That's my hold point actually. Sonic can jump really far if he's at MAX speed, but with no charging, he can't get as far as Zero. Therefore I said if Sonic EVER stopped and attack, or slow down by the clones, he is in trouble because Zero CAN catch up then.

What if Zero uses his Gaia attack and becomes invulnerable and attack the whole screen? That's pretty much the same as Gold Sonic, therefore I got them cancelled out. (but Zero can use his Gaia attack quite a lot of times when he's fully upgraded...)

Zero's saber first slash goes horizontal, hitting everything from the left to right. Even if he can't react and turn to Sonic exactly face to face, he can at least face that direction and give a slash.

When Sonic is near in the air, Zero can do a upper-slash, and with different follow-ups: 360 degree slash (cyclone type thing), a downward stab (either Ice or Fire), dash slash, etc.

Also, Sonic isn't going to hit and run succesfully every single time, it is more like "crossing sword." The way I see it, everytime Sonic gives an attack, he will have a chance of getting hit. Z-Buster shot might be easy to dodge, but a close-ranged melee battle with Z-Saber isn't as easy as you think. (While Sonic smashes himself into other as an attack.)

The higher the speed, the higher the damage. It is true, but it will also increase the damage that Sonic will recieve if he gets slashed, stabbed, etc. Having a higher speed isn't a sure-win, since it puts himself into a greater risk.

The reason why I mentioned Zero's armor is because, in several of the MMX series, Zero actually gets an armor upgrade and it significantly increases his defense power.