After a Deadlock Patch I Run Two Games on the Old Plan First
When a Deadlock update arrives, my first instinct is to open the notes, write a new build, and queue immediately. I have done it many times, and it has almost always cost me the first few matches. The new build looks sharp on paper, but I do not yet know which part of it works and which part only feels fresh.
These days I run two games on the old plan before I change anything. It feels like a waste, and it is not.
Why the old plan first
Those two games give me a baseline. I learn how my usual timings behave in the new version of the game. If my escape feels slower, or a fight I normally win goes the other way, I now have a concrete thing to investigate. Without the baseline, every strange moment could be blamed on the update.
Deadlock screenshot — © Valve, official Steam store page.
What I write down
Two short notes after each game:
• What felt faster than before?
• What punished me harder than before?
Nothing else. If a game gives me no answer to either question, I write "same" and move on. Most evenings that is what I write.
Then, one change
After the two games I allow myself exactly one change. A single timing, a single purchase order, a single route through the map. I play two more games and compare. If I change three things, I will credit the wrong one.
A calm read at the end
I read the longer guides only after my own notes exist. Reading first means I search for confirmation of what I already believe. Reading after means I can check whether someone else saw the same pattern.
This rhythm comes from a short post I keep bookmarked, three habits that keep you calm after a Deadlock patch. I changed the numbers a little, but the structure is the same: protect the exit, change one thing, read later.