This is an issue that a number of moderately experienced players have: they see a card in their hand they know they will want to use later (that has multiple copies) and they hoard it. The old "bird in the hand is better than 2 in the bush" mentality. However, in VTES I think this is a weakness in many people's playstyle.
I understand that many people observe the play of a deck and immediately cut cards they discard often (and that's perfectly valid) but to hoard onto cards, and thereby keep a hand that you can't efficiently use, is not a good choice.
Why should you nearly always discard?
Unless your deck wants to specifically manipulate discard phase actions (either on vampires, Event Cards, etc) the Discard Phase Action is the least utilised action in the game. Also, the "Deck Gods" always seem to decide that the one card that could save you is the card sitting on the top of your library just when you are ousted.
So, you should discard. Unless your hand is the perfect hand for your situation at the end of the turn, there is something in you can discard. If you can't see yourself playing that card during this turn, everyone else's turn or even in your next turn... then I'd say you should dump it and see what else you get.
Why people don't discard?
Fear of placing their fate even further into the hands of the "Deck Gods" or disillusionment (or very rarely... they've got so little library left that discard a card represents >10% of their library). There is also the fear of the opportunity costs: how long will it be before I see another XYZ?
Opinion
Of course this is mostly my opinion, from watching the players in my playrgoup (some who have plenty of experience and others who are very new). The tendency is far stronger in MtG converts and converts of other card games with limited-drawing of card. But please, if you think otherwise... add a comment below. I'd love to hear the opinions of people like Hugh Angseeing and Ben Peal on this idea because of their long successful competitive VTES history.
Ben Peal plays Barrens .. for a reason!
ReplyDelete@Extrala: I always assumed so, and I am keen to improve that aspect of my game myself because I suspect I should and so should te others.
ReplyDeleteToday I tried a new deck, in the beginning I had my hand filled with way too many masters and I couldn't do much to my predator, at a certain point, I remembered this article and I started discarding good cards that weren't much useful at the moment (barrens helped a lot aswel).
ReplyDeleteBy doing that I've been able to stay alive longer than expected.
Well, in the 1vs1 I died, but I think I've learnt two things:
1) Barrens is a great card
2) A good card is a useful card
I want to improve this aspect of the game aswel, I understimanted the discard fase 'till now, I'll be more careful about what the better players of my playgroup discard and hopefully, I'll become a better player myself!
Keep on blogging ;)
To further emphasize the point: Burn Options can help cycle those cards that can't be used at the moment a lot quicker then just using discard phase action.
ReplyDeleteA lot of clan specific and the sub discipline (Maleficia and Striga) cards have it so it makes sense that if you can't use it this turn then ditch it.