Defense Up

[MeTaGross]

I just wanted to know why people stack defense up. I understand chargers stacking attack up, but I see no use for people stacking defense. Does defense up have an actual, noticeable benefit?

 

[NotAPerso]

Combating damage stacking Chargers is the most obvious benefit. Many people don't "see the use" because the affects are less apparent and in some scenarios it's unclear if the extra defense really saved the person also the amount of stacking required to make defense effective is a major deterrent. As for noticable benefit, you'll most notice surviving Chargers with partial charge shots but in other situations it may be harder to notice. Also, if you're super close range the extra hit (if you've stacked enough defense to survive an extra hit) usually doesn't matter so you'll only benefit if you're playing at the edge of your enemy's range.

For a more thorough breakdown I have previously posted my thoughts on defense here

 

[MeTaGross]

Okay, but why is it .96 decos the most? Is it because they have enough range to use it?

 

[NotAPerso]

I think part of the initial growth of the defense ability was due to a popular Japanese pro player, and then many players bandwagoned as they noticed the rise in popularity.

Aside from popularity there are a few things that are required for a weapon to be able to use a defense build effectively and .96 gal Deco checks off all the points.
1. Range to out space other weapons and effectively engage Chargers.
2. Not heavily reliant on specific abilities. Defense requires half of a build or greater to be effective.
3. In action enough to be shot at often and would benefit from extra time obtained by surviving extra shots.

Most other weapons aren't able to fit into those categories. (I've been using Slosher Deco recently and it works nicely with defense as well but I've never seen another Slosher Deco run with a defense build.)

 

[Aristeia]

Just figured I'd drop this super-informative video here to answer some of your questions...

 

[MeTaGross]

I understand all the basics, but I just didn't know why so many people did it.

 

[Blue24]

When u have .52s and tentateks dancing around u with mobiltiy abilities, the def makes a difference.

In situations that i should lose outright i am more likely to take someone out with me.