PVE Bracket Flips: 101
A Beginners Guide to Flip-Chasing, Sniping, and Ultimately to Improving Your Placement Rewards in Marvel Puzzle Quest
Background/Assumptions
Standard Terms/Definitions
Bracket - See previous slide
Prejoin - Selecting your bracket before the event even starts
Flip - When a new bracket opens due to the previous bracket filling up
Flip-Chaser - Someone who waits for a fresh flip before joining but still joins early enough in the event to get full-progression points/rewards.
Sniper - Someone who waits for the latest possible flip to maximize placement rewards with the least amount of play-time as possible.
What is a Bracket Flip? - “THE BIG RACE”
Imagine a race, perhaps a marathon. 1,000 people can be in each group of the race, never more than that. Racers gather at the starting line before the race starts. 480, 600, maybe 730 racers are ready when the race starts. BANG - And They’re Off!
But what about the racers who come later? Joining Seconds, Minutes, or Hours later? They are at a disadvantage because those who lined up early are already headed down the course. Knowing the rules of the event, some WISE racers will simply gather on the sidelines. They opt to skip the first race altogether, waiting instead for the NEXT RACE to begin. UN-INFORMED racers, however, still join the first race. 925, 970, 999 and finally #1,000 joins in. The instant that 1,000th racer joins the first race, then the second race begins. BANG - Now They Are Off!! Those few who waited for the 2nd race are now finally on their way, getting a HUGE headstart over the others who will slowly join throughout the rest of the day.
This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is why we are here. This is what we call Catching The Flip!!
What is a Bracket Flip? - Where Does it Come From?
Players report counts from their bracket using various methods described later in this guide. Since they are already in the event, already committed, they have nothing to lose; so instead they choose to help. ALL counts are provided by other players, which is then published onto the public spreadsheet (and other apps) by moderators. There is no MPQ database connection available to automate this effort. It’s purely players from all around the world giving a simple count update to help out those who come in behind them.
The count update itself is visible to anyone who has already joined the bracket. A simple number found on the red banner of the event icon. Some don't even realize that’s what it is, but it’s RIGHT THERE.
Once you see “1,000”, then you know your bracket is full and a new one has been created. FLIP!!!
And, NO, once you join a bracket you cannot un-join it in hopes to return later when the count is more favorable.
What is a Bracket Flip? - What Should I Expect?
At first, it may seem a bit overwhelming, but you will soon realize that WHEN you join a bracket can be just as important as what bracket you join at all.
The hope is that soon you will be getting better rewards for the same amount of work/difficulty as you are already playing. Or even better - for LESS PLAY TIME.
Flip-Chasing and (especially) Sniping require patience and diligence. But fortunately this collective effort of reporting bracket counts takes the LUCK aspect out of the equation that most people think is all that matters in catching a fresh bracket.
The next slide compares the Pros and Cons for each approach to entering an event. You have to decide what is best for you. Keeping in mind, you can approach the next event differently than you did this one. Some players move around a lot. Others know exactly what bracket works best for them and already have a good idea when it will flip. Learn From Each Event!!
Pros/Cons of Prejoin vs Flip-Chasing vs Sniping
Prejoin
Pros:
Maximum points potential for both Player and Alliance.
Safest approach for full-progression.
You control what time you start.
Low risk of accidentally joining the wrong bracket in haste.
Cons:
Competing for placement against the Top Players from the Top Alliances.
No head-start. Everyone’s “race” starts at the exact same time.
Sniping
Pros:
Strong potential for High placement rewards.
Can salvage some good rewards when real-life prohibits typical play.
Cons:
Sacrificing top progression rewards.
Must be able to be very flexible in what time and what bracket you join.
Some flips don’t happen as hoped/expected, meaning you can lose the “gamble” occasionally.
VERY low score for your Alliance
Flip-Chasing
Pros:
Head-start over other players for points earning.
Increased potential for higher placement rewards.
Still enough time to safely reach full-progression.
Cons:
Flips can come at inopportune times of the day.
Occasional lack of timely count updates.
Lower overall score for your Alliance
Resources / Links
(All work on PC or on mobile)
- Master Public Bracket Count Spreadsheet:
https://tinyurl.com/mpqbrackets or
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sAu8QyO8lKSQ7yXon-BIxKhXMeHUANPzamy0AymuDkE/edit?usp=sharing
- PVE Event Node/Points Details Spreadsheet:
http://tinyurl.com/mpqpvetracker
- Invite Link to Discord “PuzzleWarriors” MPQ Server (Registration Required)
- Invites to LINE Bracket Count rooms are private and limited. Please reach out to your alliance commander to see if they have contacts/membership in any of these rooms. If not, reach out in the public venue most available to you (d3 Forum, Reddit, Facebook, Discord), someone will hopefully have connections to get you access.
Using the Master Public Bracket Count Spreadsheet
Column B: Your Bracket
Column D: The most recently report count for that Bracket
Column E: How long ago that count was provided
Column F: A ROUGH ESTIMATE of what the current count might be “now”. BE CAREFUL with this column; “stale” counts lead to bad estimates.
Column G: The next projected flip time ASSUMING Column F is even close to accurate. Again, BE CAREFUL.
Column H/I: Exact time of the most recent Column B update
Column J/K: Details of the last flip (if any)
Column L: The current “fill-rate” (players/hour). This is what drives the calculations behind the Column F estimate.
Column M: The number of times that bracket has already flipped this event.
What About PVP?
The public community only tracks PVP Season Bracket counts, not individual events. These counts (for CLs 7,8,9, and 10) are found on the bottom of the Master Public Bracket Count Spreadsheet.
Individual events for PVP are harder to get counts from and they flip far more often. That, plus the more competitive nature of PVP, makes it something the community has chosen not to track.
Note:
PVP Seasons flip at 5,000 players
Individual PVP Events flip at 500 players
General Advice / Observations
- Everything presented by the mods is only as good as the intel they receive.
- Beware of the Projections/Estimates on the spreadsheet. It’s better to wait and be 31st to join than it is to believe the projection and join in 996th. Column D is your only TRUE friend.
- Learn the tendencies of the brackets that interest you. Watch how many times they flip (even after you join) and what times they do so. This can help you make more informed decisions on future events.
- Watch for event trends:
- Harder events can cause players to “play down” one or two CLs. Plan accordingly. CL8 and 9 may fill faster these events, but CL10 will fill slower.
- Conversely, strong 4* and 5* boost lists can cause players to “play” up, thus causing higher CLs to fill faster.
- Events immediately following Alliance (“Boss”) Events tend to fill faster than “normal” events.
- Events featuring New Release characters in placement rewards are always more competitive. You may have to change your approach, accordingly. Everyone wants a jump start on that “shiny new” character. More will Flip-Chase or Snipe in these events.
How Can I Help Give Back?
Counts, Counts, Counts! We always need more counts. There is never such a thing as too much information or a worthless count. We want Your counts. We want counts from your Alliance-Mates. Send us your counts any way you can. They ALL help. If you join us on Discord or LINE, add them there. If you only watch the spreadsheet, add them to the spreadsheet as a COMMENT.
Share the Wealth! This entire effort is based on users giving back. It is open to ALL and can be shared with anyone who can benefit from it.
Join the Team! Moderators of the spreadsheet give countless hours of their free-time to this effort. They are always looking for experienced and willing Bracket Counters to help give back to the community that helps us all. Reach out on Discord or LINE and see if you have what it takes to join the mod team.