Tonight in a CTF server I debated with some people on whether or not CTF matches played with runes could be as equally skillful as matches without runes. I decided to continue the discussion here.

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Let’s get these things out of the way first:


• Not playing CTF has no bearing on whether or not my opinions are correct. I can still be correct without playing CTF, similar to how someone who isn’t good at math will still be correct if they state ‘2+2=4’.

• Using the argument that ‘pros don’t like them’ or ‘pros don’t use them for a reason’ or ‘if they were good they would be used’, is illogical and simply avoids answering the question at hand. If I ask “why aren’t runes considered competitive?” and you answer “if they were good they would be used” or “pros don’t like them”, that does not answer the question.

• No matter how boring or uninteresting you may think matches with runes are, that does not mean it doesn’t take skill. I find Starcraft 2 boring to watch, but that has no bearing on whether or not what’s occurring takes talent.


The above examples deal with simple ‘fallacies of irrelevant premises’. These include: appealing to…ignorance, popularity, person (ad hominem), and tradition. Look them up if you are unfamiliar with them. I say this not to try to look smart but to avoid flawed and annoying logic.

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I do not argue that CTF with runes is more competitive or requires more skill, but in theory is of equal skill level to CTF games without runes. Some will argue runes make the playing field uneven. This is not true for the reason stated below.

If both teams have access to these runes, the playing field is not uneven. ‘Well’, someone will respond, ‘it makes the game easier for less skilled players’. Firstly, this doesn’t answer the original question. Secondly, by that logic, the higher skilled player will still outperform the less skilled player, because he too has access to these runes. If both the high skilled player and low skilled player have runes, the higher skilled player will come out on top. Let's look at the example below.


Player A spawns in his blue base and picks up doubler.
Player B spawns in his red base and picks up doubler.


They both know the quad damage in the middle of the map will spawn soon, so they rush over to it and begin battling. Player B wins the battle due to his superior aim and thus gains quad damage.

The above fight was completely even and still shows who the better player is (player B). If this fight were to occur while player A (the presumably ‘lesser skilled’ player) had doubler but player B did not, player A would likely win. However, this would not be a case of the playing field being uneven (thus allowing player A to win), it would be a case of player B not utilizing the runes available to him. This leads into the topic of item management (below).

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Like the traditional CTF powerups, how well the runes are controlled and utilized in strategies can determine the outcome of a game. They can be used to defend and to go on offence just like quad and regen. The team which can outperform the other in terms of controlling runes and utilizing their abilities will likely win, as is the case with quad and regen.


One thing which is true is that it is easy for a team to pick up runes. This will be pointed out as rewarding a player for simply spawning in their base. They spawn and pick up a rune which gives them a boost for no effort. When this is contrasted with the effort that goes into obtaining, say, quad damage in a traditional CTF match, it certainly seems like the former takes less skill. However, once again, if you keep in mind the fact that both teams have access to these runes (whether or not accessing them takes skill), the field is once again level, making the fights which occur over powerups and flags, even.

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I'm not sure what else to say. That's it I guess.