JJOCT7 R2M7 Quality

Judge NYSE (Logic)

Lightning delib! This match uses Inago’s berserk form as a balancing fulcrum, a constant source of pressure onto the material scalers of Evergreen which Luna can reposition.

Indeed while the consequences of Luna’s rushdown and swap are well met (Planning/Competency), I’m not as persuaded by the initial engagement (and the subsequent tracking dependent on it). Even interpreting the opening paragraph as “as soon as possible”, contending with EG’s own mobility and ｢Midnight Rider｣ is difficult, even at the start of the match. (Logistics/Counterplay)

This criticism is repeated, albeit different in kind, for the middle section of the match, as Luna attempts to ambush and harass EG with the motorcycle. (My usual emphasis on positioning is mitigated here by the size and variability of the map; given the focus on pursuit, being position agnostic is reasonable.) As a result, Luna’s corralling of EG could be elaborated upon, especially with respect to how “the aid of the teleporting wolves [make] up the difference in raw motorcycle skills.” (Competency/Logistics) (As an aside, I will reiterate my belief that there should not be one “Midgame” section, but rather it should be split into sections each focused on its relevant priority.)

As mentioned above, ｢All About My MONSTER｣ is the mechanical crux of the match, but also the Narrative one of MBR’s strat—which is sensical given its mechanical and thematic weight, homie has to switch out or loses Quality points. Thus, while I would personally have liked to see the narrative of Luna snapping Inago out of it reified through mechanical interactions, some of my Logistical/Competency comments are well met by the prioritization of Narrative: there is only so much space and focus.

And thus, I think a high [7] is reasonable on balance.

Evergreen immediately understands the immediate pressures upon them and the eventual pressure they exert by retreating and spreading New Ways as they proceed to make a sort of “mobile control” playstyle. (Planning/Competency) I have some minor quibbles with some of ｢Midnight Rider｣’s Lotus usage, ultimately minor questions around B POW (how much effort would be needed to Turn a car—much less get it out of parallel parking—or wrench a car door), but I’ll generally point to the Lotuses’ Precision fall off in distance from ｢Midnight Rider｣ as something to note, especially when detailing each’s relative position. (Logistics/Technical)

While I find the overall play impressive (Planning/Logistics) and their consequences are well met, I’m not as convinced by the set up of some of the individual plays (Competency/Counterplay). I am not immediately swayed that her pathing is broadly and readily predictable, especially given her teleportation, and only so many New Ways can span the area of engagement at a given time, and Luna’s teleportation and bike mobility can get her out of traps just as or before they’re triggered. This isn’t to say that there’s no recourse—I find the plays dependent on being directly chased well met—but that the existence of an angle of ambush doesn’t directly point to its success. Ultimately, this is a question of positioning and New Way allocation which can be done in parallel to the pursuit based gameplay. (Logistics/Planning)

The endgame is repetition and reallocation of past tactics to close out the match against Inago and a hopefully winnowed Luna, which is well met for a control strategy. Despite my aforementioned qualms, I find myself very impressed by this strategy, to the tune of an [8], especially for reasons that I will elaborate in the Jojolity section.

Judge NASDAQ (Snek)

MBR
As a certified Guy Feeling The Effects enjoyer, I had a lot of fun with Inago’s arc this round. You do set up My MONSTER as a force to be reckoned with, both in narrative, and in its use as a Locust Bomb that you toss at EG whenever you have them pinned. I feel this is a fine enough use of him, given that Luna is the only strategically capable member of this duo (at first), and you do make note of how his priority allows him to target certain things in order to flush out opponents and weaken the structural integrity of the surrounding buildings.

Luna’s tactics are also solid overall. You make good use of the bike to keep your ideal position, allowing yourself to repeat the Locust Bomb as needed. Your efforts to herd Inago show Planning that is generally sound, and your specific Counterplays (such as the shrapnel, the projectiles to diffuse locusts, and the positioning play with your wolves) show complimentary Competency. That being said, I really would have liked more specifics here. It would have upped your Logistics if you were more clear on where both wolves were when performing teleportation tactics. This lack of specificity also holds back your jojolity efforts. I think this strategy is good for what it was, but in terms of the moment to moment gameplay, I found myself wanting more creativity.

That being said, I would like to give a special shoutout to the narrative. I think this continues the tradition of Men Being Tormented By New York City, and I am proud to give you that torch. The character interactions here are very fun, and it culminates in a finale that is easily the most creative and engaging part of the strategy. Inago’s struggle was very compelling, and I really like how you engaged with the themes! Combining all these factors, I’d also give this strategy a high [7]. Good work!

EG
I think this is also a great strategy, whose strengths lie in Logistical positioning and interplay between broader Planning and robust ways of using your stands that show strong Competency. This strategy keeps a good focus on its central tactics: keeping your opponent in an ideal range, acquiring resources, and terraforming to set up a variety of traps. You keep decent flexibility in your setup, while creating a variety of options and angles of attack for yourself. I think you do well at dealing with what Luna and Inago have to offer, and tend not to underestimate them.

There are some moments where it’s unclear how effective the lotuses will be, or how your maneuvers work, that falter slightly in Technical Understanding (you make a tongue in cheek reference to breaking physics, but I don’t think carspin would work like that regardless). One could argue Soichi might be pushing C PRE here, but keeping the New Ways in task groups mitigates this, so these are only minor gripes.

Overall, you account for some small, important details in positioning (such as how the New Ways get around) that help you convincingly build up to your larger plan. Good work overall, I am giving this one an [8].

Judge S&P (Extra)

Alright, speedrun.

For MBR, I'm giving this a **7.** You've got an aggro strategy, which is fairly understandable considering Luna is a highly mobile glass cannon and Inago is stuck in MONSTER for the first three-quarters of the match. That said, the strategy falls into one of the more common pitfalls of aggro in my opinion: defense. For aggro to work, you either need to devote some time to detailing how you don't get got (at which point you border on midrange) or you have to have an offense compelling enough to convince the reader that there is no need to defend. Your offense is good, but especially since Inago isn't especially fast in MONSTER and Soichi and Vasant have a motorcycle to get out of dodge, I don't quite think you get as much pressure as you count on, which leaves you somewhat vulnerable at points. Not enough to sink you, mind; Soichi and Vasant certainly still have a lot of threats to respect.

For EG, I'll give this an **8.** Playing control is, comparatively, a much more balanced strategy, requiring defense, offense, mobility, and planning, all of which you pull off well. Both Midnight Rider and New Way create an intrictae web that has plenty of ways to ensnare the Riders and grind out advantage, taking out the comparatively squishy Luna before moving on to Inago. It's an eminently competent and consistent plan that really only needs time to work, and with your combined capabilities for interference and trickery, you'll easily have plenty.