Duel2.Com  
•   Home  •  Rules  •  Your Account  •  Forums  • Newsletters  •
Navigate
· Home
· Content
· Encyclopedia
· Forums
· Members List
· Newsletters
· Old Newsletters
· Private Messages
· Setup
· Tourneys
· Your Account
User Info
Welcome, Anonymous
Nickname
Password
(Register)
Membership:
Latest: yqofakyso
New Today: 2
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 104513

People Online:
Visitors:
Members:
Total: 0
Duel2.Com: Forums

Duel2 :: View topic - 2019 Fall Mail-In
 Forum FAQ  •  Search  •  Memberlist  •  Usergroups   •  Register  •  Profile  •  Log in to check your private messages  •  Log in

 
Post new topicReply to topic
View previous topic Log in to check your private messages View next topic
Author Message
One Armed Bandit
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 2954

PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 3:49 pm Reply with quoteBack to top

When? October 26, 2019

What? You know, the usual. 11 living classes and probably 5 dead classes, all fighting to be the best of the best that bother to show up.

What for? Probably resurrection and immortality. And not that phony "famous" immortality thing, we are talking the real "live forever" kind.

Is it cold in here? That is just the ADM freeze, which is occurring this coming weekend on 9/14ish. If you would like to be put on the list for post-freeze minis, you should email Lee, Sandy, or CSR in plain text format.
View user's profileSend private message
One Armed Bandit
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 2954

PostPosted: Wed Sep 18, 2019 6:26 am Reply with quoteBack to top

ADM has been frozen. Post-freeze minis have been distributed to those that requested them.

Basic warriors are still racing towards their desired FE breakpoints, all except for Challenger Champions. They are just sort of milling around, hoping Lee doesn't notice them. But for three unlucky souls...

Quote:
NEW GRADUATES--FROM ALL ARENAS (INCLUDING CLOSED ARENAS)

For those of you who keep track of such things, a few additional warriors graduated
from regular DM arenas (including closed arenas) since the last tournament.

SPANDEX SNOWMAN (84-10074) 072209C (1821)
BLUE WAFFLES (84-35277) BUBBA'S DINER (6183)
TP-AB (85-3045) A-GQ-DECEIT (565)

Congrats to the grads. -- Green Eyes
View user's profileSend private message
One Armed Bandit
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 2954

PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 9:02 am Reply with quoteBack to top

Mr. Mojo is the first to report receiving a tourney announcement in the mail. The highlights include:

    It is a standard October tourney format. Warriors who start out 0-2 are eliminated. After that, warriors are eliminated with their third loss until only one warrior remains.

    The prize for living TCs is one potion of Resurrection or Immortality.

    The prize for dead TVs is resurrection, and the prize for dead TCs is resurrection plus immortality.
View user's profileSend private message
One Armed Bandit
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 2954

PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:48 am Reply with quoteBack to top

Strategies for the October MI are due in a week and a half, on Wednesday, October 23.

Your dead warriors don't want to spend another year waiting in the Underworld, so you'd better get those strategies in!
View user's profileSend private message
Vladimer
Advanced Expert Poster
Advanced Expert Poster


Joined: Jul 15, 2014
Posts: 191

PostPosted: Thu Oct 24, 2019 7:04 pm Reply with quoteBack to top

No one else seems to want to take the plunge yet, so I will. Dibs on first tourney preview!

I have made the mistake of trying out “concepts” In previous tourneys. But I did horribly and I learned. Based on those poor experiences, I swore it off a couple years ago. Never again! Experiment in the arena not the tourney; that’s Vlad’s Motto™ .

So, I am experimenting with two different concepts this tourney. The first is a speed aimed blow. Having seen a table-mate’s AB run to stardom in Tempe, I have been saving a number of rookies over the last year for this effort. It breaks down like this: It started with the criteria that I use for strikers, completely borrowed from Otto: A combo of 18 or better in Dec / Att. Funny, cause AB’s start pretty sweet in the ATT department, assuming a decent setup. Dec? Not so much. Unless they do. They can’t be bonused but they can start with some pretty nice DEC with the right design. So, an example of an entry in this group is a 14 decise / 10 att, N/N AB. 24 in Dec/Att… Might be worth a try.

The second concept is a “speed” Waste. I was fortunate to TC with an apps Waste in Tampa. He was a tank. In my not-so-humble opinion, tanks do well in a face, particularly in the lower classes where people are delayed in knowing styles in general and designs in particular. But we’re in a mailer. People can pick scum styles… TP, WS, PR and maybe PS and adjust their strats to fix their wagons en masse. No future in that. So, these wastes are working on two assumptions: First, the pure offensives will be slowing down assuming a tank; and, second, that the WS has enough attack and endurance to take out the defensives they come across. So, for example, a 10 DEC / ATT / INI / PAR G/G waste might do well in this environment. We shall see.

The British, when playing darts (as the British are wont to do, for lack of better opportunities for diversion on their little island), refer to a score of 100 as a ton. I sent in a ton of warriors. This means that the OAB cold war has escalated and TEABAG, at least this member, finds itself on the smaller set of entries with the Cold Bandit entering 107. What does this mean? It means we get to kick ass and take names with fewer people, that’s what!

The division was 29 dead and 71 live. The dead fell as they will. The live were distributed between rooks and ADM. My crew is still bottom-heavy like, well, me. 32 rooks, 14 Apps, 12 Inits, 7 Adepts, 2 Champs, 2 Challengers and 3 non-basic. I hope that adds up. Still excited to have some non-basic warriors.

Do I have favorites? Why, you betcha! My live favorites are generally ABs, STs and WSs, with a smattering of other classes. Not much value on extolling on any particular design. Looking over each class, I don’t see anyone particularly compelling. Except rooks. I own rooks. The collective bargaining agreement guarantees me success. Apologies in advance for your failure.

I took particular joy this round in running manager-themed teams. See if you can spot them!
View user's profileSend private message
studcraft
Unchartered Poster


Joined: Oct 07, 2012
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2019 6:09 am Reply with quoteBack to top

my group is small only sending about 10 mostly apps. have not done the mail in for years so should be fun I hope not expecting much just want some skills and to se what they are learning.

sending my PS in to get out of the dead kinda excited to see what happens but then again if I do get it out it is still a PS!!!

Studcraft
View user's profileSend private message
The Consortium
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Nov 23, 2002
Posts: 10136
Location: on the golf course, in the garden, reading, traveling, and now Consulting

PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2019 3:29 am Reply with quoteBack to top

Sending 30ish. (10dead)
All Challenger and below.
Zero godlings in the 20 live, all arena hopefuls and oddities.
Hoping luck continues and one or two dead will arise.

Heading for vacation with wife Sunday early to DC, and hoping to see Mailer packet in held mail upon return Saturday.

Good luck to all.

_________________
The Consortium: Crapmaster 2013, Crapgiver 2014; 1213 ADM graduates (40+ manager IDs) including 176K+ fights and 118K+ wins plus 4 teams with 1500+ wins (Animal Farm DM11 @2085; Bulldogs DM11 @ 1976; Lenpros DM30 @ 1792; Fandils DM46 @1727
View user's profileSend private messageSend e-mail
One Armed Bandit
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 2954

PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:03 pm Reply with quoteBack to top

Thanks to skipping the summer FtF, I had a lot of warriors available to me for this tourney. And because I wanted to try to achieve a few firsts in what is usually a weak tourney, I sent most of them.

Total entrants: 107 (87 living, 20 dead)
By style: 29 AB, 8 BA, 15 LU, 4 PL, 4 PR, 6 PS, 8 SL, 24 ST, 3 TP, 6 WS
By class: 6 Primus, 6 Contenders, 3 Eligibles, 3 ADM, 1 Freshmen, 2 Challengers, 7 Champions, 8 Adepts, 0 Initiates, 22 Apprentices, 29 Rookies, 6 Dead Challengers, 4 Dead Champions, 4 Dead Adepts, 3 Dead Initiates, 3 Dead Apprentices

One of the firsts that I'm trying for is a first PR, WS, or PS TC. To that end, I busted out all three styles in ADM, and a WS in Freshmen. I ran zero sandbaggers so that I wouldn't accidentally beat my own guys in a finals fight with an AB or something similar. I also need a first PL TC, but my PL bust-out attempt missed his 50% train, so he has to wait for another day.

Of the four parry-types, the one that I like the most is the PR in ADM. I created TENTH WATCH with a twin potion (clone's ugly stepbrother) using the 15-8-3-21-21-5-11 set-up from the replacement pool. He didn't accomplish anything in basic, unfortunately, but he started looking good in ADM. He managed a 9-3 Freshmen TV while learning skills over the line, and eventually settled at 25(10)-18(10)-3-21-21-5-11 with exactly 100 FE and 179 total skills heading into this ADM freeze. He was so close to the line that I wasn't sure if he'd be ADM or Eligibles, but he stayed ADM. 3 WL trains later, he is entering the tourney with 191 total skills. He'll be training WT in rounds 1-7, WL in rounds 8-9, and DF in 10+. If he goes deep, he should end up with a ton of skills. Unfortunately, any random AB or a lucky knockdown from a LU could cause an early exit. I guess that is why I have my PS and WS contingency plans.

Two other firsts that I'm trying for are a first Apprentice TC and a first Rookies finalist. Looking over my Apprentices, I seem to have quantity but not quality, so I'm basically counting on getting lucky. In Rookies, I have both quantity and quality.

The Rookie who I am most excited about seeing in action is another prize guy. He will remain nameless for now since he has a long career ahead of him. But I used my DYO prize from April to create a 10-8-4-17-21-3-21 AB. I went with this design because it gets you to the same damage breakpoint as 12 ST/3 SZ but costs 1 less point, and the 8 CN and 21 WL gets you to cannot take a lot of punishment. So it checks all the boxes for me.

Unfortunately, I had to choose between a nearly mode normal damage version, and a Little damage version that was ambi and bonused in endurance, Defense, and Parry. I went with the skills, so he is entering Rookies with an AdEx in Attack, an Ex in Defense, and an Ex in Parry, with Good endurance, enough hit points to take a hit, and the dreaded Little damage. He is taking a shot at a ST train in round 1, so there is a long-shot chance of normal damage from round 2 on, but even without it, he might be able to do well with SC crits.

I've never been particularly good at predicting success from basic warriors, so if I were to make a Rookies finals, it could just as easily be on the back of a generic looking 21 WT Striker.

Given the size and competitiveness of my entrants, I'd rate my chances of winning a TC as pretty good. I have an 80% success rate in October MIs over the past decade with 5 living and 3 dead TCs. But I've never had more than one TC in an October MI, so I suppose a first multi-TC October tourney is another goal that I'm pursuing.

The other side of the same coin is that I've won 0 TCs in 20% of the past 10 October MIs, and 40% of the past 40 tournies. So it seems like a safe assumption that I have between a 20% and 40% chance to miss out on any TC, let alone any of these firsts.

The beauty of this time of year, though, is that all you need is a single Dead TV and you've won. :-)

Win or lose, I plan on enjoying every minute of it. I hope everyone else enjoys it, too.
View user's profileSend private message
One Armed Bandit
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 2954

PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:15 pm Reply with quoteBack to top

I almost forgot one of the most important firsts that I'm going for, a first Primus TV!

SNAKE OIL SALESMAN managed to go 7-3 at the July FtF. He seems to win around 40% of his matches against the perfect ABs, and I'm hoping that is enough to some day get over the hump and win a TV. Maybe this will be the day!
View user's profileSend private message
The Consortium
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Nov 23, 2002
Posts: 10136
Location: on the golf course, in the garden, reading, traveling, and now Consulting

PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:02 am Reply with quoteBack to top

One Armed Bandit wrote:
I almost forgot one of the most important firsts that I'm going for, a first Primus TV!

SNAKE OIL SALESMAN managed to go 7-3 at the July FtF. He seems to win around 40% of his matches against the perfect ABs, and I'm hoping that is enough to some day get over the hump and win a TV. Maybe this will be the day!


The gang from KAA (Kill All Aimers) wishes you great success Idea

_________________
The Consortium: Crapmaster 2013, Crapgiver 2014; 1213 ADM graduates (40+ manager IDs) including 176K+ fights and 118K+ wins plus 4 teams with 1500+ wins (Animal Farm DM11 @2085; Bulldogs DM11 @ 1976; Lenpros DM30 @ 1792; Fandils DM46 @1727
View user's profileSend private messageSend e-mail
Vladimer
Advanced Expert Poster
Advanced Expert Poster


Joined: Jul 15, 2014
Posts: 191

PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2019 2:02 am Reply with quoteBack to top

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” —Pablo Picasso

Cool quote from Picasso but then planning seems to run in his family; after all, how do you come up with his name -- which is 23 words long -- without a plan? That name being Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso.

In my first-to-market rush, I completely neglected to state goals for this tourney and, well, that won't do:

1. Get four back: Having achieved a 20% award ratio last Halloween in the dead, that is going to be tough to maintain, let alone top. 29 entries would equate to 6 TVs and I just don't see that happening. So let's hope for 4 again (13.7%). Given I'd never gotten anyone out before last year, that tourney could very well be a fluke.

2. Make a finals fight: I've been fortunate to get to the dance some times over the last few years, so not unreasonable to hope for another dance.

3. Kill more than get killed: This was my most fun goal last year, even though I failed.

4. Non-basic TV: My ADM crew is slowly growing and, while I am not in bust out territory yet, some of my more developed folk are inching closer.

5. Needing a tie breaker goal, as well as some fluff, I'll throw in the old standby of greater than 50% W/L record across the live tourney.

Good luck to all.
View user's profileSend private message
Assurnasirbanipal
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Oct 21, 2002
Posts: 1768
Location: San Jose, CA

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2019 8:27 am Reply with quoteBack to top

Ahhhh, the Fall Tourney! The time to bring out your dead!

I am fairly excited for this one. In addition to my 50+ dead, I've got 3 what I'll call exciting warriors going (and plenty of others that look good, bad, and ugly).

That last couple years have cleared out my best Dead Challengers. My best this year is up to 56FE, 160 skills, 4 trains. He'll be back sooner, but I don't expect this year.

My best shot in dead tourneys on paper looks to be Unflushed, the former apprentice TC with the well known 4-12-7-21-15-4-21 design. 29 FE and 144 skills going in. The rest of the Dead classes have nothing really special (other than special to me).

My excitement and anticipation start in Freshman.
R-1 has quietly been training to become a bagger and starts his official bagging journey this tourney after 5 deftness trains in the prior tourney and 1 con train since. He stands 22-25-11-11-25-5-16 TP

Bismuth Bender is arguably the best basher I have been setting up for a Fresh bust and he is 'going.' He entered the tourney 25(10)-7(4)-13-23(2)-21(4)-8-7 BA with 172 skills. His last three Fresh tourneys have been the model of consistency at 6-3. Hoping the bust skills and former TC magic under the Consortium are enough to push him to the top!

Challengers is the next class where I have a legitimate chance and hope. Obviously this is a notoriously hard class to predict and set expectations on, but hope is always alive, especially for a clone who RU'd the prior tourney and is following in the footsteps of the model warrior who TC'd Challengers long ago. Moses (18-10298) is the warrior in question.

Finally, I move to Iniatiates for what I fully expect to be my biggest disappointment. When I used the rainbow prize, the Piker was one of the obvious warriors to choose (rolls were great). After going 7-3 in rookies and then 5-0 in the arena, he's been sitting for a long time getting several prizes added to him. His journey now begins in earnest! His name should be: "How to exceed even OAB's ability at wasting prizes"
I will not regret the years of disappointment I have waiting, but maybe, just maybe, he'll find a Res prize tourney with a weaker field a time to be able to win even as a Piker.

My dream, of course, is to knock off styles #6 and #7 in my quest to TC with all ten styles.

My expectation on the other hand is zero prizes, but I have more good chances than average for me. And that is how you win prizes! Keep giving yourself decent chances! Results come over time!

I wish great fun to all! I know I'm going to have great fun regardless of what happens on the sands! So I will win where it matters, even if I don't win in the standings!
View user's profileSend private messageVisit poster's website
Darkheart
Advanced Expert Poster
Advanced Expert Poster


Joined: Apr 19, 2013
Posts: 154
Location: Shawnee, KS

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2019 8:58 am Reply with quoteBack to top

Living Classes - Not a large investment here with no real expectations other than to prep for later tourneys or contests. Going light to keep the stable strong for future tourneys and because I am going heavy (for me) in the classes I get to fight in only once a year.

Freshmen - The highest class I have anyone entered. Sending two and these were last minute "I don't have any AD classes" adds. A LU with a SC fave just to try to learn some skills as he is WAY below the line. A BG PS who is closing on the top of the Freshman line (unless it's higher for PS's) so we might as well see what we have.
Prediction - 2-6

Challengers - Three entries here. All have TVd other classes and all have had mild success (4-3 or better) in this class before. Two SLs and a LU. All under 50 FE so not overly high expectations. Prep work for Tempe I guess.
Prediction - 15-9

Adepts - Yes, no Champs this time out either. Wouldn't be in this class except someone mentioned the contest in DM 45 is upcoming. Four entries here all from that arena and all here with the goal of surviving and gaining FE. One of them is perfectly timed and there is also an 18 and 19 FE on the squad. Still, none of them are what you would want to run in a tourney.
Prediction - 5-12

Initiates - Two entries. Both are WS getting their last shot at tourney play before being pushed to graduation. Both are tiny with interesting bonuses. Will be heavily dependent upon matchups.
Prediction - 9-6

Apprentices - Thre entries. Two AB and PS. None of these are traditional tourney fare. The PS is, however, 4-0-1 in the arena and could surprise a few. The ABs are from yet another contest arena.
Prediction - 6-6

Rookies - Eleven here. Almost a proper rookie roster. Well, not really. While I am sending a full complement of tourney strikers (I have too many queued up!) I am also sending in one AB and two PL who are just getting a headstart on arena play. That leaves us with the aforementioned strikers (5), one additional AB, one SL and one TP.
Prediction - 40-33 with one TV

Dead Tourney - A lot of old favorites that I only get to see once a year. Sure there are some here who actually have a strong chance and yeah, I intentionally planted one, but by and large this is my annual disappointing stroll through Nostalgia Avenue! I did manage to shrink this roster down from the original 72......

Dead Challengers - Eight former gladiators are entering. Styles are diverse. ABx2, LUx2, PL, PS, SL, WS. Two of these are contenders in the class. The others are those I keep fighting in hopes that someday they will win their lives back but have no tremendous chance to do so. Contender #1 is a two time live Challengers TV SL. Contender #2 is a zombie/faves AB that I intentionally DAd to see if he would perform better than his last several disappointing Challengers runs. I think he will! The PS crossed the 50 FE line last year with a winning performance so maybe????
Prediction - 39-24 and I'll go ahead and give the PS a TV for 3!

Dead Champions - Five here. Two AB, two ST and a PS. Interesting mix. The STs and the 17-21-x-17 AB are 23 FE and under. They'll not be coming back for a couple of years but when they hit the top of the class they will have a better chance than the "age-out" PS and AB candidates. The AB has one shot then he is dead forever. 13-17-x-21 sitting at 29 FE with a good learning curve. The PS is at 28 FE and is a sentimental favorite. He'll run annually forever at this rate.
Prediction - 20-12 with one TV

Dead Adepts - Seven dead adepts. Five of the seven are 21 WT and two of those are also 21 WL (PS and SL). Breakdown of styles; AB, BA (another sentimental that will run forever and never get out), PS, SLx3, and on ST. Some mixed tourney success on this squad but one contender, a SL that went 7-3-3 in Dead Adepts last year and is now at 20 FE.
Prediction - 33-20 with one TV

Dead Initiates - Largest entry for me with 14 corpses. 9 of them are 8 FE or over. Several TV candidates but this class has several sentimentals in it too. ABx6, BA (another one that only a DD could love!), SL, STx5 (because they are all timed I guess), and a WS.
Prediction - 40-42 with one TV

Dead Apprentices - Not skimping on corpses here either with 13. Like rookies in living tourneys you just can't tell ahead of time what's going to do well. I have about half of these as potential TVs and the other half I don't remember why I entered. Ok, I do remember why I added the size 20 SL, but the others....... ABx5, LUx2, PR, SL, STx3, WS.
Prediction - 50-39 with two TVs

Ok, so I may have been a bit overzealous after looking at my totals. 259-209 with 9 TVs!!! It would be an outstanding tourney compared to past fall mailers. Still, I wrote it so I'll stick with it.

Good luck until you face my dead!
DD

_________________
Dameon Darkheart
inner circle
________________
2015 Crapgiver
TWX Champion!

The Holy Legion - DM 10
Obsidian Hall - DM 33
Iron Cathedral - DM 52
View user's profileSend private message
One Armed Bandit
ArchMaster Poster
ArchMaster Poster


Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 2954

PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2019 7:01 am Reply with quoteBack to top

As far as we know, everything is on schedule with the tourney, in terms of it running, printing, and mailing.

The only tidbit we have about the mail-in is this:

There were 2,230 warriors.
View user's profileSend private message
Display posts from previous:      
Post new topicReply to topic
View previous topic Log in to check your private messages View next topic
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum



Powered by phpBB 2.0.10 © 2001 phpBB Group

Version 2.0.6 of PHP-Nuke Port by Tom Nitzschner © 2002 www.toms-home.com
Forums ©
:: fisubsilver shadow phpbb2 style by Daz :: PHP-Nuke theme by coldblooded (www.nukemods.com) ::