That isn't how I am, so im not lazy and just say "im going to counter pick that characters variation with mine". It really no different than counter picking with characters. Counter picking will always exist.
As said already variations have different styles and not all are into rushdown and not all are into zoning. For example if someone didnt like to use Sub Zero's zoning type variation they can use the one where they can do a lot of rushdown.
I know.
The issue I'm bringing up is
A) this adds a second layer of counter picking.
B) if someone doesn't like zoning with sub zero, then they shouldn't be picking a zoning character.
But my personal beef is that the way variations are implemented, it negates itself. In the past games each character had different styles they could switch between. But in mkx it is just three different characters you can choose from in character select, all with the same sub zero skin.
When instead of one sub zero with three versions, they could have had elder sub zero, younger sub zero, and frost taking up those three slots. see what I'm saying?
The variations were to make up for the small roster, but its kinda dumb because they wound up expanding the roster instead, but just having one character take up three slots in character select instead of just making three characters.
Its just.....there's literally NO PURPOSE to mkx variations. At all. The only argument for them I've heard so far is "well now if you don't like how a character plays you can pick another" which is just...I'm sorry its kind of a barrel scraper. If I don't like how a character plays I pick another or learn that character.
And yes I understand because I was never good with mileena and now with a grappler style I can actually play her to my tastes but I still would have rather had say, nitara the vampire be the biting grappler and I dunno, khameleon get the invisibility teleport gameplay, while mileena sticks to her sai throwing. Id rather of had that instead of just three mileenas at character select.