To celebrate the creation of our "General" discussion forum (thank's @-V- ) I think we should kick off with a nice meaty topic. Meta. One of the key "conflicts" within team design is the tension between damage output, frags (and the card draw they generate) and the efficiency of Displacement and other positioning based Action driven approaches which are more efficient in terms of scoring. How do people see this conflict playing out in their own team selection, and their own communities? Here in Auckland, New Zealand, we've seen a good mix from day one. But I get the feeling that we are a little more into "themed" teams than a hard nosed competitive approach and this might be driving more variety than elsewhere.
So my take on it: With the increase of the Aristos and resulting potential tactics in team compositions I predict / see a shift towards higher initiative Aristos and Ini manipulation. This is because all your cool plans do not help if the opponent activates first or forces you to activate first and creating a massive tactical advantage by this. Miyamoto and Wild Bill for example are among other things so strong because Ini 6 allows them to bring the pain before anyone (except Gata and Axl) can react. An ini 4 Miamoto is in comparison a sad Miamoto (he is still a real pain, but it takes of a bit of the edge), Wild Bill with Ini 4 becomes a lot less reliable in taking out targets over distances, because 2/3 of the Aristos activate before him and can engage. Reckless Hearts is feeding this trend on two ends: first by providing the second ini 7 Aristo and secondly by bringing an initiative manipulator into the mix. If Ini is becoming more important another thing is growing in importance simultaneously: Good base stats. If your defense, brawn and agility are above average, in my opinion you can cushion the ini disadvantage a bit. Fortunately for all fans of our favorite samurai, he has some of the best stats here So to summarize: Ini plus above average base stats influence my team compositions nowadays
After playing against some different opponents from all around the world I can say: I have to learn so much about this game. :) And I don't think there is a 'meta'. There are so many tactics and approaches that I really see some characters in a different way now. And I have to admit, that even that I lost my matches so far... I love the game.
