A SHIPWRECKED SAILOR (Kit):

Alright y’all, I’m starting out this delib with a wholeass preface to kick things off - I swear most of my delibs won’t be such essays, but for this go-around, it feels appropriate to have some things to say. To that end, I’m leading out with three facts (or at least, fact by my subjective opinion :P)

Fact one: as strategies, both of these are fairly average. Both strats bring something cool and enjoyable to the table, while still having further they could have gone. They’re neither polished masterpieces nor abject failures. This is a pair of works in progress - first drafts of a tournament career, still searching for the spark where it all clicks fully into place, but off to a damn good start.

Fact two: as strategies in context, both of these are PHENOMENAL. For any newbies not in the know, tournaments have historically opened with a match between two skilled veterans hwo know the drill, who can step into the stratroom knowing exactly what they’re doing. This go-around? You stepped up to the plate as your very first strategy, with no template for how this tournament does it, and boldly took center stage because that’s the great thing about newbies - you have something new to bring to the table. As someone who originally thought this match should be two veterans putting on a spectacle, I now thoroughly rescind that take.

Fact three: having spent the past several weeks being thoroughly burnt out by life, I had to drag my feet into the Reddit thread to start reading for delibs. By the time I reached the end of your strategies, I was absolutely BUZZING. These average, neither-great-nor-terrible, beginning-of-the-road strategies have instilled me with so much excitement and joy, and I loved every second of them so much - words literally cannot describe. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to produce this content, and set this tournament off to the start it deserves.

Newbies and vets alike, I have one takeaway I want to leave with you, and it’s the ehos I’ve carried with me through my own tournament career: strategies are so much more than the scores we reduce them down to in these delibs, with so much context and personal aspiration, and there’s no such thing as a piece of work you shouldn’t be proud of if you gave it your best and took care of yourself along the way. Stratting to win will get you a long way, but every match should be an approximate 50/50 shot if we’re doing our balance jobs right as judges. Write every strat like it’s your last; produce the content that brings you joy; and no matter what happens, you’ll have nothing to regret.

And with all my flowery old man gushing out of the way: it is my honour to give your first ever strategies my first ever delib!


Eight Melodies: Quality
If there’s one thing that stands out to me for this strategy, and it’s something which has been so vastly underrated for so much of tournament in favour of flashy new ideas: the structure, formatting, and fluency of this strategy is just gorgeous. Going through this was like eating potato chips. I never found myself lost and wondering where we were in the strategy, or having to double back to previous points - it was sequential, clear, and I could easily picture what was going on every step of the way which is just CRUCIAL when you’re asking people to sit down and understand your battle plans. The contingencies were sensible without being excessive, and overall, it felt like the strategy took exactly the length it needed and not a second more. Chef’s kiss. Overall, structurally this is exactly the kind of strong, simple core skeleton that just works. If you’re a nervous stratter and don’t know where to start - here. Start here, and don’t feel like you have to get fancy to make it good. (As a final note, the flavour integration was smooth as butter too; it felt like the character voice came across even in the driest of mechanical tech explanations, something that always just makes me so happy to see.)

As far as strat content goes, my strong impression is, ‘lots of diamonds in the rough’. For example, using decoys is a delightful concept, but I just didn’t find myself convinced that they would work - it would take time to make them, and I’m not sure how far a static, ragtag clothes doll would fool someone for even a split second when there’s someone jumping all over the stage. Small tweaks would have fixed this; for example, moving them around with your chains, deliberately hiding them in spots of low visibility, or coming up with strategies to make the dummies more quickly would have left me far more willing to buy into what you were trying to sell. Next time you step into the stratroom, take your favourite ideas, and reall nail down the logistical fine detail. It will enhance the mental image, and solidifying the idea in the mind’s eye (with either vivid descriptors, clear attention to detail or both) will be far more convincing to your readers.

One final complaint: there were definitely parts where it felt like your opponent was being underestimated, such as when you described them being easily consumed by a pile of clothes and confused by the chain slackening around them (there’s a temptation to make your opponent look silly or downplay their resistance to your attacks, but perhaps counterintuitively, if you write them like they are Very Cool And Incredibly Capable then you will in fact look all the cooler when you inch ahead by a hair and manage to beat them up anyway). That’s a small point though, and on the whole, this was a strategy with some wonderful fundamentals and genuinely entertaining ideas that just need a little more finesse - which will come with time. By the delib rubric, I think this comes in at a high 6; though it’s only a few minor tweaks away from a strong 7. A fantastic first showing with some beautiful groundwork, and I see this carrying you to awesome new heights in matches to come!

Atrocity Exhibition: Quality
Narrative strats. Narrative strats. If formatted strats are underrated, narrative strats are underused, and words CANNOT DESCRIBE how thrilled I am to see you flex one in the space of this Exhibition match. More than that, the more I’ve sat on this strategy, the more the technical skill of this narrative has just grown on me. It’s an underexplored territory, very much something people tread carefully around, and this strategy just deftly avoids so many of the pitfalls that other narrative strats have fallen prey to - following a clear direction, never getting too lost in its own sauce or blending flavour too deeply with action, intelligently interpreting the competence of its opponent, I just… no, the writing in this strategy is just SO CLEVER. Narrative strats are intensely challenge mode, and this one somehow manages to nail that beat without ever forgetting that it’s a strategy at heart, never succumbing to the temptation to get flashy at the expense of legibility. I really don’t know how to express to people that this feels like the next step in the way we approach non-standard structures, and for anyone who feels like playing around and trying new ideas - you should be frantically scribbling down notes.

So here’s where I think you need to go next. The structure here does an exceptional job at expressing what it wants to get across, but for a narrative strat to be fully parsable to voters, it needs to hit above exceptional. High levels of formatting will help with this, such as bolding or underlining the key plays to highlight them without disrupting the narrative flow, and I also strongly recommend finding a way to break your work into three acts - simply because your opponent will likely do the same, so following that format will make it easier for voters to understand the way both strategies progress in relation to one another. Diagrams and routing maps will also be your friend, such as the one you inserted towards the beginning; that was a smart play, and again should help you communicate the mechanics of your strat without having to compromise the narrative structure. If in doubt, consider some OOC bullet point lists scattered throughout detailing your goals and tech in more traditional strat fashion - but if that undercuts what you want to achieve with your narrative approach, heard and understood.

I’ve belaboured the narrative aspects for a while now, since I think those are the areas to expand on most, so let me now come round to strat content. I love the way the contingencies are laid out as a string of reactions your opponent has to each piece of tech  - it’s cleverly integrated, and feels like it pays some respect to Finni’s competence for the most part, with a few minor exceptions that are admittedly difficult to avoid within the prosaic style. There were fun and clever ideas (I especially liked toe coat as both a strong/entertaining visual and something that offers simple chip damage resistance), and you know what? My biggest thing is that I want more of them. The midgame felt a little abrupt, and just a couple more plays (or more development of the plays that were already made) would have really hit that content sweet spot. Last of all, it could use just a little more flexibility to adapt to the opponents’ attacks/changing arena terrain/etc. Honestly? I don’t actually know how to accomplish that in the framework of a narrative strategy. But you’ve had interesting ideas so far, so I’m eager to see what solutions you’ll come up with 😎

This is a bold strategy that strikes out for uncharted waters, and I’ve never been more overjoyed, particularly in the context of this exhibition match; it’s such a perfect example of how to do a traditional strat versus how to do a nontraditional strat. It scores a 6 for now, but honestly? That’s because I think you’re well-placed to refine this format even further in the future and I want to give myself the room to score you for that. Absolutely delightful work.

A PIRATE WHO DOESN'T DO ANYTHING (Flamechar):

Eight Melodies - Quality
Alright, Section 1: Finni starts by moving to gather supplies, then reacts accordingly to whether Elliot is on the offense or defense: if on the offense she moves to hide on the side of the ship before causing chaos, then using clothing to obfuscate Elliot before tripping him up, going to town, and then burying him alive in clothes and 5 chains. (Hoo boy is she gonna get Savvas’s attention. Do you know how much ironing will need to be done now???) Otherwise, she just bullies him by tripping him up and playing tug of war. Fucked up.

Now onto Section 2, where he creates dummies with materials to use as jumpscares and distractions, with several plans to continue their usefulness. These decoys could come with surprise chains, Finni could play dress up, and even use the decoys for a light chain bolas!
He also has several Tricks and Pranks as well: Jumpscare clothing attack; Ranged Belt Grab, become Smash Bros Marth; Just chaining up Elliot with bomb chains to bully him and toss him into da ocean, as well as diplomacying Oroborus; Safety in container, ambushing Elliot if he enters. While wording with Carne Vale is odd in the latter section, for now I’ll ignore it.

Section 3 plans for 3 different ranges of distance from Elliot, and mainly functions as a stall for Section 4. Within 20-50 meters he keeps him there, chaining together crates to slow Elliot down while attacking at range. At 5-20 he tries to break line of sight, maybe repeating the previous tech of throwing the clothes while adding chains as well. Carne Vale separates (not optimal if Elliot is attacking Finni) to attack from a different angle. If Elliot is close then it’s back to bullying Elliot.

Section 4: The Water Section, aka Bullying 2. Finni makes an all out attack, ties Elliot to an empty container to limit his movement. Using rope picked up earlier and an arm chain to tether Elliot to the container, while using his legs and other arm to reach another container to then throw Elliot in, locking it shut and sending it to the depths.

There’s only really two contingencies in section 5, one is by throwing the contents of the crate Finni gets cornered in for a surprise attack, while if Elliot is still kicking at end Finni relies on higher Stand Speed to barrage Elliot with chains.

Overall, a very good read! I feel this would get a 7, as while this strat is great there are a couple things of note that do draw it back from an 8, but none I feel affect it too much. The Decoys don’t have that many overall uses, and you do try to have Carne Vale separate from Finni at least once, and in a not too great time as well given he cannot move without the stand and it’s during a chase, but these don’t affect the strat too much. However, one thing I did notice is that while you did make contingencies, the one you made for if Finni is “it” isn’t great, as it kind of overestimates how easily Finni could locate Elliot.

Atrocity Exhibition - Quality

First off, I see what you’re doing there with the lack of numbers in your strat, Twin Fates veterans. >:)

Overall this is a very narrative based strategy. Starting off, Elliot immediately disappears. Is just gone. As such, he watches Finni from above. The parkour with your hooks is a very neat trick, as is relying on Finni’s chains to locate her, whether by light or sound. Elliot then snipes him through several crates, bringing her back with the hook.

You had nice usage of equipment to protect Elliot from the light and shrapnel, as well as using a single free hook to disrupt Finni’s last defense against the 9 crates of steel being smart. Using Ouroboros to listen for him is a very smart idea, as he moves in sniping the floor and crates to create barriers as he closes in on his opponent. Then using a ranged grapple hook, Elliot just sends her off the edge to be hooked down into the ocean.

This is a good strategy overall, and a very good read even if I’ve written way less notes on what you did as opposed to 8M. I do feel however you’ve underestimated Finni’s melee potential, as well as maybe falling into the same pitfall of 8M’s strat in not necessarily being able to find Finni, but overall this was a good read! As such, you get a 7.

SHIP OF THESEUS (Orblet):

Eight Melodies
	This is a strat with a clearly defined win condition, get in close to Elliot and tag him so Finni can produce chains from him, it’s a simple thing but choosing a direction, making it clear, and putting in effort to get there is already a big plus in my book.
	Starting off, Finni recognizes how dangerous Elliot can be in certain positions and makes an effort to have cover. While the clothing won’t be that effective at blocking shots it is a nice distraction before leaping over the side of the ship, making it nigh impossible to land a shot from the hooks. Trying to trip him up is also good but I would’ve liked to see more attention paid to Oroborus, taking some extra measures to approach while the stand is fully capable to continue taking shots.
	In the next section, decoys are a classic move but they can be hard to get right, it’s all about time investment vs payoff with them. I don’t think the amount of attention to detail is put in to pull something like this off, but all the contingencies surrounding it are a nice touch. Filling the dummies with chains or using them as blunt weapons is a great way of making use of them even if the trick doesn’t work. I’d just say put more description into a tactic like this in the future, as it does take setup and this is a fast paced fight.
	Once Finni touches Elliot I’d consider the fight as good as won, the finisher is nice but it relies on him already being affected by Carne Vale. A more concrete plan for getting into close range safely would’ve been nice as it feels like the most important part to this whole strat. Regardless, there’s still enough trickery in here for me to believe that Finni does get his opportunity.
	Overall, pretty solid strat for a first showing, there were a lot of smart and creative plays on show here, I just would’ve appreciated more detail in areas. This feels like a firm 7/10 from me.

Atrocity Exhibition
	Ah, a narrative focused strat, never can have enough of those, I also appreciate the format of this one as it differs from a lot of the pens we’ve seen before. I will comment that describing Finni’s actions in your strat is a bit of an odd move, they’re innocent enough, just saying she reacts as you’d expect her to, but I’ve never seen this in a strat before so it took me off guard.
	The strat puts forth a lot of good standard tactics, you know you’re better at mid range so you keep her at midrange. Going for the stealth approach is good and you pulled off a really nice execution of it, coming up with ways to conceal yourself while you pick up on where Finni is at. I’ve seen these sorts of tactics before but I can’t recall someone thinking to try to hide the sound of their breath.
	As it goes on, there’s good use of the A Power hooks to pierce through barriers and throw cargo crates at her. When she’s weakened, going in for the kill is also smart since you have multiple advantages in terms of user stats. After the start all of it is good stuff but it feels more surface level.
	I really enjoyed the finisher, taking advantage of the environment and creating a situation where if you get into it, you’re going to win for sure.
	This was a cool strat, some parts of it were nicely detailed but I was disappointed a little with later sections as they felt like they underestimated Finni a little and didn’t feel as fleshed out as the earlier portions. Still going to give this a 6/10 though, very good stuff.