darkSpyro

So, after wave 3, we will have 5 senseis left for 2017-

Ro-Bow
Wild Storm
Blaster-Tron
Tidepool
Grave Clobber

And as we know from the past 2 years, SOMETHING'S probably gonna happen to at least ONE of them. So.. which one do we all think will be shafted?

I have a feeling it's gonna be Grave Clobber. There's already a Water brawler, so activision could totally screw him over.

(I'm gonna pre-order all 5 of these the second they pop up on a foreign amazon so i'm preparing for the worst)

I'm going with Grave Clobber too. The repeat in Element and Battle Class is probably going to be his downfall.

Quote: isaac343018s

I'm going with Grave Clobber too. The repeat in Element and Battle Class is probably going to be his downfall.

Which sucks, since he was my favorite earth villain in TT, and i'd hate to not get his figure

How about none because they could easily fit into wave 4.
Also unreleased figures isn't a wave problem, but rather a sales problem. Anyone remember Kickoff Countdown? HE CAME OUT IN JUNE

Three years later, they're still trying to get rid of Kickoff Countdown.

The only 2 I want from the last 5 are Ro-Bow and Tidepool, so hopefully it's one of the other 3 that is left for wave five.

Tidepool and Grave Clobber are my last senseis after wave 3 and I'm sadly betting on either Blaster-Tron or Ro-Bow.

Quote: GinjaNinja

The only 2 I want from the last 5 are Ro-Bow and Tidepool, so hopefully it's one of the other 3 that is left for wave five.

Is it certain that there'll be a wave 5? Splitting five senseis between two waves seems like it would be spreading things awfully thin.

Darn. The last five include three of the senseis I plan to get, and two of those are for battle classes I want to create but won't have senseis for yet (so I won't be able to unlock the fourth secret technique until I get them).

It'll be really painful if two of my choices are relegated to wave 5. =/

I think it'll be a crystal that's hard to get.

I like all 5 of them

please not blaster tron....

Isn't Pain-Yatta also post Wave 3? We have 19 out now and I believe we have 6 in Wave 3, then 6 after that.

How many wave will be relest?

Seeing Ro-Bow's gameplay, I'm sure he will be the final release. I just don't think the others could fit as well in that position. They all seem like Wave 4.

Quote: defpally

Isn't Pain-Yatta also post Wave 3? We have 19 out now and I believe we have 6 in Wave 3, then 6 after that.

We don't know about a single pack for Pain-Yatta, but there's supposed to be a Pain-Yatta sensei/crystal pack in Wave 3.

I think it will be either Grave Clobber or Wild Storm.

If Tidepool gets a messy wave 5 release......

ask yourself who is going to be the easter variant this year... that normal version will be the hard one to get, like thrilliped.

The yawn? I'll tell ya who's gonna be the yawn: the 3D printed customized of the hole European continent!

Sorry, I'm a bit frustrated with this.

I think it'll be Grave Clobber.

I think the absolute rarest will be Kaos, since I don't see them releasing him after the leftover pre-order bundles.
But aside from that it'll be whoever's coming out in Wave 5.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

ask yourself who is going to be the easter variant this year... that normal version will be the hard one to get, like thrilliped.

I'm hoping they stop that this year. Like really. Let's go back to basics and get original figures only. A previous poster asked if there will be "relists" of characters....well they sell by their own sku...so I'm guessing a store can actually be specific about what to reorder. It might pan out that what gets restocked is what people request....

Quote: AdamGregory03

But aside from that it'll be whoever's coming out in Wave 5.

... The whole point of this thread is "guess which Sensei(s) will be in wave 5."


*****
Quote: TakeYourLemons

I'm hoping they stop that this year. Like really. Let's go back to basics and get original figures only. A previous poster asked if there will be "relists" of characters....well they sell by their own sku...so I'm guessing a store can actually be specific about what to reorder. It might pan out that what gets restocked is what people request....

They have individual SKUs for the Senseis, yes, but they're still shipped from Activision in boxes with pre-set contents.

Quote: McMurderpaws

They have individual SKUs for the Senseis, yes, but they're still shipped from Activision in boxes with pre-set contents.

Oh, I thought the boxes they came in WERE the Sensei boxes (ie the SKU is per Sensei so that meant to me you could re-order that SKU). That's sad if stores can't pick and choose the figures they want/need. Kinda defeats the purpose of separating them out, no?

I'm going with Tidepool.. Just a guess but it has to be a character everyone wants?
everyone wanted the yawn traps and Thrillepede.

People weren't exactly hyped for Thrillipede,l, mostly curious since he was the only multi armed Supercharger, and only collectors cared about Yawn enough to hunt them down - people wanted Sword, Spear, Angel, the cool molds.

Now with this better lineup though, it can only end in sadness. Here's hoping for a complete Wave 4 and no Wave 5 or variant/pointless singles only.

Tidepool is the only Quickshot Master, Grave Clobber and Blaster-Tron are Villians (same idea), and Ro-Bow completes the set of Masters you get with Aurora (1 of every battle class & element). I vote for Wild Storm.

You forgot single pack of Pain-Yatta, since I've yet to see either the Mysticat or Wolgang combo packs.
So I'm thinking Pain-Yatta will be Wave 4, but it will probably be Grave Clobber left behind

a crystal mold

Lots of people are predicting the downfall of grave clobber.

Out of the final 5 I want , , , and . Heh, poor ... forever alone.

At least Grave Clobber fits with Brawler. Chompy Mage should be the villian who gets phased out... his staff is even in the Sorcerer weapons. I don't get it?

TFB usually likes to put the most popular characters in Wave 5, remember Ninjini & Enigma. I think and hope it will be Grave Clobber, but I fear they could also take Tidepool.

Of the last wave, I want them all.
However, I don't get why there are 2 Brawlers of the same element (King Pen and Grave Clobber). I would've made one of them a Quickshot

But then there would be 2 Water Quickshots.

Yeah, usually a best for last, so probably Wild Storm or Tidepool.

Probably it will be one of the crystals rather than a character. If it is a character, then I'd say Grave Clobber as well.

Quote: TakeYourLemons

Quote: CountMoneyBone

ask yourself who is going to be the easter variant this year... that normal version will be the hard one to get, like thrilliped.

I'm hoping they stop that this year. Like really. Let's go back to basics and get original figures only. A previous poster asked if there will be "relists" of characters....well they sell by their own sku...so I'm guessing a store can actually be specific about what to reorder. It might pan out that what gets restocked is what people request....

Well, the 'Packs' page here already lists a Christmas Chompy Mage variant, so... =/


Quote: Bifrost

Here's hoping for a complete Wave 4 and no Wave 5 or variant/pointless singles only.

I was hopeful too, until I looked at the release patterns for the last three games (again, looking at the packs pages here on this site). There has always been a Wave 5.

• Wave 3 - late in the year (usually November)
  
• Wave 4 - usually February
  
• Wave 5 - usually April/May
  

Just please please please don't put Tidepool in Wave 5, Activision. Please. And did I already say 'please'?

Quote: DarkPredator

Probably it will be one of the crystals rather than a character. If it is a character, then I'd say Grave Clobber as well.

Quote: Deja Vu

TFB usually likes to put the most popular characters in Wave 5, remember Ninjini & Enigma. I think and hope it will be Grave Clobber, but I fear they could also take Tidepool.

Quote: AmbushFan

I think it will be either Grave Clobber or Wild Storm.

Quote: ZapNorris

Lots of people are predicting the downfall of grave clobber.

Y U guys h8-n my boi so much?!?!?!?!

Quote: TotalEclipsePro

Quote: DarkPredator

Probably it will be one of the crystals rather than a character. If it is a character, then I'd say Grave Clobber as well.

Quote: Deja Vu

TFB usually likes to put the most popular characters in Wave 5, remember Ninjini & Enigma. I think and hope it will be Grave Clobber, but I fear they could also take Tidepool.

Quote: AmbushFan

I think it will be either Grave Clobber or Wild Storm.

Quote: ZapNorris

Lots of people are predicting the downfall of grave clobber.

Y U guys h8-n my boi so much?!?!?!?!

As cool as a character Grave Clobber is, he is a water brawler, which literally everyone gets already in the starter pack.

Quote: GinjaNinja

Quote: TotalEclipsePro

Quote: DarkPredator

Probably it will be one of the crystals rather than a character. If it is a character, then I'd say Grave Clobber as well.

Quote: Deja Vu

TFB usually likes to put the most popular characters in Wave 5, remember Ninjini & Enigma. I think and hope it will be Grave Clobber, but I fear they could also take Tidepool.

Quote: AmbushFan

I think it will be either Grave Clobber or Wild Storm.

Quote: ZapNorris

Lots of people are predicting the downfall of grave clobber.

Y U guys h8-n my boi so much?!?!?!?!

As cool as a character Grave Clobber is, he is a water brawler, which literally everyone gets already in the starter pack.

Please tell me you could tell I was joking... I actually had a whole rant on how bad Grave Clobber is in Imaginators. It isn't gonna stop me from buying him though, GC was always my favorite villain in TT and I used him the most out of every other villain.

I understand Activision wanting to spread out sales over the course of the year, but the problem with their strategy from what I've seen is that my local shops don't seem interested in stocking the later waves anymore. Sales of the game have dried up and most people have moved on or are waiting for the next game.

Shops don't order wave 5 characters (or very few) = people don't buy the characters = less money for Activision = collectors get ripped off paying over the top prices on eBay.

It might have made sense back in the early games to stretch out the waves but these days I find it hard to believe it's profitable for them. Shops that are still stuck with heaps of Wave 1/2 toys (Torch STT, Dive-Clops SSC etc) are unlikely to want to order in more Skylanders.

^This

Stores don't care about the last remaining character when they still have to sell wave 1 and 2 plus tons of older figures.

Quote: kaosmumishot

I understand Activision wanting to spread out sales over the course of the year, but the problem with their strategy from what I've seen is that my local shops don't seem interested in stocking the later waves anymore. Sales of the game have dried up and most people have moved on or are waiting for the next game.

Shops don't order wave 5 characters (or very few) = people don't buy the characters = less money for Activision = collectors get ripped off paying over the top prices on eBay.

It might have made sense back in the early games to stretch out the waves but these days I find it hard to believe it's profitable for them. Shops that are still stuck with heaps of Wave 1/2 toys (Torch STT, Dive-Clops SSC etc) are unlikely to want to order in more Skylanders.

It's all a balancing act and it's pretty complicated. Produce too many of a single figure, shops get overstocked, lose money, lose interest in ordering other figures in and it goes the way of Disney Infinity. Produce too few, fans get angry, quit and skylanders dies. Release too little variety of figures at one point, people lose interest and don't bother buying later waves, skylanders dies. Release too much variety of figures and people get overwhelmed, give up trying to get everything, skylanders dies.

There've been hiccups over the years but overall the distribution of figures has been handled well or skylanders would be long dead. It will always make sense for them to spread releases out into waves or it will kill the series. The vast majority of their target audience is unwilling/unable to buy every single figure the day the game comes out.

Quote: Zenathil

It's all a balancing act and it's pretty complicated. Produce too many of a single figure, shops get overstocked, lose money, lose interest in ordering other figures in and it goes the way of Disney Infinity. Produce too few, fans get angry, quit and skylanders dies. Release too little variety of figures at one point, people lose interest and don't bother buying later waves, skylanders dies. Release too much variety of figures and people get overwhelmed, give up trying to get everything, skylanders dies.

There've been hiccups over the years but overall the distribution of figures has been handled well or skylanders would be long dead. It will always make sense for them to spread releases out into waves or it will kill the series. The vast majority of their target audience is unwilling/unable to buy every single figure the day the game comes out.

What's strange to me is that this year the only thing they're holding back for future waves is Dark creation crystals. Otherwise, there are senseis of all the battle classes (if you count Chompy Mage, with Flarewolf coming soon) and elements already available, and the same goes for creation crystals (with a limit on the number of Fire crystals at the moment). Usually the release schedules have been a bit more coy than that, I guess in an attempt to reinvigorate interest with each successive wave.

So where do they go from here? What's the carrot on the stick now? People can get a sensei of every battle class and element right now, create (almost) any Imaginator they want, finish the game and never touch it again. It confuses me a bit. Are they counting on variant crystal molds to carry the game's sales going forward?

I was surprised when they released so many senseis at launch. I think they released almost all the crystal elements as that's meant to be the big thing with imaginators so that people can create the characters they want. It looks like they're aiming for the unreleased senseis to carry the sales later in the life cycle of imaginators. It looks like they're going more for how it happened with the first game where you basically had access to all the elements and they just tried to sell people on different characters as time went on.

Well, it's a good experiment. SC tried to keep people waiting for the Vehicle Zones for quite a long time and we know how that went for people without a WiiU.

Quote: isaac343018s

I'm going with Grave Clobber too. The repeat in Element and Battle Class is probably going to be his downfall.

Either downfall or just overstocked...