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Best of Five - Page 3

Blogs > motbob
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chambertin
Profile Joined August 2011
United States1704 Posts
July 16 2012 14:55 GMT
#41
This is actually such an intriguing post! Thanks motbob
"I know one thing, that I know nothing" - Socrates?
OpticalShot
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Canada6330 Posts
July 16 2012 15:05 GMT
#42
Nice post and insightful replies too.
I personally prefer Bo5 because it feels like each set is valued a little higher than in a Bo7, yet the series is long enough to allow room for strategic risks and planning.
[TLMS] REBOOT
MCDayC
Profile Joined March 2011
United Kingdom14464 Posts
July 16 2012 15:21 GMT
#43
Hmmmm. A tough one. I think there are pros and cons to both, and I'm actually not sure which side I agree on.
On the one hand, Bo5 does mean each game matters more, comebacks are more possible.
On the other hand, Bo7 means the finals are truly differentiated from the rest of the tournament, and when the comebacks do happen (or even when they come really close to happening, see DRG vs MMA Blizzcup for one of the most insane finals
games in the history of anything ever) they mean a huge amount.
In this case I think it is really up to the tournament, there is no real right or wrong answer imo.
VERY FRAGILE, LIKE A BABY PANDA EGG
Leyra
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States1222 Posts
July 16 2012 15:23 GMT
#44
Really interesting read, my biggest nit to pick is the reference to NBA vs NFL... You really can't compare the two, they're like apples and oranges ;D
motbob
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
United States12546 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-16 15:43:41
July 16 2012 15:26 GMT
#45
On July 17 2012 00:23 Leyra wrote:
Really interesting read, my biggest nit to pick is the reference to NBA vs NFL... You really can't compare the two, they're like apples and oranges ;D

Well, I was just trying to show that there are multiple valid philosophies when running a playoff. Things can be exciting even if the better team isn't definitely going to win. Maybe an NBA vs NCAA hoops comparison would have been clearer, but that comparison and the one I used serve the same purpose in my mind.
ModeratorGood content always wins.
fire_brand
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Canada1123 Posts
July 16 2012 15:51 GMT
#46
There's been a few threads discussing this as well, but none quite in such depth and detail as you have laid out. I'm right with you on this one.

I used to be a fan of the Bo7 thinking the more the better right? Well after 2 years of Bo7s I can confidently say this is not the case. In fact more often than not it's the exact opposite. There have been numerous absolutely terrible bo7s in SC2 with lopsided 4-0s probably being the most common result. When a series gets to 3-0 the chance of a comeback happening is pretty close to non-existent and by that point both players know it. The last game in 4-0 sweep is usually a rather pathetic game and no one wants to watch it. Rather just bust out the medals and wrap the tournament out because the fans are as burned out as the players.

Bo5s have seen some of the most exciting and dramatic results in competitive gaming. The OSL and MSL finals never seem to disappoint. Even in the odd occasion where there is a 3-0 sweep you never feel like the loser was truly out of it until the trophy is being handed out. Point in case the Korean Air OSL finals between effort and Flash, one of the most epic and exciting series ever to be played was a situation where it looked like flash was just going to sweep effort in God-like fashion, but a failed cheese, and a couple sneaky plays by effort ended up swinging the series around and allowing effort to claim the prize. Even a comeback from down 2-0 is pretty amazing and makes for really exciting viewing and story telling.

Even the recent bo5s we've seen in SC2 that were NOT finals created some pretty dramatic and exciting series. The NASL playoff games that both saw Huk and hero go down 2-0 in rather simple fashion ended up being exciting come from behind victories for both players. And people who watched the first two games probably watched the last three as well. When a series goes 3-0 in one players favour in a bo7 I just turn it off, and I'm probably not alone in that. It's just too much.

I do have one exception. Teamleagues.

The only reason it works in teamleagues is because it's not the same 2 players grinding themselves into fatigue. It's up to 7 different individuals from both teams. And there's all sorts of other dynamics in the teamleagues as well. Snipers, Aces, Hotstreaks, Coach's decisions. It's not just two players locked in the same matchup grinding out up to seven games against each other.

I think the few series that have gone to seven games have been miraculous. But you're playing the percentages. There's a much better chance of a game going to 5 games then 7. There's a much better chance of those games being good then those 7 games being good. There's a much better chance of the players playing at 100% over 5 games then 7. And there's a much better chance the fans are still going to be interested in your finals after 3 or 4 games then after 5 or 6.

We really need to bring back bo5s. Quality over quantity.
Random player, pixel enthusiast, crappy illustrator, offlane/support
Azzur
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Australia6267 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-16 17:07:26
July 16 2012 17:03 GMT
#47
I actually don't mind too much whether it's bo5 or bo7 - one thing the bo7 does is give an epic feel to it which is countered by the "excitement factor" of bo5. Currently, I probably prefer bo7 by a slight margin.

One thing I do feel very strongly about is that I dislike double elimination immensely. I'm so happy that many tournaments are now moving into a GSL style format - groups for early rounds followed by single-elimination playoffs.
docvoc
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United States5491 Posts
July 16 2012 18:43 GMT
#48
the main reason people run Bo7´s is because SC2 is usually complained about in regards to luck. People do not really like to admit that player intuition can be very strong. So basically the Bo7 may last as long as a normal Bo5, but the peace of mind it brings to the community is really important.
User was warned for too many mimes.
xccam
Profile Blog Joined September 2009
Great Britain1154 Posts
July 16 2012 18:54 GMT
#49
On July 16 2012 22:15 motbob wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 16 2012 22:05 Neelia wrote:
On July 16 2012 15:27 motbob wrote:
Anticlimax

Often, after a Bo7 reaches the point of 3-0 or 3-1, things can get rather boring, despite the fact that a friggin' finals is being played. The result of the series feels like a foregone conclusion. The spectators hit alt-tab, and other important internet things are done while the SC2 match finishes in the background.

If the match feels like a foregone conclusion, that's because it pretty much is. There have been 31 Bo7 series that reached the point of 3-1 or 3-0. Of those, in only one match did the disadvantaged player eventually win the series.

That's right. You could have closed out the stream and gone to bed after a 3-1 or 3-0 result and only regretted it 3.2% of the time.

This feeling of anti-climax is eliminated by a Bo5 finals format. Even players in an 0-2 hole don't seem incapable of pulling the match out.


I would be quite interesting to see if the comeback percentage of comebacks after being down 0-2 was/is much higher of if it just feels/seems more possible : )

Bo5 0-2 is equivalent to Bo7 1-3 from a certain standpoint, and a comeback from 1-3 has, as I've said, been done only once. In BW, there are two 0-2 comebacks that I can name off the top of my head.


Off the top of my head, Jaedong vs Fantasy, GGplay vs iris and Effort vs Flash.

Must be at least a couple more in history?

anyway I agree with this completely, Best of 5 is just right imo.
EAGER-beaver
Profile Joined March 2004
Canada2799 Posts
July 16 2012 21:08 GMT
#50
Best of 81, both players must play every single matchup likes testie and mondragon did. It's the only way to decide which player is the most skilled.
Simon and Garfunkel rock my face off
GinDo
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
3327 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-16 21:11:29
July 16 2012 21:10 GMT
#51
BO7 BroodWar TvT!!!! Go Go.

Personally, I don't think Bo5 is good for SC2. The game is very volatile and games often end a few minutes. We only think the game is longer because of the broken Blizzard Clock.
ⱩŦ ƑⱠẬ$Ħ / ƩǤ ɈƩẬƉØƝǤ [ɌȻ] / ȊṂ.ṂṼⱣ / ẬȻƩɌ.ȊƝƝØṼẬŦȊØƝ / ẬȻƩɌ.ϟȻẬɌⱠƩŦŦ ϟⱠẬɎƩɌϟ ȻⱠẬƝ
MCXD
Profile Blog Joined February 2012
Australia2738 Posts
July 16 2012 21:15 GMT
#52
Although I like the argument and the blog, I feel like you're misunderstanding something slightly.

"Increased its perceived quality" is not accurate. You need to keep in mind that this is a forum of teenagers. If you asked any of them if the game was objectively good or bad, they would have said bad. What made it worth watching was the hype. Nobody magically thought the game was objectively good. People just vote from the heart, not the brain.
WolfintheSheep
Profile Joined June 2011
Canada14127 Posts
July 16 2012 21:53 GMT
#53
On July 16 2012 23:00 garbanzo wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 16 2012 22:32 Saechiis wrote:
I think your points are rather trivial and dependant on personal preference, it sounds more like you're rationalising your existing preference for BO5's rather than making an actual statement that could sway people's opinion.

Umm...he brings up very valid statistics, data, and analysis. If anything he's doing the opposite of what you're saying.

Except his "valid statistics, data and analysis" do absolutely nothing to support his actual point. The only thing objective about his post is the number of series that have gone to a final game.

Not a single one of his numbers tells me why a series that goes to the final game is automatically better.
Average means I'm better than half of you.
garbanzo
Profile Joined October 2009
United States4046 Posts
July 16 2012 23:50 GMT
#54
On July 17 2012 06:53 WolfintheSheep wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 16 2012 23:00 garbanzo wrote:
On July 16 2012 22:32 Saechiis wrote:
I think your points are rather trivial and dependant on personal preference, it sounds more like you're rationalising your existing preference for BO5's rather than making an actual statement that could sway people's opinion.

Umm...he brings up very valid statistics, data, and analysis. If anything he's doing the opposite of what you're saying.

Except his "valid statistics, data and analysis" do absolutely nothing to support his actual point. The only thing objective about his post is the number of series that have gone to a final game.

Not a single one of his numbers tells me why a series that goes to the final game is automatically better.

What about the viewer's ranking of the last game in a series?
Even during difficult times, when I sat down to play the game, there were times where it felt like god has descended down and played [for me].
L3gendary
Profile Joined October 2010
Canada1470 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-16 23:58:39
July 16 2012 23:57 GMT
#55
Problem is that the average bw game is almost twice as long as the average sc2 game.
Watching Jaedong play purifies my eyes. -Coach Ju Hoon
RiceAgainst
Profile Blog Joined November 2011
United States1849 Posts
July 17 2012 06:29 GMT
#56
I've seen so many Bo7s and so few Bo5s yet I prefer Bo5, especially with OP convincing me. I agree that it's different for other sports, though, like basketball. When I played summer basketball, my team was undefeated the whole season yet we lost one game, the finals, and was awarded second place. That's Bo1 but I felt that it was slightly relevant.
Foolishness *
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
United States3044 Posts
July 17 2012 07:00 GMT
#57
Intriguing post yes, but I think that the players' perspective needs to be accounted for here. Do you think the players' prefer Bo5 or Bo7? I would imagine they would prefer Bo7 when it comes down to it, because as you said it is more likely assured that the best player wins. And as you stated in a Bo3 an upset is more likely when you look at things from a statistical standpoint. How great does a win really feel if it's not deserved because you had an edge to take advantage of from the format?
geript: "Foolishness's cases are persuasive and reasonable but leave you feeling dirty afterwards. Kinda like a whore." ---- Manager of the TL Mafia forum, come play!
corumjhaelen
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
France6884 Posts
July 17 2012 07:15 GMT
#58
On July 17 2012 16:00 Foolishness wrote:
Intriguing post yes, but I think that the players' perspective needs to be accounted for here. Do you think the players' prefer Bo5 or Bo7? I would imagine they would prefer Bo7 when it comes down to it, because as you said it is more likely assured that the best player wins. And as you stated in a Bo3 an upset is more likely when you look at things from a statistical standpoint. How great does a win really feel if it's not deserved because you had an edge to take advantage of from the format?

Do you think they prefer a marginal statistical advantage or the ability to prepare as well as possible for the whole serie ? Pretty easy choice imho...
‎numquam se plus agere quam nihil cum ageret, numquam minus solum esse quam cum solus esset
ZapRoffo
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States5544 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-17 07:38:45
July 17 2012 07:32 GMT
#59
As a viewer, I can't sit through a whole individual best of seven series. I never will anymore, I'll do something else for a few of the games and see if it's exciting near the end. It's just too much repetition of the same player matchup. Best of 5 to me is the amount for a big final or semifinal where I'll probably watch all the games, and for anything lower stakes than that, I'm not watching more than 3 games.

My sister and I were just talking about this a few days ago too with HSC, and right at the beginning of the finals we were both like "ugh bo7 coming up? I don't think I'm in for that long of an investment more."

Especially on the tail end of games beforehand. On it's own day like TSL or GSL or the BW tournaments, it's a bit more palatable, being the whole event of the day.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, your opinion man
Malinor
Profile Joined November 2008
Germany4759 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-07-17 11:15:28
July 17 2012 08:47 GMT
#60
I would also really like it if map pools for tournaments could decrease in size. You have between 7-9 maps, and with bigtournaments every other week, how do you expect any real innovations in playstyle take place. With a Bo5, you can basically run your tournament with 5 maps, even 4 if you decide to play one much double (though one does not have to repeat everything what they did in BW, I actually never really liked that).
Less games and less maps would really not be a bad thing at all.

The only problem with Bo5 I see is just that SC2 games are so incredibly short, a 3-0 can literally be over in 25 minutes including breaks in between. I really wish the game was a bit slower (well, I said the same thing before in this thread).
"Withstand. Suffer. Live as you must now live. There will, one day, be answer to this." ||| "A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come."
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