Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Public Announcement: STRATEGY does NOT = BuildMeAList :/

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Rogue Archetype

Rogue Archetype

Moderator <br> Contest Host
It never feels good when people laugh in your face.

Do you have any experience with that? I do.

I get to experience condescension, sniggering, rolling-eyes, and other negative reactions when I ask "Do any of you guys visit or post online at PokeGym?"

I can be kickin' it, just talking about whatever with some new folks at a tourney, and halfway into the conversation (when everything is cool), I'll toss that question out.

Nowadays about 90% of the time the EXACT answer that I get is "Yeah, I have an account there, but I don't really post anything at all."

I've conducted this little social experiment, if you will, for 2 years now.

My findings = People are not PROUD to be associated with PokeGym.

The irony is, every one of those people visit and READ the boards (I recognize their front page netdecks when they deckcheck them in!), but nobody seems to lose 'cool points' if they ADMIT to using PokeGym as a resource.

THIS YEAR NEEDS TO BE DIFFERENT.

I am on a personal crusade to restore pride in this forum.

This USED to be a place people (including Top Ranked World's players) could come to to have a GOOD discussion about tournament deck strategy. Now, it's become a wasteland for experimental deck discussion and netdeck requests.

* SOAPBOX RANT AHEAD *

I'm really getting irritated by what the strategy board is becoming.

This part of the website (strategy) is supposed to be a place to help you understand combos, synergy, and deck mechanics.

What it's become is a "CAN ANYONE POST A DECKLIST THAT I CAN JUST PLAY RIGHT NOW ??"

I'm, seriously, thinking about launching my own personal campaign AGAINST netdeck requests.
I'm at the point now where I'm about to just comb through this entire forum and DELETE every thread that, even remotely, appears to be another "Can you build me a deck?" thread.

The message I would LOVE for you to understand is this:

Winner's don't copy; they innovate.
You WILL NOT be a good player because you're playing a list that a good player put together.

Learning Deck Strategy comes from DOING (i.e. experience).

At some point, you will need to appreciate the process of sitting down, putting cards together and getting excited about combos, synergy, and mechanics.

In other words, you will just need to experience the art of deckbuilding to truly understand why some cards work and others do not.

Simply building out any old list you read will NOT make you a good player and it will NOT save you time.

In the end, you'll either lose and give up on the deck OR you'll put in countless hours trying to testplay and understand what you've just netdecked.

I do, however understand how playing with a netdecked list will give you some insight on how the deck works, but it should only be a single component in your efforts to become a great player.

Food for thought: Netdecking a great list does a diservice to the deck altogether; you will misrepresent the deck, misexecute its strategy, NOT comprhend its inner-workings, and come across like a completely clumbsy player.

My fear is that being a PokeGym member will be synonymous with being a BAD PLAYER.

I don't want people saying things like: (and it being true!)

Round 1 vs. some PokeGym player... I won 1-0
Round 2 vs. another PokeGym dude ... of course I smashed it... 2-0
Round 3 vs. Jimmy from the 4th floor ... he pawned me ... 2 -1
Round 4 vs. Northern VA player ... he 6-0'd me :frown: ... 2-2
Round 4 vs. Pokegym guy's friend ... I won again... 3-2

I would've made the cut if I had just played ONE MORE PokeGym player :tongue:
Click to expand...

The perception is that anyone posting on PokeGym is a bottom-feeder when it comes to skill-level.
This is not true. NATIONAL CHAMPIONS are posting here every day! The problem is that the most prolific posting members are not the most decorated (and it's frustrating those who know and can't offer advise without butting heads with those who don't).

I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but by the time 2011 U.S. Nats come around, I'd LOVE to have people greet me publically with some sort of PRIDE about being a PokeGym member.

Why wouldn't you be proud of being a PokeGym member? Two of the 3 WORLD CHAMPIONS from 2011 post here. :cool:

I really wouldn't put time into this site if I didn't think it wasn't the best. I think people continue to come here because, deep inside, they know that it's a necessary and worthwhile resource.

This year, we need to STOP entertaining posts that simply ask for all of the work to be done for them.
This year, we need to post comments and ideas that help ELEVATE each other's game.
This year, we need to turn this forum into a place that's so full of good ideas that anyone who does NOT read it ... will lose to those who do.

This year, we need to restore this forum to a status of "Premier, go-to, resource for useful strategy information"

I've been tossing around ideas about HOW to do this:

1. There needs to be some sort of way that I decorate members who are proven players and should have their contributions taken seriously.
2. There needs to be some sort of method of policing up garbage posts that turn people off. There are just too many comedian-wannabees who toss up a barrage of useless banter and take the intensity away from stategy discussions.
3. There needs to be a CEASE-AND-DESIST of all of this stupid "site vs. site" discussion. I could care less what other sites you visit. Why can't you just enjoy and learn from them ALL?? We're really just talking about one CLICK vs. the other CLICK... because that's how far away they are; a click away. :cool:

You can, still, be good without adopting an elitist approach. If we are all ONE crowd, then you're automatically in the "in crowd." feel me?

When you post in 2011 and beyond, plesae consider making posts that ELEVATE everyones knowledge of the game.

I'm going to be heavy on the delete-thread button in an effort to keep this forum consistent with the goal of encouraging quality discussion about STRATEGY, SYNERGY, CONSISTENCY, COMBOS, and DECK MECHANICS.

I'm calling this ideal: SPIRIT OF THE FORUM

Older members, I encourage you to model good discussion for our vast number of 11- 15 yr old members and report threads and posts that are not consistent with the new Sprit of the Forum ideology.
 
Can I propose something?

Would it be possible to have a "new rogue deck ideas" thread sticky'd, so we don't end up with 36546 threads about "check out my new bad deck?" Sort of like how [competitiveVGCwebsitethatshallnotbenamed] has a "new movesets and EV spreads" thread, where people post ideas for things that haven't been thought up yet and others critique them.

This would de-clutter things a lot. It might also be a solid idea to have sticky'd threads for discussion of the Top 3 decks right now, i.e. "LuxChomp discussion," "VileGar discussion," and "Gyarados discssion." Also, might I suggest a rule against BIDF threads? Or, at the very least, insisting that there be ONE and ONLY ONE BDIF thread.

I swear, there was one point where three of them (all open) were within the first page of the Strategy forums.

So yeah, what do you think?
 
Politoed666 said:
Can I propose something?

Would it be possible to have a "new rogue deck ideas" thread sticky'd, so we don't end up with 36546 threads about "check out my new bad deck?" Sort of like how [competitiveVGCwebsitethatshallnotbenamed] has a "new movesets and EV spreads" thread, where people post ideas for things that haven't been thought up yet and others critique them.

This would de-clutter things a lot. It might also be a solid idea to have sticky'd threads for discussion of the Top 3 decks right now, i.e. "LuxChomp discussion," "VileGar discussion," and "Gyarados discssion." Also, might I suggest a rule against BIDF threads? Or, at the very least, insisting that there be ONE and ONLY ONE BDIF thread.

I swear, there was one point where three of them (all open) were within the first page of the Strategy forums.

So yeah, what do you think?
Click to expand...

All of this is just great.

One issue ANY message board has is dealing with posts that were created for ATTENTION and have no intentions of generating thought-provoking discussion about anything useful. Some kids just want to be seen man; they just want to start a thread. So, if it's not BDIF threads, it's another thing (that the vets are tired of seeing). So, if we try to head the sentiment off at the pass, you'll end up with a million stickied threads :cool:

The great thing about our young crowd is, they are eager to partcipate. So, if we model a particular environment/appraoch/sentiment, they will follow (and report those who don't).

Having said all of that, I still like your idea of a stickied discussion of top three decks. This would be easy to do after checking out the "What Won" thread each tournament season. Big anticipated cards could be handled this way as well.

I, absolutely, love that input. Thanks Politoed :thumb:
 
I agree entirely with this post, great job
It gets really boring playing the same luxchomp decklist in 4 of your 5 matches at a tournament, and while it does make planning easier, it's not as fun
An idea that's been bouncing around in my head since I read the prerelease raichu article is that we could do a charitable selling thread. Members could donate cards/merch and one of the mods or trusted sellers who is up for the task could sell them with the proceeds going to a charity of interested members choice
Another thing I thought of while organizing a match between porii and darkmot was that we have 2 world champions, a few national champions and a crazy number of other very skilled players, we could organize charity matches that are viewable on ustream or a similar sight
Just a thought that I think would generate a lot of respect and I'd like see happen. If it does, I have cards ready to give
 
gallade said:
This sounds like a great idea, but there goes my comedian career :( Just kidding.
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It's such a shame when things end way before they start :wink:

Anyway . . . well said RA.

I really like Politoed's idea for sticky threads on the top archetypes. You could cut a lot of duplicate threads that way.

Most of the problem is down to people's attitudes tbh. People want to appear pro and win arguments on teh interweb, even if it takes 79 consecutive posts and everyone else dying of boredom to do it.
 
^lol I think you mean me.

Stickie'd articles about the topdecks, not long ones, but just to get the gist, would be great imo with updates after every set.
 
Thank you so much RA! I know I post a lot of crappy decks with random strategies but that's mostly because I believe in coming up with my own strategies and asking people what they think would make it better or if they think it could be good at all. Thank you though!
 
Excellent post, R_A! I think it's a shame that you've found that people don't like to be associated with Pokegym- after all, aren't there more users on Pokegym than other similar websites?
 
I honestly don't get this...when has being a member here ever been a bad thing for starters? o_O

So yeah...I don't buy that argument. As for the "build me a deck threads" here, I do agree that's been annoying, it's nice to see that getting stopped. I mean, it's ok if discussion for a strategy or combo evolves into a skeleton list, but blatant "I want to use these cards, tell me what to put with them" threads are bad.
 
Rogue Archetype said:
All of this is just great.
One issue ANY message board has is dealing with posts that were created for ATTENTION and have no intentions of generating thought-provoking discussion about anything useful. Some kids just want to be seen man; they just want to start a thread. So, if it's not BDIF threads, it's another thing (that the vets are tired of seeing). So, if we try to head the sentiment off at the pass, you'll end up with a million stickied threads :cool:
Click to expand...
I think Politoed meant that you should make one sticked thread and have all of the million and one rogue combos be posted there. Thus, we avoid flooding this section of the forum. That way, those who are not interested in such topics can easily skip over all of them, or those who are interested have it all in one, easy to find place.
 
Regis_Neo said:
I honestly don't get this...when has being a member here ever been a bad thing for starters? o_O

So yeah...I don't buy that argument. As for the "build me a deck threads" here, I do agree that's been annoying, it's nice to see that getting stopped. I mean, it's ok if discussion for a strategy or combo evolves into a skeleton list, but blatant "I want to use these cards, tell me what to put with them" threads are bad.
Click to expand...

What am I arguing? Nah man, if you have read what I typed, you'd know that this is based on experience. I'm informing, not arguing.

For TWO years, I've asked 100s of people the same question. I've done this from PreReleases, BattleRoads, CCs, States, Regionals, and U.S. NATS; I get the same response without fail.

I don't think there's been ONE guy who offered up his/her PokeGym name with enthusiasm; they're all embarrased to say they post here (like it's BAD or something :confused: )

So, I tend to believe that you didn't really read my post and, rather, just glanced it over and typed a half-hearted response.

I don't need to argue my point. It's a fact based on actual experience.

Now, any ideas about how we can improve this situation?
 
How would organizing a giant series of tournaments all hosted by PokeGym? I know that they wouldn't be Premier, but it would give a chance for players to meet all the amazing people from Pokegym, not having to worry about their ratings.

Also, the prizes would have to be amazing. The tournaments could be spaced out like regionals, so not many of them will have to be organized but there should be enough so that whoever wants to go can go to it.

I realize that this would be a big feat to tackle, since it wouldn't have the prize support from P!P. But if enough memebers from the 'Gym pool their resources, time, and effort together, I think that this could be an spectacular event.

I, for one, will try to help to the best of my ability to make this happen.
 
RA, you talk a whole lotta sense. I know a lot of people I know don't like being associated with the 'gym, I'm one of the only ones who doesn't mind it. I like to think people will judge me by how well I play rather than what website I'm associated with. RA you've been on HT (the-site-that-must-not-be-named) so you've probably seen a lot of people's attitudes on there. People think the 'gym is a place where bad lists and crap strategy discussions are, and tbh they're right. Thing is, there is some decent discussion on the 'gym. The problem is that a lot of new players think they're very good at the game, and assume that any advice they give is always right and on the mark. The fact is, a lot of people on here are inexperienced players and give bad advice. Looking over my posts from when I first joined PokeGym, I can see that I was exactly the same (I refused to run Claydol in Moth Balls lol). And that's why players don't like being associated with this site - because being associated with the site makes most people think that you're a sub-par player. And this isn't going to change unfortunately, because as long as there is PokeGym there will be inexperienced players talking bull on it. You've basically just got to rise above this and say: "Hey, I am a good player and I'm also on PokeGym. What's wrong with that?"

Jmo.

~LL
 
Awesome idea. you brought out a lot of good points, cant wait to see what 2011 has to bring for Pokegym.
On a side note, I know that a lot of the people I do meet at events that are not a big fan of Pokegym are the people that find that the MODS and other Staff are too harsh and too picky about whats being said. Most of the hot new topics are just links posted from other websites. Why not give credit to those who take the time and effort to look into those things such as new card translations or future set news. Like you said, we are all in the "In Crowd" so why can't we all just get a long? Maybe get some certain aspects from other sites and use that to improve the overall experience here. I love Pokegym but I feel it needs some work, I hope that 2011 will bring forth these changes. Going to one site for this and another site for that needs to end. It would be amazing if Pokegym brought everything together. Hope this project goes as you wish. :)
 
Rogue Archetype said:
What am I arguing? Nah man, if you have read what I typed, you'd know that this is based on experience. I'm informing, not arguing.

For TWO years, I've asked 100s of people the same question. I've done this from PreReleases, BattleRoads, CCs, States, Regionals, and U.S. NATS; I get the same response without fail.

I don't think there's been ONE guy who offered up his/her PokeGym name with enthusiasm; they're all embarrased to say they post here (like it's BAD or something :confused: )

So, I tend to believe that you didn't really read my post and, rather, just glanced it over and typed a half-hearted response.

I don't need to argue my point. It's a fact based on actual experience.

Now, any ideas about how we can improve this situation?
Click to expand...

Hey now....I proudly wear my PokeGym stylin' polo w/ my SN on it! Wore it yesterday to be exact @ the GA marathon!

Otherwise, nice thread RA. I feel where you are coming from with this. Too many players want to avoid a connection here....too "nooby" they say. Yeah, thats why you still come here...,,just admit Da 'Gym is a good resource players!

Keith
 
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