head to head
vs
Heroes of Might and Magic IVvsPokémon Stadium
Heroes of Might and Magic IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Pokémon Stadium leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Heroes of Might and Magic IVPokémon Stadium
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Heroes of Might and Magic IV leans harder on execution: no real-time physical skill needed
Reads3 vs 5
Pokémon Stadium leans harder on reads: Versus mode against humans rewards prediction
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Heroes of Might and Magic IV leans harder on optimization: army building and economy near-solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.