UrbanShmi wrote:
I also disagree strongly (and I think TinT will back me up on this) that Mace/GOWK are purely luck-based pieces (i.e., requiring minimal skill or thought to run). These pieces do have weaknesses, lots of them. Very VERY few squad types make for a reasonably sure win, particularly if they're well run. So the Republic player has to make a large number of strategic calculations, which vary from match to match, and often from turn to turn. It may ultimately boil down to "just run in and start swinging," but there is still generally a lot of consideration that goes into the timing of that decision. Not only that, but the odds of that gamble paying off exactly how you hope aren't exactly in your favor. The type of thing described above obviously can happen, but would be incredibly rare.
Not only do I back you up on this, but you also get a cookiee!
Seriously though, the GOWK/Mace combo is not a "luck-based" squad at all. It's actually a very difficult squad to play, because you're almost always outactivated, and there are a number of matchups which are exceedingly difficult for it.
I wonder if part of the outcry against Mace/GOWK has to do with the fact that we haven't seen a tank (ie, rock) squad do well in...
years. Tanks win by shrugging off damage, and by using their cannon to dish it back. Don't be surprised if the dominant squad-type for the past several years (scissors) no longer has its place of dominance, now that a rock squad is finally viable. Rock beats scissors...but paper squads (ie, Gerry's Naboo Soviets) can cause real problems for the rock/tank. (And good droid squads can be a pain too.)
Therefore maybe, instead of nerfing SSM again, we need to look at how the meta needs to adjust to account for rocks again (or maybe for the first time?).
One more thing: I can't (re-)emphasize strongly enough how important
timing is to strategy, even with tanks like Mace/GOWK. A poorly timed or poorly chosen move has cost me the game more than once with this squad. I know from experience that if Mace doesn't roll a crit against Atton/Cad/Carth, he's usually as good as dead...and so you have to carefully plan your moves in such a way that you don't
need the crit in order to survive. It's like playing Boba BH back in the day: if you were playing for the Disintegration, you were doing it wrong. Mace Critdu, if played carefully, doesn't
need the crit in order to win. But if he's not played carefully, even a crit is often not enough to save him.