JJOCT7 R2M4 Quality

Judge Gates of Hell (Logic)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IN THE RED CORNER, THE BABE WITH A DYNAMITE BOD, THE BRUISER USER WITH A GLASS CANNON STAND THAT CASTS FROM HP FOR AREA CONTROL AND DAMAGE—IT’S ALEX PINES!

IN THE BLUE CORNER, SLOW AND STEADY SHOOTS YOU IN THE FACE, BRINGING SETPLAY AND GUNPLAY TO GO TOE TO TOE WITH THE MEANEST OF ‘EM! PROTECT YA NECK, YOU A POW ROUGHNECKS—IT’S YANKEE VALIENTE!

IT’S NOT DAMAGE THAT DECIDES THIS FIGHT, IT’S THE KNOCKOUT BLOW! THIS IS THE SLUGFEST OF TOURNAMENT 7, AND I’M YOUR REFEREE, JUDGE

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!

Alex’s plan is straightforward, after Blast Jumping out of the way, it’s a matter of interrupting Yankee’s setup and harassing him before blitzing him for the finisher. (Planning/Counterplay) I think the strat is eminently competent, with little to criticize or particularly highlight. The midgame's defense plays a little loose, but I'm more okay with it than not. Relying on Blast Jumping and Alex's tankiness can suffice, but note that health is a resource you can overly tax. More defensive tech and awareness/specificity of use can tighten this section, especially if the midgame drags on for whatever reason. (Planning/Logistics/Counterplay)

My main observation is that the CQC section is a little scattered; several tactics that are effective individually (Competency), but don’t quite cohere (Planning). The holistic intent of swarming Yankee is clear, but item plays and positioning (especially by HA) don’t quite build off of or transition each other. (Planning/Logistics)

To speak as a strater instead of a judge, it’s best to consider CQC as arguing how you successfully encroach into your opponent’s space from ~5-10m out to right against them, almost meter by meter. From there, specific arguments and tactics build on each other for how you definitively beat them down.

I have third immaterial Formatting quibbles that are connected. First, you bring up Hellzone Orbit early, but take until the end of the following section to describe how it fits into your broader gameplay. Granted, the tech is most salient at that section, but when Blast Jumping was introduced alongside it, I was a little confused how exactly the two techs worked, particularly what was being Fission’d for any given jump and whether this was related to Hellzone Orbit. This leads into the second point that Alex has three separate ways to create explosions with different outputs and costs. I can presume what was meant as a matter of grace, but clarity as to whether FIssion I, Fusion, or Fission II is being used helps your reader and provides specificity that may further encourage more effective tech.

The third is that I'll grant that A POW can lift and throw the pillar, but I'll scratch at the ease and efficacy—not enough to effect my assessment of the strat, but I did mull over the feat for a moment. Again, this is more for the record, lest others use this feat to push the boundary.

Ultimately, those latter points are immaterial, and my impression of the strat remains at a solid It Coheres: "undeniably solidly good in how it approaches its central thesis and covers secondary things sufficiently enough and the mistakes it makes don’t cut down what it does do:” earning a [7].

Yankee proves that the rest of the competition is sons to him by relying on a more modular strategy, moving between ammunition types, tactics/shotgun combos, ranged, and melee combat with aplomb. (Planning/Competency/Logistics) The opening two sections are exceptionally well concieved for their situational awareness and adaptability.

Similar to above, I have little to say about the strat as a whole, but the CQC section has a minor blemish. Yankee looks to leverage Hell Above’s explosions against Alex, but Alex’s immunity limits the efficacy of doing so; she’ll take the knockback (and the usual damage), but it’s not as much of a trade as hoped. (Technical/Counterplay). Additionally, while I find the CQC tactics against ｢Hell Above the Punchghost｣ effective, there’s comparatively little discussion of ｢Hell Above the Swarm｣ which could cross Yankee up. Nonetheless, I’m sufficiently impressed, to the tune of a low [8] on balance.

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Judge Death Valley (Extra)

I'm going to skip over the theatrics and get to the scores first for this one: both teams get a respectable **7,** and I could easily see arguments for 8s. I do, however, think there are just enough minor missteps in each that I can't quite overlook them.

Starting with Alex, the main thing that brings the strategy down is organization and detail. There were a couple points during the strat that left certain ideas unclear; as I believe other judges have stated the Hellzone Orbit isn't given a purpose until well after it's intorduced, and the types of explosion used at any given moment isn't specified. Tech like the Razor Bolas also isn't fully fleshed out, and it took a bit of liberty to figure out the precise mechanics of its creation and use. None of these individually are enough to hurt the strategy in a meaningful way, but when put together it becomes enough of a throughline to bear mentioning. Outside of the organization, however, I have nothing but praise. Hell Above is used in a litany of creative ways, you handle both being at range and the process of getting in very well, and your CQC plans are effective. You manage your time and resources very well; there's never a moment where I feel the strategy isn't making meaningful progress, which is fitting for a character like Alex.

Moving to Yankee, as I believe was also mentioned, there is a minor hiccup in the understanding of Hell Above's own explosions. What stuck out slightly more to me was at the end of section three, where you state that Yankee will switch between midrange and melee as needed. Midrange into CQC was never going to be an issue against a bruiser like Alex, but the other way is a bit trickier and deserves slightly more than a simple throw into a disengage considering Yankee's 1 AGI explicitly affects his mobility, especially considering Alex's Implacability Skill. As it stands, both your CQC and Midrange are impressive and comprehensive enough that I don't think it would sink you, but it certainly holds back the strategy from becoming fully modular and leaves the transition mostly one-way.

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Judge Superdeep Borehole (Flamechar)

Starting off with Alex, she begins the match with the opening moves of using a split off arm to claim the shield while the rest of her Stand launches a nearby chunk of marble toward Yankee to ward off gunfire, later grabbing and launching a whole pillar while she sets up some protection against the dust (Logistics/Planning) - these Marble Javelins also serve a later purpose in breaking down any cover Yankee hides behind.
This isn’t the only robust use of Tech within the strategy: Blast Jumping is used as a key part of Alex’s mobility, which is assisted by the Hellzone Orbit - an orbit of small parts of her Stand which can create unpredictability into her aerial movements through additional blasts to better dodge attacks, as well as providing additional combat options such as blasting away any Dust clouds or applied Iron coating (Counterplay). The remaining slugs she Counters is with her Stand tossing chunks of marble in order to disarm any that are exposed at a safe distance. Overall this creates a strategy of pressure, aiming to counter and weaken Yankee throughout the match before moving into a relentless cqc finish on a launched pillar (with a backup version where the pillar rocket is split into two for a two-pronged assault) - and if the pillar breaks that is also used to her advantage, talking use of the dust of the destruction to obscure her position as well as gain more marble chunks to toss.

Moving onto Yankee, the beginning clarifications show a good understanding of the mechanic of Yankee’s Stand: referencing Quad Load to showcase the speed of reloading he can achieve, as well as detailing how Slugs are divided up and how many are kept aside for use outside of shotgun ammo (Technical Understanding/Logistics). The strategy then moves into such an instance with him leaping to grab the shield, defending his position with some warning shots to take out any units of his opponent’s Stand as well as tossing Dust and Sticky slugs to hinder her progress as he sets himself up behind cover: sticking the shield near his elbow; using Iron Slugs to coat the shield, a cloth covering his shotgun, and himself; as well as covering his eyes and mouth.
The following strategy is then formatted into a section focused on Yankee’s Movement Tactics and Shotgun usage, and one on Close Quarters Combat - with the overall aim being to alternate ranges in order to wear Alex down for the finisher [Planning/Formatting]. The former segment compliments this endgoal by having Yankee circle around and inwards to box Alex into the center of the arena, using Rubber shots to flush her out of cover that can later benefit him as he moves in.
His combat plans are quite thought out as well: for ranged combat his main focus is prioritising HA if the duo are at a distance and Alex if they are getting closer, as well as focusing on destroying separated units before they reach Stage II Fission and/or swarm him. He also once again has some planned Combos (Technical Understanding/Planning) for different circumstances: for example, Sticky into Iron to stop rushdowns, or Rubber to break Alex’s guard before following it up with an Iron shot. Pistols gathered and kept as a backup to the shotgun, loading each with a different type of ammo to achieve the same combos [Counterplay/Logistics].
As for close quarters, he starts with moving to immobilize her, making use of Sticky boosted grabs and an Iron fist or two - the latter finding use in attempts to tear apart his opponents Stand and toss the parts away. He primarily focuses on swift strikes comboing into judo throws into a melee strike using his shotgun or any of the blunt objects he picks up - a throw is also paired up with a Dust slug for disengaging back to midrange. And once Alex is sufficiently weakened, Yankee moves in to prepare for a simple finisher: toppling a pillar onto her to either have her focus on him or the falling threat, with a final volley in case she gets out of most of the damage.

In the end, both strategies in my opinion have shown good use of their Stand abilities, as well as how they go about planning, Logistics and engaging their opponent. Thus, both teams are scoring a solid **8**.