Throweck
Joined: Feb 23, 2013
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 15:40 |
|
Hey o/
.
I had an interesting last few matches. I faced a cpomb spam, no block chaos team. I had WMDs in the carnage cup and Pact cpomb, no apo team.
Now, THIS IS NOT A MOAN OR WHINE. People can play how they want. What interested me were the reasons the coaches played these teams.
Let's start with Bill (I am sure he won't mind me saying this) Bill embraces all. He takes the carnage but plays all sorts adding needed diversity to the environment.
I myself have a range of teams but mostly play humans as I like the challenge. Perhaps I could be accused of not adding to the diversity.
One of the other coaches saw their team as 'my distressing team' implying that their enjoyment comes from causing as many cas as possible. Not against the rules and each to their own of course. Again, my WMD hunters could be guilty of this but I try my best to make it a fun match if it seems unfair tv wise.
The other coach saw it as 'the only way to play box'. This made me quite sad. I had a bit of a strop on the second turn where I didn't move any of players in protest towards the team build. Then I decided to act like an adult again! Once again, nothing against the rules with the team build and people play it. I get it and fair play to the coach. However, I can't say that I enjoyed that game and I am unsure as to whether my opponent truly did. I am also aware that I have a choice whether to activate or not.
So we have three different mind sets to box play. I think there has been a real difference in match ups lower down in TV and yes I could play more of that. This forum isn't about matchups/scheduling/RvB though.
What I am interested in is the mind set of us coaches that play in box? What are the threads that run through us all that keeps us here? Do we really have to be a 'can't beat 'em, join 'em' community?
So, anyone who would like to give an honest response it would really appreciated.
Interesting thought...I loved my carnage cup game. I found it really interesting that some of the big hitting teams didn't enter. Anyone else had this thought or is just me?
Just to reiterate - not whining, interested. I'll continue to play box with my humans and mix it up a bit when I can.
|
_________________ FUMBBL Podcast Donate to the FUMBBL Podcast! |
|
bghandras
Joined: Feb 06, 2011
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 16:35 |
|
Build a highly efficient team that sustains its success, and surely, but very slowly climbs the TV ladder. Then when it reaches the killstack territory, then able to give fits to those. When up there, giving everything they have got, even if they are decimated, but go out with pride. Once destroyed, then start over again. |
_________________
|
|
JellyBelly
Joined: Jul 08, 2009
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 16:53 |
|
I tend to play softer teams in the Box, because I like a challenge and it's nice to have a break from the picking in [R], even if the diversity is lower and there is a higher frequency of cpomb spam. I'm currently building up a HE team for the Wheel of Chaos, so hopefully that will contribute to the diversity (in fact, your humans beat them a few games ago, Throweck)
I tried to get a game in [R] a couple of nights ago - US weekeday evening. There were 5 coaches on there with about 40 teams and no-one was taking a game. I sat there for about 15 mins and offered what I thought were several reasonable match-ups (including with my HE/PE teams). Of course, the occasional 'rookie' or 'experienced' coach that appeared got a game within seconds. It seems like a pretty sad state of affairs when people are only willing to accept a game that they know they can win. In the end, I said 'screw it' and played a fun stunty game |
_________________ "Opinions are like arseholes, everybody's got them and they all stink." - The protagonist, Fallout 2
"Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes!!" |
|
bghandras
Joined: Feb 06, 2011
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 17:04 |
|
Not a mindset, but i find it hilarious
- when my norse demolishes a chaos team (or any other killstack race)
- that my team "Np Leap but break nevertheless" is undefeated and extremely healthy, while my woodies fall apart quickly every time i try to play them. |
_________________
Last edited by bghandras on %b %26, %2016 - %17:%Mar; edited 1 time in total |
|
DukeTyrion
Joined: Feb 18, 2004
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 17:35 |
|
I tend to find the Blackbox mindset is about winning the match.
Most coaches that take M Blow / Claw do it because it is a fast way of skilling up their players, especially Nurgle Warriors / Chaos Warriors. It can be a risky strategy, but many of these players will make their blocks after the key actions of the turn have already been taken. |
|
|
Verminardo
Joined: Sep 27, 2006
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 18:26 |
|
We have to blame the forums really. Much like you couldn't imagine Trump in the US without the media and internet hysteria, or the recent success of that upstart rightwing party in Germany, coaches who think no apoth Pact is „the only way to play Box“ couldn't be imagined without all the forum hysteria about min-maxing and CPOMB, while mostly ignoring all the other teams that successfully and sustainably play at high TV in the Box, El Drizzto or Fish Heads just to name two.
Personally I play for tourneys so I have no reason to risk a good team in the random draw, which is why I rarely play up in CPOMB land. I also don't have too much time for Fumbbl, at least not the way some others do, so to play a dozen matches with a particular team is not a matter of a few days to me, but a matter of some months. More reason to park them as soon as they get in reasonable shape for some tourney or other.
I enjoy Blackbox a lot. I mostly play Elves there but also other races, haven't done Stunties yet because again, I'm currently hunting tourney performance, but might do in the future. Both R and B matchmaking is flawed and can be exploited, but I actually prefer the Box scheduling over Ranked, where the exploiters tend to annoy me more while the lure of exploiting yourself is stronger. You get good matches for the first 15 Box games with a given team, and in the tourneys, too, the ARR Brawl and Minors have a good mix and the Crown of Sand had more soft teams in it than the Warpstone Open. |
|
|
Squiglet
Joined: Aug 13, 2015
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 18:58 |
|
I've not played very much box but I have increasingly been preferring it to ranked - I like the lack of picking and waiting for a match up from the match maker, it creates less stress worrying about who to accept - will it be a fair match or another inevitable stomping of my stunties?
At the moment I have gobbos, humans and Pro-elves, having also tried Helves, necro, orc and pact. I plan to run a U-world team at some point soon too. My out-look is that these much talked about high TV claw pomb massacre teams (which I have never got close to playing against) should be treated as end of level baddies - the meta to be to level up my less optimal teams through the various challenges of the box and eventually face such monsters for the greater glory of Nuffle!
Oh and hope my CR isn't the first on record to reach negative numbers in the process |
|
|
mrt1212
Joined: Feb 26, 2013
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 19:18 |
|
I play Box because it's a challenge. Like a daily Sudoku. Sometimes its harder than other days, sometimes easier, but always a challenge. |
|
|
Rbthma
Joined: Jan 14, 2009
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 19:49 |
|
Haven't jumped into Box fully yet (too distracted with other teams), but the reason I did was similar to JellyBelly's - NA evenings on ranked gamefinder can be a challenge to find a decent match.
So far, the matches have all been challenging and enjoyable but I've not hit the CPOMB zone yet. In Box I'll probably do the same as Ranked - a mix of novelty and more competitive builds. I enjoy the legends, badges, player and team records as well as a bit of (very average)tournament play. I don't think I care enough about CR to build a full-on attrition team and I wouldn't want to poison my playing environment by doing so. |
|
|
keggiemckill
Joined: Oct 07, 2004
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 19:51 |
|
I play mostly Box. The reason I do this is because I don't like the ranked game finder, nor do I care for the cherry picking mentality there.
I ike having a team built to face any opponent. I play a variety of teams, but not regularly. I like to stick to 3 teams every two months. I do not build any teams I already have, as multiple teams are sometimes senseless. I believe that not knowing your opponent before getting matched with him is the purest way to play BB. I don't min-max, almost to a fault. I am not scared of the big bash teams, they come with the territory. That Territory needs Pinkerton men to dole out justice. I have no problem being that guy.
P.S.
ARR all the way! |
_________________ The Drunker I get, the more I spill
"Keggie is the guy with the bleach blond hair that gives answers nobody else would think of."
Jeffro |
|
Rbthma
Joined: Jan 14, 2009
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 19:54 |
|
Verminardo wrote: | We have to blame the forums really. Much like you couldn't imagine Trump in the US without the media and internet hysteria, or the recent success of that upstart rightwing party in Germany, coaches who think no apoth Pact is „the only way to play Box“ couldn't be imagined without all the forum hysteria about min-maxing and CPOMB, while mostly ignoring all the other teams that successfully and sustainably play at high TV in the Box, El Drizzto or Fish Heads just to name two.
|
whenever I pile-on or foul, I just might have to start yelling "Trump! Trump! Trump!" |
|
|
hoyleyboy
Joined: May 19, 2010
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 20:01 |
|
I only play Box, stunty and league. The first time I joined fumbbl I thought ranked was a really bad experience of pickers.
But I play drunk a lot and love the box experience of no-one being able to choose the match-up.
Kill teams dont worry me, sometimes my match goal will be to maim some kill stack1 team players. Making box a safer place.
I also spin all my teams that havent played that evening, unless trying to get my ARR games played. |
|
|
Dunenzed
Joined: Oct 28, 2011
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 22:38 |
|
I think this is a good place to give a shout out to jdmickleburgh. My 18 game goblin team got their 5th game against dorfs this week, for a normal dorf vs gobs result. Rather than pad out the score and inflate his SPP collection jdmickleburgh was all class by finishing the game as soon as possible, and actively considering the in game enjoyment of his opponent. He certainly did a better job of it than I did.
Unfair match ups in the box aren't just about the claw, but consideration for others isn't completely absent. |
_________________
Join the Human League Premiership! |
|
ArthurWynne
Joined: Sep 23, 2015
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 23:04 |
|
Well, I'm an utter Box neophyte, as my record can attest, but I play in the Box because I consider random matchmaking to be the closest thing to an objective test of BB skill, and the Fumbbl Box to be the best random matchmaking environment available anywhere. It's still not all that close but in the absence of ELO one takes what one can get. It's both fun and rewarding, mostly, although when one is on a string of losses it can get a bit frustrating.
I haven't yet played any team enough to get out of the 15-game "safe zone", although my High Elves are close, so I'm very curious to see what sort of experience awaits in "open waters" so to speak. With very few exceptions I've encountered personable and sportsmanlike coaches in my low-TV matches.
For the record: I mostly coach elves, and don't care to coach any team that's more bashy than Humans/Lizards/Zons (which I don't build with POMB). This isn't snobbery but because I don't find it fun to play a team that can't reposition and move the ball fairly well -it's far too easy to get locked out of games entirely once you fall behind. |
|
|
Throweck
Joined: Feb 23, 2013
|
  Posted:
Mar 26, 2016 - 23:21 |
|
|
|
| |