RE: The game is way out of hand!
Riskbreakers said:
I've played Soulless OTT against Break Rides. I can handle them as long as I don't grade lock like a madman.
Grade lock in Vanguard is alot like getting mana screwed in Magic but not nearly as bad as getting donked in Pokemon, it's just one of those things that can't be controlled in the game so I fail to see how someone could purposely get into that kind of scenario. If Break Rides had an actual cost to them they'd be more balanced, you could easily hit for 30k+ with them where you need to rely on Perfect Guards more often.
Riskbreakers said:
If I may compare Bushiroad to TPCI in terms of handling a game in sales
-TPCI sells overpriced boosters, doesn't give any promos for buying in bulk
-Bushiroad however gave free deckboxes (Plastic ones not the bullshit cardboard ones that come in the Elite Trainer Box) for buying 2 boxes. They even upped the ante by giving a free PLAYMAT for buying 4 or more boxes.
So what If TPCI sells overpriced boosters, that's why you trade for singles or buy for them online through eBay. It's probably no different for Magic as it is in Pokemon, and while it's true that TPCI doesn't give away free Playmats like Bushiroad does with Vanguard they usually give them out for players who attend Worlds every year. I agree that Bushiroad does it better than TPCI does in the Playmat department, it doesn't really bother me one way or the other.
Riskbreakers said:
As for the tournament scenario, it's unfair to compare Bushiroad vs TPCI because of the age factor. Bushiroad has only been in the game for a year while TPCI has been in here for more than ten.
For the record CSJ, I do not consider Blastoise, Klingklang, Hydreigon and Eels as "setup decks". They're just a glorified version of beatdown with something different attached to them. These decks are way less skill based than even Mewtwo-Landorus
I agree with you on comparing the tournament scenario of Bushiroad vs. TPCI in their handling of their respective TCG's as being unfair, but the fact remains that because of how fast paced Vanguard is compared to Pokemon Best of 1 Double Elimination isn't all that great where Best of 1 Swiss of 5 or more Rounds is suited better with Pokemon due to the way the TCG is designed. In Vanguard most sanctioned tournaments should be Best 2 out of 3 Swiss or Double Elimination cause Best of 1 Double Elimination doesn't give players a chance to redeem themselves in the next game of the same round where Best of 1 is alot of times decided by luck.
So maybe you're right that Blastoise, Klingklang, Hydreigon, and Eels aren't "Setup Decks" but at the very least it's a good shift in the Pokemon TCG's current format to get the kind of format we had back in DP-On and MD-On where Benched Pokemon with Abilities or Poke-Powers/Bodies actually mattered except Catcher is still somewhat of a problem but yet at the same time it's a double-edged sword. Easier access to the staple itself via promo would help improve the TCG overall, but then again TPCI decided not to go that route. Remember how Claydol GE helped improve the overall consistency of every deck in the game and we didn't have to worry about Gust of Wind/Pokemon Catcher? We need to get back to those times in Pokemon.
Riskbreakers said:
Pokemon doesn't have any luck attached to it? Try getting N-locked, Supporter screwed, bad flips for Hammertime. I tell you, I have played both games competitively, and while getting grade stuck does suck, Vanguard ultimately takes more skill to play than Pokemon especially in this current meta.
Let's not sugarcoat it, EVERY TCG has a certain level of luck attached to it although as far as I recall in my past games of playing Pokemon TCG I haven't gotten N-locked, Supporter screwed, or played against Hammertime. Last format was actually a bit worse because of Vileplume from the HGSS sets due to Item lock but I still see how Big Basics or EX's rather have been hurting the game where TPCI is hardly printing any good Stage 1 and Stage 2's that have the same kind of attacks and abilities that most of the EX's do in the format which is part of the reason why there's not very many heavy Pokemon lines in alot of players decklists when most decks run 30-40 Trainers/Supporters/Stadiums.
Vanguard does take more skill to play than Pokemon but when it comes to Vanguard it's really whoever hits the biggest amount of numbers on their units wins the game unless your opponent gets a late game Heal Trigger to win the game instead. I see Grade 3 units having Base Power of 11k being a problem cause If you hit too high of numbers then your Opponent has to rely on Perfect Guards to block when they don't have enough Shields to compensate staving off the attacks which could be around 30k+ or 40k+. This is also part of the problem with Break Rides because it's so easy to abuse for a possible OTK scenario that's almost akin to Yu-Gi-Oh! in that aspect and the worst part about it is there's no cost or downside for doing them like sacrificing board advantage to get it off like Pellinore even though it's a Base 10k Grade 3.
