Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

[A6_Foul_Out]

• Despite the fact that it is June, we still get bronze cards as players. If you want to remotely have fun in the mode, you take your best player and reset X times until you don't get a player with all F ratings.
  
  
• The game uses the obviously 'flawed' 1's and 2's system from 2K15's park mode. Making scoring inside obsolete if you want to be competitive.
  
  
• The inability to set defensive match-ups or settings.

• The fact that every one of my players crashes the basket on the fast break.

"Oh. I'm guarding Steph Curry! well I'll help off the Noah drive and leave him. That will be okay."


"Curry! Fastbreak! Run to the corner? no, basket? Okay."

"Bogues, run to the corner? basket? okay."

• The fact that the most common occurrence is Steph Curry (or other related 90+ 3pt shooting player) chucking with no regard for anything related to basketball. Or Lebron/Westbrook Turbo.

• The inability for the computer defensive player to recognize their assignment if they haven't crossed half-court.

• If you have a player that cannot shoot, you're simply handing your opponent the win because they will simply camp in the paint.

Am I missing anything about this mode? It appears to cater to children with parent's credit cards.

[Vroman]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

I did it for amethyst Clyde Drexler which i really like and it was worth the pain playing this mode. I've beat bad odds with getting terrible players vs opponent amethyst/diamond pulls there , but if you massively mismatched and opponent is decent there is not much you can do.

Also rewards are great in gold board (much better than playing RTTP game) with expensive badges and gold shoe pulls.

[VegetableLasagna]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

I hated gauntlet. Only played like 15 total games .turbo fest and felt so sluggish

[NoLeafClover]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

If they gave gauntlet-style rewards for the 5v5 game modes, pretty much no one would play it.

[QNo]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

Gauntlet is by far the most casual and gimmicky mode in 2k16. I can't stand it, either.

[synistr]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

I love Gauntlet. I am a fanatic. Someone else mentioned the pros of it before but I will re-iterate some of them.

its the easiest and quickest way to get online match. dont have to worry about 0-0 losses either. you can find a match almost anytime, quickly.

its the best way to try out animations, dribble moves, shot timing.

it can really help you get your on-ball defensive skill up

its the only way I would ever play with some of my favorite players or other interesting ones I am curious about. I am almost at Diamond MJ but I use the same 5-10 cards in each mode except this one.

rewards are valuable for selling or for when you get that spanking new Diamond card, you can have Microwave and Posterizer badges ready for them instead of paying 4-5k a pop.

of course there are many downsides to the mode, like nothing new being added. also when they mess with the shooting. I know exactly when its gonna happen to. they push it through updates. also the matchups arent as good as they were when the game was first released.

its an arcade mode and I was skeptical and waited late to try it because I thought I would hate it, but the pros outweigh the cons for me and I have found its usefulness and enjoy playing with a variety of cards that would normally be rotting away in my collection.

[harryl]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

I've revised my opinion on "momentum," at least when it comes to Gauntlet. I've been playing Gauntlet mostly for the past several months, because it's the only online game I can reliably get (PC, West Coast US). Been playing a lot and, especially the last month or so, most of the competition seem to be relatively new players. So newbie that, even when they seem to have rerolled their way to an OP team and I have a crappy one (i.e. my one very good player plus two scrubs who can't shoot), I know I have a more than decent chance of winning.

I now think, for sure, the game loosens standards on the player who is down big. So if I'm up in a Gauntlet game by, say, a 15-6 margin, I am no longer surprised if they nail contested threes or really deep ones, or threes by really crap shooters. Or if I brick wide open threes with an ace shooter.

Kind of annoying but not a big deal as the "momentum" seems to only allow them to make a couple/few scores and get the game somewhat competitive again but it will not last and, usually, the lucky streak they got just emboldens them to take more dumb shots and I still get the win, so long as I play solidly.

[synistr]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

I've revised my opinion on "momentum," at least when it comes to Gauntlet. I've been playing Gauntlet mostly for the past several months, because it's the only online game I can reliably get (PC, West Coast US). Been playing a lot and, especially the last month or so, most of the competition seem to be relatively new players. So newbie that, even when they seem to have rerolled their way to an OP team and I have a crappy one (i.e. my one very good player plus two scrubs who can't shoot), I know I have a more than decent chance of winning.

I now think, for sure, the game loosens standards on the player who is down big. So if I'm up in a Gauntlet game by, say, a 15-6 margin, I am no longer surprised if they nail contested threes or really deep ones, or threes by really crap shooters. Or if I brick wide open threes with an ace shooter.

Kind of annoying but not a big deal as the "momentum" seems to only allow them to make a couple/few scores and get the game somewhat competitive again but it will not last and, usually, the lucky streak they got just emboldens them to take more dumb shots and I still get the win, so long as I play solidly.

I've pretty much mastered it to this point. (I stopped playing MT about 4 weeks ago) It really just takes getting used to and being efficient. I only shoot wide open 3's from a good kick. If you are up, especially point game, no need to take jumpers, just get in for the easy bucket.

Before I stopped playing.....I would use the post up A LOT. the post game cant be stopped because of the 3 man game and no one to help. I abuse this until they bring help then kick to one of my shooters. No way to defend this. Only saving grace for opponenet would be if I have 3 bad shooters.

[harryl]

Re: Is Gauntlet Really Anything but an Exercise in Aggravation?

I've pretty much mastered it to this point. (I stopped playing MT about 4 weeks ago) It really just takes getting used to and being efficient. I only shoot wide open 3's from a good kick. If you are up, especially point game, no need to take jumpers, just get in for the easy bucket.

Presuming "equal" teams, I think the real differentiator between winning and losing is discipline on the part of the player. If you are ruthless and relentless in running P'n'R and starting over if you don't get what you want, you're going to win.

Because of inability to prevent help defense from the wing defender, and to govern behavior of the screener's defender without manually controlling both, almost no player can prevent a breakdown by one of those defenders multiple times in a row.

I often play way too loosely, especially because one of the things I sort of enjoy in Gauntlet is 1-on-1 ISO play. One of the easiest ways to get buckets in the game is to drive to the hole straightaway, creating a lane with a quick crossover. Especially if the opposing "PG" is defensively poor. And, to me, breaking guys down off the dribble is a lot more fun than running P'n'R.

Before I stopped playing.....I would use the post up A LOT. the post game cant be stopped because of the 3 man game and no one to help. I abuse this until they bring help then kick to one of my shooters. No way to defend this. Only saving grace for opponenet would be if I have 3 bad shooters.

And the latter is the problem, of course...not having good enough 3-point shooters. Even if one has 1 poor distance shooter, the post game can be a little frustrating, since help defense can come off the non-shooter with almost no risk.

I enjoy the post game in Gauntlet, but I try to avoid it unless they have a strong post defender (or I have a poor shooting team), otherwise it just feels too cheesy. It drives me nuts when someone just tries to bully in the post with a big mismatch, for an easy Post Hook.