POST AGAIN!!!!!!

 

[Jim Morrison]

first ban definitly wont be the last ban

 

[Zankoku]

Some characters have worse counters than MK (even tho MK might still have an advantage, if slight). So if you're playing competitively, you might want to main MK but switch to Pikachu if you're faced with a Snake. Or something like that. Does that count as not exclusively playing MK?

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Sonic The Hedgedawg]

Yes, that's correct.

oh that's silly. by that logic, a charcter could have 75:25 on the rest of the cast and as long as ONE charcter directly countered another really hard (peach:olimar sheik:ganondorf) then that wouldn't make that first chacrter always the best option.

it doesn't HAVE to be the case that metaknight is always the BEST option... just that he's never a bad one.

 

[Zankoku]

In Melee, Fox, Falco, Sheik, and Marth were never bad options, but never always the best ones.
In 64, Pikachu and Kirby were amazing options.
In ST2 Turbo Akuma was the only option unless you were feeling masochistic.
In Rock Paper Scissors rock is the best option because paper always loses, especially to scissors.

Either way I forget what point I was trying to make.

 

[Sonic The Hedgedawg]

In Melee, Fox, Falco, Sheik, and Marth were never bad options, but never always the best ones.
In 64, Pikachu and Kirby were amazing options.
In ST2 Turbo Akuma was the only option unless you were feeling masochistic.
In Rock Paper Scissors rock is the best option because paper always loses, especially to scissors.

Either way I forget what point I was trying to make.

Akuma was banned.

and in melee... look. 4 charcters. that's 1/8 the cast. in smash 64: 2 characters: 1/6 the cast.

in brawl: MK..... 1/30something the cast (depends on how you count Zelda/Sheik)

and ignoring ratios... it's more than one charcter. MK is singularly broken. he's in his own tier.

regardless... yeah... you helped my argument O.O

 

[Praxis]

@darkSonic: The fact remains that picking MK does not equal instant win even against a character like Sonic. So the "easy to play/learn" argument shouldn't be used by anyone.



You make a good point, but always having the advantage alone does not equal ban. As it has been stated before, MK should have massive advantages over everyone before a ban is put in place.

But always having the advantage means that the metagame will eventually be reduced to only MK at high levels.

Would you rather MK as the ONLY viable tournament character, or a ban in place? I'd rather have the ban.

 

[rehab]

Why do we keep saying Metaknight is the only viable character

 

[VulgarHandGestures]

Why do we keep saying Metaknight is the only viable character

"...will eventually be reduced..."

 

[Mortimer]

Why do we keep saying Metaknight is the only viable character

Assume Meta Knight remains at above-even matchups against everybody.

If you pick Meta Knight, you have even to above-even matchups.

If somebody else picks another character, even one that's an even matchup with Meta Knight, this gives Meta Knight players the chance to counterpick a character that hard counters your first choice.

So at worst, Meta Knight players have an even matchup, and at best they have an opportunity to switch to a hard counter.

What reason, at equal skill levels, is there to pick anybody other than Meta Knight?

 

[Praxis]

If that were true already then Meta Knight would not just be a dominating force, he would be the only force, with the exception of maybe a few diehard fans of some other character.

Is this not the case already? Look at the HOBO11 results. Top 3 were Meta, Meta/Lucario, and Meta...and the Lucario has developed a reputation because he plays that character.

You have to play Meta to win money. While there were several non-Meta's in the top ten, we're on the road already, since only MK's are winning money.

 

[Jack Kieser]

Assume Meta Knight remains at above-even matchups against everybody.

If you pick Meta Knight, you have even to above-even matchups.

If somebody else picks another character, even one that's an even matchup with Meta Knight, this gives Meta Knight players the chance to counterpick a character that hard counters your first choice.

So at worst, Meta Knight players have an even matchup, and at best they have an opportunity to switch to a hard counter.

What reason, at equal skill levels, is there to pick anybody other than Meta Knight?

I think that's part of the real problem here. On paper, Metaknight doesn't completely **** everyone, but he also is NEVER a bad strategic choice, and as far as playing to win is concerned, there is NEVER a reason not to main Meta. Ever. Everyone else can be a secondary, but in theory, if Meta is everyone's main, and there is never a reason to go anyone BUT Meta first round, and if NO ONE counters Meta... then the game will inevitably result in all Meta dittos.

The only reason people don't main Meta now is because they aren't playing to win. Simple as that.

 

[Tenki]

I think it was because it implies that you're a scrub who doesn't play to win, let alone play competitively,

{b} You wonder why trolls are all like "no this, no that, Fox only, Final Destination." And no, I don't like the trolls in question either.

and that your opinion shouldn't really matter in this debate over a competitive banning of Metaknight.

{c} So you're saying Meta Knight's priority is somehow not important when you've been saying it a million times? That makes no sense.

Not that I necessarily hold that opinion of you. But we're talking about competitive play, where people doing everything possible (and allowed) to win is fair game.

{d} And here we have a topic debating whether or not Meta Knight should be banned. A little late for that.

Completely banning Metaknight's B-moves hurts his recovery ALOT.
Ban what, shuttle loop and tornado?

{e} Meta Knight already has 6 jumps and gliding. His recovery is never going to be gimped.

Tornado has its vulnerabilities from above, and slightly, after it's blocked.

{f} Tornado will be used from beneath or right in your face. You can't even block it, I have tried.

Shuttle loop's glide attack is vulnerable against a few characters' moves.

{g} Shuttle Loop isn't that much of a problem on its own. Meta Knight's not losing that much there.

also...no, not really.

{h} Says who? Not the Smash Wiki, that's for sure.

I am definitely not a fan of multiquote walls when addressing one post.


{a} Grounded moves' priority: If they're within 10 damage of each other, they will clang and both get cancelled. If one move does over 10 damage more, it will outprioritize the second move. Of course, if one move's attackbox hits the opponent's hitbox first, then that move will "win", regardless of damage. Aerial priority - well, aside from destructible projectiles, which work similarly (like Din's Fire) - the move that makes contact with a hitbox first will win. In this case, Metaknight's range and speed make this alot easier for him to win aerially.

{b} Hm. I apologize, it was a subtle attack on you. But doing a self-imposed B-ban when it's perfectly fine within the rules to use B-moves is just not playing to win. I'd take it as sandbagging if I were your opponent, and playing to satisfy your own mental ruleset/"honor code" instead of playing with what is actually allowed is just not competitive.

Of course, there are people who don't like the rulesets and would rather play with their own rules (final smash on, free for all, stamina mode, no B), however, their opinion tend to carry less weight in discussions like this.

{c} Of course Metaknight's speed+priority poses a problem to many players. However, modding the game isn't an acceptable choice within the realm of this argument. It is not up to us to rebalance the characters. If you want to muse on about what could be nice improvements on characters, go to the SSB4 thread and have fun.
Your understanding of priority seems to be lacking, and it makes it easier for people to try to discredit you based on this, as well as your... inability to fight tornado. {f}

{e} It's ALOT easier to gimp MK if you're not in the risk of being shuttle-looped and being reverse-launched to an early death, or shuttle-looped and stage spiked. His jumps are also very short, and, if it works like Pit, if you hit him out of glide, he won't be able to glide again.

{f} Tornado use from beneath? Oh good, I can hit it from the top, or bait it to rise and airdodge to go under it. Tornado used from in front of me? Good, I can hit him before it starts. It's very possible and has been done. Your experience might not necessarily reflect the best choices - for example, have you tried tilting your shield, then chasing after the Metaknight when he tries to retreat the tornado? A dumb MK tried to spam tornado against me and I got over 80% just hitting him in startup lag, jumping over him and hitting him from above, and grabbing him in ending lag. Was he a crappy player? Yes. Could have had better choices? Definitely. Just like GAW's B-air - you can shield the first one, or two, but you'll have to run away from it or beat it for a while until you get your shield back.

{g} Shuttle loop is still spammable. And good, if it's manageable, then don't B-ban.
{h} Metaknight is far from a fastfaller.

 

[rehab]

There is no reason to pick anybody else. He is the best character. I don't see that changing, and apparently neither do a lot of other people.

That is irrelavent because he is


not


autowin.

I didn't know we had a problem with counterpicking to win. Then again we could just choose a solid character who doesn't get ***** in any matchup (in before LIKE METAKNIGHT, there are others) and be Idunno better than the other guy.

The concept of "equal skill levels" is by and large a myth.

 

[Mortimer]

I think that's part of the real problem here. On paper, Metaknight doesn't completely **** everyone, but he also is NEVER a bad strategic choice, and as far as playing to win is concerned, there is NEVER a reason not to main Meta. Ever. Everyone else can be a secondary, but in theory, if Meta is everyone's main, and there is never a reason to go anyone BUT Meta first round, and if NO ONE counters Meta... then the game will inevitably result in all Meta dittos.

The only reason people don't main Meta now is because they aren't playing to win. Simple as that.

I don't think that's the only reason, actually. I know, I said one thing and now I'm disagreeing with it, but bear with me:

Currently, not all Meta players know how to counter other characters properly, so you can still do well with another character simply by playing with a style that the Meta players don't naturally counter.

Once Meta players learn the matchups better, though, it'll degenerate to MK always being the best first-round choice.

 

[Tenki]

Is this not the case already? Look at the HOBO11 results. Top 3 were Meta, Meta/Lucario, and Meta...and the Lucario has developed a reputation because he plays that character.

You have to play Meta to win money. While there were several non-Meta's in the top ten, we're on the road already, since only MK's are winning money.

I'm not sure about the soundness of citing top 3's, because they tend to be the most skilled players of the group, regardless of character. So the best players in the group happened to choose the best character. Now if there were players who were 'less skilled' that used Metaknight and placed top 3 above players who were more skilled, then it might carry alot more weight.

But I'm not one to rate the demographics of that tourney.

 

[Jack Kieser]

I don't think that's the only reason, actually. I know, I said one thing and now I'm disagreeing with it, but bear with me:

Currently, not all Meta players know how to counter other characters properly, so you can still do well with another character simply by playing with a style that the Meta players don't naturally counter.

Once Meta players learn the matchups better, though, it'll degenerate to MK always being the best first-round choice.

But that's the thing: again, it's totally the player's fault that he doesn't know how Meta beats *insert character here*.

If the Meta player was truly playing to win, thus doing ALL of his research, practicing the matchups, studying the current metagame, etc., there would be NO logical reason that Metaknight shouldn't be his first line of attack. And because Meta has the advantage on EVERYONE, he should be your only line of attack. The amount of advantage is irrelevant because as long as you have even a shred of matchup advantage, (in theory) at the highest level of play, you WILL win.

 

[TheBuzzSaw]

Panda, attach a poll to this thread, please. I wanna see numbers.

 

[da K.I.D.]

I'm not sure about the soundness of citing top 3's, because they tend to be the most skilled players of the group, regardless of character. So the best players in the group happened to choose the best character. Now if there were players who were 'less skilled' that used Metaknight and placed top 3 above players who were more skilled, then it might carry alot more weight.

But I'm not one to rate the demographics of that tourney.

sadaharu inui

nuff said

 

[Jack Kieser]

Panda, attach a poll to this thread, please. I wanna see numbers.

YESYESYES. Please, Panda, please?? We'd love you forever!

 

[infomon]

The amount of advantage is irrelevant because as long as you have even a shred of matchup advantage, (in theory) at the highest level of play, you WILL win.

Humm, I thought a 60:40 matchup was supposed to mean that the 40 wins on average 40% of the time, at the highest level of play. Am I wrong? 40% is still enough to keep the 60 on their toes, and keep tournament results varied.

"...will eventually be reduced..."

Yeah, and I'd support a ban when the game reduces to "pick MK or lose", and there's strong evidence that it's because MK is that much better than the rest of the cast (and not just, say, due to popularity, and the perception that he's too good).

But always having the advantage means that the metagame will eventually be reduced to only MK at high levels.

Would you rather MK as the ONLY viable tournament character, or a ban in place? I'd rather have the ban.

IMO having 55:45 doesn't mean the metagame will reduce to the character, nor that he's the only viable character. Not that that's the situation we're in, necessarily... but 55:45 counts as "having the advantage", right?

Panda, attach a poll to this thread, please. I wanna see numbers.

Do you mean a "should MK be banned" poll? Why would you want n00bs voting on something like that!?? The people who think MK is broken because of his "unstoppable tornado", as opposed to the more legitimate reasons? Also, the poll is from a biased audience... the opinions of the people who come to this thread does not necessarily represent the opinion of ppl on smashboards, let alone smashers....

 

[chillindude829]

Chillin also thought sheik was the best in melee til the day it died.

why do you go around lying about me? i thought marth was the best character in melee since 2002. my opinion's never changed.

 

[Jack Kieser]

Ok, here's a question. Let's say that Meta isn't really too good, but that people ARE really just flocking to him because they're sheep. Meta keeps flooding the playing field, and his inherent good-ness allows him to sweep like he has been doing, just at much greater numbers. Eventually, the playing field is reduced to almost nothing but Meta, but not because he's too good; just because people are dumb.

What then? Go ahead and allow the metagame to crumble due to overcentralization? Let the game turn into Meta dittos because everyone is playing him? As of now, the only thing that can stop this is finding a chink in Meta's armor, so to speak, but there is no reason to expect that to happen as of now.

 

[Praxis]

IMO having 55:45 doesn't mean the metagame will reduce to the character, nor that he's the only viable character. Not that that's the situation we're in, necessarily... but 55:45 counts as "having the advantage", right?

Except that, in my proposed scenario, more and more people will be picking up MK because he's the best. So that means that your MOST COMMON matchup will be a disadvantage, AND you have to worry about people playing your counter.

Wouldn't you rather your most common matchup be a neutral, and anything else being your disadvantage and never have to worry about a counter? Assuming a play to win mentality.

Anyone who doesn't pick MK is disadvantaging themselves and thus a scrub by this logic.