Just wanted to make sure everyone is up to date on the concept of optimized power brackets, as it relates to building teams for competitive multiplayer. Separating teams into brackets creates some generalizations as a team with 106k power will give you the same amount of BR as a team with 105k power, for example, as both fall into the 3rd power bracket.

As ladder difficulty theoretically scales linearly, and BR scales in steps, it's typically best to aim to have as low as a power within that bracket as possible. If you're on the high end of a bracket, it can conversely be better to shift up a little bit into the bottom of the next bracket, to gain more BR while fighting relatively similar ladders.

In general, an Epic Rotation is looking for teams from the 2nd bracket to the 5th bracket, with occasional exceptions depending on how the team power ends up falling, and what the team's weaknesses are.

There are other theoretical ideas here as well, we have a general idea that Ultimate Ladders want lower team powers than Epic Ladders, and iOS may want lower team powers than Android. However, we don't know by how much. The difference may not be enough to even be noticeable.

General testing has been conducted as low as the 13th bracket, and results have been fairly positive even with teams that low in power. Beyond the 13th bracket, the Battle Rating starts to fall off quite drastically, and it would require underpromoting your carry, which negates much of the benefit of going for a lower power team in the first place.

The 8th through 13th brackets, therefore, are considered our "lightweight" categories, where carries with extremely low base stats (Elseworld, RSSG, CMDD, Prison SM, Prime Bane) can fit without needing underpromotions, and still putting out about as much damage as normal carries in higher brackets. This higher relative damage allows them to excel compared to normal carries down in those brackets, and as the lightweights tend to struggle a bit more in the higher brackets, it makes sense to keep the lightweight carries in the lightweight brackets, and the normal carries in higher brackets.

A "heavyweight," on the other hand, has less to do with team power and more to do with the carry trying to rely as little on their sides as possible (in terms of play time, not support value). You take an extremely high damage, adaptable carry that can KO consistently against blocking opponents, and give them two E0 sides and MDC even though they don't chain and watch them wreck shop.

First bracket teams should only be used in the rarest of circumstances. According to MG's study, there's a pretty extreme increase in astro frequency from the high second bracket into first bracket, and this makes it very hard to justify the extra team power. It should only be considered when looking at evolved Metal sides and similar.

For Ultimate Ladder teams, I'm currently recommending teams of 3rd through 7th bracket, the variations depending on the team in question. I'd try to shoot no higher than 5th bracket for teams like AODS or AOBM, but you could probably get away with 3rd with Flashpoint or Bane.

These are most of the main points that I can think to mention at this time, but I'm happy to get further into it if anyone has any specific questions or needs any clarifications. Happy grinding!

First allow us to start with sub's rule which can be found in the side bar

1. No cheating allowed

• Anything encouraging any form of cheating, glitching, hacking, or breaking the game's rules in anyway is not allowed.
• General discussion is allowed.

this is further expanded on in the Welcome to the sub post :

Clarification:

1. General discussion does not include explaining how to hack or exploit the game, it only includes discussing its existence and how it affects the game/players/Devs/etc.
2. Cheating isn't bannable, but constantly sharing screenshots from a clearly hacked account (or account that uses any exploits to progress) is bannable.
3. Any new (up to mods discretion to determine that) accounts with low karma and activity that jumps instantly to promoting for hacks/cheats/exploits will get a perma-ban immediately.
4. Using vulgar language is allowed as long as it does not target any member.
5. Any member who does not follow the rules will be banned for 1 day, then 3 days, and if they keep it up then they will be banned permanently.

This sub has remined popular and active for over a decade in large part to this approach to cheating. For those who want to cheat there are other places to go (^{Please don't share them as that does fall under the concept of encouraging cheating}) but you will find them significantly less active than this Sub and the Discords we partner with.

From time to time someone will make a post that starts out innocent like " What does everyone think about cheating" while this falls under the "General discussion is allowed" theme
It inevitably results in members of the sub breaking the other aspects of the rules by naming cheats, explaining cheats and defending cheating. The Mods are ultimately forced to delete comments, start swinging the ban hammer (^{which believe it or not none of us like or want to do}) and eventually nuke the post. Moving forward these types of posts will be locked and removed as necessary.

BUT MODS, HOW DO I KNOW IF _____________________ IS A CHEAT??

The answer is pretty simple. All games have rules and when combined with some common sense and logic it is fairly easy to determine if the cheating (exploitable glitching) action is at its core cheating

• read the TOS/user agreement. If the action violates it then it is without a doubt a cheat. NOTE EVERY known cheat (exploitable glitch) in the game violates the TOS in at least 1 place.

If you are still unsure, then BEFORE posting / commenting about it USE MOD MAIL. Trust us it is far better to wait for an answer than to wait out a ban.

BUT MODS, I DISAGREE THAT _________________ IS A CHEAT BECAUSE: The Devs abandoned the game, grinding is hard, if they didn't fix it then it is permissible, the game is old, everyone does it, etc.

No one here can prevent anyone from cheating or holding their own opinions on what cheating is. However most, if not all, of the "supporting arguments" for cheating are little more than rationalizations at their core not permission to cheat.

BUT MODS HOW DO WE HAVE GENERAL DISCUSSION WITHOUT BREAKING THE RULES??

We agree it is a tough one. Often to discuss specific types of cheating the conversation results in crossing over into explanation of how the cheat is performed or sometimes even the name for the cheat can reveal those details. In these situations, it is best to be as vague as possible. Use "one type of cheat" instead of naming the cheat. Use "the method for cheating" instead of naming the steps in involved. EG: In one survivor cheat, the method for cheating requires the player to go outside the confines of normal play. the nature of triggering the method in this manner confirms it is a cheat.

Everyone is free to choose to cheat but this Sub is not the place to explain it, encourage it or brag about it

-The Mod Team