when you top the plant or find some way to increase your yield, does that decrease the potency of the bud because there's so much more?
topping is used to help with highth control as well,i have grown side by side untopped and toppped the yield still is realitively the same on the top plant you have more colas of smaller size.
My understanding is that the potency of bud will not be affected by topping (everything else being equal). Yield may increase slightly, but main benefit is a shorter plant with more colas. I would look into FIMing and LSTing which have both been shown to increase yield (especially when used together). They also have the benefit of height control and producing bushy plants. All training methods and topping should not noticeably affect potency if they are done correctly...i.e. not causing undue stress on the plant.