Dear 100 rated players
Posted: 29 February 2024, 13:32
First and foremost, I am not the best player in the universe, though I'd like to be.
Secondly, I am fully aware that what I am going to write here may not sit well with you and you'll give me a ton of hate for it. So be it. I am used to it by now. For someone, who is with the precision of a swiss clockwork, paired with a below 150-rated player easily 9/10 games, I feel this needs to be brought up.
The entry level for Arena games is 100. We know that's too low, and we also know we can't change that, because that's the bar for all games in BGA. Should that be different for team games? I guess so, but that's for another discussion.
I would like to appeal to the players, who, after a month-long grind, finally get over the 100 rating, as well as to those, who can't consistently maintain 150+ rating, to perhaps consider playing in the lobby before entering Arena. Here's why:
Tichu is a hard game to win on equal footing, let alone with the handicap of playing with an inexperienced partner. You don't get dealt 14 aces every hand, so you need to know how to capitalize on favorable deals, control the damage on less favorable deals and time your actions right. If your rating is consistently below 150, then, as bad as it sounds, you are very probably not able to do these things. And it may not be your fault. Don't get me wrong, these things are difficult to master and we all were beginners once. But lobby games are exactly the way to learn and elevate your game.
So what are you hoping to achieve queuing for Arena games?
Players playing this mode are usually seasoned, they often know how to play the game relatively well, and expect others to know it too. And if you repeatedly make elementary mistakes, it is not fun to play the game for anyone. Yes, not even for the winning side. Getting bombed and botching your call is not an elementary mistake. Playing over your partner's Ace, passing trash cards and not call, wasting bombs, unnecessarily collecting negative points, and (to not make the list too long) generally not playing to your win condition, are all in fact elementary mistakes. Frustration is brewing, and often, you will be exposed to some nasty rants from your partner. Understandably so.
Yes, your rating perhaps qualifies you to play Arena, you might be a premium member and whatnot, you are a free man/ woman, I get all that. But what good are you doing to anyone really, including yourself? Don't confuse expecting and demanding certain level of skill with selfishness. Selfishness is queuing for Arena competitive mode in a team game, when you know full well you can't compete.
Secondly, I am fully aware that what I am going to write here may not sit well with you and you'll give me a ton of hate for it. So be it. I am used to it by now. For someone, who is with the precision of a swiss clockwork, paired with a below 150-rated player easily 9/10 games, I feel this needs to be brought up.
The entry level for Arena games is 100. We know that's too low, and we also know we can't change that, because that's the bar for all games in BGA. Should that be different for team games? I guess so, but that's for another discussion.
I would like to appeal to the players, who, after a month-long grind, finally get over the 100 rating, as well as to those, who can't consistently maintain 150+ rating, to perhaps consider playing in the lobby before entering Arena. Here's why:
Tichu is a hard game to win on equal footing, let alone with the handicap of playing with an inexperienced partner. You don't get dealt 14 aces every hand, so you need to know how to capitalize on favorable deals, control the damage on less favorable deals and time your actions right. If your rating is consistently below 150, then, as bad as it sounds, you are very probably not able to do these things. And it may not be your fault. Don't get me wrong, these things are difficult to master and we all were beginners once. But lobby games are exactly the way to learn and elevate your game.
So what are you hoping to achieve queuing for Arena games?
Players playing this mode are usually seasoned, they often know how to play the game relatively well, and expect others to know it too. And if you repeatedly make elementary mistakes, it is not fun to play the game for anyone. Yes, not even for the winning side. Getting bombed and botching your call is not an elementary mistake. Playing over your partner's Ace, passing trash cards and not call, wasting bombs, unnecessarily collecting negative points, and (to not make the list too long) generally not playing to your win condition, are all in fact elementary mistakes. Frustration is brewing, and often, you will be exposed to some nasty rants from your partner. Understandably so.
Yes, your rating perhaps qualifies you to play Arena, you might be a premium member and whatnot, you are a free man/ woman, I get all that. But what good are you doing to anyone really, including yourself? Don't confuse expecting and demanding certain level of skill with selfishness. Selfishness is queuing for Arena competitive mode in a team game, when you know full well you can't compete.