LogFAQs > #910061605

I've been trying to work out an entirely theoretical scenario to showcase how SFF works. Wondering if anyone in this topic has any input:

You have 100 voters. 40 of them are diehard Zelda fans, and will vote pro-Zelda no matter what, splitting their vote if there is no Zelda entrant. 40 are diehard FF7 fans, and will vote pro-FF7 no matter what, choosing Cloud over any other FF7 character if Cloud happens to face someone else from the same game. The last 20 approximate "actual strength" - that is to say, they'll vote Link if he's in a match and Cloud if Link isn't in.

The bolded part of that is the SFF - FF7 characters share a fanbase, but will pick Cloud over others.

Link vs. Cloud - the Zelda fanbase and the "actual strength" voters vote Link, the FF7 fanbase votes Cloud. Final result, Link wins 60-40

Link vs. Sephiroth - the Zelda fanbase and the "actual strength" voters vote Link, the FF7 fanbase votes Sephiroth. Final result, Link wins 60-40

Based on just the above two results, you'd expect Cloud and Sephiroth to be about equal with each other, right? They both score 40% on Link in this scenario, after all. So what happens if they meet?

Cloud vs. Sephiroth - the FF7 fanbase and the "actual strength" voters vote Cloud, the Zelda fanbase splits their vote equally between the two. Final result, Cloud wins 80-20.

So Sephiroth gets completely blown out by Cloud, even though the stats show them being roughly equal against Link. This is because their shared fanbase will normally vote for them against outside competition, but when forced to make a choice within their own fandom they have a clear preference for one over the other. This is why SFF messes with the stats, and with so many overlapping types of fanbases (Nintendo fanbase, JRPG fanbase, etc.) it makes matches with SFF involved difficult to use as predictors about future performance.

Note: This hypothetical example does not necessarily reflect the actual strength of the characters mentioned. This is just a thought experiment. Please don't bite my head off because Cloud would never give up 60% to Link or something like that.
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And though we deserved not his mercy, he has led us to this new Eden, a last chance for redemption.