What are the core traits of top-tier SF4 players? The community often finds itself observing the gameplay habits of more well-known players in order to adequately define a formula that defines a 'top' player. This is a subject of intense debate and efforts to distill these traits in to one definitive 'stack' vary considerably. For the purposes of this article, the writer has restricted the discussion to in-game traits, that is, traits that players exhibit while playing. This deliberately omits practice which is arguably the most important trait of all. YouTube videos provide a wealth of consumable information. Never before in the history of fighting games have players had such a vast library of recorded matches at their fingertips. Yet these videos only provide half the story. As spectators, we are limited to making educated guesses regarding the thought processes unfolding before us. Steve Jobs once remarked the following to writer David Sheff in an interview