Well how-dee-doo! It’s ya boi Chuggy back with another heat induced rambling! When I’m busy beating the heat, I’m usually busy getting beat; often by the topic of interest for todays jumble of words. Last time you listened to this madman speak it was over the theory of Florida Aggro and its wild processes of fluctuating results; but deeply enticing matchups. We’re flipping that concept on its head today folks.

Today we are discussing the “Chad 15 Stop Meta” or in this case… The way most players choose to play the game; and rightfully so! This manner of playing is widely received as being the safest manner of playing a deck and hinges on having as many answers to enemies cards as possible. To start we will go over what makes you a Chad 15 deck. From there we will once again discuss tiers of players and how you can identify them mid-play, and from there we will be adding a session on how these decks matchup with previously written deck theories. So in this case we will also be going over the Chad 15 VS Florida Aggro matchup. 

So what does “Chad 15 Stop” mean? Well honestly it’s just a phrase the heat induced Clown Prince of Cola came up with… But that aside, I do in fact have a verbiage for my insanity. Decks with the “Perfect Stat Line” have access to 15 slots that they could realistically run a stop on the 1-6, 13-15, 19-21, and 25-27 slots. Those who subscribe to the theory of Chad 15 will often times have every single slot labeled be an active stop. On top of this you will often find an over abundance of “Rejected” in these lineups. Most people, even if unaware, usually run some variation of the Chad 15. 

If this is the most optimal manner of playing then why isn’t everyone topping tourneys with this applied mindset? Well that boils down to a deeper conversation. For starters just because you have 15 answers for everything, doesn’t mean everything needs to be stopped. Doubling down on this just because you have 15 answers in a deck, doesn’t mean you can hold everyone of them at a time. You still got to find a way to close out the match. So what separates a bad Chad 15 player from a good Chad 15 Player happens to be your knowledge of the card game. Every deck theory can benefit from a Chad 15 professional mindset, because these pro’s are typically your headliners holding the belts in the first place. 

Knowledge is an integral part of this game no matter who you are playing as or with. If you’re looking to just improve your gameplay in general, (Not even in this singular methodology) then here are a couple pointers for you to practice with… For starters you need to understand how your stat line compares to your opponents, and at the start of the match get a gameplan for forcing your best finish. (Your best finish is comparable to the card you are best at stopping on 13-15, where you have both stats over in the Power/Grapple, Strike/Agility, or Submission/Technique categories.) From there, if you are playing a more conservative gimmick that can safely acquire cards without winning turn rolls, your goal doesn’t necessarily become reach the finish, but reach your safety nets while avoiding opponents triggers. (If you know your opponent is in a Colossal Smash line, there becomes a certain point where you just never throw a Submission. Ever again.) From there we, as many, are at the mercy of the dice. Generally the Chad 15 player is utilizing a competitor that will succeed in a longer match, and have many comeback mechanics, good examples of these competitors are Brain, or Gia. At the highest level of play within the methodology you begin to see entire decks revolving around your safe stat line; and forced plays become rare. The last key play of a Chad 15 player is the “Pass and Bury” because in the event you know you have no line of play against an opponent with no board, there is truly zero reason to force an opponents hand and give away free board state.

Most newer players fall into this category simply by the fact of most 2-Player Box sets come prepackaged as Chad 15’s. Someone starting out will typically only have their whole Chad 15 lineup as either the “Punch” or “Snap Punch” styled stops; and as a player integrates further into the community they acquire more versatile toolboxes in these slots, because a good Chad 15 player also knows when to play a free card. (Please keep in mind some of these decks also have dead stops on 13-15, so they are automatically on the lower end.) Good key products I can personally recommend to upgrade your game in this regards are Steel Cage 1 and 2, and the Ultra Cosmic Faction Pack. The stops you get from these sets are unique and versatile enough that you can turn a lot of competitors up a notch higher just by adding these cards in. (It also never hurts to have predestined tech in your deck for the most common stipulations in Supershow, ala Steel Cage and surprise Triads.)

Before we get into the Florida Aggro Matchup, we would like to discuss some key cards you should almost always be playing in this mindset, and some cards you should avoid like the plague. Starting off with one of the most popular cards ever printed, “Rejected” is almost a necessity in these builds. Your deck is typically running a high degree of shuffle or specified search and pulls that a Rejected just fixes your deck state like no other card can. “Apocalypse” is another key card for competitors that have recursion gimmicks, because Apoc only gives you more time to get your stuff back. A new addition is one of the Fujiawara Armbar line in some cases, as we notice our Chad 15 brothers go a little on the offensive to counter our Chad 15 players. One or two of the “Boss Beats” line is almost integral these days to mess up those pesky “If Stopped” text. Last but certainly not least, you’re usually seen packing the biggest middle finger to spotlight finishes known to man, New “Impact is Family” it’s too good not to run in most of these counter based decks. 

Cards you should avoid are typically obvious. Anything that has “Schoolboy” or “Backslide” in the name are to be avoided at all costs. You should also not rely solely on one line of cards in a set. For example run one Forearm shot, not the whole line. Unless your character is hyper specified on a gimmick trigger like Rhino, then you should only ever have at max 2 of a line. Then you also have the not so easy to spot “Traps” in deck building. We’ll let you in on an industry secret here, as we have data collected on every stat line in the game… Running Lariat on an 8 is not a good idea, Running Lariat on a 9 is only slightly better and should be your cutoff. However if your Strike is not 10, you have a better chance of resolving an offensive card in the line that actually does something. Other traps are character specific. Such as if your character has a built in draw mechanic then your stops should NEVER be “Each Player Draws 1” and vice versa if your character cannot sustain itself you should always be getting cards back. Either way… This theory matchup is scheduled for… 

ONE FALL!

Finally we end our wacky ride with a new segment I like to call. One Fall! In this segment we will take every prior discussed theory and match them up with the presently discussed, providing tips and tricks for both. At the moment we are only looking at Chad 15 vs Florida Aggro. When a Chad 15 player is against a known Florida Aggro player you need to immediately look your opponent in the eye… Now look down at their competitor. If you know their face matches that competitor in your memory banks your first and only solution is to break down into the fetal position and cry. You are at the mercy of the dice, either the Florida Aggro player is going to be out of a deck in the next 5 turns or you are going to win. There is no in between. Now… If you have looked your opponent in the eye and the competitor they are playing does not trigger bile building up in your throat, you have a chance! Understand that these players typically only have two answers in their decks for your finishes. So look at your stat lines, understand that they will almost never run a stop on their 8, and the stat that’s on their 8 is likely the See 1 Stop 1 on the neighboring slot. If you see one schoolboy your instant reaction should generally be to do a strong pivot to your Submission Finish, especially if you have stat superiority on #14. Keep your pacing, and understand they are going to break through your defense one way or another, just be prepared to counter the cards that matter. 

Let’s do a FLIPPAROO, Florida Aggro players, hey. It’s me, your dad. And dad’s proud of you. You’re sitting across from what people typically consider “the superior” deck, and hoo boy, lemme tell you this matchup fluctuates like crazy depending how lost in the sauce you are. But dad’s here to bring you back to The Light. You have to understand your character, in and out. If you have built your deck appropriately to be considered within the upper tiers of Florida Aggro then you are prepared for these scenarios, and your best friend is the big chaos energy you bring to a match. Your deck construction is specifically built to deal with these top decking, stop slinging upstanding citizens. The few stops in your decks are typically flips or shuffles on the offensive play side, forced derailed/brainwash combos will break the stalemate if the Chad 15 player goes wide on the dice, and your slots that the Chad 15 player says “Should Be” stops are instead worked at recurring your finishes consistently. Because if they stop one Followup Grapple that top decks a card, the chances of them blowing a more expensive stop on the second Followup Grapple that top decks a card is far less… And if you are a Florida Aggro player with Schoolboy, understand that once you show that you have it in the deck you need to be ready to own it. Your gimmick better recur it, you better have answers to submissions, and if you played Backslide I’m disowning you. Understand that the match is designed to end fast, in either direction; but that’s the burden all Floridians share! We’re the first players done in bracket and were already shuffling for the next friendly while we wait for top cut! Take your wins humbly, take your losses with wild fun and fervor.