Cactus Game Design Message Boards

 

To much defense.

That's a weird thing to toast to, especially in Booster Draft when defense isn't as important.

Oh wait, did you mean "Too much defense."? 

I couldn't resist.... had to cut so many good cards 

So why is having a defense not recommended in booster?

So why is having a defense not recommended in booster?

Because it's multi and if you have defense in your deck, someone without it will win the soul race.

So why is having a defense not recommended in booster?

Agree with Red Wing/Kevin/Pol. 

There's a mathematical reason why this is so, although you can't build an exact formula for it.  Basically, if you consider a Booster draft deck with 7 LS and your best 43 offensive cards, you will give yourself the best odds of getting to 5 LS the quickest - assuming you have LS to attack for.  (Cards like Am Slave would qualify, since they are soul-gen and help your offense get to 5 the quickest.)

Then, it's a matter of comparing the costs of your marginal cards.  Your 43rd-best offensive card is providing almost no value to your ability to get to 5 the quickest - so you replace it with your best defensive card (KoT, PotW, Falling Away, single-color site, etc.).  Continue this process until the offensive cards you are cutting might affect your ability to overwhelm others' defenses and get to 5 first, and the defensive replacements are not solid blocks like stand-alone ECs and battlewinner EEs. 

It's usually somewhere around 10-15 cards on defense, depending on the cards you drafted, where you hit this cost/benefit "line" and you might as well keep a mediocre GE or hero in your deck as opposed to replacing it with an above-average EC or EE.

*****

As an aside, this is why I love Booster where games are 1 vs 1.  Drafting defense becomes a higher priority and makes drafting more strategic, IMHO.  Plus, it removes the randomness and luck factors that only apply to multiplayer games.  (This can't be removed entirely of course, even with 1 vs 1 games)  And in my experience, 1 vs 1 games are simply more fun.

What is on your mat?  It looks pretty cool art wise.

Looks like one of the playmats Roy (Reyzen) sells.

Yup, it's one of those. He ran out of them though. I think he made ~50 of them. Don't quote me on that though

Oh man!!!

It's usually somewhere around 10-15 cards on defense, depending on the cards you drafted, where you hit this cost/benefit "line" and you might as well keep a mediocre GE or hero in your deck as opposed to replacing it with an above-average EC or EE.

Imo 10 is ponderous and 15 is ludicrous. I would not add a defensive card to my deck for any reason whatsoever unless it generates a lot of speed, available souls, or unassisted blocking. If you go a single turn in Booster multi without a hero you didn't draft and deck enough heroes.