98 serve 98 power poll

[Rob ITST]

98/98 is VERY frustrating to play against, but far from the toughest to beat. In WT, for example, you only need to win one point against their serve to win - one good guess in a tiebreak, and the match is yours.

It's the same in almost every tennis game - a character with a big serve has a weapon to hold serve, but no weapons to break. A good baseliner has the weapons to win every game.

[Sh0Case]

2 orange wings is an option with 98/98, therefore, no weak wing to attack. Power that can overwhelm in a rally at any stage. Stamina is in the 70s, too high for such a ridiculous serve and power player, when does the serve lose it's edge? The speed doesn't become a factor unti the rallies lengthen. Focus service bails them out too. Playing best of 3 sets or 5 sets and 6 games is a different story to WT, the frustration can go on for over an hour and it requires more consistency in tiebreaks or on their serve to break them.

[polakis]

2 orange wings is an option with 98/98, therefore, no weak wing to attack. Power that can overwhelm in a rally at any stage. Stamina is in the 70s, too high for such a ridiculous serve and power player, when does the serve lose it's edge? The speed doesn't become a factor unti the rallies lengthen. Focus service bails them out too. Playing best of 3 sets or 5 sets and 6 games is a different story to WT, the frustration can go on for over an hour and it requires more consistency in tiebreaks or on their serve to break them.

I couldnt agree more...

[djarvik]

2 orange wings is an option with 98/98, therefore, no weak wing to attack. Power that can overwhelm in a rally at any stage. Stamina is in the 70s, too high for such a ridiculous serve and power player, when does the serve lose it's edge? The speed doesn't become a factor unti the rallies lengthen. Focus service bails them out too. Playing best of 3 sets or 5 sets and 6 games is a different story to WT, the frustration can go on for over an hour and it requires more consistency in tiebreaks or on their serve to break them.

How many times you lost to such player? ...or you consider winng 3 games against you as overpowered?

[Sh0Case]

I've lost to it once in an ITST match but I don't exclude my experiences of it in casual/practice matches. I don't think the result of a match completely dictates if a player is overpowered or not, or even how overpowered it is. The manner in which they win points is the bigger indication for me, results don't tell the whole story. I use the results of other players to also base my opinion. Fifa Tee has lost to it twice on ITST. Dion is a player I practice with a lot and he's a top player but his recent encounters with 98/98 have resulted in 2/2 losses. Loki's said a lot about 98/98 in the past that I think strengthens the case for 98/98 being overpowered too.


I'd like to know what the 98/98 users think of their setup anyway.

Have you played against the likes of Supermassy, Avinash Patel, Bretton James etc or only the WT players?

In the Australian Open, the set I lost 7-5 to Supermassy was poised at 6-5 to him on my serve. I held my previous 5 service games to love but then a couple unfortunate points and he had 2 break point opportunities etc. He noticeable served more accurately in that set compared to the others and aced me a lot with a chunk of one-two punches. Against this setup, a couple unfortunate points on your service game costs you the set 9/10, what other setups are that unforgiving? I actually don't know how 98/98 players lose their serve..
I'm not even campaigning for it to be banned, I accepted it as a part of ITST a long time ago.

[edlglide]

I actually think focus service does absolutely nothing -- I play with a Babb character now (although not 98/98 -- I think my Babb has like 83 on serve and 86 power), and I can't tell any difference at all between my serve when focus service is supposed to be active.

If it works like SoB and MD, then it would essentially have no effect because it would just mean it's easier to hit your serve with perfect timing....and I hit like 95% of my serves with perfect timing anyways. The important part of serving is the aiming, and I really can't tell any difference with focus service.

[Corbon]

When you're 98/98, both skills by Babb are quite pointless, I mean how much more accurate do you want to be with 98 serve? Ditto for Focus Service, both serve and power are almost maxed and need no improvement. Unless we're talking about a 0-15-5 setup, in this case both skills still have their uses.

[edlglide]

When you're 98/98, both skills by Babb are quite pointless, I mean how much more accurate do you want to be with 98 serve? Ditto for Focus Service, both serve and power are almost maxed and need no improvement. Unless we're talking about a 0-15-5 setup, in this case both skills still have their uses.

My Babb is 0/15/5 and I think focus service is still useless. I really don't see any difference at all in my serves at the times when it's supposed to be active. Serve stick berserker probably helps some though.

[Tamthewasp]

Screw this i'm going 2 have a whack at 98/98. See what all the craic is.

[jayb1988]

When you're 98/98, both skills by Babb are quite pointless, I mean how much more accurate do you want to be with 98 serve? Ditto for Focus Service, both serve and power are almost maxed and need no improvement. Unless we're talking about a 0-15-5 setup, in this case both skills still have their uses.

My Babb is 0/15/5 and I think focus service is still useless. I really don't see any difference at all in my serves at the times when it's supposed to be active. Serve stick berserker probably helps some though.

My player has serve stick berserker and focus service, which seems like a magic combination as my serve gets me out of trouble and keeps me in matches all the time.

I found it odd how no one had really mentioned Babb as being one of the stronger set ups before now, but people have been asking me recently about my coach and set up so I reckon we will see more people gravitate to Babb set ups as the stats are solid across the board, without being overly cheesy as my power is only 90.

[Ary1g]

I actually think focus service does absolutely nothing -- I play with a Babb character now (although not 98/98 -- I think my Babb has like 83 on serve and 86 power), and I can't tell any difference at all between my serve when focus service is supposed to be active.

If it works like SoB and MD, then it would essentially have no effect because it would just mean it's easier to hit your serve with perfect timing....and I hit like 95% of my serves with perfect timing anyways. The important part of serving is the aiming, and I really can't tell any difference with focus service.

SoB and MD does not only make it easier to hit perfect, it improves accuracy on all your shots too.

[Ali-Iqb93]

lol the guy with whom i used to have 3setter tough matches destroyed me today 6-3 6-1 with his new welch setup.. lets all of us players on itst play with welch and 98/98

[Corbon]

When you're 98/98, both skills by Babb are quite pointless, I mean how much more accurate do you want to be with 98 serve? Ditto for Focus Service, both serve and power are almost maxed and need no improvement. Unless we're talking about a 0-15-5 setup, in this case both skills still have their uses.

My Babb is 0/15/5 and I think focus service is still useless. I really don't see any difference at all in my serves at the times when it's supposed to be active. Serve stick berserker probably helps some though.

Switch to Rabari and you will notice a big difference in serve efficiency. Which cannot be solely attributed to the +7 Serve difference.

[Corbon]

When you're 98/98, both skills by Babb are quite pointless, I mean how much more accurate do you want to be with 98 serve? Ditto for Focus Service, both serve and power are almost maxed and need no improvement. Unless we're talking about a 0-15-5 setup, in this case both skills still have their uses.

My Babb is 0/15/5 and I think focus service is still useless. I really don't see any difference at all in my serves at the times when it's supposed to be active. Serve stick berserker probably helps some though.

My player has serve stick berserker and focus service, which seems like a magic combination as my serve gets me out of trouble and keeps me in matches all the time.

I found it odd how no one had really mentioned Babb as being one of the stronger set ups before now, but people have been asking me recently about my coach and set up so I reckon we will see more people gravitate to Babb set ups as the stats are solid across the board, without being overly cheesy as my power is only 90.

Lol "only". Dude, 0-18-2 is the deep power setup and it also gives you access to 3 great coaches, Rabary, Gallo and Babb.

[edlglide]

When you're 98/98, both skills by Babb are quite pointless, I mean how much more accurate do you want to be with 98 serve? Ditto for Focus Service, both serve and power are almost maxed and need no improvement. Unless we're talking about a 0-15-5 setup, in this case both skills still have their uses.

My Babb is 0/15/5 and I think focus service is still useless. I really don't see any difference at all in my serves at the times when it's supposed to be active. Serve stick berserker probably helps some though.

Switch to Rabari and you will notice a big difference in serve efficiency. Which cannot be solely attributed to the +7 Serve difference.

I agree -- I'm only talking about the focus service skill; not serve stick berserker. Focus service is supposed to only kick in when you are down in a service game, but my serves are exactly the same when I'm winning or losing. If anything, I actually serve a little bit worse when I'm down 0-30 or so in a service game because that almost never happens and it makes me get tight.

I also play with a sim character who has serve stick berserker, and I serve just as well if not slightly better with him than I do with Babb, and he doesn't have focus service.