No same character teams plz. Not only does it promote tier whoring (Team Ciel, Team Warc, etc) but it promotes dumb gimmicky teams in what's supposed to be a serious tournament.
Sorry Knight, I don't think you're looking far enough ahead (I used to think the same thing until I thought this out more thoroughly). Unique Character Teams do not prevent tier whoring because all the tier whores are still going to play, just in different teams. Now with a Ciel on every single team, we're much more likely to see every single Ciel play...the exact same way...with plenty of Ciel vs Ciel matches (BORING!). Now consider if Duplicate Character Teams were allowed. Now, all the tier whores would be teamed together. Now we're much LESS likely to see Ciel mirrors as well as not having to see some play at all.
Now, I can no longer confidently claim that this tournament is going to turn out as serious as it was hyped up to be, but I would very much like it to be so. I want to see a tournament in which everyone puts in their damned best effort to show some pride and take first place while they're at it. Part of putting in your damned best effort includes organizing a team designed to optimize your chances of winning by recruiting the best players available (in the current stage of U.S. Melty's evolution, that implies seeing a lot of the same characters). In the case of "gimmicky" teams, bare in mind that no one's going to pay $50 just to screw around. If people believe that their under appreciated character deserves more attention and wants to show just how much damage he/she's capable of, let them. You know that they're going to try their best.
On a final note, the hype of this tournament has been bleeding out and many are losing interest in entering at all. There are plenty of players who don't expect to win but still want to enter to have fun (believe it or not, I'm already aware of some top CA players that consider themselves in this category) but are now deciding to avoid Melty Cup altogether in lieu of inimical rules. Allowing a greater variety in possible team combinations by allowing Same Character Teams will coax some of these players back in. While I'd prefer that everyone puts their best foot forward, I'm not going to oppose entries in which the team does not expect to win. It just means more money for the winners.
That's my two cents. This is based upon my opinion so I'm aware of the possibility that my reasoning may be flawed. HOWEVER, I urge any arguments to the contrary to have more substance than just a few unsupported reasons as all support for Unique Character Teams thus far have been very weak. I mean no disrespect. My intention is strictly to convince, not offend, and I believe my arguments can be shared by both sides of this issue.
P.S. LET'S BRING THE FUCKING HYPE BACK!!!
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Either way, good luck to everyone and all your monies are belong to us. 
