Hmm, I'm not so sure I agree anything needs to be done. Part of it is what you pull, part of it is how skilled you are, but a big part of it depends on how well the dice love you. Pull all the uniques and power fig's you want, if you can't hit anything you're SOL.

I had some pretty good pulls but just barely scraped by on dice rolls in both qualifiers I played in. I had more near-misses then hits, and a few crit fails.

Though I did like what was done for the CA Marquee. Bringing some kind of piece to the table that you know you can work with can help equalize things a bit. Other then that I don't mind how things are.

The problem with sealed is that while, yes, a good player can win with garbage, the guy with the better pull will almost always win against someone of equal skill.

Case in point: I'm pretty good by the standards of where I play (usually win tournies, usually 2-1 if not that). In a Liao sealed I pulled all 'mechs with an 8 attack, gimpy infantry, and a Highlander Mars. I got kicked around like a hacky sack, even against opponents I typically beat.

Yes, sometimes you need to improvise, but the world's best players fielding RotS Ullers are going to be hard pressed to beat average players who got a halfway-decent pull.

Just a question

what if at nationals they prerelease FP to be used for the sealed?

(No I don't know anything, but speculating (notice the prerelease of Dark Riders at WWLA about a month before the official release.)(Notice origins last weekend of JUNE and FP is to release August/Sept...)

I agree with warflail here. The random pieces hold too much weight in a national level tournament. Pure and simple.

I believe that the change to 450/3 orders has pushed the degree luck plays into sealed higher. I've read a lot of people talking about their pulls at nationals and how they were able to adapt. Mostly because they were able to at least ditch some of their more worthless units. With the 450 point build total, you are almost forced to play with at least two mechs if not three depending on how bad your pulls are. There is very little skill in the process of building one's army sometimes than.. let's add up all my pieces and see which infantry piece I take out to add up to 450.

That would make the sealed fun and interesting as everyone has to play with new pieces. (As long as it doesn't become the snafu that VTOLS were last year at Nationals. "Shoot and ram? Ummm.... Sure, why not!" :confused: )

The chance to play with FP at Nationals would make my decision to go much easier.

Personally I love sealed. I do great in it, winning about 80%-90% of the time.

I am so tired of buying about a case and a half of Counterassult single boosters and not getting a single SS Arrow IV, SH Aesir, or more than just one (ONE, singluar) unique out of all that. This is all at various venues, with the boosters kept behind the counters as well as out in front.

It's true that you can be totally murdered by a truly craptacular pull, though. Corle lost a National Qualifier yesterday due to the stunning bad luck in his pull. I believe he got the Merc Forestry, SS Forestry, SS Raider, Merc Shoden, BR MHI Defense AA, and I think a Fulcrum. His best infantry were one BR ATV, one SW Mortar Squad, and one (I think BR) Mortar Squad.

His opponent got the Liao Shockwave, the same SS Raider, and the BR Raider (not the Mk II), with a Liao Towed Arrow IV. Not a very good pull, either, especially if your opponent pulls one of the many light 'Mechs with an 11 attack. Almost anything could have beaten Corle's pull, though, and that Liao Shockwave made it well near unbeatable with what Corle had.

- Lunatic

I'd have to agree with the previous opinion posted here. If it were going to have any element of randomness it should be a Draft format. Not sealed.

Poll, stormfox!

Are the World's single elimination?
No.

You are *never* eliminated from the tourny due to bad pulls. You'll lose a couple games, but then you're down with the rest of the people who got #### pulls, and you can show your true skill.

Even if you lost *every* game with Sealed, you'd still be in the running to make it to finals.

As such, this is a skill I'd really hate to see taken out of the World's competition.

But I don't think there should be both Draft and Sealed, and I don't like Draft. (to me, Draft emphasizes skills I don't like seeing in a World's competition.)
I suggest 4 rounds sealed, 8 rounds constructed. (perferably 4 with a surprise scenario, as that shows alternative army construction techniques.)

Even if you lose all your sealed rounds, you can still make it to finals which is single elimination, and constructed, so you only have yourself (and your dice) to blame if you lose.

This is by far one of the MOST touchy subject to me about MW. Bring on the set retirement, bring on the nerfs, bring on whatever else you want, but SEALED in National and World level competition is the most ridiculous concept alive.

Folks, at this level you/we are BEYOND 'even' playing field. At this level, if you are still relying on 'even' playing field to give you a 'chance' at winning, you are over your head. This being said, I read the last 4 pages of posts and would like to cover a few points that were made as supporting arguments for sealed.

NO, they (WK) did not generate sales on boosters and that is why they did/do sealed events. At $3 a booster there is low to no profit there folks.

No, there is no 'skill' in the world, in a sealed event that is going to make the ice mechs beat the good combo or good unique pull, if you were at Nationals or Worlds last year then you know this already. It was the same 20 people at the Nationals in the front row and the same 10 people in the front row at Worlds. (btw, there were not 'crud' pull armies)

No, this is NOT for the 'fun' of it. Hate to break this to those out there that feel this is for the 'fun' of it. It's for the COMPETITION of it at these top two levels. This is WORLD champion, not 'who had the most fun? okay you win!!! yeah!!!'. If anyone was at the top spots in Nat or World then you will remember the only joking or laughing that went on was generally AFTER the rounds where over, otherwise people were VERY serious and very intent on what was happening.

No, there is no intelligent use of random crud as someone posted. The simple fact of the matter is, the better pull is going to win over the lesser pull. At the top spots in Nationals you did not see nor face a #### pull army. At Worlds, the same #### pull armies where on the 4th row of tables. (the last tables btw)

Last big point that really struck a funny cord to me. A few people jumped on the 'can't afford a good/cheeze/competitive or whatever other world you want for it, army'. Well, if you feel that sealed is fair because it gives you a chance to beat the guy that can 'afford' a better army than you? That is ridiculous. Aside from those that live within driving distance of Nationals, cost is far from being an issue for an army. For those of the 260+ people at Nationals last year that did not live within driving distance, cost of an army was not even a factor compared to the hundreds of dollars it cost to get and stay there for 3-4 days.
And frankly, at this point, I pulled or traded for my "cheeze" faction pure SS arty army. If you feel you need to spend $200 bucks to keep up with my pulled and pure army then that is your issue.

Okay, Warflail, BRAVO. Good post.

JinxM, I was at your table bud, that really sucked. Seeing all those uniques next to us just crushed any hopes at staying competitive that day.

Couple people came up on an idea I liked and proposed. You want even playing field? You want your only odds of losing to be the dice and to see who the best player is aside from odds of dice? (because dice are odds folks, not luck, hate to break your belief on this one) Then WK posts by whatever solution means they come up with it, a formated army. They dictate what each and every piece is, and you either show up with that army or they will sell it to you at the door for that round and we all play the same #### thing. That is TRULY even playing field. Then you can put your skill where your mouth is, and don't whine about the dice at the end of the day because as I said, dice are odds not luck.

Another idea I liked and would enjoy the compromise of, of the 12 rounds, make 8 of them constructed and only 4 booster drafted. Then, at least 2/3 of your rating is by what YOU built in advance, by what YOU felt was competitive, by what YOU feel you know how to play and can win with.


Skill in this game, is the ability to think of the armies you expect to see. The ability to find a way to counter the top 3 or 4 armies you thought of. The ability to make your 'counter' army effective at aggressively defeating those armies that fall outside of the 3-4 you thought of. NOT trying to find a way to take all your pieces that don't add up to the build total and defeat a combined arms army that has 23 hardened against your best attack of 8 and 2 damage.

Thanks for the 'ears' to my TOTAL disapproval to a sealed game in "the best in the country" and the "best in the world" competition.

For people who aren't good in constructed games,they can still go for the sealed boosters game,it's just like gambling...you can win or you can lose...

It's just your luck that you got something that you didn't want,you don't have X-ray eyes,mind you.It's no use complaining about it,Wizkids won't even listen,and besides,it's not compulsory for you to join it,you chose to join it,so stuck to the rules and regulations,you can save $30 and the ears of poor fellow forum members by not joining it. ;)