<G14> during eliminations

[EricH]

I've been doing some thinking, and I think that <G14> will add suspense to the finals, along with more third matches.

Here's my reasoning:
I designate 3 types of teams: elite, good, and moderate. Elite is the teams that just plain don't need the super cells. Good only uses them occasionally. Moderate wins a lot of matches on the super cells. What happens when you throw the teams together?

During eliminations, the whole game changes. The "elite" and "good" teams come in picking, and probably have a <G14> from their last qual match. When more than one is on an alliance, the effects of <G14> are more pronounced.

Let’s take the 1v8 and 4v5 bracket as an example for the eliminations. 1 is probably an elite team, a good to elite team, and a moderate team. 8 is a good team and two good to moderate teams. 1 usually blows out 8 in the first match, and the same happens here, despite two members of 1 coming in with a single cell missing. 1 loses 6 cells; 8 loses none. Second match is closer, but 1 still wins easily, let’s say 2x this time around.

Meanwhile, in the 4v5, 4 is two good teams and one moderate team, while 5 is one good team, one moderate to good team, and one moderate team. Typically, 4v5 is close and hard-fought, and this time is no exception—four matches, any missing super cells are back on by the last match, and the final score is 45-44 (just to throw out a number).

Now, we go to semis, 1v4. Alliance 1 is down 3 cells; 4 has all of theirs. Match 1 is a battle, and 4 wins due to a pair of super cells scored at the last second. Match 2: 1 has all their cells; 4 is missing 3. 1 wins handily, 2x 4’s score. Now it’s Match 3: 1 is missing 3 cells; 4 is missing 0. 1 manages to steal 4’s super cells and scores them at the last second. 1 wins, 60-30. 1 goes to finals against Alliance 2, who is in a similar boat. Who wins will depend on any blowouts.


Is this the intent of the GDC? Or is it not conceivable to be a portion of the intent? And yet, in eliminations, you can't afford to back down! So what I think <G14> really does is to make for some very interesting strategy even in the high-scoring finals.