Rant about the state of the game.
I remember when sets were first introduced in SF3. Back then, Diving Judge was one of the first sets to have a special ability, and I got my hands on the set very early. That set had the whole fanbase in chokehold cuz of how good the design and the ability were. Back then, set abilities meant manipulation of existing game mechanics. Sets of bonuses were used as a tool, rather than the main weapon. But now, sets are the only thing that matters in the game. They introduced like 100 sets with their own abilities. Nekki always releases a meta set every few months that lures the whales into paying big sums of money. Then, after a few months, they nerf these op sets again. The gameplay is absolutely a shitstorm nowadays. Back then, shadow energy was the only special energy in the game that every user had access to. Now there are at least 12 different types of energies. The gameplay has basically been reduced to my shitstorm vs your shitstorm, whoever throws the most shit wins, it's all a matter of spamming the same set of moves, no technique required. The game isn't even about fighting game fundamentals anymore. It's just a matter of who can spam their automated set dynamic first to trigger a screen-wide cutscene that completely bypasses block and parry mechanics
I included a few screenshots capturing the worst shitstorm moments, but mind you, the entire gameplay is like this now.