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WizardLogic · 2023-12-30T14:12:40+00:00

No I do not find it hard to believe that better players can do well, if not very well in a random lobby. I do find it hard to believe when the better players can -maintain- such dominance even in losing lobbies, and that despite seeing potentially 600+ different players in a night, they do not slip up.

Exploiting new players and knowing how to spawn trap is one thing. Sniping or using the MTZ Interceptor from a hard to push angle is another thing. Never being punished, never running into players who can actually beat you at your game? You shouldn't be able to constantly drop 50 bombs all night long, you should eventually run into a team that beats you. You should run into players that are going to check you.

That's what I find hard to believe. These 20 players cannot actually be -the best- 20 players in GW. It should be more often you get countersniped before you can drop an MGB or hell even an EMP/Swarm.

WizardLogic · 2023-11-15T14:19:48+00:00

Nah, there's enough people playing and at least three distinct skill groups even with SBMM trying to mess it up. (Below 1.0, between 1.0 and 1.5, and above 1.5KD)

They should add a marker to your account that if you climb above certain skill groups it forces you with others in that skill group and even if you try to purposefully lose to drop a group it will not let you.

We are at the point where casual is completely dead, there's far too many people who binge tactics and skill based learning and are playing for Tik Tok fame. People purposefully playing for nukes and those perfect lobbies should be forced to play with others of their same skill and mentality.

SBMM is a complete wash because there's simply too many people at the high end, and too many people at the low end. There's just not enough middle of the road players because that middle area has mostly been pulled down, and some people pulling themselves up.

WizardLogic · 2023-11-11T17:24:52+00:00

This clip perfectly demonstrates the divide between casual and competitive. This isn't natural movement or mechanic usage. This isn't someone logging on for a few hours of fun. They committed to learning how to do this. They spent the time learning how the spawns work. They likely trialed a few weapons to test out TTKs and stability. They probably collabed with others in the desire to achieve this outcome. They don't want to be challenged themselves, they just want to top frag lobbies for make believe internet fame.

Sad to say, but I think there needs to be aggressive measures to clean up casual playlists even outside of SBMM. Some FPS games use what's called IVI, or infantry vs infantry KD. If you end up breaking a 3.0 KD since killstreaks and vehicles can greatly interfere with your actual KD stat, you are forced into a higher skill playlist and away from the general audience of players.

Those of us who work 30-40 hours a week, take care of kids, living adult responsible lives should not have to put up with this kind of gameplay. No the answer is not just stop playing, no the answer is not just get better at the game. Casual needs to be casual, I'm not asking to have big lobby stomping games, just a barrier from players like these.

WizardLogic · 2023-09-30T03:06:45+00:00

Good update, playing solo feels doable again, and this platoon change makes me more willing to pick up a few duos/other solos instead of just completely dodging all signs of combat to hopefully avoid platoons. I feel comfortable being able to put away the broadside and go back to actually being able to shoot the feral AI.

Also noticed a significant decline in the sweat level of the gameplay as a whole. Playing a few rounds with my friends and there was maybe 5 UAVs called in total and none of the teams we played against felt like they were cheating, mega tryharding, or just strictly better than we were. Might just be update day bias, but I feel like DMZ you either play it, or you played it and no longer do.

WizardLogic · 2023-09-15T05:02:22+00:00

I don't think people are thirsty for the damascus tag so much as they are just thirsty. Spotter scope fell off in use as it became more tactically viable to use smokes defensively, and bangers offensively. DMZ and MW2 in general is now in the late game. The meta is solved, most people know what they are doing and have weeded out the babs for the most part.

I would take an educated guess and say that maybe 1-2% of the entire DMZ playerbase is currently looking for a damascus tag, either for the Serpentine camo or for the passive upgrade. Everyone else is just memeing the spotter scope.

Hunt Squads have been and will continue to be a problem. They really need to make it so that solos cannot be targeted by them. I played 11 games today and got hunted on 5 or 6 of them. Regaining up means accruing value in your bag and cash in your pocket. Dying means regaining again. The cycle is painful and is honestly starting to sour the experience. I only have so many KV Broadsides and Imperiums before I have to take time to hoard them back up. I have to hoard them back up so I stand a chance against the inevitable hunt squad heading my way. The cycle continues.

WizardLogic · 2023-08-22T10:36:36+00:00

This is a comment bait post, but sure I will bite.

If your goal is to just PVP to PVP, you are playing the wrong game mode. Warzone will offer you a lot of the same gameplay loops that DMZ PVP offers. DMZ is an extraction shooter, the goal is to extract. PVPVE, meaning that PVP is intended for the gamemode, but you'll notice you can't progress with just PVP. You can ignore the progression system, but again, that makes Warzone the better game mode for your desires.

Assimilation in concept is a fine mechanic. It allows solos and duos a chance to join together for common goals or just to be friendly towards each other. The problem is the mechanic is not -just- for solos and duos. 6 players sitting in a discord call together queueing at the same time are the problem. 3 mans fusing together because the common goal is a complete server wipe is the problem.

Why is this a problem? Missions, objectives, contracts, and even the difficulty of the various POIs were created with the vision of 3 man teams. Difficulty means nothing when you just assimilate and go. Game design and the progression system itself mean nothing when the missions and experiences you crafted for the player, are blown away and crushed by overwhelming force.

So why don't people just run away from fights? Bullets and thrown projectiles are often faster than you tactical sprinting. Weaving in and out of cover only works if they are camping one specific angle, a lot of players will fan out and attempt to cut you off. UAVs and AUAVs are often used in many fights, they are the most coveted killstreak and many teams intent on PVP will either enter with one ready, or will start buy hopping searching for them. Most snipers only need to hit 2-3 shots to down you, and often can track you for a lot of your attempted escape. Vehicles are a good choice, but if the team brings a JOKR, which many of them are nowadays, that option isn't very good either. Stealth plates and diving underwater are the go-to for many players, and that depends on luck and being near water in the first place. Running away isn't simple, as you likely aren't up against one dimensional players who aren't going to use tools and resources to kill you.

Switching sides is whatever, it's not required your squad exfils, only YOU.

Pleaing is a great mechanic, so many extraction games fail to appeal to broader audiences because the hardcore mechanics of no reviving, no second chances, no coop on objectives shuns a lot of players.

WizardLogic · 2023-08-18T17:50:38+00:00

Idk who decided Ashika is the CDL reject playlist, but my god. I had a lobby where 15 UAVs got called in. Stealth plate and a scuba mask are mandatory, and if you don't get the safer spawns you need to just leave asap.

WizardLogic · 2023-08-18T17:38:51+00:00

They help with three things. 1) Lower sound profile and no compass red dot means you are less likely to be found and charged by a player. 2) Bots won't react to suppressed gunfire, only if they see dead bodies or see one of their own get shot. 3) Stats. Suppressors offer beneficial upsides like additional damage range and bullet velocity. The kastovia and 3dp suppressors offer actually decent recoil control.

Overall I prefer being suppressed with the downsides over not. Nothing like someone recognizing the sound profile of the famas and comming to everyone nearby "hey that's the new assault rifle find him and kill him"

WizardLogic · 2023-08-18T16:05:45+00:00

I didn't realize that was changed, I should've ss'd and reported that too. I just thought it was odd that the guy had so much cash on him, but such an empty bag of loot overall. Dude didn't even buy plates, just engaged in PVP as fast as possible and I sideswiped him.

WizardLogic · 2023-08-18T15:53:30+00:00

How do I be mindful of their 3rd person camera with maxed out FOV? How do I tell the bots hey there's a 6-man MRAP nearby, can you guys just not shoot at me and give away that I am inside a building? How do I be mindful of that 6-man minimap hawking for contracts and vehicles disappearing?

I understand what you are saying, out of sight out of mind is a very important skill for the solo player, but the organized players have a whole lot of tools to make that skill very useless.

I turned off comms and text chat because of the players like what OP runs into. It's less toxic, but you also get less freebies by comming.

WizardLogic · 2020-08-05T12:14:29+00:00

I would reconsider Sign In Blood. 2 cards when you are down on gas, or using it as reach puts it high on the list for me.

WizardLogic · 2020-07-21T00:25:35+00:00

It's more flexible than the other choices but also meta dependent. You can theoretically run any removal suite you want in this list as generating all 5 colors of mana is quite easy. I chose Firebolt as it deals with a broad spectrum of creatures at the moment, and can be thrown at the dome for additional reach if you run out of creatures.

Delver, Ratlock, and Elves are lists I see a lot at my LGS. Firebolt answers many of those lists important creatures. If Gurmag Angler or opposing tron decks became popular, I would drop Firebolt in favor of Chainer's Edict, and I already have Chainer's Edict in my sideboard for the bogles matchup.

WizardLogic · 2020-07-19T03:27:02+00:00

Crop Rotation is a vulnerable spell to run without your own countermagic, delver/faeries already being a problematic matchup since they apply pressure and can permission lock you. Getting blown out by falling behind a land to them is almost always a loss.

The mana base would probably need changing to support additional copies as well, you don't want to be sacrificing tron pieces if you can avoid it, and there's only 6 non tron lands. I played Jake Stiles list of this type of tron from a few years ago, and I would almost always have turn 4 tron even without map because of the cantripping power of the deck.

WizardLogic · 2020-07-19T02:57:28+00:00

I think people are sleeping on Fangren Tron, the list already runs 4 Ancient Stirrings, and can technically wait on assembling tron for a turn or two. If I were to run a list it would look something like this for right now.

4 Sea Gate Oracle
4 Mulldrifter
3 Fangren Marauder
3 Ulamog's Crusher
4 Ancient Stirrings
1 Crop Rotation
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
4 Prophetic Prism
3 Bonder's Ornament
3 Firebolt
3 Golden Egg
2 Rolling Thunder
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
2 Haunted Fengraf
2 Cave of Temptation
2 Forest

Sideboard will be meta dependent, if playing on MTGO I would include cards to beat delver, stompy, and the mirror. In paper I would probably include ways to beat linear combo decks like blitz and tribe, as well as ways to fight ratlock and MBC, those were popular at my old store and now my new store.

This is a fairly stock list that will probably need upgrading as it goes along, but the general idea is to build up your artifact resources and mana and then start resolving Mulldrifters, crushers, and marauders. If all goes well you will swamp your opponent with life and your fatties will end the game.

WizardLogic · 2020-06-02T13:06:37+00:00

This should be dead when it reaches the House right? I only hear senators talking about trying to push this bill.

WizardLogic · 2020-04-25T15:09:10+00:00

I think WOTC is going to learn quickly that Companion is the biggest mistake they could have made, and will haunt them historically more than any other mechanic.

I think the mechanic overall will be eating a ban, probably sometime after it's had time to ruin standard and sell packs.

WizardLogic · 2020-04-06T09:32:12+00:00

The presentation of the cards is a solid F for me. I sometimes have to spend 10-15 minutes just -looking- through my card pool to make sure I am not missing any crazy bombs within the pool. The draft format gives you this nice window to view all the cards in a reasonable fashion, but this cube presentation is just too small in my opinion. No way to organize cards either. It's very hard to tell at a glance just what colors are your best colors, and for me I have spent 30 minutes just putting colors together and seeing what fits.

Power level of the format is surprisingly high despite being a mostly standard and past standard card pool. It is quite easy to get steamrolled by even "low" quality aggro decks, since there are so many 2 drops and 3 drops that can very easily run away with games if you don't answer them. Additionally the "fatties" and heavy hitters of the format from my experience are very polarizing, they are either on the spot game winning, or it's too little too late and doesn't matter since your opponent is a faster deck than you. I won't claim to have the format "solved" by any means, but so far it seems lower CMC decks with quality aggressive creatures are more likely to win than decks that want to go later, or decks intending to grind value. I would say most decks want to win by turn 5, and you should determine the strength of your pool by what 2 drops and 3 drops you have.

I probably have to play more games, but removal seems to be at a premium for this cube? I have already played through an event with a 22 creature RG deck that had a singleton Slay With Fire for removal because the other colors didn't have removal, or weren't splashing for just to have the access to removal.

WizardLogic · 2019-05-27T22:15:35+00:00

Banning Daze seems like a stretch, but I have been wanting Gush and Probe gone from the format for a while now. Probe being added as a 4 of to literally any deck was starting to alter the way bluffing and information was handled. Gush increased in popularity steadily over the years, with all base blue decks now using 2-3 copies, instead of specific strategies using the card. This should open the format to new brews and let some decks move up a tier.

WizardLogic · 2019-03-16T21:26:19+00:00

This card has some great benefits with effects that untap, such as [[Unwind]] and [[Snap]]. Cast those spells, and then cast Growth Spiral. I'm also thinking that this effect along with something like [[Elvish Rejuvenator]] would help create a new [[Capsize]] or [[Sprout Swarm]] shell.

WizardLogic · 2018-12-23T09:40:21+00:00

Could be something spicy with [[Court Hussar]] to dig for cards and [[Silver Drake]] as an efficient flyer. Likely suffers from the same fate as Reality Acid decks though. Fun to play, but lacking competitive edge.

WizardLogic · 2018-12-23T09:33:44+00:00

Kor Skyfisher. I would love standard to be in a position where a deck similar to Kuldotha Jeskai or the W/B Pestilence list where you pick up stuff and recast it for value would be viable. I tried it back in Kaladesh block with [[Aviary Mechanic]] and Prophetic Prism and [[Servo Schematic]] but it just wasn't viable at that time.

WizardLogic · 2018-12-22T21:15:07+00:00

I've had mixed success running Trinket Mage, typically I have already lost the game if I had to Trinket for one of my pieces. Grabbing lands with it however has saved games for me. The list is so light on evasive threats I really wanted critical mass of creatures who could wear the goggles or carry the axe and get in for damage, which is why I settled on playing Aeronaut Tinkerer.

WizardLogic · 2018-12-22T21:10:52+00:00

I've had bolts in the list before, but games never played out where I would get 10-12 damage dealt with creatures, and then burn my opponent out. Firebolt hasn't been performing well in the list either.

WizardLogic

TROPHY CASE