Suggestions for a defensive team for arena?

Replies

  • Qeltar
    4326 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    Qeltar wrote: »
    Well I used my Jinn/Yoda team to claw back into the 30s from 71 and then for my 5th fight switched to Phasma / Dooku / Daka / GS / Lumi. I won that fight so now around #29. I deliberately did this 5 hours before our arena deadline on a Sunday so I can see how well it holds. Hoping the RNG factor with all of Phasma, Dooku and Daka will help. These are all also relatively simple characters that the AI is less likely to mess up.
    I cant use Fives yet. His power level is too low and would make me a target. But I might eventually sub him in somewhere. Its super hard to get rid of Lumi though, she is just so ridiculously good.

    The Proc rate of Daka and Phasma seems to be buffed on AI, don't care what's been said before about RNG, I run a Phasma Daka team and I consistently only get half the procs the AI does, day in, day out.

    I hope enough people agree with you that they want to avoid my team. ;)
    I'm now thinking about going to Poggle lead with GS, IG-86, Daka and Poe. Would that be "porcupiney" enough to keep people away? It will require 5 MM credits for leveling Poggle and IG-86 though, and another 1 MM for star upgrades, and then I have to farm gear for them. But once that's done I will have them. Poggle seems pretty versatile. And both Poggle and IG-86 are essentially "free" for me with my GW stockpile.
    This team is likely weak against the big speed teams though. They will get several shots before Poe taunts. One reason I wouldn't use IG-88.
    I think I also will just now accept that 50 crystals per day is the cost of remaining competitive in the arena... at least, as competitive as I am willing to try for (I'm not going to spend extra crystals to bypass timers and engage in the snipe-fest in the top 10).
    Quit 7/14/16. Best of luck to all of you.
  • Very nice thread.

    Getting a lot of information.

    Have not farmed ren yet.

    While Dooku and barris is still unaccessible due to lvl

    Sid(L) Poggle POE Ren and probably GS would work to hold rank?

    Still avoiding droid teams. They are a pain.

    I run Sid 7* POE 4* Lumi 7* QGJ 6* GS 7* atm

    Lvl 64 not a big spender.

    Rank below 20 if I am active before 5. Am able to take top 10 easily if I am free from 5-6pm

    So any advice to plan for lvl 70 would be appreciated.
  • NikPatel
    9 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    On my server one guy using Poggle(Lead), dooku,GS,ig86 and FOTP all maxed .. almost unbeatable everyday #1. I was able to beat him only one time with Phasma(lead), poggle, lumi, kylo and sid.
  • reizse
    1447 posts Member
    50 crystals is an opportunity cost to stay competitive, if you consider competitive as being higher ranked. but there's also an upside to it...during rush hour, i only aim to hit the highest ranked players to climb. this means i usually ignore teams that might have interesting comps. with an additional refresh, that's another 5 attempts to fight these teams and gauge my own ability to counter them, which is pretty fun
    mighty chlorians
  • WWJDl wrote: »
    Greetings Qeltar,
    I've been playing since Nov. and for the past few months have reg held a top 10 position on my server.
    Not many can hold on to a position if sniped by time.
    I sometimes spend 50 gems to hold a 1-3 spot if I have time.

    The top 10 team strat. changes around about once every 2 weeks, but I believe your knowledge in that area exceeds mine.

    That said to answer your question:
    1) Your team set-up is not the main problem, the slot position you are trying to hold may be the real issue.

    2) Position 1 and 2 and all those outside of the top 10 are prime targets for end time sniping; so simply pick a number people are less likely to snipe when presented with positions they think they can take in the last few minutes of the game.

    3) Personally, I like to take position 3 or 6. Positions outside of the top 10 are not advised as there are many more people who like to move up ranks. Being in the top ten limits those who can challenge your team. I usually take the position 23 hours in advance, and have less challenges at payout time with these slots (3 and 6). Positions 1,2, and 4 and 5, 7-10 are simply easier payout targets for players moving up in the last seconds.

    My current team, and this is due to my personal taste is (maxed out equip and abilities if possible) :
    Dooku 7* lead, Sid 7*,Kylo 7*, Poe 7*, Poggle 7* (this team also functioned with Poggle @ 5*)

    My suggestion for you would be
    Sid 7*(Leader)
    Kylo 7*
    Dooku (move him to 7*)
    Poe (star him up as 6* should work) (max out his speed/equip is more important than stars)
    Poggle 5-6* is fine as long as Poe's speed is up to par (max out his speed/equip)

    Basically, by AI
    Dooku hits and hopefully stuns or hinders someone,
    Sid dots then Poe or Poggle employs special or vice versa
    Kylo area and kills 1-2 units
    Self control:
    If you are playing then have Sid hold off on his area attack until after Poggle give his bonus:
    Always target an assist dps unit or jedi first with Dooku (in this order) :
    Ben(stun but do not kill)
    Ig88
    yoda
    Jinn
    _________________________________

    Dooku hits
    Sid should immune someone
    Poe or Poggle (both specials go off)
    Kylo area hit (or one hit special kill if Sid has missed his immune)
    Poe takes a hit or...3
    Sid does his area dot and the game should be yours.

    Hope this help =)
    God bless n da Force be with ya~

    Sounds like something I should work on.

    Ren n Dooku together in cantina will make if a challenge for me though.

    I took the easy way to farm GS first.

    Probably farm ren first n get shards for Dooku from hard nodes first?
  • sid
    232 posts Member
    Bariss with Fives sounds interesting. With their combined health pool, the health equalization might keep high DPS alive a bit longer. Then perhaps, add GS, QGJ, and Dooku?
  • sid wrote: »
    Bariss with Fives sounds interesting. With their combined health pool, the health equalization might keep high DPS alive a bit longer. Then perhaps, add GS, QGJ, and Dooku?

    Fives killed my sid 1v1 in arena both at full health...
  • Qeltar
    4326 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    reizse wrote: »
    50 crystals is an opportunity cost to stay competitive, if you consider competitive as being higher ranked. but there's also an upside to it...during rush hour, i only aim to hit the highest ranked players to climb. this means i usually ignore teams that might have interesting comps. with an additional refresh, that's another 5 attempts to fight these teams and gauge my own ability to counter them, which is pretty fun

    Unfortunately my server is so bloody active that those 50 crystals will likely go to waste. I get into the top 20 and I will just get knocked below 50 again.
    I'm getting close to the "why even bother with all this for 25 extra tokens and 50 extra crystals I have to spend anyway"? There's really not that much difference between being rank 21 and rank 200 (as I have been telling people for months, even when I was regularly getting into the top 10).
    I hope whatever PvP revamp they are working on is better than.. this.
    Quit 7/14/16. Best of luck to all of you.
  • Phipps
    1107 posts Member
    Arena is only worth the stress if you take top 5 everyday, preferably top 3. Otherwise just use your 5 fights and fall where ever that may be. I don't think about defense at all. Just build a team that can beat the other teams you play against on offensive so you have 5 wins a day.....or 3-4 wins if you are competing for top 10.

    Best defense there is IMO is to be active and use your 5 fights the 50 minutes before rewards are given. Start at 5:10-5:15. This way during prime hours of ppl playing 1/2 the time they can't play you because your in a match.
  • Phipps wrote: »
    Arena is only worth the stress if you take top 5 everyday, preferably top 3. Otherwise just use your 5 fights and fall where ever that may be. I don't think about defense at all. Just build a team that can beat the other teams you play against on offensive so you have 5 wins a day.....or 3-4 wins if you are competing for top 10.

    Best defense there is IMO is to be active and use your 5 fights the 50 minutes before rewards are given. Start at 5:10-5:15. This way during prime hours of ppl playing 1/2 the time they can't play you because your in a match.

    That's how I manage to stay top 5 n take rank 1 often.

    I think in a sense. Game is designed to make defense not really revelant in arena.

    Best defense is being active for that one hour
  • Qeltar
    4326 posts Member
    It's a tradeoff. You are active during that hour but so are lots of other people. Sometimes I find it actually makes more sense to be active the hour before that if I just want to, say, get into the 20s so I stay in the top 50s. If I am at 52 and try to get into the top 50 after 5 pm, half the time I immediately get knocked back down into the 50s as soon as I get into the 40s.
    Quit 7/14/16. Best of luck to all of you.
  • I usually hold something in the top 10 on my shard. Have 3 or 4 firsts I was able to hold onto this week.
    Qeltar wrote: »
    Qeltar wrote: »
    Well I used my Jinn/Yoda team to claw back into the 30s from 71 and then for my 5th fight switched to Phasma / Dooku / Daka / GS / Lumi. I won that fight so now around #29. I deliberately did this 5 hours before our arena deadline on a Sunday so I can see how well it holds. Hoping the RNG factor with all of Phasma, Dooku and Daka will help. These are all also relatively simple characters that the AI is less likely to mess up.
    I cant use Fives yet. His power level is too low and would make me a target. But I might eventually sub him in somewhere. Its super hard to get rid of Lumi though, she is just so ridiculously good.

    The Proc rate of Daka and Phasma seems to be buffed on AI, don't care what's been said before about RNG, I run a Phasma Daka team and I consistently only get half the procs the AI does, day in, day out.

    I hope enough people agree with you that they want to avoid my team. ;)
    I'm now thinking about going to Poggle lead with GS, IG-86, Daka and Poe. Would that be "porcupiney" enough to keep people away? It will require 5 MM credits for leveling Poggle and IG-86 though, and another 1 MM for star upgrades, and then I have to farm gear for them. But once that's done I will have them. Poggle seems pretty versatile. And both Poggle and IG-86 are essentially "free" for me with my GW stockpile.
    This team is likely weak against the big speed teams though. They will get several shots before Poe taunts. One reason I wouldn't use IG-88.
    I think I also will just now accept that 50 crystals per day is the cost of remaining competitive in the arena... at least, as competitive as I am willing to try for (I'm not going to spend extra crystals to bypass timers and engage in the snipe-fest in the top 10).

    The setup mentioned here does sound troublesome. In the past week, I've seen Daka make a major comeback. I detest fighting her.

    Dooku is also a pain in the wazoo. A 7* Dooku lead with Daka, Poe, Poggle, and Geo Soldier I would avoid like the plague... until more adjustments are made next week?
    Knights of the Mobile Republic
  • reizse
    1447 posts Member
    Qeltar wrote: »
    reizse wrote: »
    50 crystals is an opportunity cost to stay competitive, if you consider competitive as being higher ranked. but there's also an upside to it...during rush hour, i only aim to hit the highest ranked players to climb. this means i usually ignore teams that might have interesting comps. with an additional refresh, that's another 5 attempts to fight these teams and gauge my own ability to counter them, which is pretty fun

    Unfortunately my server is so bloody active that those 50 crystals will likely go to waste. I get into the top 20 and I will just get knocked below 50 again.
    I'm getting close to the "why even bother with all this for 25 extra tokens and 50 extra crystals I have to spend anyway"? There's really not that much difference between being rank 21 and rank 200 (as I have been telling people for months, even when I was regularly getting into the top 10).
    I hope whatever PvP revamp they are working on is better than.. this.

    yep...the most effective system i've seen in pvp for games is elo. i hope they do adopt something like that for goh.
    based on the comments posted here about defense as being active, maybe the game is designed to allow multiple people to take higher ranks since payout is 6pm local time. if people had impenetrable defenses, that would put a damper on competition? i think i'm only seeing one side of it...if anyone care to elaborate haha
    mighty chlorians
  • Qeltar
    4326 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    Arillian wrote: »
    Dooku is also a pain in the wazoo. A 7* Dooku lead with Daka, Poe, Poggle, and Geo Soldier I would avoid like the plague... until more adjustments are made next week?

    Dooku lead is something I was working on, but he's currently bugged. If they fix him, I am thinking Dooku(L) / Rey / Yoda / Lumi / GS could be absolutely frightening.
    My Rey is currently sitting at 112/80 shards, and I plan to unlock her at (or near) 5*.. which should be in around 2 weeks. This is one of the reasons I am hesitant to put 2 million credits into Poggle or IG-86. I'm really torn here.
    Quit 7/14/16. Best of luck to all of you.
  • SpeedWeed
    504 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    Qeltar wrote: »
    It's a tradeoff. You are active during that hour but so are lots of other people. Sometimes I find it actually makes more sense to be active the hour before that if I just want to, say, get into the 20s so I stay in the top 50s. If I am at 52 and try to get into the top 50 after 5 pm, half the time I immediately get knocked back down into the 50s as soon as I get into the 40s.

    Being able to hide in battle for half of the time the one hour before reward time is the best defense

    I took #1 before 5pm because I had an appt

    I logged in after 6pm n I was rank #24 :/
  • Qeltar
    4326 posts Member
    @SpeedWeed - I agree, if going for the top 10. But if just trying to stay in the top 50, which lately is my only goal, sometimes it is actually better to go earlier so it takes multiple losses to get knocked out and you don't get knocked back while you are climbing up (which I so hate).
    Quit 7/14/16. Best of luck to all of you.
  • sid
    232 posts Member
    Forget 86, since you already have GS and QGJ, unless you need 86 for GW. I used to run GS, 86, and QGJ. 86 is too slow. Replacing 86 with Poggle, improved everyone's DPS.
  • I vote Phasma-led attack team with Kylo, Doodu, GS and whoever else you want in there. Even with the small nerf to Phasma's leader it is still a scary team because unlucky RNG = GG.
  • Qeltar wrote: »
    @SpeedWeed - I agree, if going for the top 10. But if just trying to stay in the top 50, which lately is my only goal, sometimes it is actually better to go earlier so it takes multiple losses to get knocked out and you don't get knocked back while you are climbing up (which I so hate).

    @Qeltar

    Your server sounds rough :(

    I do see more ppl actively coming up on my shard recently.

    My top 20 for 3 weeks were the same people.

    I wish they would implement pvp ranked play like hearthstone for lvl 70

    Monthly rewards. Gives people something to do during energy down time.

    Keeps ppl playing regularly.

    I mean logging in for free energy Sim n pvp barely takes an hour n half a day

    GW is like 30mins.

    Having ppl always on playing is good for longevity of the game.

    Problem is of cos ppl who stall for max time n dropping due to bad connection.
  • I'm trying to get:

    QGJ(lead), Daka, Dooku, GS and Rey

    All the speed, stuns, assists and damage would make it hard to get going against this team on defense. If Daka RNG's a revive, I don't see how this team could lose
  • l3end3r wrote: »
    I'm trying to get:

    QGJ(lead), Daka, Dooku, GS and Rey

    All the speed, stuns, assists and damage would make it hard to get going against this team on defense. If Daka RNG's a revive, I don't see how this team could lose

    Fast team for sure, but it seems like a waste to use QJC at lead with no other Jedi in the group.
  • Abyss
    1651 posts Member
    Qeltar not that i really hve any advice to offer because each arena group is different. What works in one group may not (an probably wont) work in another.

    My group seems fairly laid back and has minimal whales. This lets a variety of team comps flourish and minimal meta chasing happens.

    The benefits for me is it allows my team of toons that i enjoy playing with remain vompetitve enough.

    Dooku leader
    Sidious
    Kylo
    Lumi
    Phasma

    Its a fun team in that its all characters i like. I dont worry so much about synergy or chasing the meta because i think its dumb and boring to use toons like geo soldier just because he is effective. Bot a single player downloaded this game an said "man i hope i can get a FOTP or a geo soldier, that'd be soooooo cool" lol so I refuse to use them to ensure i have fun.

    Best of luck in your arena group buddy but that is the same team i had with phasma as leade but since the nerf, shes useless as a leader overall imo so i had to do something
  • WWJDl wrote: »
    Greetings Qeltar,
    I've been playing since Nov. and for the past few months have reg held a top 10 position on my server.
    Not many can hold on to a position if sniped by time.
    I sometimes spend 50 gems to hold a 1-3 spot if I have time.

    The top 10 team strat. changes around about once every 2 weeks, but I believe your knowledge in that area exceeds mine.

    That said to answer your question:
    1) Your team set-up is not the main problem, the slot position you are trying to hold may be the real issue.

    2) Position 1 and 2 and all those outside of the top 10 are prime targets for end time sniping; so simply pick a number people are less likely to snipe when presented with positions they think they can take in the last few minutes of the game.

    3) Personally, I like to take position 3 or 6. Positions outside of the top 10 are not advised as there are many more people who like to move up ranks. Being in the top ten limits those who can challenge your team. I usually take the position 23 hours in advance, and have less challenges at payout time with these slots (3 and 6). Positions 1,2, and 4 and 5, 7-10 are simply easier payout targets for players moving up in the last seconds.

    Thanks for your valuable input WWJDL. I will analyze that.

    In my server, i think i never seen anyone keep #1 position in arena for 3 days in a row. It always change and sometimes somebody snipe in the last 10 seconds (happened to me yesterday when my honoured rival Ivy Lee sniped in)

    My current defense strategy is to take #1 position, thus limiting only #2, #3 and #4 that can attack you. And if they succeed in taking the throne, then all you have to do is take it back from them asap. The only drawbacks of this strategy is if you dont have time to tkae it back, but at least you are in #4 :)
  • Qeltar
    4326 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    So a quick update on my little experiment. As I posted above I won 4 fights with my Jinn/Yoda team and then for my 5th fight switched to Phasma / Dooku / Daka / GS / Lumi. I was at rank #29 when I did that, at around 1 pm, 5 hours before EST arena deadline.
    I immediately got knocked down to #35 (within 20 minutes) and then #44 (within an hour). This was not encouraging, and I figured I would have to refresh and do 5 more battles just to stay in the top 50. But I was also making dinner and didn't want to deal with it. So I just waited and watched.
    Got to within 2 hours of deadline, still #44. 1 hour, #44. 30 minutes left, #44. Deadline.. #44. I was shocked!
    Then the three other timezones in the US came and went.. and still at #44. Obviously this is not like holding position in the top 10, but so far, that team seems to be doing a decent job at least.
    We'll see where it's at in the morning. ;)
    Quit 7/14/16. Best of luck to all of you.
  • SpeedWeed
    504 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    l3end3r wrote: »
    I'm trying to get:

    QGJ(lead), Daka, Dooku, GS and Rey

    All the speed, stuns, assists and damage would make it hard to get going against this team on defense. If Daka RNG's a revive, I don't see how this team could lose
    JoshG wrote: »
    l3end3r wrote: »
    I'm trying to get:

    QGJ(lead), Daka, Dooku, GS and Rey

    All the speed, stuns, assists and damage would make it hard to get going against this team on defense. If Daka RNG's a revive, I don't see how this team could lose

    Fast team for sure, but it seems like a waste to use QJC at lead with no other Jedi in the group.


    Cos QGJ going first assist attack means a dead toon or possibility of stun








    Post edited by SpeedWeed on
  • Some great stuff in this thread.

    I would add that the strongest defense is more "mental" than anything else. Just think about the teams you hate facing and pass by when choosing opponents.

    For me, anytime Daka is paired with Dooku and at least one hard-hitting assist, I avoid it if possible. I run with 2-3 Jedi so first round stuns can get out of hand quickly. Characters not susceptible to bad AI judgement are good too, like Rey.

    You want to have fear in your side and RNG can create that fear. I would take a look at the most common teams in your particular bracket and work from there. If they are using "X", what would make their life harder or annoying? Most people aren't buying many refreshes if any so you want to choose 5 battles you have a good shot at winning.

  • JohnnyMakeBelieve
    204 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    I once heard of this thing, would certainly love to try it out

    Barris (L)
    Poggle
    Fives
    Kylo
    Savage

    also @WWJDl couldn't be more right about prefered positions, I Was #3 ALL day with QGJ(L), Yoda, Lumi, Kylo & Phasma

    I mean what whale wouldn't wanna fight me? lol
  • Phipps wrote: »
    Best defense team on my shard is.

    QGJ leader
    GS
    Ben
    Poe
    Rey/yoda

    There are 2 teams like that, almost unbeatable currently for ftp. They don't leave the top 5 ever. I place top 5 everyday with Sid, poggle, Poe, GS, lumi max everything. I drop to 10-20 usually though after my 5-6 pm run.

    i have 4* old ben do you thin hes viable since his special is why he is so good?
  • wikking4u
    60 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    Cpt_Dan wrote: »
    Some great stuff in this thread.

    I would add that the strongest defense is more "mental" than anything else. Just think about the teams you hate facing and pass by when choosing opponents.

    [....]

    You want to have fear in your side and RNG can create that fear.

    That is exactly the point! Let's say you have a team on Def that people don't fear, but which wins 50% at Def. Now you get challenged maybe 10 times and will lose 5 games.

    But if you have a team with a lot of RNG things going on, which wins only 30% on Def on average but is challenged only 5 times bfor that reason, then this is the better option.
  • DV_27
    967 posts Member
    edited February 2016
    How did it look in the morning qeltar?
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