Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Team Battle as a format?

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Arcanine/Arbok Master

New Member
For a long time now team battle (having 2 players vs 2 players) has been around albeit with shifty and unclear rules. Since this format has always been "for fun" and never a serious tournament build, its rules are rather sketchy and people tend not to play it that much.

However, I feel that team battle is one of the funnest ways to play the game. After all, half the reason I go to events is to catch up with friends, and being able to battle with friends at your side is much more fun than trying to power through the same old problem against a single opponent. Team battle also opens up many more possible strategies and combos than would be in just single play.

Perhaps lack of interest in the player base is one of the reasons team battle never launched. I want to know what some of you think if team battle were to become part of the format in some way: would anyone be willing to participate in it, would it be preferred? Seeing as how I've only really discussed it with my friends, I'm unsure what the community as a whole thinks about this issue.

If the rules were to be solidified and balanced for team play (there has been some effort in this field already) what would you guys like to see done to incorporate team battle into the format (if anything)?

Also, lets keep this moderately serious plz. Thanks,

A/A M
 
Premier events for team battles? Count me in!


I reckon it would be a lot of fun. However if events had both 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 and I had to choose one I would choose single battles anyday.

If there were seperate tournaments for team battles, I would be pretty stoked. I've never actually played 2-on-2 and don't really know the rules but I would sure be willing to learn. The only problem is that it would essentially cost POP twice as much for prize support and require a lot more effort organizing everything for the tournaments, especially Worlds.

It would be lots of fun and if POP can work out a system in which players can keep single battle as their first priority while still entering 2-on-2 tournaments I would be very impressed, however I unfortunately can't see it happening.
 
Team Battles would never fly for premier events, while it is a fun format, the rules for team play have always been too complicated.
 
The only reason why they have been unnecessarily complicated is because they were never clear in the first place. Anyways, I'm absolutely game for team battles, it would give a whole new spin to decks and such.
 
Another problem with team battles is how they require two people. What if somebody wants to enter but their partner cannot attend the event? Could they choose another partner?

Plenty of questions like this would arise.
 
That's indeed a good point. Maybe 1 of the judges can team up in case of an uneven number, or there could be a system in terms of entries to eliminate this.
 
Other games have run team games successfully, so it can definitely be done.

I'd be in 100% support of this. Great idea.
 
I totally support this format of play. My friends and I have been playing house rules incorporating team play since we came back. We even went as far as a 4v4.
 
Maybe it could be a round robin, with each person counting their wins personally, but switching teammates. Sounds like fun!
 
We have many team play battles in our league. I tried unsucessfully to have one after a tournament with a box as a prize, but a lot of players were too tired at that point from waiting for the top cut from the first event. If there was a scheduled team play event, I think a lot of my players would be interested, along with many from other leagues.
 
Can team battle tournaments be sanctioned?

If so, then doing a bunch of local non-premier tournaments would be a great way to test the waters and figure out what rules need to be defined and/or clarified. If not, and people are really interested in this, maybe POP & co. could work toward allowing them to be sanctioned.

Sounds fun, in any case, and it's always good to have a way to mix things up a little bit.

AlanJLegend said:
Another problem with team battles is how they require two people. What if somebody wants to enter but their partner cannot attend the event? Could they choose another partner?

Plenty of questions like this would arise.
Click to expand...
In bridge tournaments, a partner is required. You normally go with your regular partner. But most tournaments offer a service to match single players up. If you're a serious bridge player, reliability is a very important part of choosing a regular partner, as playing with a partner that you're not used to can be a real problem.

You could do it the same way in Pokemon. I'd imagine that many single players will just make their own pairings after they arrive, and the judges could pair the others. As far as having one person left over--well, that will happen, but it will give people incentive to show up on time. I'll bet an additional person can be pressed into playing in most cases.
 
I'm game for team tournaments! It's also a nice way to bond with a friend/child/significant other while you strategize and play alongside each other.

Can you imagine staring down two gengar decks? Mad snipeage there. We should open up a doubles theorymon thread in the card combos section.


On an official note, a video tutorial similar to the one already existing teaching you how to play would be VERY helpful. From my experience, it's a lot easier to pick up the mechanics and flow of the game when you're watching it and experiencing it (even if vicariously).

Unfortunately, the flow does seem a little longer, which makes for longer matches, which makes for longer tourneys, which makes for difficult premier events :/
 
Dusknoir SF #17.
Wonderful for double battles. Drapion would also be kinda nasty. Get heads and by the time your turn rolls around you have done 120 points of poison damage. MMmmmMMMmmm
Tasty.
 
I am all for a new format in Premier, as well as a potential interest building format for leagues and local tournaments. Since double battles occur in the games it would probably lure in more people that love the video games to try the card game, since they would see more similiarities.
 
I'm actually running one next week in Akron, OH. Granted, the official rules will not be used, as one of the local league leaders invented a way to play that seems to be popular with his kids (all trainers work on both you and your partner simultaneously).

As far as an official event, I would like to see it work, but I don't think it will because of the odd man factor and adjusted prize structure that would need to happen (6 prizes for 1st place, 2 for each age group). I'm not saying it couldn't happen; it would just be difficult.
 
V1c10u5 said:
Dusknoir SF #17.
Wonderful for double battles. Drapion would also be kinda nasty. Get heads and by the time your turn rolls around you have done 120 points of poison damage. MMmmmMMMmmm
Tasty.
Click to expand...

This is NOT how that how poison or PokeBodys work in 2v2.
You only apply effects such as poison before and after the poisoned player's turn. PokeBodies like Flygon X or Dusknoir 17 only apply before and after the turn of the player you last attacked. If you did not attack, you designate a player to take on the effect before and after their turn.
 
DreamChaser AJ said:
I'm actually running one next week in Akron, OH. Granted, the official rules will not be used, as one of the local league leaders invented a way to play that seems to be popular with his kids (all trainers work on both you and your partner simultaneously).
Click to expand...

I actually find that a very interesting twist to the rules. It would certainly make teamwork a great part of building the deck and I think it would allow more cards to be playable then in the 1 on 1 format.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top