Donking, and why it is suddenly a big concern for the community
- Thread starter Ice'Cold
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The day uxie crobat and gengar are gone is the day ill start calling this game pokemon again...
Another city today, round one I nearly had it, he had a god draw and I still outplayed him but he had only one price left. I have belted magnezone active and he has a belted gyara and his hand is dead, he draws, collector, uxie, draws 3 cards, tells me he is sorry and shows me the 3 cards, 3 poketurns... yeah...
and then round 3, I start azelf with no psychic to his unown q / belt / crobat...
the first time this year I played a heavily tested non standart deck, I was confident in all 3 big matchups, i knew all the tricks the deck had and prepared a lot, and this is what I get. Makes you wonder why you should even bother, I used a mediocre gyarados list and never tested gyarados at all and made a ton of misplays and still won a cc.
Another city today, round one I nearly had it, he had a god draw and I still outplayed him but he had only one price left. I have belted magnezone active and he has a belted gyara and his hand is dead, he draws, collector, uxie, draws 3 cards, tells me he is sorry and shows me the 3 cards, 3 poketurns... yeah...
and then round 3, I start azelf with no psychic to his unown q / belt / crobat...
the first time this year I played a heavily tested non standart deck, I was confident in all 3 big matchups, i knew all the tricks the deck had and prepared a lot, and this is what I get. Makes you wonder why you should even bother, I used a mediocre gyarados list and never tested gyarados at all and made a ton of misplays and still won a cc.
Rainbowgym
Active Member
I got donked today by a Fan Rotom, (yes serious)
Using 4 Call, 3 Collector, 4 Bebe and 14 basics obviously is not enough.
Using 4 Call, 3 Collector, 4 Bebe and 14 basics obviously is not enough.
LOL, I too have been donked by a Fan Rotom. A Fan Rotom!
I thought I was playing in a pre-release or something!
4 collector 3 call (shouldve been 4, maybe thats divine punishment or something) 3 bebe 14 basics (4 spiritomb)... 4 spiritomb and i still get donked... seriously, im at a loss for what to even ADD anymore to bmake my decks more consistant. Were basically playing rps, I can add a ton of trainers but Ill loose to vilegar then, I can add more supporters to get supporter clocked hands, unfortunatly I cant run 8 spiritomb... I even thought about adding a bunch of smeargles as substitute spiritombs, portraying collectors/cyrus t1... But is it seriously nessesary to add 7 starters to a deck just so you can play?
Rainbowgym
Active Member
I also had 4 Spiritomb among those 14 basics and 2 Uxie, still it's not enough to get a game,
I serious consider to put a few Pichu in, if you don't start lonely Pichu, there is at least a game.
I serious consider to put a few Pichu in, if you don't start lonely Pichu, there is at least a game.
Thats fine, as long as they don't have the energy:thumb:
If nothing else, donks make ELO ratings even less valid than they already are. In that sense, they are bad. Donks generally distort rankings.
However, I don't buy the notion that they hurt the game itself. Although I would prefer they be eliminated somehow from OP, I still love seeing them in action in casual play.
So, how do you eliminate them from OP other than rotating or banning them? I think the answer is simple. As long as PCI makes cards that can easily and consistently counter such decks, the game is balanced.
However, I don't buy the notion that they hurt the game itself. Although I would prefer they be eliminated somehow from OP, I still love seeing them in action in casual play.
So, how do you eliminate them from OP other than rotating or banning them? I think the answer is simple. As long as PCI makes cards that can easily and consistently counter such decks, the game is balanced.
But it's not just "donk decks" that are a problem. 99% of donks that happen aren't from Uxie donk decks that are designed to donk, they're from any number of decks. We have decks that can "counter" decks like Uxie donk (and even those don't work all the time), but you can't always stop donks from other decks.
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I'd like to see a good definition of a "donk." If the definition is, "I didn't get to do much of anything because my opponent controlled the game from the start," then I'd say, "Go play some other games then."
I play hundreds of different board and card games. Some games are extremely balanced in the first few turns, allowing the players to better control what direction and duration the game will take. I've NEVER classified Pokemon as such a game.
I don't play Pokemon much anymore, for a variety of reasons, but when I do, I'm generally fulfilled, win or lose, donker or be-donked.
I play hundreds of different board and card games. Some games are extremely balanced in the first few turns, allowing the players to better control what direction and duration the game will take. I've NEVER classified Pokemon as such a game.
I don't play Pokemon much anymore, for a variety of reasons, but when I do, I'm generally fulfilled, win or lose, donker or be-donked.
Box of Fail
New Member
Sure, but if you play Dialgachomp with no Q I guarantee you will be donked a lot less.
Is it disadvantaging yourself for the sole purpose of counteracting donks? Yes. That's how the metagame works; you are forced to make deck choices with which you may or may not be comfortable to counter the threats presented by the format. Don't have POP fix your bad matchups for you, do it yourself.
Should your deck choice be severely limited because of donks? IMO yes, as much as it should be limited because of any matchup.
I agree. To say that you should seldom ever be donked, or that you shouldn't be required to play counters, well, that's completely incompatable with Pokemon.Sure, but if you play Dialgachomp with no Q I guarantee you will be donked a lot less.
SLOW DECK
New Member
I only have problems with the Uxie "Multi" Donk decks because of the certainty and the lack of interaction. I have no problem with the random donk. The Aimpom donk, the Unown Q donk, Sableye donk, etc.. (or the dreaded FAN ROTOM donk).
I feel that some complaints about donks there is an underlying ARROGANCE of the player that can’t accept that a certain other player can ever beat them. I think the random donks have always been somewhat controllable by just running the standard stuff like Call, more basics, (Unown R anyone), etc. I think a random 1600 player should be able to beat a 1900 ELO player every once in a while, even if only by the donk. The top level players feel the need to put in heavy tech, which has always let them do better against top level players, but leaves them open to have a dead hand against a lower level player.
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Mama_Luigi
New Member
I remember my first tournament, also the first time I actually played pokemon.
Round 1. I get kingdra donked.
Round 2. I get kingdra donked.
Round 3. I get Machamp donked.
Round 4. I play against a staright mewtwo deck with my machamp torterra deck. He tells me that Machamp is a basic pokemon since I used rare candy on it, and I can't touch his pokemon. My 2-2-2 torterra line is prized (I was a terrible shuffler, lol) and I had to resort to using machoke to attack. Needless to say, I lost.
Round 5. I get a bye.
Obviously, that was a really sucky experience for me, and I didn't give the game another chance until the 2009-2010 season. That's not what we want new players to experience, right? Donks and byes as their only games?
Round 1. I get kingdra donked.
Round 2. I get kingdra donked.
Round 3. I get Machamp donked.
Round 4. I play against a staright mewtwo deck with my machamp torterra deck. He tells me that Machamp is a basic pokemon since I used rare candy on it, and I can't touch his pokemon. My 2-2-2 torterra line is prized (I was a terrible shuffler, lol) and I had to resort to using machoke to attack. Needless to say, I lost.
Round 5. I get a bye.
Obviously, that was a really sucky experience for me, and I didn't give the game another chance until the 2009-2010 season. That's not what we want new players to experience, right? Donks and byes as their only games?
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