I've been playing this game casually for a while now and recently decided to try actually learning how this game works. I largely avoided playing HoS because, in addition to looking really cool, he seemed like a needlessly complicated version of Sol. Then I got curious again after I saw some charts that all say HoS has the better match ups of the two. GG seems like a pretty well rounded game so I have to imagine that HoS isn't supposed to be leaps and bounds better, but after watching some of the mikado videos, reading through the wiki, and playing him in casuals I guess I'm just not seeing what those tier lists are seeing.
HoS' damage seems largely comparable to Sol's but it also seems more complicated to get into. Without meter Sol at least has access to wild throw, gun flame, and 6P in the corner. HoS doesn't seem to have very good ways of getting his targets into the air without counter hits or charge, so he has to settle for either sacrificing his mixups post sweep to get charge or sacrifice his charge for the mixup which is a choice Sol doesn't need to make. HoS' combos also seem to just kind of end unless you're sitting on level 2 charge, and even then he just gets a knockdown for about the same damage and situation Sol would have gotten ending one of his main combos with ground bandit revolver. HoS' ground throw gives him about the same effect as Sol's, as does his air throw, but Sol's Wild throw means the threat of a high damage combo post throw is everywhere on screen vs. only in the corner. While they're both sitting on meter/charge they seem to have pretty even damage potential. Outside of cqc and combos though regular Sol seems superior.
Both have about the same mobility, but Sol has access to Grand Viper to low profile, a vastly superior DP which doubles as a combo starter with meter, Gun Flame which can cover his approach when FRC'd, and farther reaching pokes that can convert into Fafnir to stagger and hold his opponent down so he can move in. HoS' Rock It seems good for chasing since its largely neutral on block and Fafnir seems pretty good for ranged combat too; he can't really get a follow up without already sitting on them but I suppose the knockdown is the important part in ranged situations. Sol also looks like he has an easier time sniping out jumps since his 5K is as fast as HoS' and also goes up farther but beyond that they seem largely even there, although Sol's FB Side Winder seems like it would give him better conversions.
So from what I can tell Sol seems better at defense, at range, in meter-less damage, and in converting damage without the corner. Both Sol's seem even in damage with meter, but HoS needs to burn through a lot of meter in order to get the hard knockdowns and has to choose between mixup or charge post knockdown. Neither seems to have too much of an advantage over the other in terms of resets post combo from what I can tell. I know HoS' low jump makes his pressure stronger, but it seems like he gives up a lot for just that one thing. So am I under-estimating the power of HoS with meter? Is it his meter fueled over heads, his pressure from FRC'd action charges, his double jump fuzzy guard set up, or the cross up GB that give HoS the edge? I understand that he has a kind of late bloomer offense that really gets going when he gets the momentum, but a lot of characters get their offense off of the first knockdown without the extra complication of charge levels. It also seems like a good chunk of the cast is pretty mix up or lock down based (Dizzy and Millia for instance) and it doesn't look like HoS has great tools to deal with their offense. So it seems odd to me that the two Sols would be considered either even in those types of match ups, or that HoS would have the advantage.
As far as I know these tiers and charts are made by the Japanese GG scene, and from what I can tell they seem like they know what they're doing so I'm sure I'm missing something. Maybe I'm thinking you build meter in this game slower than you actually do, maybe I'm under-estimating the bare bones tools of blocking and dead angle, or maybe I just don't understand this game and defense is a wasted effort (I know that's not HoS' goal, but he's bound to end up on D eventually). So to all of you people that play HoS, what gives him his edge over Sol?
I guess it's also possible that I'm taking those tiers and charts way too seriously and that people pick HoS solely because they like his style or think he looks cool, because that's definitely the reason i want to play as him.
*edit* Wow, that was way longer than I thought it was, sorry about that.
