Yeah, I've thought about this topic a lot as well. There's a reason why the majority of competitive 6s/3s players are running some variation of a 5'7 or 6'0 skater, depending on whether they're using sniper/playmaker/dangler or puck-moving defenseman, at around 160 lbs with gold elite edges. It's simply the best build in the game and completely outclasses the other builds.
There are times in the game where if you go into a 6s/3s lobby with a build that isn't as I described previously, you'll straight up get kicked from the lobby. It's to the point where if I want to play a larger, more defense oriented build on defense, I gotta equip my pmd speed build before entering the lobby, then change my loadout once we've matched up with another team (can't be kicked at that point).
But, honestly, that doesn't happen too often because I pretty much never use any build that isn't a smaller, speedy, agile build. In my experience, you can't afford to use a bigger defensive build because you can't afford to lose the track meet against the forwards who are all at 94-95 speed and super agile.
@SummerOfDekes wrote: if you go into a 6s/3s lobby with a build that isn't as I described previously, you'll straight up get kicked from the lobby
How?
I'm talking about clubs, not drop-ins. In clubs, the room leader can kick players.
@SummerOfDekes wrote:I'm talking about clubs, not drop-ins. In clubs, the room leader can kick players.
Why would your own club member kick you out for not having the right build?
While I agree there are obvious choices for builds (like, not even close), I don't think it's a problem of speed, but more with how the AI works.
Sure, humans have gotten a few gameplay tweaks here and there, but it's been over decade and the AI has had nothing done to it to compensate/balance the books. Defenders are slow as all hell and the goalies are absolutely atrocious so you don't even need to level up your shot. Like, jeez, a DD plug build can easily score so yeah, might as well stat pump into speed.
I highly recommend you join a club of friends who allow any playstyle and not some bunch of scrubs who would actually kick you for not playing the meta (which by the way, the specific ones mentioned here have an easy hard-counter)
