Welcome to the November tournament report!
November can be considered an experimental tournament in so many ways, but mainly because it was the first time we have played in a 2v2 format. We also debuted a double elimination bracket, where you must be beaten twice before you get knocked out.
We shall get more onto the 2v2 format later, but for now, let the report commence!
This month was the first time where we had no Fire or Earthbenders competing. Once again, Air was far and away the most popular element, but non-bending has continued its encouraging comeback.
Air - Tofu_, Benfro, Skeleton, Lemur68, Vincebobogunoosh, CheeseSandwich, Creepreeck
Water - EvieAscendant, Porku, Azog
Non-Bending - Sodie_pops, zcvn
Pairs List:
First Round
You're going to have to bear with me here, because this is going to be a tad complicated to write out. For those who don't understand how a double elimination works, there are essentially two brackets, one for winners, one for losers. If you lose on match, you go into the losers bracket, lose in that bracket, and you are out for good. Clear? At least a bit? Good!
Let's start with the winners bracket!
Match one was between Tofu + Porku, and Evie + Benfro. This fight was a bit of a formality for Team Tofu. October Champion, Evie, was knocked out early on, leaving Benfro, a former finalist, to fight them both on his own.
However, there was a slight issue for Team Tofu, an issue named 'Ice Cage'. Whilst attempting, an actually rather clever, combo of Ice Cage and Area Heal, Porku managed to trap Tofu in the ice and suffocate him to death. We call this "Doing a zcvn". Still, it meant that the fight was now 1on1, Porku vs Benfro. In an entertaining and close fight, Porku was able to come out on top.
Match two saw Sodie + zcvn go up against Creepreeck + Azog (or whatever his IGN is now...). The fight was something of a walkover for Team Sodie. Creepreeck and Azog didn't last long at all. Non-bendings surprisingly strong matchup against water was a major factor in the swift defeat of this pair. Turns out that chi blocking is very effective at stopping the healing ability of waterbenders.
Second Round
Due to the odd numbers, two pairs went straight through to the second round. The first of these pairs was Vince + Cheese, who came up against Tofu + Porku. This fight was a classic.
Cheese is taken out by Porku, leaving Vince with a tough battle against a pair of very good fighters, the smart money is on Porku and Tofu at this point. But Vince is able to fight back, taking out Tofu, levelling the match. The Vince and Porku fights have provided great entertainment in past tournaments, and this was no different. It was certainly attritional, but Vince had momentum now. In a twist of fate, he brings Porku down. It was a tight fight, but Vince put in the performance of a lifetime to take victory.
And now, we must turn out attention to the second fight of this round, where Lemur + Skeleton came up against Sodie + zcvn. Have a box of tissues ready, put on the Serge Gainsbourg, and sit back. Because this is less a tale of fighting prowess, but more a tale of romance.
As the fight started, Sodie and Skeleton rushed towards each other, the bloodlust setting in. The pair exchanged blows, hoping for an early knockout that would swing the match in their favour. However, it soon became apparent that it was only those two who were fighting, where were Lemur and zcvn?
With a glance to the corner of the arena, they could be seen. Their eyes were locked together, not in intimidation, but in infatuation. They moved together and locked in an embrace, tears flowing down their cheeks, this was a passion of a different kind, it was love rather than fighting. You could almost hear Lemur whispering in zcvn's ear "I will never let you go...". A better love story than Twilight? You bet it was.
In the middle of the arena, Sodie took down Skeleton. As soon as he did so, Sodie went towards the corner, Lemur had to be the next to go. But he hesitated, had he been taken in by this romance? Lemur looked towards his would be assailant, his eyes aflame, seemingly pleading with him to not take him away from zcvn.
Sodie was stony faced, he looked at the pair of lovers and sighed, raising his sword towards Lemur. "I'm sorry zcvn, there's no other way. It has to end here..." he said, with no hint of remorse. Zcvn looked at his teammate, tears welling up, "Please, Sodie, you can't". Sodie didn't listen, attacking Lemur with little prejudice. Lemur fought hard, fuelled by his love for zcvn. He struck firmly, Sodie fell at his feet, he bowed his head and turned around, returning to zcvn in the corner. They embraced once more, no longer inhibited by their teammates.
But soon, it became apparent that they must fight each other, for one cannot live while the other survives...
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life
Zcvn is slain, Lemur is victorious. He falls to his knees at the body of his love, tears falling onto the ground. He lets out an almighty wail, the crowd starts to tear up themselves. But Lemur then remembers that it's a double elimination, and that zcvn won't be dead until he loses another fight...
Semi Final
After the heartbreak of the last fight, thoughts turned back to the tournament. The semi final clash between Team Vince and Team Lemur was hotly anticipated, but Team Vince went in a favourites.
Skeleton was knocked out early on, as is tradition, leaving Lemur to try and hold off Vince and Cheese. Despite some brave resistance, Lemur eventually falls at the hands of Vince. Team Lemur still has one more chance to set up a rematch in the losers bracket.
Speaking of which...
First Round
The first losers round match was between Evie+Benfro, and zcvn+sabb (who has replaced an AWOL Sodie). Evie was knocked out by zcvn, who has recovered from the last round thanks to the power of love, early on. Benfro was able to gain revenge quickly by taking out zcvn, putting him one on one with newcomer, Sabb. The fight is tight, with both players showing off their potential. But, eventually, Benfro is beaten, sending Sabb and zcvn through to the next round. The defeat capped off an underwhelming tournament for the defending champion, Evie.
The second fight was between Tofu+Porku and Creepreeck+Azog. This fight was short. Creep and Azog went down with little resistance.
Second Round
I hope you're keeping up with this double elimination thing!
There was only one fight in this round, and it was between Team Tofu and Team zcvn. Once again, there was an early knock out as zcvn fell. Sabb was now left to fight alone, against a pair who had slowly become tournament favourites. Sabb made excellent use of his speed, making the fight more tricky than Tofu and Porku would've liked. But soon, the inevitable happened. Tofu took Sabb down, giving his team the perfect opportunity to reach the final.
Semi Final
The semi final clash between Lemur+Skeleton and Tofu+Porku turned out to be a little underwhelming. Both sides had been beaten by Vince+Cheese in earlier rounds, and would've been keen to have a rematch in the final.
Porku took out Lemur early on. From there it was a case of when, not if, the victory would go to Team Tofu, despite Skeletons improvements this month. Tofu made short work of him, confirming his and Porku's place in the final
This was it, the grand final. No more double elimination rules here, it was winner takes all to confirm the victor. Vince+Cheese vs Tofu+Porku
The fight started strongly, neither pair wanting to give ground to the other. The slightly uneven matchup of two air vs air and water perhaps tilted things in favour of Team Vince, but it was an even start. Certainly, it was hard to separate them, even as the fight developed.
As the fight reached its halfway point, the pairs became split. Vince and Porku focussed on each other, renewing their rivalry from previous tournaments. On the other side of the arena, Tofu and Cheese were both going at each others throats and, perhaps sensing that Tofu was getting on top, Vince left Porku and went to the aid of his teammate.
But this didn't last. Tofu and Porku were eventually able to isolate Cheese, as Vince was stranded in the corner of the arena. It was the opening they needed as Tofu dealt the final blow to Cheese. Now on his own, Vince had to do what he did in the second round and take the pair of them out himself. However, Team Tofu were keen to prevent this from happening. A rare Vince mistake left him stranded in a pool of water. Tofu reacted quickest and landed several, decisive, blows, ending the fight.
It was a remarkable performance from Tofu in particular, taking part in his first tournament. He stood out, despite being in a pair with arguably the best bender around. The future looks bright for this fighter, his analytical approach and deep knowledge of bending served him well, and will surely do so in coming tournaments.
Recording of the Final (courtesy of Skeleton): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICF6WdngasE
Link to the bracket: https://challonge.com/7l1giqi7
Best Fighter - He enjoyed an absolutely storming debut, at times overshadowing his illustrious team mate, Porku. His match-winning performance in the final wins this for him, Tofu_ is the fighter of the tournament!
Best Fight - There is no doubt about this one. Team Vince's comeback victory over Team Tofu, in the second round. Cheese's early knockout swung the match heavily in favour of Tofu and Porku, but Vince put in a brilliant display to take victory.
The Jane Austen Award - This award is for the best romance of the tournament (which is not something I was expecting to say). Shippers rejoice, because LemurXzcvn is the winner today! Stopping a tournament to be with your love is definitely award worthy, if a little bit odd.
Funniest Moment - As it turns out, having Porku as your teammate may be more of a burden, than an advantage. Especially if he suffocates you in a wall of ice. Porku's inadvertent murder of his helpless teammate, Tofu, proved the comedy value in a 2v2 tournament.
Thank you to everyone who showed up and took part this month, it was certainly one to remember. We are unlikely to hold another 2v2 for a while, so I hope it was worth it for everyone.
Thanks to Vince and Grangoon who both ensured that the tournament ran smoothly. Also thanks to, err, myself for putting the bracket together, even though it made to turn to drink afterwards...
Keep an eye out for details about the December tournament, as it may run to a different week than usual, due to the Christmas schedule. It may or may not be winter themed, so bring your wooly hats, scarves, mulled wine, and mince pies!
As a final, final, note. Martdamp has asked me to put the bending changes into this post, as well as to let you know that the store has been updated with some exciting new items for you to choose from! :
And, with that out of the way...
Thank you again, Dove out!