Get Rid of Elite Edges/Wheels in EASHL

XFactors are whats ruining this game. 

At the end of the day, I agree we should be pushing changes to make the game better and create variety in the community. However, that doesn't change how the game currently plays and we have to either adapt to the game as it is while still voicing our opinions for change, in order to secure wins at a better rate. Doing the same thing over and over while no change is happening is just gonna frustrate both you and your teammates that you play with. Once changes are announced then we can start to adapt to the new changes. If more people played this conservative style of defense as described above, you will secure more wins (who doesn't like wins?) AND voice to EA that were forced to play this style and don't enjoy it, we can have our cake and eat it too. Win the game and hopefully induce the changes we wish to see in the future.

You're right defense is inherently boring for someone who enjoys seeing multiple goals, celebrations, flashy dekes and flashing lights. Both defense and goalie have to be motivated by something else. I can only speak for myself, and it might come across a bit sadistic in that I find enjoyment frustrating other teams. Crying about not getting a breakaway all game, I like that. Crying about not being able to cheese cross crease passes through 3 guys? I like that. Crying about getting stonewalled by a goalie on 1T after 1T, I like that. So for me, a 0-0 on the score sheet means nothing as long as we get the W. I know that my opinion is not common with that of the majority of the community and I can respect that. However, it doesn't make the approach or strategy less effective. 

MostlyHubris wrote:

especially given that forcing them outside isn't even that much of an advantage given how terrible goalies are at holding the post. 

AI goalies still need work as does everything in the game as we continue to grow as a community. I as well think AI goalies need to hold the post better, however I also think as a defense we need to protect straight lines to the net. AI goalies have cross crease reactions that I could only dream of, so I assume their fault on the near side is to balance this, even if unintentional.

MostlyHubris wrote:

The whole driving point for X-Factors is that they promote variance and make builds feel different and special. If every forward is using the same ones, and thus forcing the defense to use all the same ones, there's nothing dynamic about it and they might as well not be in the game to begin with. 

I agree with this statement whole heartedly. With every action there is a equal and opposite reaction. Every forward is using the same build right now because it works against the defensive strategies that we currently have. We both want variety, but were both looking to get it different ways:

You would like EA to make changes to make these builds less relevant. (And I don't disagree.) Where we differ is that while these builds are the meta, they are only the meta because they work. If people started playing a more conservative defense like were talking about, these builds would not be as effective and you are going to see forwards change and adapt, different builds would be used because you cant just skate past everyone anymore. We have just as much control over the meta as EA does in this particular instance.

Respectfully, I ******* love you and how you approach the game. You can tell you watch and or play real hockey. Your thoughts are almost identical to those of my own. Secure the W. Play for the W, not for the score sheet. The game would be incredible if more people thought like you do.

MostlyHubris wrote:

I'd still like the game to be tuned so that multiple avenues are equally effective and represented, so the experience stays fresh, yeah? 

Exactly. 100%. 

Your job in the defensive zone is to stay between the forward and the net, for sure. Your job in the offensive zone is to hold the puck in the zone, contribute to the cycle, etc. It's no fun to play half the game because three forwards are sharking around waiting to go on a 3 man fast break and the only way you can prepare is to stay a whole zone ahead. It's like when people used to complain about the toe drag wrister and people would say "just defend it". Yeah, it's doable. I'd still like the game to be tuned so that multiple avenues are equally effective and represented, so the experience stays fresh, yeah? 

But that's just it... your job is not to contribute offensively for the most part. Your main job is to stop them from putting the puck in your net. If you want to play that game instead and get super offensive, then expect to give up breakaways and that is not the games fault for giving them wheels. That is instead, your fault for not wanting to play defensive.

Its just like in League games when I see a game is tied up with seconds left because the leading team had an odd man rush and they go for the shot only to have it hit off the post. The trailing team then picked up the puck and went back the other way catching the defense off guard and tying up the game.  So many people would blame the game saying they got "EA'd" by them hitting the post when the real question should have been why the heck did the forward not just take it to the corner and secure the win?

It's simple, people only think in terms of offense and that's why games are tailored to that. If you want that mindset, then by all means have at it and win games 8-6. But don't blame the game or the perk for every time you are getting beat because you wanted to be "in the play" on offense. That is not your job. Plain and simple. 

I see danger and i start hustling back and then turn around once i have a good gap with the skater... they can wheels all the want down the boards, doesn't make them any more of a threat to my goalie or the play. Its all about just being able to react quickly to a bad pass that is like to get picked off. The problem is people decide they want to attack at the boards when the person has wheels and so they get easily beat.

As the defender I just have to go straight back and guard the inside slot. I only skate 50 ft for example. The Wheels skater with the puck has to go down the boards 50 ft to get to the goal line but then another 10-20 to get in tight to where the net is. So that wheels skater in order to beat me has to go 15-20% further than me to try and beat me to the outside. What people do is they attack early needlessly trying to get a quick counter attack, thereby NOT respecting wheels. This allows the skater to just cut in and now they only have to go the same distance as you and in THAT scenario then yeah you are "beat by wheels"...

Totally agree. I don't think they need to be unbeatable, but you can absolutely score at will on the breakaway right now. Don't even have to deke. You can just skate toward the corner of the net and shoot when you're on the goal line with a 100% success rate once you get the timing down. 

I still think part of the solution is to make CPU goalies much better on breakaways.  Just to be clear, I don't mean to make them super human and stop everything.  But if they came up with X% more breakaway stops, the value of just putting everything into speed and blowing by the defense drops.  You'd see guys exploring other perks.  Or if they really still want to be a speedster, they could start using it to establish the zone and setup plays where other builds (like one based around shooting, or dangling) could come in to play.