Eric: Sagar I haven't read your answer (I'm about to) but I am also wondering why "flip flopping" should be considered a better gameplay than staying loyal. I'm not saying which position I stand for but as a self-proclaimed flip-flopper, I'd like to know your reasons. Ryan, same question but reversed: why should being loyal be considered a better gameplay over flipping?
Answer: For me I wouldn’t necessarily say being a flip-flopper is better than being loyal. In some (actually most) group games, I’m almost always loyal to my original squad believe it or not and I tend to go down with the ship if I end up in minority at any point, which is why 7th is my most common placement in Survivor games. But I feel pretty strongly that you have to adapt to the situation you’re in based on your read of the other players. I really feel like I was able to read players well in this game and understand exactly who was likely to turn on me and at which point in the game. I didn’t necessarily have a TIGHT bond with anyone in my original majority alliance at the merge, so it was easy to tell that I had to flip at some point to avoid getting a throwaway boot like 8th or 6th once they decided they don’t need me anymore. I was told by someone that Mud was coming after me (with screenshots) and to me, letting Mud go at one-day tribes was the smart move because 1) he was coming after me 2) him going moved me up one spot in the majority alliance. Robin was the same situation; he denies it but I was told by multiple people that he was after me as well. At then I turned on Eric the round after (the rationale for which I have already explained) and at that point I figured I had pretty much lied to everyone in the game already and I had to continue doing that to survive. If you can get to the end being loyal, that’s great, but sometimes you’re able to show your adaptability and maneuvering ability by flipping at exactly the right times. I flipped quite a few times but I feel that ALL of those were at EXACTLY the right time, which is a hard thing to nail in this game. So in my opinion, my flips showcase my awareness of this game and of the people around me.