Marvel vs Capcom 2 has been a game that has not been able to withstand the test of time. However, even though it’s been proven that the game is broken and has a low focus on its balance; Marvel Vs Capcom 2 holds a special place in the heart of the fighting game community.
The game held a very successful competitive scene. So much so that it was picked up by big fighting game tournaments like EVO. However, it’s recently been revealed that the game was close to being able to enter the Major League of Gaming (MLG).
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as part of the MLG?
This revelation happened after the success of a tournament called Battle of the Strongest. The event was organized by fighting game community personality Yipes and brought MVC2 back into the spotlight. Seeing the popularity of the game spark once again; Jay “Viscant” Snyder revealed that Marvel Vs Capcom 2 was going to be picked up by the MLG back in 2004.
In the spirit of the MvC2 talk on the timeline lately.
Did you know MLG wanted to run MvC2 as an esport (almost before that was even a word) at one point?
— Jay Snyder (@JayViscant) January 2, 2019
Viscant stated that he was approached by a representative of Major League Gaming back in 2004 who was inquiring about the rulesets for Marvel Vs Capcom 2. However, back then, MLG was allegedly looking to ban popular – and busted – characters like Sentinel, Storm, Magneto and Cable.
“I start trying to explain that Cable isn’t even #1 at this point, probably the weakest of the big 4, so of course the natural response is “OK, then we ban all 4. Anyone else?” At this point I was wondering if I was getting trolled.” Said Viscant in his series of tweets.
The popular FGC player then stated that the MLG representative was “SUPER disappointed”. The fact that characters like Cable stayed without a ban was what made the game unable to get to MLG.
Viscant finishes his statement by saying that having the Top 10 characters banned from competitive play wouldn’t have been worth the trouble. The MLG representative was then redirected towards EVO Staff. However, nothing came from it.
Would Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 have worked if characters were banned?
MLG’s attempt to keeping the game diverse for viewers was definitely respectable. However, Viscant also believes that if the Top 10 characters were banned, others would take their place. Characters like Omega Red, Tron, Cammy, and Rogue would’ve been the standard and a vicious cycle would repeat.
However, the fact that Marvel Vs Capcom 2 is beloved by many despite having an unbalanced roster speaks a lot about the game. Ultimately, the fighting game community doesn’t care about a busted game so long as it is fun to play.
What do you think about MVC2 nearly making to the MLG? Do you think the game would’ve been successful if certain characters were banned? Did you watch Battle of the Strongest? Let us know your thoughts on the VGR Forum.
In FGC related news, DBFZ was mysteriously removed from multiple tournaments. While the community thought TOEI was behind the incident, they denied any involvement with it. Also, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R has been delayed until 2019. Finally, Ed Boon laughed at a recent Mortal Kombat 11 leak. Make sure to stay tuned at VGR for more news and updates.