King's Corner - Issue II

[Wrecktify]

This week saw many firsts.  The adage that there is no crying in FFA was shattered by Redkeekee, and FML experienced its first lovers' quarrel when Persuede chased after his beau to make a record zero-unit loss, 12-minute win for East top dog Mr. Quakers.  (Editors note:  last report showed that Persuede sang "You're my best friend to RKK, and that the happy couple is back sleeping in the same bed again.) 

In other East news, LouisArmstrong proved that negotiated battles, hardcore teaming, and feeding off an admin who refuses to build a single hero of their chosen race are the keys to success in FML.  Meanwhile Beljone roared into a league with an impressive round two win, capturing it in deciding fashion with some timely moves  (And the shoddy internet of the eastern bloc.)  Lastly three former champions and some sexy fellow played some game, and someone won something.

It was not all quiet on the Western Front either, with Magadansky going 2 for 2 and earning this round's honor (at gunpoint) of interviewee of the week.  Apparently when im not slobbing his knob as an obs (amazing alliteration, no?) I am interviewing him for this newsletter.  MMMMK backed up his fat mouth with a phat win against a bunch of gays using necrowagon, which is clearly the dominant strategy of this league nowadays.  Camp_and_Spank showed he can do more than just mass towers anonymously on ladder, and fought the good fight in this weeks best 1 on 1 against Slythe, who captured a well deserved first win of the season.  Lastly the kids in the short bus are WM6, who are all getting a 1-time admin pass for an extra playweek because they all fail at life.  Everyone point and laugh.

What to Watch For - Round 3:

• Playoff Implications - With everyone and their grandmother effectively autoqualifying for the playoffs this season, the interesting drama will play out this week.  In EM12, PLZLEAVEDUCK and some random player are vying for the coveted bye into the finals.  In WM12, the xoziest player alive is looking to clinch his spot in the finals with a win, but will have to do it against some very stiff competition.
• Serious Play - While not everyone takes their match as seriously as psychos like Maga and Wreck, the question is: why not?  With so little opportunity to get in good shape for the playoffs, will players buckle down for the win?  Look for emerging FFA stars like LouisArmstrong in the west and Slythe in the east to make a strong push towards the playoffs.
• Maps and Game Play -  History has shown less common maps throw FML players -- especally the less experience ones - for a loop.  While Lac Tonnere was a ladder standby for quite some time, it is before the time of nearly all current FMLers (this reporter excluded.  Damn whipper snappers... get off my lawn!)  Will the littany of UD and NE make use of air-over-mid attacks?  Will the orcs and HU Castle Greyskull their hills?  I sure hope so!

1-on-1 with Magadansky:

Wrecktify: CONGRATS! YOU WIN THE HONOR OF BEING ISSUE 2's INTERVIEWEE! I know youre excited.  So, a few quick questions!

1)  You're off to another great start this season -- what would you say the key to your consistent success has been over the past few seasons?

Adaptation to the map and the players is the key. You can't expect to win the same way on a map with much more gold mines (Harvest) than Deathrose for example. A lot of players like to hoard on big maps, making it difficult to kill somebody and resulting in long 3 or even 4 ways as it was my game. If you don't adapt accordingly, then your comfort zone will make you lose games. Being passive in a game for me isn't part of what I like when I play FFA but it is necessary in situations similar to the one in round 2.


2) What are your thoughts on the current playstyle of FFA versus when you first started playing?

When I first started playing I was still with a solo mentality and I didn't know there is actually a community behind this gametype. I feel that an year or two ago, there were less manip - countermanip games than at the moment. Also, now almost everybody immediately starts to whine when they are even slightly hit or lie blatantly, relying on poor scouting from the other players. I think it is a necessary element to balance the games, especially on a FML level, but sometimes it really goes over the line with the whining/lying.

3)  What player(s) are you watching as your closest competition for the west division?

I don't underestimate anybody since everything can happen in a FFA. The strongest micro player doesn't necessarily win. As closest competitors, I see, of course, the people with the most points thus far.


4) Any chance we will see a 'fun strat' in round 4 if you have already wrapped up 1st place at that point?

Most likely, I will try something new. But that wouldn't mean that I won't be playing for the win!

Wrecktify: THANKS XOZYFACE!


Round 2 Nominations!
Rules:  Since there were too many categories last season with too much ambiguity, we're gonna keep it simple (and do away with negative category.) Agree/Disagree?  Post your nominations in your response!

Best Match -  You decide!  (Poll of the Round)
Best Move - Beljone's move to finish Steppin when he did proved that timing sometimes is everything, as he eliminated his  key competition without losing a thing, and guaranteed his victory. 
Best Diplomacy - LouisArmstrong's incessant deal brokering guaranteed himself a victory in a game which, under closer examination, I could have sworn I saw puppet strings extending from the backs of his opponents.
Best Macro - Some human player masquerading as an orc and finishing the game with 8k gold.
Best Micro - Slythe's artful disassembling of his opponents with the tried and true tank/gryph mashup makes me think he would have been able to break Stalingrad if he was in control.

King's Corner
(Disclaimer: This is an editorial and does not reflect the views or stances of the rest of the administrative staff of FML.)


EM9
viki.so RKK
htrt.
ATi.Bright
llVllaJiN

This prediction is of course predicated on 1) my demands that htrt. leave the league are not met and 2) he does not try the Chinese-army mass-wave attack of ghouls on someone again.  If he plays even remotely seriously, I think it will be a tough go for Vlain and Lewis, especially on a map youll be lucky to creep to 4-3-1 on.   This game will essentially break down to a 1v1, as Lewis will be too preoccupied betting e-dollars on SC2 matches he is watching on live stream, and Vlain will be at 50 the whole time trying to see just how big of a symmetrical death star he can build in his base.  After HTRT finishes Viki, I will declare the match finished, and Lewis wont notice until 3 hours later when he tabs back in.

EM10
Persuade
Mog[Skynet]
Surroundking
Mr.Sparkle

Mog and Persuede are essentially the same player, although Persuede is more homoerotic and Mog is about as skilled at gold management as, well... (Quick Q whats the opposite of a Jew?)   I think the best possible outcome would be an epic 1 on 1 vs egomasters Seksi and Persuede, but I see it playing out more like Seksi rushes Sparkle, Mog rushes Persuede, Seksi cleans up.  Mog's got the whole "Imma fight a whole lot" thing down pat.  Now he just has to get the other 47 aspects of FFA down and he'll be solid.  Persuede will have a Firelord - nuff said.  Ill be pulling for Sparkle, who with a decent spawn position should be able to eek out an early advantage with rifle creeping this map.

EM11
Renaud
practicemage 
redkeekee.
Beljone

Seldom do we have the privledge of a game where the same player is playing 4 times.   This game will break down into three phases:  creep and expo - 1 hour of peacing - Renaud willl have 10k more than everyone else (who will have 40k).  Chippo ad nauseum, RKK on top.  Eventually someone will realize that while they split the mines evenly, Renaud had the bigger gold mines, and they'll finish him.  Practicemage, who is already established to be Persuede, will spontaneously leave when he is in a 3way against his lover (Though inside sources tell me they are not against threeways as a couple.) And RKK will come out on top (zing!) against Beljone.  Girl power!

EM12
Ugrilainen
PLZLEAVEDUCK
SteppinRazor
Wrecktify

This game will amost certainly end in me suiciding Duck or vice versa, as we are two competitive players who always play for the win - except when we get really mad.  And I think we will get eachother really mad.  I will claim move of the week when I kill my heros so I can go pure 100 gyro and eliminate him, or he will suicide into me as he suffers from the same disease that Starshaped and HTRT have (I call it Manifest Destiny Syndrome.  When you have a huge ego and you start attacking someone but fail, you don't reassess but instead fight harder. )  Meanwhile Ugri will have 35k and fully teched human, and Steppin will be trying to peck away at me and Duck evenly.  Eventually either I or duck will die, the living one will team out Steppin, and ugri will cruise to victory.


ALTERNATE THEORY: Ugri goes another crappy strategy --> Duck or I tomes him --> The tomer of Ugri gets teamed out by the non-tomer and Steppin --> Beats steppin in 1v1.  Yes I am predicting Me, Ugri and Duck for one game.  Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

WM9
8======D ~~~
Camp_and_Spank.
Lightweight!
Q-veta

A penis, a spanker, a dick, and a gypsie walk into a bar....

This is a pretty lousy orc map, at least for lightweights style.  Garbage items and exposed mines = no dice.  That said I thnk LW will opt for his HU, which isn't bad, but wont beat Q in a mirror.  For some reason I think this will end up Penis vs Spank.  Will Spank beat Penis?  Or will Penis thrust through the Spank?  Either way their will be a big explosion, covering much of the map. 

(Worpex just told me to cut this disturbing prediction short as any continuation and we might have to change the domain for this site to .xxx)

WM10
lill0r
DkH.Rain
gnom
Pinballmap

This will be a pretty vanilla prediction.  Love Gnom.  Love PBM.  Not sure what Lilor is but its a cute name.  Rains just a beast though.  Unless he randoms UD.   Then ill pick PBM :)
   
WM11
Slythe
Darkermirror 
Fs.Jehu.
alkorax

Another boring prediction - I always like Darker vs Slythe matches cause I usually lump the two of them together.  I think Slythe has improved as of late, so he gets the Uncle Wreck Stamp of Excellence  .  Use it wisely, my friend.  If he goes a retarded strat I think he'll lose -- especailly since his jank hero combos usually rely on higher levels and this is not the map youre gonna get them on. 

WM12  MATCH OF THE ROUND!!!??
XoZ_Magadansky
DkH.Starshaped
MMMMMMMMMMMMMK
Kalimero


Whew, what a match. Well IIRC the last time Senor Xozy and Heir SS met up it was on Deadlock, and SS soloed Maga out.  That made me a sad Wreck.  I suppose its possible this game as well, all based on spawn positions.  Both SS and Maga can beat MMK or FS on equal footing.  I think the most interesting way this could play out would be a stalemate of Maga vs SS, and MMMK/Kali toming one another, leaving a high level underdog against the two top dogs.   Provided he doesnt spawn next to SS, Maga should win.  And I only say that cause he always wins, and you dont pick against the Yankees.

[FML|Mog]

Good read, had me laughing quite a bit! Sorry I disappointed and didn't mass 40 FD against Bright, maybe this week ;)

[Slythe]

some funny wordplays and enjoyable excessive use of unusual vocabulary    . refreshing political incorrectness too ( unlike the german football-team  ) .

and thanks for keeping to remind me NOT going any fun herocombos, ( looks like u put some $ on my wins  )

[FML|WorpeX]

Great read and I must say... I think most of these predictions are accurate!

The poll confuses me though because the match numbers are wrong.

[Wrecktify]

The poll wouldnt be necessary if the admins had voted on their favorite game from round 2 in my prep-thread! *sniffle snifffle*

I hope that SS plays (and wins) WM6 before WM12 -- it will add to the drama as both #12 matches woudl basically be deciding the conference winners at that point.

[gnom]

great work wreck! it is hard for me though but atleast i learn many new words :) 
best Match em7
best Move any wreck's move  
best Diplomacy wreck 
best Macro wreck
best Micro wreck :) :) :)
and last i will suicide everyone who does not comment here! (if i can though) :(

[Magadansky]

Seeing the availability in WM12 I think there will be no problem of WM6 being played before that match.

As to the whole king's corner - as usual, very xozy! :D