Free Step Dodge

Gimmicks E) look for better Matchup or F) look for higher tier?

Yes!

G) Someone totally random

never understood the point of pocketing characters who are similar to your main, the point of pocket characters are to cover the match ups that your main struggles with. back when i was playing mk9 i made the mistake of subbing characters who shared the same strengths and weakness as my main, making a character switch in a bad match up totally pointless

so when searching for a pocket, it makes the most sense to pick a character who can succeed where your main may fail you, like say your main does poorly vs zoning, pocket a character who can anti zone, or say your main a character who lacks defensive tools to relieve pressure, pocket a character who has those defensive tools, so on and so forth

@Camel with 2 thumbs from what I experience, going from TT2 days, it was relatively good to have a clone character because it was much easier to pick up than someone totally new. Especially if someone does horrible against the particular MU in a tourney scenario, having 2 of them adds to the torture of having to take on that MU. However, as you said, if one knows the MU, then you’re basically screwed.

all that said, being comfortable with your character and comfortable with matchs up is way more important than playing out what is considered an easier match up on paper

Yes! Thats it! LOL...

Since the same principle on one character applies to the other. But as we dive into tournament scenario, it comes down to whether they want someone more well rounded or higher tier with better MU or someone similar or a clone where it’s easier to pick up.

Usually an easier sub character that complements my main, since I tend to main complex or somewhat challenging characters. I.e. I want a more brain-dead sub lol. The other reason, is if I want my sub to "pick up the slack" where my main may be lacking somewhere.