Suggestion: Separate the unbeatable teams in tourneys...?

[Smoothie7745]

More of a dire request, really. I don't mind losing, but consistently (like, 8 of every 10 times I try and sign up in a diamond 94 league or an "open" (all cards) league) getting paired right out the gate against a team like Gonzaga Bulldogs (seriously, the dude's team is on diamond level and is basically all level 100 players) is sucking all of the fun right out of standard tournaments, for me. There's no mystery, my (seriously very good) team has absolutely no chance against teams like that yet. The whole reason I'm playing tournaments and all this is to try and keep unlocking better and better cards.

Anyway, I don't mean to sound churlish (*shakes fist at Gonzaga Bulldogs*) but can we please have some way to block specific players or something, so that we never end up in tournaments playing against them? It's a complete waste of time when I get swept out of every match up no matter what I do or how I set up my team.

[Boomcoach]

I tend to look at that team's roster and copy it as far as possible, to see what they are doing right.

Excluding teams for being too good, or allowing a player to avoid the better teams, and only play in tourneys against minnows, would certainly be unfair, on multiple levels.

I do not compete in tourneys, like the >94 you instanced, that I cannot field a competitive team. I find a type of tourney that I can get the cards to compete well in and focus on tweaking it.

[Kushiel]

Originally Posted by Boomcoach

I tend to look at that team's roster and copy it as far as possible, to see what they are doing right.

Excluding teams for being too good, or allowing a player to avoid the better teams, and only play in tourneys against minnows, would certainly be unfair, on multiple levels.

I do not compete in tourneys, like the >94 you instanced, that I cannot field a competitive team. I find a type of tourney that I can get the cards to compete well in and focus on tweaking it.

Exactly. There is a niche for every roster and budget in tournaments.

[dkgo]

Don't play open tourneys if you don't have an open tourney quality roster. Play the lower tier ones.

[professor ape]

Originally Posted by dkgo

Don't play open tourneys if you don't have an open tourney quality roster. Play the lower tier ones.

Exactly, there are so many variations of tournaments to choose from. If one isn’t working for you then try another.

[Smoothie7745]

Probably should mention that I was tired and frustrated when I made this post, but since I threw it up, might as well play it out I guess.

Originally Posted by Boomcoach

I tend to look at that team's roster and copy it as far as possible, to see what they are doing right.

Yeah, I do this too. Like I said though, the dude just has all level 100 players, essentially. I think Jackie Robinson is hitting seven for him, or something silly like that. He has everybody. And I can't see his strategy settings, for what it's worth, but mine have been pretty thoroughly dialed in through dozens and dozens of attempts and trial and error in PT this season, coupled with more than fifteen years of playing this game.

Originally Posted by Boomcoach

Excluding teams for being too good, or allowing a player to avoid the better teams, and only play in tourneys against minnows, would certainly be unfair, on multiple levels.

I don't mean they should be excluded from play, just that they should be sequestered from the rest of us. What really isn't fair is having to compete against god tier teams with absolutely no possible way of achieving success. Hell, give them their own tournaments with even better rewards, make it an exclusive club, I don't care. Just give the rest of us a chance to succeed and get to that level.

Originally Posted by Boomcoach

I do not compete in tourneys, like the >94 you instanced, that I cannot field a competitive team. I find a type of tourney that I can get the cards to compete well in and focus on tweaking it.

A couple of comments with this sentiment, so please allow me to share why I'm competing in these levels of tournament: because my team is actually really good and should be able to compete in them. I have five level 100 starting pitchers (Cy Young, Smoky Joe Wood, Robin Roberts, Tommy Bridges, and Jacob deGrom) and two level 100 relievers (Larry Andersen and the "Team Missions" version of Aroldis Chapman) along with Hendriks, Minter, Giles, Foulke, and BJ Ryan. I have Diamond Biggio, level 100 Juan Soto, the new level 100 (from 1994) Bagwell, level 100 Enos Slaughter, I have both Harry Heilmann (94 OVR) and Hack Wilson (99 OVR) sharing DH duties depending on the hot hand, Terry Pendleton at 3B, 100 OVR Ernie Lombardi at C, 100 OVR Ronald Acuna, 100 OVR Alan Trammell, and I have Kid Elberfeld and 2017 George Springer on the bench with Heavy Johnson. In fact, I have 12 different players who are 100 OVR and every player on my roster is at least a diamond level player except for Liam Hendriks (who was only just busted back down to gold in this most recent "live" update) and AJ Minter and Heavy Johnson, the last of whom I always have on my roster because his utility is just insane.

Anyway, I share all of this to illustrate that I do believe my team belongs competing at this level, and yet I consistently get my teeth absolutely kicked in with these better tournaments (with the better rewards) by teams like this one. I don't blame Gonzaga Bulldogs, if I had a ridiculous team like that I'd enjoy beating all comers as well. I only lament the inability to take that next step into being a peer with teams like that because I keep getting stomped out of the better tournaments.

Anyway, sorry for grousing, everyone.

[Boomcoach]

Originally Posted by Smoothie7745

Anyway, sorry for grousing, everyone.

As long as things aren't abusive, I never mind a bit of grousing. Some lying, treacherous people may even say I have done my fair share through the years!

[professor ape]

Good natured grousing is all good. For the most part, tournaments are about trying to find those little advantages which can boost your expected pack earnings just a bit. Granted that my math here is an oversimplification of the dynamics but in best-of-seven tournaments with 10 packs as the prize to the winner, If you have a team that is even with the competition then the current pack expectancy from each entry is about 0.65 packs. Getting a small edge so that your team can consistently achieve a .525 winning percentage bumps your expected pack earnings by 20% to about 0.78 packs per tournament entered. It is difficult enough to just keep up with the masses so we’re scrambling for incremental gains. However, as a F2P player these tournaments are the life’s blood of my team so I’ll keep squeezing as much water from the stones as I can.

[chazzycat]

Open tourneys are pretty much for whales. A competitive open tourney roster probably has zero live players on it, nor even the live collection rewards (outside of Cy). And you mention a few diamond BALs, which is great, but...there are 30 perfect BALs out there you're competing against.

Not saying your team is bad by any stretch, it's just not top-of-the-line good, which is what you're up against in an open tourney setting.

[Smoothie7745]

Thanks for the patience and the feedback, everyone. I love this community.

[professor ape]

Of course, now that we have been having this conversation my tournament team has been floundering today. I blame you 100% Jason.

[ineedplayerpics]

Originally Posted by Smoothie7745

Probably should mention that I was tired and frustrated when I made this post, but since I threw it up, might as well play it out I guess.



Yeah, I do this too. Like I said though, the dude just has all level 100 players, essentially. I think Jackie Robinson is hitting seven for him, or something silly like that. He has everybody. And I can't see his strategy settings, for what it's worth, but mine have been pretty thoroughly dialed in through dozens and dozens of attempts and trial and error in PT this season, coupled with more than fifteen years of playing this game.



I don't mean they should be excluded from play, just that they should be sequestered from the rest of us. What really isn't fair is having to compete against god tier teams with absolutely no possible way of achieving success. Hell, give them their own tournaments with even better rewards, make it an exclusive club, I don't care. Just give the rest of us a chance to succeed and get to that level.




A couple of comments with this sentiment, so please allow me to share why I'm competing in these levels of tournament: because my team is actually really good and should be able to compete in them. I have five level 100 starting pitchers (Cy Young, Smoky Joe Wood, Robin Roberts, Tommy Bridges, and Jacob deGrom) and two level 100 relievers (Larry Andersen and the "Team Missions" version of Aroldis Chapman) along with Hendriks, Minter, Giles, Foulke, and BJ Ryan. I have Diamond Biggio, level 100 Juan Soto, the new level 100 (from 1994) Bagwell, level 100 Enos Slaughter, I have both Harry Heilmann (94 OVR) and Hack Wilson (99 OVR) sharing DH duties depending on the hot hand, Terry Pendleton at 3B, 100 OVR Ernie Lombardi at C, 100 OVR Ronald Acuna, 100 OVR Alan Trammell, and I have Kid Elberfeld and 2017 George Springer on the bench with Heavy Johnson. In fact, I have 12 different players who are 100 OVR and every player on my roster is at least a diamond level player except for Liam Hendriks (who was only just busted back down to gold in this most recent "live" update) and AJ Minter and Heavy Johnson, the last of whom I always have on my roster because his utility is just insane.

Anyway, I share all of this to illustrate that I do believe my team belongs competing at this level, and yet I consistently get my teeth absolutely kicked in with these better tournaments (with the better rewards) by teams like this one. I don't blame Gonzaga Bulldogs, if I had a ridiculous team like that I'd enjoy beating all comers as well. I only lament the inability to take that next step into being a peer with teams like that because I keep getting stomped out of the better tournaments.

Anyway, sorry for grousing, everyone.

That team you listed doesn’t stand a chance in those open tourneys lol, like everyone has said, choose a different tournament type

[Clavette]

Yea you gotta play a lower tier tourney. Your F2P vs whales. No different than diamond league right now. My team is similiar to yours and getting slaughtered this season in diamond.

I have a GREAT F2P gold team for tourneys that I do fantastic with. Until I play someone with a full gold negro league roster. I've shied away from the gold tourneys because of this

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by Smoothie7745

More of a dire request, really. I don't mind losing, but consistently (like, 8 of every 10 times I try and sign up in a diamond 94 league or an "open" (all cards) league) getting paired right out the gate against a team like Gonzaga Bulldogs (seriously, the dude's team is on diamond level and is basically all level 100 players) is sucking all of the fun right out of standard tournaments, for me. There's no mystery, my (seriously very good) team has absolutely no chance against teams like that yet. The whole reason I'm playing tournaments and all this is to try and keep unlocking better and better cards.

Anyway, I don't mean to sound churlish (*shakes fist at Gonzaga Bulldogs*) but can we please have some way to block specific players or something, so that we never end up in tournaments playing against them? It's a complete waste of time when I get swept out of every match up no matter what I do or how I set up my team.

That would be the death of the Killer Whales. They thrive on destroying the weak. If they had to play each other besides in league finals they will cry too loud. But the best way to get around them is to build your team to go no further than GOLD level. You'll be able to compete yearly. It don't matter where you compete because it's just as fun being on same level competing against those like you. Let them spend their $$$ building something they have to get rid of in 2 years' Just my POV

[dkgo]

Your post is the exact opposite of reality as usual. Whales asked for the one perfect league at the top to all play each other because having several hundred perfect leagues in 19 and 20 was boring.

[ncap99]

If you could build the best team by the start of June the game wouldn't hold much interest past the all star break.

[brotherblues]

Originally Posted by Clavette

I have a GREAT F2P gold team for tourneys that I do fantastic with. Until I play someone with a full gold negro league roster. I've shied away from the gold tourneys because of this

Wait so do you do fantastic in gold tourneys or shy away from them?

[Hertston]

Originally Posted by ineedplayerpics

That team you listed doesnÂ’t stand a chance in those open tourneys lol, like everyone has said, choose a different tournament type

What he said, I'm afraid. Not a lot you can do about it but accept that level is effectively restricted to PTP, and I suspect the top spending players within that. Do not forget that the entire purpose of PT for the publishers/developers is to maintain an income stream beyond the initial release of the game. The moneterization here, as in the vast majority of games, sports or otherwise, with a similar mechanic, is intended to extract as much money as possible from the 10% or whatever of the player-base that spend the money and, even more so, from the 10% of THAT 10% who spend most of it. Those people can only be kept if they win frequently enough to keep them engaged, and that requires plenty of people for them to eat up. That means you, I, and those like us. You are not intended to 'stand a chance' and it's in the publishers best interests to keep it that way.

So... what do you do? Acquire COMPETITIVE tourney teams at lower levels, and enter as many as you can. Go for packs, not cards - your best chance of acquiring those good ones (as opposed to the many 'perfects' that pretty much suck) is to draw them. Pay attention to the teams that beat you handily, i.e. 4-0 or 4-1. What players do you see again and again? Just as importantly, how are they used? Many 'must haves' are most effective when platooned. And some (often much cheaper) cards can be dynamite when properly directed.

A couple of specific points, from experience. Minter is an effective, if not excessively destructive, specialist against (obviously) lefties in gold, but his other stats are not good enough above that. And forget 'versatility'. PT has no use for either it or the extended bullpen it might enable. Johnson is a good LF or RF against RHPs, but has no other use in a well constructed gold team, let alone an open one.

P.S. For the record, I am another member of the 'slaughtered in diamond' club this 'year', and fully expect to spend the rest of my '22 time alternating between there and gold. C'est la vie .

[camonroe]

Originally Posted by Bunktown Ballers

That would be the death of the Killer Whales. They thrive on destroying the weak. If they had to play each other besides in league finals they will cry too loud.

You are confusing people that want to beat the best, with the blatant tankers that artificially try to stay in lower levels to beat on lesser competition.

I'm not a mega whale but I spent money on the game and I started to pay serious attention to my team only once I reached diamond and now that I have reached Perfect League it's the most fun I've had.

[Abnerdoubleday]

Originally Posted by dkgo

Your post is the exact opposite of reality as usual. Whales asked for the one perfect league at the top to all play each other because having several hundred perfect leagues in 19 and 20 was boring.

My recollection was that what was asked for wasn't to have a single perfect league, but to have a tournament of champions following the perfect league championships. I find the game less interesting knowing that without spending lots of coin, I have almost no chance of ever getting to the one perfect league and even less than almost no chance of ever winning a PL championship again.