Author Topic: Best/Worst Lineups of Season 50  (Read 2289 times)

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Offline Guint

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Best/Worst Lineups of Season 50
« on: June 16, 2022, 08:21:20 PM »
Since we have no idea when the remaining 4 shows are going to air, let's go ahead and get this out of the way.

So Season 50. Let's start talking in general about the lineups. Rumor has it that someone else was doing them this year, and somewhere along the way the conflict sheet got scuffed up, because holy hell did we have a bunch of conflicts get missed. Meh, this usually happens when someone new takes the reins, things change up.

But they did get a lot right too - so far we have had 60 games hit 10 or more playings this season, which is a record. Granted, they could never hit this in the years where there were less than 60 games, but even so during the Bob years the most 10+ club members in a season is 53. Recently the number had been around 55, it went down a little the last few years because short seasons, but the fact we seemed to rotate the games well when we have more games that ever - hats off. Also hats off to whoever on staff started to play FPG. :)

Anyways, time for the list. Feel free to share yours too!

THE BEST:
10. 9752K - Vend/Card/T2/Plinko/Squeeze/Pocket - Agressiveness when you have Card and Pocket in the same lineup? Dang. Although Card/Pocket is a super rare pairing, probably for good reason...
9. 9834K - L7/Push/Punch/Vend/Grid/Clock - Aggressiveness when you have Punch and Grid in the same lineup? Dang.
8. 9742K - L7/Eazy/Bonkers/Buck/Push/Shell - Yup, another Shell lineup. Yup, another Buck in the same half as the SP game. That first half is fun though!
7. 9601K - Roll/1RP/Bonkers/Tags/Balance/Move - I like this lineup a lot and I can't lay my finger as to why. I'm not a fan of Tags 4th, and Bonkers/Balance was weird when I first saw it...but then Move shows and it just gels together somehow.
6. 9725K - Dice/1RP/NoT/Race/Key/Check - This would be higher if it weren't for the fact they broke a conflict (1RP/Race). But I had to get a Key lineup in here, and this was the best one.
5. 9693K - CoG/Roll/Clock/Back/T2/Money - Before Back became like a 9 minute game, they pulled out this winner of a lineup. Clock/T2 again? Interesting...
4. 9634K - Cover/Bonkers/241/Buck/ME(trips)/Plinko - They had a weird obsession with putting 241 in feeless halves this year, to varying degrees of success. This one was a home run, and again another no quickies lineup (when they do a 3-prizer for trips you can't really call it quick). Also first ME for trips in years. :)
3. 9583K - TTM/Clock/C-O/T2/Bee/DP - TTM/Clock is a good combo, and good lord they loaded this lineup up. 4 prizer, the longest regular GP, Bee in 2nd half? Love it.
2. 9543K - L7/1RP/Shell/Gas/Swap/Vend - They have done much better with Shell lineups since the refurb.
1. 9653K - Eazy/Bee/Check/Cross/NoT/L7 - The lineup that usually wins out is the one that surprises me the most. This one surprised me the most. That first half is loaded and the shortest game is Cross, which isn't quickie short.

THE WORST:
10. 9523K - ME/Money/Seat/Balance/Bargain/Stack - I failed to get a Seat lineup in the Top 10, but dammit if I won't get a few in the bottom 10!
9. 9575K - L7/ME/Bag/Side/Cross/Tags - Another Bag lineup that falls flat. Next!
8. 9553K - Eazy/CoG/Path/Switch/Money/Penny - They should not be doing Path/Penny. And this lineup suffers from a pretty bleh game selection outside those two.
7. 9555K - Tags/Squeeze/Magic/OWP/Balance(car)/Bull - good, good, good...why are we doing Balance for a car in this?
6. 9835K - Grand/Squeeze/Any/1RP/Back/Balance(car) - I can't wait until Back to '72 is gone so we don't have to devote 9 minutes to it.
5. 9702K - Money/Switch/Seat/Balance/ME/Pocket - Lineups missing a fee game don't instantaneously make it on this list. But when you throw Hot Seat in the mix and a blah selection of games...
4. 9655K - Push/Grand(*)/Any/X/OWP(trips)/Range(car*) - this lineup is short and a mess. New Year's lineups used to be interesting when they played new or refurbed games but this garbage is garbage.
3. 9592K - OA/CoG/241/TTM/OWP/Shell - 241 in a feeless half became a meme this day. And not even the fact they got Shell Game in last could save this lineup.
2. 9863K - DP/Vend/Card/Seat/Bargain/Grid - Have I mentioned that I hate Double Prices 1st?
1. 9801K - Cover/DP/241/Time/Squeeze/MoL - Meme 241, Time/MoL in the same half, DP/Squeeze in the same show...what is there to like about this?

HONORABLE/DISHONORABLE MENTIONS:
9561K - Freeze/Vend/Pocket/Safe/PaN(car)/Seat - clunky, but props for trying to give Hot Seat a better lineup
9591K - DP/Rent/L7/Cross/Key/Race - Key/Race is such a good combo and that 2nd half is great but...DP 1st, lol
9622K - L7/Bargain/Seat/PaN/Race/Grocery(car) - would definitely be in the top 10 if it weren't for that timed game conflict
9643K - Grand/TP/Side/TTM/1RP/Cliff - I like it through game 2. Really goes south from there. Almost put it in the worst list
9662K - Squeeze/Tempt/Cross/Grocery/Side/Path - great use of 2 fees in the same half, Cross is fine 3rd...just not good enough
9682K - ME/PaP/3X/PaN/Key/Cross - probably the worst of the Strikes lineups this season, they were all good. Had to shout this out for the PaP 2nd
9685K - L7/Spree/Time/Switch/Grid/Check - last year I put all the shows with missing fee games on the list. This one was spared from the worst list because it happened to be a 1-quickie one
9731K - X(car)/Clock(car)/TP/Balance(car)/Switch?(cars)/Roll(*) - best lineup from Dream Car Week
9795K - OA/Bargain/Race/Grand/Push/Key - gotta spice up your lineups every once in a while
9825K - Key/Range/Danger/Dice/Side/Time - Key 1st! :)
9872K - Switch/Bee/Spree/Squeeze/Grocery/Card - it's a fine selection of games but...holy conflict
9892K - Clock/TTM/Grand/Side/T2/OA - almost made the best list until the final game. Still not worst list material because it was quite aggressive. Clock/T2 again?

Offline Kev347

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Re: Best/Worst Lineups of Season 50
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2022, 11:12:12 PM »
TOP 10

10) #9833 X/Bargain/10C/COG/Race/Roll
9) #9634 Cover/Bonkers/241/Buck/ME/Plinko
8) #9725 Dice/1RP/NOT/Race/Key/Check
7) #9653 Eazy/Bee/Check/Cross/NOT/L7
6) #9583 TTM/Clock/C-O/T2/Bee/DP
5) #9544 Flip/Roll/T2/X/3X/Math - 3 Strikes 5th with a game selection this good will win me over every time.
4) #9825 Key/Range/Danger/Dice/Side/Time - Obviously lots of bonus points for the unique slotting of a certain game here, but this is well slotted through and through.
3) #9831 Bee/Math/C-O/TTM/Flip/Plinko - It's been awhile since we've had a surprise extra fee on a special. I think this one is slotted pretty darn well.
2) #9875 Push/HI LO/Swap/Balance/A#/Plinko - OK, birthday lineup bias possibly in play a little, but seriously, this is great. This is the only NCFAC lineup this year that actually makes the NCFAC make sense. Plinko is a huge surprise 6th even out of context. Balance is used as a quickie and not to clog the lineup as a moderate game. Good stuff.
1) #9543 L7/1RP/Shell/Gas/Swap/Vend - When you just overwhelm me with great games like this, you leave me no choice.

Worst:
10) #9745 Freeze/Switch/Hole/BT72/Line/Squeeze - Ugh, first 2. Ugh, BT72 is not 9 minutes.
9) #9852 Temptation/Side/NOT/Key/Bonkers/ME - This one is on here solely for how much the slotting tanks it. There is very little incentive for me to care about anything after game 4, and with this game selection, that's really bad.
8) #9604 Temptation/Push/Vend/Punch/Money/Switch - And this one is on here solely because the only two long/interesting games in a lineup shouldn't ragingly conflict with each other (Tempt/Punch).
7) #9534 Rent/PA/Grid/1RP/Range/Roo
6) #9794 Penny/ME/Grid/Cross/Tags/COG - See #8. (Penny/Tags)
5) #9702 Money/Switch/Seat/Balance/ME/Pocket
4) #9565 Any/DP/BT72/Money/ME/Grocery - I know, I know, Halloween. But this is boring, super short, and slotted in the most boring way possible.
3) #9592 OA/COG/241/TTM/OWP/Shell
2) #9801 Cover/DP/241/Time/Squeeze/MOL
1) #9655 Push/Grand/Any/X/ME/RANGE - I know, New Year's. But seriously, #2 gives me a lot more enjoyability bang for my buck with Cover, Time, and 241. This one...Grand is my favorite game in the lineup. That game isn't in my top 25. They did something wrong.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2022, 05:46:49 AM by SteveGavazzi »

Offline 22FJB

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Re: Best/Worst Lineups of Season 50
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2022, 09:37:00 PM »
Totally forgot about this for a while

Top 10

10). 9731K - X/Clock/Triple/Balance/Switch/Roll, only special show on this list (all games played for cars)
9).  9803K - Danger/Roll/Balance/Grid/Math/Plinko, a 4P and grid with only 1 quickie! also car 4th cash 6th
8).  9812K - TTM/1RP/Plinko/Bonkers/Buck/Swap
7).  9834K - L7/Push/Punch/Vend/Grid/Clock, would have been higher if Vend and Clock were swapped
6).  9535K - 241/Dice/Balance/Vend/A#/Plinko
5).  9583K - TTM/Clock/CO/T2/Bee/DP, Bee in the 2nd half!
4).  9825K - Key/Range/Danger/Dice/Side/Time - In one of the biggest ways to troll FPG players, Key 1st for the first time since 2013
3).  9544K - Flip/Roll/T2/X/3X/Math - surprise 3X is always nice, everyone in chat thought it would be 10C
2).  9833K - X/Bargain/10C/CoG/Race/Roll - Race (longest non fee) and 10C (long car) together, also Race 5th
1).  9653K - Eazy/Bee/Check/DX/NoT/L7, like 9535K, no true quickies, but the fees are in opposite halves

Honorable Mentions
9725K - Dice/1RP/NoT/Race/Key/Check, this one destroyed FPG
9783K - A#/X/Spree/Side/Time/TTM, interesting 1-2 start is always nice
9871K - Penny/Math/Dice/Race/Money/Cliff, just missed the top 10 due to Money/Cliff 5-6 for the second time within a month of its airing, i do deduct points for laziness

Bottom 10

10). 9745K - Freeze/Switch/Hole/Back/Line/Squeeze - Just needs a reslot to move out of even the dishonorable list
9).  9791K - Money/Eazy/Seat/PaN/Vend/TTM - that 2nd half is really short. i know its a special show but also we paired Money/TTM together again within 2 weeks, lazy
8).  9794K - Penny/ME/Grid/DX/5PT/CoG - Penny is new so the conflict with 5PT is forgivable. The major issue is once again pairing 5PT/Grid together on consecutive playings.
7).  9832K - OWP/Cover/HL/DP/Seat/Money - can anyone say generic? they had avoided playing Money and Cover together for years before this
6).  9702K - Money/Switch/Seat/Balance/ME/Pocket
5).  9744K - Spree/PaN(NCFC)/Punch/Bargain/TTM/NoT, 4P with Punch is good, but did we really need PaN for a car as well as TTM?
4).  9874K - OWP/Freeze/Key/Bag/Bargain/L7, another 2 quickie start like 9745 but at least that had hole 3rd
3).  9801K - Cover/DP/241/Time/Squeeze/MoL
2).  9592K - OA/CoG/241/TTM/OWP/Shell - no fees through the first 5 made this feel short
1).  9862K - Plinko/OWP/Money/Clock/Stack/Push, combine laziness (Plinko/Stack paired again within 2 weeks) with my personal dislike for Plinko 1st/Stack shows and this sneaks into #1

Dishonorable Mentions
9555K - 5PT/Squeeze/Magic/OWP/Balance(NCFC)/Bull, Balance for a car makes no sense here considering this lineup is still short and it was a regular show
9895K - Range/OWP/Path/Flip/A#/Time
9872K - Switch/Bee/Spree/Squeeze/Grocery/Card, breaking PG conflicts and TT only 2nd half for no reason
9891K - Vend/Switch/Rat/Check/OWP/Pocket, unnecessary use of fees in the same half

As a final note, they really began to break pricing game conflicts and repeat car slots within the same production week in the 2nd half of the season, and I was not a fan of this. Laziness in context with the airdate within the season was important in determining the bottom 10. To me, there is no problem in pairing car games or fee games with each other multiple times within a season, as long as all occurrences are spread out throughout the season and do not occur on consecutive playings of either game in question (ex. we had a few Card/Cover and A#/Dice lineups this season but they were all more than one month apart, as opposed to 9791, 9794 and 9862K which made the list due to this).
« Last Edit: July 09, 2022, 05:47:07 AM by SteveGavazzi »
This line will be omitted until the Guardians or White Sox win the World Series.

CSS Season 17: 4th Overall, 3rd in the Playoffs. $655,002 cash earned. QSW 4/30/2021
FPG 2020-2021: 2nd Place
CSS Season 18: 5th place overall. Exacta 3/3/2022, QSW #2 3/9/2022, $1,512,329 cash earned.
FPG 2021-2022: 6/6 bonus 5/6/22, i also called the lineup on 2/4/22 before the show on discord