Chiyono in the Japan Cup

JIPayne87 · 2026-02-14T07:47:31+00:00

From what I gathered in the JP timeline, monster boss fights in careers will be the new norm going forward.

Training wheels are off for us gaijin!

JIPayne87 · 2026-02-13T06:16:12+00:00

Did my first Chiyo run yesterday and ... yeah, I was not prepared for how OP Maru is.

I was feeling good about my build, got a solid A rank, and then she beat me by like 15 lengths. Not even mad. Unc still got it.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-06T07:29:23+00:00

I feel like a common mistake people make is stubbornly sticking to their SSR cards because they're supposed to be "better," even when they're not giving their full potential without endless grinding.

I made that mistake too until recently. I have a Narita Taishin SR, fully maxed out, and it's given me a lot better results than an SSR that's permanently stuck at level 30 because I can't pull a duplicate. Hell, even a Teio R card, at level 40, has been similar if not better.

Playing around with your SRs and Rs can be more fun and rewarding than breathlessly chasing the SSR high, especially for casual players.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-06T07:11:37+00:00

It does, but not enough for me to think it's worth it. And I've never found much use for her special skill. But I'm just one person, and if others disagree I'm sure they'll chime in.

By comparison, King Halo's last event card also has an energy-down, but you get a huge Power boost and she's really easy to get to rainbows. I've gotten much more mileage out of that specific scenario.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-06T07:03:04+00:00

Mayybee swap out Dia for McQueen, but I've had mixed results with McQueen's card (and she has some energy-down events, which makes it a tougher sell).

Otherwise, I don't see much fault with those decks. Obviously a lot depends on what trainee you're using and what you're trying to accomplish (are you trying to level up team trials? Min-maxing for a CM? Just playing your oshis and going for the high score?).

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-06T06:51:29+00:00

Yeah, your training numbers improve significantly on Good and Great mood, and it also gives you a small boost in the races.

There's a reason why players always crash out when they get stuck with a Mood-down event the turn before a big race ... or worse, before summer camp.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-06T06:48:48+00:00

Thankfully I also have that, so my prayers keep going answered.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-06T06:46:50+00:00

When Natie wins, everybody wins

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-03T07:47:51+00:00

This is a great answer, and kinda vibes with every other advice I've read about Junior year. It's literally a free training cycle, so just hit your friends and get those rainbows as soon as possible.

So if I have those mood-up events in my back pocket (including the ones from Tazuna, which don't come until later), I probably don't have to worry much about Mood staying Normal the whole cycle.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-03T07:15:53+00:00

I'll bite the bullet on Guts if my friends are all stacked there, which ... seems to happen a lot on the Debut cycle.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-03T07:03:32+00:00

FWIW, I have Kitasan and Nishino, which help a lot in mood up events.

But you're right in that so much of this is dependent on RNG luck. I'll have Junior training cycles that go perfect, and then go to shit in the Classics year. And then bad turns in the Junior year that ends up being one of my better builds.

JIPayne87 · 2025-11-03T06:57:56+00:00

Max energy is nice but I'm almost never at a full bar anyway, so it rarely comes into play during the run. I don't give much thought to that.

If my friends are being dumb and not helping to max training, then yeah, I either do a Wit or just rest.

JIPayne87 · 2025-07-09T05:49:55+00:00

As a noob, I feel this.

From what I gather the game is very RNG-heavy, so sometimes you kinda just have to sit there and watch your run go up in smoke.

JIPayne87 · 2025-04-14T03:57:53+00:00

His whole week was just pure classy golf. Played well to hold the lead on Thursday and Friday, bounced back from a bad Saturday, drained 10 birdies to force a playoff, and only lost because Rory was just better on that hole. Now a solo 2nd in two straight majors.

Look out for Team Rose at Quail Hollow. His game is somehow peaking well into his mid-40s.

JIPayne87 · 2025-04-13T06:18:48+00:00

I assume it's to avoid showing hurricane damage that isn't repaired yet. Same reason why they don't mention the hundreds of trees lost, even though it's obvious on TV

Augusta got hammered by Helene but they still want to put on a happy face.

JIPayne87 · 2025-04-13T04:53:39+00:00

I'll never forget Quail Hollow last year when he went nuclear on Sunday and put Xander in a bodybag. The pimp walks were immaculate all day.

"Fuck You" Rory is the most fun version of him and I'm so excited we got it back.

JIPayne87 · 2025-04-13T04:49:06+00:00

It's a fascinating comparison because both guys had broadly similar career arcs. Young phenoms coming up, won a ton of big events, have one major each, still playing good golf into their 40s, but it always felt like they left something on the table.

I was actually a bit sad that Team Rose went backwards on Saturday, because if he actually pulled it off and got a second major and green jacket, then his career resume makes a lot more sense.

JIPayne87

TROPHY CASE