Fizzer, could you please post updated overall usage of colours by ladder participants? Small usage could explain bigger deviation (a while back you posted total colour usage by percent throughout the whole community).

If you have to change colour, does your win or loss count for your regular colour or your temporary colour?

Here are the number of ladder games that have been played by each color.

7355 Red
5878 Blue
5737 Gray
5556 Green
4446 Aqua
4150 Dark Green
3988 Yellow
3985 Purple
3183 Dark Magenta
3076 Teal
2668 Lime
2659 Ivory
2398 Orange
2357 Orange Red
1923 Tan
1743 Electric Purple
1723 Deep Pink
1640 Light Blue
1628 Hot Pink
1533 Brown
1489 Orchid
1457 Copper Rose
1439 Saddle Brown
921 Sea Green

Now this is interesting. The win % discrepancy is quite large given the sample size suggesting there is more to it than chance. I have two hypotheses:

1) Deep Pink etc are somehow more intimidating than purple causing weak/scared moves from opponents and early surrenders; or
2) Deep Pink etc are colours more likely to be chosen by better/more intelligent players.

Thoughts?

My winning percentage based on color:

Purple: 100%

This is clear evidence that purple is a superior color.

@Bombs

I personally believe the reason is that the people who win more in the ladder are similar somehow, so they tend to pick the same colors (yours #2).

Also I find it funny that Sea green have exactly 50% over 921 games 0_0, while all the other numbers are whit a lot of decimals.

Sorry for the double post, but I forgot to add:

Red,which is the most played color (by far) is placed in the middle of all the colors(number 12 winning, if I counted correct:p), indicating to me that it`s so usually to pick, that the idea^^ don`t apply for that color because it`s evened out. (or simply ppl who pick red score in the middle on avg)

Also I find it funny that Sea green have exactly 50% over 921 games

I think that's just because I ran the queries a few hours apart, so a game finished in between.

7355 Red
5878 Blue
5737 Gray
5556 Green
4446 Aqua
4150 Dark Green
3988 Yellow
3985 Purple
3183 Dark Magenta
3076 Teal
2668 Lime
2659 Ivory
2398 Orange
2357 Orange Red
1923 Tan
1743 Electric Purple
1723 Deep Pink
1640 Light Blue
1628 Hot Pink
1533 Brown
1489 Orchid
1457 Copper Rose
1439 Saddle Brown
921 Sea Green

That sea green number makes me want to change to it... I will right now. But dark green and teal are also my favorites.

2) Deep Pink etc are colours more likely to be chosen by better/more intelligent players.

Aqua is the color of champions, you people losing need to stop using it :).

I have a sneaking suspicion results for ivory are skewed somewhat by the fact that it is sometimes not noticed - I know I have lost a game by missing it on a 'round the back' border from Hawaii.

Or perhaps more intelligent players (or ones that try harder to improve there win rate) have noticed this potential and have switched to ivory in an attempt to gain a small advantage.

actually i would say that probably blue si the best color, as it is the second most used color and the 5th with most victories. It is the only one which can balance up even with the lower players in there

and could all the non.members stop saying "I"... "in my case" and dumb things like those.... this is about LADDER games, u dont count!

Well to support wargun I know I have also been put at certain disadvantage when not spotting ivory occasionally. Although funnily enough they don't know you haven't seen them so assume you will make the correct counter and play accordingly...but because you haven't seen them you do something weird that can suprise them.

Anyone care to do a statistical analysis on these results, see if they stand up to scrutiny? I am not sure which test would be suitable for this type of data. I have seen articles which refer to red being the optimal colour for physical sports - something to do with a tribal intimidation factor and visibility (especially for team sports). I know there is one about the english football league.

I do think it is more likely to be some psychological characteristic of naturally good players to choose the colours ranked higher.

Also nice one to the non british using british english colour. Hold on to it.

Why is electric purple last
1)Are less worse/less intelligent players more likely to choose it?
2)Or are more intelligent more likely to choose more popular colours or another preference?
Come on electric purple!!!

the thing is that
"Yellow 43.3985944%

Electric Purple 41.8484501%"

are quite bellow others.... no doubt it must mean something

Ivory is not a colour :-P

Looks like I'm changing to Electric Purple.

Blue isnt first? What are shame!