SCL 8 vs. 9 -- much play/opponent difference in Shield Sim (and PvP)?

Yepyep

So I always play in SCL 8 but now I'm not sure why. I know from desperate, sad experience that the difference for me between 8 and 9 in PvE is "can compete" vs "cannot compete without many hours and using Deadpool whales."

So is there much difference in the competition one faces between the two levels in Shield Sim? I assume that the difference one faces, if any, would be analogous in PvP events -- though if that's wrong, please set me straight.

Thoughts? I'm a mid-4* tier player with ~25 champs. Thanks very much!

Phumade

In pvp and shield sims,  your opponents are determined by your roster (after buffs), and your current score.  Your SCL has no effect on your opponents being either easier or harder.

That said,  scl9 generally has more players who can reach higher scores than scl8.

Borstock

So if you primarily play PvP for progression rewards, there's absolutely no reason to play in any SCL other than the highest one available to you. 

Yepyep

OK, great. Super helpful. I do primarily play for progression but place occasionally in the top-50, so not a huge deal but fun if I can swing it. I was a concerned about committing myself to a month of keeping barely above water, at best.

Thanks again!

BoyWonder1914

Do you have a PVP rank goal? I always wanted t25 because of the 3 covers/champ levels, though it wasn't the end of the world if I only got 2 at t50. The amount of work I have to do for either can be drastically different depending on the SCL. I play slice 5, and have been for as long as I can remember now. In 5.8, 900+ points has been practically guaranteed to get my t25 without having to worry too much. In certain events (like now with Offseason), it's even good enough for a t10. However in 5.9, 900 is almost barely t50, if that. Like Phumade said, there's a LOT more people in those brackets that actually shoot for 900+, so of course competition will be stiffer. Not that the people in CL8 aren't capbable too, they're just more likely to be people that are trying to get their 575-700 and be done. 

Scofie

@Yepyep

I am similar in that I'm mid-4*. I never really played PvP because there seemed too many hard matches (but then I don't like to lose...). I recently went to SCL 7 and found it a lot less of a battle to get progression. Rewards are practically no different to SCL 8 and I found Shield Sim in particular much, much easier.

Phumade

Scofie said:

@Yepyep

I am similar in that I'm mid-4*. I never really played PvP because there seemed too many hard matches (but then I don't like to lose...). I recently went to SCL 7 and found it a lot less of a battle to get progression. Rewards are practically no different to SCL 8 and I found Shield Sim in particular much, much easier.

You face the exact same opponents in scl 7 as you do in scl1.  So progression is against the exact same opponents.

the only difference is that the people in lower scl score less by comparison.

all that happpens when you pick scl is deciding, who’s score you want to be compared against.  The diificulty in each match is independent of the scl u pick

Scofie

Phumade said:

Scofie said:

@Yepyep

I am similar in that I'm mid-4*. I never really played PvP because there seemed too many hard matches (but then I don't like to lose...). I recently went to SCL 7 and found it a lot less of a battle to get progression. Rewards are practically no different to SCL 8 and I found Shield Sim in particular much, much easier.

You face the exact same opponents in scl 7 as you do in scl1.  So progression is against the exact same opponents.

the only difference is that the people in lower scl score less by comparison.

all that happpens when you pick scl is deciding, who’s score you want to be compared against.  The diificulty in each match is independent of the scl u pick

It's probably my misunderstanding then. I assumed the slices were based on time and SCL so I'd only battle others who choose SCL7 at that slice.  

Granted, those folks might have uber rosters but if so they'd tend to go SCL9 because the rewards are better. Therefore the general level of opponents would be lower. 

Of course if everyone in a slice is just in a big bucket and fighting comparable people then fair enough. I made the change and it seemed easier. I rarely got hit and I was able to nail multiple nodes with the same team. 

granne

That's purely a sign that your roster is getting stronger. Only your time slice matters in terms of your opponents, not your SCL.

Phumade

There are multiple definitions of “opponents “ and your merging those definitions incorrectly.

matchup opponents (the teams you actually fight) are selected based on your boosted roster and current score.  You have limited control over the matchup opponents that are presented by the AI.

Scoring opponents (the people your scores are compared against) is solely decided by the SCl that you chose, and the exact time you joined.  So it would be accurate to say your "scoring" opponent gets easier in lower scl.  But thats not the meaning that was intended by the OP or really the definition used by experienced players in describing the situation.

Just to clarify.

the big bucket are the slice time zones (1-5).   Opponents in one time zone, never Compete against other slices in either score or opponent selection.

Each slice timezone is then subdivided into the 9 scl.  All that is decided here is picking who's score you want to be compare against.  The higher the scl, the better the prizes = better scores are "submitted" to the leaderboard.

In fact you can think of it this way.  There are actually two distinct brackets,  one that published and sorted based on scores,  and a secret one that is based on "appropriate opponents".  Membership in one bracket doesn't mean your in the other other bracket and vice versa.


People "manipulate" the first set of brackets,  by using bracket coordination rooms and or deciding on who joins which scl and in what order blah blah.

People "manipulate" the secret bracket, by crossing certain scoring thresholds and or changing the composition of their teams.

These concept are very different and distinct even through we use similar terminology to discuss them.

Scofie

Thanks for the explanation - I understand the difference between the two concepts, I just didn't know it worked like that. It was far less complicated in my head!