Tager vs Noel
The first thing I want to do when discussing the Tager/Noel matchup is to offer a couple of apologies.
First: I complained about this matchup in CS after having only played it once (and having been completely eradicated that time). This makes me a whiny bitch. Sorry about that, guys.
Second: I want to apologize to Peter. While I still don't agree with your complaints about the Tager/Noel matchup in CT, now that I'm on the other side of the line, I can understand where you're coming from, and I think you had good reason to find this match frustrating. God knows, I found this match frustrating even when I had advantage on my side.
Which, I suppose, is the point of this article. Ever since the beginning of CT, there have been complaints about this match from both sides. I've heard Tager players call it impossible before, and at the same time I've read threads on the Noel forums talking about how frustrating it is. Now that the matchup has gone the other way, there are Noel players saying that this match is impossible, and Tager players talking about how frustrating it is. Who's right?
The amazing thing, when looking at the match data, is that this it's virtually even. The matchup has never gone more than one point away from neutral: not when Noel had the advantage in CT, not now that Tager has the advantage in CS. This fact made me wonder what the hell is going on. Why has this match, which is basically neutral when it comes to win/loss records, inspired so much frustration for players of both characters?
The answer is fairly easy, actually. I asked the question, "Who's right?" earlier, and I'll tell you now. Everyone is. The complaints about the flow of battle made by both Noel players and Tager players are true. Both camps are clearly wrong when they say that the match is impossible, but the reasons that they feel that way are entirely correct.
It helps when you realize that Noel and Tager are opposites. They are so opposite, in fact, that both are expert in shutting down what the other character is supposed to do. Noel loses about half her moves outside of combos, because Tager is immune to them most of the time. Tager can't hit with most of the things he has, because Noel's hitbox is small and she's constantly moving.
This battle is uphill for both characters. Tager is struggling as hard as he can to hit Noel, and Noel is struggling as hard as she can to do any damage. Because everything you do feels like a struggle, any little advantage gets blown immensely out of proportion. In CT, Noel's mobility led some Tager players to say that there was nothing they could do, even though his matchup was 4.0/6.0. In CS, Tager's ability to reset a combo at the end has caused some Noel players to say that you should just pick a different character, even though her matchup is 4.5/5.5.
I find this really interesting. I can't recall another battle that was so frustrating for both characters, yet so close to even. Usually, one character will dominate the other, or the match will be even, and you'll feel as if you're playing the other player directly, rather than the character. In this matchup, I think both players really end up fighting with their own characters' deficiencies.
I think that makes this battle rather unique, and I actually kind of like it. This is a battle that has always taken all of my concentration in the past, and I don't expect that to change. I'm looking forward to playing more of it in CS.
First: I complained about this matchup in CS after having only played it once (and having been completely eradicated that time). This makes me a whiny bitch. Sorry about that, guys.
Second: I want to apologize to Peter. While I still don't agree with your complaints about the Tager/Noel matchup in CT, now that I'm on the other side of the line, I can understand where you're coming from, and I think you had good reason to find this match frustrating. God knows, I found this match frustrating even when I had advantage on my side.
Which, I suppose, is the point of this article. Ever since the beginning of CT, there have been complaints about this match from both sides. I've heard Tager players call it impossible before, and at the same time I've read threads on the Noel forums talking about how frustrating it is. Now that the matchup has gone the other way, there are Noel players saying that this match is impossible, and Tager players talking about how frustrating it is. Who's right?
The amazing thing, when looking at the match data, is that this it's virtually even. The matchup has never gone more than one point away from neutral: not when Noel had the advantage in CT, not now that Tager has the advantage in CS. This fact made me wonder what the hell is going on. Why has this match, which is basically neutral when it comes to win/loss records, inspired so much frustration for players of both characters?
The answer is fairly easy, actually. I asked the question, "Who's right?" earlier, and I'll tell you now. Everyone is. The complaints about the flow of battle made by both Noel players and Tager players are true. Both camps are clearly wrong when they say that the match is impossible, but the reasons that they feel that way are entirely correct.
It helps when you realize that Noel and Tager are opposites. They are so opposite, in fact, that both are expert in shutting down what the other character is supposed to do. Noel loses about half her moves outside of combos, because Tager is immune to them most of the time. Tager can't hit with most of the things he has, because Noel's hitbox is small and she's constantly moving.
This battle is uphill for both characters. Tager is struggling as hard as he can to hit Noel, and Noel is struggling as hard as she can to do any damage. Because everything you do feels like a struggle, any little advantage gets blown immensely out of proportion. In CT, Noel's mobility led some Tager players to say that there was nothing they could do, even though his matchup was 4.0/6.0. In CS, Tager's ability to reset a combo at the end has caused some Noel players to say that you should just pick a different character, even though her matchup is 4.5/5.5.
I find this really interesting. I can't recall another battle that was so frustrating for both characters, yet so close to even. Usually, one character will dominate the other, or the match will be even, and you'll feel as if you're playing the other player directly, rather than the character. In this matchup, I think both players really end up fighting with their own characters' deficiencies.
I think that makes this battle rather unique, and I actually kind of like it. This is a battle that has always taken all of my concentration in the past, and I don't expect that to change. I'm looking forward to playing more of it in CS.