[OPINION] EVO 2023 MvC3 Finals: You all got the finals you deserved

August 10 - Disclaimer: This article was previously labelled as a news instead of an opinion piece. This has now been amended. s/o @Jason_Gamedev - Esports.gg Editorial team

This is why games should stay dead. Maybe this is a harsh truth to drop on the fans excited for the return of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. Missing from EVO since 2018, the hectic tag fighter made its return in 2023 to the main stage. However, here's the thing about nostalgia: It tends to make us forget the flaws and problems of things until it's too late. In the case of the EVO 2023 MvC3 Finals, one thing was clear:

This game should have stayed dead.

Leading up to the Grand Finals of Jibrill defeating HB|Invasion to win his first EVO crowd there was already a murmur in the chat. A groan of what's to come. Three simple letters: ZMC. Zero, Dante, and Vergil. A meta so cursed, over-powered, and unstoppable that some iteration of it was bound to be in Grand Finals. Instead, we got a mirror match and a first to five over so quickly that, in the time I began writing this at the start of the match it was already over.

But this is what you wanted, right? "Mahvel, Baybee!" This is Marvel. You all got what you deserved.

With a Twitch chat of 80,000 viewers it was safe to say that the hype was real for the EVO 2023 MvC3 Finals. However, even before a single button was pressed between Jibrill and Invasion the boo-birds were out in force. "Oh, it's another mirror?" "Ew, ZMC." "Wow, Zero, how original."

Clearly along the way all of you forgot that this is what MvC is. It's not some deep and inspiring meta full of potential twists and turns. Especially not Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. This is the ultimate distillation of a meta that went stale almost immediately a decade ago. From his first trailer reveal, the Mega Man character Zero was marked as unfair at best, busted at worst.

And while other team comps have found success throughout the decade, it wasn't to be in 2023. After all, that mythical meta of legend where any character had a chance was a different time. An era when the best and brightest played the game. Brought back in 2023 this was now a game of nostalgia and the players are just freebasing the best character setups like it's Los Angeles in 1990.

There really isn't anything to even say about the Grand Finals. It all boiled down to who could connect with Zero and his corner carry juggle shenanigans first. In this case, Jibrill struck first, hardest, and won in record time.

Nostalgia is a great thing, but this was always going to be the EVO 2023 MvC3 Finals result. A mirror match and a fart of a final set for what will hopefully be the game's last EVO main stage appearance.

Keep it buried this time. Good riddance.

August 10 - Disclaimer: This article was previously labelled as a news instead of an opinion piece. This has now been amended. s/o @Jason_Gamedev - Esports.gg Editorial team

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