Dear Yoshi & Team: About Current TT Tournament Model

[h0tNstilettos]

EDIT: I should of started this post by pointing out that I do appreciate the work you guys have put into the Gold Saucer, and have so far been loving TT. So I'm not out to sound like an in-considerate ranter. Just that this is a real problem the way TT tournaments are being ran.

I'm going to put it bluntly before I go into details: It's a broke system. I waited until the tournament actually started before posting this to see if my worries were just, and they were. Everything I feared has come to light. I was really looking forward to TT and playing against others in tournament, or what I thought was going to be a tournament. When I read the rules it had me a little worried due to how broken it sounded, but figured I would wait and see as maybe there's more to it.

I'm going to number each thing that is wrong starting from the top. I have played CCGs and TCGs all my life including the tournament scene. I've played these both online virtual versions and real life physical versions.

1. Players can simply exploit the system by getting a group of friends or other players that do not care for it to allow wins after letting them win a certain number to make their rating higher, then letting you win the rest. Or you don't have to lose any if you buy wins from players willing to sell them. I know this is legal in PVE with selling clears, but this is different being that it's a tournament PVP that actually affects those playing.

2. It has no real tournament structure to it. It has the points awarded system similar to a modified swiss structure, but unlike a modified swiss structure you are not paired with players of a similar win record. Instead we choose who we play. On top of that we have no idea whether the person we challenge to a match has a higher or lower ranking unless we are only choosing to play one of the top 20 players shown on the tournament board. That is not a tournament. This brings me to 3.

3. Choose your matches wisely? By choose wisely you must mean only go against players in the top 20 ranks on the tournament board, since you can't see anyone else's rank. This brings me to 4.

4. Okay, so let's say I want to play one of those top players. They can refuse to play you if they want, OR they may not even be around or available to play. You can try sending them a tell and hope they respond or happen to be on at same time.

5. This one is uncertain until you guys come forward about whether Lightning is exclusive to tournament. Awarding an award that actually affects gameplay is flawed. There's a reason why every 'good' card game under the sun only awards special unique artwork of an already existing card to the winner, or winner creates a card, but card will still be available to all players. Winnings are always a currency amount, and/or card vanity. No affect on gameplay whatsoever. By having even just 1 card with exclusive gameplay affect that can only be obtained by getting top spots in tournament, you are essentially tipping the playing field in the winner's favor and causing an unbalance by making the playing field slightly uneven, as the winners now have a permanent advantage by having access to all the same cards everyone else does, plus the tournament prize card. This wouldn't be an issue if it was just artwork or something. This means the winners will always have more options now for deck customization and possible strategies. And releasing the card as an award in more than 1 tournament does not fix the issue, as it still requires winning top spots to get.

6. The players are suppose to know what special rules a tournament will be following before they enter so they know if they want to enter. I had to enter the tournament 'before' finding out what rules the tournament would be using. Basically I won't enter any tournament unless it's no rules good old fashioned big numbers take, and each player will have their preferences.

SOLUTION:

There is more than one solution. I am only outlining one here. Have actual player pairings. There would be a registration period, which includes the deck the player will use, which cannot be changed once tournament starts. Once registration ends no one else can join that tournament. Pair those players randomly, or even have a duty finder for TT tournament. First round players are randomly paired. Every round beyond that players will play a player of similar rating. Look up how swiss and modified swiss tournament structure works. Eventually the top so and so players move on to single elimination, which is always narrowed down to an even number of players. It doesn't even have to be exactly like this, but something similar that is an actual tournament where exploits and unleveled playing can't occur.

Bottom line, it is not a tournament if players can choose who they face. This allows exploits AND even makes it where they could win all 15 matches and still not get top 3 all because they did not know the ranking of the opponent's they chose to play.

[Devils_Lawyer]

Player ranking dosnt really matter, what matters is the points you get for beating them which changes depending on if they win or lose matches.

So in the end you will damage your own chances by player vs someone that earns you 70 points if u win compared to someone that earns you 100.

[MomomiMomi]

How exploitable this is was the first thing I thought of. System is broken, please fix.

[Kimura410]

Id be perfectly fine with SE cancelling the tournament until its fair. I dont mind waiting....but I do mind seeing cheaters win. If they can fix it by tom maintenance, then perfect. But if not, Id just as well wait until people cant win trade. It will leave a sour taste in my mouth if nothing is done this week. TT and gold saucer as a whole is whats keeping me playing. Raiding an hour or two a week isnt worth a sub, but ive been holding out until GS. Now that its here, I feel like all my effort in acquiring cards the past few days has been in vain. The tournament to me was supposed to be where you could see how good you were. Now it just seems pointless to enter.

[Airget]

Pairing won't work since that just creates to many what if scenarios, the way it's setup now is to have fun but the problem is when their is a reward for being in the top 20 with one being a rare for the top 3 it becomes less fun cause people can exploit to obtain the reward.

Suggestion.

Alter the Rewards.

1-3 You get the card of the week in this case Lightning and I guess 140k MGP and that's it
4-10 Get 5 Gold packs and 3 Platinum Packs (potentially contain tournament reward cards or cards that can be exchanged for MGP 5k 25k, 50k)
11-20 2 Gold packs and 2 Platinum Packs
All others receive a Platinum pack if they did not make it the top 20

By simply adding the platinum pack players can have more fun with the event because no longer will they focus on the ability to exploit the system and make it to the top 3 but they can play for fun and if they make it to the top 3 then hey awesome but if they don't then at least they get a consolation prize that allows them a chance at the cards that was the prize for that week.

[Aeyis]

6. The players are suppose to know what special rules a tournament will be following before they enter so they know if they want to enter. I had to enter the tournament 'before' finding out what rules the tournament would be using. Basically I won't enter any tournament unless it's no rules good old fashioned big numbers take, and each player will have their preferences.

My first match was a draw because I forgot the plus rule was in effect. It was a draw against a 2 star deck, and I had 2 card advantage.

[Kharhaz]

SE is too busy addressing trivial complains, maybe they'll notice in a few weeks that we have a real problem.

[h0tNstilettos]

Id be perfectly fine with SE cancelling the tournament until its fair. I dont mind waiting....but I do mind seeing cheaters win. If they can fix it by tom maintenance, then perfect. But if not, Id just as well wait until people cant win trade. It will leave a sour taste in my mouth if nothing is done this week. TT and gold saucer as a whole is whats keeping me playing. Raiding an hour or two a week isnt worth a sub, but ive been holding out until GS. Now that its here, I feel like all my effort in acquiring cards the past few days has been in vain. The tournament to me was supposed to be where you could see how good you were. Now it just seems pointless to enter.

I agree with all of this. TT and Gold Saucer was going to make or break the game for because I was tired of each patch releasing the same thing over and over, which is basically 3 new dungeons, and other smaller side stuff that you can't really do full time like you can combat and crafting. Basically the game has had no variety as everything is nothing but dungeons and fates. Finally something non-combat related that I can do full time, something different, at least to break up the monotony of dungeons and fates, but there's no challenging ways to test my TT skills. The tournaments, as they call them, are not really tournaments and horribly flawed in numerous ways.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not quitting the game because of this. Waiting on the expansion, plus SE might fix this issue. I'm actually enjoying combat a little more again due to now having something I can do for long periods of time alongside it.

[Spawnie]

as i said on another post make tournament TT matches via a roulette like the df is click the board choose play now n a random match starts will be alot more balanced i said it asoon as i saw how it worked that those lazy ppl will exploit this any1 can see if a tournament lets you choose who you play is gonna be exploited hope SE implement somethin b4 the next tournament

[Shinun]

I seriously hope they fix this or add tournament prize cards to achievements aswell. Otherwise I am highly thinking about quitting the game. TT was one of the major factors of me playing and now that knowing unless I cheat I can't have a complete set of cards... I'm having a major problem with that right now.

I have nothing against people abusing the system if that's how they wish to play. I don't condone it but, the people doing it, aren't gonna stop just because I don't agree with the methods. But, if Lightning, and most likely Firion,Cecil,Tidus are only Prizes for R1-R3 under this format as it is now with selling wins. Then ya I'll leave this game.