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This Week At Bungie 1/28/2021

Source: https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/50040
This week at Bungie, we introduce Seasonal Challenges.
Welcome to the second-to-last TWAB of Season of the Hunt. Many of you have been navigating the secrets of the Harbinger mission, uncovering randomly rolled Hawkmoons and earning the Radiant Accipiter Exotic ship. Content-wise, we’re coming to a close for the Season, and we’re incredibly excited for what’s to come in just a few short weeks. We’ve been covering some upcoming quality of life changes to Destiny 2, like the return of Umbral Engrams, but it’s almost time to take a peek at fresh content.
Season of the [REDACTED] trailer goes live on February 2, 2021.
Before we get there, we have a new feature to cover, Seasonal Challenges, and a round of weapon-focused sandbox changes to walk through. As a warning, this is a pretty large amount of information in a small space. We've joked about "meaty" TWAB's before, but this one may feel a bit overwhelming if you rush through it. Let's take it slow, step by step, and get through it together in one piece.

Introducing: Seasonal Challenges

Over the last year, we’ve been looking at ways in which we can reduce the amount of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in Destiny 2. We’ve recently made some changes to Seasons and how Seasonal content is available throughout a given year of Destiny 2. This week, we’re looking to bounties and Bright Dust, introducing a new system not only to remove FOMO, but give fresh ways to earn XP and alternate rewards. To walk us through the ins and outs of Seasonal Challenges, we pass the mic to the Development team.
Dev team: During production of Beyond Light, we started looking at the problems of bounty fatigue and FOMO, as well as Seasonal legibility (i.e., “What is in a Season?” and “How to I engage with it when I log in?”). We created a few goals which we believe will improve the experience:
  • Provide a guide to new, returning, and veteran players for what to do today/this week.
  • Guide the player through the Seasonal content, week-over-week.
  • Encourage players to engage with complexities and nuances of the Seasonal activity and rituals.
  • Reduce the penalties on XP and Bright Dust for missing a given week.
To solve these goals, we are introducing a new pursuit type for players – Seasonal Challenges. The Seasonal Challenges live on their own page, are accessed through the Quest Log or Season Pass, and are separated by week.
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Here’s a quick breakdown of how this feature works:
  • Every week, for the first 10 weeks of a Season, between 3 and 10 new Challenges appear automatically for players.
    • Some of the Challenges deal with the Seasonal content.
    • Others push players to complete strikes, Gambit, and the Crucible, or to focus on non-activity focused Destiny rituals, like gaining Power, unlocking Seasonal Artifact mods, or improving guns and armor.
  • These Challenges can only be completed once per account, but once they become available, these Challenges can be completed at any time before the end of the Season, and do not need to be started or picked up from a vendor.
    • As an example, if a player doesn’t play for weeks 2 through 4, they can return on week 5 and have all of those Challenges waiting for them!
  • Completing each Challenge awards XP, contributing to your Season Pass ranks.
    • Other rewards could be Bright Dust, Seasonal currency, or other interesting items!
In moving away from weekly bounties, which were restricted to broad objectives tied to ritual activities, we have taken more leeway with creating some interesting or more difficult Challenges. These may be things you are already doing, or things that test your ability. Some examples include:
  • Defeating Primeval Envoys in Gambit
  • Defeating enemies in Nightfall: The Ordeal with Seasonal weapons
  • Gaining Infamy or Valor ranks
  • Acquiring the ritual weapon and its cosmetic ornaments
  • Winning rounds in Trials of Osiris
  • Completing a Grandmaster Nightfall
Not all the Challenges will require that level of accomplishment, but the harder or longer the Challenge is, the more experience it rewards. Challenges that focus on the Seasonal activity and ritual mostly need the Season Pass to complete, but most of the ritual focused Challenges can be completed without the Season Pass. Overall, roughly 60% of the Seasonal Challenges do not require the Season Pass.
With the changes above, we are removing weekly bounties from the three ritual vendors (Zavala, Shaxx, and Drifter), Banshee-44, and the Seasonal vendor. These vendors will still have daily bounties which reward XP, and the three ritual vendors will still have repeatable bounties for those of you who want to pursue additional XP and Bright Dust.
Lastly – most of the Challenges disappear after the Season they were introduced, and anything that isn’t claimed will be lost. We don’t add any new Challenges after Week 10 – which should give everyone a few weeks to clean up any Challenges they didn’t finish. Any Challenge that rewards unique or Seasonal items (currencies, lore books, Seasonal weapons, etc.) – can be completed as long as the Seasonal activity is in the game, but XP awarded for completing the challenge will only be available during the season it was introduced.
Let’s Talk Bright Dust
Back before Beyond Light launched, we discussed some of the goals around the changes to Bright Dust. As a refresher, we wanted to change the way you earn Bright Dust and move more towards account-specific paths to give players with only one character significantly more Bright Dust than they've been earning over the last year. In Season 13, we’ll be continuing to move toward these goals by adding Bright Dust onto Seasonal Challenges.
Since you no longer have to purchase weekly ritual bounties, each of the strike, Crucible, and Gambit Seasonal Challenges will award between 75 and 300 Bright Dust. We are also introducing an end-of-Season Bright Dust bonus – if you complete (nearly) all of the Seasonal Challenges, we are awarding a single 4,000 Bright Dust pile.
Additionally, each ritual vendor challenge (“Complete 8 bounties”) awards 120 Bright Dust for each character who completes it each week. And because this is prompted by the removal of weekly bounties, the only Seasonal Challenges that will be awarding Bright Dust are the ones that both Season Pass owners and free players can complete. Here’s a quick breakdown of how much Bright Dust you should expect to earn over the course of Season 13.

Seasonal Challenges Bright Dust (All Players)
  • Free Seasonal Activities – 6,000
  • Seasonal Extra – 4,000
  • Total – 10,000 Bright Dust
Season Pass Bright Dust
  • Free Path – 7,500 (All Players)
  • Paid Path – 3,000 (Players who own Season Pass)
  • Total – 10,500 Bright Dust
Weekly Ritual Vendor Challenge Bright Dust (All Players)
  • 120 Bright Dust per ritual vendor, per character, per week
    • 14,040 total if completing all required weekly Challenges over the course of Season 13
Additionally, we still plan to offer weekly and repeatable Bright Dust bounties for Seasonal events, giving you a bit more Bright Dust towards desired rewards.
As a final note, please be sure to claim all Seasonal Challenges that award Bright Dust prior to the end of a Season. Once a Season ends, associated Challenges and their Bright Dust rewards will expire and can no longer be claimed.
It’s always exciting when we bring a new feature online for Destiny 2. We hope that the changes detailed above make it easier to create goals to complete each week. As always, we’re eager to hear your feedback once you start finishing your first Seasonal Challenges, so please sound off with your thoughts!

Back to the Sandbox

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Every Season, we have a collection of changes to the Destiny 2 sandbox to spice things up a bit. This Season, we’re making some targeted changes to weapon archetypes that need some love as well as beginning some preparations for crossplay.
Dev team: In preparation for crossplay, coming later this year, we’re making some changes to the Recoil stat.
Currently, several weapon archetypes have their Recoil reduced by around 40% (dependent on archetype) when using mouse and keyboard. This results in an issue where players on mouse and keyboard are able to largely ignore the stability weapon stat, creating unintended discrepancies in weapon performance between controllers and mouse and keyboard.
The following weapon archetypes will have their mouse and keyboard Recoil adjusted closer to controller (reduced the difference from ~40% to ~20%).
  • Auto Rifle
  • Scout Rifle
  • Pulse Rifle
  • Submachine Gun
  • Hand Cannon
  • Machine Gun
In the case of Pulse Rifle, Submachine Gun, and Machine Gun, we will also be introducing some buffs. In some cases, these weapons will have less Recoil across both Controller and mouse and keyboard input methods compared to what’s in the game today.
  • Submachine Guns are largely outclassed by Auto Rifles at medium range, and by Sidearms at short range, with player feedback often mentioning how hard they are to control. To address this feedback, we’re introducing the following change:
    • Reduced camera movement from firing a Submachine Gun by 24%.
  • Pulse Rifles with the mouse and keyboard changes were kicking a little too much.
    • Reduced camera movement from firing a Pulse Rifle by 7%.
  • Machine Guns with the mouse and keyboard changes were kicking a little too much.
    • Reduced camera movement from firing a Machine Gun by 9.5%.
We will pay close attention to how these changes play out when they go live, and plan to revisit individual archetypes in a future update as needed.
Outside of Recoil adjustments, we will also be tuning a few weapon archetypes in Season 13. Looking through backend data and community feedback, we landed on the following:
Buffs
  • Rocket Launchers have fallen behind other Heavy weapons in most measures of effectiveness, we’re pushing them more into a burst damage role.
    • Increased Rocket Launcher damage by 30%.
    • Exotic Rocket Launchers have been adjusted individually and are affected by this change to different degrees.
    • Paired with the buffs to reserves from last Season, we’re hoping you’ll explode many more things in Season 13!
  • Fusion Rifle usage is very low, and they feel like an unreliable choice in Crucible compared to Shotguns.
    • Increased Fusion Rifle damage falloff start distance based on Range stat. (6% with 0 Range, 16% with 100 Range)
    • Reduced camera movement from firing a Fusion Rifle by 9.5%.
  • Breech Grenade Launcher usage is very low (outside of Mountaintop). We believe part of the reason is that the loop of "hold the trigger to arm, then release to detonate” is challenging to execute, particularly since projectiles can bounce off targets if the trigger is held
    • Breech Grenade Launcher projectiles will now detonate on impact with a character, even if holding the trigger.
Nerfs
  • While Sniper Rifle usage has dropped in Crucible, we’ve observed that it’s hard to challenge someone with a Sniper Rifle – even if you get the first shot on an enemy, they can often respond and win the fight.
    • Increased ADS flinch to Snipers when taking damage from other players
  • Swords are extremely dominant in PvE. At this time, 65% of players are using Swords for the majority of gameplay encounters in Destiny 2. While we are introducing a buff to Rocket Launchers to make them a bit more enticing, we feel that Swords do too much damage compared to other options.
    • Reduced Sword damage by 15%.
Exotic Changes and Bug Fixes
  • Some Exotic weapons lose their buffs when you switch weapons, which is intended. They would also lose their buffs when pulling out your Ghost Shell, which is not intended. Fixed that issue on these weapons:
    • Ace of Spades
    • Tarrabah
    • Hawkmoon
  • Borealis and Hard Light now have a custom (quite short) animation for switching damage type.
  • Duality
    • Increased damage falloff distance by 1.25m (while both firing from the hip and aiming down sights).
    • Reduced maximum buff stacks from 7 to 5, each stack now grants more of a damage bonus, extended buff duration slightly.
  • Sturm will once again reload any equipped Special slot weapon on kill provided the Special weapon's clip isn't full already and there's available reserve ammo.
  • Fixed an issue that was preventing Merciless from increasing its charge rate on non-lethal hits.
Ah, and before we go – we are planning to take a quick tuning pass on Arbalest. This won’t be ready in time for February 9, but we are expecting to have this touched later in Season 13!
Now, we know it can be difficult to understand the scale of buffs and nerfs without having these changes in your hands. Not to mention, there will be some new perks for you to hunt as you start navigating content in Season of the [REDACTED]. As always, we’re excited to see these changes out in the wild on February 9, and will be eager to hear your feedback.

Crimson Days

Each year, we look to February as a time to celebrate bonds of friendship throughout the community. Guardians have come to know this celebration as Crimson Days. It was one of our first “Seasonal” events in Destiny 1, a tradition that we carried to Destiny 2. While there was great enjoyment of Crimson Days, we feel that it’s been missing the mark in terms of quality over the last few years.
As such, we have made the decision to discontinue Crimson Days moving forward. While we’ll miss the event, this move will allow us to maintain focus for alternate Seasonal offerings, ranging from quests to activities and more. We have quite a bit planned for Season of the [REDACTED] and our hope is that we’ve maintained, or even improved, the quality you’ve come to expect from this upcoming release.
Some of you may be asking about the fate of Crimson Doubles, our once-a-year Crimson Days playlist. This mode is currently being shifted to the Destiny Content Vault but may return in the future.
Many thanks to every Guardian who has joined us over the years for this event. Crimson decorations may not be hung in the Tower, but we have no doubts that you’ll continue to form Crimson Bonds over the years to come.

BugTrax

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For those who may be new to the TWAB, welcome to the Player Support Report. This section is dedicated to known issues, active investigations, and pending updates for Destiny 2. Our Player Support team navigates the Help forum daily, collecting info on new issues and dishing out help articles.
This is their report on the most frequently reported issues of the last week.
CRUCIBLE TOKENS AND FRAGMENT QUESTS
Due to the updates to the vendor progression system, Crucible Tokens and Crucible Token Gifts are no longer needed and will be deprecated into Junk that will delete as a full stack starting in Season 13. Additionally, current Stasis Fragment Quests will be deprecated at the end of Season of the Hunt. Players are advised to turn in all Crucible Tokens and Crucible Token Gifts and finish all available Stasis Fragment Quests before Season 13 starts.
KNOWN ISSUES
While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help forum:
  • Stasis abilities can be difficult to distinguish between enemy and friendly for colorblind players.
  • The Double Trouble Triumph is unobtainable.
  • In the Deep Stone Crypt raid, the augment lockout timer occasionally resets during the final encounter against Taniks.
  • During the final fight against the Sanctified Mind in the Garden of Salvation raid, sometimes a shielded tether box can become tethered instead of the correct glowing tether box.
  • Hunter legs clip through the Ten-Grasp Sword Sparrow.
  • In the Last Wish raid, the Shuro Chi puzzle room plates don't work if a Titan bubble or Warlock well are placed on them.
  • The Titan Phenotype Plasticity Helm eye clusters no longer glow red.
  • Weekly and daily elemental kill bounties have stopped rotating off of Void.
  • When overcharging grenades while using the Voidwalker top tree subclass as a Warlock, Super energy stops charging.
For a full list of emergent issues in Destiny 2, players can review our Known Issues article. Players who observe other issues should report them to our #Help forum.

[Bird Noises Intensify]

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It’s been fun watching Hawkmoon clips and montages throughout the Season. With recently introduced random rolls, players have been pushing the limits of this Exotic, taking on 1v1 encounters in the Crucible that they may have otherwise avoided. This week, our top pick not only got a sweet roll on perks, but a killer roll on audio, too!
Movie of the Week: Ting Ting Ting Ting
Video Link
Movie of the Week: Deep Stone Lullaby Violin/Piano Cover
Video Link
Movie of the Week: …That’s a lot of Hawkmoon
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As always, if you'd like to submit your creation to be featured in a future TWAB, make sure to create a post on the Community Creations portal of Bungie.net.

Credit Where It’s Due

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Every day, we take a moment to scroll through various social media apps to take a look at community artwork. We’re always awestruck by the talents that many of you possess, and eager to share your works with a wider audience.
Here’s a quick roundup of some sweet art, and direct links to their authors. Give them a follow if you want to see more of their stuff!
Art of the Week: Art Sharing
destiny art share!!! spread the positivity, doesn't matter how frequently you do art or how many pieces you've made - post your favorites!! #Destiny2Art #DestinyArtShare pic.twitter.com/bq6hHJrCLD
— 🥀alex🥀🏳️‍🌈 (@miyagiie) January 25, 2021
Art of the Week: Eris
나는야 내일부터 월급쟁이 #냙서 pic.twitter.com/MI6Y6Gi1LY
— 🧅김냘본™🍺 (@NyarNyarbon) January 17, 2021
Cheers, and make sure to tag your content with some form of #Destiny2Art so we can find you easily!
That’s it for this week, folks. Season of the [REDACTED] is almost here. We’ll have some patch previews to cover in the TWAB next week, so stop by if you’re interested!
If this gets 7 likes we'll add a new LZ on Europa next Season.
— Destiny 2 (@DestinyTheGame) January 27, 2021
We’ll see you again next week, bright and early on Tuesday morning.
Cheers,
dmg04
submitted by DTG_Bot to DestinyTheGame [link] [comments]

Famitsu (a popular Japanese video game magazine) has released the results of its Genshin Impact fan survey for its January 2021 issue.

Famitsu Magazine's January 2021 issue had released the results of its Genshin Impact Fan Survey that they run on their 3 platforms: Famitsu website, Famitsu mobile app, and Dengeki Online. The survey ran between Nov. 6 to Nov. 15, 2020. There were (less or more than) 1850 people who responded to the survey.
Survey Demographics: 82% Male, 18% Female. Most responses are in their 20's, followed by 30's and 10's.
Take note that this survey is mostly influenced before the Patch 1.1 update.
Original article here: 『原神』ユーザー1850人が回答したファンアンケートの結果を公開！ 好きなキャラクターやいちばん苦戦した魔物は？ - ファミ通.com (famitsu.com)
Note: Take note that I use machine translations here, so these translations are kinda bumpy. Feel free to comment if you spot any mistakes or correct some translations.

Who's your favorite character?

​ There are some who liked them because of their cuteness or coolness, but more than that, they like them because of their strength and utility. There are also people who like them because of their mobile Elemental Skills, which can be useful for exploration.
10.) Jean (85 responses)
9.) Barbara (89 responses)
8.) Noelle (101 responses)
7.) Fischl (107 responses)
6.) Mona (121 responses)
5.) Lumine/Hotaru/Traveler (Female) (131 responses)
4.) Qiqi/Nana (139 responses)
3.) Diluc (156 responses)
2.) FBI bait Jean bait Klee (207 responses)
1.) Keqing/Kokusei (238 responses)

Which female character would you like to have as your girlfriend?

​ Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius/the West Wind (Zephyrus), takes the first place. Rather than citing her attractiveness, many people praised her perseverance.
1.) Jean (238 responses)
  • I like the fact that she is rational and calm. (20's / female)
  • She seems to care for the family and she would cook for me. (10's / male)
  • She's sincere and honest. I would like to support on her side. (30's / male)
  • She usually gives the impression of being serious, but when she "switch off," she seems to be surprisingly soft. (20's / male)
2.) Keqing/Kokusei (224 responses)
  • I like the fact that she's very serious and works harder than anyone else. (20's / male)
  • She seems to be able to point out on what's wrong. (30's / male)
  • I want to see her embarrassed face! (10's / male)
  • I like her dignified appearance (20's / male)
3.) Barbara (192 responses)
  • Her looks and personality are just right (20's / male)
  • She's kind and cute; and can cook too. (20's / male)
  • She can heal me mentally as well. (20's / male)
  • White pantyhose/tights are the best! (50's / male)
  • I want to listen to her singing all the time (30's / male)
4.) Lumine/Hotaru/Traveler (Female) (176 responses)
5.) Noelle (157 responses)

Which male character would you like to have as your boyfriend?

​ Cool, strong, and wealthy, Diluc is an overwhelming favorite! Regardless of gender, many players like him.
1.) Diluc (612 responses)
  • Tall, rich, strong, and handsome! (30's / male)
  • After reading the official manga, I found out of his kindness, and I liked him even more! (20's / female)
  • An ideal hero. I can trust him. (40's / male)
  • I'd like to shoulder some justice that he bears. (20's / female)
2.) Kaeya/Gaia (173 responses)
  • I'd like to be his drinking buddy and have a quiet conversation with him. (30's / female)
  • I'll be having a good time with him. (30's / female)
  • I would like to talk to him, because he seems to know a lot of things. (10's / male)
3.) Venti (150 responses)
  • Whenever I feed sad, he'll cheer me up with his songs and ballads. It doesn't matter what troubles I have whenever I see his flippant attitude. (10's / female)
  • He's cute, it's so unfair. (20's / female)
4.) Xingqiu/Yukuaki (139 responses)
5.) AetheSora/Traveler (Male) (88 responses)

Which characters do you use more often?

​ While the top three remained the same as in the favorite character ranking (but not in the same slots, sans the other one,) the fourth and fifth places are different.
​ Ones who made it in are Venti, with his powerful Elemental Burst, and Fischl, with Oz as her excellent support.
1.) Klee (225 responses)
2.) Keqing/Kokusei (217 responses)
3.) Diluc (202 responses)
4.) Venti (147 responses)
5.) Fischl (134 responses)
6.) Lumine/Hotaru/Traveler (Female) (110 responses)
7.) Noelle (107 responses)
8.) Qiqi/Nana (99 responses)
9.) Jean (87 responses)
10.) Razor (86 responses)

What's your favorite weapon type?

1.) Swords (One-handed sword) (692 responses)
2.) Claymores (Two-handed sword) (622 responses)
3.) Catalyst (TL note: Original Japanese word for catalysts are hurting my brain) (277 responses)
4.) Bow (173 responses)
5.) Polearms (86 responses)

Which weapon type do you often use?

1.) Swords (One-handed sword) (699 responses)
2.) Claymores (Two-handed sword) (546 responses)
3.) Catalyst (363 responses)
4.) Bow (222 responses)
5.) Polearms (20 responses)

Tell us which relic set you like the most in terms of design!

​ Gladiator's Finale, a relic with a gladiator motif, received more responses than second place's responses.
​ This relic is relatively easy to obtain with its excellent +18% Attack stat two-set effect. It's possible that many players voted not only by its aesthetics, but also the power it gives.
1.) Gladiator's Finale (407 responses)
2.) Berserker (176 responses)
3.) Crimson Witch of Flames (Witch of the Blazing Flames) (175 responses)
4.) Wanderer's Troupe (Wandering Troupe of the Earth) (173 responses)
5.) Maiden Beloved (155 responses)
6.) Bloodstained Chivalry (96 responses)
7.) The Exile (84 responses)
8.) Martial Artist (77 responses)
9.) Retracting Bolide (65 responses)
10.) Noblesse Oblige (56 responses)

Which enemies do you have the hardest time to deal with?

​ Oceanid (Pure Water Spirit) took the top, beating out Stormterror Dvalin and the Lupus Boreas!
​ It seems that many players had a hard time to deal with Oceanid with disappearing platforms and monsters of various forms.
1.) Oceanid (Pure Water Spirit) (497 responses)
  • The disappearing platforms were hard to deal with (40's / male)
  • Enemies are gradually becoming stronger and more troublesome. (10's / male)
  • Simple yet fierce. The type of attack, range, and moveset are all far better than most elite monsters. (20's / male)
  • It's hard to deal with those flying monsters. (40's / male)
2.) Lupus Boreas (King of the North Wind, Dominator of Wolves) (250 responses)
  • Even if you're getting used to it, if you're not careful, you'll easily lose this fight because of its unpredictable attacks. (40's / male)
  • Its attacks on its second phase are difficult to avoid (30's / male)
3.) Stormterror Dvalin (231 responses)
  • Because its ranged attacks are so strong. (10's / male)
  • I couldn't figure out the gimmick on moving between platforms. (20's / male)
  • With a limited movement range, the battle's hard. (10's / male)
4.) Ruin Hunter (110 responses)
5.) Cryo Abyss Mage (Magician of the Abyss, Ice) (103 responses)
6.) Stonehide Lawachurl (Rock-Helmeted King Hilichurl) (88 responses)
7.) Geo Hypostasis (Formless Rock) (85 responses)
8.) Fatui Skirmishers (64 responses)
9.) Ruin Guards (59 responses)
10,) Electro Hypostasis (Formless Lightning/Thunder) (52 responses)

How far have you cleared the Spiral Abyss?

When they asked about Spiral Abyss clears, the most common answer was that they had already cleared up to the 3rd Floor.
As it is the end-game content, preparation is required to conquer the Abyss. For this reason, it seems not that many players have taken the challenge seriously yet.
  • Abyssal Corridor Floors:
    • Uncleared 1st Floor : 174 responses
    • 1st Floor: 80 responses
    • 2nd Floor: 151 responses
    • 3rd Floor: 448 responses
    • 4th Floor: 274 responses
    • 5th Floor: 192 responses
    • 6th Floor: 206 responses
    • 7th Floor: 91 responses
    • 8th Floor: 106 responses
  • Abyssal Moon Spire Floors:
    • 9th Floor: 43 responses
    • 10th Floor: 32 responses
    • 11th Floor: 25 responses
    • 12th Floor: 28 responses

What are some of the dishes in Genshin Impact that you would actually like to try?

​ There are so many delicious-looking dishes in this game that you can almost drool over them. One of the most popular dish is the Sticky Honey Roast (Honey Sautéed Carrots and Meat,) which can be created with beast meat, carrots, and sugar.
The thick meat of the beast and the generous amount of sweet sauce stimulated the appetite and won the hearts of many players.
1.) Sticky Honey Roast (Honey Sautéed Carrots and Meat): 204 responses
2.) Sweet Madame (Baked Chicken with Sweet Flower): 196 responses
3.) Jade Parcels (Jade Lucky Bag): 159 responses
4.) Mondstadt Hash Brown (Mondo-style hashed potatoes): 155 responses
5.) Adeptus' Temptation (Calypso Orchid/Fairy Slipper): 144 responses

How many characters did you train as your main?

​ Most of the players answered that they train 4 characters as their main characters.
In this game, there are a lot of materials required for training, and in some cases, you need to use Resin to obtain them, so it takes a lot of time to train them. This result reflects the reality of the scenario.
  • 1: 3%
  • 2: 12%
  • 3: 14%
  • 4: 28%
  • 5: 18%
  • 6: 14%
  • 7: 4%
  • 8: 4%
  • More than 8: 3%

Do you do Co-op/Multiplayer on a daily basis?

Yes: 31%, No: 69%
What do you think of their survey? Do you agree or not? What do you think of their choices as well?
I left out some questions and results as I'm getting lazy.
Happy Holidays everyone!
EDIT: Formatting and minor edits.
EDIT 2: Edited one of Qiqi's comments with translation provided by Tsumaranchan.
submitted by Kalafino to Genshin_Impact [link] [comments]

40 Upcoming Indie/AA Games

With so many games releasing nowadays, I think it's easy for the good ones to get lost in the shuffle. I'm going to list 20 highly anticipated Indie/AA games. I'm sure there's many great ones I'll probably miss (like I said, there's so many it's hard to keep track sometimes), so please let me know what other ones I should look out for. I’m going to order them by release date. If the game does not have a tangible release date, I’ll place it in the list based on what I think is more likely to come out first, based on marketing material and release date delays.
1. Cyber Shadow
2. TOHU
3. Little Nightmares II
4. Taxi Chaos
5. Rangok Skies
6. It Takes Two
7. Balan Wonderworld
8. Garlic
9. King’s Bounty II
10. Clive ‘N’ Wrench
11. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
12. Knight Squad 2
13. Hell Pie
14. Iron Meat
15. There Is No Light
16. 30XX
17. Scorn
18. Windjammers 2
19. Hollow Knight Silksong
20. Psychonauts 2
21. Coromon
22. Solar Ash Kingdom
23. No Place for Bravery
24. Bushiden
25. Hazel Sky
26. Gestalt: Steam & Cinder
27. Jack Move
28. Heavenly Bodies
29. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
30. Brave Earth: Prologue
31. Hazelnut Bastille & Dawnthorn
32. Freedom Planet 2
33. Acid Knife
34. Cassette Beasts
35. Tale of Ronin
36. OddBallers
37. Spark the Electric Jester 3
38. Samurai Gunn 2
39. Witchbrook
40. Witchfire
What are some other upcoming indie/AA games you’re looking forward to?
If you’re looking for more indie games to play, see my post here:
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Competitive Budget Deck Masterpost (January 2021)

i'm starting to feel like modern Yugioh is a clown car, and every time the banlist apprehends the first few clowns that lead the format, 4-5 more step out to take their place. we didn't even have Linkross in handcuffs yet before VFD took the wheel and Vanity's Ruler got into the passenger seat. happy new year
 
This post will give recommendations for decks that can generally do well while generally remaining in the $50 to $150 price range.
Decks are grouped into four "tiers" and listed alphabetically by tier. Decklists are built prioritizing simplicity and effectiveness on a budget. Not all of them are perfect, but this post is not an F. Unless there is a particularly offensive deckbuilding error that you want to point out, please don't use this thread to nitpick at the sample decklists. Don't feel obligated to stick to the sample lists either; you should experiment and play cards that feel comfortable and/or optimal to you.
Feel free to leave suggestions for budget players, whether it's a budget tech choice for one of the decks on this list or whether it's a different deck that you think can compete in the coming months.
[Last updated: 23 Jan 2021]
Previous version: October 2020 Post
 

S Tier

The best bang for your buck. Decks in this category have the capacity to top premier events, though they're almost always supplemented with expensive power cards.
 

Drytron

Price: $100 Imgur | DuelingBook
 

Virtual World

Price: $150 Imgur | DuelingBook
 

A Tier

Strong decks, but limited either by a lack of access to powerful staples or by the natural ceiling of the deck. You could still top a regional with one of these decks on a good day.
 

Altergeist

Price: $75+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Control + backrow deck with incredible recursion and the ability to come back from almost no resources
  • Altergeist have seen sparse success ever since FLOD, and are a respectable budget contender. They've have had a fairly modest showing online, and saw recent success with a top 8 finish at LCS 9. That deck was a Dogmatika variant piloted by Lars Junginger, playing the recently released Artemis, the Magistus Moon Maiden to make it slightly easier to summon Ecclesia in some hands.
  • The Dogmatika engine is viable even on a modest budget. It's possible to simply play Dogmatika Punishment as a powerful trap capable of utilizing your extra deck, and even a single copy of Ecclesia (around $20 each right now) goes a long way for improving the power of this package. Of course, the deck is also perfectly playable as pure Altergeist.
  • Budget players are most hurt by a lack of Pot of Extravagance, Infinite Impermanence, and Evenly Matched. The first three of these cards have reprints, but none are quite cheap enough yet to be easily accessible on a budget.
  • The extra deck is extremely flexible (as Altergeist are typically played with Extravagance, anyway) and several options are simply tech cards, such as Elder Entity N'tss.
  • Main deck trap choices are also extremely flexible. Torrential is quite powerful against Virtual World, but this could easily be swapped out for many other cards depending on your budget, available card pool, and locals demographics.
  • The release of Blazing Vortex in early February also brings along an incredibly powerful staple card in Pot of Prosperity. Altergeist, along with virtually every other deck that enjoys running Pot of Extravagance currently, will appreciate Prosperity as well. Many OCG decks are choosing to play both Extrav + Prosperity in their decklists. Of course, Prosperity is also a Secret Rare, and is virtually guaranteed to be around $100, so this is not applicable on a budget.
 

Prank-Kids

Price: $150 Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Floaty combo/control deck with 4 maindeck Prank-Kids that all float into any other Prank-Kid when used for a Link or Fusion summon
  • Got a great boost in Phantom Rage with Prank-Kids Meow-Meow-Mu, a Link 1 Prank-Kid monster that makes this deck incredibly consistent and turns any single Prank monster into full combo.
  • Prank-Kids Place is a little pricey, currently sitting at around $17 per copy in NA. While it contributes to your overall consistency (as it's equivalent to any Prank name), you can definitely get away with cutting copies of Place if your budget is tight.
  • Notably took 1st place at the Canadian Remote Duel Invitational in mid-January, piloted by Hanko Chow.
  • This deck appreciates the inclusion of Predaplant Verte Anaconda (currently over $30 apiece in NA) which can dump Thunder Dragon Fusion to help field Battle Butler, your main win condition. It was dropped from the provided list for budget reasons, but it's a great inclusion if you have a copy already. In conjunction with cards like Link Spider, it also improves your ability to play through disruption and through Nibiru.
  • This deck has many characteristics of a great deck, but suffers from similar problems as Zoodiac in that it struggles to play through disruption on your normal summon, or cards like Ash negating your first Prank-Kid effect. The inclusion of Polymerization in the main deck helps to combat this, but also popular are builds that don't play Poly at all and instead just load the main deck with handtraps and powerful staples like Forbidden Droplet.
  • Pot of Desires is included in this example main deck to help boost consistency and overall power, but some players opt not to run it.
 

Salamangreat

Price: $50+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Link-based midrange deck with a lot of recursion and a special in-archetype technique, where 1 Link Monster is used as the entire Link material to summon another copy of that monster, granting bonus effects
  • The deck is somewhat halfway between control and combo, establishing respectable boards turn 1 with a fairly compact engine, allowing many handtraps to be played. Their real strength comes in turn 3 and beyond, where their arsenal of free summons from the GY, coupled with their stellar resource recycling, easily overwhelm the opponent.
  • The majority of the deck is dirt cheap and is mostly able to be built with commons from SOFU+SAST supplementing 3 copies of Structure Deck: Soulburner.
  • Accesscode Talker is a huge part of this deck's success, able to steal games easily with the help of Update Jammer. Accesscode is not at all affordable on a budget, so the sample list plays Zeroboros instead. Owning one copy of Accesscode is a tremendous improvement to this deck's strength.
  • Salamangreat has found little competitive success in bigger online tournaments this format, but still regularly performs well in smaller events, remote duel locals, and the like. It's also a fairly safe choice, as it's somewhat unlikely we see further Salamangreat hits on the next banlist.
  • The provided list plays Rivalry + Strike, a potent option allowing you to sometimes win games even into established boards. Strike is quite solid in the current format, as even the combo decks don't usually end on ways to punish a lot of set backrow.
  • Parallel eXceed is an optional card, and can be cut in favor of more backrow or handtraps. On one hand, it allows you to more easily link climb when going second, and can easily add a Dweller or Bagooska to your board going first (Dweller is very good right now, as well). On the other hand, players may prefer to run more defensive cards instead of eXceed.
 

Subterror

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Subterrors are a control deck with a focus on flipping monsters face-down and generating constant advantage with Subterror Guru.
  • Pure Guru control is the most played variant, and is more or less a stun deck that tries to abuse Guru as much as possible. While most Guru lists online are Numeron and/or Dragoon hybrids, the pure version saw some success earlier this format at the Benelux Remote Duel Extravaganza, finishing top 4. You can watch that deck profile here, and the sample list is generally based off of that list.
    • While Dragoon isn't budget-friendly, the Numeron engine is very accessible for little cost, and is a viable variant of this deck as well. Numeron cards aim to make Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL going first or simply OTK going second. S0 is an extremely powerful card that can prevent the opponent from playing the game entirely if it resolves. If you are interested in this version, you can check the Subterror list on the previous budget post.
  • The sample list doesn't have a complete extra deck, mainly because it doesn't play Extravagance and you barely go into the Extra Deck to begin with. Relinquished Anima is a decent option if you can shell out the $7-8 for it, since sometimes you can turn Fiendess into Anima. Apart from that, provided Extra Deck options include anti-Maximus cards for the Dogmatika matchup, and Aussa + Zoodiac Drident in case you face a Zoodiac player. Taking their Zoo monster and then slapping your Drident on top can be potent.
  • This deck usually plays Extravagance over Desires, but Desires is quite a serviceable replacement. Similarly to Altergeist, this deck also enjoys Pot of Prosperity post-BLVO.
 

B Tier

Like the above category, but generally weaker, less consistent, and/or impacted harder by a lack of access to a certain card(s).
 

Dinosaurs

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Dinosaurs are an aggressive deck with consistent access to Evolzar Laggia/Dolkka and Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, a formidable boss monster with incredible OTK power and disruption.
  • Dinosaur's strength tends to be largely meta-dependent, particularly how well it can counter the existing top decks. During the previous two combo-infested formats with decks like Dragon Link and Adamancipator running around, Dinos had several extremely impressive showing at events, such as TeamSamuraiX1's win at the first NA Remote Duel Invitational, as well as all three first-place players at LCS 7 (a 3v3 event) playing Dino.
  • In the current format, Dinosaurs are struggling. The Virtual World matchup is difficult, and it's hard for Dinosaur to build to beat all of VW, Drytron, Eldlich variants, and the plethora of rogue decks running around. Additionally, Mystic Mine is not very potent this format as both Virtual World and Eldlich have in-engine outs to the card, which is another blow to the Dinosaur strategy. Finally, the popularity of handtraps like Skull Meister and Artifact Lancea in the side or even the main deck are also reasons this deck has declined.
  • The provided variant still plays Mine, as it has utility breaking boards. Deckout is a much less reliable strategy against VW and Eldlich, but you can still stall for some turns until you can make a push for game. The addition of Cosmic Cyclone is also an attempt at neutering cards like Chuche and Conquistador.
  • If you wanted to build this deck without Mines, you would have to find replacements for quite a few cards (and frankly, Dinosaur does not have very many good ones). Most power staples are not budget, such as Lightning Storm, Talents, Droplet, etc. This deck also really appreciates Pot of Extravagance, which still sits barely out of budget range at around $25 each in NA.
  • Budget Dino must also deal with the lack of Animadorned Archosaur, an extremely powerful addition to the deck that opens up many new combos. However, sitting at around $60 per copy, the card is inaccessible on a budget.
  • The provided list plays the Simorgh combo, bringing out the WIND barrier statue on turn 1 to steal games. Though a full extra deck is provided, very few cards are actually needed, as the deck typically plays Extravagance anyway.
 

Dragon Link

Price: $100-150+ (depending on Extra Deck) Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Dragon Link is a Link-centric combo deck that was a dominant force in the meta for about half a year, but lost a lot of resilience and power with the recent bans to Linkross and Dragon Buster Destruction Sword.
  • The provided budget version of this deck actually has a ton of extra deck flexibility due to not needing to play Synchro/Link cards related to the Halq/Kross package, meaning that you can play Knightmares, anti-Dogmatika cards, etc. This also means that the budget version doesn't actually care about the Linkross ban at all.
  • This deck has seen a great deal of variation online, playing a variety of different engines and tech cards. A few of these include Vylon Cube + Smoke Grenade, the Rose Dragons, several different Dragonmaid cards, and even an FTK variant involving Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu. However, few of these are viable for budget players, especially if you do not own a copy of Halqifibrax.
  • An interesting option the deck has is to use Union Carrier to equip handtraps such as Artifact Lancea. On the opponent's turn, Hieratic Seal can be used to return the handtrap to your hand, making it live immediately. This is something you may want to consider in the main deck if you frequently have to deal with decks like Virtual World and Dinosaur. Another option is to equip Ally of Justice Cycle Reader to Carrier (they're both machines) and then bounce it to hand, as a weapon against Drytron. Carrier isn't in the example list, but this is a really interesting option to consider.
  • With Linkross out of the picture, playing Fibrax alone is an option if you either already own a copy or can afford the $20 needed to obtain one. You may have to retool your combos to incorporate Fiber, but the card can definitely add flexibility and resilience to your deck if you use it well.
 

Paleozoic Frogs

Price: $50+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Backrow-heavy control deck that summons its Traps to the field as monsters and pressures the opponent with Toadally Awesome
  • After being absent from the budget post for about a year, Paleo makes its triumphant return as its boss monster, Toad, returns to 3. Toad's reprint in Maximum Gold also brought this card down from $20 each to just a few bucks, making the entire deck extremely cheap.
  • As a control deck, Paleo suffers from more weaknesses compared to Eldlich, Altergeist, and Subterror. Notably, the engine tends to bleed advantage unless you've managed to maintain access to Swap Frog, and you can be quickly outpaced by stronger decks. However, in games where you can establish a Toad early, or where you can maintain control with your backrow, you can do quite well.
  • Paleo saw a surprising amount of success in various remote duel events this format, though some of that success is likely due to the format being unexplored and some sort of "new toy syndrome" as Toad recently went from 2 to 3.
  • Paleo struggles to out Dragoon, especially without access to Ice Dragon's Prison, a $40 card. An interesting option catching on in the meta lately is the use of Mirror Force cards, particularly Quaking and Storming, as they both pressure Dragoon. Still, the card puts quite a lot of pressure on this deck.
  • Speaking of Dragoon, some Paleo players opt to play that package in this deck as well. Swap Frog is a one card Dragoon as you can simply dump Ronin, turn Swap into Almiraj, and then revive Ronin to make Verte from there.
  • Fiend Griefing is presented as an interesting option which is very decent in the current meta, particularly vs Drytron. Combining it with Absolute King Back Jack is a classic combo that Paleo played a long time ago in 2017, during early Zoo formats.
 

Shaddoll (Magistus)

Price: $100+, can be closer to $50 with fewer copies of Schism Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Classic Fusion-based archetype from 2014, debuting in Duelist Alliance. Somewhat of a midrange combo deck that can slow the game down with El Shaddoll Winda or be very aggressive with El Shaddoll Construct
  • Winda is a troublesome floodgate that many decks struggle to out, especially combo decks such as Drytron. Shaddoll cards are currently played in several Dogmatika variants due to the sheer power of Winda and the utility of Shaddoll Schism.
  • The current meta is favorable for Shaddoll not only due to Winda being effective vs Drytron, but also due to Ariel being very strong against a large chunk of the format, including Eldlich variants. Her ability to banish 3 cards from the GY is so strong that some decks are splashing in Sinister Shadow Games + Ariel just for that option, which we saw played in some of the 60-card Eldlich decks at LCS 9.
    • The growing popularity of Shaddoll cards has also caused Shaddoll Schism to go up in price substantially. Currently, it's around $17, but it may continue to rise.
  • The deck's biggest problem has always been its inability to consistently resolve a fusion spell on turn 1. Invoked Shaddoll was a popular hybrid in earlier formats, but with the release of the Magistus archetype in GEIM, Shaddolls got access to Rilliona and Magistus Invocation. This is an improvement since Magistus Invocation can fuse from hand and field whereas the regular Invocation can only fuse from hand when summoning Shaddolls. Additionally, Artemis provides a super convenient way for the deck to turn any Shaddoll into a LIGHT monster, which is important for summoning Construct.
  • While the full Dogmatika package is very expensive due to Nadir Servant being a $75 card, one option is to play just one copy of Ecclesia (around $20) along with Maximus and a playset of Dogmatika Punishment. Maximus and Punishment have a ton of synergy in the Shaddoll deck in conjunction with Apkallone's GY effect, and this combination is deadly even on a budget.
  • Other normal summons such as Mathematician and even Gale Dogra are potent on this deck, and can be played in addition to Rilliona or as a replacement for her. Yet another option is to run 1 copy of the now-cheap Eldlich the Golden Lord as a LIGHT monster for Shaddoll Fusion that can easily revive itself.
  • Another popular variant is a very trap-heavy list, sometimes cutting the Magistus cards entirely. PAK and SirEmanon's YouTube channels both have their own takes on this, if you're interested.
 

Unchained

Price: $50+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Floaty destruction-based archetype that generates advantage when its cards are destroyed, enabling its gimmick of using your opponent's monsters to Link Summon.
  • Can be built to go first or to go second quite effectively. Since going second is very difficult this format, the provided list aims to go first, playing a bunch of trap cards.
  • Fairly modest online performance, doing alright at smaller events and more recently finishing top 8 at the second YuGiJoe online series as well as occasional Luxury events. After the December banlist, Unchained has rapidly gained popularity in online remote duel events, and is one of the more prominent rogue decks this format. This success could be because the format is generally slower compared to previous ones, and many destruction-based cards such as Torrential Tribute are very popular currently, which this deck enjoys.
  • Mega-Tin reprints of Abomination's Prison as well as their Link 2 have helped make this deck a great deal more affordable. I:P Masquerena being more affordable is also a nice boost, though it's by no means essential in this deck.
  • This deck's best weapon is its opponents being unprepared for it. Playing improperly into backrow or Unchained floats can very quickly be fatal. It also matches up decently into some backrow decks as well as Dogmatika variants, which rely on destruction-based removal from Dogmatika Punishment and Elder Entity N'tss.
 

C Tier

Decks in this category have the capability to be just as good as the ones above at times, but often tend to suffer from multiple problems including consistency and power.
 

Burning Abyss

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Versatile control-based Graveyard toolbox deck that has been swinging in and out of meta relevance since its release way back in 2014.
  • Gradually got more and more cards back from the banlist, with Cir and Graff being unlimited on the December 2020 list. The deck is now more or less "full power" with the exception of Beatrice, who is still limited.
  • The deck aims to establish Beatrice on turn 1 backed up with trap cards. The BA cards as well as Beatrice are extremely floaty, so this deck can put up quite a fight in grind games. Fiend Griefing is a solid card in the current meta, and is excellent in the Burning Abyss deck as you can send Farfa for further disruption, Graff/Scarm for followup, or Back Jack for more traps.
  • This deck was frequently mixed with Phantom Knight cards back in 2016 (often called PK Fire). Nowadays, Phantom Knight decks are typically either built pure or with an extremely compact BA engine. While it's possible to play a more dedicated hybrid build, the release of PK Torn Scales combined with most key BA cards being unlimited means that it's just better to focus on one or the other.
  • Many other options are playable - Desires for draw power, playing more traps, more handtraps, etc. Consider Needle Ceiling over Torrential as it can be harder to pull off, but combos better with Trap Trick. Players with access to Ice Dragon's Prison should play it, and adventurous duelists can even opt to play Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss.
  • As a deck easily capable of churning out Rank 3 Xyzs, you also have easy access to Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS Sky Thunder, one of the most powerful extra deck cards in the format. If this is an accessible option, it should be played.
 

Sky Striker

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Spell-heavy control deck that usually maintains only one monster on the field at a time, in the extra monster zone.
  • Formerly an extremely dominant control deck, modern-day Striker no longer accrues infinite resources through resolving Engage multiple times, but instead is easily able to kill you with an Accesscode Talker push after whittling down your LP and resources for a turn or two. The standard combo involves laddering from Halqifibrax -> Selene -> Accesscode and then dismantling your opponent's board before swinging for game.
  • You may have noticed a problem: if you're on a budget, you can't use Accesscode. This is a pretty big blow to the deck's overall strength. Some players opt for alternatives such as the Utopia Double package, which Zoé Weber played in the second EU Remote Duel Invitational last format. Another option is to simply not run it at all, and close games the old-fashioned way.
  • In previous formats, this deck was oftentimes played like an anti-meta going second deck, packing tons of removal cards and usually 3 copies of Mystic Mine in the main deck. In the current format, this strategy is a lot more difficult due to several factors - it's very hard to go second this format in general, and Mine is a lot less effective vs the top decks right now.
  • Instead, the sample list plays a going-first strategy with powerful trap cards like There Can Be Only One and Solemn Strike. It's possible to build this deck to go second, but you'd probably want to play board breakers instead of trap cards, and potentially also maindeck PSY-Framegear Gamma.
  • Yet another way to play this deck involves (surprise) Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon and multiple copies of Red-Eyes Fusion. Instead of using cards like Widow Anchor and Afterburners to muscle through disruption and stick a Mystic Mine on the field, you use them to get to your Dragoon and either win the game immediately or put yourself in a position where your opponent can't play through the Dragoon disrupt.
  • Roze is the most expensive card in this list. If your budget is tight, you can definitely cut her down to 1.
 

Zoodiac

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Xyz-focused deck with a gimmick allowing you to use any one Zoodiac as the entire Xyz material requirement for another Zoodiac. This lets you stack Zoo Xyz monsters on top of each other, making use of their effects.
  • Plays a compact engine combined with around 20 slots dedicated to handtraps, traps, and draw power. This deck is also commonly played as a hybrid deck, oftentimes with Eldlich and sometimes with Dogmatika cards. Both of these options are quite expensive, so they are not shown.
  • The deck's strength in competitive play comes almost entirely from Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS Sky Thunder, an extremely powerful Xyz monster that Zoodiac can effortlessly make due to Zoodiac Boarbow. Zoo is also easily able to summon Zeus with many materials, allowing it to repeatedly nuke the board.
  • Budget Zoo without Zeus is extremely weak by comparison. Relying solely on Drident + handtraps is not a reliable win condition, so cards like Parallel eXceed and Pot of Avarice are included in the sample list to give this deck a boost. While Megaclops is a troublesome boss monster in some matchups, the big three decks (Drytron, Virtual World, and Eldlich) generally don't have much trouble dealing with it.
  • Even with Zeus, the deck has been struggling in the current competitive meta. Noteworthy is its performance at LCS 9, where out of a whopping 51 Zoodiac variants that entered the tournament, only 1 survived until top 16.
 

Up-And-Coming

Decks to watch out for, oftentimes due to recent online success or new support being announced. Some might also be decks that could potentially be on the main body of the post, but need a little more time to prove themselves.
 

Tri-Brigade

Price: $100 (for now) Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Link-focused deck that plays a variety of Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Winged Beast monsters. The maindeck Tri-Brigades cheat out powerful Link monsters, provided your GY is set up. This deck also trivially access the Simorgh link, which can sometimes seal games on its own through the WIND Barrier Statue.
  • In the current format, Tri-Brigade has seen fairly sparse success, usually mixed with Zoodiac. However, BLVO gives us Tri-Brigade Kitt, a great boost to this deck and a fantastic combo piece.
  • Further support in LIOV and beyond is also very promising, making this deck a potentially solid investment for the future.
  • The Tri-Brigade core is currently quite cheap, but this could change in the future depending on hype and the market.
  • owo
 

Traptrix

Price: $100-150 Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Control deck with an extremely powerful Link 1 monster, Traptrix Sera, that pumps out constant advantage.
  • The sample list incorporates a very small Dogmatika engine. Dogmatika Punishment itself is very cheap, and is one of the best generic traps in the game right now. Just 1 copy of Ecclesia (around $20) provides a substantial power boost to this mini-engine, as dumping one copy of Titaniklad with Punishment and grabbing an Ecclesia for next turn is extremely powerful. Another option is to dump El Shaddoll Apkallone, then adding and discarding Ariel in order to trigger her effect and banish 3 cards, which is insane value.
  • If you can't get Ecclesia, you could simply play just Punishment as a generic trap. Another option is to play pure Traptrix, incorporating more power traps/handtraps, and quite frequently the Utopia Double package as well.
  • This deck is definitely still getting support, as LIOV brings a new Link 2 and main deck monster.
 

Plunder Patroll

Price: $100+ Imgur | DuelingBook
  • Pirate archetype with ridiculous recursion and a unique tag-out and equip mechanic based on Attributes being used in the game.
  • The pirates become equips for one of (currently) three Patrollships, extra deck monsters that can all discard Plunder Patroll cards in hand to fuel powerful effects. The ships become stronger when manned (equipped with) a Plunder card, with bonuses such as ignition effects becoming quick effects, or being able to replace the discarded card with a new one from the deck.
  • Many Plunder lists play Forbidden Droplet, as it has great synergy with the cards. Without Droplet, you could fill the space with several different options. This deck chooses to play the Undine package, but you can also go for cards like Foolish Burial Goods, Salvage, Silent Angler, Tenyi Spirit - Shthana, Toadally Awesome + Bahamut Shark, or just more generic staples.
  • This deck is getting at least one more support card in LIOV, that being Ravenwing. Many people speculate that they'll also get another Patrollship of a new attribute, which would be a huge buff to the deck.
 

Honorable Mentions

  • Megalith, Madolche, Pendulum decks, Cyber Dragon, Orcust, Mermail Atlantean, Magical Musketeers, Crusadia (Guardragon), ABC, D/D, Generaider, and more - Decks that are fairly decent but have been left off of the post to make room for other decks that have seen more recent success or have fewer budget resources online.
  • Dragonmaid, Eldlich, Infernoid, Invoked variants, HERO, etc - Decks that are pretty good but are sorta in limbo due to some expensive individual cards, such as Chamber Dragonmaid, Cursed Eldland, Invocation, etc.
  • Cubics, Phantasm, Chain Burn, Evilswarm, Yosenju, Dinomist, and much, much more - Unfortunately, there is not enough room to cover every single decent, super-cheap deck.
 
 
I hope to keep this post updated for the foreseeable future. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.
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Why the Wilderness Should Have Well-Designed Skilling and PvM Content

Hello and welcome. This TED talk will be divided into two main parts: why well designed skilling and PvM content is necessary for the long term health of PvP, and what “well-designed” means and looks like.
A brief introduction
Before people make assumptions, I want to make it clear that adding this sort of content to the Wilderness is not about luring defenseless players into the Wilderness to die in front of PKer firing squads. As will be discussed in the “what well-designed means” section, a key part of well-designed Wilderness content is making sure that players are not helpless prey. They should have a way to escape, or to fight back if they choose to. This is about making PvP healthier by incentivizing players to engage with PvP content by improving the “high risk, high reward” dynamic that the Wilderness was designed to revolve around.
I have heard many people criticize the PvP community for constantly shouting “Fix PVP!” without offering concrete suggestions. Although this post won’t delve much into specific content suggestions other then as proofs of concept, I hope it can serve as a guide in creating well-designed suggestions and updates in the future.
Why a healthy Wilderness and PvP system should have skilling and PvM content
The skill floor for PvP content is incredibly high
If you go back and watch some of the “original” Runescape PK videos from the 2006 era, you might be surprised at just how bad people are at PvP, at least as compared to the modern era. Skills like one-ticking special attack weapons or combo eating food were unheard of, and anyone able to pull them off was a God-tier PKer. Now, those are entry-level skills that are essentially required to participate in PKing in any meaningful way. The single greatest PKer from 2006 would be battered pillar to post by any random player plucked from a PvP world in 2020.
If you’re new to PvP, and you go to Edgeville, you’re going to be smashed around and killed dozens of times by even mediocre PKers. Deep wilderness content like black chinchompas, for example, serves as a training ground for people who are new to or inexperienced with PvP. It’s much easier to tank and escape from a PKer than it is to fight them and take them down, and it familiarizes people with skills that can be applied to PvP in the future, like gearing properly, switching prayers, combo eating, and reading your opponent’s gear and moves. By familiarizing people with PvP in the shallow end of the pool, they’ll be more likely to jump into the deep end later on.
Efficiencyscape is the new normal
The way that people play has shifted heavily in the last 20 years. Many players, if not most, play the game for progression, advancing levels and building up wealth. Any content that doesn’t offer competitive rate of XP or GP, or any other benefit, will be dead content. People will flock to it when it’s first released, and give it up once they realize they can get much better rates of progression somewhere else. The death is even more total if it’s content that requires multiple players – the minority of players that play the content for fun, not for progression, will eventually become frustrated and leave as the player base dwindles and the content becomes more and more difficult to engage with. It’s not fun sitting at the GE on a PvP world or hopping worlds for 30 minutes looking for a single fight.
This ties into the next section, which is…
Edgeville-style PvP is a zero sum game
Edgeville-style PvP is never going to be sustainable in the long run, in an efficiencyscape world. Edgeville-style PvP isn’t just zero sum, it’s less than zero sum once you factor in the supplies that are used up in fights, and the wealth that is destroyed on death (like the 3M+ tentacle whip that reverts to a 500K kraken tentacle) – you could have a 60% win, 40% loss rate and still be losing money. Edgeville PKers are only making a profit if other PKers are making a loss, and the PKers that are constantly making a loss will eventually either run out of money or quit in frustration. If you add an outside source of wealth, like, for instance, Revenants, then the system is no longer zero sum. PvMers sometimes die and lose money, but the profit from the times they survive more than covers the loss. PKers sometimes die to better PKers, better PKers sometimes die to clans, and clans sometimes die to larger clans, but almost all will be making a profit over the long run. Skilling and PvM content is like the sun in an ecosystem – it’s what makes the system sustainable, and if you remove it the entire food chain collapses.
Design and tradition
This is less of an argument, per se, and more to point out that the Wilderness, by design, was always meant to be a high risk, high reward environment, where you could receive better GP, better XP, and unique drops. You can go all the way back to the August 2001 newspost – “The new wilderness area of runescape is online…The further you go into the wilderness the more dangerous it becomes, but the more treasure you could find!” When runite rocks were released, rune was top tier equipment, and the only way to get rune ore was by mining it in the Wilderness. When the KBD was released, it was an end game boss that required top tier gear and dropped the best equipment in the game, and the only way to get to it was thorough the Wilderness. Content like the ancient obelisks, Edgeville level, and ancient magicks wasn’t even released yet – you had to trek to the KBD lair from the ditch.
I believe it was one of the Gower brothers that said that Edgeville-style PKing was unintended – the Wilderness was introduced with the intention that it would revolve around a PKer ganking a rune miner, or a PKer jumping another PKer in worse gear, not around pre-arranged honor fights.
But what does well-designed mean?
Skillers and PvMers should be empowered to defend from and fight PKers
A key part of well-designed content is to make sure that skillers and PvMers are participants, not victims. Lots of existing content has an issue with handicapping the players that engage with it. Perhaps the most severe example is abyssal runecrafting which, for optimal rates, requires players to sacrifice all of their inventory and gear slots. They’re no longer a participant in the PvP content, they’re a target dummy for PKers. This sort of dynamic will obviously create frustration, anger, and hostility – players will either quit engaging with this sort of content, or will grit their teeth and endure it for the rewards despite hating it. It doesn’t create a healthy environment for PvP content. Compare this, on the other hand, to content like black chinchompas. Although it’s not ideal – you still need to sacrifice at least 7 inventory slots for optimal rates – players can bring armour, weapons, food, and potions, and have ways to escape, like by running into the hobgoblin mines, revenants, or graveyard.
Don’t force participation
Rewards from PvP should, in general, be tradable, so that players don’t feel “forced” to engage with it. Similarly, although XP and GP rates should be higher than in the rest of the game to compensate for risk, they shouldn’t be so insanely high that not engaging with them is a massive handicap. When players feel that they’re engaging by choice, not by force, the content will be more enjoyable. They can also leave when they’ve had enough, instead of gritting their teeth and continuing as their hatred for PvP grows.
Move no and low risk content out of the wilderness
Putting content into the Wilderness that doesn’t require any risk to engage with only leads to frustration. When a PKer kills a clue hunter for a spade and 1K in runes, it’s a pointless interaction on both sides, and only encourages griefing, flaming, and other toxic behavior. Clue scrolls specifically are particularly bad, since they straddle PvP and non-PvP zones; players suffer the additional frustration of having to bank all of their gear and take out a new set-up, just for one step of a clue.
PKers should require as much risk as PvMers
The PvMer is already the one juggling the threat of PvM content and PKers, and the PKers have the element of surprise. Well-designed Wilderness content would require, or at least strongly encourage, the PKer to at least match the risk of the PvMer. Look at the old revenants, for example. A revenant killer would often be risking 250K just in ether, 100K+ in gear and supplies, and 100K-500K+ in revenant loot. Then a clan of ballista PKers shows up, each risking 50K-150K in rags, and kills them. Even if the PvMer manages to take one of the PKers down, they receive only a fraction of what they themselves are risking. The playing field should be more level. For example, skulled players in the revenant cave could receive a message, “Your skull brings back memories of the God Wars, enraging the revenants!” The revenants would then all become aggressive despite the effect of the bracelet of ethereum, and would hit for increased damage – the revenants would only become unaggressive if the skulled player wore an overcharged bracelet of ethereum, which would require the bracelet to be holding at least 1000 charges.
Content should be sufficiently rewarding
As touched on in the previous section, players engaging with Wilderness content have to deal with PKers on top of whatever challenges the content itself poses. Content should be balanced reasonably, both because of the issues with “forcing” mentioned earlier and the issue of players potentially using protection clans to boost it. At the same time, it needs to be sufficiently rewarding to justify doing it despite the time and resources it takes to escape from or fight PKers. Let’s say a new mining method in the Wilderness offers 110K XP/Hr at level 99, which is 15K more than the Volcanic Mine. That might sound great at first…until you realize that, once you account for all the time you spend evading, escaping, and fighting PKers you’ll probably be lucky to break 80K.
Most risk should come from players, not content
To minimize the issues discussed in the last section, the majority of the challenge from Wilderness content should come from PKers, not from the content itself. If you have to contend with a complicated, high-hitting boss and burn through half your food, you have to choose between banking constantly and being unprepared for a PKer if and when they show up. Wilderness content should be balanced so that players can do trips of a reasonable length without depleting most of their supplies and having to leave.
Example of well and poorly designed content
Abyssal Runecrafting – Poorly designed, 0/10
Abyssal Runecrafting is probably one of the worst designed pieces of Wilderness content. It’s the perfect example of skillers being targets in a shooting gallery, rather than participants. It’s essentially impossible for runecrafters to fight back against PKers, since optimal rune crafting requires sacrificing all of your inventory spots to essence and pounces, and the abyss drains your prayer to 0. The skiller is also risking essentially nothing, since they’ll usually have a glory, a low-tier pickaxe, and an inventory of essence, which adds up to under 20K. Escape is almost impossible once you’re TBed and bound – even a bad PKer in rag gear can easily do 99 damage in the time it takes an entangle to wear off.
Clue scrolls - Poorly designed, 4/10
Almost every clue scroller you bump into will be risking under 10K. In theory, they can gear to defend themselves, but there is no point as the content requires no risk. It’s also irritating to have to degear halfway though a clue for a Wilderness step. Wilderness steps add nothing to clue scrolls except annoyance, and clue scrolls add little to the Wilderness except frustration and toxicity.
Black chinchompas – Well designed, 7/10
Black chinchompas are docked some points, as they do require players to sacrifice 6 inventory spots for traps. Otherwise, they’re a great example of well-designed Wilderness content. They offer rates of XP and GP that are high enough to attract players to hunt them, but low enough that people don’t feel coerced into hunting them. Players are free to wear whatever gear they want – they can stack themselves up in tank gear for escaping, or in combat gear for dueling anyone that attacks them. It also requires risk from both parties. The skillers are risking the chincompas they caught and any gear they bring. Since it’s a single combat area close to the 30 line, PKers only have a short window to TB or KO the hunters, which means their heavily pushed to bring valuable gear.
KBD – Well designed, 9/10
The good thing about KBD is that the fight itself is not in the Wilderness, but requires a trek through the Wilderness to access. This means that players going to the KBD will still be on full supplies, and that they don’t have to worry about conserving or banking for supplies during the fight with the boss. Since you’re bringing combat gear, you’re equipped to tank, and possibly even fight back. There are multiple avenues of escape – running south to teleport, the hobgoblins, the spider pit, the ancient obelisk, ice warriors, the agility course, and more. Similar to black chinchompas, having a limited widow to get the kill pushes PKers to risk more. KBD does only add a limited amount of activity, since players will be in the Wilderness 60 seconds for every 60 minutes of PvM, but it’s healthy and sustainable activity.
The End
Thank you for attending my TED talk.
TL;DR - Wilderness skilling and PvM contents isn't bad. Badly made Wilderness skilling and PvM content is bad.
submitted by Plz_mod_pi to 2007scape [link] [comments]

Month 15 - Affiliate/Info Site (Case Study Entry 4) "I f*cking hate Google" to "I f*cking love Google"

Waaaassuupp my just start beauties?
Hope everyone is good. I am currently sitting in awe watching the stock price of GameStop & have a little bit of my own money in it. It's literally like gambling. I used to love gambling so I'm having a whirlwind of a time rn haha! (dw it's money i can lose)
Anyway!!! On with the case study. As always here are last months ones:
Month 12
Month 13
Month 14
Anyways here are the stats:
Mth Articles (total) Pageviews No of Words Affiliate Income (£) Ezoic Income ($) Avg EPMV ($) Total (£)
Oct 2020 45 8475 99,603 316.68 0 0 307.29
Nov 2020 54 40,724 124,284 3865 145.80 9.99 4018.17
Dec 2020 62 20,968 145,215 799.35 112.93 18.54 911.11
Jan 2021 70 21, 743 152,633 746.34 106.79 16.66 824.22
For those of you who dont wanna read, I just started a YouTube where I'll be doing these on camera plus sharing my keyword research methods + anything you want to know.

The Google Update Did Rip My Anus (I Thought I'd Escaped)

So like last month we've seen growth!!
And that may seem just a little ecstatic, but it's because I've had to eat my own words after saying "The Google Update Didn't Rip My Anus (Hooray!)" in the last update. This time around, Google did infact rip my anus.
But it recovered in about 2 weeks to even better positions... I know these are all horrible innuendos and I'm not sorry.
Every part of me wanted to scramble to 'fix' it as best I could those 2 weeks, but I left it alone, stuck to the plan & thanked the affiliate marketing gods it was saved from the burning pits of below top 10 rankings.

My Niche is Profitable But Not Incredibly Profitable

I've learned that the niche I'm currently in is actually pretty hard to earn from. The avg RPM on YouTube is $6/1000 & the affiliate sales aren't as frequent or high in value as say the finance niche or others.
It seems I've put an incredible amount of work into this, but if I'd have chosen a different niche that work would have = more value by now (in my opinion).
So I've basically decided to pretty much outsource all of the content and start a affiliate blogging or finance niche page. Stuff about how you can make money from blogging, stock trading etc. Maybe I'll do this as a YouTube as well, but I'm unsure which I'd rather as of yet.
I quite like just having a site and not having to really show my face. I could outsource the content and put it under my name & no one would know, whereas with YouTube, it always has to be me.

What Changed This Month?

Ezoic Money Machine Didn't Brrr:
I've heard this is pretty normal for most blogs around Jan, but yeah Ezoic dropped heavily for me. Alongside the Google update, it really fucked my chances of getting to my goal of 1000 beautiful Queenie pounds (GBP).
Oh well, next month I think I'm definitely gonna see it get to 1k or at least high 900.
I'm getting about 700-850 visits a day now which is wicked.
Google update, then #1:
Google was a little cunt & threw all his toys out the pram & then tidied them all back up in different positions.
I am grateful for this because, although I didn't see it at the time, I've come back stronger than ever before. I've taken lots of #1 slots for affiliate terms so alllllll good.
It's been interesting to see the shift in amount of money made in each affiliate completely turn on its head. The one I made 90% of my income from most months is now projected to be among the lowest.
Christmas Period Traffic Drop:
So finally the Christmas period traffic has fully gone & I've seen a hit in affiliate earnings on the one I pretty much earned 90% of my income from last month.
It has gone back to its regular 1-5 sales/day, but the commissions I'm getting for these sales are much lower. I am ranking number 1 for quite a few positions containing links to this affiliate, but I guess I'm either not converting for some reason - or the buyer intent isn't really there.
It's a listicle and showcases the best 50 x products - maybe there's too much choice for the buyer? I'm not sure how I'd continue to hold top slot if I cut it down though. I would really appreciate some thoughts here.
I'm trying to rank for a better buyer intent keyword rn with 1k search vol. There's not a lot of competition so I think I can easily take the 3rd slot.
Work Focus Shift:
This month has looked a little different for me work wise. I've now said to myself that I have enough to start outsourcing most of the content on the site, & to step away from it a little bit to start building out other things and diversifying.
If there's one thing I know now - it's that Google's scythe is remorseless. And it can make you wanna be a Chad and punch multiple holes in your dry wall at the flick of a switch. This game is a rollercoaster both rankings and emotion wise lmao.
To combat this I've been focussing a lot on YouTube, & other social media like instagram. I've put out 14 videos this month. And fuck me does video editing suck so much more than writing?!
On Instagram, I've been posting up to 9 times a day, using reels a lot and also posting around 2-3 times on TikTok.
I've grown a lot on IG doing this. I went from 100 - 300 followers this month & only really started 2 weeks ago. I also had a video go viral on TikTok which was good.
Another thing I've done is set up an Etsy shop for one of my IG accounts. I'm happy to share this niche with you bc it's more of an experiment than anything. It's dogs; Labradors to be specific & I'm selling custom shirts to the Instagram followers. I have around 1.15k on there so far & have been growing fairly rapidly.
People love dogs more than people & it's quite crazy the amount of engagement it gets. I can see it being pretty profitable in the future.
New Investment Plans:
The money I make from the site will all go back into content & feeding me. I have plans to get my writer on YouTube with me at the early stages of this channel. I feel like if I involve him at a later date, people will feel cheated. But, if it's 2 people from the start, it will have always been that way.
Maybe that's just me thinking too much, but I sure as hell stopped watching =3 when Ray William Johnson was no longer the main dude. It was shit before, but fuck me did it get shit after he left.
I've also been trading on a Forex demo account for 2 years now & have gotten pretty good at it. I feel like this is another way to expand my income from earning online.
I'm going to get into crypto & forex with some money I won in a competition. I have around $300 to play with, so I'm hoping to get it to $1k investing in DOGE or XRP, & then move that 1k into the more stable currency markets.
Anyway me old fruit...
Hope you enjoyed reading; thanks for reading; and see you in the next episode-sode-sode-sode
*dr dre plays*
Bye!
submitted by hasser964 to juststart [link] [comments]

Quick Voter & Bookmaker Analysis Guide to CYL4

(Small typo, it's obviously for CYL5.)
Gonna be short and concise for once with this "essay"... except on the "bookmaker" part. Maybe some know what to do in CYL5, maybe some are hesitating on what to do, maybe there are newcomers who played FEH for less than a year... but no worries, this guide is there to give some quick pointers.
For those who don't know what is CYL (Choose Your Legends), it's a yearly community poll allowing Fire Emblem fans to vote on their favorite characters of the franchise, with real consequences on FEH: the top 2 winners on the male & female side get a Brave alt (slated to be released around August, ~6 months after the poll which is more or less the timeframe for units to be produced in general).
Now, that's the simplistic view on this event. To be more insightful, CYL has several marketing purposes that are more or less obvious:
Now, also consider other remarks and changes that may matter:
Now, what are the main contenders for the winning spots, and which threats should be taken into account? Here's a "bookmaker" guide that's mostly up to date (with a day one appendix due to an X factor from 3H).

Male Bracket

Marth

Status & goal: Favorite, finally being within Top 2 (if not #1) Strengths: Fame (including Smash), old-school status (first Lord) & huge pity factor due to losing three times by a small margin (meaning that he did traditionally well on past years). Can rally wide support, moreso than Chrom/MRobin who are a bit weaker and overlapping a lot with Marth's backing (more historical Smash figure, older protagonist, higher pity factor). Less alt-sensitive due to the above factors (his existing alts won't really harm his performance). Also add weaker competition on the male side (3H contenders may lose in traction as Felix got an alt and Ashe doesn't have the same traction, Chrom/MRobin are divided). Weaknesses: Voter complacency, mostly. But proper support and past failures may offset that. Possible strategy: Voting for him from day one in order to have the highest vote amount possible at mid-terms, in case of an upset. Interim Results: On par with predictions, but slightly at risk of being overthrown by Gatekeeper for #1, and maybe Chrom for #2. Complacency should be avoided.

Chrom/MRobin

Status & goal: Runner-ups, at least one of them within Top 2 (both being ideal for fans, but hard to expect) Strengths: Did very well over the past CYL editions, and with weaker competition, one of them could potentially grab a winning slot with proper support. MRobin being perceived as neglected alt-wise (no Legendary and/or Levin Sword, FGrima getting an alt but not the male variant) could generate pity support. But Chrom remains a choice with higher early expressed support despite this. Weaknesses: Divided support due to being main protagonists from the same game and requiring casual support (weakened due to residual 3H recency bias). Marth also weakening their rallying potential due to some profile overlap. Legendary Chrom being relatively recent and frequently fought in PvP. May both risk losing at the benefit of an outsider if too divided and have higher chances in CYL6. Possible strategy: Ideally choosing early on to support one of the two, but coordination will likely happen and be forced on mid-term standings. Interim Results: Called it, their divided support is leaving room for an outsider (namely Gatekeeper) and Chrom would be benefitting from some extra rally support. But it's unsure whether it'd be enough.

Male Byleth

Status & goal: Outsider, ranking as decently as possible (Top 50 or above) Strengths: Lead of the latest game, no alt at this point (a potential Valentine alt would happen after CYL5 voting anyway), possible vote trickling from CYL4 winners... Weaknesses: ... but those votes may go more toward the much more popular FByleth, or even other popular students (like Ashe). May be a MCorrin-like and settle for Top 50. Possible strategy: Voting for him from day one, maintaining support if within Top 20 if not Top 10 (not so likely), or considering supporting other 3H characters otherwise. Interim Results: Much better than expected, but whether he could maintain that momentum in future editions is very uncertain (could still end up as a slightly higher-ranked MCorrin).

Felix/Ashe

Status & goal: Outsiders, ranking as high as possible (Top 20 being realistic) Strengths: 3H recency bias if maintained from CYL4, Ashe not being released in FEH + Dimitri votes may be beneficial for him, especially with divided challengers. Weaknesses: Felix got a Christmas alt and will lose clutch support that could've granted a win, Ashe doesn't have the same traction. Possible decay in 3H recency bias, but hard to evaluate that. Possible strategy: Supporting from day one, rallying more support on mid-terms if any of them is in a very good position (within Top 10). May still support them otherwise, or other popular 3H characters. Side note on other 3H male students: Sylvain should drop a bit but still remain decently ranked (Top 20-40). Linhardt doesn't have the same rallying potential as Felix/Ashe but may rise noticeably. For Gatekeeper and Dedue, see below since they are odd cases. Interim Results: Felix & Ashe maintained Top 10 presence but are out of contention for Top 2 (not that it's a major issue for their fans). Same goes for Sylvain and Linhardt within Top 20. Yuri did a solid performance by nabbing Top 10, although being tied to a standalone faction may not really change how he'd be released (dedicated faction banner similarly to the Church one... and it might be one of the two New Heroes lineups for this year).

Seliph/Sigurd

Status & goal: Out of contention, not losing too much backing (Top 50 or above) Strengths: Cult following from Genealogy fans, Sigurd was traditionally more popular except when his son benefitted from pity support. Weaknesses: Both got alts in 2020 and may follow Leif's path by losing a decent chunk of their votes (moreso Seliph, Sigurd may not drop as much). Marth would siphon a good part of old-school support. A major fear would be Reinhardt (also out of the picture) ranking higher than all Jugdral lords. Possible strategy: Diehard support until consumed by the blaze. Interim Results: Held their ground better than expected, still out of contention but they avoided Leif's fate at the very least (who's ranked below Reinhardt).

Soren

Status & goal: Out of contention, maintaining solid standings (Top 30 or above) Strengths: Remains solidly ranked over the last 4 editions, not to the extent of Chrom/MRobin but enough to be a potential winning contender in the future... especially if Tellius remakes are next. Weaknesses: Notable competition is still on the table, more likely to make a stronger impact in CYL6/CYL7, and Tellius remakes are quite necessary for that. Possible strategy: Diehard support that can still matter for alts (notably a Legendary variant). Interim Results: Very good performance, that'll help him for future CYL editions.

Gatekeeper

Status & goal: Outsider (?), ranking as high as possible (Top 50 being non-ironically a realistic bar, can even shoot above Top 20 with major support) Strengths: Last minute outsider boasting high appreciation from 3H players and being more than a meme... even if that can grant him an unpredictable amount of votes. The possibility of a playable NPC could be a contributing factor even for a GHB tie-in with the CYL5 lineup if not a win (see Veronica). Clearly the X factor of CYL5. Weaknesses: Being a last minute addition may limit his backing from the casual audience. Unless he ends up within Top 10 or even Top 20 in mid-terms, he's not necessarily a major threat for Top 2. Possible strategy: Meme support starting from day one, may get even more rallying power depending on mid-term standings. Realistic goal being a CYL5 GHB tie-in. Interim Results: So he is a major threat then. Can only get more support at this point, at the expense of Chrom due to his own rallying issues.

Dedue

Status & goal: Out of contention, ranking as high as possible (above Top 50) Strengths: Could benefit from a good part of Dimitri and pity support due to being the only missing retainer. Was #52 overall last year, and since the goal is simply to make him released asap, he only needs a decent amount of raw votes to push him higher within unreleased 3H characters. Weaknesses: Subject to some relative indifference from IS and part of the playerbase, so it's not sure he'd manage to do substantially better. Gatekeeper being votable may hinder his support potential, same goes for already-released and/or more popular characters for release or an alt. Possible strategy: Diehard fans may support him until the end, but he may suffer a bit at mid-terms, especially if another popular 3H male character is within Top 20 and may have a shot to pull off a surprising feat. Interim Results: Much better than expected thanks to pity support working out... but beware, it's a double-edged sword, especially if IS and a good part of the fanbase remains indifferent to him (see Legendary Seliph as a case example)

Female Bracket

Eirika

Status & goal: Favorite, finally being within Top 2 Strengths: Female counterpart to Marth, on top of being the remaining old-school Lord from that side of CYL. Has the fame & pity factor for high potential support, and FByleth may eventually hinder Marianne's backing to secure at least a winning spot. Weaknesses: Voter complacency, on top of FByleth and Marianne's competition with the former being a serious candiate for #1. But proper support and past failures may offset that. Possible strategy: Voting for her from day one in order to have the highest vote amount possible at mid-terms, in case of an upset. Interim Results: Slightly better than expected and risks of being overthrown are slim, but complacency may still put a wrench so her fans are likely maintaining pressure.

Female Byleth

Status & goal: Favorite, getting in Top 2 (if not #1) Strengths: Has the wide popularity & horny factor offsetting her relatively recent alt, can immensely benefit from CYL4 winners' votes (most of Edelgard/Dimitri for pairing reasons, some of Claude and a bit of Lysithea). Weaknesses: If she's close to Eirika in raw votes at mid-terms, that could spur some rallying in favor of the latter, similarly to Micaiah vs Camilla in CYL3. Other than that though... Possible strategy: Voting for her from day one in order to have the highest vote amount possible at mid-terms, which may completely secure a win no matter what similarly to CYL4. Interim Results: On par with predictions, seems like vote dilution weakened a bit her rallying potential due to all the popular 3H females. But she still has an edge for winning spots.

Marianne

Status & goal: Runner-up, potentially getting in Top 2 (maybe with FByleth) Strengths: Very popular, still unreleased in FEH and could pull off Lysithea's performance. A good part of Claude and Lysithea votes from CYL4 could be enough in terms of raw numbers to push her in Top 2. If FByleth is #1 at mid-terms and Eirika is #2, supporters of the former may flock toward Marianne. Weaknesses: FByleth herself. Both'd each need a huge amount of extra votes... which is possible, but not certain. Moreover, and we could see that in the Harmony vs Changing Winds poll, it's totally possible that FByleth siphons a huge amount of CYL4 votes, leaving fewer for other characters and not being enough for Marianne. Possible strategy: Voting for her from day one in order to have the highest vote amount possible at mid-terms, which can eventually help her to gather more support. Interim Results: On par with pragmatic reserves, overthrowing Byleth AND Eirika will be very tough due to support dilution (Bernadetta, Hilda, Dorothea...).

FEH OCs

Status & goal: Out of contention, ranking as high as possible (variable) Strengths: Unpredictable and non-negligible outsiders, as we could see with Lif and Plumeria. Female OCs tend to do very well, so Reginn could settle for a decent place within Top 40... but Henriette may actually be higher and be a Plumeria-lite if MILF motivations were to matter (Top 20-30 wouldn't be too shocking). The fact that votes may be more reflective of FEH players may contribute to OCs. Weaknesses: Unpredictable by nature and atm, remaining competition makes a brand-new OC win unlikely. Possible strategy: Support mostly coming from FEH players, hard to tell how it'd go but Henriette is the one to potentially watch out after, especially if appearing on mid-term standings. Side note on other male OCs: Doubtful that Fafnir and Otr would do well (can still end within Top 50-100), same goes for Freyr who already had middling standings. Gustav could actually do relatively better than them now that he's votable (Top 30-50). Interim Results: Henriette did very well and is indeed a Plumeria-lite by almost getting into Top 10 (not unreachable). Plumeria still holds well all things considered, while all Book V OCs are nowhere to be seen.

Bernadetta/Dorothea/Hilda/Ingrid/Rhea

Status & goal: Out of contention, ranking as high as possible (Top 20-40 or above) Strengths: Still very popular 3H characters who may retain most of their backing despite recent releases. Weaknesses: First 3 have recentish alts, so their winning odds are near zero. In Rhea's case, she doesn't seem to have high traction potential. Possible strategy: Diehard support that may go to potential winners depending on mid-term standings. Side note on other female students: Most of them are expected to be released (be it in their pre-TS forms or as alts), and the lesser popular ones (Leonie). Interim Results: Bernadetta, Dorothea, Hilda, Ingrid and Rhea all did well by being within Top 20. No winning odds, but still a solid result nonetheless for their fans.

Female Corrin/Female Robin/Tharja/Azura

Status & goal: Out of contention, ranking as high as possible (Top 20-40 or above) Strengths: Similar to the above 3H cases, they are still popular so at best they can still remain high in CYL rankings, even if they aren't going to win. That can still matter for alts. Weaknesses: FCorrin had her Legendary alt recently, FRobin doesn't have the same traction as her male counterpart (plus a Halloween Grima alt for what it's worth), Tharja just got an alt to cut any emergent traction. Overall, those characters lost some traction and may not fully recover or improve it for now. Possible strategy: Diehard support until the end, but may be split depending on mid-terms. Side note on Anna/Jill: They're also out of contention but unlike the above cases, their winning odds in the future are less certain. Interim Results: Same as above, no winning odds but still within Top 10 which is very good. Anna and Jill seemingly dropped below Top 20.
If I made mistakes, feel free to correct me. [Edit: Layout was a bit messed up, corrected that quickly.)
submitted by MisogID to FireEmblemHeroes [link] [comments]

Dota 2 Ranks: NA/SA DPC Power Rankings Pre-Season 2021

***Updated to reflect the results of the final NA Closed Qualifier match in which A-Team defeated Team DogChamp 2-1. A-Team qualifies for NA's Upper Division and Team DogChamp will start the season in the Lower Division.**\*
Welcome to DPC NA/SA Rankings
After the long wait of 2020, the DPC is back and the regional league system is here for its inaugural season. We here at Dota 2 Ranks NASA care deeply about the North American and South American regions: the players, the teams, and the rivalries. With so much coverage of EU/CIS expected this season, we’ve taken on the challenge of shining a light on two undercovered regions. Besides, EU/CIS may have better teams overall, but NA/SA is total chaos right now with drama and numerous competitive teams looking to use this chaos as a ladder to the first Major Tournament of the season.
So, we don’t want to hear about how bad NA is compared to EU. We’re here for the intrigue, and we hope you are, too. Also, if you’re completely new to the Dota Pro Circuit or want a refresher, be sure to read up on the league’s structure here.
A quick note on Power Rankings. Obviously, you can go check the DPC Point Rankings and such, but those rankings do not tell you how a team is performing at this very moment or the potential a team has compared to other teams in the hemisphere. Enter power rankings, an assessment of where each of the 16 teams in the UppeLower Divisions of NA and the 16 teams in the UppeLower Divisions of SA stand heading into the DPC season.
We hope to release new ranking systems eventually (see the bottom of this post for more details). Also, a simple plug. Rating teams between region leagues, such as rating an NA team vs. an SA team becomes easier the more those teams play each other and the same competition (wink wink hint hint, schedule more interregional tournaments Valve).
And now, without further ramblings here are where things stand before the first week of DPC Leagues kickoff in NA and SA.
Power Rankings
1. Evil Geniuses (NA Upper Division)
  1. Arteezy 2. Abed 3. Iceiceice 4. Cr1t 5. Fly
What’s there to say about Evil Geniuses? EG finished a respectable 6th (despite being on hiatus for much of 2020) in the OMEGA League: Europe Immortal Division, arguably the biggest tournament of 2020. EG have reloaded a depleted and scattered roster by adding SEA standout Position 3 iceiceice and returning Abed as Mid Laner. EG still has Arteezy at carry. EG is the heavy favorite to dominate NA’s Upper Division and has the talent to be the best team in the hemisphere. Sure, there are questions to be answered. Arteezy wasn’t enough to power EG to wins in June 2020 when they finished a disappointing 3rd in both the BTS Pro Series Season 2: Americas and ESL One Birmingham 2020 - Online: North & South America. Also, we won’t know how the chemistry of this newly reloaded EG team will work until they start playing games. Regardless, it won’t be a surprise if this team ends up at the top of NA again.
2. Quincy Crew (NA Upper Division)
  1. YawaR 2. Quinn 3. Lelis 4. MSS. 5. SVG
The kings of the online tournament scene in NA/SA during 2020, Quincy Crew played in the Grand Finals of every tournament they competed in. Quincy Crew benefited greatly from Evil Geniuses taking a hiatus from regional competition, but even more from the addition of Lelis (formerly of Ninjas in Pyjamas) at the Position 3. Headlined by arguably the best solo mid player in the hemisphere, Quinn, Quincy Crew also laid claim to having the best position 4 and 5 in NA during much of 2020. The only major question will be if YawaR’s play can carry this team into the first Major Tournament of the year and a top two finish in NA’s Upper Division.
3. Thunder Predator (SA Upper Division)
  1. Mnz 2. Leostyle- 3. Frank 4. MoOz 5. Mjz
The top team in South America during 2020, Thunder Predator wasn’t satisfied playing for second in tournaments with Quincy Crew almost always coming out on top. So Thunder Predator looked to upgrade where they could. Adding more players with Major Tournament experience in Frank and MoOz, Thunder Predator has rebuilt itself into the dominant favorite to win SA’s Upper Division. Only Infamous proved to be a consistent challenge for Thunder Predator in SA towards the end of 2020. But, Thunder Predator finished 2020 strong by winning the BTS Pro Series Season 4: Americas, the final tournament of the year.
4. 4Zoomers (NA Upper Division)
  1. Sammyboy 2. Gunnar 3. Brax 4. Oceania 5. Husky
The young guns of NA Dota return after an up and down first season in 2020. 4Zoomers broke onto the NA scene in a big way knocking out a substitute filled EG squad and pushing Quincy Crew to a full five games in the Grand Finals of the BTS Pro Series: Americas Season 2. 4Zoomers would turn in several more respectable 2nd and 3rd place finishes, but they hit a rough patch of poor tournament performances in the fall. As a result, a change on the squad had to be made.
The final decision raised more than a few eyebrows when it was announced veteran “boomer” and Position 3 Monkeys-Forever had parted ways with the team, and not 4Zoomers’ immature and hot headed hard carry SammyBoy. After a tryout with Zero (now with Black N Yellow) did not end well, 4Zoomers lucked into convincing Brax, one of the best Position 3 players in the hemisphere to sign up for the DPC season. With Brax onboard, 4Zoomers found themselves in the Grand Finals of the last tournament of the year, but fell to Thunder Predator in a close series. If Brax can bring some maturity and top tournament experience to the more junior members of 4Zoomers they might be able to take the next step towards becoming a consistent challenge to NA’s top dogs, EG and Quincy Crew.
5. Infamous (SA Upper Division)
  1. Pakazs 2. Mr. Jeans 3. Papaya 4. Michael 5. Accel
The biggest surprise of 2020 in South American Dota, was Infamous. Infamous comes into the DPC as one of the hottest teams, but Infamous did not start 2020 nearly as well as it finished. Inconsistent results in both SA and NA/SA tournaments plagued the squad for much of the year. The team determined kxy (Faker) to be the cause of the inconsistencies and parted ways with the young and often tiltable Mid Laner. In kxy’s place, Infamous added Mr. Jeans from EgoBoys. With the change at Mid Laner, Infamous showed immediate improvement making it all the way to the Grand Finals of Realms Collide: The Burning Darkness, knocking off 4Zoomers and Thunder Predator along the way. In three months this team went from an afterthought in South America to a top threat to the traditional NA/SA powerhouse teams.
6. Undying (NA Upper Division)
  1. Timado 2. Bryle 3. SabeRLight 4. MoonMeander 5. Dubu
It was not surprising to anyone that a team with TI experience (Timado, Moonmeander), the former coach of SEA powerhouse Fnatic (Dubu), and [as of writing] the number 1 ranked player in EU (SabeRLight) would be competitive. What was surprising was how absolutely dominant Undying looked in NA’s Closed Qualifiers. This team has only played together for two weeks and already looks ready for primetime. With so much talent, so much potential, it will fall to less heralded Mid Laner Bryle to determine how far this team can go. Often outmatched by top NA/SA Mid Laners like Quinn, Leostyle, and Chris Luck, it will fall to Bryle to hold his own in the Mid Lane to create space for his stellar Position 1/Position 5 combo of Timado and Dubu. Already showing results beyond the sum of its parts, Undying with SabeRLight could find themselves in the fight for Major Tournament qualifying against the likes of EG and Quincy Crew.
7. SadBoys (NA Upper Division)
  1. Fear 2. dnm 3. Moo 4. Sneyking 5. ppd
Call it a comeback. ppd is back from a short lived retirement and he’s brought fellow TI winner Fear along for the ride. The former Evil Genius TI winners have assembled an NA pubstar team of sorts bringing on Moo and Sneyking from recently disbanded Team Zero (the only team to defeat Quincy Crew in a tournament Grand Finals in the second half of 2020). Newcomer Mid Laner dnm rounds out the SadBoys lineup as they head into their first NA Upper Division Season with a direct invite. SadBoys have been a work in progress during their formation. The team made significant strides in terms of chemistry and results during the last tournament of the year. If SadBoys continue to improve, they could make the race for a top 2 finish in NA’s Upper Division very interesting.
8. Beastcoast (SA Upper Division)
  1. K1 2. Chris Luck 3. Whisper 4. Scofield 5. Stinger
It’s remarkable in a year with so much player turnover beastcoast was able to retain and reassemble the 5 players that powered it to an 8th place finish at TI9 in 2019 (back then this roster played under the Infamous banner). Beastcoast dominated South America early on in the year, but for one reason or another, beastcoast lost their momentum and never finished higher than 4th place in any NA/SA tournaments. Still, beastcoast brings talent, experience, and familiarity few teams in NA/SA can match. It would not be surprising to see them recapture their competitive stride this year to challenge Thunder Predator and Infamous for the top spot in SA. It would also not be surprising for beastcoast to drift along in mediocrity.
9. Black N Yellow (NA Upper Division)
  1. YamSun 2. Ryoya 3. zero 4. FLee 5. Jubei
An NA “pubstars” team if there ever was one. Black N Yellow have formed around talented Mid Laner Ryoya. Ryoya spent much of 2020 as a Mid Laner for hire finding success as a stand in for Evil Geniuses and then dominating Quinn (Quincy Crew Position 2) during the DOTA Summit 13 Online: Americas as a member of Team Zero. Team Zero would be the only team to beat Quincy Crew in a Grand Finals after Lelis joined them as a permanent member. Team Zero’s success against Quincy Crew would be short-lived as the team disbanded a few weeks later due to “personality conflicts” between its players. This left Ryoya looking to fill out a team for the DPC. That team, Black N Yellow, has talent, but looks like it needs some time to figure out chemistry and playstyle. YamSun is the biggest question mark for Black N Yellow, bringing the least experience and accolades to the team. NA’s Upper Division will be a trial by fire for Black N Yellow’s hard carry. It’ll be a tough spot, compounded by the side-by-side comparisons he’ll attract to other established carry players in the Upper Division including Arteezy, Fear, YawaR, and even SammyBoy.
10. SG e-sports (SA Upper Division)
  1. Costabile 2. 4dr 3. kingrd 4. thiolicor 5. KJ
The former Team Brasil roster, now signed with SG e-sports, earned an Upper Division direct invite from league organizer Dota Pit on the back of a first place finish in November’s Movistar Liga Pro Gaming Season 6. While SG e-sports found success in SA action at the end of the year, they were not competitive in NA/SA competition during the rest of 2020. This SG e-sports team doesn’t lack TI or Major Tournament experience, but they were not able to translate it into much success. Can the clean slate created by the start of DPC season be the opportunity they need to build momentum?
11. Omega Gaming (SA Upper Division)
  1. Mingatte 2. Darkmango 3. Oscar 4. Matthew 5. Panda
The top finisher in SA’s Closed Qualifier, Omega Gaming may have found its missing piece in Matthew (the former Position 4 for Thunder Predator). After receiving a direct invite to the Closed Qualifier, this new look Omega Gaming went undefeated in round robin play to clinch an SA Upper Division spot. After limited success in 2020, their best finish was 6th in Realms Collide: The Burning Darkness, Omega Gaming looks to break into the DPC in a major way.
12. Team Unknown (SA Upper Division)
  1. Berna 2. Robo-Z 3. Drakeel 4. Wij 5. Yadomi
Team Unknown had a quiet 2020 to say the least. Focusing on building a team around its core players with Major Tournament experience (Berna and Wij), Team Unknown competed almost entirely in local tournaments and SA regionals. Team Unknown tested the NA/SA tournament waters during Realms Collide: The Burning Darkness, but were eliminated immediately by finishing in the bottom four of the round robin phase. Hype for this team is slowly growing after they finished 2nd in SA’s Closed Qualifiers, beating every team except for first place finisher Omega Gaming. We’ll see if this under the radar team is up to the task in SA’s Upper Division.
13. EgoBoys (SA Upper Division)
  1. NaoG 2. Alone 3. Sacred 4. Ins 5. Prada
EgoBoys assembled a completely new roster of players to head into DPC 2021. Picked from other SA teams and organizations, this EgoBoys squad is built around Position 5 player Prada (the only player on the roster with Major Tournament experience). This current incarnation of EgoBoys did show flashes of talent, and clearly play together at a talent level beyond their individual rankings. After a lackluster round robin phase of the Closed Qualifiers, EgoBoys started to click taking down Infinity Esports and Latam Defenders on their way to qualifying for SA’s Upper Division.
14. 5ManMidas (NA Upper Division)
  1. Lies 2. RRL 3. Monster 4. Aikster 5. Shoe
A surprise addition by league organizer Beyond the Summit to the slate of direct invites to NA’s Closed Qualifier. But, the 5ManMidas core of RRL, Monster, and Shoe and newly added NoPango alums Lies and Aikster took care of business defeating Electronic Boys and It's Okay on their way to qualifying for NA’s Upper Division. This new look 5ManMidas will be hard pressed against their fellow Upper Division opponents not to find themselves in a fight to avoid relegation as one of the bottom 2 teams in the Upper Division.
15. simply TOOBASED (NA Lower Division)
  1. boris 2. iAnnihilate 3. monkeys-forever 4. zfreek 5. empyreaN
It took a few tries, but NA veteran and journeyman monkeys-forever has found a competitive team to compete with in the 2021 DPC. After two days of failed attempts to qualify through NA’s Open Qualifiers, many teams reshuffled lineups. The best players of floundering teams organized themselves into “pubstar” teams to have a better chance of qualifying into the Lower Division. Of these Open Qualifier pubstar teams simply TOOBASED is probably the best, and proved as much by smashing their way through the third day of Open Qualifiers while also beating fellow Lower Division qualifier the Cut along the way. It will be interesting to see how a team that scrambled to assemble itself will develop chemistry over an entire year of competition. If simply TOOBASED can figure it out, they could be a team to watch for a top 2 finish in the Lower Division.
16. Latam Defenders (SA Upper Division)
  1. Cucahook 2. Sueño 3. Valqui 4. Moonlight 5. Aretes
It seemed Latam Defenders, after receiving a direct invite to SA’s Closed Qualifiers, was destined for Lower Division mediocrity. Made up of mostly inexperienced players with limited regional tournament experience and success, many did not think much of Latam Defenders’ chances. But, Latam Defenders had other ideas. After squeaking through the round robin phase of the Closed Qualifier, Latam Defenders caught fire, knocking off Incubus Club twice and taking a game from EgoBoys in the knockout playoffs on their way to secure the last slot in the Upper Division. We’ll see if Latam Defenders can rise to the challenge of competition in SA’s Upper Division.
17. 0-900 (SA Lower Division)
  1. Madara 2. kxy 3. Greedy 4. Sl4d1n- 5. Jericho
SA standouts kxy (Faker) and Sl4d1n- formed this stack after parting ways with their respective teams in 2020. Their former teams would go on to receive direct invites into the Upper Division and Closed Qualifiers. Faced with a difficult bracket in the one and only open qualifier for the SA regional league, 0-900 dominated. The cherry on top was taking down One Million in the finals of the Open Qualifier. The Brazilian squad of One Million, stacked with talented players and Major tournament experience, was no match for this hungry 0-900 squad. 0-900 has the pieces to put together a top 2 finish and promotion into the Upper Division. Playing with chips on their shoulders of being dropped from teams and denied direct invites to the DPC from league organizer Dota Pit, we’ll see if Faker, Sl4d1n-, and the rest of 0-900 can challenge for a top 2 finish in the SA Lower Division.
18. A-Team (NA Upper Division)
  1. Rises 2. Princee 3. TheBloodSky 4. Szabo 5. TBD
The biggest unknown when it comes to teams in NA, A-Team stands at a crossroads. After blasting through the second day of Open Qualifiers, A-Team secured a Closed Qualifier spot. A-Team was outmatched by Undying in the first round of the Closed Qualifer, but were able to rebound and knock off Electronic Boys to make it to a finals showdown with Team DogChamp where the winner would clinch the last NA Upper Division slot. However, the day before the match, league organizer Beyond the Summit (BTS) and Valve announced A-Team’s most well known player (position 5 DeMoN) was banned from the DPC for previous, substantiated misconduct at past Dota 2 tournaments. It was a shock for the ban to come so late into the qualifiers and another example of BTS poor decision making when it comes to NA Dota 2 players with personal connections. It appears Valve had to step in and enforce a ban which BTS was either unwilling or unable to implement themselves. This lack of conviction and consistent leadership has left BTS in full on damage control.
We’ll see in the rescheduled match with Team DogChamp on January 13, 2020 [Update: A-Team Defeated Team DogChamp 2-1] if the remaining members of A-Team can pick up the pieces, find a suitable replacement, and regain competitive form in either the Upper or Lower Division.
19. Incubus Club (SA Lower Division)
  1. Benny 2. mini 3. Jupiter 4. MahhxD 5. Nuages
The former players of Jaguares Esports have reformed for this incarnation of Incubus Club ahead of their first DPC season. In 2020, these player’s best results came around December in the BTS Pro Series Season 4: Americas tournament. Knocking off Infinity Esports in the SA Open Qualifier for the last tournament of 2020, Incubus Club found limited success in the tournament itself finishing last in the round robin stage, but were able to win a series 2-0 against Arkosh Gaming. This result was enough for Dota Pit to send a direct invite to the CQ for the DPC regional league Incubus Club’s way. Incubus Club found some success in the round robin portion placing 3rd out of the 8 CQ teams, but lost two separate series to Latam Defenders in the knockout playoffs to wind up starting the season in SA’s Lower Division.
20. Infinity Esports (SA Lower Division)
  1. Arms 2. PiPi 3. LittleBoy 4. Pamplona 5. SexyeYogye
Hard Carry Arms headlines Infinity Esports as they look to move up from the Lower Division in SA. During the Closed Qualifiers, Infinity Esports found moderate success and managed to win a game against Upper Division bound Ego Boys in the round robin stage. That success was short lived as a rematch with EgoBoys in the knockout bracket of the Closed Qualifier forced Infinity Esports into SA’s Lower Division. Still, this team has shown they can compete and will not be an easy win for teams looking to make a run in SA’s Lower Division.
21. Team DogChamp (NA Lower Division)
  1. MightyMarcus 2. raylalisa 3. lukiluki 4. yarintheslayer 5. Bloody Nine
The breakout team of the first day of NA Open Qualifiers, Team DogChamp blew through the competition (including a 2-0 victory over Arkosh Gaming) to earn a spot in the Closed Qualifier. After losing in the first round of the Closed Qualifier to eventual Upper Division qualifier Black N Yellow, Team DogChamp knocked out the Closed Qualifier direct invite Byzantine Raiders before setting up a finals match with A-Team. Winner of this one (to be played Jan 13) goes to the Upper Division, the loser is knocked down to the Lower Division [Update: A-Team Defeated Team Dog Champ 2-1].
Time and time again our rankings team tuned into SammyBoy’s (4Zoomers Position 5) streamer coverage of the NA Open Qualifiers to hear him criticize Team DogChamp’s Position 3 lukiluki’s play, only to have Team DogChamp win, and win again, and again. With lukiluki a known entity in the Dota 2 streaming sphere it will be hard for this team to shake the mantle of “lukiluki’s new team.” But, let’s be clear. Raylalisa, BNine, Marcus, and yarin can compete, and with a constant chip on their shoulders from the dismissive attitude shown by more established NA teams, this might be an underDogChamp story to follow.
22. Electronic Boys (NA Lower Division)
  1. Speeed 2. Mio 3. Giant 4. DoublA 5. abinozebra1
Electronic Boys comes into the NA Lower Division with a big question mark hanging over their heads. How competitive will this team be? After falling to A-Team in the finals of the Open Qualifiers on the second day of competition, Electronic Boys managed to make it into the Closed Qualifier by winning a third place match and filling the vacancy left by a disqualified VirtusProPolar squad. It was 5ManMidas and then A-Team again dealing losses to Electronic Boys in the Closed Qualifier, forcing them into the Lower Division of NA. This NA squad has players ranked in the top 250 in the region, but it’s unclear if this squad will capture any magic in the Lower Division.
23. It's Okay (NA Lower Division)
  1. Ifrit 2. esk 3. Sword 4. Niqua 5. KKT
It's Okay had two strong days in NA’s Open Qualifiers. On the first day It's Okay made it all the way to the finals before falling to VirtusProPolar. VirtusProPolar would lose their qualification spot for using an unapproved substitute the next day. On day two of the Open Qualifiers It's Okay would find success knocking off Hawksmash in the finals to secure a spot in the closed Qualifier. Closed Qualifiers proved too much for It's Okay losing all four games they played in route to being bounced into the Lower Division. Semi-Pro players Ifrit and esk have found success in local tournaments in Mexico, but have never really broken through open qualifier brackets when it came to bigger tournaments. Now add in Niqua who has major (but limited) experience with European powerhouse Alliance, and we may have found a Lower Division team capable of pushing for a top two finish in the Lower Division.
24. Hokori (SA Lower Division)
  1. Lumière 2. near 3. Vitaly 4. elmisho 5. Gard1ck
Hokori did not fare well in the SA Closed Qualifier after receiving a direct invite from league organizer Dota Pit. Hokori finished 7th out of 8 teams in the closed qualifier, but having received a direct invite the team is still qualified for the Lower Division. However, Hokori was able to dominate the worst team in the closed qualifier (Crewmates) and took a game off of Infinity Esports. Make no mistake, it will be on the 37th ranked player in NA (pos 3 Vitaly) to pull this team through SA’s Lower Division.
25. Crewmates (SA Lower Division)
  1. Fcr 2. 4nalog 3. H1j4ck 4. Kaffurtado 5. Flash
One of the few unsponsored teams to earn a direct invite (and guaranteed Lower Division placement) for the SA Closed Qualifier from league organizer Dota Pit, Crewmates did little to prove worthy of a direct invite. Crewmates finished dead last in the Closed Qualifier only managing to steal one game from Latam Defenders. Latam Defenders, would move on to the knockout round and find their stride by qualifying for the Upper Division, while Crewmates have yet to find their stride. Will they find it in the first season of the DPC, or will this direct invite continue to haunt Dota Pit as teams with more experienced players failed to make it through Open Qualifiers.
26. The Cut (NA Lower Division)
  1. Scrooge McDuck 2. Lil Nick 3. Cyg3n 4. versatile 5. pingu
​
The Cut is an appropriate name for this group of young and inexperienced NA players. Many of the Cut’s players found themselves scrambling for new teams during Open Qualifiers as they were dropped from their original teams or were left teamless after a team disbandment. Somehow this scrappy team put it all together on the final day of NA Open Qualifiers in order to clinch a Lower Division spot. Only pos 4 pingu has recent tournament experience from his stint with NoPango in the DOTA Summit 13 Online: Americas. After qualifying, the Cut find themselves in the position of proving they belong in the DPC, as they look to avoid a bottom two finish and elimination from the DPC.
27. Arkosh Gaming (NA Lower Division)
  1. Pale Horse 2. Canus Vulpus 3. Gremlo 4. Crow 5. G.O.A.T.
We won’t relitigate the NoPango vs. Arkosh Gaming controversy, but if you need a primer read on here. Arkosh burst onto the scene as the brainchild of Dota 2 streamer and content creator SirActionSlacks. As the team’s manager, Slacks built up what hype he could for his new team by calling them the “saviors” of NA Dota 2, promising to dominate the competition with insulting videos and social media. The team itself is allegedly composed of players who are streamers, casters, and professional coaches. Players who out of fear of smearing their own brands with poor results have fought to remain anonymous behind the pysudonym player names above.
After embarrassment after embarrassment in show matches and the BTS Pro Series Season 4: Americas (Arkosh received a direct invite to the tournament on the back of personal connections between Arkosh and tournament organizer Beyond the Summit) the narrative from Arkosh turned from the “saviors” to the “villians” with Slacks claiming his plan for the team the whole time was for NA to unite around its hatred of Arkosh and therefore save it...or something. Issues with the creation and running of this team aside, Arkosh Gaming has not been a good team in competition, only managing to squeak through the third day of Open Qualifiers with direct qualification into the Lower Division. Avoid the spin from its manager, and expect Arkosh to be in a fight to avoid elimination from the Lower Division this season.
28. Byzantine Raiders (NA Lower Division)
  1. Murderer 2. AlienManaBanana 3. Quebe 4. Froogoss 5. Lightshader
Another example of NA DPC organizer Beyond the Summit’s questionable judgement when it comes to organizing events in NA. Beyond the Summit (BTS) is known for running tournaments with a frat house mentality of giving direct invites to friends of the organization and “established” figures in the NA scene while forgoing the spirit of open competition. So eyebrows were raised when BTS extended a direct invite to caster and semi-pro player Froogoss’ inexperienced squad. A direct invite that would guarantee the Raiders a spot in at least the NA Lower Division. While the other three closed qualifier direct invite teams were dominating open qualifier teams on their way to qualifying for the Upper Division, the Raiders could barely put up a fight, only winning one game while losing both of their series against teams thought to be lesser competition. But, thanks to BTS, and its direct invite, the Raiders lost their way into the NA Lower Division while stronger looking teams failed to qualify through the open qualifying bracket. The Byzantine Raiders will have a lot of work to do to prove they belong in the DPC. If they find themselves at the bottom of the pack at the end of the season, it will only result in further embarrassment for BTS.
29. Gorillaz-Pride (SA Lower Division)
  1. Timo 2. TaO 3. Benjaz 4. D1smar 5. Cara
It’s not totally unsurprising to see sponsored Gorillaz-Pride so far down the ladder in SA heading into the season. Gorillaz-Pride never lived up to any of its potential in 2020, crashing and burning in their only NA/SA tournament action when they went an abysmal 0-7 in matches during the group stage of ESL One Thailand 2020: Americas. Player turnover is one factor to point to in the less than stellar 2020 results. Gorillaz-Pride has reloaded itself ahead of the season, however, adding TI experience in the form pos 3 player Benjaz. Perhaps a consistent lineup will enable G-Pride to reach their potential. For now, they will have to fight to prove they can be competitive in SA’s Lower Division.
30. Inverse (SA Lower Division)
  1. Sweettam 2. NoaHGod- 3. Meley 4. dededo43 5. Slaw
Inverse relied on Sweettam to carry them through to SA’s Lower Division in their best of 3 Open Qualifying final by going 14-2-13 and 12-2-8 against Anoobs Gaming. Will this team be able rise to the occasion in a hyper competitive South American Region or will they be relegated after their first DPC season? Questions abound for this new Peruvian team.
31. blood for blood (SA Lower Division)
  1. Drakeshit 2. Ñengoflow KELOKE 3. RePicantekp0 4. EzAqeghj 5. Negga
The only South American Open Qualifying team to lose a game during their run to the Lower Division, blood for blood finds themselves on the bottom of a stout Lower Division in SA.
32. Jiang hu (NA Lower Division)
  1. YouZhi 2. P1 3. OldWhite 4. stormcici 5. haoyuduan1995
Jiang hu managed to qualify on the fourth and final day of NA open qualifying by taking down VirtusProPolar, a team that dominated the first day of Open Qualifiers before losing its spot for using an unauthorized substitute during the qualifiers. Jiang hu has some work to do in order to not be on the chopping block of relegation at the end of the season.
The Big Finish
So there are your DPC Pre-Season Power Rankings for the North America and South America UppeLower Divisions. We hope this served as a good primer to get you up to speed on the teams and storylines for the upcoming DPC season kicking off on January 16, 2021. For more information on everything Pro-Dota 2 head over to Liquidpedia or follow along with Valve’s companion app.
You’re still here? What’s next for the Dota 2 Ranks NASA Team? Well, if even one person finds our rankings interesting and throws us a follow on twitter (@DPC_NASARanks) we are planning on updating our Power Rankings weekly, as well as releasing an RPI Rankings and Fan Vote Rankings after the second or third week of competition.
Be sure to let us know what you think we got right and more importantly what we got wrong in the comments. Hope to see you next week for our Week 1 NA/SA DPC Power Rankings.
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top online slot games 2020

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