Gags ppl take to VP

[Deputy Monty]

I am surprised by some of the gags people choose to take to the VP. I know...at least these people HAVE gags . But I thought it might be helpful to see what others are carrying and perhaps guide some who might not know what gags should be taken and WHY!!! This was a pre-CCG run so these people have gagged for a team that might include low-laff, weak-gagged toons who might also have a low limit of gags they can carry. The BEST ubers can only carry 60 gags (I think)...some are limited to 35-40. While the norm is about 35 cogs, I have faced as many as 46 cogs in a VP run.

The pictures below show toons who have all but drop.

Gag bag #1
Unless there is only one of each of these, the first toon should replace the rakes and low level lures with berry pies. Never use low level trap in the VP unless you KNOW you have backup or it will kill. That is very seldom. Leave the bugle home because there isn't going to be that much of an opportunity to use sound. Low level lures do not hold the cogs long enough to make them useful. I take nothing lower than a blue magnet to the VP. The only useful lvl 3 gag in the VP is Toonup (lipstick).

Gag bag #2
This guy is completely opposite of the first...carrying no trap but the highest. While I have found trap is used less often than drop, I have discovered a trap door is just the amount of damage needed to take out the injured cog and give lure that added boost needed to make it work while others use toon-up. So, I would add trap doors to the second person's bag.

[Pinkersmirk]

Yay! One of my favorite topics. I would also like to add a few comments:
Yes you are right the highest gags a 6 gag uner 50 laff uber toon can carry is 60 gags.

1) On my ubers/high laffs I bring little to no sound I will only bring fogs and maybe a few trunks . In the past CCG round I have seen lower lvl toons with aoogha's and lower. Its a better idea to replace these gags with extra cakes or squirt.

2) My favorite <sigh> trap/drop in the CCG. The lower level traps sould really be left behind since if it's not there the temptation to use it is gone. Nothing like marbles/rakes on a high lvl cog
From my experience the lowest trap/drop brought to CCG is safe/door.

3) On my ubers/hi laffs I bring lots of lure and all of the $10 since that is something that the CCG uses frequently. Also agree that lure below level 3 ($5) sholuld not be used unless no other toons have it.

Originally Posted by Deputy Monty

I am surprised by some of the gags people choose to take to the VP. I know...at least these people HAVE gags :-). But I thought it might be helpful to see what others are carrying and perhaps guide some who might not know what gags should be taken and WHY!!! This was a pre-CCG run so these people have gagged for a team that might include low-laff, weak-gagged toons who might also have a low limit of gags they can carry. The BEST ubers can only carry 60 gags (I think)...some are limited to 35-40. While the norm is about 35 cogs, I have faced as many as 46 cogs in a VP run.

The pictures below show toons who have all but drop.

Unless there is only one of each of these, the first toon should drop replace the rakes and low level lures with berry pies andThe first toon should drop the rakes and all the low level lures and make room for more berry pies

[Deputy Monty]

Here are some more pics..this time of people who carry drop, not trap.

Gag bag #1
This person is not carrying any safes...but is carrying $5. Not a good trade off in my opinion. Sometimes a safe combined with someone else's gag helps you preserve those higher gags and I remember a few VP's where we were just about down to safes as the only attack gags left.

Gag bag #2
This person is almost there with having the right balance of attack gags, healing gags, and damage control (lure) gags. However, I've found berry pies are good fillers in the VP and can allow you to preserve your other throw gags for later use.

Gag bag #3
This bag looks like mine. I fill up with level 5 & 6 gags (except I usually take only 6 pixie dust) and fill in with canes, magnets and no more than 2 aoogahs.

[King Beany]

DM, you always come up with some great topics. This is what I usually bring to the VP with King:

TU - 0 0 0 10 7 3
trap - 0 0 0 0 2 2
lure - 0 0 0 10 7 3
sound-0 0 0 0 7 3
throw-0 0 0 6 7 3
squirt-0 0 0 0 7 3

I max out lvl5 & 6 gags (except for trap), and since I only go with the CCG, I then fill up on lure and TU. I use the berry pies & fire hoses during the first round and save the 5 & 6 throws for the skels. I also try to let someone else lure (lower gagged toon) during the first round, and I will lure during the skels. This way if their lure breaks early, it does not do as much damage as the skel round. Although this may not be perfect, it seems to work out pretty well with CCG runs. I would change the gag selection if I were going with a nonCCG group. Probably bring more sound and a little less lure.
KBB

[Deputy Monty]

Isn't it amazing that I found all these guys waiting to do the VP one day and I'm not sure I was able to get them to load? Anyway...here's a guy who has all gags but sound.

I love taking my soundless dog to the VP but I certainly gag differently than this toon.

I rarely take a trap lower than level 5 (trap door). Totally not needed and dangerous to think about using.

I rarely take any level 4 drop to the VP. I find extra berry pies and squirt bottles are more useful. You can add them to what someone else is using and have more benefit than an "iffy" drop gag. Remember, most ubers and low laffers carry and use mostly throw and squirt. You can preserve your higher and/or allow the uber to preserve his gags by adding berry pies to what is already being used.

This guy could be using left-over gags he carries all the time...OR..he might not be maxed and is thinking of using the VP to do a little BUILD!!! That's where it gets scary. The VP is NOT the place to do serious gag build. If...the best you have to offer for the occasion also nets you some gag build...GO for IT. But, sometimes, if I'm not careful, I'll let my desire to build a certain gag direct my decision and the choice is sometimes not the wisest.

[Sheriff_Trixie]

What a great topic! I wish I had read it before doing my first CCG run. I soon found myself out of traps and $10's and stuck with a bunch of useless elephant trunks! You definitely need to select gags differently if going with the CCG vs. other "sound-aholic" groups.

I also like to carry a couple seltzer bottles, helps get those pesky cogs ready to be dropped on.

Sheriff Trixie

[Bongo M. Monkey]

Originally Posted by Sheriff_Trixie

What a great topic! I wish I had read it before doing my first CCG run. I soon found myself out of traps and $10's and stuck with a bunch of useless elephant trunks! You definitely need to select gags differently if going with the CCG vs. other "sound-aholic" groups.

I also like to carry a couple seltzer bottles, helps get those pesky cogs ready to be dropped on.

Sheriff Trixie

This is interesting because I never really thought about it before. I am stuck on restocking my gags the same way every time, holding the maximum of my two strongest gags in each track, then I pick the max cane and lipsticks I can hold and then scatter the rest over what I have left to carry, usually choosing around 4 or 5 of each of the rest, from highest to lowest until I run out of gag room. My gags usually look like the toon above that is posted (maxxed, no sound) except I have sound, not drop. I don't use trap in VP unless I am absolutely positive it will take out the cog, and even then I most likely won't use it because that's taking a chance on the lure working. I'd rather pick a gag that WILL take out a cog, whether lure works or not. I usually only carry smaller traps because I can but not necessarily to use it.

[SLPedalhopper]

Pls allow me to differ just a little...

Originally Posted by Pinkersmirk

1) On my ubers/high laffs I bring little to no sound I will only bring fogs and maybe a few trunks . In the past CCG round I have seen lower lvl toons with aoogha's and lower. Its a better idea to replace these gags with extra cakes or squirt.

I usually reccomend bringing 3 of your strongest sound to CCG runs with intent not to use them even if your outta other gags("you should pass"). Theres no way to know you'll be able to convince the others not to use sound. Given the low amount of damage all sound gags except the foghorn do, tacking on a bugle or higher may extend the kill range of the combined sound a level or two. Obviously if its clear that it wont kill anything extra, use another gag to kill something or toonup instead. Red cogs hit back just as hard as orange ones. I wouldnt even consider bringing whistles and bike horns to VP tho. When I first get sound I TP to toontown central and dont leave TTC till sound is at least lvl 3.

3) On my ubers/hi laffs I bring lots of lure and all of the $10 since that is something that the CCG uses frequently. Also agree that lure below level 3 ($5) sholuld not be used unless no other toons have it.

Lure is another one of those gags that I jump to TTC and work up to lvl 3 before leaving. Well, truthfully I try to do that with all my gag tracks except TU. I usually stop at lvl 2 there but should go to 3 with that too. Anyway, lure has been giving me the most trouble deciding on packing my uber's bags lately. One only carrys 40 gags and the other 50. Although 10's offer greater accuracy and holding power, if the side doesnt have enough group lures then defeat is almost certain. I usually pack my goggles and 5 or 6 blue mags. My 50gag toon also brings 2 or 3 10's.

My ubers:

Strangely Brown (40gag bag)
------------------------------------------
Toonup 0 0 0 5 3 -
Trap ------
Lure 0 0 0 5 0 3
Sound ------
Throw 0 0 0 3 7 3
Squirt 0 0 0 1 7 3
Drop ------

Clarence Feathernugget (50gag bag)
------------------------------------------
Toonup 0 0 5 5 - -
Trap ------
Lure 0 0 0 6 2 3
Sound 0 0 0 0 3 -
Throw 0 0 0 4 7 3
Squirt 0 0 0 2 7 3
Drop ------

The 50gag toon sometimes swaps a blue mag for an extra 10 or a squirt gag for an extra pie or a single aooga.

My 80 gag toons
------------------------------------------
Toonup 0 0 0 10 7 3
Trap ------
Lure 0 0 0 10 7 3
Sound 0 0 0 0 7 3
Throw 0 0 0 4 7 3
Squirt 0 0 0 2 7 3
Drop 0 0 0 0 1 3

My 1 trap toon carrys 7 traps(doors/tnt) and a little less TU and Sound.

[Sheriff_Trixie]

Originally Posted by Bongo M. Monkey

.... I don't use trap in VP unless I am absolutely positive it will take out the cog, and even then I most likely won't use it because that's taking a chance on the lure working. I'd rather pick a gag that WILL take out a cog, whether lure works or not. I usually only carry smaller traps because I can but not necessarily to use it.

Like you, I rarely used traps in VP before because I couldn't kill the cog by myself. The ccg's strategy of "Let's all go for the same cog!" changed my mind. Now I trap the new one coming in (who is usually a higher level than those already in the battle) and say "Can you help me?".

This especially works great in the first round when you have a bunch of lured level 1's. Leave them standing as long as possible. Even if they wake up, they don't do any real damage and can easily be lured again. It's not as effective against the skeles, however. I think with them it's better to go for the biggest guys first before they wake up and cream the low laff toons!

[Deputy Monty]

Originally Posted by Sheriff_Trixie

Like you, I rarely used traps in VP before because I couldn't kill the cog by myself. The ccg's strategy of "Let's all go for the same cog!" changed my mind. Now I trap the new one coming in (who is usually a higher level than those already in the battle) and say "Can you help me?".

This especially works great in the first round when you have a bunch of lured level 1's. Leave them standing as long as possible. Even if they wake up, they don't do any real damage and can easily be lured again. It's not as effective against the skeles, however. I think with them it's better to go for the biggest guys first before they wake up and cream the low laff toons!

Trapping the "new" cog that enters is only a good choice when no cogs are lured. Trapping new cogs means you are constantly working on the "new meat" while the old cogs, not attacked, wake up.

If someone takes out the "old" cog and the "new cog" you are then faced with two fresh cogs coming in and have to use the less accurate and shorter lasting blue magnet to lure them in, or use your goggles. Goggle supply would quickly be depleted doing this.

The use of goggles first...then using the $10 to lure in new cogs allows the cogs to remain lured longer while you work on the ones closest to waking up. This protects the low laffers among you. If you have an ultra low laffer -- Violet Bagel for instance, you cannot risk being hit by more than one big cog so it is very important to keep the cogs lured.

In fact, when low laffers are with us we often leave the very low level cogs until the very end of the round. That allows us to just work on one big cog at a time...a much safer strategy.

[SLPedalhopper]

Originally Posted by Sheriff_Trixie

This especially works great in the first round when you have a bunch of lured level 1's. Leave them standing as long as possible. Even if they wake up, they don't do any real damage and can easily be lured again.

Originally Posted by Deputy Monty

In fact, when low laffers are with us we often leave the very low level cogs until the very end of the round. That allows us to just work on one big cog at a time...a much safer strategy.

It's probably worth mentioning that he specifically refered to this situation with 1 big (new) cog and 3 unimportant little cogs. When using the "kill largest cog only" strategy in round 1 its probably not too bad to trap the new one each time. If the traps are weak it means the rest have to use bigger gags to finish the cog tho since they wont get lure bonus on their gags.

There may also be an accuracy issue but its not cut and dry. Trap means the cog wont be lured when the followup gags hit but it will be stunned from the trap. On the other hand lure w/o trap has a lower chance of working but the followup gags always hit when it works. When it doesnt work the gags are attacking and unlured/unstunned cog so I cant really say which would be better from an accuracy standpoint.

Of course he mentioned trapping at other times too which can create problems with cogs waking up which would be bad. Just noticing you both refered to the same round 1 strategy.

[Ratsoshmatso]

Here is what Bufords gag bag consists of 98% of the time.
I try to keep as many restock sos cards on hand as often as possible just in case running low is an issue. Say if we are on a run where we do tend to use sound more often than I am stocked for, (which, BTW happened the other day) that card would come in handy.
If I have a restock toonup card I may bring slightly less in my bag, knowing that if needed I can call on one of my cards.

Toonup 0 0 0 5 5 3
Trap - - - - 2 2
Lure 0 0 0 6 6 3
Sound - - - - 2 3
Throw 0 0 0 2 7 3
Squirt 0 0 0 1 7 3
Drop ------

I apply the same sos toon "rules" to my high laffer as well.
Furball's gag bag looks like this...

Toonup - - 1 6 7 3
Trap - - - 4 2
Lure - - - 10 7 3
Sound - - - - 7 3
Throw - - - 4 7 3
Squirt - - - 3 7 3
Drop - - - - - -

[Sheriff_Trixie]

Originally Posted by Deputy Monty

... In fact, when low laffers are with us we often leave the very low level cogs until the very end of the round. That allows us to just work on one big cog at a time...a much safer strategy.

That's exactly what I said. In the first round, leave the level 1 cogs standing as long as possible. Even if they wake up they do very little damage. It's different with the skelecogs.

The first time I went with the ccg, I took out one of the Level ones with a glass of water and was reprimanded by a more experienced ccg member. Whenever a higher level cog came out, that toon started saying "I think you should use Trap" , and that seems to make sense (in the first round).

[Deputy Monty]

Originally Posted by Sheriff_Trixie

That's exactly what I said. In the first round, leave the level 1 cogs standing as long as possible. Even if they wake up they do very little damage. It's different with the skelecogs.

The first time I went with the ccg, I took out one of the Level ones with a glass of water and was reprimanded by a more experienced ccg member. Whenever a higher level cog came out, that toon started saying "I think you should use Trap" , and that seems to make sense (in the first round).

Yes you did say that and it bears repeating as so many get eager to get those little buggers out of the way.

Sometimes, as I respond I am envisioning too many VP's where someone lays the trap out for the new cog. The statement you made about trapping the new cog made me want to make sure everyone was quite clear about the strategy invovled. Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest you were doing otherwise. We've played together many times and I know you have the strategy down.

[Cog's Fear]

my idea for vp gags:
1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:
t-up: 6 7 3
trap (7 2)
lure: 6 5 3
sound: 3 4 3
throw: 8 7 3
squirt: 7 7 3
drop: (2 3)

total:80