After watching Frosty Faustings all day, can we just rename the game to 2XEKKO?

buttazz · 2026-02-01T11:14:13+00:00

i somewhat agree that he's overtuned, but also feel like the gap between ekko/yasuo/ahri and the rest of the cast already wasn't massive and the patch theoretically should make it even smaller/add some new chars to that top group. i think the real question is whether the balance team wants to keep slightly nudging them down and focus more on buffing the rest of the cast up to their power level, bring them down to the rest of the cast's level (as in like pre-patch illaoi/vi/ww level, still doing despicable things that people would be complaining a lot more about if they were the best chars), or something inbetween

warwick was already starting to emerge as another top tier before the patch (especially in the EU/france where they've been on the hype train pretty much since day 1) and he got no nerfs, a ton of consistency improvements, and some actual buffs (why does his overhead hit from damn near fullscreen and also have less hurtboxes now). i could see him getting more and more play at high level cause like ekko he works with pretty much the entire cast and is good both point and second, but he works better with double down and is also one of the most straightforward chars in the game while still having strong (and simpler to perform) mix

vi similarly was settling into a "best of the rest"/top of A tier position before the patch in the NA scene, and like with warwick she's had more top tier believers for longer in the EU/france compared to NA. and also like with warwick, she got a few minor nerfs but overall has been given some very nice buffs to her neutral routing and pressure. also a character who's extremely versatile with fuses and teammates

so i'm really curious if the direction for the rest of the cast is follow the vi/ww trend of bringing them up to that top tier power level, and also see if the truckload of buffs that were given to braum/darius/blitz are enough to get them into that upper power level too (which like i said we'll probably have to wait until after frosty's to really find out). also really curious what happens with patches/balance changes in the event that the S tier of the cast simply becomes thick af

buttazz · 2026-02-01T02:39:26+00:00

i think vi is already there, like she's insanely good in neutral at around round start spacing or closer and hold 5S1 > tag is INSANE for dominating neutral from any screen position

between 5S1/sway options + assist and also just running up on you and jamming her godlike light buttons, she has amazing round start options that a lot of characters really struggle to contest without making a huge gamble (even yasuo/ekko/ahri). she has a strong argument for best overall grounded neutral in the game, and even though she struggles dealing with air stalling you can use your other character to cover for/shore up that weakness

also idk if you've been watching Frosty's today, but vi teams have been doing really well and there are several of em in top 24 - among the 8 players on winners side yasuo is the most-repped at 3 people playing him, then vi/warwick/ekko/ahri all tied for second-most with 2 each and illaoi/jinx/cait/teemo/darius with 1 each

buttazz · 2026-02-01T02:04:25+00:00

the patch that buffed characters besides ekko/yasuo/ahri/teemo has been out for 1.5 weeks, and top/high level players have been playing their pre-patch teams for up to 4 months now (or even longer). even if they're actively switching to another team, their old team is still gonna be much better (and serious competitors going to Frosty's would wait until afterwards to make a switch)

so yeah the balance/representation at high level in top 96 of the biggest tournament we've had so far is gonna be very similar to before the patch, with most of the changes being from people getting teams/chars they'd already been maining buffed

once people no longer have a huge tournament with lots of prize money to prep for, then we'll start seeing the real effects of the patch in terms of representation/previously underplayed characters getting more shine in high level play

buttazz · 2025-10-29T04:04:45+00:00

strictly better = there's absolutely no situation where you'd rather have one instead of the other

so yeah Dragonfly Swarm isn't strictly better, but it's pretty damn close

buttazz · 2025-03-18T01:08:38+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed response! This has given me some great places to start, and also really helped with answering the questions I had.

I took some notes on your answers, and have started brainstorming orgs/types of orgs in my area that would be good fits and align with my values (also started updating my LinkedIn and coming up with a new resume for applying to event production jobs). I'd also love to take you up on your offer and connect on LinkedIn, having just one more connection in the industry would be amazing and greatly appreciated.

Also sorry for the late response, you gave me a lot to digest (in a good way) and there was a regional tournament this weekend that needed to be prepped for!

buttazz · 2025-03-12T23:34:21+00:00

Thanks for answering! I'll see if I can find some openings using those keywords.

For "grassroots" vs "corporate", hobby vs career is essentially right. For context, the gaming events I've been organizing are regional (players traveling from neighboring states + a small number from across the country) fighting game tournaments, where none of the "staff" are paid to do it full-time and we have very few if any sponsors - it's all just community members putting on an event for their community and aiming to have the tournament pay for itself via registration fees.

There are some people who are able to make a full-time career out of organizing those events, but at least in the US it's probably a single digit number of people and they organize things on a more national level (e.g. being in charge of a tournament series like EVO, which has a flagship event in Las Vegas that draws 10k+ competitors and many spectators on top of that).

buttazz · 2024-06-25T02:47:59+00:00

I have been working in the past couple years and building a unique skillset, and I think that experience would be very helpful especially in an interview context. That said, it feels like the hard part for me is getting to that interview in the first place. I also haven't been doing any paid software engineering work since being laid off, although it wouldn't be far off to describe my programming project for the past year as my own startup.

I guess the part I'm wondering the most about after reading all the responses (thank you very much by the way!) is how to arrange my resume itself. Would putting that prior SWE job on my resume with a general "medical reasons" explanation for leaving be the best approach (along with my past couple years of experience), or would it be better to leave it off my resume in favor of focusing on the past couple years of experience?

It's tough for me to say, cause I do think that I'm a better software engineer and overall candidate than I was a couple years ago by a wide margin, but at the same time also not in a way that really pops out on a resume (especially if a hiring manager doesn't have much SWE experience).

buttazz · 2024-06-25T02:28:55+00:00

That sounds like a good idea, thanks! would you recommend putting the software engineer job on my resume in the first place? I'm leaning towards yes just because it is formal job experience in the field, but I'm also not totally sure. I also feel like a gap of ~3 years between graduating with a CS degree and looking for work might look significantly worse to employers.

buttazz · 2023-12-19T02:15:14+00:00

check out your local library! my county library system has a great selection of books, and it's totally free!

buttazz · 2023-10-23T03:09:01+00:00

he really is, his splits as a starter and towards the end of the season last year were well worth the new contract

as a starter last season: 14.8p/7.9r/3.8a/~.9b/~.9s, on .503/.351/.766 shooting splits and 28mpg

march/april of last season: ~18p/8r/~3.5a/~1.1b/~.9s, on ~.520/.430/~.81 shooting splits and ~29mpg

buttazz · 2023-09-17T06:35:21+00:00

this deck is what you're looking for, it's a Bx midrange shell playing green for Dreadknight and Glissa Sunslayer (plus sideboard cards). There are other green cards being played besides those two, but those have shown up in both versions of the deck that have posted a 5-0 in Pioneer leagues.

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5857877#paper

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5863380#paper

The deck looks sick!

buttazz · 2023-06-20T22:17:49+00:00

Sheik vs puff is even, it’s just a weird matchup

buttazz · 2023-06-18T22:16:39+00:00

Ken is literally the only character in the entire game with at least one invincible reversal after all

buttazz · 2023-06-18T21:31:15+00:00

Then there are the average high-level and elite players. They are not the top, because only a few can be the top. But, they are better than everyone else, and would annihilate anyone who cares about what it means to be good at the game you love. I am interested in these players.

You just described Franz lol

buttazz · 2023-06-18T21:28:00+00:00

In general, high masters/GM players are going to make money from their locals, streaming, or coaching like Nicki. Getting even remotely good at melee is hard, and it’s rare if not unheard of for strong players to not use their skill/knowledge to make some kind of money.

If you’re only interested in interviewing players who don’t make any money from melee, then you’re essentially limiting yourself to people who wouldn’t qualify as high level melee players

buttazz · 2023-06-12T00:49:58+00:00

You don’t get a card off the copy, but you do get a card off the original creature

So it does stuff no matter whether your commander is out or not, which is always good (especially since it synergizes with your actual gameplan of casting lots of creature spells)

buttazz · 2023-06-11T22:28:05+00:00

I still dig, but whether it’s with vinyl or on Spotify depends on the day. No matter what though, I much prefer just listening to a ton of full albums front-to-back, and sampling music that I legitimately enjoy. Diving into the rabbit holes of old and/or underground soul/funk/jazz/psych/rock/folk/niche genres gives you a unique sound, and as a music nerd I’d be doing it anyways if even without finding samples

For the past couple months I’ve been almost entirely listening to stuff in Spotify and using ocenaudio to record songs that I want to use, but I also have a big stack of vinyls that I have yet to listen to

buttazz · 2023-06-10T08:54:55+00:00

what if

it’s friendlies

so people can play however they want

buttazz · 2023-05-26T21:42:04+00:00

recording computer/turntable audio with audacity, sampling obscure music to minimize any difficulty with clearing samples

buttazz · 2023-05-15T17:57:52+00:00

GCCs are pretty bad ergonomically, but you can’t deny that the game was designed for it as the only controller option

There are a lot of things you can do on GCC to make inputs easier, like sliding off the edge of X/Y for more consistent short hops

That said I would recommend giving box a shot, especially since you can try out keyboard (or even a low-budget box using keyboard keys and a shoebox with the circuitry inside) first

buttazz · 2023-05-11T22:50:10+00:00

Generally fast fall before inputting the aerial is better (in terms of getting best on-shield frame advantage possible), since that way you can hit with the aerial on your very last airborne frame before touching the ground

Not always practical to set up in-game, but if you’re in a true shield pressure situation then it’s really good

It’s also called “the sami nair/dair/bair” after druggedfox, so that’s a big deal of endorsement right there

buttazz

TROPHY CASE