Ok, so I am going to go to US Internats, and I am debating witch deck to use. On one hand, I just finished building Buzzroc, one of the BDIF. On the other hand, I've had months of experience with VikaBulu. Which deck do you think I should play?
Discussion Experience vs Power
- Thread starter GamePhoenix
- Start date
Buzzwole/Lycanroc is indeed very strong, and is probably more consistent than VikaBulu. But ultimately, unless you have the time on your hands to learn the ins and outs of Buzzroc you're probably better off playing what you're comfortable with. Plus, when VikaBulu sets up, it beats everything... if it sets up. It's a high-risk, high-reward play, which, if you're not expecting a certain level of performance out of yourself (say, top 256/128 or something), might just take you farther on luck alone than Buzzroc's baseline consistency.
tl;dr Unless you have time to grind Buzzroc games, go with what you're comfortable with.
tl;dr Unless you have time to grind Buzzroc games, go with what you're comfortable with.
1) How much time do you have to practice before the event?
The more time you have, the more you can not only weigh your options but learn and test them. After all, you don't have to finalize your decision until you register, so if you've got both decks and know how to play both decks, you can adjust to what seems best the day of the event.
2) How much can you afford?
If you've got the time to practice - I show there is still over a month before the North American International Championship - then you don't need to limit yourself to just these two decks. It never hurts to have a third option unless it detracts from resources (including practice time) needed for the previous two. Even if the third option is a budget deck longshot if the meta looks right going into the event... which brings us to our next point.
3) What does the metagame look like?
If you can adjust to the anticipated metagame, you can get a very big boost indeed. If everyone is going in expecting wall-to-wall Buzzwole-GX decks, running something that counters what counters Buzzwole-GX can be worth it even if you're not as experienced with the deck as you are your primary choice. This should really replace "power" if you're a nitpicker like me (if you're not a nitpicker, you're probably rolling your eyes at me even saying this XD). We're concerned with the most favorable match-ups, plus general reliability. Plenty of Pokémon have raw power, even decks have raw power, but aren't competitive because they are unreliable, have too many terrible match-ups, etc.
*waves at Charizard-GX*
*Charizard flips off Otaku*
Erm... oh, and this all can mean running something you're less familiar (but not unfamiliar) with, that is one of the competitive (but not top) decks in the format can actually be the correct call. However, there is something that can easily trump that and it is...
4) What am I most comfortable running?
This ties into both being knowledgeable, and recognizing any quirks you may have with the game. "Playstyle" is a thing, the kind of deck, cards, even general plays you naturally gravitate towards, especially if you're good at them. The best players go beyond their personal playstyle, but that doesn't mean one should ignore it.
The more time you have, the more you can not only weigh your options but learn and test them. After all, you don't have to finalize your decision until you register, so if you've got both decks and know how to play both decks, you can adjust to what seems best the day of the event.
2) How much can you afford?
If you've got the time to practice - I show there is still over a month before the North American International Championship - then you don't need to limit yourself to just these two decks. It never hurts to have a third option unless it detracts from resources (including practice time) needed for the previous two. Even if the third option is a budget deck longshot if the meta looks right going into the event... which brings us to our next point.
3) What does the metagame look like?
If you can adjust to the anticipated metagame, you can get a very big boost indeed. If everyone is going in expecting wall-to-wall Buzzwole-GX decks, running something that counters what counters Buzzwole-GX can be worth it even if you're not as experienced with the deck as you are your primary choice. This should really replace "power" if you're a nitpicker like me (if you're not a nitpicker, you're probably rolling your eyes at me even saying this XD). We're concerned with the most favorable match-ups, plus general reliability. Plenty of Pokémon have raw power, even decks have raw power, but aren't competitive because they are unreliable, have too many terrible match-ups, etc.
*waves at Charizard-GX*
*Charizard flips off Otaku*
Erm... oh, and this all can mean running something you're less familiar (but not unfamiliar) with, that is one of the competitive (but not top) decks in the format can actually be the correct call. However, there is something that can easily trump that and it is...
4) What am I most comfortable running?
This ties into both being knowledgeable, and recognizing any quirks you may have with the game. "Playstyle" is a thing, the kind of deck, cards, even general plays you naturally gravitate towards, especially if you're good at them. The best players go beyond their personal playstyle, but that doesn't mean one should ignore it.
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Every time I try to pick up a BDIF and play it on a whim, it's terrible. I couldn't come up with a better game plan than Buzzroc for the May tournament here on pokebeach and lost promptly my first two rounds. It's a great deck, but I just wasn't prepared for it. If you go with a top deck that everyone is absolutely familiar with, make sure you know how to play it expertly.
If you get enough practice with buzzroc,
j-just use *cringes* Buh-Buh-Buhzzwo-NOPE cant say it
j-just use *cringes* Buh-Buh-Buhzzwo-NOPE cant say it
