Snowball Fights: A Good First Day

Going to call it 45 victories today. I figure I need to average 25 a day for the next 10 days if I want to reach my goal of the next Gamer rank. So that actually puts me a bit ahead of pace. I'm now at 5.05k gamer points which means only 195 wins to go. Also earned about 135 candy shards that I have absolutely no idea what to do with. They've now joined the three and a half stacks I had left over from last year to clog up inventory space but at least they give me a good way of counting how many wins I've had. And I picked up enough faction to buy 5 Zaishen keys to go along with the one I bought for some faction I'd been leaving around for emergencies - at this point, I'm not exactly sure what those emergencies could possibly be but I always feel a bit weird completely emptying my faction, need to have that little reserve left in order to feel good about myself.

Considering I haven't PvPed in months now, I'm relatively pleased with how I've been playing. Definitely winning more than I'm losing although I only had the one win streak push past 20. More importantly, a lot of the little tricks I picked up last year like putting up an Ice Fort just before a Hidden Rock lands when I'm holding the present so I don't lose it or pysching out Mesmers with the cancel dance I'm managing not just to remember but to put to good use. Still making a lot of boneheaded plays but my starting point is a lot better than it was last year. I'm feeling much more comfortable and it's only a matter of time before I shake the rust off.

Pleased to report, by the way, that the hordes of leavers and leechers that so plagued last years event seem to be largely missing. A couple leavers have spoiled matches fo me but only because of a non-load and someone not wanting to fight an uphill battle or a late attempt to map out of a run because of pressing engagements elsewhere, like on your mattress and those are perfectly understandable as far as I'm concerned. I noticed the same thing in the Costume Brawl so it seems like the anti-leaving measures that have been put in place are actually working. It's early yet and we'll have to see how things go but so far so good. Haven't seen many sync teams around, though, although there was one memorable squad with a couple of obs mode All-Stars running a 3xMonks and a Warrior build that just crushed me. Otherwise, if they were syncing, I just didn't notice. And if there are any differences between this year's battle and the last, I haven't noticed them.

Anyhow, off to pick up my brother at the airport. More to come, eventually.