Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

BR Donk Report Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
SLOW DECK said:
Something to note, that some folks are playing "fun" or less competitive decks at Battle Roads or K=4.

They aren't concerned about Ranking, thus some matches do not reflect the domination of Sableye builds.

If Sableye is allowed for Nat's, which are Ultra Competitive, thus people bringing there best decks, then you will see Nat's a donk fest.
Click to expand...

Very good point. Also, this doesn't apply to just Sabledonk decks. A lot of players are ignoring the "broken" state of the game entirely and are instead opting to play for fun. Where they could be playing Luxdonk, Gyaradonk, Sabledonk, Zekrom donk, etc., they're instead playing KGL or Emboar decks.

Also, a lot of competitive players just aren't playing right now. Why play with such a messed up format? If it's the case that we end up with MD-BW for Nationals and Worlds, we can expect to see a greater push for speed-based decks once bigger prizes are up for grabs. And with people throwing 4 Sableye into their favorite decks, it would be a miserable donkfest. As if BR's already aren't. :nonono:
 
^^Agree with SlowDeck^^ And also I have been testing decks that can beat Sabledonk at BR since the K is so low Ive been experimenting with some deck ideas in a competitive environment which is different than playtesting at home or League.
 
eriknance said:
Also, a lot of competitive players just aren't playing right now. Why play with such a messed up format?
Click to expand...

I honestly think this is what has the most chance of forcing an early rotation. When the release first came out I was all over the "everyone play Sabledonk" opinion. I figured that seeing a majority of lists running Sableye (or at least seeing a lot of donks) would prove that the format is bad. Now I'm starting to think that TPCi is more interested in seeing how attendance shapes up. How many people have responded to this thread saying "I was going to go, but since it's such a crapshoot I didn't want to hurt my rating." Maybe this is the biggest way to force an early rotation. (Insert "you just want a smaller pool so you can win those awesome victory medals.")

People play weird stuff at Battle Roads. Of the ones I went to previously there were always one or two players playing something meta, and the rest were playing fun rogue decks. TPCi could very easily justify a lot more Sableye as players trying out a powerful card in a variety of new decks. They will have a harder time justifying a 30-50% drop off in attendance.
 
The first battle roads put me off so much that I for one didn't go to any of they others, I was hoping the crazy donk fest that ensued would have been enough to convince them to rotate. Does anyone have any good reason to not rotate? Before when the format could have been MD-COL I thought, thats not great but its ok, it makes sense that if you do great all year with a deck. Why shouldn't you get to play that deck at worlds and nats. But now that we know that a rotation might happen, it simply must there is no reason for the alternative, I would like to hear one good argument.
 
Setstage said:
The first battle roads put me off so much that I for one didn't go to any of they others, I was hoping the crazy donk fest that ensued would have been enough to convince them to rotate. Does anyone have any good reason to not rotate? Before when the format could have been MD-COL I thought, thats not great but its ok, it makes sense that if you do great all year with a deck. Why shouldn't you get to play that deck at worlds and nats. But now that we know that a rotation might happen, it simply must there is no reason for the alternative, I would like to hear one good argument.
Click to expand...

I'm all for the pre-Nats rotation, but I'll give this a try.

Rotating early is a massive break with procedure. That may not sound like much, but for a company managing a card game like the Pokémon TCG (in which there is no support for Unlimited play), that's kind of a big deal. When they announced the initial rotation, it was the expectation of the players that their cards would continue to be legal until after Nationals. Rotating early will tweak the noses of some players and collectors who were expecting those cards to continue to have value.

The question is whether or not allowing the format to continue as-is would be more damaging than cutting to HGSS-on before Nats. If the Battle Roads data indicates that this is the case (through Sableye dominance and attendance data, plus whatever other factors TPCi is watching), then they'll rotate. If the estimated damage to the playerbase is less than the estimated damage from early rotation, however, they'll wait until the usual rotation date.

To make a long story short (too late), TPCi knows they're going to lose people either way. The only question is which path is less damaging?
 
Sevus said:
To make a long story short (too late), TPCi knows they're going to lose people either way. The only question is which path is less damaging?
Click to expand...

They already have a well-established player (and collector) base. Those players may whine about their cards losing value, but they'll continue to play, especially if they see an early rotation as a healthy move for the format.

My concern rests in the new players who have just started playing this game. The Black & White product itself is heavily reminiscent of Base Set, so you know this was a marketable push to get players back into the game (players who last played 10 or so years ago). Imagine the new player who shows up for a Battle Roads with their highly-refined Krookodile deck. It's their first tournament, but attendance seems low. They get further discouraged when they're donked in 2 of their 4 rounds. Looking at the top decks of the day, everything seems to run 4 Sableye in an effort to either land a donk or avoid one. Having played MTG or Yu-Gi-Oh!, they're curious as to why Sableye (a card printed in 2008) is still around, or why it hasn't been banned. At the end of the day, they see the Pokemon TCG as a joke.

Low attendance, first-turn losses, decks that set up on turn 1 or 2, and "broken" cards that stick around for 3+ years and don't get banned... these are things that will discourage players from getting into the game. Plus, there's the issue of players who won't even spread the word about the Pokemon TCG because of how big a joke the format is right now. MD-AR is truly a dark cloud over the game right now.
 
I honestly think it is to late. If they where to rotate they should have done it prior to Battle Roads. As it stands I am done with them. After being donked multiple times at multiple locations. Even watching the same guy donk his way to top spot in several locations. I just want nothing to do with this format anymore. If we do not see a rotation I see a vast majority not going to Nationals and even fewer showing up for what will be donkcentral at Worlds.

No one wants a game where they watch their opponent play solitaire with themselves. Then reach across and say good game. When you know it wasn't as you never to got to play. It is not a fun environment for older players new players or establishing a good rapport with the players in general. When you see cards that are broken and near impossible to get being used in a broken fashion against you. It is not worth it for the parents, the kids or the players in general. We need this rotation in order to bring back balance.
 
koolkidkaz said:
Round Table Pizza: Kent, Washington

5 rounds in Master's, went 4-0, playing out all games for 25+ minutes.
Round 5, lost the flip, unown q to his uxie. Energy, GG.

in top 4, lost during time to machamp, who then lost to the same guy who donked me in about 5 minutes with 2 donks.

-Kaz
Click to expand...

Tournaments at Round Table?!
it's about time for a Montague's all meat marvel...
 
Meh. I got sableye donked last weekend at Fort Mill SC. It was my only loss of the day. I started a lone Spiritomb ... and still got donked. I ran 16 basics and still got the lone basic starts in half of my games.

I wasn't going to play BRs, because I hate this format so much, but my youngest son wanted to play anyway.
 
sdrawkcab said:
Really? The first post in this thread made by a TPCI staff is a joke?
Click to expand...

That’s a problem? God forbid our guys show a sense of humor. It's not like someone died and ExoByte cracked a joke at the funeral right? :wink: I wouldn’t take a light hearted post as a sign that we aren’t taking the situation seriously because we are.

This thread was created so that folks could post their experiences with the format, not so that TPCi could come on here and debate/discuss the issue. We said what we needed to say previously via official announcements and the results of our evaluation will be communicated the same way.
 
Last edited:
Enjoying BRs, but I'm tired of having to tech my deck, just to avoid donking. I wanna go to Nats, and I'm waiting till last minute to decide to go or not. Rotation happens, I'm going. If not, staying home. :\

I laughed WAYYY too hard at Exobyte's post.
 
Biggie said:
That’s a problem? God forbid our guys show a sense of humor.
Click to expand...

It could be worse, Wizards could still be doing the game. I don't think the old overlords were ever serious on the WizPog forums, and most of their posts and chat sessions consisted around Maple Bars, Weedles, and ignoring the 15+ age group for constantly whining about not being able to play in premier events. Something like that... Anyways I am glad to see TPCi being loose these days.
 
Biggie said:
That’s a problem? God forbid our guys show a sense of humor. It's not like someone died and ExoByte cracked a joke at the funeral right? :wink: I wouldn’t take a light hearted post as a sign that we aren’t taking the situation seriously because we are.

This thread was created so that folks could post their experiences with the format, not so that TPCi could come on here and debate/discuss the issue. We said what we needed to say previously via official announcements and the results of our evaluation will be communicated the same way.
Click to expand...

Haha wasn't saying you couldnt or shouldnt joke....I was surprised considering there might be something more prevelant to talk about :rolleyes:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top