Earth Rumble VII Skud Pai Sho Tournament

[Cannoli]

GET READY TO RUMBLE! 

Get ready to take part in the greatest Pai Sho event in the modern Earth Kingdom! Can you fight your way to the top and win the Heavyweight Skud Pai Sho Championship Belt? Enter now to meet new players, learn about the game, and test your skill! 

I, Cannoli, will be joining some of the best and brightest Skud players around the world (hey, that's you!) to compete for the tournament winner title! To keep me accountable in my "power" as tournament host, Prof Petruescu will be my accomplice and general handyman in organizing this tournament. While I will generally be the one to go to for any questions you might have, Petruescu will be helping out behind the scenes and will be responsible for the tasks that I will be giving up as an active participant, such as the creation of games on skudpaisho.com.

General Information

• This will be a classic, double elimination style Skud Pai Sho tournament.
  
• The winner will receive the Tournament Winner role on the official Garden Gate discord server.
  
• All games will be hosted at The Garden Gate website: skudpaisho.com.
  
• An official bracket will be hosted on Toornament.com: https://www.toornament.com/en_US/tournam...nformation
  
• Signups end and the tournament begins on Saturday, April 2nd. To make sure you properly end up in the tournament, please sign up at least 2 full days before the tournament begins!
  
• Update: Signups still end on April 2nd, but the tournament will now begin on Monday, April 5th.
  

How to sign up:

Participants have two main things to do in order to sign up for the tournament.

• First, participants must register for Earth Rumble VII in the tournaments tab of skudpaisho.com.
  
• Second, participants must register for the Toornament.com bracket here: https://www.toornament.com/en_US/tournam...nformation. Participants must provide both their Garden Gate username as well as their Discord handle in order to sign up.
  

Tournament Format and Rules

• Matches will be shown on the Toornament website bracket, and will be created at the start of each round.
  
• Rounds will last 3 days each in both brackets. In the losers bracket, players can request to begin rounds early if they wish, allowing them to better keep up with the winners bracket.
  
• In the event of a tie, if there is at least one full day remaining in the round, players may rematch if they wish. Otherwise, the total move numbers in previous games will serve as tiebreakers (the player with less total moves in the tournament will win).
  
• Unfinished games due to inactivity will be decided by hosts at the end of the round. If only one player is inactive (defined by extensive stalling of gameplay and move making, be it accidental or purposeful), they will automatically forfeit the game. If both players are completely inactive, neither will advance, and the would be opponent of the next round will get a bye. MAKE SURE TO LEAVE AT LEAST A MESSAGE IN THE CHAT BOX IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE CONSIDERED COMPLETELY INACTIVE, ESPECIALLY AS GUEST.
  
• The championships will not be based on the Grand Finals system of the last double elimination tournament. More information will be given to the finalists of the winners and losers brackets.
  
• Sandboxing, while strongly discouraged, is still technically allowed.
  
• Undos are allowed. Asking for and granting undos IS encouraged, though it is not technically required.
  
• Cursing and foul language is discouraged, though it is okay if something slips through. Outright bullying and harassment, on the other hand, will lead to immediate disqualification.
  

I look forward to competing with all of you!

- Cannoli

[Cannoli]

Recap of day 1, posted on the second day of the tournament:

Good morning players and fans and welcome to Day 2 of the Earth Kingdom Rumble VII!!! I can already hear the tiles flying, but before we get too carried away we have got to address the cacophony of clacking competitions that took place yesterday! BaronAlbatross and Cannoli are with you reporting.


The very first game of the tournament was a quick one between Ultra and Queso314! Queso began with a 3-5 plant, and Ultra countered with 3-4. Queso was able to quickly take advantage of Ultra’s slower start, pressing past Ultra’s defenses. By turn 7, Queso had a threat to win, and they made good on their threat on the next turn, boating away Ultra’s knotweed and securing a spot in the second round of the winner’s bracket!

MrMango123 and erumi321 followed closely behind in another speedy match. Mango played defensively, focusing on gate control and limiting Erumi’s options. However, Mango gave up the gate opposite to Erumi’s tiles, and Erumi was able to take advantage of this move, sending out their last two flowers and maneuvering around a wheel block to win the game.

Jokras was handed an early advantage by 1styethkaage when they used their 2nd turn to move their flower up instead of planting a second flower. Jokras planted in the south gate and from there quickly established a north/south ring before 1styethkaage could gather up enough momentum to counter it. Both players had at the time played less than 15 matches, Jokras showing off a very clean strategy for such a green player.

TheRealMomo vs HarpistforHim was a match of special intensity and more than worth rewatching in full. HarpistforHim got an early advantage by blooming a set of flowers quickly. TheRealMomo was forced to play almost completely defensively until he began planting again on turn 10. By turn 14 both players were threatening to win, and had Orchids out to cause disruption. Both players use alternating red and white flowers to create ever tightening rings, and on turn 20 both Orchids had been captured. It was anyone's game until on turn 25 TheRealMomo saw an opportunity, swooping in to a harmony and plucking HarpistforHim's last obstructing tile out of the way. A fantastic match all around, congratulations to TheRealMomo! I have pity for whoever faces HarpistforHim in the L bracket!

Yagalo vs Lexi proved to be another exciting match full of creative moves. If you’re looking for some novelty defensive moves to add to your repertoire, be sure to give this game a watch! Lexi had Yagalo on the defensive for the first few moves, cleverly blocking Yagalo’s attempt to secure opposite gates. However, Lexi gave up the bottom gate in an offensive push, which Yagalo took advantage of to turn the tides, strategically using a rock to fortify his basic blocks and slow Lexi down. Yagalo then put a dent in Lexi’s offense with his wild orchid, forcing them to reset on offense while he quickly raced to the finish, securing the win. Though Lexi now moves to the loser’s bracket, they are not to be underestimated in future games!

The match between CatholicChris2 and Dallin was short and simple. Dallin, a previous tournament winner, showed no mercy against CatholicChris, using a classic 3-5-4-5 opener to corner him in just 7 moves, taking the win with the 8th. Dallin utilized the added movement of his W4 along with a W5 plant up top to outpace CatholicChris, outmaneuvering all attempts at defense and forming a harmony ring with ease.

Liam_keaggy13 and Megajotb’s game was the second longest match of day 1. Throughout the match, Megajotb made several clever plays, though ultimately they were no match for Liam. Electing a 5-3 opener, Mega first sent out his rhododendron from the South gate, a move that Liam mirrored. Both players rushed to their first harmonies, with Mega arriving first due to the Guest speed advantage, using his harmony bonus to plant a chrysanthemum below his horizontal harmony, likely trying to prevent Liam from planting there on the next turn. Liam instead planted within reach of his rhododendron, using the approach to surpass Mega’s original speed advantage. Mega continued his gate control, electing to plant on the next two turns as Liam worked on his ring, including the plant of a rose near Liam’s W3. Though Liam easily avoided the first attempt at capture, on move 12G, Mega cleverly boated it back into range by forming a harmony bonus with his lotus, a move that allowed his blooming orchid to begin capturing, if needed. Liam also switched focus to sending out his lotus and orchid, which allowed Mega to capture his jasmine, forcing an offensive reset. Though both wild orchids were soon out of their gates, neither ended up getting much action, as both players began to focus on rebuilding their offensive threats. Liam was once again able to form a threat much more swiftly, and it was a threat that Mega was not able to notice in time, as Liam wheeled his opponent’s orchid away for the win on turn 19.

Sirstotes and Obscuris had a brief though intense match today. Sirstotes immediately began forming a north/south pattern while Obscuris went to work on an obstructing east/west pattern. As is often the case this led to lots of back and forth interventions, Sirstotes delivering the most effective blow by capturing and arresting Obscuris' easternmost flowers, leaving Obscuris without the means to form a ring. Sirstotes took the win easily after that using a wheel to speed up the process.

The match between BaronAlbatross vs hoid148 was another quick one, yet it proved to be interesting nonetheless! BaronAlbatross used a classic opposite gate strategy, one that was common in the August tournament yet not seen too frequently since. Hoid148 started with a 4-5, and BaronAlbatross quickly planted behind the first tile Hoid moved out. From there, BaronAlbatross maintained gate control, sending out the necessary tiles to form his ring without giving his opponent the opportunity to do the same. Hoid attempted to block with their orchid, which BaronAlbatross quickly wheeled away as he completed his harmony ring on turn 9.

Likely the most anticipated game of the first round on account of the surrounding circumstances, fans were not at all disappointed whether they tuned in live to Yagalo's commentary or caught the action on replay of the match between SkudPaiSho and Cannoli. Quick work early in the game on the part of Cannoli left Skud on his back foot for the entire match, but Skud never goes down without a fight. By turn 10 Skud was on his last accent tile and had only 3 basic flowers in play to Cannoli's 8, a number achieved in part by exploiting Skud's early blooming of his White Lotus. Although Skud managed to get his Lilly in the mix, the pressure from Cannoli's overwhelming contingency of flowers prevented him from cutting back the overgrowth effectively. On turn 16 Cannoli pulled together a ring using a boat to put the last piece in place. There is much to learn from both sides of this board. As well as Cannoli played, Skud also demonstrated ability in playing a long defense.

Samurai_Appa vs GoodOrBlue was a brutal yet thrilling match, with Appa steamrolling GoodOrBlue’s offensive plays and swiftly taking the dead time to make his own ring. Appa first blocked GoodOrBlue’s 3-5 opener, planting a jade behind her rose in order to stop her first harmony. He then further fortified his defenses by using a rhododendron to clash trap GoodOrBlue’s rose, preventing her from circumventing his jade block at all. With no easy way to form harmonies, GoodOrBlue was left both offenseless and defenseless as Appa formed his winning ring.

Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli

---

Recap of day 2, posted on the third day of the tournament:

Good morning Rumblers, and welcome to day 3 of Earth Rumble VII! Before the rest of you all get to finishing up those round 1 games, it’s time to admire the multitude of marvelous matches from yesterday! BaronAlbatross and Cannoli, here to bring you your recap.

In the Morbius15 vs adder match, both players began with a 3-5 planting and Morbius15 appeared to have an early advantage offering a threat to win at the end of turn 6. Adder snatched away a quick win with a rock and the two players began a shuffle by turn 11 both players appeared out of luck due to the scattering of rocks and knotweed, but on turn 15 adder wheeled his last tile into place and claimed victory.

Kataraslotus vs DerHerrPeer was a well conducted duel demonstrating definitively the dangers of gate guarding gameplay. Kataraslotus had effectively slowed down DerHerrPeer by holding 3 gates, but in the process failed to assemble a winning pattern. When the right gate opened up DeerHerrPeer immediately planted, bloomed and formed up a winning ring on the 10th turn.

Minkey quickly overpowered 5up3r in a fast and decisive match. Beginning with a classic 4-5 opener, Minkey soon had control of opposite gates, which he used to his advantage, putting 5up3r on the defensive by turn 6. Never letting up on his offensive push, and never letting 5up3r make one of their own, Minkey secured the win on turn 10.

In what is without a doubt the craziest match in the tournament so far, Lamya and Habadababu put on quite the show! The game started with a 3-5 opener from Habadababu, and despite these openers’ tendencies to lead to one-sided early games, Habadababu was slow to their first harmony, something Lamya quickly took advantage of to even the playing fields. Additionally, Habadababu’s early positioning was a bit awkward, allowing Lamya to make the first ring threat as host. This did not hinder the guest whatsoever, and they made good use of a rock to slow Lamya back down on turn 8. The next flurry of moves saw the depletion of all but 1 of each player’s accent tiles, and by turn 15, Lamya was left with only a wheel, and Habadababu with only a boat. Additionally, Habadababu had an orchid out, and sending out their lotus on the next turn allowed them to completely break down Lamya’s offense within the next few moves, forcing an offensive reset in the future. In more immediate terms, Lamya focused on preventing Habadababu from getting a more immediate win, a task which they accomplished well. On turn 24, Habadababu allowed their orchid to be captured, and used their boat on the following turn in an attempt to force a win, a threat which Lamya promptly blocked. Left without accent tiles, yet in a strongly favorable offensive position, Habadababu began focusing on building midline harmonies, both in a long term attempt to sneak in a ring, and likely also in possible preparation for alt win conditions. Lamya, despite not having to worry about accent tiles any longer, was stuck on defense, unable to properly work toward any proper offensive threat for the next few turns. Finally, Lamya sent out their lotus, planting their orchid on harmony bonus with intent to wreak havoc. Yet it was too late—Habadababu’s offense overwhelmed Lamya, and on the very next turn, Habadababu captured Lamya’s white jade with a rhododendron, completing an 8 piece harmony ring to win the game on turn 37!

Toni and Campolobaja gave us an absolutely thrilling match that shows just how brutal players can get with their orchids. Campolobaja elected to plant an orchid as their 4th flower of the game and immediately gobbled up two of Toni's flowers. Toni struggled to recover, but at turn 10 Campolobaja was threatening victory. By the end of turn 15 Campolobaja's orchid had a body count of 4, but Toni's orchid was planted and poised to perplex. Toni captured a key flower, but lost their orchid to Campolobaja's Lotus. After further repositioning Campobaja's orchid took a fifth victim, moving out from between two of his own tiles triggering a harmony bonus. On that bonus Campobaja pushed his last flower into place and won the match on the 22nd turn.

[Cannoli]

"Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel."

The first round of the Earth Kingdom Rumble VII is OVER, yes OVER! That means its time for round 2 and more extreme action! Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, lets look back over the last day of round 1. Thank you to everyone participating and spectating, this is all for you and on account of you, because when your opponents are your friends, there is never a dull day!

"Burning starfire shines in the sky
For the lives of great men who stand by your side"



Shader17 vs Padre was a lightning quick game, both players blooming bodacious bouquets. Shader17 used a harmony bonus to tangle up Padre's last unpositioned flower with a knotweed, leaving no options to block or make a harmony. With that Shader17 slid his last flower into place with no further tricks or gimmicks. That is how it's done Shader17!

Electrohex and Jeffreymunro both started their match with 5-4 planting. Early on Electrohex bunged up Jeffreymunro's arrangement. Unfortunately this put him a step behind, and after the Orchids made a brief appearance Jeffreymunro was able to build a winning ring.

The match between PaiShoAce and TwoTheSecond was surprisingly short and simple. Playing her favorite opening, a 4-5, TwoTheSecond quickly began building a vertical ring, using the North gate after PaiShoAce gave it up. No stranger to 4-5, PaiShoAce played quickly on offense as well, building a ring of their own. Recognizing TwoTheSecond’s first ring threat, PaiShoAce continued on offense, using a knotweed to try to block her. Unfortunately, this knotweed placement was insufficient to block the offensive threat, and TwoTheSecond swiftly took the win with a clean wheel finish.

Markdwagner played against ZxTinyJ, taking the place of BatoBingBatoBoom in the tournament. Zx played a 5-3 start, allowing Mark to elect a 5-4 opener in response. Despite the speed advantage, Mark quickly found himself back on defense as Zx expertly set up his spin on the classic 3-5, bringing his lotus out early. Mark quickly punished this, using a knotweed to take advantage of the lotus’s small movement speed and slow Zx down significantly. As Zx tried to escape, Mark used his orchid to hold his opponent’s lotus in the range of the knotweed. Zx used his own orchid, empowered by his lotus, to begin capturing Mark’s tiles. After having successfully removed enough of Mark’s defense, Zx was able to wheel away both the knotweed and Mark’s orchid on harmony bonus, winning the game on turn 13.

A notoriously skilled player and previous tournament winner, SpinxKreuz’s playstyle showed no signs of decay in his match against Sadman. Similar to Zx, Spinx began by planting a 5, electing a 4 as his second tile. Sadman chose to plant a 3 instead of mirroring, giving Spinx a notable speed advantage. Sadman seemed to recognize this, and focused on gate control for most of the early game. As predicted, Spinx quickly formed his first ring threat, though Sadman was prepared, and diligently defended as they created a threat of their own. For the next few turns, the two exchanged accent tiles and basic blocks as they tried to wriggle around each others’ defenses. Spinx finally broke Sadman’s offense with an orchid threat, and was able to slip a wheel finish by his opponent, securing the win on turn 16.

The last completed game of round 1 was Ntturner vs Cajuncoder and watching the replay, it looked rushed! Both players began working with a 5-3 strategy, and as the game progressed the board became liberally sprinkled with accent tiles. Cajuncoder struggled to make a threatening ring pattern and on turn 13 flubbed his defense, placing a rock just a few places too high giving Ntturner the opportunity he needed to move on in the winner bracket.


Resu532 beat Deadguppy by default
Lalalandikki beat Maci by default
UlisCM beat klammazu by default
Ghost117 beat Elaitha by default
Tree beat NinjaB35 by default
Cpt_Seabear beat GeneralButtercrust by default
Sensei_Wu beat flameo by default
Demilocke beat NotSbeve by default
Wolf beat magicodd by default
Dinosar beat Jay77 by default

Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli

[Cannoli]

Day 5 of the tournament has begun! We’ve still got lots of great matches to get through, but before we do, it’s time to review the exciting events of yesterday! This is your daily report with BaronAlbatross and Cannoli.

WINNER’S BRACKET ROUND 2

Jokras and tree were the first to complete a match this round late at night, obviously to tree's advantage because tree needs not sleep . Both players opened with a 4-5, but by turn 7 tree had 2 Jades and Roses out opening up the possibility of a 3-5. While Jokras put his last pieces in place tree managed to make an elaborate ring of 3s, 4s, 5s and his own lotus to take the win.


Habadababu and ZxTinyJ started out mirroring one another making a double spiral pattern, but chaos touched their display when Habadababu sent his orchid out to cut a hole in the forming rings. Thus maintaining a threat over the south of the board, ZxTinyJ found it most opportune to plant in the north gate. Habadababu's own Lotus betrayed him in service to ZxTinyJ when he bloomed his last flower and took the win.]

Cpt_Seabear vs Dinosar was a short but exciting match. Both players blitzed at about the same rate getting 5-3 arrangements in place. Dinosaur missed an early win when he used a knotweed to complicate Cpt_Seabear's ring instead of using a wheel to unblock his own. Cpt_Seabear returned the favor, holding out long enough to sail his last flower into a winning ring on turn 9.

UlisCM and BaronAlbatross put on a spectacular show, and the final move of the game makes this match more than worth watching! BaronAlbatross started out with a 4-5 plant, and UlisCM followed suit. As Baron first moved his Southern W4 out of the gate, UlisCM planted behind him, revealing an intent to play for gate control. For the next few turns, UlisCM worked on a horizontal ring, as Baron tried to build a vertical one, with each player blocking the gates their opponent needed to complete a threat. Finally, UlisCM brought out their lotus, and planted an orchid on harmony bonus, leaving the West gate open behind them. Baron planted in this gate on harmony bonus, and UlisCM used the next turn to threaten Baron’s Northern lily. Rather than avoiding this threat, Baron elected to move his Eastern rose. UlisCM captured the W4, and Baron revealed the purpose behind his rose movement, using his opponent’s lotus and winning the game in a beautiful boat finish!

Ntturner vs Demilocke was certainly an interesting game to watch! Demilocke started out the game with a 3-5, and Ntturner mirrored this opener. The similarities quickly ended there, as Ntturner took the Southern gate as Demilocke moved his rose out. Demilocke focused on building a traditional 3-5 threat, while Ntturner took advantage of the North and South gates they controlled, outpacing Demilocke in the process. From there the two successfully exchanged blocks, including an orchid block from Demilocke. Not too long after, Demilocke brought out a lotus to build another ring threat, a move Ntturner took advantage of, using their own lotus to capture Demi’s orchid and complete their ring.

Yagalo vs JefferyMunro was an outstanding match, Yagalo opening with an effective combination of gate control and blooming. When Yagalo threatened a win on turn 14, Jeffreymunro responded by initiating a scuffle between the orchids. Yagalo's was the las standing and he directed it on a number of surgical strikes while Jeffreymunro employed other means of disruption. Despite this Yagalo managed to pull off a wheel finish on turn 21.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
The game chat revealed an unbelievable conspiracy, a boast of incredible magnitude! Read for yourselves and wonder at the boldness!
> Yagalo: Oh I am planning on being the one who dethrones dall(i)n
> jeffreymunro: Well I hope you do!
Will he do it?! Will dall(i)n hold his belt? Only time will tell! Stay tuned!

Resu532 vs Cannoli started out in a rather unusual way, Resu532 planting two Jades as an opening, and then both players began marching their flowers around the board. By turn 9 Cannoli's pieces seemed scattered and Resu532 was nearly ready to make a winning ring. At the last moment Cannoli dropped a knotweed and started showing the reason for his arrangement. From that point turn by turn Cannoli's ring grew sides until he coasted into victory on a wheel.

Queso314 vs Samurai_Appa saw Samurai_Appa using his signature alt 3-5 opener, forcing Queso314 to plant in a position unfavorable for most 3-5 counters. From there, Appa quickly formed his first threat while Queso lagged behind, further forcing Queso to use their first accent tile with only 3 flowers planted on the board. From there, Appa was able to circumvent Queso’s defenses, securing the win on turn 9.


Sensei_Wu and Liam_Keaggy13’s match was swift and decisive. Liam opened with a classic 3-5 starter, and though Sensei_Wu planted behind his rose, they did not use this to block Liam’s opener, instead opting to play for opposite gates. This is not to say that Wu did not play defensively, as they soon brought out their orchid to try to slow Liam down. Liam was not fazed by this, and quickly used the open Northern gate to bring out a white jade, move it into place, and remove Sensei_Wu’s knotweed on harmony bonus to form a ring.

LOSER’S BRACKET ROUND 1

Using an opener similar to Samurai_Appa’s, Megajotb defeated Flameo, using the unusual start to throw their opponent off balance, and outpace them in the process. Flameo attempted to play for gate control, but did not utilize the gates they held, and the attempt slowed them down even further as Megajotb raced ahead. By turn 8, Mega was able to move their last tile into place, boating away a rock to form a harmony ring.

Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli

[Cannoli]

Welcome Pai Sho fans to the sixth day of the Earth Kingdom Rumble VII! I know you are all excited for round 3 to get underway, but remember we still have matches running in round 2! And there were some seriously high profile matches yesterday that we need to talk about!

WINNER’S BRACKET ROUND 2
TheRealMomo and DerHerrPeer put on an incredible show for us, as we should expect from these players. TheRealMomo opened up with a gratuitous gamut of gate guarding sequestering the bulk of DerHerrPeer's growth to the south gate. On turn 7 TheRealMomo was threatening a winning ring, but a well placed rock turned the tables putting DerHerrPeer a move away from victory and TheRealMomo a few turns back. Both Orchids then came into play and the fighting around them lasted almost 10 turns. On turn 21 DerHerrPeer used his last accent tile to stave off TheRealMomo and as I often tell new players, many matches will come down to who can hold on to their last accent tile the longest. This proved true once again as TheRealMomo was now at liberty to disrupt DerHerrPeer with a boat and then roll into a winning ring with his wheel.

Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, you are not going to BELIEVE how crazy the match was between Adder and Dallin! It’s truly something you have to see to believe! Dallin began the game with his favorite 3-5 opener, yet Adder did something Dallin did not expect, electing to move his rose out of the gate on his first turn rather than planting a second flower tile. Dallin planted in the West gate, likely thinking that Adder could not play well without access to it, yet it was all part of the plan, and Adder planted a jade behind his rose. Surprised or not, Dallin remained composed, and began working towards his first ring threat, using his lotus to make up for his inability to plant basic flower tiles on harmony bonus. Adder quickly took the Southern gate, yet Dallin used part of his opener to further slow that ring attempt down. Dallin planted his orchid after bringing out his lotus, putting pressure on Adder’s ring threat, and was able to keep Adder on the defensive for much of the early game. Adder used both a knotweed and a boat to try to block Dallin, though his placements only stalled temporarily, and he relied more successfully on basic flower tiles to block Dallin’s ring. Adder brought out his orchid and lotus, capturing Dallin’s lotus yet getting captured in the process. Even still, it was enough to even the playing fields, and both players moved their focus back to creating new ring threats. The two players danced back and forth, with Dallin maneuvering around skillfully as Adder pumped out basic flower tiles to both block his opponent and create threats of his own. Dallin soon followed suit, chaining together harmonies to try to get a new angle of attack. Yet neither player could quite find an opening to form a ring, and it soon became clear that the game would go into alternate win conditions. The two players created and blocked midline harmonies, but Adder had the clear advantage—with only one basic flower tile left, he got to decide when the game ended. Adder waited for an opportunity, and when the moment presented itself, he took it, planting his rhododendron and winning the game with more harmonies crossing midlines! What a show these two players put on! We look forward to seeing how each of them fares in their respective brackets!


LOSER’S BRACKET ROUND 1

To anyone who thought the L bracket was going to be a snoozefest, let me tell you; You aren't only wrong, you're downright loopy! Case in point, the first finished match of the day on the L bracket between two relatively new players GoodorBlue and Ultra. Now as in his last match, Ultra struggled to make a cohesive pattern in the beginning, meanwhile GoodorBlue at the same time was being very generous with their accent tiles. Turns 9-14 were an extremely intricate interplay which I will leave to you academic types to interpret, meanwhile neither player appeared to have a clear advantage. On turn 16 however Ultra moved two pieces off the centerline and made a winning ring, truly a top shelf finish.

Markdwagner vs Lamya was an excellent match, and a beautiful demonstration of why rushing out accent tiles can work to a player’s advantage! Lamya started out with a 5-3 opener, and Mark opted to play a 5-4, using the positioning Lamya left open to gain a speed advantage. Even as host, Mark did not seem all too interested in playing for gate control, and he let Lamya use opposite gates to quickly catch up. Instead of panicking and going on defense, however, Mark kept his cool and continued his ring threat, using accent tiles on his harmony bonuses to slow down his opponent. By turn 8, Mark was down to just a wheel, and Lamya still had all of their accent tiles remaining. Despite this, Mark still had an offensive threat, and he pressed it further and further with each turn, until he finally broke through with a beautifully simple four piece ring on turn 16!

CatholicChris vs Morbius15 was an interesting match, and it ended on a surprising note! Morbius began with a 3-5 opener, and CatholicChris followed suit. Morbius elected for a more flexible approach, strategically planting and moving rather than rushing to the first harmony, while CatholicChris went for the traditional 3-5 starter. Chris managed to catch up to Morbius’s ring threat using a rock to slow them down, and Morbius was forced to defend as Chris used a boat to remove their first knotweed block. From there, the two shifted back and forth as CatholicChris blocked Morbius’s attempts to form a harmony on the West side of the board. Impatient, Morbius brought out his lotus, planting an orchid on harmony bonus in order to get rid of Chris’s pesky basic blocks, but this did not faze Chris. Chris allowed his rose to be captured, planting an Eastern jade to begin a new ring threat altogether. Morbius moved his lotus up to threaten a ring, yet this move ended up being his downfall, as CatholicChris used this lotus to win the game on the next turn, securing his place in the next round!

Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli

[Cannoli]

Rumblers, the current rounds have officially ended, and the games for round 3 of the Winner’s Bracket and round 2 of the Loser’s bracket are up! Before everyone dives into their games, it’s time to look at the final matches completed in the previous rounds.

WINNER’S BRACKET ROUND 2

Shader17 vs Erumi321 was among, if not, the shortest game of the tournament so far at 8 turns thanks to a cunning twist finish that shares a good lesson for all players to keep in mind. The game ran in a pretty common way as both players went right after their 5-3 ring patterns. Erumi321 may have had something in mind by playing a clashing rose, however it ultimately lost him the speed advantage he had been enjoying up to that point. Eager to reclaim advantage, Erumi dropped a knotweed to the side of one of Shader17's flowers. Now this is the last move and the interesting lesson I mentioned. The flower had one harmony which was broken by the knotweed. When Shader17 moved the flower upward, the harmony was restored. Erumi321 had a flower blocking the final horizontal harmony, but because moving the flower restored the harmony Shader17 was able to move the obstructing flower with a wheel and win. I recommend watching the match to get a better idea of how this brilliant play worked out.

TwoTheSecond’s match with SpinxKreuz was certainly a sight to behold! SpinxKreuz began with his—and indeed also TwoTheSecond’s—favorite opener: the 4-5. Spinx played his opener decently fast, only stopping to plant a W3 in the Western gate in order to maintain gate control in the South. TwoTheSecond played more cautiously, yet did not start too far behind her opponent. The two exchanged threats and blocks for a few turns, until the pattern was broken by Spinx, who planted an orchid on turn 11. With a lotus soon following out onto the board, Spinx was able to chip away at TwoTheSecond’s defenses, though she held strong, skillfully using basic blocks to keep Spinx at bay. TwoTheSecond defended from within Spinx’s ring, but was unable to work on one of her own, as Spinx kept the Northern gate blocked. Finally, Spinx baited away one of TwoTheSecond’s tiles with his orchid, allowing her to capture it so that he could unblock his ring and win with a wheel finish.

Sirstotes vs Wolf was an absolutely brutal match. The game started off in an unassuming way, with Wolf playing out a 5-4 opener and Sirstotes following suit. The two mirrored each other until turn 4, where Stotes elected to plant a lotus on harmony bonus rather than a rhododendron. On the next turn, rather than planting a basic flower tile when moving out his lotus, Stotes planted an orchid, leaving him with only 3 harmonizing flower tiles on the board, a purely defensive move. This move ended up paying off beautifully, as Stotes wreaked havoc on Wolf, devouring almost every flower in sight. Somewhere in the midst of his defensive assault, Sirstotes planted a fourth harmonizing flower tile, and was able to slowly inch it out into place. Wolf, devoid of basic tiles to block with, was quickly forced to use their accents, which Stotes deftly took care of, using clever movement and his extra boat to push his offensive threat. By turn 20, there was nothing Wolf could do to stop his opponent, and Sirstotes took the win on turn 21.

Lalalandikki vs Campolobaja was a simple, to the point game. Campolobaja started with a 5-3 opener, and Lalalandikki mirrored their first two plants. As Campolobaja moved their Southern rhododendron out, Lalalandikki planted behind them, a move that would ultimately win her the game. Campolobaja slowly worked on ring construction for a few moves, and even planted an orchid, but they were no match for Lalalandikki’s opposite gate vertical ring, and she handily won the game on turn 8 with a clean boat finish.


Minkey beat Ghost117 by default



LOSER’S BRACKET ROUND 1

Padre demonstrated in their game against MrMango123 that simple gate control and opposing gate rings are not the end all be all, and that clever plants and thoughtful movement will prevail. Mango attempted to work toward a horizontal opposing gate ring, yet they built it in a very slow manner, with only their lotus being planted on harmony bonus. This gave Padre enough time to cleverly defend and form a ring threat of their own, and on turn 10, they won the game, wheeling away from a poorly placed knotweed to complete their ring.


Obscuris beat themagicodd by default

Cajuncoder beat NotSbeve by default

PaiShoAce beat sadman by default

Jay77 beat GeneralButtercrust by the flip of a coin

1styethkaage beat NinjaB35 by default

Lexi beat electrohex by default

5up3r beat Elaitha by the flip of a coin

Hoid148 beat klammazu by default

Toni beat Maci by the flip of a coin

HarpistforHim beat KatarasLotus by default

SkudPaiSho beat Deadguppy by default


Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli

[Cannoli]

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold."
Round 2 of the Earth Kingdom Rumble VII is over, and round 3 has taken off with a bang! Yesterday we saw some brilliant plays and heart-stopping matches! The Winner bracket is growing very narrow and some big fights are going on in the Losers bracket. Now I know a very nice prize has been offered to the winner, but remember the best prize is the honor earned from playing good honest matches! Now let's dive in and check on yesterday's matches.
"Looking around there's no fear in your heart
For I know you will never surrender
Everyone here raise their eyes to the sky
Now with strength and honor we fight"


WINNER’S BRACKET ROUND 3

Yagalo vs tree was the first match of round 3 completed, tree now showing a budding interest in haste. As host Yagalo was at a disadvantage as they bloomed out their 5-4 arrangements, and by turn 6 tree was threatening to win across the East/West areas, casting a deep shade over Yagalo's countenance. As Yagalo blocked and maneuvered, tree opened a new North/South threat. On turn 14, however, tree failed to notice Yagalo had finally set his flowers up. Yagalo made a long move and wheeled his last piece into place and with that tree was pruned from the winners bracket, but not uprooted from the competition altogether!

Adder vs Liam_Keaggy13 was a shockingly short game, lasting only 11 turns! Liam began the game with a 3-5 opener, and Adder countered with his signature 3 rush start. Liam, having moved his 5 out first, was able to keep the bottom gate away from Adder for a couple of turns, though Adder snagged the East gate, forcing Liam to work from the top. Liam quickly formed his first ring threat, which Adder continually blocked, first with a rock, and then with his basic flower tiles. However, on turn 11, Liam was able to sneak past Adder’s defenses, and won the game with a beautiful wheel finish!

Cannoli vs TheRealMomo had a very curious match earlier today. Despite Cannoli having the guest advantage, TheRealMomo was the first to threaten a winning arrangement on turn 8. When Cannoli blocked with a rock, both players seemed to be about equally scuttled. As the players brought out more flowers they were very stingy with their accent tiles. At the end of turn 12 TheRealMomo had a new threat to win, but did not realize that Cannoli was one step ahead. Cannoli on turn 13 made his last move and shifted into a winning ring with a boat using TheRealMomo's Lotus to complete the ring. Cannoli now moves on and TheRealMomo has learned a lesson I was taught in the last tournament. Never play a tourney match with distractions!

ZxTinyJ vs Minkey was an incredible sight to see! Minkey began the game with a classic 4-5 opener, and Zx followed suit. Zx mirrored Minkey until turn 4, where he planted a lotus rather than a rhododendron, likely in hopes of taking the South gate if Minkey left it open. Minkey recognized this, and maintained control of this gate, planting a W3 in the West without a harmony bonus. Zx remained patient, and carefully constructed the top half of his ring while defending against Minkey’s offensive threat with precise placement of accent tiles. ZxTinyJ’s patience paid off, as he was able to construct a ring threat with many more options while Minkey was still avoiding defensive blocks, and by turn 11 Zx had set up a strong offensive threat that Minkey could only have blocked with a boat or a wheel. This threat slipped past Minkey, and Zx was able to secure the win on turn 12!

BaronAlbatross vs Lalalandikki was quite the game! Lalalandikki began with her favorite 5-3 opener, and BaronAlbatross countered with a 5-4, utilizing the gate behind his opponent to quickly form a ring threat. Lalalandikki blocked cleverly, using both her basic flower tiles and accent tiles to defend as she worked on a ring of her own. On turn 11, however, she missed Baron’s win opportunity, and elected to plant an orchid, and BaronAlbatross boated away her knotweed for the win.


LOSER’S BRACKET ROUND 2

Obscuris vs erumi321 was a brutal and grueling match spanning a total of 31 turns. The game ended with no accent tile or special flowers left in reserve. Both players were operating with great talent for disruption, Obscuris managed to threaten a win at turn 10, but as erumi321 blocked it, there was a long gap of time before anyone got too close again. erumi321 made their first Orchid capture on turn 15, greatly complicating Obscuris' efforts to pull together a coherent East/West ring. On turn 16 erumi321's orchid was captured by the same of Obscuris, but he had managed to begin a tight North/South arrangement as well as one from East to West inside Obscuris' ring. Now erumi321 had use their last accent tile on turn 12, but Obscuris had continued to reserve his wheel throughout. erumi321's best option therefore was to continue producing basic flowers so that he could set up an unblockable arrangement, which is what he seemed to attempt for the rest of the game. Obscuris did the same, and though there were a few captures made by clashing tiles, the board quickly became crowded around the edges. Finally on turn 31 Obscuris was able to use his wheel to burn a clean ring around the board and take the win.

Campolobaja’s match against Jay77 was quick and to the point. Jay77 began with a 5-4 start, and Campolobaja replied with a 5-3, giving Jay77 a significant speed advantage. Jay77 used this advantage to quickly form his first ring threat long before Campolobaja could do the same, and after a few defensive moves from Campolobaja, Jay77 was able to win the game on turn 9.

Ultra and Demilocke’s match was a slow, methodical game. Demilocke began with a 5-4, and Ultra mirrored his first two plants. Yet on turn 4, Ultra diverged from Demilocke’s pattern, opting to give up the West gate in order to plant in the South. Demilocke took advantage of this, and was able to complete his ring threat by utilizing the now open gate. Not yet deterred, Ultra careful defended from Demi’s assault, cleverly using both basic and accent tiles to prevent a harmony ring. Eventually, however, Demilocke’s offense was too much, and he slipped by Ultra and won the game on turn 14.

Dallin vs Markdwagner was a slow paced match, but the result seemed inevitable as Dallin demonstrated dexterous movement and defense. Markdwagner opened with a 5-4, an opener that Dallin likely mirrored reluctantly, as 3-5 is his preferred start. Mark played for offensive gate control, taking opposite gates and calmly sitting back to defend a bit, knowing he could make a ring threat at any time. Dallin opted for a more aggressive and flexible approach, chaining together harmonies in order to get to his ring threat first. Both players brought out lotuses and orchids in order to start chipping away at each others’ rings, but neither player made too much of a dent with orchids alone, instead relying on clash captures and accent tiles. Dallin used his double boat accent spread to remove Mark’s defenses, and on turn 17, he was able to secure the win.

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Rumblers, Day 2 of this round has come and gone, and what an exciting day it was! I know you all are looking forward to seeing how the rest of the matches in this round turn out, but let’s first take the time to look at the truly wonderful games that took place yesterday! This is your local Pai Sho appreciation duo, BaronAlbatross and Cannoli, here to give you the rundown.

WINNER’S BRACKET ROUND 3

SpinxKreuz vs Cpt_Seabear played a fast and thorough round, almost exclusively in German. Both players ran out the gate with a 5 and a 3, both players having their pieces traverse the board making the first harmonies on turn 5. Wasting no time, Cpt_Seabear threatened a win on turn, but SpinxKreuz blocked deftly with a rock and offered his own threat. Cpt_Seabear blocked with his flowers, but on turn 10 SpinxKreuz used his wheel to clear a path and make a winning ring.

LOSER’S BRACKET ROUND 2

UlisCM vs PaiShoAce was another short but exciting match wherein UlisCM showed off a risky opening strategy, moving his first plant out instead of planting a second. PaiShoAce did not respond in the way I would have expected either, normally this bold move is countered by either planting behind the opponent or guarding the opposite gate. Instead PaiShoAce went right along making a 5-3 pattern as if he was the only one playing. UlisCM got two points of hia ring lined up right away, but lost momentum when he elected his slower Lotus as the third piece out of a side gate. On turn 9 PaiShoAce looked set to make a winning ring, but UlisCM had a clashing flower poised to break the ring. Instead however he made a quick harmony and boated a piece out of place. PaiShoAce responded by sending out his Orchid, which captured two pieces by turn 13, leaving the orchid between two of his own flowers. On turn 14 he captured a third tile, clearing the path and then using a wheel on the bonus to realign the displaced flower and make a winning ring.

Jokras vs HarpistforHim didn’t take long, but It was a great match that showed an effective way to guard the gates as the game progresses. As host, Jokras got the opportunity to take up a third gate on turn 3, leaving HarpistforHim to wander. As soon as the East gate opened up however, HarpistforHim immediately planted and held control of that and the South gate for the remainder of the game. The East gate was open on turns 9 and 10, but to prevent an early loss Jokras was forced to leave it be. Jokras had bound one of HarpistforHim's roses on turn 9 with his Orchid, but as the game played out HarpistforHim continued to build a pattern that included that piece. On turn 14 HarpistforHim made one last move and used the wheel to bring that rose out from behind the orchid and make a winning ring.

CatholicChris and Habadababu danced beautifully together in their match! Habadababu began with a 3-5, and Chris followed suit. Habadababu first moved out their rose, and CatholicChris planted a jade behind it, using it in the coming turns to block Habadababu’s first possible harmony. Habadababu planted a R4 in the south, using it to chain out their next white jade up top. The move paid off, and Habadababu was the first one to make a ring threat, though CatholicChris was not far behind, and used his knotweed and rock to catch up and make a threat of his own. Habadababu then used basic blocks to slow Chris down, planting and constructing his next ring threat with harmony bonuses. Meanwhile, CatholicChris did not sit idle, and brought out his lotus and orchid in addition to his continued ring threats. By turn 21, however, it looked like Habadababu had the game in the bag, but in an incredible turn of events, they didn’t see their own win opportunity! His opponent distracted with defense, CatholicChris was able to use his orchid to capture enough of Habadababu’s tiles to create an opening for himself, which he promptly used to win the game!

Hoid148 and TwoTheSecond played a fast match, finishing the game in only 8 turns! TwoTheSecond opened with her favorite 4-5 start, though this game she added an interesting twist. Hoid played for gate control, planting behind TwoTheSecond’s jade after she moved it out. From there, they began slowly moving tiles into place to form a ring threat. Meanwhile, TwoTheSecond planted a rose up top, maintaining control of the Southern gate as well. Hoid continued to move their tiles into place as TwoTheSecond brought her rose directly down and brought her jade out of the Southern gate, planting another rose behind it to maintain gate control. TwoTheSecond’s position was deceptively unassuming at this point, and Hoid took the time to plant their fourth tile in the Eastern gate in order to properly begin their ring threat. Yet by then it was already too late, and before Hoid could even make their first harmony, TwoTheSecond sent her Western white jade up to harmonize with her rose, wheeling the latter tile into place to form a harmony ring!

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"Plans are established by counsel;
By wise counsel wage war."

Hello again Rumblers and fans! Last night we saw the end of round 3 and what an amazing round it was! The winner board has been whittled down from 64 to just 8 competitors, it is getting down to the wire and you can smell the dust from this stampede to the finals! The loser board still has a ways to go, and don't forget that one player from the loser board will face off for the title in this tournament! In order for the losers bracket to catch up, the next matches in the winners bracket have been delayed until Friday, so let that anticipation build and make sure you have your favorite tea on hand! This is also a good opportunity to train with your friends and mentors, I can not understate the value of good council to improve your skills!

"We'll keep holding on
In times of changes
Standing strong against the wind
Until the end of time"

WINNER’S BRACKET ROUND 3

The game between Ntturner and Sirstotes was quite the spectacle to watch! Sirstotes began the match with a 3-5 plant, and Ntturner responded with a 3-rush. Stotes quickly planted behind Ntturner’s rose, though it seems he planted too quickly! In the game chat, Stotes lamented his mistake—instead of planting a W5 in the Northern gate, Stotes planted a W4! It seemed like this mistake could very well be fatal for Stotes’ performance, and Ntturner aggressively pressed their advantage as Stotes desperately tried to make up for the lost time. Yet despite Ntturner’s unrelenting offense, Sirstotes was able to cleverly defend using the very W4 that had originally crippled his attack, moving it on nearly every turn to precisely block each of Ntturner’s threats. Having had enough of the hyperactive tile, Ntturner used their orchid to hold it still, but this gave Stotes an extra turn to begin rebuilding his offense. Ntturner kept pushing their offense, hoping to create a harmony ring before Stotes could have the opportunity to work on one of his own, but Stotes continued to block and press on offense, and by turn 22, in an incredibly sneaky boat finish, Stotes came back and formed a harmony ring, winning the game and advancing to the next round!

SamuraiAppa and Shader17 gave us a great spectacle in a twisting game that was hard to call until the last move. Both players made tight 5-3 rings, Shader17 being the first to threaten a win on tur9. SamuraiAppa was not far behind however, and when the dust settled after a flurry of accent tiles, SamuraiAppa had a winning ring and took one step closer to the golden glow of the tournament finals.

LOSER’S BRACKET ROUND 2

1styethkaage vs DerHerrPeer was a quick match as DeerHerrPeer flexed out in the Loser's bracket. DerHerrPeer started out with a 5-3 while 1styethkaage opted for a 4-3 opener. DerHerrPeer made a threat to win on turn 7, but 1styethkaage wasn’t about to let him get away so easily. Using a boat to displace the forming ring gave 1styethkaage time to plant more flowers, but they missed a new threat on the next turn and DerHerrPeer took the win on turn 9.

Resu532 and Lexi’s match was a nice, short game, with clever offense and a clean finish! Resu began with an alternate 3-5 opener, planting a white jade in the Western gate. Lexi mirrored this opener, and the two players began working on their first ring threats. Lexi played to chain harmonies, having at most one tile in a gate at a time. Resu, on the other hand, played more slowly, using their existing speed advantage as guest to stay ahead of Lexi as they placed accent tiles on harmony bonus rather than just flowers. This allowed Resu to pull even further ahead of Lexi, as they bombarded Lexi’s fourth flower tile with a knotweed and rock, which prevented any accent tile blocks on harmony bonus. From there, Resu was able to trap Lexi on turn 8, and secured the win on turn 9!


Cajuncoder defeated Queso314 by default

Megajotb defeated Ghost117 by default

Dinosar defeated Toni by default

Sensei_Wu beat 5up3r by default

Padre beat Wolf by the flip of a coin

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Rumblers, the first day of this round has been a bit quieter, with only one game completed by our writeup cutoff point. We look forward to seeing those results start trickling in a bit faster, but first let’s give some love to the game that has been completed so far!

LOSERS BRACKET ROUND 3

Demilocke pulled off a classic strategy against Padre in the first match completed for this round on the L bracket. Veterans of Chan and Roun Jian's Ember Island House Party will either smile or cringe at the final state of this board. That's right folks, there is not much more to say other than that Demilocke made the classic monochrome 5 point ring in the minimum 7 turns! It has happened to the best of us, but don't let it happen twice, there are weaknesses to this strategy just like any other.

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Greetings Rumblers! The L-Bracket catch up round is still running and more results are trickling in as the crowd of players becomes a smaller and smaller group. The round ends tonight so let’s make sure we get those matches wrapped up! W-Bracket is back in force as well today with the last 8 players on this side of the tournament competing in their fourth round. As a note Cannoli and BaronAlbatross will be facing off, so expect a special guest commenter to be announced for that match! Enough news though, let’s talk about the action of the last day or so!

LOSERS BRACKET ROUND 3

Harpistforhim vs JefferyMunro ran all in one sitting thursday evening, I had the opportunity to view it live and it was crazy suspenseful! Jeffreymunro opened up with a 5-4, appearing to go for the 5-point patterning, but HarpistForHim planted behind him guarding the gate he needed to make a quick ring. Both players planted their Orchids on turn 6, HarpistForHim’s being captured on turn 8, but not before defanging Jeffreymunro’s by capturing his Lotus. HarpistForHim came out with a slight advantage in speed, threatening to win on turn 9 with a vertical ring. Jeffreymunro crippled the lotus with a knotweed, but HarpistforHim moved out a tile planted in reserve at the north gate. Thus again under duress Jeffremunro bloomed his orchid to block and detain one of the offending flowers. Both players moved closer to reconfiguring their rings and simultaneously tossing rocks at one another. On turn 16 Jeffreymunro finally got the slip and used a wheel to complete a winning ring.

CatholicChris has unfortunately decided to withdraw from the tournament—life calls him away for now. We wish Chris the best! Because of this withdrawal, Megajotb advances to the next round by default.

Dinosaur vs TwoTheSecond was a fast paced and short lived match! TwoTheSecond began the game with her tried and true 4-5 opener, and Dinosar followed suit. As both of them began building their rings, Dino left the North gate open in favor of taking the East, and TwoTheSecond quickly took the open gate, planting a jasmine there. The two continued to rush to their rings, and TwoTheSecond reached her ring threat first, and Dino broke formation in order to block her. TwoTheSecond used her orchid to trap Dino’s chrysanthemum out of formation, crippling their offensive threat. From there, Dino began to switch to defense, planting both their lotus and their orchid, but it was too late, and TwoTheSecond took the win with a lovely wheel finish!

Thank you all for reading our reviews and keeping up with your friends' matches! As a token of appreciation the first person to dm me will be sent an unpainted board and tile kit, I can ship anywhere in the US. It is a thank you and I also want to see what you can do with it! [This board and tile kit was given out on discord by BaronAlbatross to Obscuris, who was the first to respond.]

The game between Cajuncoder and Obscuris was certainly an interesting one! Cajun chose his characteristic double wheel double knotweed accent tile spread, and Obscuris went for the classic even spread. Obscuris began the game with a 5-3 plant, and Cajun responded with a 5-4. Though Cajun had the option to work with a speed advantage with this response, he instead elected to play for gate control, planting a rose behind Obscuris’s W5. Obscuris ended up making the first harmony, but Cajun used his extra plant to place one of his knotweeds to slow Obscuris down. Undeterred, Obscuris patiently pressed forward, taking the East gate when Cajun gave it up in order to further work on their ring. Cajun moved his fourth tile out, placing his second knotweed to further slow Obscuris down, though Obscuris was still able to get out their lily, preemptively placing a rock to block Cajun’s possible ring threat as they made one of their own. Cajun moved to block this ring threat, but Obscuris was able to sneak around his defenses and win the game.

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Rumblers, round 4 of the Winners Bracket and Losers Bracket has begun! For the Winners Bracket, it's down to just 8 players, and for the Losers Bracket, this round has 16 people fighting to stay in. Before we get into the excitement, let’s take a look at the results of yesterday’s matches!

LOSERS BRACKET ROUND 3

DerHerrPeer and Resu32 both fought hard to hold on to a spot in the tournament. The players opened up with a 5-3 pattern and resu532 came out with a threat to win on turn 8, guarding the gate DerHerrPeer needed to finish their pattern. A knotweed only bought him one turn, and resu532 was in position again on turn 9. Now obstructed by a rock, resu532 moved out his Lotus and planted his Orchid right behind DerHerrPeer's main concentration. Resu532 was set up again on turn 11, and DerHerrPeer was able to block with only his flower tiles. Resu532 sent out his Orchid to capture key pieces, but DerHerrPeer meanwhile managed to plant and bloom his own Lotus and Orchid taking his first victim on turn 15. Resu532 swept the knee and captured his opponent's Lotus, thus protecting his own. Both players began rapidly rebuilding, although resu532 kept up the pressure with his Orchid. With this advantage resu532 was able to be the first to threaten a win again on turn 24. DerHerrPeer blocked again, and the ensuing scuffle led to the capture of both Orchids. On turn 28 resu532 set up a double threat and DerHerrPeer didnt manage to block so resu532 took the win on turn 29.

Dallin has defeated Sensei_Wu by default
PaiShoAce has defeated Jay77 by default

- Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli

[Cannoli]

[Note that this set of summaries combined days 13 and 14 of the tournament]

Hello again players and fans! Cannoli and BaronAlbatross here with the news and reviews! We hope you all had a great weekend! After publishing Saturday the Dai Li met us outside and took us out for tea! We must have been out all night with them because we woke up at the edge of town A WHOLE DAY LATER! What fun! Anyway we apologize that our good times put us behind, but we have some great matches to look at here so let's check it out!
WINNERS BRACKET ROUND 4


Cannoli and BaronAlbatross tried to kill each other for around 30-45 minutes. They both started off with a nice 4-5 opening, then after some planting of flowers, Baron had the upper hand. Though Baron had the upper hand, his pizza order was delayed and Baron saw this as a bad omen. This was a wonderful match because I got to watch Cannoli suffer. The Italian pastry for once was having trouble to fight back. As Baron threatened Cannoli with vicious harmony rings, Cannoli kept throwing his own tiles to disrupt the harmony. On move 16H, both orchids were on the board and whoever got their lotus out first would be able to feast on any flowers in sight. But no one took their lotus out so I’m happy. After this moment I walked outside of my house for the first time in two weeks…I then went to a flower shop and bought some orchids for myself. THEN I BURNT THOSE ORCHIDS LIKE THEY WERE NOTHING. Back to the game that I left. At this point, Baron had an amazing move and was gonna win…until he realized that Cannoli’s ultimate rock would prevent him from doing so. After seeing that his only winning move was blocked by Cannoli’s demonic orchid and rock, Baron cried to himself. Crying to himself proved to be a wrong decision because his eyes became blurry, that caused him to miss Cannoli’s winning move. Italian pastry man’s rose had been hiding in plain sight and on the final turn, Cannoli moved his rose to form a harmony and used his harmony bonus to push his white jade into place using a boat. Congrats to Cannoli for moving onto the next round. Good try Baron, but let’s discuss what Baron could have done better. It is clear that Baron’s pizza delivery man was the reason Baron lost, so I recommend getting the pizza at TacoBell. The pizza at TacoBell tastes very nice and also, after eating the pizza, you can have a good time playing pai sho on the toilet! - Written by tree
ZxTinyJ vs Samurai_Appa was an exciting and hard fought match! Appa opened with his favorite 3-5 opener, moving his rhododendron directly out after his first two plants. Zx followed suit, though instead of attempting to mimic Appa’s ring attempt, they instead opted to go for an opposite gate vertical ring. Appa was able to reach his ring threat first, and Zx relied on accent tiles and basic blocks as they tried to catch up. Finally, after being drained of every accent tile but his wheel, Zx was able to make a ring threat, but by then it was too late, and Samurai_Appa used a wheel finish to win the game on turn 11.
Sirstotes and Liam_Keaggy13 played a wonderful match! Liam_Keaggy13 began with a 3-5 opener, opting for Gyatso’s 5 out strategy for his first ring threat. Stotes responded with another classic 3-5 opener, moving his rose down and out to a dynamic position. Liam got to his ring threat first, and though Stotes quickly blocked it with a knotweed, Liam used his boat to remove this block. Stocked up on boats himself, Stotes used one of his to further push Liam out of position, though it left him with only 3 flower tiles on the board. Nevertheless, this boat block, combined with Stotes’ basic blocks, was enough to persuade Liam to begin working from another angle, giving Stotes enough time to get the proper flower tiles out. Liam brought out his lotus, which Stotes promptly began using to try to create a ring, an attempt that Liam foiled with a well placed rock and smart movement. With both players slowed down once again, both Liam and Stotes brought out their wild orchids to begin breaking down each others’ formations. Stotes quickly captured Liam’s lotus, preventing a capturing rampage, yet by then Liam had made enough progress to open an opportunity to win, which he took on turn 21!


LOSERS BRACKET ROUND 4
Megajotb vs Adder blew the lid off the record for the longest match of the tournament so far weighing in at a whopping 43 turns. Really it started out like a game that was going to take too long. The first threat to win did not occur until Megajotb got his pieces together on turn 11, you will note a lot of games in this tournament ended at or before turn 11. Really things got out of hand when adder blocked with his rock. By turn 22 there were 15 flowers in play NOT including those that had already been captured and there was no obvious path to victory for either player. By turn 28 there were 21 flowers on the board, and despite adders elaborate network of harmonies, it was hard to tell what the players were going after. Megajotb used his last accent tile on turn 29, adder holding out with a wheel for the time. Well flowers flew out capturing and shifting around until on the 42nd turrn adder finally used that wheel, breaking up a linchpin in Megajotb's harmony network. On turn 43 adder planted his last flower and won on the alternate condition with 3 cross center harmonies to Megajotb's two. Wow.
PaiShoAce and Cpt_Seabear shared a quick yet intriguing game. Cpt_Seabear began with a classic 3-5 strategy, which PaiShoAce disrupted by planting a jade behind Seabear’s rose, threatening an easy block that might slow them down. The Captain calmly continued constructing their ring, though PaiShoAce was able to pull ahead with their dynamic tile placement. Seabear successfully slowed down their adversary using their orchid to trap PaiShoAce’s white jade. The obstacle was only temporary, however, and on turn 9, PaiShoAce wheeled the orchid out of the way, forming a harmony ring and advancing to the next round!


Resu532 vs tree was a short and sweet match, both players opening with a 5-4 planting. Resu began working toward a 5 point ring while tree set up a 4 point, holding a gate and threatening to win on turn 6, using a knotweed at the same time to hold Resu532 back from making a harmony. Resu532 found a way around it and in two turns dropped his knotweed and rock as tree scrambled to adapt. Resu failed to block at the end of turn 9 and tree used a boat to walk into a ring.
Dallin and Minkey’s game was a quick one, finishing in only 10 turns! Minkey began with a 4-5 opener, and Dallin mirrored this, with both players using the classic 4-5 fast ring to work on their first threats. Minkey played a slower, more controlled approach, planting a W3 in the West gate without moving out his R5, while Dallin played by chaining harmonies, occupying at most one gate at a time in a more direct rush to his ring. Indeed, Dallin was the first to make a ring threat, though Minkey used their extra harmony options to slow Dallin down with a knotweed. Dallin brought out an orchid to possibly slow Minkey down, and used a rock on another harmony bonus to block one of Minkey’s win opportunities, still staying not too far from an offensive threat himself. On turn 10, however, Minkey was able to circumvent Dallin’s defenses, and used a wheel finish to form a harmony ring!
TheRealMomo and JeffreyMunro played a spectacular match! Munro began the game with a 4-5 opener, moving his red 5 out of the East gate as soon as he could. Momo, repeating her 4-5 response from her game with Cannoli, chose to move her chrysanthemum down from the Northern gate, keeping the West blocked with her rhododendron. JeffreyMunro planted a jasmine up top, and Momo took the East gate in response, leaving both players with control of opposite pairs of gates. From there the two worked quickly to their first ring threats, and while Munro was quick to move out of the North, Momo instead chained out her lotus on harmony bonus, making up for the two gates she had control of. From there, Momo used a knotweed as she brought her lotus out of the East gate, soft-locking his lotus in the Southern gate and forcing him onto defense. Undeterred, JeffreyMunro defended cleverly, and though Momo brought out her orchid to chip at Munro’s defenses, he sacrificed his own orchid to capture her lotus. From there, JeffreyMunro began to rebuild his offensive ring, but his accent tiles had been almost fully depleted, and Momo hadn’t left him with many basic flowers to defend with. Over the next few turns, Momo pushed past Munro’s defenses, and on turn 21, she secured the win, and her place in the next round, completing her harmony ring with an excellent boat finish!
Shader17 unfortunately will be leaving the tournament, and indeed the pai sho community for an important life event, though he is certain he’ll be back in a couple of years! We will miss him, and we wish him the best in this next stage in his life! Because of Shader17’s departure, Demilocke will now advance to the next round by default.


Ntturner vs Obscuris began with a choking gate control scheme on the part of ntturner. Obscuris was not idle at all, however and managed to bloom out a wide spectrum of flowers by the time ntturner threatened to win on turn 9. Obscuris put a damper on his aspirations with a well planted rock and turned things around bringing together 3 parts of a ring. Just before he could make a legitimate threat however ntturner made a brilliant move and used wheel to take the win.
Lalalandikki and TwoTheSecond played an interesting game together! TwoTheSecond began with her now signature 4-5 opener, using the North gate to plant her fourth tile, a rose, and the South and West gates to get the other three out. Lalalandikki played partially for gate control, planting a third tile before moving anything out, though she soon shifted focus to getting out tiles on harmony bonuses, moving out of each gate. Both players defended preemptively, blocking one another’s possible rings, with Lalalandikki using a rock, and TwoTheSecond using basic flower tiles to get the job done. One benefit of TwoTheSecond’s method of blocking was that she was able to move her tiles into place without relying on harmony bonuses to slow down her opponent, which allowed her to skirt around Lalalandikki’s defenses and win the game on a fantastic boat finish!

Written by Cannoli and BaronAlbatross with special guest reporter, the beloved and venerable tree.

[Cannoli]

Welcome, Rumblers, to the semifinals of the Winners Bracket, and the pre-quarterfinals of the Losers Bracket! Things are getting really exciting in the tournament, and this round is sure to be a good one! Before then, we’d like to personally thank all of the participants for completing their games before the end of last round! It was absolutely lovely getting to properly do match summaries for the full round. On that note, let’s look at the final match we still have yet to cover—it’s a spectacular one for sure! BaronAlbatross is here with your match report.

Yagalo and SpinxKreuz put the last nail in the coffin of round 4! Right out the gate Yagalo kept SpinxKreuz pinned down on the south side of the board. SpinxKreuz fought back, pushing up the center to break into a threat on turn 8! But Yagalo was not about to let that slide and he delivered a smackdown on that attempt with a rock in the northwest garden. On turn 10 it was Yagalo's turn to have a winning move ready to go, but SpinxKreuz gave him a big "No Way Jose," blocking with a flower tile and a knotweed at the same time! Both players had to recoil and get their footing back after that exchange, and it was SpinxKreuz threatening a win on turn 13, then Yagalo on 14 and SpinxKreuz AGAIN on 15! And that was the one that did it, SpinxKreuz found an unprotected opening and he rammed a boat right through it to make a winning ring.

- Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli

[Cannoli]

This tournament is burning up fast and if you blink you will miss the action! There may be fewer players playing fewer games now but I can tell the anticipation is growing by a non-linear factor! So for anyone who tuned out to practice sand bending, here is what went down yesterday.

Cannoli vs Samurai_Appa… yeah that happened! Cannoli and Samurai_Appa popped off with a 5-3 planting, then Cannoli planted behind Samurai_Appa when he moved out to begin work on a horizontal ring while guarding 3 gates. Samurai_Appa wisely delayed making harmonies, but when it was most crucial Cannoli used a boat to force all of Appa’s tiles into harmony, leaving him unable to block with accent tiles. Then on the 8th turn with only a rhododendron in the way Cannoli made his ring clearing the path with his wheel on turn 8. You could never plan for something like that!

Minkey and Demilocke shared quite the game, and though it was short, it proved to be interesting nonetheless! Demilocke began with a variant of the classic 3-5, moving his Southern rose directly out and his Eastern jade down out of the gate as well before forming his first harmony. Minkey responded with another tried and true opener, moving his jade out first across the board and harmonizing with his rose to begin constructing a ring. Rather than planting in the East on his first harmony, Demilocke worked from the Southern gate, taking an extra turn to get a chrysanthemum on the board before further advancing on his ring. Minkey, on the other hand, played his strategy in a more traditional manner, keeping control of the Northern gate and moving out a rose that he planted in the West. Demilocke reached his ring threat first, though Minkey promptly blocked it with a well placed rock, threatening a ring of his own. Demi moved to block Minkey’s threat, yet his block proved insufficient, and Minkey wheeled him away on harmony bonus, winning the game!

- Written by BaronAlbatross and Cannoli