is it time to talk about a mixed tech league?

[cockerpunk]

since i started getting into pump paintball, this is now nearly 20 year ago, i always thought a mixed tech league would be amazing. 5 man, 2 electro, 2 mech, 1 pump. 7 man, 2 electro, 3 mech, 2 pump ... kind of thing.

cause we have progressed, from electro, to pump, and now we are back at mechs. so everyone is fairly versed in all these things again. and i think its time for paintball to embrace mixed tech, at a tournament level.

[Trbo323]

I would love to see this, and it would cause the manufacturers to focus on more than one group of players if they wanted to sponsor a whole team

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[Levi]

Interesting idea. Would be neat to see what tactics evolve in this format. Sounds more interesting to watch than the same old speedball.

If the pump players could shoot first strikes that would further shake things up.

[Trbo323]

Interesting idea. Would be neat to see what tactics evolve in this format. Sounds more interesting to watch than the same old speedball.

If the pump players could shoot first strikes that would further shake things up.

I had an idea along these lines

2mag feed, FS allowed but limited in paint
3 pump
3 mech
2 electro

Bringing back 10man

Pretty much everyone who plays would have someone they could watch

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[Hellion360]

There was a league that played a similar format with assigned roles. My memory of this is hazy as I did not play but some features were:

2 Pump players were in the scout role and could get bonus points for flag capture, smoke allowed?
1 heavy gunner - uncapped full auto allowed and no paint restrictions. Electro markers allowed.
mech players as sort of a general all arounder - paint restrictions on # of pods
1 Sniper with first strikes, limited paint, couldn't capture?

I only know of this second hand. But I like the idea of the combination of roles with trade offs based on equipment.

I recall it was multiple flags/areas to capture. I think three.

[JeepDVLZ45]

I always thought this would make a great tournament in the woods on a BIG field. Never knew something like this actually existed (or used to exist)

[iamthelazerviking]

I remember that the LA Hitmen would do something similar in that old woodsball league. They had a few pump and cocker guys mixed with electros.

[Psycho91]

They would play electro tournaments with nothing but pumps

[Ecapnation]

Locally we did something with a tournament where the guns utilized by the players were assigned a value and the maximum number was like 15
... Iirc pistols pump and mag fed were 1 point mechs were 2 and electric guns were 3

Technically you could have a ten man pump team going up against a 5 man electro squad.

It ran for one event but never got traction

[Trbo323]

Something like this would be too much for refs to keep track of and enforce properly. Especially the part about different types and amounts of paint.

The last NXL event I watched, one of the teams started a point with an extra player on the field. The point started and a minute or so was played before the refs noticed and called the penalty. If something as simple as "each team has 5 players" can get overlooked, imagine what would go overlooked here lol

If the refs can't count to 5o don't see how changing any rule matters. The only change would be count the number of mags each FS player has. If it's a problem just restrict the FS players to pump/lever/bolt action and unlimited paint

Locally we did something with a tournament where the guns utilized by the players were assigned a value and the maximum number was like 15
... Iirc pistols pump and mag fed were 1 point mechs were 2 and electric guns were 3

Technically you could have a ten man pump team going up against a 5 man electro squad.

It ran for one event but never got traction

That's actually pretty interesting way to do it

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[ChuckLove]

It would be cool to see airball, hyperball and a smaller woods field played with 2 Pumps, 2 Mechs and One Electro cap. Obviously you can choose to play with all pump players or less mech/no electro. 2 Pod limit and uncapped semi auto doe the electro player.

[The Inflicted]

One thing to keep in mind is that there is now relatively little performance difference between a 10bps electro and a hopped-up Emek, let alone an RT mag.

While it's not as sexy, maybe the divisions should be between how paintballs are fed into the markers, ie. Forcefeed loaders, stock feeds, etc.

[glaman5266]

I agree with PinnaclePOV. It would be difficult for the refs to monitor at all times, given the speed of the game & already sizeable potential for cheating in major competitions to begin with. As a ref, I wouldn’t want to keep up with all that. I do not see the NXL being willing to try a format like that. There are certain rules & standardizations for tourney ball for many reasons.

However, I can see something like this shaking up the consumer market. More manufacturers may develop new pump guns if a format like this catches on. This would be huge for the pump market, which is pretty much cornered by Inception & CCI. (CCM isn’t a factor in my eyes due to low supply)

I would much like to see a mixed format gain some traction, but I don’t see it becoming a mainstream format.

[Axel]

It's just not gonna happen. Paintball isn't big enough to accommodate all these theoretical micro-divisions. At best these things last a few seasons and then drift away.

[Magmoormaster]

UWL had very similar rules. Kind of a weird tournament.

[iamthelazerviking]

UWL, that's the one I was trying to think of when making my Hitmen comment

[The Hobbit]

One thing to keep in mind is that there is now relatively little performance difference between a 10bps electro and a hopped-up Emek, let alone an RT mag.

While it's not as sexy, maybe the divisions should be between how paintballs are fed into the markers, ie. Forcefeed loaders, stock feeds, etc.

UWL did the hopper restrictions thing back in the day. The only player allowed a force feed was the heavy gunner. Then the other players were non force feed/agitated only. I don’t remember any rules pertaining to the number of pods a player was allowed.

[SignOfZeta]

It's just not gonna happen. Paintball isn't big enough to accommodate all these theoretical micro-divisions. At best these things last a few seasons and then drift away.

If I could play this kind of thing for even a single day I’d be happy. It lasting a few years is honestly way more than I’d hope for. I guess it’s all about expectations.

I’ve had a similar idea for a long time. A sort of “squad” based game. Five players, one electro, two stock, two pumps. Flags on both sides. It wouldn’t sell paint by the semi full though so it’s doomed.