> > My commentary on this month is that people who do nothing for 7 elimination rounds and then set up 4-5/3-4 weapons with full enchants in the qualifying round (or elim 1) is the most BS thing in the world. :p
> >
> > People who do this are unable to actually get anywhere in this game, so they know that the only way they can have an effect on it is to randomly hurt some high ranked player.
>
> I agree, but I always look for tell-tale signs.
>
> For instance, I know that some people start off never having tried it before, and after not getting it after 3 or 4 rounds, just give up, so that by the time that the Qualifiers come around, they're very weak and a push-over. However, they will, by that point, have used up three of the 7 'Unused Points' they will ultimately have earned during the course of the first week. If my foe fits the above description and only has 3 or 4 points, I know that they've probably been trying, and just gave up. However, if they have 6 or 7, they're probably waiting to snipe.
>
> As much as I'd hate to, I think I may start monitoring my opponents past matches to look for more signs of a possible snipe.

The problem is that even if you do see it coming and can prepare for it, you're still gonna be screwed. Let's say Alex had bought 3 points of temporary strength enhancement for two characters (60 gold) instead of a 60-HP cybernetic, and let's say that would've been enough to let him squeak out a win. He'd still have 100 gold worth of medical expenses, and of the 50 gold he'd have saved by not losing, 30 of that would disappear via the temp. enhancements. He'd be a little better off, but it'll still put him at a major disadvantage in the later rounds...

...especially since that sort of thing tends to bump you down a few positions so you have a greater chance of facing tougher opponents earlier, which means MORE medical expenses and fewer points, which puts you FURTHER behind the head of the pack. Even just getting a somewhat tougher opponent in the first or second Elim round can snowball into problems by the end of the tournament (I ran into a little of that last month myself), but that's more just bad luck and isn't always a game-killer. A full-on kamikaze attack like this though can completely ruin your strategy for the month, and there's really not too much you can do about it.

Maybe it's supposed to be a part of the game, and maybe people like it this way, but if I could change any part of this game, it would be to impose a penalty for not doing any updating. I know the system could easily tell if no updates were done, since you get notices at the beginning of each round until you a) spend gold, b) set strategy, and/or c) mete out bonus stat points. It wouldn't be a major penalty, maybe even as low as 20-25 gold & points, since everyone forgets to update from time to time, but something big enough to discourage intentionally doing so for several days since they'd have even less to work with. I guess it would only apply if you lose, since it is theoretically possible to not update and still win (especially if your opponent also forgets to update)... ah well, just a thought, anyway.

At any rate, I was hoping to get another chance at finally beating you this month Alex, but, eh, now it feels like any sort of victory would be somewhat hollow given the circumstances. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, heh; if ANYONE could still pull out a win from that kind of situation, it'd be you... although I've noticed a certain champion from way back when is showing up again, too... I wonder if those two lius are related...