GnW Bucket Strategies: We May Have a Problem

[Djent]

So at KTAR X, a Pika/GnW team managed to place 2nd using a very...err, "powerful" strategy. As you can see, GnW can have an OHKO option online in < 3 seconds. He is able to bucket the charge from Pikachu's Thunder from a surprising distance, and because Oil Panic now fills charges based on damage, one very powerful energy projectile is enough to fill all 3 stages. Depending on where one's teammate spawns, it's even possible to set it up at the start of a match. The only thing that was able to stop the mayhem was a x2 Little Mac team, which was able to disrupt charge acquisition with superior CC options.

While it's too early to call for a "ban" on anything, I can only see this strategy getting stronger with time. The best possible thing that can happen is that lots of people start using it. If it's truly broken, we'll figure it out before the WiiU version launches so that Nintendo can potentially patch it. If it isn't, we'll find ways around it, whether they be in the form of characters who can prevent the strategy from getting started, or in the Marvel sense of inventing something even more broken. We shouldn't shy away from using this tactic, and we should encourage people to explore counters as soon as possible. This way, the truth will out itself soon enough for us to take the proper action, whatever it is.

 

[Mettie7]

I'm pretty sure there's no way to patch this. If they did they'd end up changing the calculations for all of G&W bucket grabs. The only thing they could do is make Thunder only fill up 1/3 of the bucket, but I think the overall damage of the oil would be even more?

I don't do team battles so I don't really know how they work or have a say in what happens

10/10 would fill bucket again

 

[Djent]

A simple way to patch would be to change the % each level takes to fill. To compensate for the increased damage potential, they'd also lower the damage multiplier down from 2.5.

 

[Rakurai]

I don't think the game was balanced around friendly fire. The changes to the bucket's mechanics make it more practical to use against characters with charged projectiles, but it's not broken outside of the aforementioned tactic.

Therefore, I'm not expecting it to get patched.

 

[Overtaken]

Does the competitive 2v2 scene generally expect friendly fire to be on though? It seems like friendly fire-off for the purposes of actual tournaments would end it pretty quick.

Edit: quickly

 

[SFA Smiley]

It shouldnt be banned, it's fine, the game is still young, it will evolve past this strategy.

 

[Saikyoshi]

Does the competitive 2v2 scene generally expect friendly fire to be on though? It seems like friendly fire-off for the purposes of actual tournaments would end it pretty quick.

Edit: quickly

Yes, but it would also allow gangup infinites in its place. That's why Friendly Fire/Team Attack has always been required to be turned on from the beginning.

 

[Djent]

However bad this ends up being, FF off...would be much worse.

 

[Dr. Robotnik]

Just an fyi, this was patched. his thunder no longer fills the bucket as the threshhold was increased to 10% per hit to fill a slot from 8%. Makes for stronger killing buckets but not nearly as fast.