It's that time of the year again
War applications are starting, and newer players are constantly evaluating themselves and others. (both in chat and on forums).
With reduced team sizes, it will be even harder to get into the team one wants.
In this topic, I wanna sketch up a few guidelines
for newer palyers with no War-experience for selling themselves during the auction.
I don't wanna sound rude or mean, I wanna help fellow players out there. On the other hand, I will be brutally honest. Happy reading!
Okay let me start with the following: There are (5x12=)60 places open, right? Wrong.
You are not competing for the 60 places.
The first 40 or so places will be sold out for seasoned veterans with multiple previous War experience. They are the ones who know what's going on. The are the ones who will be expected to turn the cogs of War around. Every general will want to draft atleast 3-5 of them.
The next ~10 places are for the "seasonal estabilished" players. They are not necessarily around at all times, but during a War, they will stick around and apply. they maybe showed themselves in a previous war, or have a reputation as a PVPer. They are a pretty safe bet.
That leaves us with the remaining ~10 places. This is what newer guys compete for.
Or, this is what you would've competed for until he previous war.Enter support teams.Support teams IMO one of the best things that has ever happened to War, next to UW. (I like that now there are more ppl involved, but I also liked the whole concept and that you had to fight your way into UW) .
Support teams are a great way to involve almost everybody, to teach newer players about the mechanisms involved, but without the stress and tedious work of the main team. It also gives generals a little 'breathing room' when bidding for players.
Still, I think that everyone wants to be in the main team, right there, fighting it out for victory. so it is vital that one writes the most appealing application if possible. But what are the main points of an appealing application? That's what I'll go through in the next section.
1, Positioning yourselfThere 3 kind of players who will get drafted into a team:
1,
Best of the best. They are the ones who will be lieutenants, or who have been known to basically move the team forward. Previous war experience, multiple PVP event wins, posession of all relevant cards (upped and unupped). Former Generals. They are always around. Great organizing skills. Respected by both the community and Warmasters, so they can drive their points through if there is any compication during the event. Widely- known players.
This group will get the top bids. there will be serious "bidding-battles" for them. Every general wants to draft one.
2,
Solid players. They will be the core of the team. They will be generally around, helping with decks, maintaining spreadsheets, checking on things etc. They are reliable for subbing. They know what is going on during War. They have War experience.
If a general can draft 2-3 of them besides a good lieutenant, that will ease his/her responsibilities and duties a great deal.
They will get a medium-sized bet.
3,
New players.This is you guys! You cannot advertise yourself with previous-war experience, neither await for a huge bid. Bididng huge is even more of a risk than in previous Wars, since the reduced cardpool, so generals will think twice about where to put their bids.
Thus, your appplication must shout "I am a bargain, you can get me for cheap yet I will perform just as good as a seasoned player!!"
IMO this consists of two sections:
1, Telling why you won't be a nusiance to the team
2, Telling why you will be a benefit to the team
(they may sound the same, but actually they are different things.)
1, Showing that you won't be a nusianceNothing is worse than drafting a palyer who has no use later on. If the player quits mid-event, loses interest, barely (if ever) contributes to the teamwork, fails to play his/her matches and hinders team deckbuilding by being unable to field decks, then s/he is considered a bad draft. Remember, generals don't know if you qualify as a good teammember, so you'll have to convice them that you won't do the things mentioned above.
It is hard to express that you will be reliable. Teamwork is one of the most important aspects in War. It is required to log in everyday and help build decks, test them, and brainstorm around. A commitment of several hours may be required each day. Generals don't know if you are up to it, and a simple "I will be around, promise" won't suffice.
What you can do is that you give reliable time zones when you can log in. Also, if you played in some long-term PVP event, state it! If you, for example cannot log in on Saturdays, state it. A "I'm always around" sounds more like an exagerration than a "I cannot play on friday and monday, but I'll be here on the other days" . Be honest.
Another thing that is considered is the cardbase of a player, especially the rares and upped cards. If you bump into teamchat 3hrs before the deadline and tell that you cannot field the Flying Farenheit deck that is assigned to you, cause you only have 1 Farenheit, well, that can crumble the whole team's strategy. Cards need to be reassigned, whole decks changed, etc. And especially in later rounds, as every card in the vault has its place.
Same is true about upped cards. Most times upping a card is only a bonus, but if you cannot run the allowed number of ups, then you will have a serious disadvantage compared to a well-equipped opponent. Some times however, whole decks depend on upped cards (Fratal MinorPhoenix).
If you have all the rares, a good amount of upped cards, a hefty sum of money, state it! If you don't have too much upped cards, but you have the ones you think are the most important (animate weapon, for example), state it!
Show a potential to gather money/rares fast! If you have a serious rare/moneyfarmer deck, state it in your application. That way, generals will know that even if you don't have 4 upped Rewinds, you will have them by the time you need to use them. Deckbuilding is usually a 2-4 days window; a whole lot of cards can be upped during that period.
Another thing is to have proper english. (I'm not talking about english literature- level; just be able to converse with your team without causing confusion. If you could read this long post, you're probably okay
) Also, be mature.
And the most important thing:
Don't lie in your app. Ever. You fill be found out.2, Showing that you will be an important factor in the teamThis is easier, basically emphasize every talent you have that you think will help. If you have experience with other TCGs, say so. If you can manage spreadsheets, know game theory, or have other talents, then tell the generals in your application!
I already told you that being around and contributing is one major part of the event. Even if you're not much of a deckbuilder, help the others with ideas, and be there to give your opinion. Even if you cannot build decks, you can help by playtesting. I've done loads of playtesting with my teammates in different warteams. This is the single best way to improve decks. You need no deckbuilding skills for playtesting, just load in the game and play the deck that is given to you.
Generally, be involved. This is the best advice I can give to you.
That's all that I can think off the top of my head; any criticism is welcome.
Good luck, and see ya in War
PS. don't bump your application. ever. Believe me, generals will read every app, regardless of its position, but bumping gives a negative impression about the player.
