head to head
vs
Mortal KombatvsSamurai Shodown
Mortal Kombat leans Reads (Competitive PvP); Samurai Shodown leans Reads (Competitive PvP).
Mortal KombatSamurai Shodown
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads8 vs 8
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Samurai Shodown leans harder on variance: Rage meter and item drops add minor randomness
Optimization5 vs 4
Mortal Kombat leans harder on optimization: Frame data and matchup study converge to known answers
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.