Blaz played three different characters in the same Top 8: the counterpick is back

There is a detail from the CEO 2026 Top 8 that gets lost among the headlines: Blaz played three sets and used three different characters. Jamie against Micky, Sagat against Craime and Ryu against Wabiichi. This is not an indecisive player: it is a player who has decided the matchup matters more than comfort.

Why this did not happen in 2024

Through SF6's first two years the consensus was the opposite: one character, a lot of hours, and pray. The Drive system punishes anyone who does not know their own margins so severely that switching mains mid-tournament was ruinously expensive. Someone doing it three times in one afternoon and surviving to the Top 8 means the roster has settled enough for the theoretical matchup edge to outweigh the rust.

How to check it yourself

It is a straightforward exercise with the finder: put Blaz in P1, leave P2 empty and sort by date. You will see the pick pattern before you read a single tier list.

If the counterpick takes hold over the rest of the season, tournament previews get much harder to write. We think that is good news.