Hardcore mode
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:50 am
I really enjoy hardcore mode. You get to use a lot of set decks that you would normally use in quick mode that would be impossible to use in pro mode because your opponent can see it coming. With that being said there aren't really of the elements of pro mode in hardcore mode. Pro mode is all about dynamic decking and building a deck perfectly suited against your opponent. I suppose they're not meant to be the same though cause some people like to play their "sets" and anyone who wants to play a dynamic deck can just go play pro mode. At the same time there are some elements of pro mode in hardcore mode for example you are picking a set of six cards that will work well against your opponents previous set of six. Although I play mostly hardcore mode and have a fairly high win rate there are some aggregations of feeling like its a crap shoot. You are constantly guessing which set your opponent is gonna play. As a top player this forces you to play a broad deck approach often. Rather than playing sets you are often playing decks that will work well against a variety of decks. It's risky to play sets bc if you run up against the wrong set you will get demolished. For example I often play a set in the second round that would do well against bears, healing nine tail foxes, and area attacking swarms. Because I feel confident I will win the first round I am always guessing what to do next on the second round. Often against a top player anyone's game on each of the three rounds so we are just guessing sets to play against each other in each round. It's basically two out of three guesses wins. In each round we know it's gonna be too close to call and we have to pick our next six based very loosely on the fact that we might lose and more on the memory and psychology of what they've done in the past and what they will do this time. There's a lot of guessing, luck, and reverse psychology involved such as oops I'm gonna do this instead this time. A lot of this adds an element of luck to hardcore mode and definitely makes you want to pay attention to who you are playing and what they did last time and what they think you're thinking they are thinking of doing this time. I personally would be interested in a compromised version of hardcore mode though I'm not sure if anyone would be with me or not. For example the possibility of making just the third round done like pro mode. This would allow sets to dominate rounds one and two but let dynamic decking and skill come more into play in the third and final round. If there was just one round where you and your opponents could both see what you were each doing it would be nice. Personally set decks don't take a lot of thought and strategy and most people just copy sets from others leading to copy cat after copy cat. A dynamic deck is a one of a kind deck that you may never even play again and requires a lot of thought and strategy and inventiveness. Anyone else's thoughts? Does everyone else prefer the set strategy method only or think that there's some guessing and reverse psychology involved?