JJBA OCT #8 R1M18 Quality Deliberations

Judge Mario

This is a match I’ve been excited for since the initial concepting phase - how would players fare in a deathmatch set on a map under constant bombardment? We now have an answer, and it’s my job to judge how well they did, so let’s get right in!

Starting with Typhon 8, and immediately I’ll say that the narrative of this strat is praise-worthy in its own right. Wave Welder’s tragic story and the utterly depressing worldview they took from it are captivating to read through, and Sal’s disbelieving horror at what he’s hearing just seals the deal. Stellar work!

Of course, I’m not here just to look at narrative, I have tactics to look at as well - in this regard, I think Typhon 8 does pretty well! Their gameplan here is largely defensive and reactive, focused on seizing control of one building after another, grabbing up anything of value and trashing everything else. Wave Welder largely takes care of the defensive measures, using water to create cover from DMR’s ranged fire, while Sal takes the brunt of the offense, using some truly wacky applications of bulls on ropes to aggress DMR when the time comes for it.

Generally speaking, it’s a solid plan, but I do have my issues. For one, I think there’s a bit of underestimation towards the sheer movement capabilities that DMR has available to them, and I would have liked to see more in the offense plans about how you make sure DMR doesn’t slip away from your attacks. There’s also a strong assumption that DMR will be actively fighting for cover, which… yeah, fair enough. Again though, DMR’s movement and positioning tools are strong enough that I would have liked to see more plans about what to do in the event they don’t fight for cover.

My only other real critique is on the matter of the bombardment, which I feel was largely not remarked upon in the strategy. Granted, Typhon 8 does plan to spend most of the match in the various bits of cover, so it’s understandable that it wouldn’t come up much. Still, even in areas where you aren’t fighting under cover (such as the combat plans), I feel more attention could have been paid to how you keep safe from the primary stage hazard.

I waffled for a while on whether to give a 7 or an 8, but in the end, I think that despite my complaints, there’s solid enough work here to tip me up to a low **8**. The solid core plan, creative stand applications, and stellar narrative all come together well enough that I can overlook my misgivings and greatly enjoy what you have on offer. Nice job!

Moving to Dexy’s Midnight Runners, we have almost the exact opposite gameplan to that of Typhon 8 - run like hell, and don’t stop running until the job gets done. DMR put their stands to great use here, flipping gravity around to zoom across the field, making clever use of object-swapping to keep out of danger, and taking pot shots at both Typhon 8 and the resources they need.

Like Typhon 8, it’s a pretty solid plan overall, but it’s again one I have some qualms with. There’s a couple of questionable calls that ultimately don’t bother me too much (what stealth plays are you expecting that would be thwarted with the Refuse Shuffle?), but the main culprit this time around is the defensive plays, which I personally feel are a bit on the thin side. Much of the defensive section can be boiled down to “it doesn’t matter ‘cause T8 can’t get near us anyways” - and that may be true on paper, but I would have liked more robust plans for getting caught out than just “we flashbang them and zip away”.

I also feel that the finisher, stylish as it is, leaves a lot of questions about how things get done. How do you get the Typhon 8 members near a wall? Wouldn’t swapping dirt with something else just leave Typhon 8 standing on the thing that got swapped in, rather than a pitfall? What if your target *doesn’t* charge at you during the prestige? If everything works out perfectly, then hell yeah, it’s super fun - I just wish there were more effort put in to show how you make *sure* it goes off how you want.

All together, I think I’m going to give DMR a **7**. In my mind, you have a largely well-made plan, with just a few holes here and there that keep it from true greatness. Still, well done!

Judge Stream

T8:

I thought the largely defensive plans here were a nice answer to DMR’s strengths. Against very mobile targets who want to draw you to them, you opt to hunker down, which I think is a good plan, but maybe underestimated just *how* mobile they would be. I see the logic in contesting cover and ultimately taking things to a more open arena, but I think you actually need the cover more than DMR does

You were pretty strong offensively, with some really creative applications of Sal’s bulls and Fairweather Friends providing some reliable chip damage. Again, the opponent’s mobility is such that I think it would have been nice to have more active attempts to pin them down and corner them, but you do have enough tools that you’re employing to mitigate their mobility that I think your chances drastically improve if you land one.

I will say to a certain point that I think what’s here doesn’t make me think the pair are just going to sit there and get bombed, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more explicit planning for the bombardments, as they do especially become more of a threat the further in the match you go. If you’re in the point of the strat that your cover has whittled away and you *haven’t* sufficiently worn DMR down, your chances of being the one getting caught out in artillery significantly go up, and that could have been accounted for a little better.

Overall, its a very solid strategy that covered its bases sufficiently, had a solid response to some very mobile opponents but could have used more explicitly detailed gameplans in certain portions to enhance the potency of the plays. 7/10.

DMR:

This was a well-rounded strategy that had a lot going for it! With your more utility and mobility oriented kits, I was really interested to see what kind of combat strats you would pull out, and you did not disappoint.

Speaking of mobility, I thought that was the core strength of your strat. You understand that against your more directly combat-oriented opponents, your movement potential in all 3 dimensions lets you constantly remain on the run and employ good hit-and-run tactics.

I thought your offense was fairly solid, all fairly standard fare and some clever uses of your abilities in tandem to create some pretty punchy projectiles, but I felt like it was a bit lacking defensively. I do think you had some good plans to mitigate the enemy’s combat potential, like shooting out the windows as you ran, but I do think that also potentially hurt your stealth a little bit. Again, with your mobility as your strongest asset, defense through absconding makes sense as the best option, but I would have liked to see a bit more variety in how you’d respond to being backed into a corner.

All things considered, I thought this was a very stylish strat that understood your strengths well, responded to the environmental hazards sufficiently, but could have used a little more meat in responding to your opponent’s offensive capabilities. Solid 7/10 here.

Judge Rocket

No frills on this one folks. Before I get into the individual teams I want to highlight a quick grip for both teams: yall did not take full advantage of the stage hazard in how you played the match. For two characters as mixup based as Charlotte and Jukebox I was surprised yall didn't consider how explosions could be used to both make space and buff your positioning game and offensive pressure. For Wave and Sal the hardest challenge that you have into characters this slippery is getting a good engagement off to deal your damage. By timing and tracking the explosions well it could have significantly aided you in locking down your opponents and taking advantage of all of the setup you do early in the match.

Starting with DMR I think that there is a good amount of clever work here. A big issue for both Sal and Charlotte in this match is managing the resources necessary and I think that yall manage to find resources in a number of creative places. I also want to commend yall in general on how well you combine the movement potential of your kits to keep up with the stage hazard and your opponents. While what you do is simple, and likely does not maximize what could have been done it is both effective and low risk.

Past that I think that your play pattern is basic and effective. I do think your offensive planning relies a little too heavily on an all out finisher and noncommittal skirmishing. Something in between the two that is more committal and intentional for larger hits could have shored your combat up. However, your movement and defense create enough openings for you to stay threatening throughout the match. Overall I think that while I am not blown out of the water, you game here is good enough to earn a low 7/10!

Moving on to T8 I think that you similarly play a decently conceived game, but with some more glaring gaps in your strategy. I think that your resource management and cognisance of what Charlotte is capable of doing if you are not careful are all well done. However I don't think that we see that careful preparation early pays off for a simple reason: I am not convinced that you plan well enough for your engagements late game to take advantage of it.

While you have some decent long range options and decent defense at range from Wave in particular, I struggle to believe that you are going to be able to lock your opponents down well enough late game to guarantee the hits you need against them. Along with that, you are fighting two gun users and open up the playing field without addressing the issue of lines of sight. While your offense is oppressive and your setup convincing. There are some gaps in your defense and engage that leave me questioning how successful the plan as a whole will be. All in all there is still more good than bad, and a decent 6/10 feels fair.