I think the most competitive RTS games require a mouse (or other peripheral device) to achieve the desired level of immersion. I'm not sure how to best explain the difference between finger-tapping on a screen and using a mouse, but having spent lots of time on both platforms, it's definitely there.
Another issue: lag. I have yet to see a wi-fi connection without occasional periods of enormous latency, packet loss, or both. Cellular data is even worse.
RTSs and MOBAs both seriously suffer under those conditions.
Who's going to plug an Ethernet cable into their tablet just for one game?
One of the nice aspects of tablet gaming (Hearthstone, Vainglory), is that bringing your tablet with you to a friend is a frictionless way of setting up a 'lan party'. Vainglory is best played with team members sitting in the same room. Gone are the days that you'd have to carry with you bulky laptops or worst, transport your tower/desktop to a friend.
On wifi:
The privilege I enjoy of living in a country that has historically had among the fastest internet connections in the world biases my view on this. I've been called an LPB (Low Ping Bastard) since 1997 :-). From the games of Vainglory I played I found it feels very responsive. Many places don't have fast internet connections, so you do make a fair point, but I doubt that wifi is the bottleneck here.
On cellphone data:
The cellphone contract I use has an unlimited data plan fast enough to stream youtube videos; but it is not yet reliable enough to play Vainglory from the passenger seat. It is essentially unplayable even though I have an above average data plan. I realize that until more providers switch to a flat fee structure and upgrade their infrastructure, 'true mobile' gaming for RTSs and FPSs isn't going to happen. However, these type of games require so much cognitive attention that the situations where you'd play this on-the-go is very limited (e.g. domestic trips via train, car: passenger seat and plane (international trips are too expensive due to roaming fees)). You don't really want to be playing Vainglory when you are out camping in the woods, I hope :-).
Actually, at the most competitive level (say GM Starcraft II), motor skills ("micro") are more of a necessity instead of a differentiating factor in many circumstances.
It might decide games some times, but the majority is won on tactics, meta game (and luck).
I've always wanted to see what would happen to competitive RTS play if the micro was handled by an AI, so the players were just indicating what macro actions they wanted to undertake to the AI and it was sending the moment-to-moment key-presses to the game engine. Would high-level players have more time to think, or about the same?
I wrote this article a year ago and I decided to submit it because the take aways are still very relevant today. When I wrote the article, Vainglory wasn't released yet. I've played a fair amount of Vainglory and they did indeed crack the code for a mobile MOBA. The Halcyon Fold map from Vainglory is a derivative of Twisted Treeline which offers enough strategic depth to be played at the competitive level, unlike Zynga's Solstice Arena. This, and the fluidity of the game sets it apart from the others imo. I still believe Super Evil Megacorp would have been better served with a more tongue-in-cheek visual style / IP if they want to address the entirety of the iPad install-base. This would have lowered the entry barrier for those who do not particularly enjoy the high fantasy style and would allow them to piggy-back off of successful mobile predecessors such as Rovio's Angry Birds and Halfbrick's Fruit Ninja by means of profit sharing on guest appearances. I'm very optimistic about Vainglory's future.
