Street Fighter X Tekken: ‘Street Fighter meets Magic: The Gathering’

After launching Street Fighter IV, Ono said he’d wanted to increase the fanbase but said that it still seems it’s only the most elite, fanatical players who gravitate towards the fighting genre. The Gem System came about as a way to deal with issues that crop up constantly in bouts, like mirror matches, throw escapes and skill disparity. Gems buff your attributes — speed up, stronger defence, more powerful attacks — but will be visible to your opponent above your super meter. You’ll be able to equip up to five and they’ll have certain conditions that trigger their activation, like getting hit by five normal attacks or three supers in a row. Ono described the mechanic as “Street Fighter meets Magic: The Gathering”.