Is "safe corners" a dominant Triple Triad deck build? If so, what counters it?

[Gserpent]

Did my 20 games in the tournament and unlike last time I got in on the first day, so there were actual players to play against.

I noticed that literally every single one of us was running a "safe corners" deck. Some variety in which specific cards were used, but many cards were shared.

"Safe corners" generally involves adding four cards that have two strong sides to cover a specific corner, with each card having a different facing such that all four corners are capable of being covered. The fifth card is usually your 5-star card and typically has an A on a side the rest of your cards are weak against (or it might be one of those triple-9's, etc.)

Literally, every single person I played against was running a deck like this. And short of forcing some kind of weird rule set like plus/same, order, etc... I can't think of any real way of countering these decks.

Am I just missing something, or is TT as broken as everything else in the saucer?

[Brightamethyst]

This is why I like running Cloud as my 5-star. No As, but it can flip any 3-star and most 4-stars from the top or bottom while still having an 8 on one side to fall back on. Not as safe as something like Squall or Terra, but much more versatile.

[dspguy]

Depends on the rules. If Plus/Same are active, that's relatively easy to manipulate. Chances are, if 8s are in the corners, then a card with the same number Top/Bottom or Left/Right played at the right time would turn the tide.

Sometimes, you can bait a player into a mistake based on their greed. They might want to really put that 8/8 card in the corner, but see a juicy 8/7 card in a corner. You can take their 8/7 with another corner... and if your deck is built properly, flip the card they took on the next turn with a card with a 9.

Keep in mind that players don't play like the NPCs. They make mistakes. The NPCs sort of play off a script. You play A and they play B or C. And it forks from there. I've played a lot of Open Tournaments. Albeit, the other players do not have a deck they are familiar with (since it is Draft). But, time and time again, humans can be baited since most of us fall prey to the old adage: One in the hand is worth two in the bush.

[Lustre]

I was running one of these decks without even realising it. It just feels like a safe choice. My only other deck is a low point one for when numbers get reversed.

[ShadowNyx3]

They should just delete the bi-weekly tournaments and funnel all the related card rewards into Open Tournaments. The Draft ruleset makes TT extremely fun and strategic and completely avoids boring nonsense like the safety corners. Also you get to play with every card in the game.

Really just having each deck require one of each star level is the way to go. Makes the game so much more interesting. 1s and 2s should not be ignored outside of Reverse play!!

But making 4 stars playable in main decks and adding the Draft rule were really good TT additions. Have to praise where praise is due.

[dspguy]

I feel most players are comfortable with their normal decks (safe corners for example). But when they are put in a situation where they have to think outside the box, such as the Open Tournaments where you have to draft a deck, some become intimidated at the prospect. They could revive Open Tournaments if the winner received a platinum card.

[Flay_wind]

The thing is, you can receive a platinum card if you win a tournament, sometimes you can receive one even, when you're a second place say at 4/2. The chance is stupidly low, tho. I have like 70 Open Tournament wins and got 5 platinum packs total.

[JamieRose]

Corner 8 shouldn't be as dominant these days now that their are so many options for Aces or Nines on opposing sides. Try using Gaia, SB Y'shtola, Zodiark or Hyadelyn to capture multiple corner 8 cards.

[ICountFrom0]

The counter to "safe corners" is playing in the weeks when same and plus are possible.

Or being very smart and careful about your limited uses of A's and 9's.