How do all the bugs affect your approach to PvP?

Rhasget

I have always liked PvP more than PvE. And as I have improved with deckbuilding and getting a bigger collection of cards and PWs I am striving for top places.

But the bugs that exist now and have for some time is ruining my experience.

Last in TDW I ranted first about a wave of Greg supercascading for several matches, fine not a bug but annoying. When I settled down I continued to salvage the rest of my event.

But the final round of charges produced no more than four autoloosing bugs (three times Greg became invincible after I destroyed Lich's Mastery and once an added ability made me not able to draw any cards in any way, Gregs extra ult was stuck and he drew full cards every round instead).
I was angry at the game (and devs) wasting my effort and time spent on, mostly, known gamebreaking bugs.

This makes me wonder if they even care about the state of the game. The bug forum is flooding every day, ranging from small annoyances to cards not working to cards actually breaking the game. How can they just let it go on when it has such an impact on the main events?

I will probably just use what I have ready for the event and play for progress and coalition points. Solo ranking is more about avoiding crashes, freezes and bugs than actually making good decks and playing smart. At least for me now.

Mburn7

I always try to live by the rule "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst" when doing PvP.  I pack extra removal spells even though I know I probably won't need them, because otherwise I won't draw any.  If there is a particularly nasty buggy card I know of, I try to put in a way to deal with it (again, even though I most likely won't need it).

If I can't guarantee a counter, I just try to win as fast as possible while getting the objectives.  Leave the AI less chance to screw me up.

But yeah, I feel you.  The bugs are getting ridiculous.  Its probably because they are rushing out a new set every 3 months to keep up with the paper schedule.

DBJones

Strangely, despite my mediocre $40 Amazon phone, I hit surprisingly few bugs. Super cascading Greg screws me over far more often. In Dragon War I lost 20 points, all versus Origins Planeswalkers, mostly Liliana. Three of those were because of that raid damage spell not being able to target my own creatures to hit 12 damage, despite not saying it was limited to opponent's creatures. The rest were due to ridiculous Greg luck. So, I don't really worry about it, I just build the best decks I can.

Brakkis

They make me less inclined to want to participate in it.

Mark_Tedin

Rhasget said:

But the bugs that exist now and have for some time is ruining my experience.

Last in TDW I ranted first about a wave of Greg supercascading for several matches, fine not a bug but annoying. When I settled down I continued to salvage the rest of my event.

I was perfect in TDW for 2 days, when i lost 4 continuous matchs for crazy supercascades. After this, i took a freeze. This seems like some kind of Greg´s compensation. And I already heard some similar things from mates. I really do not know. but it's very annoying.

UweTellkampf

Wait, are we talking conspiracy theories about rng or bugs?

Bugs: There, where is a way to avoid them (e.g. bugged cards), I do so. There, where is a way to minimize the chance to getting them, I try to do so. Often there is no way to avoid or a way to minimize the chance to getting them, and so after I encounter one, a freeze for example, I just stare angrily and broken at something friendly in my garden for a while, a bug or a plant.

Rhasget

No conspiracy theory from me regarding the bugs. The cascades appearing might be connected to an earlier statement that the difficulty in events would increase as you progressed. Im just guessing that Greg gets permission to match differently when stepping up and if you play sloppy he wrecks you instead of just playing along.
But thats another discussion.


I have avoided using Hixus to not get a freeze from it in earlier events. Seems to be fixed now.
Theres also the Lich's Mastery bug so I don't use it either in case someone steals it and use it against me (don't use it much anyway though).

Settle the Wreckage doesn't break the game but can throw your game if it fails to trigger at all when you expect it to so that's out.

And the list goes on with cards I have learnt behave odd or doesn't work at all.

spadpl

For me, bugs are part of the game (unfortunately), almost in each event I lost a game or two due freezes - life ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But seeing all the complaining about cascades makes me really wonder. How many times did you make a match, to create a cascade, get extra swap? Did AI complain after each event? Or did you thought, "gosh, this cascade of mine was really a bit over the top"?

Human brain remembers much longer negative experience than positive. Maybe this is a reason? 

I was also perfect after 3 rounds and then lost 2 games, both because I faced better decks. Not because of cascades or sophisticated AI, no - AI used available resources in the right way.

It's not an accident that the same people are on top all the time. They are good, make good decks, play wise, there is no secret there.

I would like to increase AI winning ratio from 5-10% in my case, to at least 30% (still like to win) to make it more of a challenge.

UweTellkampf

I am on the same boat as @spadpl - I thoroughly enjoyed the short time of Greg being smart. He was matching 5s whenever possible and actually waiting to use abilities other than his first. The game was harder, much less predictable and thus much more enjoyable. I honestly sometimes cherish that "crazy cascade" moment of Greg's because most of the times it is the only true challenge that I am facing in these mostly one-sided matches. Except when I get my **** handed by @Rhasget like in the last PVP event...

souki12

I've lost track what cards and what combinations of cards are buggy. I build a deck and hope for the best.

And on occasions when I remember that a card is bugged and in my deck, I don't play it unless absolutely necessary to save my tinykitty.

Btw, I tend to notice my lucky cascades. I certainly had more then Greg this morning in TG. And I felt sorry almost for every single one. ;-)

Rhasget

This discussion wasn't really about lucky Greg but I mentioned it first so it's my own fault 

@spadpl
I actually note the total managain in games when there are no major rampingspells/supports in play (usually the first few rounds since most decks have some ramp ro skew tracking gains from straight swaps) to have something to compare to when I get annoyed.
And mostly it's even or in my favor. But when I get annoyed is when it's really skewed. Like in TDW where I had a string of games where the numbers were very off (and I would like to see the 'top players' counter those).

TDW average total mana/round (Me vs Greg):
6.2 - 4.1

My top three highest difference (my gains first):
17.1-3.3
16.0-3.9
14.4-3.7

Gregs top three highest average (my gains first):
0-34.9
2.8-20.7
2.9-17.8

So I know that Greg doesn't get more cascades and that he doesn't autowin when he does get them.
These extremes are usually only one/weekend event and if Greg doesn't have cards to fill or even the right cards it won't do much harm anyway.

spadpl

Yes, we went a bit off-topic

As I recall @Volrak was gathering stats regarding cascades/mana gains, but I am not sure, if project is still live?

madwren

Be careful not to exile Lich's Mastery with River's Rebuke. That might be the problem.

Anyway, bugs are bugs. It sucks, but since there's nothing I can do about them except report them, I just try to play around them and hope for the best.

Mburn7

madwren said:

Be careful not to exile Lich's Mastery with River's Rebuke. That might be the problem.

Anyway, bugs are bugs. It sucks, but since there's nothing I can do about them except report them, I just try to play around them and hope for the best.

You mean bounce?  Or does it exile instead of destroy with a full hand?

Regardless, I'll keep that interaction in mind going forward

wereotter

I don’t trust my fellow players not to use cards that are bugged or broken to exploit the game for easy wins. So I simply don’t play PvP games unless the progression rewards are worth the stress, or the event is short, like Across Ixalan. 

madwren

Mburn7 said:

madwren said:

Be careful not to exile Lich's Mastery with River's Rebuke. That might be the problem.

Anyway, bugs are bugs. It sucks, but since there's nothing I can do about them except report them, I just try to play around them and hope for the best.

You mean bounce?  Or does it exile instead of destroy with a full hand?

Regardless, I'll keep that interaction in mind going forward

Sorry, yes, bounce. It's similar to how River's Rebuke can bounce Hixus and it won't enable your creatures, because the "on destroy" effect isn't triggered.

Mburn7

wereotter said:

I don’t trust my fellow players not to use cards that are bugged or broken to exploit the game for easy wins. So I simply don’t play PvP games unless the progression rewards are worth the stress, or the event is short, like Across Ixalan. 

That's awfully bleak.  Although I can't fault your logic (I still remember when bugged cards would crash the game, and people would run decks full of them just to crash out their enemies)

I'd still recommend playing the events, though.  Even if you don't get top rewards because of bugs, something is better than nothing.  Especially with the guaranteed mythic rewards nowadays

wereotter

Mburn7 said:

wereotter said:

I don’t trust my fellow players not to use cards that are bugged or broken to exploit the game for easy wins. So I simply don’t play PvP games unless the progression rewards are worth the stress, or the event is short, like Across Ixalan. 

That's awfully bleak.  Although I can't fault your logic (I still remember when bugged cards would crash the game, and people would run decks full of them just to crash out their enemies)

I'd still recommend playing the events, though.  Even if you don't get top rewards because of bugs, something is better than nothing.  Especially with the guaranteed mythic rewards nowadays

I've never won a guaranteed mythic, and the frustration of the troll PvP decks made me quit the game entirely for several months. In fact, I find if an event has better rewards, the trolling and the frustration is even higher making me even less excited to play. I still do the PvE events, and I did the Dragon War, but I won't be doing Race to Orazca.

Mburn7

wereotter said:

Mburn7 said:

wereotter said:

I don’t trust my fellow players not to use cards that are bugged or broken to exploit the game for easy wins. So I simply don’t play PvP games unless the progression rewards are worth the stress, or the event is short, like Across Ixalan. 

That's awfully bleak.  Although I can't fault your logic (I still remember when bugged cards would crash the game, and people would run decks full of them just to crash out their enemies)

I'd still recommend playing the events, though.  Even if you don't get top rewards because of bugs, something is better than nothing.  Especially with the guaranteed mythic rewards nowadays

I've never won a guaranteed mythic, and the frustration of the troll PvP decks made me quit the game entirely for several months. In fact, I find if an event has better rewards, the trolling and the frustration is even higher making me even less excited to play. I still do the PvE events, and I did the Dragon War, but I won't be doing Race to Orazca.

If you did Dragon War, did you get the Dragon Hoard reward for progression?  That (and Immortal Sun and Firesong and Sunspeaker before it) was the guaranteed mythic I was referring to.  And I understand your frustration.  Its just hard to see someone start to actively dislike playing a game like this after so much time.

wereotter

Mburn7 said:

wereotter said:

Mburn7 said:

wereotter said:

I don’t trust my fellow players not to use cards that are bugged or broken to exploit the game for easy wins. So I simply don’t play PvP games unless the progression rewards are worth the stress, or the event is short, like Across Ixalan. 

That's awfully bleak.  Although I can't fault your logic (I still remember when bugged cards would crash the game, and people would run decks full of them just to crash out their enemies)

I'd still recommend playing the events, though.  Even if you don't get top rewards because of bugs, something is better than nothing.  Especially with the guaranteed mythic rewards nowadays

I've never won a guaranteed mythic, and the frustration of the troll PvP decks made me quit the game entirely for several months. In fact, I find if an event has better rewards, the trolling and the frustration is even higher making me even less excited to play. I still do the PvE events, and I did the Dragon War, but I won't be doing Race to Orazca.

If you did Dragon War, did you get the Dragon Hoard reward for progression?  That (and Immortal Sun and Firesong and Sunspeaker before it) was the guaranteed mythic I was referring to.  And I understand your frustration.  Its just hard to see someone start to actively dislike playing a game like this after so much time.

Ooooh yes. I got those, thought you were referring to something you got for ranking.

And I don't dislike the game in general, I just don't like facing off against decks that people have made intentionally to troll other players, and am frustrated with specific planeswalkers, and the decks people tend to build (Bolas decks, for example, that still carry 3-4 destroy target creature spells when the AI will spam that same ability constantly) The PvE events I still really enjoy.