Let's Talk Props

SicelaLuna

TLDR: Some props are outdated. Good ones are too rare. Adding more makes the game more fun and feels more like a real wrestling match.

I've looked through most of the discussions and suggestions on here so far. One topic I haven't really seen discussed in depth is the current state of the props in the game. In a way I feel as if they've almost been forgotten. Let's look at some of the options we've got right now:

-Back Support, Power of Positivity, Built in a Day: These are all but useless in the current game. I could see EXTREMELY limited use for wrestlers that already use the specific type of gems involved, but you would also need a move to increase their strength for them to be useful. In the early days of the game, these props were a good way to make a wrestler more multi-functional or use a little strategy to give a lower talent wrestler an edge. Now they just take up space.

-Lie, Cheat, Steal variants: Once again, in the current 5ss meta, a prop that is a one time steal for 20k, 50k, even 100k isn't much of a game changer. I could see maybe using them to steal the last little bit of an opponents health to move the pin bar further in Danger. Otherwise their effect seems minimal as a whole.

-Bizarre Fragrance / Fuji Special: I've tried using Bizarre Fragrance before, and the specific gem colors needed along with the reliance on RNG make these basically just a dice roll. I see them as a last resort similar to TUF or Acro Eddie's board shuffle moves. Obviously Fuji Special shuffles as well, which could cause a huge cascade or could cause nothing. Regardless, not really reliable enough to really be worth the slot.

-Million Dollar Bribe Variants: Another RNG heavy prop. Most times I use the normal variant aren't really helpful. Most times I use the higher-generating variant, I just get accidental early pins that do next to no damage and waste a turn. For someone like Godfather or MDM they have limited use, but otherwise fairly worthless. I suppose they could be good for farming but who would use a prop just for that?

-Seek and Destroy, Rebuild and Destroy, Bring the Hammer: No issues with these. They're pretty straightforward, if not a little OP with someone like Keith Lee that's already OP to begin with. Not much else to comment.

-Show of Hart/Shango Curse/MP Thief: Obviously these are game changers and basically shift the course of the match at will. MP Thief is a little harder to put to good use because you have to specifically match with similar MP wrestlers but all in all some fairly solid choices. One downside it that there are more and more wrestlers (looking at you Socko) that have 1MP moves which all but negate Shango/MP Thief.

-Isolation/Hot Tag: Fairly Straightforward but obviously only useful during SD. Never really had much of a need to use either.

-Marching Orders: Adding a Blast Gem is always good but now that there are skill plates that do this anyway, it's not quite as useful. I'm not sure it's even available anymore? A decent option if you've got someone with choose moves to max its effect.

I think that's all of them. As you can see, most are fairly hard to use effectively or are outdated to the point that they aren't very useful. Additionally, now that there's no great way to get them except for real $$$ (DX Army included) and sometimes prize walls, it's harder and harder to justify using them unless absolutely necessary.

So here's where the real life aspect comes in (if you're even still reading). Anyone that is a wrestling fan knows that wrestling is all about pulling those sneaky tricks. Grabbing that chair from under the ring. Distracting the ref at just the right moment. Using the ethically ambiguous yet highly effective moves that aren't quite legal. That's just what makes pro wrestling feel like pro wrestling.

By limiting props so heavily, the authenticity of a WWE Champions match just doesn't feel like real wrestling. Yeah, I get it, it's a gem-matching game. But it should still feeling like I'm watching a real match in the squared circle with all the excitement, surprise, and tricks. Why not make props easier to get so that they can be used in more than just the every-once-in-a-special-situation frequency? Let's make a wrestling game actually feel like wrestling again!