Round 1

[Crazy Hand]

Feb 10, 2022 23:14:41 GMT 10 Crazy Hand said:

lol Yoshi is 100% committing to this idea, even if it risks being a tragic premerge boot again

Feb 10, 2022 23:30:35 GMT 10 Yoshi said:

Wow, today was stressful. I thought that I had an extra hour to send the DMs for the eggs but I didn't so I rushed to finish them and then when half of them didn't send I had to make sure I got the Ring pick just so I could message everyone still.

It's a very interesting strategy though. Not locking yourself in too early and still getting to message everyone (albeit missing out on group chats) and figuring out where you might be more suited

[Sandbag]

My god. Ike is on the WRONG team lololol.


Stay safe.

[Tabuu]

Feb 10, 2022 18:33:11 GMT 10 Master Hand said:

I gather that Dark Pit is always very strong in this way (he was in Ghibli for sure), and I vaguely remember reading the same about Pyra & Mythra? Someone who knows better can confirm that. I'd say those are the highest tier.

Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Wii Fit Trainer, Wario and King K Rool are all making their debuts outside Australian Survivor. All had good challenge resumes on debut, however they're even less known quantities than Yoshi, Marth, Squirtle and Piranha Plant are. King K. Rool's debut was over four years ago too. Wii Fit Trainer and Donkey Kong are the two in this six who had multiple individual wins in AS, so if that holds it'd bode well for them.

Just to comment on these real quick since I know about these three things: As you mentioned, Dark Pit and Pyra/Mythra are def some of the best challenge competitors I've seen, would be shocked if they lose premerge.

King K Rool I don't think has played many forum games outside AusStranded, but this def isn't his debut lol I played with him in ITB: Hawaii where he was Spencer (his account was Ramjet on orgy, I assume the name used on this board is his real name or something? idk lol) and was final juror, he was fine in challenges there but nothing amazing, great social game tho.

[Tabuu]

We're smashing

Green Team is definitely going to be in a difficult position very early on, very bad decision for them to all jump to the same team like that in an Arena format. They're going to become chaotic sooner rather than later. Dark Pit already doesn't care for the people he may be allied with, but I think Wario and Dedede will have control over the early stages of this tribe for sure. And then there's also Kazuya, who seems pretty linked with them too. Link, K Rool and Piranha Plant all are here and are active, but I can see them being in a difficult spot if they're not able to break into this pre-tribe core or sway them to at least vote out Dark Pit (or Dark Pit to vote them all out).

I get the feeling that with such an active crew, people are going to be afraid to join them and they'll end up getting picked off a bit or revolving door anyone foolish enough to join them.

Between this group I can definitely see a Piranha Plant first boot and going to another tribe, he has the challenge strength for it. K Rool is probably rusty, but he's got the social knack to be able to get in with the crowd if he can get into that zone. Link is a bit of an enigma for me right now, can see him going any way here.

Blue Team is cute, but lacking real chemistry from what I've seen. Captain Falcon is going to run this tribe imo. Richter is also sitting pretty and seems to be getting along great with people, and I feel like Falco will probably do the same. Personally I would probably hate Squirtle's shtick if I were playing? But I feel like he's gonna be able to use it in a way where he'll be lovable anyway Pyra and Mythra will also likely be able to navigate this tribe well enough since their shtick is instantly recognisable (though Duck Hunt Duo did the same thing rip).

Ike is a full noob, and I do worry for him here It's a hard format to play in a first game for sure, and Green is likely gonna send in someone that is good at challenges based on how good they all are, so maybe he'll be fine but idk. Marth may be in a similar lower state here, but he has the experience to navigate it and was at least a bit active last night, there's time over the weekend. Gut feeling is that Ike will quickly be overwhelmed and duel until he is booted sadly.

Red Team is a collection of fodder and players who were too late to join the other tribes before they started to fill Mario has yet to show up, but it's still the first 24 hours so there's time. I feel like he might be underestimating how much effort people will put into this game though based on how, uh... lax some premerge players were in Vietnam, let's say. Isabelle posting in her confessional about 30 mins ago is a good sign that she'll be active, so that's good at least!

DK seems like he'll have difficulty connecting with the shticks lol, which will absolutely hurt him here but I am hoping he'll warm up to DHD's shtick over time.

Robin, Wii Fit Trainer and Samus feel like an inevitable trio to run this tribe, and probably DHD will join them too. The four of them seem like they're on a level above the others right now. I'm really glad to see it from WTF specifically, I feel like if they can get the social game down here then they do have a lot of potential to go far with how well they were at challenges in Vietnam too. This tribe will have muniteers join them and I don't think the main three will ever find trouble here.

Yoshi Team We support our egg laying king! I feel like he will know not to join Green based on the activity, and will either go to Red for some time to navigate things with easy boots, or to Blue since it's a bit riskier but has more likely strong connections.

Looking forward to seeing this game unfold!

[Masahiro Sakurai]

So a bit of confusion with people expecting there to be a round tonight, which I find kind of funny since who ever thinks a round is on Friday night? Wario has created group chats with everyone not named Piranha Plant now, which is telling, but also something that I can see coming back to bite pretty hard later on. His allies have a ton of dirt on him and Dark Pit isn't necessarily even all that fond of him.

Not a lot of other developments tonight, though it has been nice to see the Blue Team develop a bit more over the past day.

[Sandbag]

I wonder if the general anti human sentiment building among certain people will carry into future phases.

DK and Duck Hunt seem primed to have a more enjoyable time with players from Green.

I predict, overall, it will be a Blue vs Green season with Red splitting the difference and being kingmakers.

Ultimately Blue will probably win due to having the more social attitudes overall but I think Green's sentiment and playstyle actually has greater numbers at the outset. I doubt that'll hold once we hit swap/merge but Im curious to see how it plays.

[Master Hand]

Going to try and have a blogging presence beyond Discord by presenting the following titles out each round, collectively known as:

~THE MASTER FINGERS~

DISCLAIMER: Note that I am not being ableist or a human supremacist in going with five fingers, I am simply using my own fingers to categorise these Any concerns or issues can be resolved through PM here. Our awarded titles are:

The Thumb - I'll award this to the player who is sticking out like a sore thumb, as the saying goes. This is unusually a negative for the awardee's standing in the game, even if their successes are why they are receiving outsize attention.

The Index Finger - I'll award this to a player who showed hella HBIC qualities, taking control of a vote or otherwise displaying their POWER in the game. We use the index finger for pointing and poking and so many other displays of aggression. So many of my most iconic moves in all Smash games fit this description

The Middle Finger - Sometimes players do rude and misguided things in games, and you best believe I'll be here to call them out on their indiscretions. Everything can be taken seriously in ORGs, so let it be known these seemingly minor slights are in fact downright criminal behaviour

The Ring Finger - I'll actually award two of these This finger is associated with relationships and weddings, so I'll acknowledge a bond between two players that stood out to me.

The Pinky - This could be a bunch of things, but I'm choosing to focus on someone who might not otherwise be standing out yet is nevertheless playing their hand well.

The winners of the opening weekend are:

THE THUMB



Yoshi, bless his heart, entered the game with an unorthodox strategy whereby he would allocate eggs to other players and use the preferences of those players alone to determine his voting decisions. He then took the offer to immediately enter The Ring, being immune from the opening vote while also not joining any tribe until the second round of play. A bunch of the other Smashers were very dubious of Yoshi's motives and wondered if there were nefarious intentions behind his strategy. We know that Yoshi is sincere in his approach, however the way he has approached conversations with others and openly shared information across tribes has created an unfavourable dynamic for him no matter which tribe he joins. I think Red and Green would revolving door him if he is on either one, Blue I would expect the veterans there to give him a round at least. There's still time to rebound but I worry this first impression may be hard to overcome. We'll see if he manages it.

THE INDEX FINGER



Now this is not necessarily an endorsement of the moves Wario has been making, because I think the long-term value of the setup he's created is not ideal and may even create short-term headaches, but Wario undeniably asserted himself in the opening 24 hours and got an absurd number of people to join a team that was already far fuller than the others. He's found the Green Team's Smash Ball, he's created multiple group message chains, and generally been unafraid to discuss strategic matters or draw lines where he feels they need to be drawn. For now it seems like players like Dark Pit and King Dedede have to hold back on their natural instincts because of how Wario is handling things. However it works out for him he won't be holding back at any time.

THE MIDDLE FINGER



While it is certainly true that several players were offended on Squirtle's behalf by Mario's attitude towards Squirtle, it should be noted that Squirtle is the one who gets this award instead! Regrettably, among all the various GIFs that Squirtle is using are several that depict May's Squirtle rather than Ash's Squirtle and as anyone who watched the anime 17 years or so ago knows, I can't support that I'm sure there's a Proboards Terms of Service violation for doing so somewhere but I'll give Squirtle time to make things right before making such a report.

THE RING FINGER



To me this was the duo that has stood out the most so far. They agreed to select a team together and settled on Red after seeing Green get filled as quickly as it was. More than anything, knowing the players behind the avatars as I do, I think they compliment each other really well and should be able to bring out the best in each other. Duck Hunt is affable and friendly but also tends towards deliberate overplaying, which is the sort of energy Wii Fit Trainer should be able to redirect into more structured, sensible schemes. Wii Fit Trainer is also naturally strong in challenges where Duck Hunt naturally struggles, so being able to cover each other in that regard is also ideal.

THE PINKY



So far I've been quietly impressed by Samus and her approach to the game. She's adopted a persona that is likable and easy-going, and as long as she can keep that going I think she's creating a good base for her to navigate through. Robin definitely likes her the most of the Red Team. She also has been included in the talks of a four with Duck Hunt and Wii Fit Trainer. I don't necessarily see that four holding, but if it goes astray I'd be surprised if that backfired on Samus. The last time I watched Samus play she was doing similarly well before illness disrupted her time playing, so I would love it if she got to make things right this time.

[Sandbag]

Get well soon Samus

[Wario]

Look at you guys criticizing me with all the allies and group chats on green... You know nothing!