Why Daily Tournament Can’t Have No-Random Rooms

I have been playing this game for two years already and I have to admit this game is fun. And in that span of two years many things have change in Urban Rivals.

Two years ago there were no different rooms for players, there were no deck formats and nobody cares if random exist or not because there were no no-random room back then. And then they introduced the Danger Zone a room where random does not exist and where the highest attack always win. But players never really appreciate it because it became the nesting ground of high level players or players who have the best cards during those times.

And during those time abuse of the Daily Tournament was wide spread. We have EVO abuse which is gaining massive points from evolving your cards during daily tournaments which is one of the easiest way to win back then cause you don’t have to care if you win a match or not as long as your cards level up then you are happy. OLD Abuse, which is gaining massive point by winning a KO without using a single pill. And there was Organized Play where members of the same guild will play each other in the Danger Zone and losing to the one assigned to win the tournament.

Another issue back then was that there were no proper limitation on what card you can use during daily tournaments so many new players were crying to the admins that high level players are abusing them with better cards which for me is quite ironic cause getting card in this game is easy if you bought some credits and those high level players are the one who bought credits and supported this game.

To solve this they made two new formats Type 1 and Type 2 and enforce a strict condition that there will never be a no-random daily tournament room outside the no-random ELO room. When this formats were implemented I myself supported the change.

There has been a short exchange of messages between Fraggle and me in the messageboards about this because there was no no-random room:


Jade: In my opinion there should be only one format for daily tournament instead of two and just make the possible unused room in to no-random rooms.

Fraggle: Unfortunately, it would be unfair if not everyone in the same tournament would be in the same conditions. That’s the main reason we dropped the non-random room from tournaments. We do not like/want to make some players unhappy, but we have to make decisions.

We understand that every change will make some players unhappy. It’s unfortunate

Now, if you take the time to try and enjoy the new (much more fair) tournament format and the global SureShot rule, I’m quite sure you might find that tournaments are now actually pretty interesting and that the randomness of the game can be “controlled”.

And yes, the old tournament way was flawed and packed with cheaters and players who abused every rules of the game (and yes, we received tons of messages about that).

Before: always the same players, always the same deck, 200 points ahead of the main players. Now: various winners (low levels and high levels), various deck, much more tension, close scores.

And if there is less participants, that’s obviously because before, players were in tournaments without “knowing” it. Give a bit of time while everyone adjusts to the new system.

Jade: I know but having two types of decks format in the same tournament already makes not everyone in the same conditions?

Before Danger Zone was open to guys below level 25, people play tournaments in Dark Corner so I understand the random factor. This game started with random already applied it was meant to balance things out. With random a guy with not so good cards still has a chance to defeat a guy with elite cards. I am not against that but let’s see what were the flaws in the past daily tournaments are.

1) Players use the same deck - this cannot be actually remedied. As of now everyone is experimenting what deck has the best potential with the new format and once a new deck starts to dominate then everyone will again play the same deck. Constant change is needed to at least prevent a dominant deck from appearing. Having restrictions on cards that can be used on deck can do constant change. If ELO has a ban list why not for Daily Tournaments.

2) Low Level against High Level - now another thing many are complaining about. As you have said some guys especially the new ones are easy prey during tournaments because:

a) They are not prepared,

b) The cards that they have are not good enough.

Now in this situation if a real new guy would play in a room against some fake new guys then he has little chance of winning especially if his starting deck doesn’t have high power cards. I may suggest that we have level limit on who can participate in daily tournaments or if you are really planning on creating simultaneous tournaments it is based on the level of the players. This way new players can be prepared to face tougher players.

3) EVO- as of now it could be safe to say that EVO play is dead. OLD died a year ago and now EVO. This is a great move on the admins parts. EVO as we all know is the easiest way to play and win. The only strategy here is the cards that you are going to use and the opponents you are going to play. Bye EVO.

4) Organized Play - I think you have already solved this. With an “Anti-Cheat System”. Just pointing it out as a flawed in the old format.

5) Prizes - if you want to have fast Clintz play Daily Tournament. I think the Clintz being given out should now be reduced. I know guys will hate me for this but for the good of the business Credits should be stronger than Clintz.

Just try to maintain balance in the game and people will like it. Just like what you did in ELO it is already about time to take out Graxx.

It has already been a year since that day and much has change the tournament scene has improved a lot and some of the flaws that I have stated have already been fixed. But why am I writing this? Simple I have to disagree about what Fraggle said right now.

Fraggle: Randomness in daily tournaments will not be removed because of cheating, fairness and FUN. You still have the option to play in ELO no random during tournaments. Daily Tournaments are more of a “marathon” than a real competition. For those chasing the tourney star, we’ll add more ways to get it.

You be the judge. I have already had my share about this topic. I don’t completely oppose random but I consider daily tournament as serious competition where some of the best players I knew have excelled.

Add comment July 6, 2008

Gran Vista

Character Background

Perched peacefully atop of the main sail, Gran Vista knows he’s got one of the best jobs on the ship, sheltered as he is from the captain’s rages and Spycee’s cooking smells. He can even nod off from time to time, without anyone noticing.

Review

For some he is a mini-version of Deadeye but Gran Vista might just be better because he can bring a card below his own power while the latter can only bring a card down to his. Taking this in consideration Deadeye just look worst unless you would add Ambre to the equation.

At best he can let you play either Dalhia or Bloodh or even both in your mono-Piranas deck but for everything else just use either Hawkins or Spycee. At least in my opinion he is slightly better than Trey.

Add comment July 5, 2008

Cyan

Character Background

There’s no denying that missing a hand can be a serious handicap for many activities, such as typing or knitting, for example. But Cyan has always known she wanted to be a pirate and in that line of work a hook or a well-sharpened blade at the end of your arm can be a lot more fun than just five boring old fingers.

Review

A 7/1 with Damage = damage opp makes her a Luba clone. And just like Luba she is also a nice card for any Piranas deck. And her above average power is nothing to sneeze at, and her ability will force opponents to pill when throwing out high damage nukes, making her a nice bluff if you don’t mind taking a hit for strategy’s sake. Overall, she is as good as Luba unfortunately unlike Luba; Piranas have a wider array of three-stars to choose from.

Add comment July 5, 2008

Goldie

Character Background

Flirtatious, temperamental and lazy, Goldie doesn’t have any of the qualities of a good pirate, but she does have something that any pirate ship worth its salt requires: a map of the most awesome treasure of all time and the key to unlock the secret cave in which it’s hidden. Because of this, Bloodh is more than happy to put up with her mood swings.

Review

Many players say that this card is currently the worst three-star Piranas right now. But in my opinion she is really not that bad especially if compare with what other clan has as their worst card. Her 5/4 stats might not be stellar but her ability of -8 opp attack min 2 is a decent enough for her to be used especially for deck formats that only permit common cards

Her main problem is that there are better choices for a three star card for Piranas.

Add comment July 5, 2008

Wheeler

Character Background

Wheeler could be considered more a piece of memorabilia than a veteran – a regular antiquity mounted on amphibious casters. He was already a bit of a handful in his youth, but since the Piranas mooted the idea of his possible retirement, he’s really turned nasty.

Review

This guy is Stanford with SOB instead of attack reduction as a bonus. Just like any other Power = power opp cards he is a little risky to use, he can sometimes help you or would be a liability. His only upside is that only cards with SOA as an ability can prevent him from having almost equal power with his opponent, almost because I am still considering card with ability or bonus that modifies power.

Not that bad even Stanford see some play with Uppers, so this guy might get some playtime too.

Add comment July 5, 2008

Sting

Character Background

Well before Smokey and Mayhem can set their cannons blazing, Sting is always first in alerting the Piranas’ prey of their presence. And much to the frustration of the gunners, sometimes just a few well-aimed shots are all it takes to convince the enemy to hand themselves over without a fight…

Review

She is one of those underrated cards. Sure the 4 damage for a four-star is bad, if they gave her 1 more damage then should would be better than Hax. Some would consider her as Nanook with SOB or in my opinion a Gibson that lacks attack bonus but can have higher attack when on offense. Even at defense or whenever her ability is not triggered, she will pull out a neat 7 power, which is still good. And the fact that Piranas have pillz manipulation cards like Smokey , Trey or Katan , she can use those extra pillz for fury to boost her damage to 6.

She can’t be compare to Katan but at least she is better than Mayhem.

Add comment July 5, 2008

Bloodh

Character Background

To command a crew like the Piranas, a healthy dose of authority, insight, patience and, as an optional extra, humor is required. But perhaps the most important thing needed to ensure the hotheads know you mean business is a well-sharpened sword and an unforgiving smile.

Review

Meet the captain of the Piranas. A lot of players were expecting this guy would be really broken. A card that would define his clan, unfortunately he isn’t amazing. He is solid all right but isn’t game winning.

People you shouldn’t be disappointed in the “failings” of this card just because it doesn’t own everything doesn’t mean its not good its a sturdy useable card. But the reason his not a trump card is because the Piranas so far have lots of strong 2 and 3 stars and ok 4 stars but you could easily fit this into an ELO deck if needed to because of the strength of their lower levels. If they made this card any better the Piranas would take over ELO or this card would be banned as soon as possible.

7/6 and an ability of +3 life for a five-star card is still more than useable especially in a clan where most of the strong cards have low damage.

Add comment July 5, 2008

The Final Onslaught

This week, the Piranas intend to hit hard to ensure a top position for themselves in the city’s hierarchy. And to carry out this final attack on the other clans, the fearsome Captain Bloodh is accompanied by Sting, Wheeler, Goldie, Cyan and Gran Vista. However, after recovering from their initial shock, the resistance is starting to get organized…

Add comment July 4, 2008

Trey

Character Background
As an accountant in a shoe factory in Poldachie-Golgovine, Trey didn’t lead a very exiting life. But while out on the town one night, Bloodh - who was on the look-out for an accountant to oversee the sharing out of the spoils between his crew members - convinced him to join their ranks. Since then Trey has been one happy accountant.

Review
Trey is one of those cards that is not good enough cause there are better options out there. He has similar ability with Smokey and Katan but unlike the two he is not much of a threat. Low power and almost no damage makes him a sad card. On the other hand he can be a good defender.

Add comment July 2, 2008

Andsom

Character Background
In the past, pirates from all over the world used to like meeting up once a year on Sardine Island for a good knees-up and to elect the world’s most ugly pirate. But since Andsom joined the Piranas the tradition has sort of lost its appeal as, for the past twenty-two years, Andsom hasn’t lost a single contest.

Review
This guy is really underrated. With 6 power, he’s a bit tricky to use. It’s hard to bluff convincingly with him and you are likely to just run into your opponets best wall if you attack with him. In many situations Smokey is better, but Andsom has that extra damage point that can be crucial and taking away pillz is slightly better than gaining some for yourself.

Add comment July 2, 2008

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