More options means more strategies, which is just the way Aurora PH’s coach likes it.
MPL PH Season 17 introduced a small but impactful change in the drafting phase and Aurora PH’s Coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani couldn’t be happier. Teams are now able to choose the battle map they wish to play on, providing an additional layer of strategy to the drafting phase.
When The GAME asked Coach MtB for his thoughts on the change, he revealed that this was something that he brought up with developers MOONTON Games back when they were competing in the M7 World Championship.
“Tinanong nila sa amin ano ‘yung tingin namin sa randomized na maps,” said Aurora’s Coach MtB. “Isa sa mga suggestions ko is ang hirap gumawa ng strategy kung hindi mo alam ‘yung map na gagamitin. So sabi ko kung gusto mo namin ma-maximize yung mga maps, dapat may option kami pumili para makagawa kami ng strats.’”
Coach MtB admits that it’s difficult to prepare map specific strategies because of how they were randomly picked before. It felt like they were wasting prep time for a plan that they might not even be able to use.
“Hindi ko lang na-expect na sa M7 namin pinagusapan, na-update nila ngayon,” continued Aurora’s Coach MtB. “Siguro medyo nabigla lang kami kasi marami na ngayon ‘yung kailangan paghandaan namin.”
A Boon For the Strategists
Despite the extra work he now has on his plate, Coach MtB is overall happy with this change.
“Dahil mas-madali gumawa ng mga strategies kung calculated lahat, kung nakikita mo ano yung pwede mong gawin, pwede i-adjust. Ang hirap lang talaga mag-laro kung random ang nangyayari. Mas favored siya talaga sa mga teams na gusto mag-plano ng gagawin nila.”
It’s still early but Coach MtB is already seeing patterns in the way teams are approaching their drafts. They’re simple things, like increasing the priority of certain heroes based on the chosen map, but the coach believes that it’ll get much deeper once teams are fully used to it.
“Sa tingin ko, yun yung kailangan i-take advantage ng mga teams. Na meron talagang high priority picks based sa gagamitin na map. Pero hindi siya madali gawin. Mahirap gumawa ng strat na out of meta based on sa map. Pero once may nakagawa, sunod-sunod na yan.”
Banner image courtesy of MOONTON Games.
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