I think Buttle is making a mistake by attempting the quad (9.0 base value) in place of the 3f3t (9.5), which has been so consistent for him. If he goes for the quad, he should put it in without taking out other valuable elements, otherwise he is only adding .5 points to his base value. Johnny Weir choreographed a place for the quad in his opening where he has been doing a 3t(4.0) all season, so if he adds the quad he will add 5 points of base value. So far, Buttle and Weir have been vague about whether they are trying to add a 4t or a 4t3t(13.0). In this article Buttle says he is trying the combination, so in place of the flip combo he could add 4 points. I'm not sure if Johnny is practicinga combo, but in the 4CC clip, Evan was practicing the quad by itself. I think Johnny's advantage is that he has been very consistent on the 3a3t(11.5) and Buttle has been inconsistent on his triple axels. As for Sandhu's prediction that it will take a quad to medal, that is wishful speculation on his part that (1) he will actually land his quads and other jumps and (2) his other elements and choreography will be good enough to outscore Buttle and Weir's PCS, which have been great so far this year.[Buttle] said he doesn't try many quads each day because of the high risk of injury. But if he tries four or five, he stands up on about one or two. One of his plans is to go for the quad combination as his first element of the long program. If he decides not to, the combination will be the easier triple flip and triple toe loop, which he's been doing all season.
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"Obviously, I know I would be much stronger with it, but it's all about strategy," he said. "Is it worth taking the risk? A half decent triple flip, triple toe would be worth more than me stepping out of a quad toe. It's all about how I'm feeling that day."