SF4 is better than MvC3

This post is not telling you that Street Fighter IV is a good game.
This post is not telling you not to play Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
The post merely compares two games without taking "fun" and "beauty" into consideration.
Proceed only if you understand.

This post is not actually related to the fact that Street Fighter IV isn't the main game in Evo 2011. But this's a good opportunity and it's something in my mind for a couple months now.

I don't like a wall of text, nor I'm capable of making one. Let's go to the points as to why Street Fighter IV series is better than Marvel vs. Capcom 3 series, especially as a competitive fighting game.

SF4 requires higher degree of skills
Both games do require the same set of skills: input precision, mind reading, reaction, etc. But one thing you cannot argue is it's easier to do special moves in MvC3. This means it's easier to make a powerful attack or combo, and less chance of missing a punishment or dropping a combo. If you don't get the picture, SF4 is fighting with bare hands, MvC3 is fighting with swords. Both require skills. But swords deal more damage per hit, even with less effort. I could end this post by this point alone but there's more.

SF4 is where the real competition is
I still remember when the first SF4 was released. Some people whined about Ultra Combo and asked for once-per-round limit. I don't like Ultra Combo myself, because it's like a reward for being a weaker player. Anyway, most of the UCs can be evaded, and all of them don't kill in one hit. For MvC3, X-Factor can be activated anytime once a round. Its power (strength and speed boost, less damage scaling, etc.) and duration depend on the number of your characters. If you have only one character left, you get level 3 X-Factor. Level 1 can definitely kill one, level 3 lasts very long and can kill an entire team.

For SF4, you still can argue that UCs may not be a game changer for top players. You can dodge it, you can bait it, you can even risk taking it knowing it doesn't kill you. You don't spend 10+ seconds running away from UCs. This leaves more room to exhibit a player's skills and potential. For MvC3, it's not just X-Factor alone that limits creativities. The damage scaling structure and the damage outputs are also a problem.

MvC3 may not be a competitive fighting game after all
In the past, some people laughed at Super Smash Bros. saying it's not worth being in a fighting game event. The funny thing is those people are probably playing MvC3 and think otherwise. I already wrote about this, MvC3 producer Niitsuma intended to allow players to do flashy stuff with less effort. (this interview) This's why we can't actually complain about things such as X-Factor, since the game was designed to be like that. The bar of accomplishment is lowered to attract a wider audience.

MvC3 may still be a competitive fighting game, but not in the same level as SF4. But if you think a competitive fighting game should be designed with the philosophy in mind, MvC3 probably falls off the category.