Pokemon Stadium Cups: Level Spread Analysis
Jan 18, 2013 20:55:02 GMT -8
Post by t3h Icy on Jan 18, 2013 20:55:02 GMT -8
I've been thinking of writing about the metagames of Pokemon Stadium's Pika Cup, Petit Cup, and Poke Cup, but decided to also do this for now as a small side-article/data dump.
For those that don't know or never played, Pika Cup restricts Pokemon levels to 15-20, Petit 25-30 (with additional rules on what Pokemon are legal), and Poke Cup 50-55. Each player has a team of six Pokemon, both opponents see each others' teams before the battle, and select three of them. The level rule though is that the combined level total of the three selected cannot pass 50, 80, and 155 respectively.
From here on out, I'll refer the level differences as 0-5 so that they can be applied to all 3 cups, and make the math easier.
Legally, there are 16 possible combinations: 0/0/0, 0/0/1, 0/0/2, 0/0/3, 0/0/4, 0/0/5, 0/1/1, 0/1/2, 0/1/3, 0/1/4, 0/2/2, 0/2/3, 1/1/1, 1/1/2, 1/1/3, 1/2/2. Obviously for the greatest chances of winning, it'd be ideal to maximize this, of which only five combinations do so: 0/0/5, 0/1/4, 0/2/3, 1/1/3, 1/2/2.
Now comes to the teams of six Pokemon. As there are six Pokemon, and each can be one of six different levels, there are a total of 6^6 combinations (or 46656). Removing duplicates (0/0/0/1/1/1 and 0/1/0/1/0/1 for example) and illegal teams (5/5/5/5/5/5, 2/3/4/2/3/4, etc) trims down this number significantly. From there, the best way to decrease the list further would be to remove teams that have Pokemon at lower levels than necessary. An obvious one is 0/0/0/0/0/0, where any Pokemon could be a higher level without restricting what combinations of Pokemon can be selected. For another example, 0/0/1/1/2/2, the two 0s could each be 1 and again, would not restrict any combinations.
After these initial cuts, this leaves only 65 optimal sets of six Pokemon. 32 of these are single-max style, such as 0/0/0/5/5/5, where the max level combinations are all 0/0/5. 30 of these are double-maxs, where it's possible to have two different types. An example would be 0/0/1/1/3/5, where it's possible to go with either 0/0/5 or 1/1/3, both with the same team. The last 3 are triples. An example is 0/1/1/2/3/4, where it's possible to go with 0/1/4, 0/2/3, or 1/1/3.
It's debatable what level combinations are best. 0/0/5 allows for the most powerful Pokemon possible, but at the expense of the other two being weaker, whereas 1/2/2 is more balanced. Likewise, teams with single-maxs have more of a focus with levels, and doubles/triples have more of a scaling of levels. The latter may be useful for balancing purposes. I'll touch more on this later.
So among combinations of 6 Pokemon, there are a few ways the make teams better than others. For one, having great versatility while also being able to maximize levels most often would be desirable. An example is 0/0/0/0/5/5 vs 0/0/1/1/3/5. The first team has much more choice in selecting a team that maximizes levels, while the second only has two groups of three Pokemon to get maxed levels. It may also be useful to actually be able to select many different combinations without going over the level limit. An example is 0/0/5/5/5/5 vs 1/1/2/2/2/2. Both will almost always have maxed out levels, but the second team has many more possible ways to select three Pokemon, while the first team requires both 0s to be selected for every battle.
Here are the data dumps. Given six Pokemon and selecting three of them, there are 20 possibilities. This list is in order of most combinations that give maxed out levels.
0/0/0/0/0/5, 1/1/1/1/1/3, 0/0/0/0/2/3, 0/0/0/0/1/4, and 1/1/1/1/2/2 all play on the idea that you'll be selecting the same Pokemon for most battles and then pick any of the remaining ones. For example, in 0/0/0/0/0/5, if Tauros were set to be the 5, this gives ultimate diversity in the remaining Pokemon, while always having maxed out levels (assuming you want to use Tauros each match). In my opinion, if there was a Pokemon that dominates enough so that a player would always want to select it, that Pokemon should be as strong as possible (5), though the second team is nice for balance. Still, I would argue that the three teams in the previous paragraph are better as they are less predictable and offer variety in quality, not quantity, at the expense of some illegal combinations. With proper planning ahead, that shouldn't be an issue (ie, don't have both Zapdos and Jolteon be the 5s or else a Ground takes away from your power).
0/0/0/5/5/5 and 1/1/1/3/3/3 are both interesting as they force more predictability in the weaker Pokemon, but allow the player more of a choice with their power Pokemon. For example, if the 0s of the first team were Chansey, Tauros, and Snorlax (all who are great in almost any match), the 5s could be something like Alakazam, Zapdos, and Exeggutor, so they can be selected depending on the opponent's team.
0/1/1/2/3/4, 0/1/1/2/2/3, and 0/1/2/2/3/4 are the three triples and are interesting, though I would argue they're not as viable. For a well balanced team, such as a standard OU team, most Pokemon are pretty good and about the same in usefulness as each other, though some may be slightly more effective or more commonly used, so the levels can be distributed more evenly, while allowing many combinations to max out levels each battle. On top, the teams have 10, 15, and 10 possible combinations respectively without wasting too many levels. In other words, for 0/0/0/0/5/5 to select three Pokemon without using any 5s, they're losing five levels, but for 0/1/1/2/2/3, 0/2/2 could be selected and only lose one level.
Most of the other teams are poor double-maxs that have awkward setups and force certain Pokemon to be used, which is unviable as they have nearly no versatility without the expense of levels.
So now the matter of which levels are best. 0/0/5? 1/1/3? Well, let's look at all the reasons why levels are useful. For starters, higher levels mean better stats, and even if they're only slightly better, it's always more damage. In particular, Speed is higher by a couple of points so a 55 Tauros outspeeds a 54 Tauros, which is very helpful. Levels are also a part of the damage formula and the small differences can add a lot of damage:
For the first part of the damage formula, it's (Level * 0.4)+2 (round down). For Critical Hits, multiply level by 2. The following are levels with their regular multipliers and their Critical Hit multipliers:
Level 15: 8, 14
Level 16: 8, 14
Level 17: 8, 15
Level 18: 9, 16
Level 19: 9, 17
Level 20: 10, 18
Level 25: 12, 22
Level 26: 12, 22
Level 27: 12, 23
Level 28: 13, 24
Level 29: 13, 25
Level 30: 14, 26
Level 50: 22, 42
Level 51: 22, 42
Level 52: 22, 43
Level 53: 23, 44
Level 54: 23, 45
Level 55: 24, 46
So ignoring stat difference, the increase in levels themselves boost damage by quite a bit. In fact, a level 20 does 1.2x more damage than level 15 before considering stat differences. On Critical Hits, level 20s do nearly 1.3x more. That's a very significant difference, but they don't vary as much for higher levels like in Poke Cup. Again though, it's still a matter of balance vs all-out power. In Pika Cup, 16/16/18 has more balance power balance and each are stronger than level 15s, but it might take nearly two of them to take down a powerful 20.
Other small, but mostly insignificant differences are changes in power of Seismic Toss/Night Shade, more stat points through stat experience (as the amount of points added goes up each level), and also some moves such as Razor Leaf for Bulbasaur at level 27.
So in my opinion, what Pokemon you actually plan to use has to come first. A team that revolves around the destruction of Abra in Petit Cup is better suited to 30s, rather than a balanced team such as a standard OU team in Poke Cup. Along with levels, balance vs all-out power has to be considered for which Pokemon get the level boosts. Tauros at 55 gives the ultimate power available, but Tauros at 50 allows other Pokemon for specific roles to be 55, while Tauros still is available for each match.
From there, it really is hard to give an accurate answer without knowing how each metagame works. If I had to guess, I'd say 0/0/0/0/5/5, 0/0/0/5/5/5, 1/1/1/3/3/3, 1/1/2/2/2/2, and 0/1/1/2/2/3 are ideal.
Regardless of what's the most viable, this information should be very helpful for anyone planning on replaying Pokemon Stadium and seeking to optimize their teams. I'm planning on writing about the three cup metagames when I have the time to, and I'll go into more specific depth regarding level distributions for each of them.
For those that don't know or never played, Pika Cup restricts Pokemon levels to 15-20, Petit 25-30 (with additional rules on what Pokemon are legal), and Poke Cup 50-55. Each player has a team of six Pokemon, both opponents see each others' teams before the battle, and select three of them. The level rule though is that the combined level total of the three selected cannot pass 50, 80, and 155 respectively.
From here on out, I'll refer the level differences as 0-5 so that they can be applied to all 3 cups, and make the math easier.
Legally, there are 16 possible combinations: 0/0/0, 0/0/1, 0/0/2, 0/0/3, 0/0/4, 0/0/5, 0/1/1, 0/1/2, 0/1/3, 0/1/4, 0/2/2, 0/2/3, 1/1/1, 1/1/2, 1/1/3, 1/2/2. Obviously for the greatest chances of winning, it'd be ideal to maximize this, of which only five combinations do so: 0/0/5, 0/1/4, 0/2/3, 1/1/3, 1/2/2.
Now comes to the teams of six Pokemon. As there are six Pokemon, and each can be one of six different levels, there are a total of 6^6 combinations (or 46656). Removing duplicates (0/0/0/1/1/1 and 0/1/0/1/0/1 for example) and illegal teams (5/5/5/5/5/5, 2/3/4/2/3/4, etc) trims down this number significantly. From there, the best way to decrease the list further would be to remove teams that have Pokemon at lower levels than necessary. An obvious one is 0/0/0/0/0/0, where any Pokemon could be a higher level without restricting what combinations of Pokemon can be selected. For another example, 0/0/1/1/2/2, the two 0s could each be 1 and again, would not restrict any combinations.
After these initial cuts, this leaves only 65 optimal sets of six Pokemon. 32 of these are single-max style, such as 0/0/0/5/5/5, where the max level combinations are all 0/0/5. 30 of these are double-maxs, where it's possible to have two different types. An example would be 0/0/1/1/3/5, where it's possible to go with either 0/0/5 or 1/1/3, both with the same team. The last 3 are triples. An example is 0/1/1/2/3/4, where it's possible to go with 0/1/4, 0/2/3, or 1/1/3.
It's debatable what level combinations are best. 0/0/5 allows for the most powerful Pokemon possible, but at the expense of the other two being weaker, whereas 1/2/2 is more balanced. Likewise, teams with single-maxs have more of a focus with levels, and doubles/triples have more of a scaling of levels. The latter may be useful for balancing purposes. I'll touch more on this later.
So among combinations of 6 Pokemon, there are a few ways the make teams better than others. For one, having great versatility while also being able to maximize levels most often would be desirable. An example is 0/0/0/0/5/5 vs 0/0/1/1/3/5. The first team has much more choice in selecting a team that maximizes levels, while the second only has two groups of three Pokemon to get maxed levels. It may also be useful to actually be able to select many different combinations without going over the level limit. An example is 0/0/5/5/5/5 vs 1/1/2/2/2/2. Both will almost always have maxed out levels, but the second team has many more possible ways to select three Pokemon, while the first team requires both 0s to be selected for every battle.
Here are the data dumps. Given six Pokemon and selecting three of them, there are 20 possibilities. This list is in order of most combinations that give maxed out levels.
0/0/0/0/5/5 12
1/1/1/1/3/3 12
1/1/2/2/2/2 12
0/0/0/0/0/5 10
1/1/1/1/1/3 10
1/2/2/2/2/2 10
0/0/0/5/5/5 9
1/1/1/3/3/3 9
1/1/1/2/2/2 9
0/0/2/2/3/3 8
0/0/1/1/4/4 8
1/1/2/2/2/3 7
0/0/0/2/2/3 6
0/0/2/2/2/3 6
0/0/0/2/3/3 6
0/0/2/3/3/3 6
0/2/2/2/3/3 6
0/2/2/3/3/3 6
0/0/0/1/1/4 6
0/0/1/1/1/4 6
0/0/0/1/4/4 6
0/0/1/4/4/4 6
0/1/1/1/4/4 6
0/1/1/4/4/4 6
0/0/0/1/4/5 6
0/0/0/2/3/5 6
0/1/1/1/3/4 6
0/1/2/2/2/3 6
1/1/1/2/2/3 6
0/0/1/1/4/5 5
0/0/1/4/4/5 5
0/0/2/2/3/5 5
0/0/2/3/3/5 5
0/0/1/1/3/4 5
0/1/1/3/4/4 5
0/1/1/2/2/3 5
0/0/1/2/2/3 5
0/1/2/2/3/3 5
0/0/5/5/5/5 4
0/0/0/0/2/3 4
0/2/2/2/2/3 4
0/2/3/3/3/3 4
0/0/0/0/1/4 4
0/1/1/1/1/4 4
0/1/4/4/4/4 4
1/1/3/3/3/3 4
1/1/1/1/2/2 4
0/0/1/4/5/5 4
0/0/2/3/5/5 4
0/0/1/2/3/4 4
0/1/1/2/3/4 4
0/1/2/2/3/4 4
0/1/1/3/3/4 4
0/1/1/2/2/4 4
0/1/2/2/2/4 4
0/1/1/1/2/3 4
0/1/1/2/3/3 4
1/1/2/2/3/3 4
0/1/2/3/3/4 3
0/1/2/3/4/4 3
0/0/1/2/2/4 3
0/1/2/2/4/4 3
0/0/1/1/2/3 3
0/0/1/1/3/5 2
0/0/1/2/2/5 2
And this one is for most combinations total.1/1/1/1/3/3 12
1/1/2/2/2/2 12
0/0/0/0/0/5 10
1/1/1/1/1/3 10
1/2/2/2/2/2 10
0/0/0/5/5/5 9
1/1/1/3/3/3 9
1/1/1/2/2/2 9
0/0/2/2/3/3 8
0/0/1/1/4/4 8
1/1/2/2/2/3 7
0/0/0/2/2/3 6
0/0/2/2/2/3 6
0/0/0/2/3/3 6
0/0/2/3/3/3 6
0/2/2/2/3/3 6
0/2/2/3/3/3 6
0/0/0/1/1/4 6
0/0/1/1/1/4 6
0/0/0/1/4/4 6
0/0/1/4/4/4 6
0/1/1/1/4/4 6
0/1/1/4/4/4 6
0/0/0/1/4/5 6
0/0/0/2/3/5 6
0/1/1/1/3/4 6
0/1/2/2/2/3 6
1/1/1/2/2/3 6
0/0/1/1/4/5 5
0/0/1/4/4/5 5
0/0/2/2/3/5 5
0/0/2/3/3/5 5
0/0/1/1/3/4 5
0/1/1/3/4/4 5
0/1/1/2/2/3 5
0/0/1/2/2/3 5
0/1/2/2/3/3 5
0/0/5/5/5/5 4
0/0/0/0/2/3 4
0/2/2/2/2/3 4
0/2/3/3/3/3 4
0/0/0/0/1/4 4
0/1/1/1/1/4 4
0/1/4/4/4/4 4
1/1/3/3/3/3 4
1/1/1/1/2/2 4
0/0/1/4/5/5 4
0/0/2/3/5/5 4
0/0/1/2/3/4 4
0/1/1/2/3/4 4
0/1/2/2/3/4 4
0/1/1/3/3/4 4
0/1/1/2/2/4 4
0/1/2/2/2/4 4
0/1/1/1/2/3 4
0/1/1/2/3/3 4
1/1/2/2/3/3 4
0/1/2/3/3/4 3
0/1/2/3/4/4 3
0/0/1/2/2/4 3
0/1/2/2/4/4 3
0/0/1/1/2/3 3
0/0/1/1/3/5 2
0/0/1/2/2/5 2
0/0/0/0/0/5 20
1/1/1/1/1/3 20
0/0/0/0/2/3 20
0/0/0/0/1/4 20
1/1/1/1/2/2 20
1/1/1/2/2/2 19
0/0/0/2/2/3 19
0/0/0/1/1/4 19
0/0/1/1/2/3 18
0/0/1/1/1/4 17
0/0/1/2/2/3 17
0/1/1/1/2/3 17
0/0/0/0/5/5 16
1/1/1/1/3/3 16
1/1/2/2/2/2 16
0/0/2/2/2/3 16
0/0/0/2/3/3 16
0/0/0/1/4/4 16
0/0/1/1/3/4 15
0/1/1/2/2/3 15
0/0/2/2/3/3 14
0/0/1/1/4/4 14
0/1/1/1/1/4 14
0/0/0/1/4/5 13
0/0/0/2/3/5 13
0/1/1/1/3/4 13
0/1/2/2/2/3 13
1/1/1/2/2/3 13
0/0/1/2/2/4 13
0/0/1/2/3/4 12
0/1/1/2/2/4 12
0/1/1/2/3/3 12
0/0/1/1/3/5 11
0/0/1/2/2/5 11
1/2/2/2/2/2 10
0/0/0/5/5/5 10
1/1/1/3/3/3 10
1/1/2/2/2/3 10
0/0/2/3/3/3 10
0/0/1/4/4/4 10
0/1/1/1/4/4 10
0/0/1/1/4/5 10
0/0/2/2/3/5 10
0/1/2/2/3/3 10
0/2/2/2/2/3 10
0/1/1/2/3/4 10
0/1/2/2/2/4 10
0/2/2/2/3/3 9
0/1/1/3/3/4 9
0/0/1/4/4/5 8
0/0/2/3/3/5 8
0/1/1/3/4/4 8
0/1/2/2/3/4 8
0/2/2/3/3/3 7
0/1/1/4/4/4 7
0/0/1/4/5/5 6
0/0/2/3/5/5 6
1/1/2/2/3/3 6
0/1/2/3/3/4 6
0/1/2/2/4/4 6
0/1/2/3/4/4 5
0/0/5/5/5/5 4
0/2/3/3/3/3 4
0/1/4/4/4/4 4
1/1/3/3/3/3 4
So let's analyze some teams. 0/0/0/0/5/5, 1/1/1/1/3/3, and 1/1/2/2/2/2 are all the best in giving 12/20 combinations that max out levels. The math behind is it because a third (one) of the Pokemon selected comes from a choice of a third of the team, while the remaining two thirds (two) of the Pokemon selected come from a choice of two thirds of the team. They're all nicely balanced in their own ways, and it's a matter of if the player wants balance or variance.1/1/1/1/1/3 20
0/0/0/0/2/3 20
0/0/0/0/1/4 20
1/1/1/1/2/2 20
1/1/1/2/2/2 19
0/0/0/2/2/3 19
0/0/0/1/1/4 19
0/0/1/1/2/3 18
0/0/1/1/1/4 17
0/0/1/2/2/3 17
0/1/1/1/2/3 17
0/0/0/0/5/5 16
1/1/1/1/3/3 16
1/1/2/2/2/2 16
0/0/2/2/2/3 16
0/0/0/2/3/3 16
0/0/0/1/4/4 16
0/0/1/1/3/4 15
0/1/1/2/2/3 15
0/0/2/2/3/3 14
0/0/1/1/4/4 14
0/1/1/1/1/4 14
0/0/0/1/4/5 13
0/0/0/2/3/5 13
0/1/1/1/3/4 13
0/1/2/2/2/3 13
1/1/1/2/2/3 13
0/0/1/2/2/4 13
0/0/1/2/3/4 12
0/1/1/2/2/4 12
0/1/1/2/3/3 12
0/0/1/1/3/5 11
0/0/1/2/2/5 11
1/2/2/2/2/2 10
0/0/0/5/5/5 10
1/1/1/3/3/3 10
1/1/2/2/2/3 10
0/0/2/3/3/3 10
0/0/1/4/4/4 10
0/1/1/1/4/4 10
0/0/1/1/4/5 10
0/0/2/2/3/5 10
0/1/2/2/3/3 10
0/2/2/2/2/3 10
0/1/1/2/3/4 10
0/1/2/2/2/4 10
0/2/2/2/3/3 9
0/1/1/3/3/4 9
0/0/1/4/4/5 8
0/0/2/3/3/5 8
0/1/1/3/4/4 8
0/1/2/2/3/4 8
0/2/2/3/3/3 7
0/1/1/4/4/4 7
0/0/1/4/5/5 6
0/0/2/3/5/5 6
1/1/2/2/3/3 6
0/1/2/3/3/4 6
0/1/2/2/4/4 6
0/1/2/3/4/4 5
0/0/5/5/5/5 4
0/2/3/3/3/3 4
0/1/4/4/4/4 4
1/1/3/3/3/3 4
0/0/0/0/0/5, 1/1/1/1/1/3, 0/0/0/0/2/3, 0/0/0/0/1/4, and 1/1/1/1/2/2 all play on the idea that you'll be selecting the same Pokemon for most battles and then pick any of the remaining ones. For example, in 0/0/0/0/0/5, if Tauros were set to be the 5, this gives ultimate diversity in the remaining Pokemon, while always having maxed out levels (assuming you want to use Tauros each match). In my opinion, if there was a Pokemon that dominates enough so that a player would always want to select it, that Pokemon should be as strong as possible (5), though the second team is nice for balance. Still, I would argue that the three teams in the previous paragraph are better as they are less predictable and offer variety in quality, not quantity, at the expense of some illegal combinations. With proper planning ahead, that shouldn't be an issue (ie, don't have both Zapdos and Jolteon be the 5s or else a Ground takes away from your power).
0/0/0/5/5/5 and 1/1/1/3/3/3 are both interesting as they force more predictability in the weaker Pokemon, but allow the player more of a choice with their power Pokemon. For example, if the 0s of the first team were Chansey, Tauros, and Snorlax (all who are great in almost any match), the 5s could be something like Alakazam, Zapdos, and Exeggutor, so they can be selected depending on the opponent's team.
0/1/1/2/3/4, 0/1/1/2/2/3, and 0/1/2/2/3/4 are the three triples and are interesting, though I would argue they're not as viable. For a well balanced team, such as a standard OU team, most Pokemon are pretty good and about the same in usefulness as each other, though some may be slightly more effective or more commonly used, so the levels can be distributed more evenly, while allowing many combinations to max out levels each battle. On top, the teams have 10, 15, and 10 possible combinations respectively without wasting too many levels. In other words, for 0/0/0/0/5/5 to select three Pokemon without using any 5s, they're losing five levels, but for 0/1/1/2/2/3, 0/2/2 could be selected and only lose one level.
Most of the other teams are poor double-maxs that have awkward setups and force certain Pokemon to be used, which is unviable as they have nearly no versatility without the expense of levels.
So now the matter of which levels are best. 0/0/5? 1/1/3? Well, let's look at all the reasons why levels are useful. For starters, higher levels mean better stats, and even if they're only slightly better, it's always more damage. In particular, Speed is higher by a couple of points so a 55 Tauros outspeeds a 54 Tauros, which is very helpful. Levels are also a part of the damage formula and the small differences can add a lot of damage:
For the first part of the damage formula, it's (Level * 0.4)+2 (round down). For Critical Hits, multiply level by 2. The following are levels with their regular multipliers and their Critical Hit multipliers:
Level 15: 8, 14
Level 16: 8, 14
Level 17: 8, 15
Level 18: 9, 16
Level 19: 9, 17
Level 20: 10, 18
Level 25: 12, 22
Level 26: 12, 22
Level 27: 12, 23
Level 28: 13, 24
Level 29: 13, 25
Level 30: 14, 26
Level 50: 22, 42
Level 51: 22, 42
Level 52: 22, 43
Level 53: 23, 44
Level 54: 23, 45
Level 55: 24, 46
So ignoring stat difference, the increase in levels themselves boost damage by quite a bit. In fact, a level 20 does 1.2x more damage than level 15 before considering stat differences. On Critical Hits, level 20s do nearly 1.3x more. That's a very significant difference, but they don't vary as much for higher levels like in Poke Cup. Again though, it's still a matter of balance vs all-out power. In Pika Cup, 16/16/18 has more balance power balance and each are stronger than level 15s, but it might take nearly two of them to take down a powerful 20.
Other small, but mostly insignificant differences are changes in power of Seismic Toss/Night Shade, more stat points through stat experience (as the amount of points added goes up each level), and also some moves such as Razor Leaf for Bulbasaur at level 27.
So in my opinion, what Pokemon you actually plan to use has to come first. A team that revolves around the destruction of Abra in Petit Cup is better suited to 30s, rather than a balanced team such as a standard OU team in Poke Cup. Along with levels, balance vs all-out power has to be considered for which Pokemon get the level boosts. Tauros at 55 gives the ultimate power available, but Tauros at 50 allows other Pokemon for specific roles to be 55, while Tauros still is available for each match.
From there, it really is hard to give an accurate answer without knowing how each metagame works. If I had to guess, I'd say 0/0/0/0/5/5, 0/0/0/5/5/5, 1/1/1/3/3/3, 1/1/2/2/2/2, and 0/1/1/2/2/3 are ideal.
Regardless of what's the most viable, this information should be very helpful for anyone planning on replaying Pokemon Stadium and seeking to optimize their teams. I'm planning on writing about the three cup metagames when I have the time to, and I'll go into more specific depth regarding level distributions for each of them.