head to head
vs
Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorvsSquad Busters
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Squad Busters leans Variance (Systems & Chaos).
Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorSquad Busters
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 3
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor leans harder on execution: Counter-timing combat and stealth execution
Reads1 vs 2
Squad Busters leans harder on reads: Human lobbies allow light engagement-timing mindgames
Variance4 vs 5
Squad Busters leans harder on variance: Chest character rolls reshape every squad mid-match
Optimization6 vs 5
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor leans harder on optimization: Intel gathering and exploiting known weaknesses solves fights
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.