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no1noman · 11 months

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Okay, so apparently people are now going to be, and I quote, "shooting on sight". While I reblog stuff pretty often, I haven't actually posted anything, so I'm making this post to do two things;

Let people know I'm not a bot (please, I swear I'm not 🥺)

Geek out about PvZ Heroes, because I know I'll probably never give myself another chance for this

If you haven't heard of this specific variant of "mobile game for kids made to squeeze money out of parents pockets", it's a card game in the style of games like Magic and Hearthstone. What sets it apart from other CCGs, however, are a few key factors

Firstly, the game is asymmetrical. Plants and zombies each have their own selection of cards to choose from, access to certain keywords, and different places in turn order;

Zombies play minions first

Plants then play minions and tricks (aka spells)

Zombies are then allowed to play tricks

Finally, a combat phase where all the minions fight each other

Secondly, combat in this game is lane-based. Minions cannot attack minions in other lanes, and need to fight the minion in front of them before damaging the enemy hero's health. Tricks and abilities aren't restricted unless stated otherwise, but minions are locked into the lane that they're played in

There are 5 lanes in total; a relatively mundane "heights" lane to the left, 3 "ground" lanes that can host environments (abilities that only effect the minions within the lane they're played in), and finally a "water" lane that is only accessible to amphibious minions. Everything in this game moves from left to right, such as combat, the activation of abilities, and more

Finally, and it's not a feature worth praising, there is a block mechanic. Whenever a hero is hurt, their block meter will charge. After gaining 8 charges, the attack fully charging the block meter is nullified and the hero gains one of their 4 powers to either hold for later or use immediately for free

What makes this unfair, however, is that attacks charge the block meter randomly; by either 1, 2, or 3 charges. A common scenario is someone gaining a "California roll", which is slang for blocking an attack after 3 hits (3,2,3). It can also sometimes just roll really low, and you end up taking a ton of damage

So with that all out of the way, is the game worth playing?

It depends on what you're looking for and how willing you are to hack in all of the cards, since grinding is practically non-existent. Even if you're hitting max rank every season (a feat that is sadly very possible), you have no real way of gaining the funds necessary to keep buying card packs (outside of watching ads for hours on end)

You 100% do not need good cards to compete on ladder. If you want to play with people who are good at the game and have good decks, however, hacking is the only practical option

Finally, you may be wondering about how the meta of this game looks like? Well, there hasn't been an update since 2019. Technically, there have been bug fixes, but no new content or balance change has been made in over 4 years. PvZ Heroes has been thoroughly researched and tested at this point, but most players still don't have a clue what the meta looks like, so ranked has slowly become very uncompetitive and kind of a joke (more than it already was, anyway)

I decided to make packages for each class to represent which cards are often ran, if not auto-included. These are obviously not all of the cards that are meta, but they are some of each classes best options and are used in a lot of competitive decks. I should note that, while Solar and Crazy are the best plant and zombie classes respectively, the others are a bit more debatable

I also have this post on Reddit that you can check out if you want to know which decks are considered competitive. The majority of them are either listed on a public database and/or are made by well-known top players. The exact lists are subject to change, but it's not often that I remove or add any decks

Tl;dr: I'm not a bot and, in fact, am a huge nerd for a dead children's mobile card game

#plants vs zombies #pvzh #I don't think I've ever made a real post on this account #So that's mostly why I'm making this #important-ish?#By the way #You probably shouldn't play this game if you don't use Discord #Unless you genuinely don't care to play against good players #Or be competitive at all #Which is 100% valid btw #If I wasn't a huge nerd I'd just play garbage on ladder all day like everyone else too

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onlineplug · 2 years

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Plants vs zombies garden warfare 2 ps4

Regardless of the mode you play in, like the first game, you can earn XP which affects your overall player rank and the ranks of you individual characters. I wasn’t totally sold on the idea before spending time with it, but the Backyard Battleground really does add something a little extra to the experience.Īs for a single player and solo play experience, players can team up with bots for competitive or co-op multiplayer-style play, or take on several plant or zombie-specific quest lines. There is also a whole host of hidden secrets and nooks and crannies worth exploring. Other than performing straightforward tasks such as browsing for a game or purchasing sticker packs, you can customize your backyard, embark on quests, harass the enemy and/or invite friends to hang out and cause all sorts of chaos. A simple menu could probably do much of the same job in parts, but it wouldn’t be quite as crazy or fun. The new Backyard Battleground serves as an interactive hub and online social space that the entire game revolves around. For those keeping count, there are over 100 characters available to be unlocked in GW2, and if you’ve already done so in the original game, those (and their abilities) will absolutely carry over.įor those looking to just get playing, you can choose a plant or a zombie and jump right in for some co-op or competitive action, but there’s much more to the game than that. PopCap Vancouver added a half-dozen new character classes (3 zombies, 3 plants), a metric ton of character customization and unlockables, several new modes and the much requested ability to play solo. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a much, much more complete experience than the first game. So leading up to Garden Warfare 2 we assume the franchise has been on a lot more radars than the first game ever was. PopCap then steadily built up the fanbase with free updates and DLC and even gave the game away a couple of times which surely gave it a bit of a popularity boost. Being an online-only multiplayer shooter with somewhat limited content, that price point made sense. Zombies: Garden Warfare was appropriately priced at around $40 when it first launched on the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC (and the PS4, PS3 a few months later).

Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is essentially more of the same, except with a whole lot more content and features, and even a little something geared towards solo players. Garden Warfare was a colorful pick-up-and-play experience with a familiar set of characters and gameplay that could be enjoyed by casual and shooter fans alike. It was likely overlooked by many as a cheap cash-in of the popular PvZ franchise, but nothing could be further from the truth. Zombies: Garden Warfare (one of our reviews, here). In early 2014, EA and PopCap released one of the most enjoyable, family-friendly multiplayer shooters of the generation: Plants vs.

#Plants vs zombies garden warfare 2 ps4

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growinggardensys · 3 years

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So! Tiny Defense huh?

You mighta heard me talk abt it, seen me draw a few things and whatnot- but you probably don't know what it is!

So what is it? Tiny Defense is a mobile game series consisting of two games. (I personally haven't played Tiny Defense 2 and I probably won't unless I change my mind somehow, so I'll be talking abt TD1.) Tiny Defense 1 is a pvz-style 2D lane gameplay kind of game.

[Image ID: An image of a screen. The bottom is lined with card slots, each containing different types of bots. There are varying layers of hilly terrain, appearing as tiles on an implied grid. On the left are multiple robots named Machines, both flying and ground units. On the right are multiple robots named Minirobots, each of them occupying one tile of the screen's implied grid. Bullets are being shot from the Minirobots and some are generating green crysals. A banner displays across the top saying "Collect Crystals and Build Up Defense."]

The picture above is an example of one of the first levels in the game. There are multiple worlds, each with unique terrain and challenges. The gameplay consists of using each unique bot and strategizing how to effectively utilize each of their abilites to defend the right side from the oncoming Machines. With every few levels new Machines are introduced, and after most levels you gain a new type of Minirobot.

What's the story? So, in a rudidmentary way of saying, Tiny Defense 1 is about anti-pollution, anti-capitalism, anti-deforestation etc etc. The story is split into 3 different episodes, each with different problems. (I will expand on episodes 2 and 3 once I get to them. I have only finished episosde 1 so far.)

Episode 1: Mini-Adventure

The Minirobots are a peaceful species residing on their home: Green Planet. When suddenly the Machines invade under the direction of Star Travel Inc, a "mega-rich travel company." Star Travel Inc plans to turn Green Planet into a vacation resort by stripping it of its natural resources and then building it back up. As the game says: "Their mission is to find beautiful planets that provide a suitable place to build space resorts for wealthy tourists."

[Image ID: A scene is depicted, a caption underneath. The scene consists of a hilly landscape and blue skies. On the left are Machines- Cyclers, Air Scouts, and the mace of a Smasher -in different colors advancing towards the right. Minirobots lie on the right: several Soldier Bots, Blocker Bots, and a Copter Bot. The caption reads: "The Minirobots are peace-loving creatures. They are not ready for a swift and violent attack from the Machines."]

The Machines invade and soon overpower the Minirobots, locking them away in capsules and destroying everything in their path. The actions of the Machines, drilling, deforestation, and stripping the land of its recources cause drastic changes in the biosphere of Green Planet. New areas are created or altered: Waste Sands, South Ocean, Glacier Lands, and the base of the Machines, Iron Fortress.

As the game goes on, you and the Minirobots you are commanding defend themselves from the advances of the Machines. Moving from stage to stage, one area to the next, drawn by distress signals of surviving Minirobots and gathering your forces.

[Image ID: An icon of a Soldier Bot, a black sphere with circular, angered eyes and a green army helmet and shoes. It is in front of a red and black striped square with a gold trim border.]

Also just, Have Wiki: https://tinydefense.fandom.com/wiki/Tiny_Defense_Wiki

#spoiler-free don't worry!#lol I hope this is enought fjkajls #will edit later ofc #Tiny Defense #Tiny Defense Fandom #ask for more if ya want- I know jack shit abt how to explain things ^^'#feel free to ask abt what kind of minirobots or machines there are #pls i am starved #vine rambles #Mobile Game #infodump

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evilisk-played · 3 years

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Incomplete Games in 2020

They can’t all be winners

Minecraft vs. Zombies 2 System: PC Genre: Tower Defense (PVZ Subgenre)

Yes, you read that right. There exists a Plants vs. Zombies fangame... featuring Minecraft... and also Touhou for some reason... and it’s not even the ONLY game with all of these identifiers. It’s actually a neat game despite the layers of bootlegness here. The only reason I didn’t finish this is because one level, 2-11, is really dumb. Without spoiling anything, it has an interface screw that not only makes it near impossible to win, but I’m pretty sure is gonna send the wrong type of person into a seizure. Now, it may have just been my computer settings (I’m looking at footage at this, and the flashing lights aren’t nearly as bad on other people’s playthroughs) but on my version of the game, with my laptop? Holy shit is the effect disconcerting, and I’m not even an epileptic person.

It’s a neat game with some great ideas for what a PVZ sequel should have been, but fuck doing that level. That game needs an update, and that update needs to remove the flashing lights.

Suikoden System: PS3 (PS1 Classics) Genre: JRPG

I’ve been meaning to play this since that Suikoden spiritual successor got crowdfunded. I gave this game about three hours before dropping it. It just felt like a slog. Nothing in the three hours I played was interesting from a story perspective (oh gee, I sure am surprised that the empire ordering me to collect overdue taxes was actually super duper corrupt*) to the gameplay (three hours in and still no skills. Also JRPG’s with random encounter systems that aren’t like Labyrinth of Touhou or Etrian Odyssey are the worst)

*seriously, has there even been a JRPG where the words “taxes” have been uttered and they haven’t been connected to some super corrupt evil empire?

Crypt of the Necrodancer System: PS4 Genre: Roguelike / Rhythm Game

Add this to the list of games that become unplayable without a functioning d-pad. Seriously, it’s only the one button (the down button) but apparently that’s all it takes

Wild Arms 3 System: PS4 (PS2 Classics) Genre: JRPG

The game I’m most disappointed in not finishing. I’m actually really starting to enjoy the complexity of the battle system (despite how slow it takes for actual battles to play out). No one says I can’t finish it next year, of course, but I do regret putting this game off for so long.

Unravel System: PS4 Genre: Puzzle Platformer

Not sure why I decided to play this as I do not like puzzle games or platformers, let alone puzzle platformers. It’s a perfectly okay game for everyone else, just not for me

Demon Crystals System: PS4 Genre: Twin Stick Shooter (with RPG elements)

Okay so I’m not actually ashamed to say I didn’t finish this. I picked this up on the cheap, gave it a few levels and eventually dropped it since it didn’t feel worth finishing. Instead of having tailor made levels with interesting challenges like a good little shmups, this game has randomly generated enemies and powerups on each level. The only reason this game is beatable is because 1) it has unlimited continues and 2) there’s a leveling system to ensure that eventually, you’ll be able to clear a level, not because of skill, but because you’re a high enough level to tank more hits.

I really wanted to like this, just because it has a neat, Ghosts N Goblin-style aesthetic but this just ended up being whatever. As a game, it is as passible and playable as it is forgettable.

#demon crystals #unravel game #wild arms 3 #crypt of the necrodancer #minecraft vs zombies 2 #suikoden 1 #games i played #unfinished games i played

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coxksstuff · 3 months

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Solo hice el boceto por cierto la inclusión de ciertas plantas al estilo de Pvz 3 no es idea mía. "= w =

I only made the sketch, by the way, the inclusion of certain plants in the style of Pvz 3 is not my idea. "= w =

#pvz au #pvz chomper #pvz marigold #plants vs zombies #pvz #pvz 3 style

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dibidibidismol · 5 years

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do em all, coward

on the one hand: yay! i get to do the ask game! on the other; @acutest-angle, i’m so sorry for doing this to you. i aint gonna fill nobody’s dash, so the qna is under the break. these are like really undetailed. ill be more specific for individual numbers

1: How tall or short do you wish you were? im pretty happy being 163

2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not) i love my lil baby so much. i wouldnt trade my pupper for the world

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? i wear a lot of black, and generally dress such that i would be good to go for any job interviews/public speaking events. this is in large part to make up for the fact that my go-to shoes are heelys. like i wear my heelys during professional presentations that count for a large part of my grade. my teachers think im “something else”

4: What was your favorite video game growing up? idk. we didnt do all that media shiz. maybe pvz.

5: What three things/people do you think of most each day: my doggo, my child(useless friend needing guidance) and my tumblr-famous friend. hmu for her url. 6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say?absolute weirdo, but like in a socially acceptable way. can and will debate you into submission.7: What is your opinion on [insert person/thing here]?i support gays.8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]

9: Are you ticklish?a bit10: Are you allergic to anything?some cats, all homophobes11: What’s your sexuality?ace, homoromo12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa?tea babe. like i have so much. like a cubic yard. its a problem.13: Are you a cat or dog person?im multifandom(not a furry)14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson?elf15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber?amber liu16: How tall are you?160cm17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?my chinese name18: How much do you weigh? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!]102-105 i’m smol.19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits?normally no. when im home alone….a lil.20: Do you like space or the ocean more? i have a large fear of the ocean. 21: Are you religious? no22: Pet peeves?poor work ethics/mansplaining/poor hygiene.23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]?diurnal24: Favorite constellation?orions belt25: Favorite star?shinee26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls?not particularly27: Any phobias or fears?germs, the dark, men, large non-pools bodies of water, spiders28: Do you think global warming is real? yea, but “climate change” is more accurate29: Do you believe in reincarnation?no30: Favorite movie?tangled, the lorax, shawshank redemp. , hairspray, legally blond, mulan, mama mia, in that order.31: Do you get scared easily? yea32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime?3 fish 3 dog33: Blog rate? [You’ll rate the blog of the one who’s asking.] im gunna rate @acutest-angle cuz she did mine. 10/10 would be 11 but she aint stannin shinee.34: What is a color that calms you? purple35: Where would you like to travel and/or live? oregon suits me fine36: Where were you born? oregon37: What is your eye color?brown38: Introvert or extrovert?idek. im really good at people, but idk abt energy gaining or wtv.39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs?no40: Hugs or kisses?hugs41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now?my doggo.42: Who is someone you love deeply? see above43: Any piercings you want? i already have doubles. might get belly button in the future.44: Do you like tattoos and piercings? hnngg45: Do you smoke or have you eiver done so? hell no. i take drugs/alcohol v seriously.46: Talk about your crush, if you have one! gorl. so beautiful, so smart, so utterly perfect. also taken.47: What is a sound you really hate? the whit boi in class mansplaining shit to me.48: A sound you really love? pitter pat of paws on hardwood.49: Can you do a backflip? no.50: Can you do the splits? no51: Favorite actor and/or actress?idkrn52: Favorite movie? see 3053: How are you feeling right now?tee hee54: What color would you like your hair to be right now? i really like my hair as is.55: When did you feel happiest? talking in front of many peeps.56: Something that calms you down?tea57: Have any mental disorders? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!] none diagnosed. ask me about my brain later for more deets. 58: What does your URL mean?that i smol and i luv shinee59: What three words describe you the most? witty, caring,quick.60: Do you believe in evolution?yes61: What makes you unfollow a blog?too many posts/mediocre content/no longer aligned interests.62: What makes you follow a blog? posts63: Favorite kind of person:girl64: Favorite animal(s):dogs/cats65: Name three of your favorite blogs. @lolfunnykpop @acutest-angle @27-umbrellas66: Favorite emoticon: thumbs up67: Favorite meme: ive connected the dots68: What is your MBTI personality type?pic69: What is your star sign?my wut?70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog?yes71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most?its black, its formalish, its a pushup bra, dress, and heelys.72: Post a selfie or two?i like dont have any, and im in no statye to be taking them rn.

73: Do you have platform shoes?no?

74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself?i forgot a wholeass language75: Can you do a front flip?no76: Do you like birds?y77: Do you like to swim?ew78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you?no79: Something you wish didn’t exist:homophobia80: Some thing you wish did exist:universal translators81: Piercings you have?double in each ear82: Something you really enjoy doing:read83: Favorite person to talk to:dog84: What was your first impression of Tumblr?no rules here.85: How many followers do you have?all together, a thousand or two?86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes? idk87: Do your socks always match?no88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely?ill cry89: What are your birthstones? the lite blu one90: If you were an animal, which one would you be?i aint no furry.91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be?a rose92: A store you hate? chick fil a93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day? i got addicted, so ive been coffee free for 3 yrs now94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? fly95: Do you like to wear camo? no96: Winter or summer?winter97: How long can you hold your breath for?40sec98: Least favorite person?trump99: Someone you look up to:amber liu100: A store you love?office depot101: Favorite type of shoes? heelys102: Where do you live? oregon103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why?vegetarian, environment/animal right, eggs for health.104: What is your favorite mineral or gem? sparkle105: Do you drink milk? yea, calcium.106: Do you like bugs?i respect their existence but stay tf away107: Do you like spiders? no108: Something you get paranoid about?spiders, water, germs109: Can you draw: sure110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked?do you shave ur vag?111: A question you hate being asked?whos ur boy friend?112: Ever been bitten by a spider?no113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach?yea, from a distance114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days?sunny, from a distance115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now: doggo116: Favorite cloud type:cotton candy?117: What color do you wish the sky was?this is fine118: Do you have freckles? like two.119: Favorite thing about a person:personality120: Fruits or vegetables?fruit121: Something you want to do right now:crochet122: Is the ocean or sky prettier?sky123: Sweet or sour foods?sweet124: Bright or dim lights?dim, i have oddball vision issues.125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature?love126: Something you hate about Tumblr:no dates on anything/ALL THE FREAKING PORNBOTS THAT ARE STILL FOLLOWING ME REGULARLY127: Something you love about Tumblr:shitposts128: What do you think about the least?i feel like this is a paradox129: What would you want written on your tombstone?list of my achievements in life(born:xxxx died:xxxx)130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now?ice131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself?how my brain occasionally forgets to filter132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures?sometimes133: Computer or TV?computer134: Do you like roller coasters?ew, all that sweat and vomit baked into the seats.135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness?no136: Are your ears lobed or attached?lobed137: Do you believe in karma?idk, i like to be nice but secretly with passive aggressive motives.138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are?7139: What nicknames do you have/have had?dictionary, lee, tumblr girl, dibi, mom, my child, heely girl (i have a reputation at school)140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends?yea, i dont remember them, but apparently i invented myself a butler.141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink?way back in the day142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others?good143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help?giving144: What makes you angryamerica145: How many languages do you speak fluently? 1146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries? girls147: Are you androgynous? no148: Favorite physical thing about yourself: figure/hair149: Favorite thing about your personality: i think im funny150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. my friend’s mom/my coach, my rolemodel/friend, my past self.151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose? all the eras sucked for people like myself152: Do you like BuzzFeed?love/hate153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? [If you have one.]sexy free and single154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons? o yeah155: Do you like to play with others’ hair?yessss156: What embarrasses you?my mouth157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious:the internment camps158: Biggest lie you have ever told:so many159: How many people are you following?153160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)?10000+161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)?1000+162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)?how do i find this?163: Last time you cried and why: today. latest superstore episode.164: Do you have long or short hair?long165: Longest your hair has ever been:2.5 ft166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religon?like the community it provides, dislike a lot of values taught, dislike the exclusivity, dislike the way religion is treated as a default. 167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created? only in regards to what we can do to save it.168: Do you like to wear makeup?i like sparkly eyeshadow n mascara. but dont wear regularly.169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds? no170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully? yea sure.

#about me #ask game #dibi speaks

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ptitdrogo · 5 years

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In the mind of a “Top Tier” Protoss player

Hey guys, PtitDrogo here, after reading a really amazing post tournament write up by one of my favorite Magic player ( https://twitter.com/lsv/status/1105124626429079552 , seriously, if you’re even slighty into magic go read this) I felt like it would be kind of cool to write down how the past month went for me in term of strategy preparation for the last few tournaments I played, mainly focusing on wesg and WCS ro8.

You win some you lose some

To set the tone, before wesg I was of two minds about my play, I managed to qualify for the ro8 of WCS after beating Mana and Namshar, but I got seriously owned by Bly and Nerchio at IEM, not taking a single map and going home with 0 dollars.

It’s still honestly a little bit confusing to me, the same confidence in my ability to play a defensive style against mana completely failed against bly, and my faith in my timings that worked great against namshar just got dismantled by nerchio. I could go on longer about this but sometimes you just don’t play well, and I’ve learned that dwelling on it is the worst thing you can do.

All eyes on Spaghetti boy

Looking at the groups of WESG, a top 1 finish in my group would give me a good shot of having a “beatable” opponent in the bracket, and winning that match would mean winning 5k, so it was my objective coming into the event.

The man to beat being obviously reynor, who previously kind of walked on me in the last group stage of wcs, I had a couple of ideas in mind and also discovered some new cool stuff beforehand.

I now knew that he actually really liked hydralisk midgame, and I actually really liked it, what was once the bane of my existense is now a pretty manageable opening in my opinion since the hydralisk got quite a bit weaker, you really don’t have to play scared and can even pressure yourself.

I was practicing some kind of 3 base high eco Chargelot archon pressure and having so-so success with it, I kind of wasn’t sure if I wanted to go for it, but without a better idea that’s what I was gonna go for.

“Wow, he actually does open hydralisk every game”.

There’s a bit of a difference between telling yourself something and seeing it for yourself. After watching Probe vs Reynor It really hit my that reynor was playing hydralisks not only on big maps but on everymap, add to that a tendency to add some zerglings to deny the third, and 15 minutes before the start of my match I’m changing strategy without practicing it.

EDIT: Watching the vod of the Bo3, I actually was completely wrong, lol, I looked at the game at the only time he made some hydralisks, to secure a game already won by a roach nydus, and the other game was just a ling queen nydus, I guess I saw what I wanted to see !

“The Yoloswag build”

It’s honestly such a terrible build, it’s not a particulary strong push, and it relies on your opponent not going roachs and REALLY thinking you’re going for a macro while also being a little bit of a bad player for not using your prism.

This is just an 8 gate that wants to cancel its third base in the first place to being able to afford 8 gateways production in the first place, the idea is you poke with 2 archon, run away from the queen, cancel your third because of the nasty zerglings, and while you pretend to being completely owned you warp more archons and zealot in a corner and you go kill the guy, a classic really, and I knew it would be very effective againt lings into hydras, sometimes last minute change of plans do work, color me surprised.

“Oh no you canceled my third dang it”

“Nothing going on over here”

“The 420 Blazing it DT drop”

This one has kind of a funny backstory to it, I was practicing with a zerg for IEM, and he really wanted me to play DT drop because he thought his opponent would do it for sure.

“Alright, but I really think it’s shit” is what I said.

2 hours later and a LOT of wins later, I had to concede that it was pretty good, to quote my practice partner “your Dts being 7 seconds faster is actually a pretty big problem”.

Sometimes you’re very wrong about what is good. Here’s the thing tho, I didn’t have time to check a vod to do the build, so I went by memory, old memories of 2017 in fact, and the way I remembered it you would have to cut a lot of workers and do a lot of little adjustements to get a very fast DT drop going even if it meant sacrificing some economy.

Turn out not a lot of protosses were doing it. The end result was 4 Dts being warped at 4:23, and most games they would just kill the third hatch. So I was feeling pretty confident it would work.

In my game against reynor I warped my Dts at 4:21.

They killed the third hatch.

I was honestly so confused as to why or how I managed to have a better timing than in the game I was practicing against the ia, but hey I’m not complaining.

Later Reynor told me he didn’t know Dts could come this fast, and the 4:20 DT drop kind of became a meme among players for the rest of the tournament, I haven’t warped exactly 4 Dts at 4:20 yet, but hey maybe next wcs I’ll do it without meaning to !

So I ended up with a very pretty to look at 10-0 score, wasn’t easy of course, Iasonu and Probe were two players I was also scared of but I thought that playing standard was my best bet and indeed it was, also almost lost a game to PsiArc where I was very behind in economy but managed to attack right before his bunker finished, sometime lucky.

There is no way the Germans can cross the Maginot Line

My opponent for the ro16 was Lambo, not a bad draw but not the best, I was confident I could win tho, and the new variation I was trying out in practice were going great, I had a great plan for the best of 5 and a build for every single maps.

All of that preparation came crashing down with a pretty swift 3-0 LOL.

Game 1 was death by 12 pool, Cuz here’s the thing, to get a 4:20 DT drop, you can’t probe scout, little guy needs to work overtime ! I actually was mainly hoping he wouldn’t have the balls to 12 pool game 1 and I was going to scout after core anyway, whats the worse that could happen?

Game 2 was a very good game until it all came crashing down, I actually very like this double stalker opening poke, I was practicing against a zerg and made 2 stalkers by mistake on this map, and the overlord that usually always manage to run away died this time, and the very confusing double stalker oracle move out forced quite a lot of lings. So I decided to run with it in the tournament

When I was trying to explain it to the other protoss as a “great opening that looks very confusing to the zerg but doesn’t actually do anything” they were unconvinced; Haters; when it becomes the norm in 2020 don’t forget about me.

In the actual game the 2 stalkers squad worked great, I actually even killed an overlord at his base ahahah. I was in a VERY strong position in the midgame, and thought there was no way I could lose.

Well, nydus happened, no warpin available, no recall, an awkward attempt at a basetrade and a very long death animation trying to rebuild my templar tech to spend my gas bank later, It’s 2-0.

“Money in the bank pimping ain’t easy”

Game 3 was just a standart 2 base nydus that if I was a few second faster to recall my oracle or if I wasn’t supply blocked on 53/54 to then warp one more stalker I would have won, oh well, sometime it’s just not going your way.

“The correct play here is to go alt tab and go complain on Bnet forums”

It was obviously very annoying to lose one step short of making 5k, but there was a silver lining to losing to hard and so quickly to cheese.

All of my preparation could still be used for WCS.

An FFA would pretty much have been the same right ?

The big Round robin was here, and good god is it spooky. All of the players there are good and even if 6 players out 8 makes it it is very very scary.

My goal coming into the group was to barely make it, “maybe 2 wins is enough to squeeze in” is what I thought.

The first thing that is interesting to note is that I got pretty lucky in the order of my matchs, my 4 first matchs were all PvZ, then on day 2 I got the two PvP and the PvT.

That made practice fairly easy and nobody was able to prepare for me for day 2 as I didn’t have any of the same match-ups.

“You lose some…

Against Serral, I had a pretty good first game to be honest, even tho I didn’t do flashy damage with the DT drop I still kept the pressure with the archons and was in what I thought a pretty good situation with the army I wanted.

Here’s the thing tho, Serral is annoying, like VERY annoying with his mutalisks, so before moving out for a strong attack I overmade defensive structures by quite a bit (3 canons in natural mineral line lololol) because I felt like I could afford it. So when I pushed, as you might expect it, broodlords were already out, and even if it might not be a well known fact in the community yet, Lategame PvZ is pretty unwinnable, at least against serral, gg.

Game 2 was just an embarrassing game of me messing up my build order and losing my prism to 6 queens to then die to mutalisks and roachs. Not the most interesting of games and the kind of showing you really don’t wanna produce but it sadly happens too many times.

“Queens defend everything reeeeeee”

Against Reynor I’m actually blaming the first game loss directly onto serral. I actually very efficiently dealt with the mutalisks while teching to storm extremely fast (more on that later) and was in a very decent position. But I subconsciously felt like I needed to attack much faster than I actually had to because of the previous game (Check the Hive Drogo !! Scouting is allowed reeee) And just made the game extremely easy to play for reynor with a reckless attack.

The second game was just a meme, another case of 12 pool, but this time even tho I scout it very late I pull all of my probes and take a very efficient fight against the zerglings, and at this exact moment I am in a very good position.

The correct play was to make a stargate in the wall and just move out with the adept and leave the zealot home.

I didn’t finish the wall and moved out with 2 units, Reynor did a runby with some more lings and I had to go home.

I then proceed to not finish the wall and moved out with 3 units, Reynor did a runby with some more lings and I had to go home.

I then proceed to move out with 2 adepts leaving 2 at home, Reynor did a runby with some more lings and I had to recall home

I then proceed to try to finish the wall but Reynor did a runby with a LOT of zerglings and I had to gg back to the lobby.

This is the kind of game where you just feel very stupid, I like to call these games failing an IQ test, because thats what they truly are.

… You win some”

This is where I finally get the talk strategy, because there’s kind of of prerequisite to win games to be able to brag about how great of a strategical mastermind you are.

“The triple triple”

After all the hype about the 420 DT drop, the first thing I obviously was looking for was a build that would look like a DT drop, but was actually a complete blind counter to the usual DT drop response from most zergs.

Thus came to life the triple triple, 3 gate, 3 oracles, warp twice (not 3 times rip symmetry ) and then you just go for it. The gas timing is very similar, only one adept and stalker are produced by the gateway, you have a proxy pylon from your main that can directly warp low ground so that the overlord at the natural cant see it, and the one adept boy can walk around to deny lonely lings from getting vision. All of that for an explosive cocktail that will kill a zerg making roachs expecting Dts, not having enough spores or queens to handle the triple triple squad.

Also, I’ve come to realize in practice that it’s not even that bad of a build in the first place even if scouted really early for some reason.

“Sometimes it kills 10+ workers”

“Sometimes a lot more”

This amazing innovation of the PvZ metagame that I’m sure will be a staple in the metagame (it won’t) allowed me to take a map off Lambo and Elazer, for the other map I had to resort to the amazing build that comes next.

“This is totally an archon drop I swear you better make roachs”

I really don’t know how to call this, You just go for the normal archon drop build except you mine more mineral and make an early forge, then take a third slightly faster than an archon drop timing and just make 4 templars super early so they can bank energy so you can do a +2 push with 8 storms extremely fast. While you’re doing the build you run around with your first few units to deny vision so the zerg gets scared and think he might have missed the prism.

Oh, and you also make a LOT of probes, I’m talking non stop, enough probes to fully saturate the third when its done.

“But Drogo, wouldn’t it be strictly better to just go storm drop? Zerg would actually see a prism and be scared and you would also do economic damage even if they make roachs !!”

And to that I say, I like to keep it simple ok, maybe next year when I actually get good at the game.

Anyway, This build actually gives you a pretty powerful set-up in the midgame, I used it to kill the Hydra bane of Lambo and succesfully defend the nydus onslaught of Elazer (I didn’t strictly do this against elazer actually, I was pretty scared of a spooky all-in), which is usually not possible unless you were a greedy boy in the early game. So all of that gave me 2 points on the board.

“4 templars just chilling at home, Safe working conditions are too rare in the Starcraft universe”

When the Zerg is away the Toss will play.

For the second day I had 2 PvP, a PvT, and a lot of times on my end to prepare. So I did, I watched a ton of rail footage, and observed that he wasn’t afraid to play his ladder builds in tournament, so I was feeling fairly confident I could just win by having stronger build orders.

Little did I know this would be the hardest series of the tournament by far.

The first game felt like a walk in the park at first, you’re going 3 phoenix against fast expand forge first? There is no way in hell I am losing this. I played it a little bit safer than I could have but I was very confident in my ability to hold his 2 base push.

Turn out, I was wrong, very wrong, Rail just made a bigger army and kept warping in, and eventually our armies got to a size where his two untouched immortal he had over me actually packed quite the punch and our upgrades were equal. So even with a third nexus mining for a while, I’m losing the game.

The second game I was sure of what he was going to do, some adepts with an expand and robo follow up, so my plan was pretty much to play with a lot of gates units and go Stargate to have good control of the game, simple plan, but effective.

The issue is, I forgot to prevent him from pylon blocking my wall, then I didn’t realise he let his pylon finish, I built my Stargate in vision of his pylon …

So yea I canceled that real fast and improvised a blink opening, a build I haven’t practiced in a really really long time, without any possibility of scouting, turned out I didn’t need to, since verdi went for his robo opening into constant presure with adepts sentry immortals, with me sitting and pure useless stalkers, down 1-0 and 30 supply, disruptor knocking at my front door, I didn’t like my odds one bit.

Oh well, sometime lucky.

I’m sure the third game will be much smoother.

Oh no (not pictured here, 3 sentries also died)

This has to be a record for the most amounts of units lost to the 2 initial adepts in a professional game

There’s almost something peaceful about being so far behind, you can just try out wacky stuff and see if it works.

Which is somehow did, after two pretty successful adept and a basetrade clearly going in my favor, I brought back an impossible game and was very happy with myself.

If you’re wondering how on earth I managed to get surprised by 2 adepts, all I can say is that I was way too confident in my preparation, as I was so sure that he was going for his safe expand double probe scout strat, I didn’t have adepts on my mind until the last 3 seconds.

Overall I would say that my preparation for this serie was very bad, even tho I spent the most time on it, even if you can tell yourself beforehand to not mindgame yourself by thinking too hard, it can still very much happen.

So after that emotional roller coaster of a series, it was time to play a PvT against big Gabe, and I had quite the revolutionary strat prepared.

“The triple triple… Again...”

Sometime you watch one series that makes you fall in love with a strat, for me it was Zest vs Innovation where Zest defended a marine drop with 2 oracle and a phoenix, warped more adepts across the map and immediately killed Innovation, I thought to myself “I can do that” as it didn’t look too hard.

I hate Stargate openings in PvT, I truly hate them, I’m always in a good position with them but I always lose anyway, but on the other hand, I’ve loved shading adepts and oracle at random times since LOTV beta, so I thought it was worth to give it a shot, especially because I thought Gabe wouldn’t expect me to play stargate.

Worked just as planned, a refreshing turn of events after the last series.

The second game (what game on kairos ? never happened Protoss doesn’t lose PvT remember) is what I like to call “New Year Zero, the movie”. I really think this map is incredibly protoss favored, it’s really not on everymap that starting 2 forges because you’re supply blocked and can’t start your first colossus ends up being a the best decision you could have made.

After killing the Raven and a decent chunk of bio in the middle of the map, I thought I had a real timing there, I had 5 seconds of hesitation after seeing so many liberators, but after sending an hallucination and seeing that Heromarine was Still 1/1, I decided to A move into him anyway, it was either gonna be a genius, killer instinct like move, or another brick to the monument that is the ThrowGo Legacy, a win win really.

“Sir, this is Hallucinated phoenix speaking, Terran is 1:1 you’re clear to go”

“Roger that”

It went great and the twitch chat of that game had a very reasonable discussion about game design talking about how great it was that protoss could attack into this many liberators.

I don’t have much to say about the last Serie vs Showtime really, I was already qualified so all the presure was off and I felt great, and I don’t think I could talk at length about great of a strategical mastermind I am for faking going phoenix and actually going Dark templars !

He didn’t exactly do what I expected to him to do so this was pretty much freestyle that worked in my favor and not anything prepared.

“Artosis favorite unit showing us what peak starcraft is all about”

The second game was a cheese that I had seen before, Double proxy gate zealot with canon rush, I was fairly confident that it was overall pretty bad, and this game didn’t change my mind.

“The best unit against canons is actually the probe”

Amazing Gaming

So overall it’s a 5-2 Score !! This wasn’t what I expected at all and I was obviously thrilled, too bad I failed so many IQ tests otherwise the first place would have been easily in my grasp.

I have a lot of cool new strats with weird names prepared for LA, I hope I’ll win so I get to brag once again about how smart I am ! (not really).

Hope you guys enjoyed this blog, and I would like to dedicate this victory to this chinese Stuff bear, he kept his promise and without him I would never have survived those nyduses.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPWIAvhKSl/

For more Yee https://twitter.com/PtitDrogo

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thesportssoundoff · 6 years

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“Meet 2018, Lookin’ A Lot Like 2017“ UFC Fight Night From St. Louis

Joey

Jan 7th, 2017

The UFC ended 2017 on a bit of a hot streak as every event in December was at the very least enjoyable and in a perfect world, that's your springboard as we head into 2018. It's only fitting I suppose that 2018 begins with a continuation of the very ills that haunted 2017. The first show of 2018 is a tremendous eclectic mix of well put together fights on short-ish notice with no real big headliner to tie it all together. It's the best the UFC could do on short-ish notice while also filling up their schedule; a common refrain for 2017 that has seeped into 2018. Now don't mistake that for this card not being good; it is a very, very solid show on paper and with an NFL playoff lead in (the UFC will air on FS1 basically right as the Vikings vs Panthers/Saints game ends) it's going to do one of the bigger numbers of the year. It's just a bummer there's no big main event to launch the career of a star or build a big momentum leading title fight. Jeremy Stephens vs Doo Ho Choi is a fantastic fight and a great headliner for however long it lasts while popular fighters like Uriah Hall, Vitor Belfort, Paige Van Zant, Jessica Eye, Thiago Alves and Michael Johnson are all filtered throughout the show. Throw in some fine matchmaking on short notice and another step in Kamaru Usman's potential title fight picture and we're on our way, fellas!

Fights: 13

Debuts: 1 (Matt Frevola)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 0

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 9 (Uriah Hall, Vitor Belfort, Paige Van Zant, Thiago Alves, Jessica Eye, Jessica Rose Clark, Michael Johnson, Darren Elkins, Zak Cummings)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 3 (Irene Aldana, Jessica Eye, Michael Johnson)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 5 (Darren Elkins, Zak Cummings, Kamaru Usman, Danielle Taylor, Kyung Ho Kang)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2016 (in the UFC): 12-8-1

Jeremy Stephens- 2-2 Doo Ho Choi- 1-1 Uriah Hall- 1-2 Vitor Belfort- 1-2-1 Jessica Rose Clark- 1-0 Paige Van Zant- 1-1 Kamaru Usman- 4-0 Emil Meek- 1-0

Too High Up- Matt Frevola vs Marco Polo Reyes

Matt Frevola's debut fight off of the DWTCS settles him in as apart of the FS! prelim slate. I get why he's there; Frevola's a fun exciting LW newbie who probably has a bright future with the Serra-Longo team behind him. Marco Polo Reyes hits REALLY hard and tends to be in exciting fights for however long they last. Having said that, this is a showcase fight for Frevola and really isn't even the best LW fight on the prelim slate. This could've been a lot lower.

Down Too Low- Danielle Taylor vs JJ Aldrich

Neither fighter is big on the action fight category so I get it. Having said that, it's a fight that should probably be on the FS1 prelims if only because the winner will be one of the rare ladies on a winning streak at 115 lbs. Aldrich showcased skills in her first two fights and is a training partner for current champ Rose Namajunas whereas Danielle Taylor is on a two fight winning streak with one of those wins being vs former contender Jessica Penne. This isn't even the Fight Pass headliner for cripes sake, man.

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 0-0): Matt Frevola

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 0-0): N/A

Second Fight (Current number: 0-0): Mads Burnell, Mike Santiago, Jessica Rose Clark, Emil Meek, Talita Bernardo, Kalindra Faria

Cage Corrosion (0-0): Emil Meek, Paige Van Zant, Kyung Ho Kang, Guido Cannetti, Jessica Eye, Marco Polo Reyes, Doo Ho Choi

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- The main event is going to be a very serious test for what a prospect can learn from a loss and what is or isn't a fatal flaw. Its okay if Doo Ho Choi can't fight as good going backwards as he can going forwards. It would be a flaw but one that's non fatal in nature. If he simply CAN'T fight going backwards then THAT is a fatal flaw and the sort of flaw that cuts a prospects upside off at the knees. Choi looked awesome fighting going forwards vs Cub Swanson but when Cub (and Jackson-Wink) realized that Choi could only handle one way traffic, things went bad and in a hurry. Choi also gassed something serious which isn't surprising given his come forward nature and the power he puts behind his shots---but this fight is five rounds vs a dude who has been historically durable beyond measure. We're going to learn a lot here.

2- Food for thought for those who like to eat ideas; Choi has zero wins who remain in the UFC. Jeremy Stephens isn't as versatile or adept as Cub Swanson but he's probably as durable if not more so, he hits REALLY hard and has a style which will trouble Doo Ho Choi from the jump. That;s not to say that Choi can't win but if he does, I feel like that'll almost speak as loudly as a win over Cub Swanson would've.

3- Is there a single doubt that this card peaks viewership wise during PVZ vs Jessica Rose Clark?

4- Uriah Hall's biggest ability is neither his striking nor his cardio but his availability. Another MW would've been cut after three straight losses but Hall's "fight anybody anywhere anytime" style keeps him employed and it rewarded him with a awesome come from behind KO over Kryzstof Jotko his last time out. Hall's reward for that win is Vitor Belfort in the co-main event of a show that should do a happy, healthy viewership number. Good for Hall who genuinely seems like one of MMA's good guys in the sport.

5- Would Stephens vs Aldo be a good fight if Stephens wins?

6- Kamaru Usman's path to nowhere in the UFC's WW division raises what I think it is an interesting question going forward; should a fighter be removed from the top 10 if they refuse a fight for reasons other than injury? It really doesn't make sense that the UFC can't find a single guy in the top 10 willing to take a fight with Kamaru Usman and it hurts Usman and the UFC over the long haul that a division could have an artery clog as high as #7 or 8 in the rankings. So would that provision be in the best interest of the UFC? Could we modify it to anybody OUTSIDE of the top 5?

7- Staying with that thought, Emil Meek is the epitome of high risk, low reward for Usman. Meek is long, hits hard, attacks from awkward angles and on the feet will represent a collection of stylistic challenges for Usman. On the ground, I mean I got no idea. I know he's ridiculously strong but I doubt that'll help much if Usman is able to get him down as he's want to do.

8- Whomever thinks it's a good idea for Michael Johnson, he of suspect cardio and of a massive frame, to drop to 145 lbs probably doesn't care much about Michael Johnson.

9- James Krause has not beaten anybody who remains in the UFC. On the other hand, his losses are legitimate with L's vs Bobby Green, Jorge Masvidal and Valmir Lazaro. In many ways, he and Alex White are similar in that they lose to who they're expected to lose to and beat who they're expected to beat with an exception here or there. Krause seems to be transitioning into a coaching capacity going forward so this could be his final chance to really make a run in the UFC.

10- We've got four WMMA fights across three weight classes. Feel like that's the highest that number has ever been outside of femme TUF finales. We've sort of poked around on PVZ/Jessica Rose Clark and Taylor/Aldrich but let's touch on two other fights. Talita Bernando vs Irene Aldana is a battle of fighters who lost to Leslie Smith. Bernado fell off the map after the loss whereas Aldana lost to Kaitlyn Chookagian via very close disputed split decision. I personally thought she won. At 0-2, this could be her last chance to do anything of note. Kalindra Faria is better than she showed vss Mara Romero Borella at UFC 216 and she faces Jessica Eye who HAS to be on her last legs, right? Right? I mean seriously.

11- Let's talk briefly about Zak Cummings. If you had told me that Cummings would go from being a dude who pinch hit at 205 lbs to competing successfully at 170 lbs, I would've been pretty much stunned out of my mind. To his credit, Cummings has made good on that drop down with two losses at 170 lbs; one to the very good Santiago Ponzinibbio and the other a total stylistic booboo vs Gunnar Nelson. He faces Thiago Alves in what has the potential to be a career altering win for him assuming he can pick it up.

12- Dana White's Tuesday Night Contenders Series has had a great return on its investment but can Matt Frevola be the next guy to follow in behind those dudes?

Must Wins

1- Paige Van Zant

The UFC needs to 1) get back on the same page as PVZ and 2) Paige to carry this 125 lb weight class. If she can do the latter, the former will come into focus in theory. PVZ vs Jessica Rose Clark is giving Paige someone she's historically aced; fighters who aren't overpowering in nature and who are way below her on the athletic totem pole. A loss to Jessica Rose Clark, a competent opponent designed to make her look good, would be soul crushing for her stock.

2- Uriah Hall

URiah's walked his way up back into relevancy with a big comeback win vs Kryzstof Jotko and now he gets Vitor Belfort in his UFC retirement fight. This is the sort of fight that Hall has continuously struggled with during his time in the UFC; a guy who has power and fights tentative enough to where Hall overthinks it because he's afraid of getting clocked, dropped and finished.

3- Danielle Taylor

Taylor is probably not somebody the UFC sees a whole lot of value in. She's a somewhat dull fighter who is woefully undersized for 115 lbs and always seems to be left hoping for some mercy from the judges. She's on a two fight winning streak at 115 lbs and might be two wins away from serious top 10 level contention. Gotta beat a very tough game JJ Aldrich to get there though.

Five Can't Miss Fights

1- Jeremy Stephens vs Doo Ho Choi

2- Zak Cummings vs Thiago Alves

3- Marco Polo Reyes vs Matt Frevola

4- Kamaru Usman vs Emil Meek

5- Uriah Hall vs Vitor Belfort

Predict The Post Fight Talking Points:

1- Michael Johnson’s failed move to 145 lbs.

2- Is Paige Van Zant going to fight for a title now?

3- Was Doo Ho Choi rushed or this the natural course for him?

#MMA #UFC #Fight Night #St Louis #Kamaru Usman #Emil Meek

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