shadowlion
New Member
The Metagame Theory: RO SHAM BO
The Metagame the thing we can talk about all day love it or hate it (which seems to be the case). I am writing this article to discuss the metagame (not decks per se) but the idea of the metagame and the theory of what a healthy metagame is all about. Before talking what makes a fun competitive stable metagame lets take a look at what seems to be the current state of the Pokemon Modified Constructed Metagame.
Tier 1 Deck
G&G
Plox
Almost the same deck huh.
Tier 1.5
Empoleon variants whether speed or Omastar (deck test good seems really good but still new and yet to really prove itself other than being played in numbers).
Magmorter (not played near as much as used to be due to the above deck Empoleon)
Infernape (see above)
Evee (I know it has won but very hard to build correctly props to those that win with it, almost a Tier 2 for most players)
Beedrill (low end 1.5 deck more of a Tier 2 not easy to play and yes I know it won a Regionals)
Tier 2
Skittles (argue it can win argue it is ok...it is based on alot of factors a big one is Luck)
Fossil Decks (seems fun can start fast but seems to run out of steam by mid game)
Electric Decks (putting all Electric decks here, you sometimes see them but just not the Pokemon to support them right now)
Sub-Category Metagame Decks (depending on the make up of the tournament or local metagame could be in any of the above)
Bannette
Arithmetic
Now I am know I didnt name all the types of decks but I do believe this is a fairly decent and accurate breakdown of the decks one might be facing or see at most any given tournament. Well as you can see the Tier 1 decks of the current pokemon metagame are basically the same deck (Plox is more control and G&G is more aggro) and alot clumped up in the 1.5 category making a few showings in numbers but never really taking the format over or enjoying the success of the Tier 1 deck.
THEORY OF A PERFECT METAGAME: RO SHAM BO
Now for those of you that don't know Ro Sham Bo is another name for the game Rock-Paper-Scissors (and no this article isn't about TGM). The Ro Sham Bo Metagame theory is just as it sounds for a healthy metagame, you need 3 decks that are in the Tier 1 category all capable of beating the lower Tier decks, but not have one of the Tier 1 decks dominating the other 2 Tier 1 decks. This works usually by the same mechanics and theory as Ro Sham Bo.
Example:
TIER 1 DECK A (we will call ROCK)
TIER 1 DECK B (we will call PAPER)
TIER 1 DECK C (of course is SCISSORS)
DECK A will have a favorable matchup against DECK C (more than 50% win percentage but usually in the 60%-70% range) but will have a less than favorable matchup against DECK B (probably in the 30%-40% range).
The same hold true for DECK B beating DECK A and losing DECK C a majority of the time, as well as DECK C beating DECK B and losing to DECK A.
Pretty simple we all (thanks to TGM) should be more than familiar with how the matchups of Ro Sham Bo works.
Ok, now you might ask why is this the perfect metagame? You may say ok so instead of 1 top deck we have 3, well here are some reasons it makes a METAGAME more stable more fun and more competitive:
1. There are no guarntee's of winning no matter what you play, but when there are 3 (or more) tier 1 decks it eliminates a player from saying I am going to play THE TOP DECK and increase my odds because now there are more options to choose from and not a single deck that has favorable matchups against all other decks.
2. In a FORMAT where one deck Reigns Supreme it becomes very stale very fast. When going to a major tournament knowing you have play a certain deck many times throughout the day, and knowing that in order to win you will have to play THE DECK or play a special METAGAME DECK in order to increase your odds of having a successful day.
3. It increases the creativity of the format, in a format that has several top decks it allows more rogue players to experiment with different things in order to take advantage of 1 or all 3 decks weaknesses. In a one TOP DECK enviroment if you create a deck that is weak to say the TOP DECK then the idea must be scratched, in a Ro Sham Bo enviroment your creation might be weak to DECK A, even to DECK B, and favorable to DECK C or maybe (to most extents) Even or slightly Weak with the Tier 1 decks you can explore and tweak the ideas of the deck more. It even allows the Top Decks to be tweaked more to the players liking to increase odds against the other Top Decks.
There are more but I believe you get the jest of some of the advantages. Against what some people believe a good metagame IS NOT play DECK A or a METAGAME DECK or lose.
Taking a look at the CURRENT METAGAME for our beloved Pokemon Game over the last season it has been in a fairly Stale state. It has had a few decks have a moment in the sun but for the most part G&G and Plox (same deck with slight differences) has Reigned Supreme and shined above the rest. Will a new or slightly tweaked deck from Worlds help even the score? What about the release of a New Set? Will the soon to be Rotation of some older sets even the field? Only next season will tell!!!
DISCLAIMER:
This article IS NOT just a article ranting about the dominance of G&G. It is a article of hope for future formats of Pokemon. Whether you play the TOP DECK or go ROGUE is up to you, however when the field is more open with a variety of decks capable of winning at any given moment, it makes the game more skill based and not just I am playing a certain deck HEAR ME ROAR. I have been around the TCG community for a long time with different games I have quit certain games cause of getting bored with a unhealthy uncompetitive enviroment. It is in the best interest of the game for a Ro Sham Bo type Metagame to form, it allows players more options and choices and not get stuck in a rut which in return makes the game boring to some. When things become boring we all know it becomes more of a chore than enjoyment to perform them and that is when people walk away and quit and that my friends IS NOT in the best interest of Pokemon, for if people start walking away the game will suffer in the end.
another aritcle by
ShadowLion
for others:
http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=76821
http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70751
The Metagame the thing we can talk about all day love it or hate it (which seems to be the case). I am writing this article to discuss the metagame (not decks per se) but the idea of the metagame and the theory of what a healthy metagame is all about. Before talking what makes a fun competitive stable metagame lets take a look at what seems to be the current state of the Pokemon Modified Constructed Metagame.
Tier 1 Deck
G&G
Plox
Almost the same deck huh.
Tier 1.5
Empoleon variants whether speed or Omastar (deck test good seems really good but still new and yet to really prove itself other than being played in numbers).
Magmorter (not played near as much as used to be due to the above deck Empoleon)
Infernape (see above)
Evee (I know it has won but very hard to build correctly props to those that win with it, almost a Tier 2 for most players)
Beedrill (low end 1.5 deck more of a Tier 2 not easy to play and yes I know it won a Regionals)
Tier 2
Skittles (argue it can win argue it is ok...it is based on alot of factors a big one is Luck)
Fossil Decks (seems fun can start fast but seems to run out of steam by mid game)
Electric Decks (putting all Electric decks here, you sometimes see them but just not the Pokemon to support them right now)
Sub-Category Metagame Decks (depending on the make up of the tournament or local metagame could be in any of the above)
Bannette
Arithmetic
Now I am know I didnt name all the types of decks but I do believe this is a fairly decent and accurate breakdown of the decks one might be facing or see at most any given tournament. Well as you can see the Tier 1 decks of the current pokemon metagame are basically the same deck (Plox is more control and G&G is more aggro) and alot clumped up in the 1.5 category making a few showings in numbers but never really taking the format over or enjoying the success of the Tier 1 deck.
THEORY OF A PERFECT METAGAME: RO SHAM BO
Now for those of you that don't know Ro Sham Bo is another name for the game Rock-Paper-Scissors (and no this article isn't about TGM). The Ro Sham Bo Metagame theory is just as it sounds for a healthy metagame, you need 3 decks that are in the Tier 1 category all capable of beating the lower Tier decks, but not have one of the Tier 1 decks dominating the other 2 Tier 1 decks. This works usually by the same mechanics and theory as Ro Sham Bo.
Example:
TIER 1 DECK A (we will call ROCK)
TIER 1 DECK B (we will call PAPER)
TIER 1 DECK C (of course is SCISSORS)
DECK A will have a favorable matchup against DECK C (more than 50% win percentage but usually in the 60%-70% range) but will have a less than favorable matchup against DECK B (probably in the 30%-40% range).
The same hold true for DECK B beating DECK A and losing DECK C a majority of the time, as well as DECK C beating DECK B and losing to DECK A.
Pretty simple we all (thanks to TGM) should be more than familiar with how the matchups of Ro Sham Bo works.
Ok, now you might ask why is this the perfect metagame? You may say ok so instead of 1 top deck we have 3, well here are some reasons it makes a METAGAME more stable more fun and more competitive:
1. There are no guarntee's of winning no matter what you play, but when there are 3 (or more) tier 1 decks it eliminates a player from saying I am going to play THE TOP DECK and increase my odds because now there are more options to choose from and not a single deck that has favorable matchups against all other decks.
2. In a FORMAT where one deck Reigns Supreme it becomes very stale very fast. When going to a major tournament knowing you have play a certain deck many times throughout the day, and knowing that in order to win you will have to play THE DECK or play a special METAGAME DECK in order to increase your odds of having a successful day.
3. It increases the creativity of the format, in a format that has several top decks it allows more rogue players to experiment with different things in order to take advantage of 1 or all 3 decks weaknesses. In a one TOP DECK enviroment if you create a deck that is weak to say the TOP DECK then the idea must be scratched, in a Ro Sham Bo enviroment your creation might be weak to DECK A, even to DECK B, and favorable to DECK C or maybe (to most extents) Even or slightly Weak with the Tier 1 decks you can explore and tweak the ideas of the deck more. It even allows the Top Decks to be tweaked more to the players liking to increase odds against the other Top Decks.
There are more but I believe you get the jest of some of the advantages. Against what some people believe a good metagame IS NOT play DECK A or a METAGAME DECK or lose.
Taking a look at the CURRENT METAGAME for our beloved Pokemon Game over the last season it has been in a fairly Stale state. It has had a few decks have a moment in the sun but for the most part G&G and Plox (same deck with slight differences) has Reigned Supreme and shined above the rest. Will a new or slightly tweaked deck from Worlds help even the score? What about the release of a New Set? Will the soon to be Rotation of some older sets even the field? Only next season will tell!!!
DISCLAIMER:
This article IS NOT just a article ranting about the dominance of G&G. It is a article of hope for future formats of Pokemon. Whether you play the TOP DECK or go ROGUE is up to you, however when the field is more open with a variety of decks capable of winning at any given moment, it makes the game more skill based and not just I am playing a certain deck HEAR ME ROAR. I have been around the TCG community for a long time with different games I have quit certain games cause of getting bored with a unhealthy uncompetitive enviroment. It is in the best interest of the game for a Ro Sham Bo type Metagame to form, it allows players more options and choices and not get stuck in a rut which in return makes the game boring to some. When things become boring we all know it becomes more of a chore than enjoyment to perform them and that is when people walk away and quit and that my friends IS NOT in the best interest of Pokemon, for if people start walking away the game will suffer in the end.
another aritcle by
ShadowLion
for others:
http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=76821
http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70751