For those of you in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting shorter, the nights longer, there is a crispness in the air, and Winter is coming. Also, really good Warno players are losing in the playoffs to other really good Warno players. Two massive Division 1 Quarterfinals took place this week. In addition, there were amazing series in Division 2, 3, and 4. All of these contests highlight two crucial aspects of Warno that need increased awareness.
Commanders, there are two moments in a tournament match where you have the least pressure but most impact on the outcome of the game; the draft and the deployment. And good players are taking these two opportunities for granted. Moreover, drafting and deployment are not easy. But let's take a look at some good and bad examples from this past week to see what we can learn. (Know that I chose kindness with all Warno players and have picked out examples I hope inform the entire community. No hard feelings intended.)
Lesson #1 - Stardekk first picked 11 ACAV on Mount River vs tmanplays. Before hitting “ready” let's consult this season’s meta. ACAV is winning 11% of the time, my name is tmanplays and I have bad openers. I am going to get rushed by LRS, M1A1s, or Helos!!!!!! What division will be best in handling that? 27 ya! A division with no FWD Deploy and bad AA. OK, but I am tmanplays I will win eventually with better micro and by paying all my debts so I should deploy very conservatively in preparation of the aforementioned rush. You can watch the broadcast HERE to see how it went.
Lesson #2 - I had the privilege of battling CoreAccretion this weekend in the Division 3 quarterfinals. In game #2 on Isura, I counterpicked their 1 Canadian Division with my 7th panzer. T-72s can take some of the Tow-2 hits and I should be able to slowly but surely grind down their tank force. I need to be prepared midgame to stop the airspam, but in the early game I am ok getting helo rushed or AT plane rushed because I will have very few units deployed beyond my AA net. Start with just one Kub and few Schilkas, don’t even need to turn off their radars. Great gameplan Fatkid! You are both smart and skinny! Moving to the deployment, I started with way too many T-55s which got 1 shotted by ATGMs and started off with WAY too much AA. I know nothing. Game to CoreAccrection who played fantastically.
Lesson #3 - In a Division 2 matchup between TaTarBoy and Aim_Deusi, both players did their homework. TaTarBoy banned 5th pnz, 79 ya, and Korpus. All three divisions Aim won with during the group stages! Aim, on the other hand, banned 6 ya, 9th US, and 2nd pnz. All three divisions TaTar won with during the group stages! This matchup came down to, at minimum, each Commander’s 4th, 5th, and 6th best divisions. That's playoff Warno!
Lesson #4 - In their playoff series, Greyhound must have channeled their inner Fatkid (lols) during the draft. Your ingenious author surmised last week that the top 3 banned divisions in the playoffs should be 16 DE, 2nd pnz, and 6 ya. And Greyhound was able to pull off a draft that allowed them to get all three as their picks! Kudos to #FIN Suojeluskunta who had a plan on how to defeat 2nd panzer. More on this draft later.
So, what can we learn?
If an opponent is picking a “bad” division, you are getting rushed. Prepare accordingly.
Follow your own gameplan from draft to deployment. Take your time. It's worth it. (And always thank your opponent for waiting.)
Ban what your opponent has played. Force them to go deeper into their repertoire.
Stick them with the pointy end.
Read the Warno Dispatch.
Let's check in on our winless division to see if they have had any impact on the playoffs so far.
76-ya OG Desantno-Shturmovaya (0-0)
4th Armored Division (0-1)
35th Infantry Division (Mech.) (0-0)
35-ya OG Desantno-Shturmovaya (0-0)
24th Infantry Division (1-0)
303. Tankova Divize (0-0)
Still keeping my fingers crossed for a 303 victory! "Byli jsme a budem!"
Woodtick69 "And Now His Watch Is Ended" with Hippie’s loss, your quest for the SDL Merch is over.
Sequoia - rooting for theHellene
Mike/Chips - rooting for griffon_65
FM14 - rooting for Hippie, Stahlbrecher, Kotch, goldenpanzer30
Grand Potato - rooting for Kotch, 5_luuk_5
Woodtick69 - rooting for Hippie
Nocturna - rooting for Aim_Deusi
Stahlbrecher - rooting for Aim_Deusi
Adler_750 - rooting for greyhound and 5_luuk_5
Meddinator - rooting for Stardekk
If you have an interesting ranked game of Warno that you would like to share, now is your chance! Please send your replays and a short description to Warno.Dispatch@gmail.com to be considered for this space each week.
If I am #FIN Suojeluskunta I am livid about my playoff match. “I needed more bans for the night is dark and full of terrors” they scream to the heavens. And heaven answers in the form of FOB Arena Season 3. Recently updated rules now include twelve (12!) bans per game. With more bans and more prize money, if SDL playoffs are giving you the itch to right click on a T-72, this is your next tournament. The rule set can be found HERE.
Signups close this Saturday the 15th, so hurry and fill out your registration HERE.
I, for one, am looking forward to more Protoss and Chloride casting these playoffs. Their insight, their jokes about India as a “historical” capture point, and the passion they bring to each and every cast makes Warno one of the best communities around. Just commenting “Thank You” on the bottom of THIS video would mean the world to them.