R1M27 Jojolity

Judge Superball (Logic)

Both strats’ conception of the occult manifests heavily by checking off the exhibits of the stage, which coheres, but I find myself relatively whelmed by. Mayura frames the match as a tour of the Gallery, but doesn’t elevate the conceit beyond exhibit commentary for a higher narrative or character study.

Jyotsna prosecutes the match in the manner one would expected a “DICTATOR”, destroying and crowning herself as tyrant. I don’t think the Kali theming quite coheres around a particular theme or motif: sacrifice, respect, conquest. There’s a line about “respecting the librarian’s resolve” in the epilogue that isn’t quite explored; ultimately what it means to embody the occult-as-Kali is left underdeveloped.

Nonetheless, it is a coherent and compelling Narrative that has impacted the strat, so I’ll pour some of the Narrative points I didn’t mention in Quality here. Ultimately, I waffled in the 6-8 range for the Jojolities this match, before settling on the adequate final scores of [7/10] for Jyotsna to [6/10] for Mayura.

Judge Trampoline (Arch)

As for Jojolities, I have little to say. Both parties took inspiration from the paranormal in their own ways. Mayura recounted the history and legends behind the artifacts in the museum, continuing her tour from the beginning. Jyotsna, however, embodied a version of the goddess Kali, leaving destruction in her wake. I believe they each served their narrative purposes, thus both teams get a 7 out of 10.

Judge Pogo Stick (Extra)

Shorter Jojolity, as is standard. Jyotsna gets an 8/10 from me; I do love a good divinity allegory, and picking Kali shows off exactly who Jyotsna is and how she made it in the world. You also pull it off well, integrating Kali's motifs of war and destruction into your plans as resource denial, with the added injury of trashing your opponent's home turf. The occult includes anything supernatural, so while a well-known deity like Kali isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind, it's definitely in bounds.

As for Mayura, I think this is also an 8/10. The tour of the gallery definitely makes good use of the incredibly odd stage pieces provided as part of the match, each of which could classify as paranormal or occult in some way, shape, or form, and you check the box for the techniques bit with style, using your paranormal environment fully. A different approach from your opponent, to be sure, but one no less creative and well-implemented.