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Take the "Crack the Wall" Pledge!
Travis S McClain
✭✭✭✭✭
in The Bridge
Two days ago, when selecting my team for the Gauntlet that ended a few hours ago, my fleet mates were chatting about how tedious the Gauntlet has become, seeing the same walls over and over. I decided to do something different. I'm not chasing a #1 rank, after all, so what do I care if I come in #2 or #200? I'm just in it for the hope that a streak of some multiple three will get me a Caretaker. I don't need to rank to do that. So here's what I did:
I excluded any crew member I have who has ever appeared in any event, or has been a Gauntlet jackpot reward.
I was able to break into the top 10 several times throughout the two days and I ended at #24. The highlight was beating someone's Kahless the Unforgettable with my Mirror Ezri Tigan (SEC + DIP; Kahless only has one of those two skills). Wish I'd thought to take a screenshot!
By the way, this still leaves a good number of strong Gauntlet crew on the table, including Changeling Founder, Doc Crusher, and Tempted Data, all of whom are in my current team:
So, how about it? If you're not still chasing a particular rank finish for the achievements (or for your own satisfaction), why not bypass the standard go-to's? Use that Commander Uhura or Gorn Captain or Lily Sloane. C'mon, it'll be fun!
I excluded any crew member I have who has ever appeared in any event, or has been a Gauntlet jackpot reward.
I was able to break into the top 10 several times throughout the two days and I ended at #24. The highlight was beating someone's Kahless the Unforgettable with my Mirror Ezri Tigan (SEC + DIP; Kahless only has one of those two skills). Wish I'd thought to take a screenshot!
By the way, this still leaves a good number of strong Gauntlet crew on the table, including Changeling Founder, Doc Crusher, and Tempted Data, all of whom are in my current team:
So, how about it? If you're not still chasing a particular rank finish for the achievements (or for your own satisfaction), why not bypass the standard go-to's? Use that Commander Uhura or Gorn Captain or Lily Sloane. C'mon, it'll be fun!
Fleet Recruitment - 20 vacancies as of 17 July 2022 | My Timelines Wish List | Editable STT Trait Audit Spreadsheet
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And then of course in my alt accounts I'm sort of forced to use crew who the majority aren't using, simply because I don't have a lot of the powerhouses. But many of those alternative crew have been quite useful for me on those alt accounts: Bajoran Dukat, Duelist Yar, Mirror Uhura and several others have all done quite well for themselves in Gauntlet.
I'm no longer chasing rank myself — once I hit the top spot, it's nothing that I feel like I need to repeat, and top ten or top twenty loot is often no better than rewards from a much lower ending rank. I do try for short streaks whenever I can, and only rarely do I use merits to extend those (and I'd probably not even care about streaks once I landed a Caretaker, so there's that). Mostly, the Gauntlet is (for me at least) a place to build up my merit stash, and get the occasional chrons or even more occasional portal pulls.
Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.
~ Data, ST:TNG "Haven"
Tsk, tsk! 23rd Century Martok has been featured in events!
So if everyone is throwing in Mirror Picard because he has 25% I'll use Kahless because even with the 25% kicker, they're about the same in CMD+SEC, but Kahless wins CMD+DIP, and is fairly even in CMD+SCI and the same for everything else.
Outrageous!
Actually, I always look for alternatives, I'm using Obsidian Order Garak instead of JLP this gauntlet because he has matching traits, and I never use Picard because he invariably goes up against himself and fluffs it badly. Scares himself silly, I reckon.
But, I don't have any alternatives to The Caretaker or Seven of Nine, Surak is solid if not blinding, and Guinan doesn't have a great deal of opposition yet, even though she's the weakest of the bunch. It's unlikely I'm ever going to grab honor hall crew because of the obscene amounts of honor required to even acquire them, let alone fully fuse them, so I'm probably at 'peak gauntlet' for me until better crew come along.
Though, Kahless is kind of tempting. I'll see if I can muster up enough honor and the will to part with it before making a decision on that.
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Augment Riker and Romulan Kirk would be prohibited as having been in events, but more importantly, I envy your Trelane! I dig those wackier TOS guest characters. They had a certain panache that I adore. William Campbell was fun to watch as Koloth, but even more fun for me as Trelane. "A 'duel'...?!"
Fixed!!
I dont remember Dr. Daystrom being in an event, and since i know you know about the event crew of every event...if it was good with you i knew he wasnt in an event. Thing is i use Daystrom quite frequently anyways in the gauntlet...along with Tempted Data. Never have used the other 3 though, this should be interesting. Thanks for the idea Travis!!
My bad. I do remember those events. I enjoy the old school characters too. I love my Orion Vina card despite the fact that she’s immortalized yet I never use her. I dig The Keeper too. This doesn’t quite fit the category but Gangster Spock is just way cool
I do like this idea tho
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I might give it a try to exchange locutus in one of the next gauntlets
The point here is just to try to do something different with roster selections.
Also, this initiative is aimed more at established players with deeper benches. If you're still developing your crew, you're exactly the players I'd like to help a little with this initiative! Bring your Surak and your Mirror Jean-Luc Picard and your Nurse Faith Garland. My hope is that those of us in a position where we can indulge this idea and bring other crew will be the ones to crack the walls that we ourselves have been largely responsible for constructing.
And after beating Kahless with Mirror Ezri, I'm confident that this idea doesn't have to mean forfeiting Gauntlets outright. It will just require some more creativity and maybe a deeper dive into stats. Plus, of course, there's always RNG.
I envy your Vina and Keeper, too, and yes, Gangster Spock is definitely way cool! I recently had The Keeper in a Behold, but I had to go instead with Grand Nagus Zek. I dig those TOS characters, but my first love is still DS9.
It is new and different. I lost my very first match-up.
I am really wishing that I picked Guinan, Locutus, Seven, Kahless and LaBorge.
I hope I still manage to squeeze out a top 10 finish and get Caretaker and fat 5* equipment.
PS I want to throw my phone at anyone who has French Q.
Mirror Troi
Admiral Picard
Landry
Nurse Faith Garland
Weeding T'Pol
I am more than happy to plod along, and get myself anywhere top 50, get a few items, that might be useful. Last run at gauntlet tends to be about 3 hours to go, and wherever i end up then, and get pushed too is where i end up.
But i wholeheartedly agree, with the principle, not everyone (ME) is as savvy or "listy" as Travis, so i can't say i don't use previous event people, but i do avoid taking the people, that i personally am sick of seeing in gauntlet walls. So i very very seldom take mirror Picard or Surak and most of the usual suspects, and try to avoid taking gauntlet prize people.
Truth is the only people that can stop gauntlet walls is the people loading their gauntlet lists, and i have been doing that a while, so it is nice to see other people making the same considerations as myself.
Well played Travis, well played indeed. I shall see you all in the gauntlet battle fields, good luck Captains, with whoever you bring.
I also play against the odds when facing a like crew, which also results in more wins overall. RNG can *sniff* a Targ!
I do use Mirror Troi in nearly every gauntlet. There are several higher MED rolls but I like her even 3-stat distribution
I have been frequently using my Mirror Bashir to mix things up in The Gauntlet. I have even thrown him in on a number of occasions when neither Engineering nor Security were the featured Skill.
Does anyone else have a 2 Skill character they use, where neither roll is over 600, and you put them into a Gauntlet without either of the 2 Skills being featured?
Another user of Mirror Bashir? I’m glad I'm not alone. As to your question, I don’t know about any other two-skill crew but I will happily use Mirror Geordi without trait bonuses on a SEC-themed gauntlet. In months past, I rolled out Mirror Kirk and Dr. Soong on a regular basis as well, though they were displaced later by Mirror Picard and Yarnek, respectively.
You could really have a strong 4* crew with
Weeding T'Pol
Nurse Faith Garland
Mirror La Forge
Commander Elen Landry
Mirror Phlox
and then there are Bajoran Dukat, ev Suit Tucker and so on...
Weeding T’Pol. Her proficiency would surely be increased in the science department
I think you will be sold after the test drive. He is a gauntlet must