Life of a Low-Tier Hero: AMKidd Helps Us Get Over the "e;Low-Tier"e; Mindset
By Jeff Kotuby ·
We had our fun making fun of Dan and covering other characters in previous editions of Low-Tier Hero, but the truth is every character is viable when you put the necessary work in. Some characters might require more work than others, but the key to success is knowing that it's up to you, not the character, to get better. AMKidd tells us his secrets.
We had our fun paying homage to the king of joke characters, Dan Hibiki, but now, it’s time for an adult-sized dose of the reality we gave you when we discussed Sean. The truth is, even the lowest of low-tier characters can be viable in any game, no matter what you think. The only thing standing in the way of you achieving excellence is yourself - never forget that. If you want to play Dan, Hulk, Sean, Raphael, or whatever other perceived “weak” character - then put the time in, and do it.
I was inspired by Ryu player AMKidd, who recently hit Master rank in Street Fighter V with the character we both love to play, who is commonly considered one of the weakest characters in the current version of the game. On his Reddit post about his ascension to the game’s highest rank, he lays out his journey and the mental growth he underwent to finally get over the hump:
“I never paid attention to tier lists,” he said. “Yes, there are disadvantages that Ryu has compared to the cast but at the end of the day, it’s up to the player and how they assess the situation and execute. Don’t believe that you will never get further than where you are now, that is impossible if you have an open mind and are ready to learn.”
I went through this same sort of funk recently in both Street Fighter V and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. In both games, I wasn’t progressing as I thought I should be and was stuck at a skill plateau - which is obviously frustrating. I ended up taking a step back, putting time into my game through playing casuals and watching videos, and then applying what I learned when it came time to seriously play. I ended up improving greatly and seemed to have finally climbed over that plateau. What followed was a nice period of success, followed by a period of falling right back down the cliff, because I stopped putting in the work that got me where I was, and got complacent.
One of the most important things when failing is to avoid getting “tilted” or getting so frustrated that you lose your composure. On being “put on tilt,” AMKidd said, “Biggest thing I do is not get tilted and taking the time to understand why I would lose. I never blamed my character for the losses, only my actions and my lack of awareness of what my opponents can do. If you tilt, you might lose sight of the learning aspect of the game. Breathing after a loss and accepting it is what helped me stay focused.”
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have a contractual obligation to play a certain game - or - a certain character. While I still main Ryu in Street Fighter V, I don’t play it as much as I used to. In Marvel, I ended up moving onto a team of Zero and Sigma, rather than sticking with Ryu. I enjoyed the Mega Man X games as a kid and used Zero over X where I could, and I enjoy Sigma’s playstyle. I’m having fun using characters I enjoy - and you should too. If you’re stuck, don’t feel like you need to be. Experiment with new characters, see what you like, and then understand that you need to put the work into being great with that character. Don’t blame people using Dante or Balrog or Jedah for your lack of success - blame only yourself.
One last nugget of info from AMKidd is the idea of going “auto-pilot” and playing with consistency. “Work on consistency. Let go of an idea if it’s not working and try something else. Have more than one game plan and realize when you are going on auto-pilot.”
So to recap, work hard, study hard, take accountability for your own shortcomings, and always be mindful of the game you’re playing. And last, but not least, have fun.
For more AMKidd, check out his website, and follow him on Twitter and Twitch. For more outstanding Ryu play, check out Daigo’s early Season 3 Ryu play!