Carlos Santana Captain Card has ruined the game.
-
An unfortunate consequence of this game making it hard to acquire a lot of high end cards is that you have to prioritize when building a team. I would love to try out the Kershaw team, or Ortiz, but I don't have any more stubs. I spent them all on finishing the S1 collection. Also it should have been so obvious that everyone would use a switch hitter captain, they probably just shouldn't have released it. No matchup disadvantages and an extra 12 to both contacts and clutch.
But the biggest thing is they can turn around and drop switch hitters they know people want in chase and choice packs (Goodrum, Adley, Ozzie), give them three weeks to use them, sit back and watch the stub sales pour in.
-
I don't buy packs or stubs and don't have as much time to offer as others but I run Hoffman bullpen and usually Nolan or team theme. Works well for me but I am sure having streamers use the Santana team so much increases it's use.
-
No…Seasons ruined the game…Carlos Santana is just a tool for meta followers that can’t hit same side pitching. He’s a crutch for bad players.
-
@MarinerMatt01 No it has not ruined it, but it created a real bad meta … Captains are awesome, but the boost has to come with a sacrfice. You want the boost, you can only use 2000s / Asian born / Card X / … -players … With switch hitters, there is no sacrifice (especially for bad players like me ). It can only get worse, when they additionally add 99-Mickey and 99-Elly.
The only solution, that comes into my mind is not allowing captains to be wildcarded. Otherwise we will see the Switch-hitting-meta until 25. -
I’m not sure about all of this… I mean, it isn’t like real life where we’re standing in a different spot and someone is starting their delivery from behind our head vs. way on the other side with a nice clean view…
When you think about it, on your screen, you’re looking at the same pitcher releasing from the same patch of pixels. That doesn’t change whether your batter is standing on the left or the right side of the plate, and you’re still moving the same stick in the same way to swing (or pushing a button, if you’re into that sort of thing). It isn’t like, at this point in the cycle, the card stats have big righty/lefty splits, so is the matchup thing really so big of a deal?
Don’t get me wrong, I go by matchup sometimes, too (and ran the Santana boost until I just recently sold him off), but how much of this is in our heads vs. a real issue?
-
@YOSHI24 That completely defeats the entire purpose of a wild card.
-
It’s funny that people think there was lineup diversity before this lol
-
It wasnt long ago when people were saying the Buxton boost "ruined the game". Is this what the community has become now? Complaining about every card in the game because they choose not to use it?
-
@The_Joneser said in Carlos Santana Captain Card has ruined the game.:
I’m not sure about all of this… I mean, it isn’t like real life where we’re standing in a different spot and someone is starting their delivery from behind our head vs. way on the other side with a nice clean view…
When you think about it, on your screen, you’re looking at the same pitcher releasing from the same patch of pixels. That doesn’t change whether your batter is standing on the left or the right side of the plate, and you’re still moving the same stick in the same way to swing (or pushing a button, if you’re into that sort of thing). It isn’t like, at this point in the cycle, the card stats have big righty/lefty splits, so is the matchup thing really so big of a deal?
Don’t get me wrong, I go by matchup sometimes, too (and ran the Santana boost until I just recently sold him off), but how much of this is in our heads vs. a real issue?
I believe it’s more in our hands than anything else, I stopped running from LvL matchups last year and ever since I’ve gotten so much better at it that I carry defensive replacements in my bench only now.
-
I actually love LVL matchups because the pitch sequences are so predictable you can sit on hard stuff high in and then get so excited when you get your pitch that you hit the ball 112 miles a hour 40
Ft right of the foul pole -
@GoozeFn there's a difference between relevant and broken. We all wanted captains for theme teams. Switch hitters are already and advantage. It's essentially just a double advantage theme team. Not what we wanted. Almost never see team captains bc they still aren't good enough except for a few teams.
-
@Easy_Duhz_It_ yeah, I want to use the team I want to use, not be forced to use certain cards to be on an even playing field. Captains were supposed to be for theme teams.
-
@Wildthingwilly It’s not broken. The boost from Santana is less significant for that reason. It’s working as designed and it’s fun.
-
@Wildthingwilly You don’t have to use anyone. Use whoever you want. You don’t need to ruin other peoples fun because you want to play with other players or can’t afford the so called meta.
-
For the most part, this has been a very thoughtful discussion. Some great feedback on both sides, thank you.
I was exaggerating when I said “ruined the game“ and am not against the usage of captains, but I do think there might be something wrong with the game or at least an obvious advantage when everyone uses the same Captain and lineup.
It’s harder to hit same handed pitching in real life, and those difficulties are reflected in the ratings on the cards. No matter if we the user are facing The same handed pitcher, Our card is in those ratings have some effect. Taking That way, and having every hitter facing the opposite hand is a huge advantage. It makes the tough task of pitching (at least on All Star) that much more difficult.
-
@MarinerMatt01 very good post and on point …
@GoozeFn_PSN … he sums it up pretty good. Baseball is sometimes also that strategic part. Bringing in a lefty to face a lefty … Switch hitters are rare and they give an advantage. The problem is not Santana and his boost. The problem is, that they brought out some awesome cards that built the meta. They knew they had Rollins. Then TA3 came with Escobar and Roberts. Profar came too
But they still brought out Marte and Rutschman … To feed the meta even more. I do not think that is a good way for captains.I just built a squad with Santana-Tier2-Boost. I left out Profar and some others because I did not want an all-Switch-hitting-team. But still there are 6 in my lineup.
Today I will start of ranked and I am pretty sure that I will run in a lot of Santanas … but: we‘ll see
-
@Wildthingwilly said in Carlos Santana Captain Card has ruined the game.:
@Easy_Duhz_It_ yeah, I want to use the team I want to use, not be forced to use certain cards to be on an even playing field. Captains were supposed to be for theme teams.
You can use the cards you wanna use. You're not forced to use anything. Playing against a team of switch hitters isnt a guaranteed loss but if you go into the game with the mindset that it is, they already beat you.
-
@Easy_Duhz_It_ put 2 players of completely even skill, one with Santana and one without and guess who's gonna win. Contact is the most important stat on higher difficulty and boosting it on both sides with clutch boost is actually an insane boost.
-
@JDHalfrack yes 100%!!! I struggle with right handed hitters regardless of who’s pitching.
-
The Santana boost isn't the problem. The problem is the amount of good switch hitters SDS has dropped in the game so early. The last few years it seemed like we got a trickle down of switch hitters as the game went on.
-