by voovits » Tue May 19, 2009 6:12 pm
Most people don't like the mystery card game because it requires actual work on the managers part once the season starts.
The ATG or 200X games are mindless once the season starts. You create your roster pre-season, set your lineups and set all your other settings to give you the illusion that you actually have control over your team, and once the season starts, you can forget about further managing, and just see how they did.
I my 2 most recent (and probably last) ATG games I played, I did not make 1 managerial move once the season started. It got so boring to the point where I didn't even check the scores every day like I do with my mystery card teams. I only started to get interested in checking the scores again when the season started coming to a close and I was in a close playoff race.
If your team starts off slowly, forget about having any significant chance of turning things around with roster moves because you're guaranteed to get a lesser player if you drop guys during the season.
The mystery card game requires you to manage almost daily. You have to keep a close eye on the stats and analyze the game results and the L/R splits to see how your players are doing. You must them come to a conclusion as to whether you're going to keep or drop your players. In the mystery game, if you start off slow, your free agent moves have a much better chance to put you back in the race because you just very well may hit lightning in a bottle.
Also, if you're in first place, that's no reason to just sit on your roster, because while others are making moves to possibly improve, you could suddenly find yourself out of first and in trouble. You may want to risk getting rid of that average performing pitcher and take a chance you may get someone better. You have to make the moves to keep you in first or else you WILL get passed during the season.
I guess perhaps some people don't like to manage their team, or perhaps people just find it too hard, but if you're looking for a real challenge, the mystery card is the way to go.