My apologies for my inactivity. I have been pretty sick recently and life is a bit hectic at the moment.
In my last entry I spoke about how to improve your game. One of the topics in the list was "Learn from your losses". I feel I didn't really explain enough in depth about it. Sure it fits nicely in that entry but it also deserves its own article. Its not something easily summed up in a simple paragraph like I did before.
When we lose, we need to look at why we lost, instead of feeling crappy about it. In my first few games in CFV I lost quite a few of them. I took these as opportunities to better understand the game and my deck. I the first thing I observed was my slightly improved trial deck was going to need an overhaul as I expected. (I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the game before I invested back then) The second thing I learned was that I was focusing too much on attacking the opponent's vanguard and not using triggers effectively.
What I did to fix this was I went back to the drawing board with my deck, and sorted out all the cards that stuck in my hand and wasted space and replaced them with what I really and truly needed. The second thing was improving my play style. I found it is sometimes more important to take out the rear guards than to deal a damage. If you can't take out your opponent this turn and he has the chance to attack you with 3 units, it might be a good idea to take some of those out before you get run out of shields or take too much damage.
The issues you run into could be similar. It takes observation of the event and the result to gain understanding. Over time I have come to learn what works and what does not in most situations. Sometimes situations are beyond our control and try as we might, we end up losing. There are sometimes where you just get dealt a crap hand, get grade stuck and it is beyond your control. Sometimes you can play out of it, other times you can't. The key is to observe. Don't make changes based on just a few games. Try to find those things you overlooked and decide what works best for you in the given situation.
Stuff I have noticed-
Damage is damage, don't take it too early and rely on your counter blasts/limit breaks. Especially with high limit breaks where your opponent's crit will put you at 6.
Use triggers effectively. What is the use of attacking with all units for a stand trigger if none of your rear guards can hit the target without a +5k?
Don't clog your field with grade 3's. You might think this is a good late game play but without the ability to intercept your thinning hand can be your downfall.
Keep a cool head and think before you make plays. If you are one to get overly exited or tourney jitters just slow down, chill out and think it though.
Guard with as few cards as possible. It makes your hand a mystery to your opponent, gives you shield advantage, and helps make sure you can use a perfect guard when you need one.
