Thursday, May 5, 2016

KICK Stats

Our final article for stats looks at the KICK stat, simultaneously an incredibly boring and a very intriguing stat.




WHOLE GAME
 


KICK

1/4"
16
1/6"
7
1/8"
1
2/4"
2
2/6"
18
2/8"
3
3/4"
1
3/6"
28
3/8"
9
4/4"
1
4/6"
9
4/8"
5






KICK DIE

1
24
2
23
3
38
4
15











KICK  X”

4”
20
6”
62
8”
18
 

 

 Needless to say, the spread of KICK stats is pretty straight forward - 3/6" is the average median kick stat for all intents and purposes. The mean comes out to 2.44/5.96" when the data is separated between KICK die and KICK distance. Riveting stuff.

A high KICK die usually means the team is good at passing the ball, whereas a high KICK distance score means a team is better at getting the ball to the goal post.

Note that with a very low number spread (only 3 possible KICK distance values, for example), skew is apparent.

There are a few interesting outliers in the data though:

  • Unique stats: Tenderizer is the only 1/8", Hearne is the only 3/4", and Greede is the only 4"/4". Tenderizer essentially has access to the Butchers' version of Long Bomb, Hearne has a short KICK distance to keep his Nature's Blessing teleport under control, and Greede has tiny little legs despite being a pretty skilled footballer.
  • Every player in the 1/6" category is a medium based brawler from Season 1.
  • vKatalyst is the only non-mascot in the 1/4" bracket.
  • Fish have two 4/8" kickers #FishOP

Captains and Mascots


 



The ever popular Captain and Mascot category.  While Captains are reasonably representative of the game (ever so slightly above average), Mascots are again decidedly crappy and heavily stacked in the worst available KICK stat of 1/4".

Obulus and vetRage are the worst kickers on the captain side of things with 2/6", which is the same as the best mascot (Tentacles, at 2/6", slightly cut from the above image). Turns out the best ball playing animals are non-otter sea creatures.
Note also Mainspring has Super Kick, so he is potentially 2/6" as well.


 KICK stats by Guild





KICK die means:


Butchers
Masons
Morticians
Hunters
Union
Brewers
Alchemists
Fishermen
Engineers
2.09
2.18
2.18
2.25
2.33
2.46
2.46
2.72
3.27



KICK distance means:


Hunters
Union
Morticians
Engineers
Masons
Alchemists
Butchers
Brewers
Fishermen
5.5”
5.7”
5.8”
5.8”
6”
6”
6.1”
6.2”
6.4”



This is where things get interesting. Before we delve into this mess, it's worth repeating that the data skews quite easily because of the low number of available kick numbers, especially in the distance department.


  • Alchemists are the first guild up for consideration, bringing with them above average kick accuracy and average kick distances. They are a relatively skilled football team with players like Mercury, Midas, Smoke and Vitriol boosting their numbers up. Having one of the better big guy footballers in Katalyst would help, if his veteran version didn't sink the boat :)
  • I was quite surprised by the Brewers results. While they are generally mediocre in both MOV and defensive stats, they are quite solid in KICK. Their accuracy is slightly above the average, and their kick distance is second best in the game! While these numbers are certainly helped by Veteran Spigot, Football Legend's 4/8" stat, it also displays how powerful drunk Spigot's Football Legend aura is on a team with generally quite solid football stats. If they manage to get upfield, almost anyone in the team can reliably score under Spigot's aura.
    Spigot - what a hero.
  • Butchers are next - and to nobody's surprise they suck at kicking. Where they lack in football technique, they make up for in brute force, having a respectable KICK distance average. All up, capable of scoring goals, but not so great at passing the ball around.
  • Engineers blow everyone out of the water when it comes to KICK dice with an astounding 3.27 mean. They are very skilled football players, even while in combat or playing in a scrum. Their kick distance of 5.8" is just below average, which if anything underlines their need to play football together as a team, and maximize teamwork moves (passes and snapshots!)
  • Fishermen are the undisputed masters of football stats, with the second best accuracy stat (dragged down by Salt and Kraken) and the best KICK distance by a notable margin. Combined with their speed, they can score goals like nobody else.
  • Masons are more or less where'd you'd expect them to be stats wise - average to below average. They have the second worst KICK die stats in the game, but have a few tools to help with that (Hammer's Ball Hog/Heroic, Mallet's aura) and a perfectly average KICK distance of 6". Masons - as exciting as a rock, until they get rolling.
  • Morticians finally get crappy results in a category! As everyone knows, they are not great at kicking. They have no 4/X" kicker (Silence is the only one if Dirge is nearby, and Silence is not someone you want leading the charge), and generally middling results. This is a reason Mist is ever present in Mortician lineups - he can singlehandedly score from almost anywhere somewhat reliably, with little interaction, and makes up for that weakness in the Mortician stable.
  • Union are an average passing team but a below average scoring team, especially under Rage, as Blackheart is a borderline striker.
  • Like their fellow murderers the Butchers, Hunters are not great at football. They are mediocre at passing the ball around, which is enough to get Teamwork dodges (ie. extra threat) going, but in terms of scoring goals are dead last. It's not a team you are looking at getting 3 goals with - 6 TOs or 4 TOs/1 goal is a more realistic game plan.



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