Welcome back to the Tournament Report! This month saw one of the highest number of entries we've ever had for a tournament, with nearly 40 people taking part!
This tournament was used to test some features that are planned to be released in our upcoming AvatarMC v0.6 update. For a full list of updates, see the announcement post for this tournament.
We were also blessed with a first, the entire tournament was livestreamed on our brand new Twitch channel. Many thanks to our wonderful hosts, Vincebobogunoosh and FireLordZuko.
The VOD can be viewed by clicking here!
We had a large and diverse number of competitors this month, which was great to see! I am especially pleased with the glorious return of waterbenders this month. Great work everyone!
Water - Mystef, PlagueDucktor, Jackhammerjack, Just_A_Shill, hubcityhero, StormScythe, Benito2710, KevinY3, BanditsSecret, TicTakJack
Air - GameCubeDude, 17jlede, BananaVirus, woerrr, FireLordIzumi, Jelle_964, Noorbie
Earth - Caljitsu, Zinnik, jamesthedragon, BarelyDecisive, Gentechian
Fire - KingSquirrel, The_Red_Spirit, Neutrinoboi, MeTheAwesomeKid, MochaGaming, Clearwater, icycreeperlord, Kaali_
Non-Bending - ShootItzStar, theking824, Mitsuoni,
Due to the number of competitors this month, the tournament was ran in a single elimination format, making this report writer very happy!
The first fight was a particularly intriguing fight between Caljitsu and KingSquirrel. Both fighters have recently returned to the server, but are both experienced benders and looking for a strong return to the tournament. The first thing of note was Caljitsu giving everyone their first glimpse of Earth Surf, a brand new move that will be coming to the server soon. And he made good use of it, forcing King onto the defensive. King fought back well however, poking away from range and drawing Cal towards him. A strong combination of Earth Cage, Shatter, and Shackle gave Cal a strong advantage. King fought back as best he could, but a second shackle from Cal, followed by a Blast, gave him the win.
The second fight saw a pre-tournament favourite, and the servers' resident heel, take to the arena. Mystef had arrived. He was up against The_Red_Spirit. The fight was a cakewalk for Mystef. He dealt heavy damage early on and kept mobile to avoid most of Spirits' attacks. A very strong first showing for Mystef, proving his credentials.
Fight three was between Zinnik and GameCubeDude. Zinnik had the early advantage, landing heavy hits with little retaliation from GameCube. Despite a handy Wind Slam from the airbender, it was Zinnik who ultimately took a simple victory.
The first controversy of the tournament reared it's head in the fourth fight. An unforeseen bug with the heal move meant that it would kick the user off the server if they used another move whilst they were healing. PlagueDucktor was the unfortunate victim of this bug, during their fight with Jackhammerjack. After the bug, a rematch was ordered. PlagueDucktor was unable to take advantage of their reprieve and was beaten by Jackhammer in a tight fight. After the match finished, the tournament organisers announced that any future matches disrupted by the heal bug would not be restarted, and that the victim of the bug would be disqualified.
The final fight in the round was between 17jlede and BananaVirus. This was a decent fight that started with an immediate Wind Slam from 17jlede, leading to a tight fight where both exhanged even blows. Eventually, Banana was able to drag themselves ahead and land a killer blow.
Benito2710, Noorbie, and Woerrr all got byes to the next round.
Due to the sheer number of fights in this round, I'm going to rattle through most of these. I'll elaborate on any fights that were particularly interesting though.
And indeed, the very first fight of the round is particularly interesting! Fought between Caljitsu and FireLordIzumi, it was a fight of the Tournament contender! Both fighters are experienced benders, and it showed. Cal was arguably the more aggressive, trying to hit as regularly as possible. Izumi was content to dodge and land hits whenever there was a gap. After Izumi had managed to frustrate Cal for a time, the earthbender was able to get around and take Izumi from behind, landing several heavy hits. Izumi countered with a good Wind Slam, breaking Cals' defence. However, by that point, Cal already had a significant advantage and was able to claim a very good victory.
Elsewhere, Neutrinoboi took a dominant win over Just_A_Shill. Shill was simply never in the fight, in the face of a very aggressive Neutrino.
There was a fun fight between Jelle_964 and MeTheAwesomeKid. Both fought hard and traded equal blows. Despite some well timed ultimates from Jelle, it was MeTheAwesomeKid who took a tight win. However, Kid would not be the one to progress, as they were unable to compete in further rounds, meaning he would withdraw and allow Jelle to advance. The closeness of the fight meant that few could begrudge Jelle the chance to compete in the next round.
Hubcityhero took a slightly odd win over MochaGaming. Despite Mocha being in control for much of the fight, he fell victim to fall damage and was knocked out. Hub would count himself fortunate to advance.
Zinnik took a straightforward victory over Clearwater91. Zinnik was never in any trouble and was aggressive throughout.
The fight between Mystef and BarelyDecisive was over in the blink of an eye. Mystef claimed an embarrassingly easy win in just thirty seconds.
Noorbie and StormScythe met in an attritional fight, in complete contrast to the last one. Noorbie kept Storm at arms length and chipped away at Storms' health. Storm managed to get her way back into the fight with some good use of the rarely seen Blizzard move. It all came too late though as Noorbie continued to chip away and claim victory.
BananaVirus claimed victory over icycreeperlord after some nice use of Wind Slam.
Mitsuoni took a comfortable win over Benito2710. Mitsuoni started aggressively and didn't let Benito have a look in.
Controversy once again reared its ugly head in the fight between KevinY3 and BanditsSecret. Proper drama this time! Kevin had arrived to the tournament late, coming online just before their match got underway, and was unaware of the healing bug. They were also unaware of the subsequent announcement that anyone who fell victim to the bug would be automatically disqualified. Shortly after the match began, Kevin attempted to heal in a pool of water. Unfortunately, they were kicked from the server. Controversially, the tournament organisers went ahead with the disqualification, despite the evidence that Kevin was unware of that rule. Kevin was out—in highly controversial and unfair circumstances—whilst Bandit had advanced with little trouble.
The final fight in this round saw Jackhammerjack come up against TicTakJack—that's right—it was a Jack Derby! The fight ended astonishingly quickly for TicTak—too quickly in fact. It transpired that they were only on two hearts at the start of the fight, meaning a rematch was ordered. TicTaks' luck continued to be awful though, as they fell victim to the heal bug. Jackhammer moved into the next round.
There was a high quality fight first up in the third round as Caljitsu met BanditSecret. Bandit flew out of the blocks, starting aggressively with and Octopus Form. Cal managed to escape the worst of the damage with Earth Surf, but Bandit made sure to keep him at a distance. Both began to trade even blows, but when Cal trapped Bandit in an Earth Cage, it looked like it was all over for the waterbender. Cal activated Sandstorm and looked to have it in the bag, but Bandit perfectly timed his Blizzard to counter, nullifying Sandstorm and giving him the perfect opening to take Cal down. It was a brilliantly fought fight from Bandit, with this victory being something of an upset due to Cals' previous form.
ShootItzStar and Woerrr met in a good encounter. Both fighters started on the offensive, leading to a close quarters fight to begin with. It wasn't long before Woerrr starting to sit back and use his mobility to evade Star. Both began to trade blows from range, only occasionally venturing towards each other. A combination of Chi Block and Falcon Strike gave Star the advantage, but Woerrr was able to counter with a Wind Slam soon after. They continued to trade blows, with Star perhaps being the more aggressive. This was to be the key to her victory, as she struck the final blow with Falcon Strike. A good fight there.
Mystef came up against Neutrinoboi in the next fight. Mystef was made to work harder than any of his previous fights here, as Neutrino came out fighting, landing the early blows. Mystef was forced to evade but soon came forward to meet Neutrino head on. More aggression from Neutrino followed. It has become something of his trade mark at this point. Eventually, Mystef was able to make his additional skill count, taking Neutrino down with a Splash.
A tight encounter between Theking824 and Zinnik came next. Zinnik landed some strong hits, and it took a Falcon Strike from King to get them back into the fight. Zinnik, crucially, landed a Shackle to give them an advantage, but it was countered by a Chi Block from King, proving the tightness and aggressivness of this fight. The end came as a result of an excellent combo from King. A Falcon Strike—followed up from some rapid, close range strikes—handed them the victory.
Gentechian and Noorbie promised a tasty encounter as student came up against master. Gentechian started the stronger, getting in some heavy hits. Noorbie was able to hit regularly with Air Spear, but it meant little against the onslaught that Gentechian was serving up. Noorbie seemed unable to get into the fight as Gentechian continued to be aggressive. A big Shatter from Gentechian, followed up by some large hits, seals the deal for the earthbender.
Jelle_964 claimed a straightforward victory over Mitsuoni. Jelle landed an early windslam to take the lead and then didn't look back. A second windslam secured their place in the quarter finals.
Kaali_ and BananaVirus came togther next. This was an excellent fight for Kaali, who's firebending was perfect throughout. The fight was all but over when they perfectly used Solar Burst to take a massive chunk out of Bananas' health. The final blow came shortly afterwards, thanks to Fire Rain. A highly efficient and impressive victory for Kaali. Fully deserved!
The final fight in this round was between hubcityhero and Jackhammerjack. The fight started promisingly, as both exchanged even blows. However, the heal bug reared it's ugly head again. Jackhammer was the unfortunate victim this time, and it meant that Hubcityhero was the one to advance.
ShootItzStar and BanditSecret kicked off the quarter finals. Bandit once again went for an early use of Octopus Form, but Star saw it coming and was able to silence the move through the use of Falcon Strike. From there, Star stayed back, poking away at Bandit. Bandit was the more aggressive, trying a plethora of moves against Star, but struggled to land too many meaningful hits. However, it soon came to an end. Bandit caught Star standing still for just too long and landed the killer blows. An impressive display from Bandit, who was starting to look like a real contender.
Fight two saw Mystef and theking824 locking horns. In truth, this was a simple victory for Mystef, and King was never really in the fight. Mystef expertly struck heavy damange to King and succeeded in avoiding damage himself. It was absolutely textbook from Mystef.
Gentechian vs Jelle_964 was the next fight, and it was a tight affair. Gentechian started the strongest, coming out with some big hits. Jelle missed an early Wind Slam, but Gentechian also failed to land a number of Shackles' that would've given them a heavy advantage. Eventually, Jelle was able to land their Windslam, only for Gentechian to work their way out of it. Gentechian then countered heavily and rushed in close, landing an Earth Shatter and taking Jelle down.
The last quarter final bout saw Kaali_ take on hubcityhero. The fight started evenly, with both trading blows. It looked relatively comfortable for Kaali, who was dealing the most damage of the pair. However, hubcity seemed to corner Kaali in the water, leaving them unable to get out. It was the perfect opening for hubcity, but somehow, Kaali escaped. The firebender had no hesitation in dealing the final blow and securing their passage to the semi finals.
Semi final one was an all waterbender clash between Mystef and BanditSecret, two of the most impressive fighters so far. And the fight lived up to the billing, as both fighters showed off their agility and aggressiveness. It was hard to keep up with what was happening, but both landed hits on each other and didn't give an inch. Some excellent Steam Explosion placement from Mystef gave him some breathing room, but Bandit came straight at him again. After looking a bit rattled early on, Mystef soon started to take a bit more control, landing some neat combos on Bandit and pushing them on to the defensive. The fight ended as Mystef landed some fateful Water Bolts on Bandit, taking them down and giving Mystef a place in the final. This fight was the best display of waterbending we've seen since the days of Evie. It was superb to watch. Bandit had been excellent throughout the tournament and was fully deserving of their place in the final four, but ultimately it was all about Mystef. They looked like the favourite to take the title.
The second semi final was between Kaali_ and Gentechian. Both of these fighters had come out of nowhere and were now on the cusp of a truly remarkable championship, but only one could get there. It was Gentechian landing the signficant early blows, with the deadly Earth Shatter giving them a big lead. Kaali struggled to get back into the fight and was forced to simply evade the moves of Gentechian. The earthbender continued their relentless assault, eventually claiming their inevitable victory. Gentechian was hugely impressive in that fight, and they made a very promising firebender look weak. The final was going to be very hotly contested!
So here we are again—the last fight of another great tournament. This month we are guaranteed a new name on the trophy. Mystef and Gentechian had been masterful on their way to the final, with performances on par with the very best fighters we've seen in this tournament over the years. Mystef—a known quantity to many on the server—is widely regarded as being among the best fighters on the server. Gentechian, a new face, is someone with a great future ahead of them. This was going to be one for the ages!
Mystef was mobile at the start, jumping from pool to pool, whilst Gentechian rapidly fired off move after move. Incredibly, the first few seconds of the fight saw no damage being dealt by either party. Mystef was the first to land a hit, but it was quickly countered by Gentechian. Then, the first significant blow was dealt, with Gentechian landing a crucial Shackle, followed up by more rapid earth moves. The favourite was on the back foot! The impressive earthbender continued to land the biggest hits, with Mystef seeming to have nothing in return. Mystef wasn't to be kept down for long though. He fought his way back, landing some consecutive hits that would've surely restored some of his confidence. With Gentechian now looking a bit lost, the next hit was important. The Shackle came out once more, and this time, Gentechian took full advantage by following up with a Shatter, dealing heavy damage. Mystef fought back and landed some more hits but was surely staring down the barrel of defeat at this point. However, there was to be one final twist. As Gentechian moved in for the kill, they missed with a Shatter. This gave Mystef the opening he needed.
One final Water Blast.
That was all it took.
Gentechian fell after a valiant effort, but it was Mystef who took the crown. One of the greatest individual performances in tournament history was capped off in perfect fashion.
The bracket for this tournament can be found by clicking here
Best Fighter - The only winner here is Mystef. An impeccable showing that culminated in him taking overall victory in dominant fashion. Honourable mentions to both Gentechian and BanditsSecret, who had incredibly impressive debut tournaments and will no doubt feature again in the future.
Best Fight - There is only one winner here, and it goes to the Grand Final bout between Mystef and Gentechian. It was a brilliant fight.
The "Thanks for coming" award - This goes to BarelyDecisive, who managed to compete in the tournament for all of about thirty seconds before being torn to pieces by Mystef. If you're finishing in thirty seconds, you need to rethink your technique!
The "You should probably sue, to be honest" award - This probably doesn't count as an award, but oh well. This is award to all the waterbenders who were unable to use their healing ability without being kicked from the server. This especially goes out to KevinY3, who was unfairly disqualified for the issue, despite not being around to hear that this would be the case.
Funniest Moment - This should probably go to TikTacJacks' rather disastrous fight against jackhammerjack. TikTac failed to start the fight on full health, leading to a rematch, only to fall victim to the heal bug and end up being disqualified. Better luck next time!
Once again, a huge thank you to Cheesesandwich, Vincebobogunoosh, Grangoon and FireLordZuko for helping to run the tournament this month.
A special mention for Vince and Zuko, who excellently casted the tournament on Twitch for the first time ever. Hopefully the professionalism will only increase as time goes on!
-- QuietDove