Leftie cheese revisited....

[kq76]

Originally Posted by bailey

Immediately, when injuries are not allowed to happen. (Note: not complaining that they are not allowed).

Edit: and no aging insures a fantasy game.

My first thought was injuries too, but I'd actually like to see injuries. It would make results not so predictable and it would make depth important!

Lately I haven't felt like real life baseball is baseball anymore either though with the openers and bullpen games. I can't wait for the double hook DH.

[Kushiel]

Originally Posted by kq76

Lately I haven't felt like real life baseball is baseball anymore either though with the openers and bullpen games. I can't wait for the double hook DH.

I am an old guy that grew up in 50's baseball and wish they would put the DH where... nevermind.

I don't like it. Or 5 inning starters, or instant replay, or stepping in and out of the box so many times that I am even exhausted at home from the marathon.

But I love "The Great Game" so every year I grouse about the changes and keep watching.

[Hertston]

Originally Posted by daves

I am expecting Texas FH3 to be IROD! That will shake up the Catcher position.

The anticipation game is in full swing, certainly. I've lined up all I can before being blocked by the usual silver/gold card price hikes and dreaded 'no auctions found', and am just hoping to fill a few of the weaker spots in my roster without, hopefully, seeing the rest instantly outclassed.

TBH, I don't really understand the pattern this time. Starting with much the same, I expected to get blocked on the Yankees, but how come it was relatively easy to complete the likes of the Dodgers, Red Sox and Giants missions but get stymied by the likes of the Rockies and the Brewers?!

[daves]

Originally Posted by Hertston

The anticipation game is in full swing, certainly. I've lined up all I can before being blocked by the usual silver/gold card price hikes and dreaded 'no auctions found', and am just hoping to fill a few of the weaker spots in my roster without, hopefully, seeing the rest instantly outclassed.

TBH, I don't really understand the pattern this time. Starting with much the same, I expected to get blocked on the Yankees, but how come it was relatively easy to complete the likes of the Dodgers, Red Sox and Giants missions but get stymied by the likes of the Rockies and the Brewers?!

Yeah, Rays and Pirates are the hardest. Not sure why? But it prevents the league toppers.

[Hertston]

Originally Posted by daves

Yeah, Rays and Pirates are the hardest. Not sure why?

Interesting you say that. They are indeed; I have precisely none of the cards for either historical mission so never even bothered looking at trying to complete them. Hmmm...

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Hertston

Interesting you say that. They are indeed; I have precisely none of the cards for either historical mission so never even bothered looking at trying to complete them. Hmmm...

You can just buy Kittredge on the auction house for 70K or so. That's less than the price of two TB cards. The PIT card is even cheaper, but it is rarely available.

[Southern_Aristocrat]

Originally Posted by professor ape

It’s an interesting comment. I constantly remind myself that while the core game is a great baseball simulator, PT is a card game which runs on top of a baseball structure.
Regarding the lefty cheese specifically, my problem with it is that it is only effective because most of us don’t have the time or inclination to micromanage our rosters and lineups to counter the strategy (which is not too difficult to do if you catch that you have such games coming up). The game did a good job of countering the similar dynamic with Openers by allowing us to set default vL and vR lineups when the opponent uses an opener. I’d like it if there was a way for the game to allow us to also set up default lineups if we are in a “cheese” game. The logic may be trickier.
One final point for now is that ai believe that while there are a few who have the time and drive to work this to their benefit on a regular basis, I think that most people who have “cheese” teams are sacrificing performance on the road to gain the advantage at home. They will almost certainly have better home records than on the road which creates a confirmation bias. In the end, most “cheese” teams end up average at best.

No cheese lefty teams take full home field advantage and neutral away advantage, That's why it works. Unless the away team is full righty advantage, which is extremely rare. Cheese teams do not sacrifice performance on the road unless the home field advantage is anti-lefty. Most are definitely not. Lefty cheese is a valid tactic please don't pretend otherwise. It's bad news for lazy people (like me).

[Hertston]

I'm sad to report that in the first post-FH3 World Series in my league, leftie cheese defeated leftie cheese .

[daves]

Originally Posted by Hertston

I'm sad to report that in the first post-FH3 World Series in my league, leftie cheese defeated leftie cheese .

Lefty cheese won Perfect league as well. The new FH3 players add to this strategy.

[Kushiel]

Just think how boring it is going to get when everybody changes to lefty cheese with the exact same pitchers and lineups.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Southern_Aristocrat

No cheese lefty teams take full home field advantage and neutral away advantage, That's why it works. Unless the away team is full righty advantage, which is extremely rare. Cheese teams do not sacrifice performance on the road unless the home field advantage is anti-lefty. Most are definitely not. Lefty cheese is a valid tactic please don't pretend otherwise. It's bad news for lazy people (like me).

I think it is great tactic. I wish it were more fun, but it is boring to be locked into the same specific players. I have gone back to neutral for a while because I want to experiment with different players from FH3. I also hate using openers and I want Maddux in the rotation instead of the bullpen. I guess I am choosing variety over winning, but it is just a game after all.

[Hertston]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I guess I am choosing variety over winning, but it is just a game after all.

Not really. Kushiel is probably right, and if large numbers of those concerned with 'winning' end up with much/entirely the same team the best they can guarantee is to be competitive, not to win. Winning will depend, at a guess, on 10% tactical acumen and 90% RNG.

As you say, it's just a game, but one essential in making a game fun is variety; particularly in any that are in any way supposed to be even partially tactically based. At that point, PT isn't even a collectable card game any more as to all intents and purposes everyone competitive has them all, or at least everything worth having. There must be a range of viable options presenting a range of choices and challenges for there to be any real point to or fun in playing it. If the game does not provide that, due to limited variety in playable cards, balance issues, or anything else it is failing as an entertainment, if not a profit making enterprise, for both users of leftie cheese and everybody else.

And, of course, 'great tactic' it might be.. but in something that is, after all, attached to OOTP, is it really too much to hope the 'great tactics' might actually have something to do with baseball?

[Clavette]

The game is constantly evolving. Early season there were a good amount of L cheese teams at the top. It worked for a few weeks and then simmered back down when nuetral park teams and some R cheese teams were beating them.

No reason to think that wont happen again as more and more cards are released over the coming weeks.

Right now there are just a lot of really good L cards available. I'm currently running nuetral with 2 equally as good (if not better) teams in my division running L cheese. Only time will tell which is the better play

[ncap99]

I'm running neutral this week after the FH3 drop. I'm doing pretty well (1st place in my division, 5th best record overall. However, I have 2 RHP and 3 LHP starters and the LH starters are doing noticeably better. 3.50 ERA on Maddux, 3.40 ERA on Clemens, 2.58 for Koufax, 2.79 for Johnson and 2.79 for Spahn. And this is in a neutral park.

Looking at my lineup (I have all the FH3 missions completely) points to why. Even playing neutral I have 5 lefties in my starting lineup against lefties, and 8 against righties (Pudge being the only righty). Eddie Collins, Gwynn, Speaker, Brett are almost must starts vL or vR at this point. Even though they can be effective against lefties, a lefty is still better than a righty against them.

I'm curious if anyone has had the stones to force an all righty lineup and how they are doing? My top two OPS hitters this season are Al Simmons (starting vL) and Jackie Robinson (new one, using as a super utility backup). It makes me think that strategy may work. Pretty tough to bench Speaker and Brett though..