Season 4 Round 1 Knockout Results
Well, it's done. Another round of the competition has gone by, and the posts continue to improve. Sadly, we did not get to see what would've been potentially the strongest week since the format change because of the eight forfeits, (we aren't changing back unless you step it up, that's way too many) but overall it was a quite enjoyable week to watch.
With all that out of the way, who will be moving on to the Elite 8, and who will be saying goodbye?
In Group A, we had @nbrasington beating @Eternal_Zen and @3Ke31-0 by forfeit. Boo. We did not join this club to see forfeit wins. (But let's face it he's the one seed for a reason he'd have probably won anyways)
In group B, we had @EaglesStrike, @ThroughtonsHeirAlexHebert, and @Silent_Assassin. Since assassin's posts got deleted, (still don't know what happened there) it was a two horse race, and boy was it close, with Eagle winning 3-2. It could have gone either way, and while I confidently voted for Alex, I understand why Eagle won. However, since he just forfeited his spot due to his vacation, Alex will be moving on.
In group C, @Duckfest, @ryanchen100, and @lukegk duked it out. It ended up being Ryan winning with a 4-1 victory, (the 1 going to duckfest) but I personally considered all three and I can say with 100% honesty that it was a fun group. (Also one of only two to have all three post so that's nice)
Group D had @KevinSmthIdiot winning by forfeit over @ant (whose computer had problems at the last minute delaying him by a few crucial days) and @key. A real shame, as it could have been an amazing group. Congrats to Kevin for moving on though.
Group E was probably the most fun of them all, all of the judges were talking about this one. While @shanlee132 was unable to post, that didn't really matter, as @TheCheeseDuck and @Fayez58 came to play. Fayez had possibly the most underrated post, (it was a fire recap why is literally nobody talking about it) whereas Cheese came out with the most ambitious post of Season 4 by far. But was it too ambitious? Did the judges give up on reading his thesis on 4pc engines and just hand Fayez the win? Did he suffer from a lack of engagement? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding "no" as he swept the group 5-0. However, let me make this clear, this was the closest 5-0 I've seen in my entire life. I personally waffled for a long time, and I know that Nimzo switched his vote halfway through judging, and I think all of the judges enjoyed reading both posts. So despite the sweep it was probably the most competitive battle.
In Group F, @TheChessKnight2000 and @Alberthepirate were spared of certain doom when one of the greatest bloggers in the club, @LazyDog24, decided not to post out of benevolence, to ensure the competitiveness of the season. Therefore, they were both free to engage in an exteremely close battle which Albert won, 3-2.
In Group G, the only other group to get posts from all three competitors, (good job guys) @Bid and @Admiral_Chessbeard put up a fight, but were ultimately swept 5-0 by @DavidLi.
And last but not least, in Group H, @Kowarenai, the only Top Blogger in this competition, failed to post, leaving it up to @EthanJojy and @The_turtlepro. The judges were once again unanimous, giving the victory to Turtle, 5-0.
So where does this leave us?
Well in Group A of the Elite 8, we have @nbrasington, @ThroughtonsHeirAlexHebert, @ryanchen100, and @KevinSmithIdiot. Looks to be quite exciting.
In Group B, we have @TheCheeseDuck, @Alberthepirate, @DavidLi, and @The_turtlepro. I genuinely would not be surprised by any one of these bloggers winning, it'll certainly be fun to watch. (As long as there aren't multiple forfeits 😭)
Stay tuned for power rankings and awards, and the submission thread should be up soon.
That's all for now, and happy blogging!
