Game Fan League Discussion Thread

[Kaoz]

I was wondering if it's possible to have some characters give buffs to others if they are placed in certain positions -it started when I joked about Sengoku's team always serving first- if that isn't a thing already. Something like Yukimura's leadership when he plays singles 1, or Inui's juices when he's a reserve, etc.

So I've been thinking about this more and two things:

1. The only way I can realistically see this for specific positions is to make "keywords", e.g. Leadoff (S3), Pillar (S2), Ace (S1), and I don't know what could be used for the doubles yet. If we did this, the characters would just get +1 Total or something when played in the right position. Since there's tons of characters this would apply to and some could even be considered multiple (for Atobe all three I listed would work for instance), I can't make up individual abilities for all of them and neither do I want to dedicate that many ability slots to stuff like this.

If you guys want keywords like this, let me know. If enough people want them, I'll put them in.

2. Abilities that have an effect if the character is in reserve sound appealing to me. E.g. something that quickly came to mind here would be to allow Kimijima's player to ignore the stat total restriction when making a line-up for one slot. This would probably work for ten or so characters, not sure. In this context, however, I have to say that since this would affect most or all DT players, I might nerf the Formations a bit. Either weaken the effect or make them more difficult to use, I'm not sure yet.

I don't really have any suggestion as for now but adding something more is necessary.

Spoiler

Maximilian Bismarck [28, SB: 2, HP: 10, CP, R]
(SPE: 6, POW: 5, STA: 5, MEN: 5, TEC: 7)

-Change-up [Counter]:
Triggers after losing two consecutive points. During the following two points, Power increases by 1, Mental increases by 2.

-Spinless Sway Ball [Special - Lv 6]:
Activation: After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1. If an opponent's combined Mental and Technique is less than 11, that opponent's Specials are negated.
Data: Technique increases by 4. If an opponent's Special was negated through this, Power increases by 5.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's combined Mental and Technique is less than 9.

Made various smaller changes. First of all, increased the duration of Change-up to two points instead of one. Also, changed the boost from Speed/Mental to Power/Mental to give Bismarck a better defensive coverage during those points. For SSB, I mostly made it easier for me to calculate, but I buffed the negation and boost a bit while decreasing the negation threshold by one point (this is so that Duke can avoid it after Destroyer).

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 7, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 3, 2016 ---

So I don't have much to say about the next couple characters, they'll probably stay largely the same. Chitose will get Saiki which will probably be like the respective part of Brilliant Tezuka Zone, Date's Winter will have its damage values adjusted as described above etc. I'll skip around a bit and show which stats I'm considering giving the pros:

Medanole 7/5/8/6/5 (31)
ProD 5/8/7/6/5 (31)

ProB 8/6/6/5/7 (32)
Amadeus 7/6/5/6/8 (32)

Volk 6/6/6/8/7 (33)
Camus 8/6/5/7/7 (33)

I'm still debating on whether to switch Camus and Medanole, but the point is that each of the German pros will match exactly one of the others in terms of total. Alongside QP and Rhinehart, everyone will be able to grab a 30+ base total player for their team like this. Speaking of Rhinehart, based on what we've heard about him in the last chapter, I want to give something along these lines:

-Creating Bonds [Coach]:
Characters on this team require 1 match less to establish a new Support Lv. When in reserve, all doubles pairs' Support Lvs increase by 1 during their matches (max. Lv 3).

Furthermore, I've been thinking a bit about Seakay's suggestion and decided to give Ryoma and Kintarou new Autos:

-Super Rookie of the East/West [Auto]:
Only activates in singles. After playing a match against an opponent with higher base total, one stat permanently increases by 1 for the rest of the season. Stats increase in the order <INSERT ORDER>.

The order will probably be different for both characters, with Kintarou focusing on physical stats first and Ryoma on the technical ones. If I leave Medanole at 31, I could see him getting something similar, although probably a more constant increase that caps at 34 or so.

 

[Seakay]

If you guys want keywords like this, let me know. If enough people want them, I'll put them in.

For the next season, were you thinking of using the line-up ordering based on base total again? If so and your Singles (and Doubles too) are partially fixed then, I think the keywords wouldn't be needed.

Abilities that have an effect if the character is in reserve sound appealing to me.

I do like this idea. Rhinehart's "Creating Bonds" seems quite good. I think that this idea is more interesting on stronger characters too, giving a choice over using them in a single match or their Coach ability in potentially several matches.

 

[Kaoz]

For the next season, were you thinking of using the line-up ordering based on base total again? If so and your Singles (and Doubles too) are partially fixed then, I think the keywords wouldn't be needed.

Yeah, I want to use the totals rule again.

I do like this idea. Rhinehart's "Creating Bonds" seems quite good. I think that this idea is more interesting on stronger characters too, giving a choice over using them in a single match or their Coach ability in potentially several matches.

Pretty much. The stronger characters might ultimately end up with better Coach abilities too, but I don't want there to be too many either since I think I'd just let them stack. Something like: Volk, Camus, Amadeus, QP, Byoudouin, Kimijima and maybe a couple middle schoolers? Not sure who exactly yet from them. Mizuki for sure if I end up including him.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 9, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 9, 2016 ---

Also, I'm once again debating whether or not to increase the base stats of the Japanese MSers that made the team. I'll definitely increase Atobe's and Yukimura's and Fuji already got the boost last season, but any opinion on the others?

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 9, 2016 ---

I've got some star players to share:

Spoiler: Amadeus

Johann Amadeus [32, SB: 3, HP: 11, AR, R)]
(SPE: 7, POW: 6, STA: 5, MEN: 6, TEC: 8)

-Charisma [Coach]:
Cannot be copied. Once, during the drafting phase, pick one additional character and skip the next round of drafting.

-Maestro [Auto]:
Opponent's Specials with Lv <= 5 are negated. Whenever an opponent's Special is negated this way, that opponent's Mental permanently decreases by 1.

-Improvisation [Auto]:
Speed cannot decrease, Power cannot decrease, Technique cannot decrease. Whenever a stat would decrease through an opponent's ability, it increases by 1 instead.

-SABR [Special - Lv 6]:
Activation: Opponent's Serves are negated. After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1.
Data: Power increases by opposing server's SB, Technique increases by negated Serve's Lv. Opposing server's SB becomes 0.
Extra: ACE if [Boost] is higher than every opponent's Speed.

Spoiler: Pro B

Steffen Bäcker [32, SB: 3, HP: 13, SV, R]
(SPE: 8, POW: 7, STA: 6, MEN: 5, TEC: 6)

-Bäcker Shuffle [Auto]:
After winning a decisive point, Mental permanently increases by 1.

-Outrage [Auto]:
After losing consecutive points, Mental decreases by 1 during the following point and Serves/Specials are negated.

-Boom Boom Bäcker [Serve - Lv 6]:
Activation: Can only be used twice during the match. After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1.
Data: Power increases by 6, Technique increases by 2.
Extra: ACE if any opponent's combined Speed, Power and Mental is less than 16.

-Bäcker Blocker [Special - Lv 5]:
Activation: Can only be activated on opponent's serve. If ACE, after activation, Stamina decreases by 0 instead of 1.
Data: Speed increases by 1, Power increases by twice opposing server's SB.
Extra: Only activates in singles. ACE if every opponent's combined Speed and Mental is less than 11.

-Bäcker Hecht [Special - Lv 6]:
Activation: Cannot be negated except through Outrage.
Data: Speed increases by 1, Technique increases by opponent's Power (Doubles: opponent with higher Power).
Extra: ACE if [2 x Boost] is higher than every opponent's combined Speed, Mental and Technique.

Spoiler: Medanole

Carlos Medanole [31, SB: 2, HP: 13, CP, L]
(SPE: 6, POW: 5, STA: 8, MEN: 7, TEC: 5)

-Recovery [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. After the first round, Technique increases by 1 for the rest of the season. After the second round, Speed increases by 1 for the rest of the season. After the third round, Power, SB and HP increase by 1 each for the rest of the season.

-Conqueror [Auto]:
If Mental and/or HP decreased during the previous point, Mental permanently increases by 1.

-Power Dash [Special - Lv 1]:
Activation: Cannot be negated. Opponent's Specials with Lv <= [Technique] are negated.
Data: Speed increases by 3.

-Dune Whip [Special - Lv 7]:
Activation: After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1.
Data: Speed increases by 2, Power increases by 3, Technique increases by 3.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's combined Speed and Technique is less than 13.

Spoiler: Rhinehart

Ralph Rhinehart [30, SB: 3, HP: 10, AR, R]
(SPE: 5, POW: 6, STA: 4, MEN: 8, TEC: 6)

-Creating Bonds [Coach]:
Characters on this team require 1 match less to establish a new Support Lv. When in reserve, all doubles pairs' Support Lvs increase by 1 during their matches (max. Lv 3).

-Supreme Leader [Auto]:
Mental cannot decrease. After winning a point with either partner's ACE effect, partner's Mental permanently increases by 1.

-Unity [Auto]:
Only activates in doubles. Support Lv increases by 1.

-Total Supersweetspot Construction [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. At the end of the Extra step, copy opponent's Special's Extra.

-Performance Optimization [Formation]:
Cannot be copied. Only activates if Support Lv is >= 2. While Mental is 7 or higher, Speed increases by 1, Power increases by 1, Technique increases by 1, and partner's Speed increases by 1, partner's Power increases by 1, partner's Mental increases by 1, partner's Technique increases by 1 and the Lv of partner's Specials increases by 1.

 

[Philia]

Yeah, I want to use the totals rule again.Pretty much. The stronger characters might ultimately end up with better Coach abilities too, but I don't want there to be too many either since I think I'd just let them stack. Something like: Volk, Camus, Amadeus, QP, Byoudouin, Kimijima and maybe a couple middle schoolers? Not sure who exactly yet from them. Mizuki for sure if I end up including him.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 9, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 9, 2016 ---

Also, I'm once again debating whether or not to increase the base stats of the Japanese MSers that made the team. I'll definitely increase Atobe's and Yukimura's and Fuji already got the boost last season, but any opinion on the others?

I think Shiraishi deserves a boost. We might see him play in the manga before the next tournament, if that happens then he'd get an upgrade anyway.
What, I think is, Shiraishi could return Fuji's special moves after seeing them several times. So, like Volk had this time, decrease special's level after opponent using it once. For Shiraishi it could be limited to specials lv-5/6 specials. Also, About Golden Gauntlet,like we had it before, option to remove it after x number of games. And give him a boost or weakening Opponent's total depending on the value of x?

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 11, 2016 ---

Also, I'd like to see Mizuki next time. Please make it hapen. Data players were quite valueable.

 

[Kaoz]

So, like Volk had this time, decrease special's level after opponent using it once. For Shiraishi it could be limited to specials lv-5/6 specials. Also, About Golden Gauntlet,like we had it before, option to remove it after x number of games. And give him a boost or weakening Opponent's total depending on the value of x?

Bold: This is a really good idea, I'll do that. I've been wanting to redesign Shiraishi a bit anyway. In that context, though, I'm not sure I want him to keep the Golden Gauntlet Auto - it's just kind of weird for his stats to essentially not be balanced. I'd give him a different ability to compensate of course. Thoughts?

Also, I'd like to see Mizuki next time. Please make it hapen. Data players were quite valueable.

Noted, noted.

 

[-Ken-]

Will Kiritani be in the next one? He is probably stronger than Kaji and Ohmagari if the databook is reliable.

 

[Kaoz]

Will Kiritani be in the next one? He is probably stronger than Kaji and Ohmagari if the databook is reliable.

Yes. I'm still in the process of deciding his stats. I can say that his total will be 26, but his surface area will be a bit higher than Kaji's and Ohmagari's. His strongest stats will probably be Power and Stamina whereas his weaknesses will likely be Mental and Technique. What that means in terms of numbers I have yet to determine.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 11, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 11, 2016 ---

I dunno, I guess I can just post the distributions I'm considering:

SPE/POW/STA/MEN/TEC
6/6/6/4/4
5/7/6/4/4
4/7/7/4/4

I have some reasons for each of them, but I'm not at the stage where I have a clear favorite yet.

 

[Seakay]

Mizuki returning is a good choice. It's hard to say what other MSers should have a Coach ability though. Maybe Sanada and/or Yukimura have merit for something since they were player-coaches for Rikkai during the original PoT.

Amadeus's Charisma is interesting, as effecting the draft is something new. Bäcker and Medanole look strong. Rhinehart's unique in his abilities: I know he's good, but how good really depends on your team.

If Shiraishi's Golden Gauntlet remains, maybe his Speed/Stamina could decrease at +2 instead? That does keep his base stats balanced.

I feel that if Kiritani is present, then he should get ACEd by Ryoga's specials. The 6/6/6/4/4 spread has my endorsement from the three you listed. (I also like 4/5/6/6/5 since it keeps Kiritani at 26 and allows Ryoga to KO him with Glowing Destruction).

 

[Kaoz]

I feel that if Kiritani is present, then he should get ACEd by Ryoga's specials. The 6/6/6/4/4 spread has my endorsement from the three you listed. (I also like 4/5/6/6/5 since it keeps Kiritani at 26 and allows Ryoga to KO him with Glowing Destruction).

I actually finished a first draft for him earlier and went with 6/6/6/4/4, so I'll post both the character and thought process a bit later.

If Shiraishi's Golden Gauntlet remains, maybe his Speed/Stamina could decrease at +2 instead? That does keep his base stats balanced.

I don't really see the logic in this though, mind elaborating? Honestly one of my main questions is if Shiraishi will actually take off the gauntlet again or if it was just a special occasion to fulfill the promise he made to Yanagi.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 12, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 12, 2016 ---

Alright, here we go.

Spoiler: Kiritani - Profile

Motoshi Kiritani
The "Fake Deity" of the Genius 10. After being exposed by Ryoga, he didn't return to the camp.

Supplemental Info:
- He is the former No. 4 of the first string.
- Apparently he lives by himself.

Height: 188 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Handedness: Right
Eyesight: Right: 1.0 Left: 1.0
Special Technique: 10 Ball Strike
Playstyle: All Rounder
Shoes: Adidas Adizero Ace II AC M
Racket: Head Youtek Graphene Speed Pro

School Year: High School 3rd Year
Birthday: October 27
Blood Type: Type O
Hobbies: Unknown
Family Members: Grandfather - Father - Mother - Older Brother
Committee: ??? President
Favorite Color: Lilac
Favorite Food: Apples
Thing he wants most: Representative Badge
Thing he is bad at: Heat - Waking up early
Specialty outside of tennis: Unknown

Stats

Speed - 6: He possesses great leg strength which gives him explosive acceleration. When he kicks off the ground, he creates dust clouds that cover his side of the court completely and impair the opponent's vision.

Power - 6: His power is already above average, but becomes deceptively high when the opponent is late to react to the ball.

Stamina - 6: Increasing his stamina to be able to keep playing on a high level even at the end of the match was one of his top priorities. Because of this, he always has plenty of energy to spare.

Mental - 4: Even though he had the intention to put his life on the line, his mental fortitude was not great enough to follow through with that resolution.

Technique - 4: He has the ability to hit 10 balls at once. However, he relies too much on concealing the course of his shots, so once the opponent is able to see through his tricks, his lack of control becomes evident.

Kurobe's Memo:
He rose through the ranks steadily and still had potential, however, his inability to break into the top 3 must have left him in despair and ultimately lead to him abandoning his honest training in favor of imitating others. Had he continued, he probably would have become a valuable asset even on the world stage.


Side Image 1: Kiritani stepping on the court against Ryoga. "Leave it to me, I'll beat him even if it kills me."
Side Image Text 1: Despite his posturing, he was unable to stand up to true strength.

Spoiler: Kiritani - League

Motoshi Kiritani (26, SB: 3, HP: 12, AR, R)
[SPE: 6, POW: 6, STA: 6, MEN: 4, TEC: 4)

-Fake Deity [Auto]:
If every opponent's Mental is less than 7, stats return as 7 when checked.

-Illusory Smoke [Auto]:
If an opponent's Mental is 5 or less, that opponent's Speed decreases by 2.

-10 Ball Strike [Special - Lv 4]:
Activation: Only activates in Singles.
Data: Speed increases by 3, Technique increases by 3.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's Speed is less than 4, their Mental is less than 4 or their Technique is less than 4. If ACE, all opponents' HP decreases by the difference between 10 and that opponent's combined Speed and Mental.

Spoiler: Reasoning

So where to start - first of all, the kanji for Kiritani's name are "mist/fog" and "valley", so I tried googling for possible interpretations of those and didn't come up with a whole lot. Because of that I looked at Oni and Kaji next because Kaji retiring after the match with Oni is similar to Kiritani (presumably) retiring after the match with Ryoga.

I noticed that as far as stats are concerned, Kaji's strong and weak stats are directly opposite of Oni's; Kaji excels in speed and technique whereas Oni's best attributes are power, stamina and mental. So the best guess here seems to be that it's similar for Ryoga and Kiritani. The issue here is of course that Ryoga has weak stats even less than Oni does, but my perception is still that his mental and technique stand out among the rest with speed being a maybe. That's how I concluded Kiritani's strong and weak stats.

Furthermore, his total should likely be 26 to complete the trio with Kaji and Ohmagari like Kimijima, Tohno and Ochi all have 25, as well as to have the sequence with Tanegashima and Duke. So taking both of those factors into account, there were the possibilities listed in one of the previous posts (I discarded 5/6/7/4/4 because having someone with 7 stamina in the same total group as Ohmagari felt wrong). I had some arguments for all of them, but ultimately decided to go with 6/6/6/4/4 because of one of the few interpretations I did find for mist: "mist is often the symbol of the indeterminate phase in development when shapes have yet to be defined", and this could be interpreted as Kiritani not having a clearly defined strength unlike the other G10.

Now for the abilities. The mist/fog theme made me think of the smoke that was there during Oni vs Byoudouin and Byoudouin vs Tokugawa. The problem here was that I think the smoke represents the life-and-death battles, but with only 4 mental I just couldn't see that in Kiritani's case. So then I figured, why not give him a fake smoke, and that's pretty much how it all came together with him being a bit of a trickster who seems to be on the same level as interdimensional guys, but isn't in actuality. 10 Ball Strike seemed like a nice add-on because Ryoga can hit 15 and it seemed like a nice way to show Kiritani up again.

And finally, Motoshi is from Sai's suggestion, although I'm sure he wasn't serious about it. He said Motoshiban because it translated to "Former No. 4" and Motoshi is an actual name, so there you go.

This turned out kinda long I guess, sorry about that, and thanks for reading if you made it this far.

 

[Ganonslayer101]

I like it. it gives him his own hype while making it clear he ain't top 3 level. Plus I like the idea of him using Interdimensional Tennis to scare his opponents through the fake smoke, I wish PoT had more players who tried to rely on intimidation.

 

[Seakay]

I don't really see the logic in this though, mind elaborating? Honestly one of my main questions is if Shiraishi will actually take off the gauntlet again or if it was just a special occasion to fulfill the promise he made to Yanagi.

The thought was since Shiraishi is used to carrying around the weight of his Golden Gauntlet, he wouldn't be as affected if an opponent tries to slow/wear him down. Just trying to think of something else besides its current stat boost now.

 

[Kaoz]

The thought was since Shiraishi is used to carrying around the weight of his Golden Gauntlet, he wouldn't be as affected if an opponent tries to slow/wear him down. Just trying to think of something else besides its current stat boost now.

Maybe something like SB +1 and adding an ACE effect similar to Kohou's that becomes less effective over time?

 

[Hardy]

I really like Kiritani, I would maybe add another Special not as good as 10 BAO to make him more viable at doubles -maybe a Power move, it would also be cool because it could fit your old theory of No.4 being Duke's pair.

You could also give him a passive related to number 4 being a bad luck number in Japan.

While I'm loving a lot of the concepts and characters you've been dropping lately, I'm not a fan of Amadeus' Charisma. Even though it's a cool idea, I think it could be quite OP if it's used decently.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 13, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 13, 2016 ---

Btw why is 10 BAO's description talking about ¨opponents¨ if it's singles only?

Edit: random offtopic trivia, did you know that the Zero's voice actor in Megaman X6 is the same as Tezuka's?

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 13, 2016 ---

Ok, last spammy post, maybe you could give the guy a stronger Vanish, it would fit the Fog theme.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 13, 2016 ---

The thought was since Shiraishi is used to carrying around the weight of his Golden Gauntlet, he wouldn't be as affected if an opponent tries to slow/wear him down. Just trying to think of something else besides its current stat boost now.

Maybe ¨If opponents' Tec < X, Speed returns at Y¨?

 

[Kaoz]

I really like Kiritani, I would maybe add another Special not as good as 10 BAO to make him more viable at doubles -maybe a Power move, it would also be cool because it could fit your old theory of No.4 being Duke's pair.

Well, like you said, the theory is old and I've revised it since then and honestly, this Kiritani isn't a doubles player in my mind. But well, I'll think about it, maybe a Serve, those tend to be good in doubles as well.

You could also give him a passive related to number 4 being a bad luck number in Japan.

"Your team always serves last"? Or what kind of effect were you thinking of?

While I'm loving a lot of the concepts and characters you've been dropping lately, I'm not a fan of Amadeus' Charisma. Even though it's a cool idea, I think it could be quite OP if it's used decently.

You're probably right, if you do it for 3+4 for instance it's definitely too strong. Maybe it could be restricted to 2nd and 3rd pick - realistically Amadeus should be picked as one of the first four characters, so at most you'd be skipping 6 picks like that. Still strong of course, but not as overpowered as letting you potentially skip 14.

Btw why is 10 BAO's description talking about ¨opponents¨ if it's singles only?

Because I'm trying (keyword: trying) to standardize descriptions to make them less confusing.

Edit: random offtopic trivia, did you know that the Zero's voice actor in Megaman X6 is the same as Tezuka's?

I did not.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 15, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 13, 2016 ---

So here's something for Shiraishi:

Spoiler: Shiraishi

Kuranosuke Shiraishi [22.5, SB: 2, HP: 9, AR, L]
(SPE: 4.5, POW: 4.5, STA: 4.5, MEN: 4.5, TEC: 4.5)

-Bible of Naniwa [Auto]:
After an opponent uses a Serve/Special with Lv <= 5, that Serve/Special's Lv permanently decreases by 1. Opponent's Serves/Specials with Lv <= 3 are negated.

-Golden Gauntlet [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. When serving, Speed increases by 1 and ACE if any opponent's combined Speed and Mental is less than 8 or, if any opponent's Mental is 5 or higher, [8 - number of times served].

-Stamina Management [Auto]:
Stamina decreases at 50%. If Stamina were to decrease to 0, it decreases to 1 instead.

-Praising [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. Only activates in doubles. Support Lv increases by 1 (max. 3). During the 2nd, 4th and 6th point, partner's Mental permanently increases by 1.

-Roundhouse Shot [Special - Lv 3]:
Activation: Can only be activated when serving or partner is serving.
Data: Power increases by 3, Technique increases by 1.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's combined Mental and Technique is less than 10.

As you can see, his abilities are almost all a bit different. Altered Bible the way Philia suggested and kept Golden Gauntlet somewhat similar, however, removed the stamina bit and instead made a separate Auto for that. Also, altered Praising a bit since it was a little overpowered last season in my eyes.

Also, here's an adjusted Charisma for Amadeus. @Hardy what do you think?

-Charisma of the Swiss [Coach]:
Cannot be copied. During the drafting phase, pick the 2nd and 3rd character together during the 2nd round and skip the 3rd round of drafting.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 15, 2016 ---

Tried to rework QP a bit:

Spoiler: QP

Q.P. [30, SB: 3, HP: 12, AR, L]
(SPE: 6, POW: 6, STA: 6, MEN: 6, TEC: 6)

-Research [Coach]:
When in reserve, all opponent's Serves/Specials with Lv <= 3 are negated.

-Masterpiece [Auto]:
Opponent's Serves/Specials with Lv <= 5 are negated. If an opponent activates a Special with Lv >= 6 for the second time or more, Speed increases by 1, Mental increases by 1 and Technique increases by 1.

-Quality of Perfection [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. At the end of the Extra step, ACE if every opponent's combined Speed and Mental or combined Power and Technique is less than 12.

To explain, I was trying to think about what a theoretical, "perfect" tennis player would be like and actually had a really hard time finding anything usable, but eventually I came across a book written by some not-so-well-known former coach who described one part of a perfect tennis player as picking the shot with the highest chance of success in every situation (which is at least something to work with even if you may disagree).

The idea is that you hit cross-court on fast balls and down-the-line on slow balls because you're more likely to swing late on the former and early on the latter, making the ball go into the middle instead of out of bounds in case you miss the timing. Also, from the little we've seen of QP in the Pre-WC, there seems to be some focus on his eyes (check the final shot on match point), which I've interpreted as him not missing an opportunity to score and you can also see how he observes Atobe's movements and then hits into the opposite direction.

So overall I'm currently imagining QP as a player who will keep a rally going for a long time until either the opponent makes a mistake or an opening presents itself, even if it's just a small one. Unfortunately that doesn't translate particularly well into abilities, but it's supposed to be expressed with the ACE effect basically, so I hope it makes some sense.

For the Coach, I'm not sure if it should negate moves up to Lv 3 or Lv 4, thoughts on that, anyone?

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 16, 2016 ---

Spoiler: Siegfried

Emil Siegfried [22, SB: 2, HP: 10, AB, R]
(SPE: 3, POW: 5, STA: 5, MEN: 4, TEC: 5)

-Rivalry [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. Only activates with Tezuka on the same team. After Tezuka wins a match, one stat permanently increases by 1 for the rest of the season (max. 25 total). Stats increase in the order Speed, Mental, Technique.

-Habit Exploitation [Auto]:
Only activates if Stamina is greater than 0. Whenever an opponent activates a Serve/Special with Lv <= 5 for the second time or more, that Serve/Special is negated. If a Serve/Special is negated this way, Stamina decreases by 1.

Updated Siegfried with info from last chapter.

 

[Philia]

Quality of Perfection[Auto] looks very powerful. The Ace effect can be weaken a bit, I guess? Other than that, I like QP this way compared to last season. Shiraishi looks good too. Maybe, he should also get the beast tamer auto? He can control Akaya & Kin-chan.

Also, I was thinking about Valentine and Obandu. While they were strong, they could've been easily KO'ed.

 

[Kaoz]

Quality of Perfection[Auto] looks very powerful. The Ace effect can be weaken a bit, I guess?

I guess it looks strong at first glance, but it doesn't actually work against the top players:

Spoiler

Volk
Bäcker
Amadeus
Camus
Medanore when using Dune Whip or after Recovery
Rhinehart
Byoudouin when using Pirate
Oni when using Demon
Tokugawa when using Asura
Tanegashima when using Void
Possibly Irie
Possibly Duke
Kiritani

Irie and Duke I can't say yet because I haven't reworked them yet.

Shiraishi looks good too. Maybe, he should also get the beast tamer auto? He can control Akaya & Kin-chan.

It's effectively already built into Praising actually. Since Praising ensure he can never have a Lv 0 Support with anyone during a match, Autos like Doubles Loser won't activate either.

Also, I was thinking about Valentine and Obandu. While they were strong, they could've been easily KO'ed.

What do you mean? If you recall, I actually used Oni against them in the first round last time and if memory serves they weren't close to being KO'd there.

 

[Seakay]

Shiraishi received quite the overhaul here. This does raise a related question though. Let's say a pair with a base Support Level of 2 have it raised to 3 (maybe through Praising or Rhinehart's Creating Bonds), will it then count towards the matches needed to get Synchro? Or would the pair need a base Support Level of 3 first beforehand?

I think Q.P's Research should be Lv <= 3. That's already quite good: however, negating all L <= 4 serves/specials in every match seems too good.

 

[Kaoz]

Shiraishi received quite the overhaul here. This does raise a related question though. Let's say a pair with a base Support Level of 2 have it raised to 3 (maybe through Praising or Rhinehart's Creating Bonds), will it then count towards the matches needed to get Synchro? Or would the pair need a base Support Level of 3 first beforehand?

This is a good question, but no, the boost would only be temporary and not affect how many matches the pair needs to achieve Synchro. That said, Rhinehart's Coach still shortens the time needed.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 17, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 17, 2016 ---

Spoiler: Tezuka

Kunimitsu Tezuka [25.5, SB: 2, HP: 9, AR, L]
(SPE: 5, POW: 4.5, STA: 4.5, MEN: 5, TEC: 6.5)

-Blossoming [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. After playing against two of Amadeus, Bäcker, Camus, Pro D, Medanore, Volk, base stats become [28, SB: 2, HP: 10, AR, L] (SPE: 5, POW: 5, STA: 5, MEN: 6, TEC: 7) for the rest of the season.

-Coping with Pressure [Auto]:
If Mental is lower than base Mental, Mental permanently increases by 0.5.

-Exerting Pressure [Auto]:
After successfully activating an ACE effect on the 1st point, every opponent's Stamina decreases by 1.

-Tezuka's Brilliant Zone [Special - Lv 6]:
Activation: In doubles, only activates if Support Lv is 3.
Data: Mental increases by 2, Technique increases by 3.
Extra: Every opponent's Technique is halved. ACE if Mental exceeds every opponent's combined Mental and Technique or Technique exceeds every opponent's combined Power and Technique.

-Tezuka's Mastered Phantom [Special - Lv 6]:
Data: Power increases by 2, Technique increases by 6. If Power exceeds an opponent's Power and that opponent's Power or Technique increases through a Serve/Special with Lv <= 5, Power/Technique increases by double that increase.
Extra: Every opponent's Technique is doubled. ACE if Technique exceeds every opponent's Technique.

-Perfect Zero Rebound Drop Shot [Special - Lv 6]:
Activation: After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1.
Data: Speed increases by 2, Power increases by 2, Technique increases by 4. SB increases by 1.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's combined Speed, Power and Technique is less than 18.

So to start off with the things that stayed the same, he basically kept everything he had last season. I slowed down the recovery process from mental damage a bit because it felt better to me, but that's about it. As you can see, I've added a new Auto that basically reduces the amounts of Specials the opponent can activate by one if Tezuka gets an ACE on the first point. I think this is an interesting dynamic because on the one hand it gives you an incentive to use a Special right away, but the opponent also knows this, so you can fake them out.

Also, I decreased his base total by 0.5 and redistributed the stats a bit. The logic for the former is that Volk said he isn't a pro level yet which I've arbitrarily defined as 30 and 25.5+4 from TnK is 29.5. You could certainly make an argument for pro level to be 31 or something, but even then I don't think Tezuka is stronger than QP yet. For the stat distribution, I've attempted to analyze his development so far:
3/3.5/3/4.5/5 (Pre Team Shuffle)
+0/+0/+0/+0.5+0 (Yamato's Message)
3/3.5/3/5/5 (Post Team Shuffle)
+1.5/+0.5+1/+0/+1 (Volk's Training)
4.5/4/4/5/6 (G10 Challenge)
+0.75/+0.25/+0.5/+0/+0.5 (Volk's Training Continued)
5/4.5/4.5/5/6.5 (Pre-WC)

0.25 intervals aren't a thing, so I decided to round up in one case and down in the other. Finally, added an ability to represent what Volk said last chapter about him realizing his potential after playing a couple pros. I hope all of this has still been semi-coherent.

 

[Philia]

I guess it looks strong at first glance, but it doesn't actually work against the top players:

Spoiler

Volk
Bäcker
Amadeus
Camus
Medanore when using Dune Whip or after Recovery
Rhinehart
Byoudouin when using Pirate
Oni when using Demon
Tokugawa when using Asura
Tanegashima when using Void
Possibly Irie
Possibly Duke
Kiritani

Irie and Duke I can't say yet because I haven't reworked them yet.

But works against the likes of Tezuka, Yukimura, Ryoma. This can be OP in doubles. QP with someone weak can defeat a strong pair, like Valentine/Obandu.

What do you mean? If you recall, I actually used Oni against them in the first round last time and if memory serves they weren't close to being KO'd there.

That's because you did not use Spirit Demon back than. If you look back, you can see Spirit Samurai KO'd them easily in the semis. Obaandu looked strong enough to hold on his own against Ryoma. So, I guess he shouldn't be KO'd easily. Don't know about Valentine though.

 

[Kaoz]

But works against the likes of Tezuka, Yukimura, Ryoma. This can be OP in doubles. QP with someone weak can defeat a strong pair, like Valentine/Obandu.

It doesn't work on Tezuka if you use either Zone or TnK. It won't work on Ryoma (5/4/4/6/6) if you use Samurai or TnK. It probably won't work on Obando at all, not sure for Balentien yet. Yukimura, also not sure yet. It's possible that it'll work on two or three controversial characters in the end, but I think if it's weaker it'll start not working on certain characters anymore and then that will be controversial.

That's because you did not use Spirit Demon back than. If you look back, you can see Spirit Samurai KO'd them easily in the semis.

You're right. I was already planning on shifting their stats around, so that shouldn't be an issue anymore.

--- Double Post Merged, Mar 26, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 19, 2016 ---

Proposal for Irie based on the stuff I recently posted about him. Should we use a version along these lines or wait with changing him until he has a serious match?

Spoiler: Irie

Kanata Irie [22, SB: 0, HP: 3, AR, L]
(SPE: 6, POW: 1, STA: 2, MEN: 7, TEC: 6)

-Understanding [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. Whenever opponent's Mental increases by 2 or less, Mental permanently increases by 1 (max. 9 total).

-Scripted Battle [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. Mental cannot decrease. While Mental is equal to or exceeds all opponents' Mental, Stamina and HP cannot decrease and Stamina does not count towards either character's Total.

-Spirit Tengu [Special - Lv 6]:
Activation: Cannot be copied.
Data: At the end of the Data step, Power increases by opponent's Power (Doubles: opponent with higher Power).
Extra: ACE if every opponent's Mental is less than 7. If ACE, all opponents' HP decreases by the increase in Power.

I'm not 100% satisfied with this one yet since the other Spirit moves have the Speed boost, but giving it to Irie would make him overpowered. Maybe there's a compromise solution to that.

Also decided to adjust a bunch of base stats:

Speed / Power / Stamina / Mental / Technique
Volk 7/5/6/8/6 (32)
Bäcker 8/7/5/6/5 (31)
Pro D 5/8/6/6/5 (30)
Q.P. 6/5.5/4.5/7/6 (29)

Camus 8/6/5/6/7 (32)
Amadeus 7/5/5/6/8 (31)
Medanore 6/5/8/6/5 (30)
Rhinehart 5/5/5/8/7 (30)

--- Double Post Merged, May 5, 2016 ---

Didn't really have time to work on this lately, but should be able to again soon. I had the idea to introduce a new keyword next season: FORCED LOB (or maybe a shorter version of that). As the name suggests, the idea is that moves with this keyword either force the opponent to hit a lob or get better when used against lobs.

I'd also be open to other keywords along those lines if anyone has any ideas, although I'd like them to affect multiple moves in different ways so that they can be used for doubles combinations.

--- Double Post Merged, May 8, 2016 ---

An example for the FORCED LOB mechanic alongside some other changes for Ochi:

Tsukimitsu Ochi [25, SB: 2, HP: 8, CP, R]
(SPE: 6, POW: 4, STA: 4, MEN: 7, TEC: 4)

-Ultra-Technician [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. SB increases by 1. When serving, ACE if any opponent's combined Speed and Mental is less than 8.

-Mental Assassin [Auto]:
Cannot be copied. Mental cannot decrease. During decisive points, if an opponent's Mental is less than 6, that opponent's Technique decreases by the difference, and that opponent's Serves/Specials with Lv >= their Technique are negated.

-Mach Smash [Counter]:
Requires Ultra-Technician. Triggers whenever partner successfully activates a FORCED LOB effect. Only activates if Stamina is 1 or higher. Speed increases by 1, Power increases by 3, Technique increases by 3. ACE if every opponent's combined Speed and Mental is less than 11. After activation, Stamina decreases by 1.

-Mach [Serve - Lv 6]:
Activation: Requires Ultra-Technician. FORCED LOB if any opponent's combined Speed and Mental is less than 14.
Data: Speed increases by 1, Power increases by 3, Technique increases by 3.
Extra: ACE if any opponent’s combined Speed and Mental is less than 11.

I guess (high level) Serves in general could trigger FORCED LOBs, kinda makes sense in those cases.

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 16, 2016 ---

Edit: on that topic, if you came up with anything new you should update that thread a bit. Maybe a sort of buff for Tohno that won't make him a Kamikaze in the Fan league -as it used to be kind of common to be affraid of using him and pray for him not to injure himself- a skill that would let him go on even when injured would fit what we saw in the last chapters. For Kirihara on the other hand I have no idea what you could change.

I'm answering this over here, but I haven't been working much on the league recently, spent my time on something else I'll be posting --soon-- (before the end of the month). Though I guess the previous post was in direct response to the D2 match, so not as outdated as it could be I suppose.

In any case, for Tohno I'll definitely want to make some modifications after the recent match. His knee doesn't seem to be quite as bad anymore and given the flashback with Tanegashima the Pride feat could probably stand to boost by more than 1 point as well. I can probably drop a concept for him soon.

For Akaya it'll be a stat increase, nothing too fancy. I'd put his Devil form at something like 5/5/3/5/2 now I think.

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 16, 2016 ---

Well, here's a draft at least:

Spoiler: Tohno

Atsukyou Tohno [25, SB: 2, HP: 9, AB, R]
(SPE: 5, POW: 5, STA: 4, MEN: 4, TEC: 7)

-Pride [Feat]:
After losing two consecutive points, Mental permanently increases by 2.

-Friendly Fire [Feat]:
Activates only during the 1st point. Activate partner's Feats and Counters with "Activates/Triggers after losing a point." Partner's HP decreases by 1.

-Stealth Execution [Feat]:
At the end of a point, if an opponent's Mental is less than 3, they gain 1 Execution Counter. After an opponent has gained 3 Execution Counters, their total and SB permanently become 0.

-Persistence [Counter]:
Triggers whenever HP would become 0 if Stamina is higher than 0. HP becomes 1 instead and Stamina decreases by 1.

-Execution [Special - Lv 5]:
Activation: When activated consecutively, if an opponent's Mental and Technique exceed 5, HP decreases by that opponent's Power (Doubles: opponent with higher Power).
Data: Power increases by 2, Technique increases by 5.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's combined Speed and Mental is less than 12. If ACE, opponent's HP decreases by the difference between 5 and their Power and they gain 1 Execution Counter. After an opponent has gained 3 Execution Counters, their total and SB permanently become 0.

--- Double Post Merged, Aug 18, 2016 ---

Spoiler: Kaji

Kazena Kaji [26, SB: 2, HP: 9, SV, R]
(SPE: 7, POW: 5, STA: 5, MEN: 4, TEC: 5)

-God of Storms [Feat]:
Cannot be copied. Negated if partner's Mental is 5 or higher and Support Lv exceeds 0. Must activate Hurricane Wall or Aero Vortex (overrides other Formations).

-Hurricane Wall [Formation]:
Can be activated in singles. All Specials with Lv <= 5 are negated.

-Aero Vortex [Formation]:
Can be activated in singles. If an opponent's Speed less than 5 and their Mental is less than 5, that opponent's Speed, Power, Mental, Technique decrease by 1. Must activate a Special during every point. Stamina decreases at 200% through Specials.

-Anabatic Blow [Special - Lv 5]:
Activation: After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1.
Data: Speed increases by 3, Mental increases by 2, Technique increases by 2.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's combined Speed and Mental is less than 10.

-Crosswind [Special - Lv 5]:
Activation: After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1.
Data: Speed increases by 3, Technique increases by 4.
Extra: ACE if every opponent's combined Speed and Technique is less than 11. If ACE, every opponent's Mental decreases by 1.

-Air Bullet [Special - Lv 5]:
Activation: After activation, Stamina decreases by 0.5 instead of 1.
Data: Speed increases by 2, Power increases by 3, Technique increases by 3.
Extra: ACE if any opponent's combined Speed and Power is less than 11. If ACE for the second consecutive time or more, every opponent's Mental permanently decreases by 1.

I know you have at least one question about this one, so shoot.