If you had a choice, what skill would you go for, Cheating Death or Snow Avalanche?
"...In fact, I believe Snow Avalanche is a much BETTER skill than Cheating Death. Here’s why:
When you compare the two skills, Cheating Death appears to be the better skill. Who would argue that a 15% chance for an extra hit is better than a guaranteed extra hit? No one who understands basic math would make that argument. But comparing the two skills in this manner only take into account their face value, not their effect over time. It’s important to remember that most fights are many rounds long and can be repeated.
Snow Avalanche has a 15% chance to cause an extra hit. This is a 1 in 6.66666 chance. If you handed me a six-sided die and bet that I couldn’t roll a one in one try, odds are in your favor I would lose. But if you handed me the same die and bet I couldn’t roll a one in six tries, chances are now even I would win. Even though the odds of rolling a one are the same each time I roll the die, the fact that I have more rolls increases my chance of winning. If you now allowed me to roll that die seven or more times, chances are I’m taking your money.
The same is true with Snow Avalanche. Once a fight passes seven rounds, chances are I will get one extra hit. At this point Snow Avalanche is equivalent to Cheating Death. But what if Snow Avalanche hits twice in those seven rounds? Snow Avalanche has better than 1 in 7 chance for an extra hit in EVERY round. Cheating Death only hits once. If Snow Avalanche hits twice, I’ve done better.
As an example, let’s say I’m having a hard time completing missions. One extra hit can be good in this situation. But what if one extra hit isn’t enough? What if I need two or more extra hits to win. Cheating Death isn’t going to help me here. Snow Avalanche eventually will because this game is repetitive. If I don’t win, I can try again in 30 minutes. Eventually, I WILL get two extra hits and move on. Meanwhile, those struggling to move forward with only one extra hit will continue to struggle.
This isn’t just theory. During the last mission HeroCon I ran Snow Avalanche the entire time and cleaned house. I didn’t win every fight every time, but I eventually ended up clearing every mission at least once. And, as I stated in chat yesterday, I was attacked by a player with +2401 skill points who had Cheating Death equipped, and I won because of the extra hits gained from Snow Avalanche.
Snow Avalanche isn’t going to outperform Cheating Death every time, but because we can repeat events in this game again and again, it eventually will with great results. You, as advisors, are doing players a disservice when you steer them to mediocre skills. I will always choose the opportunity for moments of greatness over consistent mediocrity. So should you."
