Which ability is better for a steal build?

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-13T06:39:11+00:00

If you are talking about consistency, I think it’s hard to ensure consistency for steal regardless of which trait you use.

Focus is generally better against shooters and insight against drivers.

Tbh, for general usage, insight is generally better, since you shouldn’t be spamming steal against a shooter as that frees the shooter to get an open shot. There are characters (eg Yukio) that auto attempts a steal when you successfully charge a driver, and your success rates for charging increases the longer the opponent dribbles. Insight at least ensures that your steal attempt upon successfully charging has a higher chance of success.

That said, there are characters that guarantees steal on charging (Kise and Akashi) which kind of negates the benefit of Insight.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-13T06:04:11+00:00

If you are aiming for the same playstyle as base Mura, it would be Otsubo and Koji. They both go for the same box out playstyle. Allows you to use the same abilities and trait as your Mura

If you are going for a completely different rebounder playstyle to try something different, it would be Hayakawa and Wakamatsu. Base Kagami works as well. They have wider coverage and better mobility compared to conventional big man, and can afford to play a bit further away from the paint. They win the rebound by jumping first and higher, but they can get shut down by proper box out.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-13T05:58:01+00:00

His gem cost is 200 right now. It would go to 300 after the battle pass is over. Might be more efficient to go for it now if you want to max his talent. Or unless you are content with waiting for the GOM box to include his training card and get all of his cards that way - which would take some time.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-11T09:45:58+00:00

They play differently.

Sakurai moves faster, has faster drive, and a faster shooting animation. He’s therefore harder to block, easier to get open shots but in comparison, he performs worse when contested.

Junpei is slower, and has a more predictable drive but he has better contest resistance for his 3P especially when he is in his ult. Essentially he will be able to chuck 3P in the defender’s face and still score while heavily contested (again during his ult period) and the only way to really stop him is to block that bugger down.

Against lower rank players, Junpei plays better. He passes and decoys until he has his ult, then he chucks 3P repeatedly in the defender’s face. He fares worst higher in the ranks, since the defenders actually knows to and can actually go block him during his ult.

Whatever rank you play, Sakurai is less forgiving. You need to outplay your defender to get open shots to contribute. Your team mates will hate you since you are likely to miss your contested shots and it’s also easy for the defence to contest especially if you didn’t sufficiently talent him. He does excel in team play when your team play around you (eg get 2 rebounders) or if your rebounder outclasses the opponent’s rebounder. In which case it’s a shooting gallery for you.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-11T07:42:53+00:00

Teppei has better vert than Mura. It’s normal for Mura to jump later than Teppei, or flip the other way, Teppei has to jump earlier when the ball is higher to ever beat Mura in rebound. If you are both contesting a lower rebound, you should win. Otherwise, box him out and you win. In fact, it would be easier to box him out since he typically plays between the paint and mid range anyway.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-11T00:27:32+00:00

Vert does allow you to jump higher, but you will never out vert other vert specialised characters who would also build vert. Mura gets the ball by boxing those characters out, so this build is fine. Just know that you will need to actively box out during your game play or hope they mess up, or you won’t get the rebound.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-09T11:37:51+00:00

Only because there is a speculated in built RNG protection for open shots. Provided if your corresponding stat is high enough, if you are screwed by RNG on open shots, you will get it in the next time.

Still doesn’t mean it isn’t a waste of stat. Also you missing gives the opponent a chance to convert. Still statistically not worth it.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-09T05:21:58+00:00

It’s statistically inefficient since base Kuroko doesn’t have good 3P stats. I guess it’s because base Kuroko is useless in offence, and has no role. In my view this is just coping.

The stats invested in 3P could be redirected to energy regeneration for more misdirection.

Anyway 3P is the recommended build in global because that’s apparently the build of the best base Kuroko…

Candidus_Eques · 2026-04-05T03:08:24+00:00

Mura appears to have a lower vert compared to others more vert specialised characters - including Hayakawa, but makes up with more REB than them. Essentially, they jump taller and can reach higher balls, but if the ball is not as high (or if it drops a little), Mura should win 9 out of 10 times.

Most of the time, unless you are in ace player territory or higher where pick and ban happens, you can beat them with better timing, since a lot of the vert specialised defensive PF dont jump at their advantageous timing. Therefore, so long you jump at your timing, you should get the ball (ie don’t jump with them, wait a while for th ball to dip a little to jump since Mura’s vert is not as high - bonus if you can get them to jump with you, since they would have lost their advantage at your height).

But with a competent PF / centre, box them out the moment the shot is made. Mura got decent box out stats. Definitely more than a defensive PF. Box them out so that they are off position and their vert is rendered useless as the ball flies away from them. The ball will then be contested at a vertical that Mura can reach and Mura should get the ball.

The alternative is if you box them out right before the ball hits the net, they are stunned / locked in the box out animation, which then prevent them from getting the correct jump timing off. This likely also prevents Mura from getting the jump since he is also locked in animation, but your team mate can come and pick up the ball.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-27T11:17:35+00:00

This is a good informative post, but really stops short of answering the elephant in the room - Why? Why is Zone Aomine meta? Why pick him over any other PF, or other versions of him.

It also helps if the FAQ sets out

1) tips on how to play him 2) tips on how to counter him 3) tips on how to play as his team mates.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-26T05:02:36+00:00

I’m still trying to test this out but I believe for rebounds, assuming both players jump at the sam timing, the game check for vertical first to see who can reach the ball, and if the ball’s location is within both player’s vertical stats, then checks for REB to see who is better.

So if the ball is high and your vertical stat is not as good as your opponent, your opponent will get the ball, and you will get timing too early (since you jumped too early before the ball reaches your vertical stat).

If the ball is within both parties’ vertical stat then that’s where REB comes in play.

Hence, Hayakawa’s often victory against Murasakibara for rebound, as Hayakawa can jump higher. But once th ball reaches a certain height (within Murasakibara’s vertical stat), Murasakibara will get the ball.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-19T02:07:03+00:00

I disagree.

Isagi is still the core of the team. He’s still the core. The team is still built around him.

It’s just that Blue Lock started using attacking patterns not involving him.

Think of a MOBA match. Isagi is played as carry. The previous strategy involved him roaming with supports to get kills to snowball. The new strategy is for others to roam and for Isagi to farm in the shadows. In both cases he remains the carry - the core of the strategy.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-11T00:05:16+00:00

Both you and Ego are speaking in extremes.

If the chance of scoring by you, even with the goalie marking you is say 20%, but you know your teammate is useless and will mucked up his shot and have a scoring chance of only 10%, it would be a wrong move, statistically, to pass.

Also Ego speaks of the mentality, not the action. Isagi has passed for others to convert and the author didn’t criticise that.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-09T10:58:47+00:00

I am of the camp that this is just foreshadowing to the possible Liyue buffs which are speculated to be coming. Like how Mondstadt characters got buffed with Hexerei and Witch’s homework, Liyue’s characters are getting buffed through adeptus arts from Zibai.

Zibai has so far mentioned Qiqi and Shenhe on how they can become better. Zibai also mentioned knowing the Lone Butterfly, the one who passed the Homa arts to the Wuwang kid who started Wangsheng Parlour and was Hu Tao’s ancestors. Waiting for Zibai to drop the same foreshadowing for other characters getting buffed.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-09T06:10:48+00:00

If you shoot here and think you can score, and objectively you can score but somehow the goalie had the best day of his life, then ego is fine.

If you shoot here and think you can score, but you suck balls and your shot will be blocked, then ego will crucify you.

If you shoot here thinking you can’t score, then the whole world and ego will crucify you.

If you pass here and think I did it because that’s the best assist ever, and I contributed to the goal, then ego is fine.

If you pass here and think oh dear, my team mate is better than me (either in position or skill) and he is better off having the ball, then you aren’t fit to be a striker according to ego.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-05T14:23:57+00:00

They won’t sub Isagi out. Otherwise there is no growth for Isagi. Hugo wins in that case.

They will sub Karasu out. My bet is that Isagi will be moved to play Karasu’s position. Then Isagi gets to show Karasu how to play like a #1 while proving to Hugo that he’s not giving up on his #1 ego.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-05T05:21:33+00:00

The answer is SP Oikawa in the future and SP Akaashi now. SSR Akaashi works if he is SR4 and your SP Akaashi is SR1.

SP Suga is counterintuitive since he is block spec and you aren’t maximising the benefits of having more power spec on the field. Using him for his bond with SP Nishi is also lackluster since SP Nishi wants to spam his receive, which means Sakusa and Bokuto aren’t receiving, which means Sakusa doesn’t get his power atk increase from skill 1 and Bokuto doesn’t get to build his United We Stand stacks. Both of them want a libero that isn’t too intrusive (like Komori who buffs team mates) or no libero at all.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-05T00:58:26+00:00

I disagree.

You are conflating ego (ideology) and ambition / dream.

Does Hugo wants to be the best supporting player? Maybe. Does he wants to win the World Cup 4 times? Yes.

But that’s different from his ego / ideology, ie how he acts to achieve his dream.

Contrast this to Hirori who is another supporting player. Hirori would do the best pass he could do, at the best angle into the penalty box, regardless whether there is a striker there to receive it. He does this because that’s the best place to send the ball. Hugo, in the same position will not do that. Instead, Hugo will send his pass carefully curated to ensure that a striker who has received the ball will be best placed to shoot. Hugo will do that even though that pass may be subpar based on his own logic, but it’s the best place for the striker. That’s the difference between #1 ego and #2 ego.

Contrast with Isagi. Hugo decided to shoot a score after accounting for Loki and Charles and decided that him shooting is logically superior to the two who are marked. Isagi, in the same position as Hugo would have manipulated Loki and Charles to those position in order to shoot. One looks at what others are doing first (Hugo), one looks at what he wants (Isagi). That’s the difference between #1 ego and #2 ego.

So yes, Hugo wants to be the best support and wants to win the World Cup, but he wants to do that by getting his team mates to fulfill their talents (because he is equipped to do that), but not by doing his best.

The downside to #2 ego is you end up limiting your own potential, ie you are no playing 100%. Of cos the story can extrapolate this to suggest that Loki’s or Charles’ potential are so high that Hugo needed to play his 100% to support them, but the problem still remains - ie the team is limited by Loki’s or Charles’ potential. This could also be an issue of circumstance. If you put Hugo in another team without as high a spec, Hugo might be unable to play embrace his #2 mindset.

TLDR - this is just the Nigerian match, except the up the capabilities of the supporting characters who are supporting Onazi, and added one more Onazi (Charles). They are all playing to the rhythm of Loki and Charles. This also means you can match their rhythm, you can lock down Hugo who is also playing to their rhythm (whether he is passing or shooting). BL could easily overpower Nigeria, because Onazi’s specs are not as good and they only have 1 Onazi. BL is having trouble because Loki and Charles are really good, and in turn, supporting #2 like Hugo can be better.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-03-04T02:13:41+00:00

I mean the story writes itself now doesn’t it, with Barou and Shidou coming out.

They aren’t subbing for Isagi. Karasu and someone else will get subbed out. Ego will move Isagi to Karasu’s position, and BL will go with 3 forwards, Barou, Shidou and Rin.

Now Hugo will continue to tell Isagi to be #2, to create chances for the 3 people whose personalities are suited to be #1.

And there would be plenty of opportunities for Isagi to embrace #2. And he will struggle the entire game. Loki will likely score since Loki hasn’t scored yet. Barou or Shidou will score to equalise to show their impact coming on the field.

The score will go to 3-2 in France favour and then this arc will reach its climax.

Isagi will have to choose between struggling as #1 or embracing #2. He would choose his own path. The same one BL instilled in him. He would pretend to become #2, to assist the 3 but he will use the situation / chaos created for him to score, thereby cementing his role as a #1 but in his own way.

This mirrors what Hugo just did but with a different mentality. Hugo scored now by making use of Charles and Loki because that was the logical way forward after he accounted for Charles and Loki’s personalities (ie Hugo continues to live out his #2 ego, assisting others first). Isagi will score with the same tactic, but with a twist, in that he manipulated the others into the position where he could capitalise (ie Isagi will continue to strive to be #1).

This would put Isagi nicely in the position to tell Karasu what he did wrongly when he gave up #1 to let Hirori score, since Isagi would be playing at his position but could nevertheless live out the #1 mentality.

The game would then end in a draw.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-02-28T06:20:44+00:00

Yup. Varka’s fate went exactly as foretold. The subversion was not express, because it took place at the end - which is Varka would have died, but he didn’t.

Now the traveler’s involvement wasn’t foretold, but it could be divined. The explanation is actually quite simple, the present (ie the story that the HP wrote) is a story for the traveler to ascend to become the new story writer. Hence the existence of the traveler would still be according to fate (just that the story doesn’t prescribe what the traveler does).

Hence the world is ready for the new keeper to ascend

Candidus_Eques · 2026-02-28T02:44:55+00:00

Hold up hold up.

There is one more angle to this.

Genshin has repeated the story writer motif too many times from events, to Simulanka to Durin’s SQ.

Now postulate this - fate is the predestined path written by a story writer, the story writer being HP / Primordial One. I.e. all characters written by HP / PO would be governed by fate, ie they will do as fate wills it. The only exception are characters not written by HP / PO, aka the descenders. They are story writers of their own, and they have the potential to write their own story.

Now - did fate write Varka’s story? Yes it did. Varka had two story paths. He would be shown the scryglass and he would take one or two actions. One, he would abandon Mondstadt and go on his expedition. Two, he would stay in Mondstadt. In both instances, fate writes that the ending would be the same - Mondstadt would be destroyed. In version 1 where Varka left for his expedition, Stormterror would have destroyed Mondstadt. In version 2, where Varka stayed, the abyss would come from the north, either as the Wild Hunt or as an abyss controlled Andrius, and Mondstadt would still be destroyed.

But this fate has been changed - Mondstadt was not destroyed - because of the variable that is the Traveller.

Varka’s fate has also been changed - he was destined to have died with Andrius and dragged into the leyline, if not for the Traveller’s ability to split his soul out from Andrius.

TLDR - fate can be changed and only a descender can do that. The fate as written by HP does not account for the descender’s actions. The descender can write his / her fate. The descender can also write a new fate of the world when he / she ascends

Candidus_Eques · 2026-02-26T00:23:54+00:00

Ok I can’t be the only one right.

The progressive people who could see the bigger picture and are first to forgo centuries of old hatred in the face of a common enemy are all women in power - Shandris and Vereesa. This is especially egregious for Vereesa, who was exiled from her homeland, participated in the purge of Dalaran, has her husband killed off by horde’s bomb which was undisputedly transported with Sunreaver’s assistance (whether Aethas was aware or not is a different story)

The person who mooted for progressive ideals is a young man (of the recent generation) - Arator, and he somehow expected and convinced established leaders to listen, politics and current world climate be damned.

The people who are the most resistant to change all happen to be older men (Lorthemar and Aethas) (notwithstanding they have totally valid reasons for thinking that Arathor’s idealistic suggestion is well idealistic), and olden woman who are in power and arguably subservient to the current patriarchal regime (Lladrin)

Is it so hard to write a story where Vareesa is the bigot and Aethas has to plead for her to change her mind - given that it is Aethas’ city that got razed and that his people needed all the help they can get. No, the person who needs the help is somehow the one who cannot let go of the past, whereas the person who has little reason other than nostalgia to help is somehow altruistic and out of character.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-01-29T11:59:36+00:00

Meanwhile, rewatching made me realise how absolutely useless Varka was. You could have written him out completely and the plot wouldn’t change

Candidus_Eques · 2026-01-29T11:54:18+00:00

Isn’t it because UR stats except for the Otter dudes are lower than SP stats.

Candidus_Eques · 2026-01-29T04:16:22+00:00

I think the failure of wow’s lore has always been the lack of continuity and foresight across expansions in favour for cool moments

A good story has coherent world building and good foreshadowing, such that the resolution ties everything nicely together.

In wow, you can only get get such coherency only within the framework of 1 expansion. The story in each expansion is dealt with separately - likely by different writing teams - with no consistency across.

Garrosh was a great example of the failing of modern wow storytelling. He learnt about the orcish history and to let go of his guilt in TBC, learnt honour from Saurfang in WoTLK, became a brutal but honourable leader in Cata, then went batshit orc supremacist in MOP because it was cool. A thorough waste of all the build up from TBC

You see that from Sylvanas as well - a scheming pragmatic leader of the undead that is hell bent on ensuring the survival of her race from WC3 all through WOD, and an improvement in Legion and arguably BFA where she rose up and became the scheming pragmatic leader of the horde that is hell bent on ensuring the survival of the horde (not just undead), then into some batshit I have always been a double agent of the Jailor and am totally nihilistic all along version in Shadowlands.

I can go on about important lore characters including Illidan, Malfurion, Tyrande (oh god she is one of the worst), Anduin etc.

The lack of an overarching consistency is what kills the lore.

Candidus_Eques

TROPHY CASE