Competitive Meter
TappedOut forum
Posted on Dec. 7, 2018, 1:47 p.m. by dragon541
There is a checkbox for a Competitive Meter when you build a deck and it gives you a bar that says yy% Casual xx% Competitive. I understand the meaning of casual vs competitive, but what goes into deciding what those numbers are? I understand the numbers can be somewhat subjective but there has to be some underlying process.
I'm asking because I think it would be more useful to have some understanding rather than blindly adding and removing cards trying to improve the rating.
I can not answer your question definitely, but it seems to take into account a large number of factors. I would presume how frequently a card is played in the deck's format is one of these factors. However, there are clearly other factors that go into the calculation.
Currently, the system has a lot of issues. Factors that should not make a difference, such as what printing of any given card is used, can cause the percentage to change. By way of example, I have a casual commander deck that's rated 31% competitive. If I foil 1/3rd of the cards, without changing the cards themselves, it jumps up to 37% competitive.
I have seen decks that are completely unplayable--only lands; wrong colour lands for the cards; no lands (and not one of the decks that work with no lands)--be rated 100% competitive. There are hyper-competitive, meta-defining decks that do not hit 100%. A standard deck consisting of 60 Black Lotuses will be 42% competitive.
Issues aside, but it can still be a nifty tool, as a very low percentage might indicate there's room for improvement. However, I am reluctant to postulate the reverse is true--that a high score indicates a deck is probably fine.
If you intend to use it, just remember it is more of a guideline, not a sacrosanct quantification of your deck's actual potential.
December 7, 2018 2:12 p.m. Edited.
You should never just blindly add cards to a deck to try and get the competitive meter to go up, you should add cards to the deck which make sense in the context of the deck and just ignore the meter.
December 7, 2018 5:51 p.m.
Thank you all for your comments. I'm not actually adding or removing cards on a whim just to make the meter go up (or down). I am not that experienced a deck builder and that seemed to be a tool that can help me become better. I generally start with 200 - 250 cards that seem good and pare it down to the 60 or so cards plus lands to make my 100. I look at other decks that are simular, look at cards that seem to me to have some synergy with my commander and the other cards, put together what I think is a good deck (they usually have a 20-30% competitive rating), and play with my group. I always get stomped. The one time I didn't go down in flames was a deck I built that had a 70% competitive rating, hence my desire to know more about how the program comes up with the numbers. Maybe not the exact method, but one that can give me a better understanding of what makes a deck better. I don't know if that makes sense, but I hope it does.
December 7, 2018 10:23 p.m.
the competitive meter I've found to be a fun tool for playgroups interested in putting their meta within the same delivery range of powerlevel, it also works slightly better when you combine it with a search of your commander through Edhrec (a commander database site). if you're trying to figure out if a commander you want to play is strong enough in general to your playgroup Commanders by Power Level [EDH Tier List], works very well as even if the playgroup isn't playing their commander to it's full potential the list plays on the commander's inherent strengths and card access.
December 8, 2018 3:19 a.m.
If you want, I, and I am sure others, would be happy to take a look at the decks you are having issues with and let you know places where improvements can be made. Just post a link here.
December 8, 2018 11:50 a.m.
Thank you both. I will post a link here to my next deck which should have a first pass completed within the next week or so.
December 9, 2018 9:41 p.m.
I've always wondered if the system takes combos into consideration.
December 12, 2018 8:49 a.m.
The deck I was refering to in my last post Omnath, Fir. If you wish to make comments and suggestions, I would much appreciate it.
caantpayrent says... #2
I agree it be interesting to know how the meter is determined, but definitely don't try and make card choices based on the meter
December 7, 2018 1:57 p.m.