head to head
vs
Capcom Arcade StadiumvsSonic Mania
Capcom Arcade Stadium leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Sonic Mania leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Capcom Arcade StadiumSonic Mania
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 1
Capcom Arcade Stadium leans harder on reads: Local versus fighters add a small human-prediction layer
Variance1 vs 2
Sonic Mania leans harder on variance: Mostly deterministic with hidden routes
Optimization5 vs 5
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.