Bracket Breakdown for Dummies

Unknown

Ok so I'm not a newbie...been playing for a while but I don't usually get too involved in the forums lingo etc. I have noticed lately that I'm landing way down in the 100+ on most of the rounds where I used to be able to finish top 50. I've got 39 characters, only 2 1*, about 5 maxed out 2 star and random 2.3.4 star so low they are really not that useful yet. Someone please explain to me what's going on. Am I falling into this higher bracket you guys are talking about and what can I do to help myself out. I find I'm using all my energies and buying more only to finish too low to get a real prize and when I do get a coin I end up with a stupid black widow, Thor, hawkeye or someone I've already maxed out. I'm really getting frustrated and disinterested but I've sunk some $$ into this game. What gives?

Unknown

Never buy health packs dude. Unless you desperately need them (Like no time to wait for them to regenerate etc)

What team do you use? What scores do you typically finish with? Are you shielding at the end of the events to protect your score? Are you running into a wall of 166?

Unknown

I usually rotate between 2* Thor, black widow, ares, wolverine, hulk, hawkeye , storm and throw in magneto and 1* ironman those are the main ones I have maxed out now. I have a lot of good guys but can't seem to get power ups to go with them. It's like I get up in the bracket then play a game and get hit for 40 friggin points and next thing I know I'm way down and can only play people who are stacked to kill me.

Unknown

Yep, you've basically hit transition.

If you don't shield, you're gonna need to start shielding. I started out shielding at 3 hours to save on hp, though that is the busiest time to start climbing. If you can't shield every pvp, save your hp for events that have top 10 characters in them.

It might be time to learn the basics of tanking. It doesn't lower the difficulty of your matches too much but every bit helps.

Unknown

Kaigen wrote:

Yep, you've basically hit transition.

If you don't shield, you're gonna need to start shielding. I started out shielding at 3 hours to save on hp, though that is the busiest time to start climbing. If you can't shield every pvp, save your hp for events that have top 10 characters in them.

It might be time to learn the basics of tanking. It doesn't lower the difficulty of your matches too much but every bit helps.

Please explain tanking. Thanks for your input.

Unknown

Tanking is the art of losing PvP matches on purpose to lower your MMR so you get easier matchups up to a certain point.

Also, try to make your team to be as least attractive to hit as possible. Try to use Ares OBW as most as possible IMO, especially as your score increases to maybe around 500-600 and higher. Once you reach a certain point threshold (About 400-500), your MMR will no longer be in effect for matches and will be based more on score (And more so the higher you go). If you throw out fragile and weak defensive teams, especially higher up, you put a big Bullseye on you. Offensive power is only one part of being successful in PvP. Intimidation is the other. You must intimidate the opponent as much as possible with your character choices.

Nellyson

coolchip10 wrote:

Kaigen wrote:

Yep, you've basically hit transition.

If you don't shield, you're gonna need to start shielding. I started out shielding at 3 hours to save on hp, though that is the busiest time to start climbing. If you can't shield every pvp, save your hp for events that have top 10 characters in them.

It might be time to learn the basics of tanking. It doesn't lower the difficulty of your matches too much but every bit helps.

Please explain tanking. Thanks for your input.

Tanking is losing on purpose. By tanking, you affect your win-loss record because the losses you experience on defense when you get those gigantic 40 point hits don't count into this. So you need to lose. The more you lose, the easier your opponents become at the lower intervals and also puts you in favorable match ups up to around 600 total event points. After 600, sometimes 500, you're gonna see the hard opponents. Once you hit 700, all maxed 3 teams.

Unknown

Thanks...will try this and see. Also I do think I need to start shielding ugh...thanks this is the first game I've really gotten into so deep usually it's my husband.

Unknown

One of the devs commented recently that beginner players are in a separate PVP bracket from players who have had more time to play. I'm not sure what the cutoff day is (maybe one or two months), but perhaps you crossed that threshold and have now "joined the party".

The above poster said it correct: use Ares+OBW as much as possible until you get some 3*'s ready to rock. This was the route I took as well.

Try to join a good alliance, top100 if possible. I joined a top100 not too long after getting Ares+OBW maxed, though it might be more difficult today given recent changes. The point is: don't aim too low. Get in the best alliance you can. It really accelerates your progress.

Consider shielding in events with key covers and decent confidence in securing the cover. 75 or 150HP is much cheaper than 1250 HP to buy the cover direct. Having said that, I wouldn't discourage buying key covers for your chars. If you're free to play, that's a non-option, but buying key covers really accelerates your game. I bought Hulk black, Sentry green/yellow, BP black, and Hood blue and don't regret it. There is no shame in supporting the game and the devs if you really enjoy it. Once you get a high level Sentry, Hulk or Hood on your team, the amount of hits you take goes down drastically. I used to be cloaked in hits and retaliations during my Ares+OBW days, but no longer. It gets easier in this sense. Never give up.

If you have Facebook, add MPQ friends to swap ISO rewards. When you really get a big friend's list going, it easily adds up to over 1k per day.

Unknown

Nellyson wrote:

Tanking is losing on purpose. By tanking, you affect your win-loss record because the losses you experience on defense when you get those gigantic 40 point hits don't count into this. So you need to lose. The more you lose, the easier your opponents become at the lower intervals and also puts you in favorable match ups up to around 600 total event points. After 600, sometimes 500, you're gonna see the hard opponents. Once you hit 700, all maxed 3 teams.

The one problem with MMR and MMR manipulation like tanking is everyone seems to have different information about it. For example, from my experience defensive losses have made my match ups in the 0-500 range easier so I frequently put up an easy team to beat and let people hammer me overnight.

D2KM_

Kaigen wrote:

and let people hammer me overnight.

That's what she said
(insert classic Michael Scott/The Office stare at camera)

In all seriousness though, I think Kaigen is on to something regarding defensive losses. If you want i can PM you what has worked for me...dont really want to post strategy here, you never know when big brother may be watching Lol

D2KM

Unknown

Thanks guys...D2KM I will pm you.

Killinstinct

camichan wrote:

One of the devs commented recently that beginner players are in a separate PVP bracket from players who have had more time to play. I'm not sure what the cutoff day is (maybe one or two months), but perhaps you crossed that threshold and have now "joined the party..

It is not based on number of days or something. I am on the border of this boundary. If I am in the beginner bracket I can easily be top 25/50 with 300 points . But then in the next event I am in the normal bracket, so i don't even try,. I only play 1 or 2 matches and finish 490th. After this event I am again in the beginner bracket.

Wonko33

find your sweet spot, the amount of points where you can win a few more matches but then usually get hit back hard and go back down.

Get close to it, don't pass it, when there is less than 3 hours left hit matches as fast as you can, use boosts to win matches you should lose, make sure all 5 health packs are available when you start , then when out of boosts and/or health, 3 hour shield and hope for the best.

I used to be super conservative with boosts, to the point that I had never run out of one and did not know some you can buy with iso, now I use them all the time when I reach my max, the place where I can't beat the teams worth more than 20 points without boosts. I used to skip a ton to find a match that cost a lot of iso, now I use the 200 iso on boosts instead.