Let me just start by saying that this has been no easy decision. I have been a moderator over the Back Room since 2004 and the issue of whether or not to ban Metaknight from tournament play has been the most heated discussion we have ever had in that room. So I want to stop anyone from suggesting that we didn't carefully consider this before we decided to post our collective opinion. This decision has been months in the making. We have reviewed tournament results, discussed the match-ups extensively, argued about the effect that stage lists have on Metaknight's effectiveness and even argued all the way down to the core idea of what we think tournament smash is all about. So yes, we've considered this carefully and explored it extensively.
I should also say that we were not unanimous in this decision. There are some players that are adamantly for the ban of Metaknight, some that are adamantly against it and some that have a relatively neutral stance. So we recognize that there is going to continue to be disagreements within the community about it. We fully expect that conversation will continue and new evidence will be brought up as the game continues to be explored.
After months of discussion and reviewing all the information we could gather, the SBR voted on whether or not to ban Metaknight. It was voted that Metaknight should not be banned by a ratio of 3-1 in the voting. A significant majority of the SBR believes that Metaknight should not be banned from tournament play.
However, a significant majority of SBR members also recognizes that Metaknight is currently the best character in the game in singles tournament play. We believe that the community should grow organically and we do not consider it wrong for individual tournament organizers to ban Metaknight if they feel it will draw in more players or improve the community in their area. However, they should recognize that the majority of tournaments around them or in other regions will probably continue to include Metaknight. It's up to the tournament organizer to decide if they should ban MK at their event and up to the players to decide what kind of tournaments they wish to attend.
Finally, I should point out that game evolve over time. We are already seeing Diddy rise up as a potential counter to Metaknight and certain other players winning tournaments consistently without MK in tow. It's possible that in time, Metaknight will no longer be considered so formidable. It is also possible that new tricks with Metaknight will arise that will make him even better than he already is, driving the community as a whole to ban him. It's a game played by millions of people all over the world. Any development is possible and the SBR will continue to monitor how the competitive smash scene develops.
Please feel free to discuss this decision here, but any flaming or inappropriate language will result in warnings. We understand its a heated discussion, but please keep it clean.
I should also say that we were not unanimous in this decision. There are some players that are adamantly for the ban of Metaknight, some that are adamantly against it and some that have a relatively neutral stance. So we recognize that there is going to continue to be disagreements within the community about it. We fully expect that conversation will continue and new evidence will be brought up as the game continues to be explored.
After months of discussion and reviewing all the information we could gather, the SBR voted on whether or not to ban Metaknight. It was voted that Metaknight should not be banned by a ratio of 3-1 in the voting. A significant majority of the SBR believes that Metaknight should not be banned from tournament play.
However, a significant majority of SBR members also recognizes that Metaknight is currently the best character in the game in singles tournament play. We believe that the community should grow organically and we do not consider it wrong for individual tournament organizers to ban Metaknight if they feel it will draw in more players or improve the community in their area. However, they should recognize that the majority of tournaments around them or in other regions will probably continue to include Metaknight. It's up to the tournament organizer to decide if they should ban MK at their event and up to the players to decide what kind of tournaments they wish to attend.
Finally, I should point out that game evolve over time. We are already seeing Diddy rise up as a potential counter to Metaknight and certain other players winning tournaments consistently without MK in tow. It's possible that in time, Metaknight will no longer be considered so formidable. It is also possible that new tricks with Metaknight will arise that will make him even better than he already is, driving the community as a whole to ban him. It's a game played by millions of people all over the world. Any development is possible and the SBR will continue to monitor how the competitive smash scene develops.
Please feel free to discuss this decision here, but any flaming or inappropriate language will result in warnings. We understand its a heated discussion, but please keep it clean.
