Gameroom Rock/Paper/Scissors Tournament III

[classical_hero]

You are the strongest competitor, since you are holding everyone up.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on the @atheotes and @Visorslash matchup.

Which means yes, we do have a result for Sigurd-The King.

[Zack]

Waiting on the @atheotes and @Visorslash matchup.

Which means yes, we do have a result for Sigurd-The King.

The result of @atheotes-@Visorslash matters much, much more to me.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 7 results

Even though we have only reached the early second half of the round robin tournament, there is a palpable playoff atmosphere in the air here at the stadium. The reason for this is simple: Today, at last, is the matchup between Sigurd and The King. Tournament historians have pored through the records and are proclaiming this the single-most anticipated round robin match of all time. The two players are evenly matched, having run the table and posting astonishing 5-0-0 records before both briefly stumbled yesterday and were "only" able to attain draws (issaikhaan, meanwhile, would see a draw increase his scoring percentage by infinity). The other contestants are happy this match is happening for two reasons: First of all, with all attention on Sigurd-The King, they are under far less pressure today than normal. Second of all, finally, one of those two has to lose, or at the very least draw. Either way, somebody is going to make up ground on at least one of these two contestants. Everyone is primed and ready, eager for another day of Rock/Paper/Scissors matches.

It takes a lot longer than usual for the audience to quiet down, but they eventually do as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

"Rock... paper... scissors... shoot!"

Perhaps someone who has an equally notable (though not equally impressive) stretch of matches as Sigurd and The King is issaikhaan, who today faces LazyMcCrow in an attempt to break his "sparkling" 0-fer streak. Lazy, tied for second-to-last, is probably khaan's last best shot at registering a point, but Lazy is taking this matchup very seriously, trying to wonder if khaan's going to pull something on him and if so, trying to outthink him. At first, the audience gasps: Both men initially throw Rock. But then Lazy, confident that khaan isn't going to pull anything, switches to Paper on the rethrow which trumps khaan's Rock.
LazyMcCrow defeats issaikhaan

Up next is probably the second-most anticipated match of the day, between atheotes and Visorslash. Out of all the contestants, Visorslash is in the best position to take advantage of the loser of Sigurd-The King as he's in third, and of course there is a morbid fascination towards atheotes as he and Zaccino seem strangely bound by the results they get. atheotes, Zaccino, Sigurd, and The King are probably all hoping for an atheotes victory, but in the end Visorslash delivered, his Rock slamming atheotes's Scissors. Zaccino's groan can be heard throughout the stadium.
Visorslash defeats atheotes

Meanwhile, edse watches this match and grins. He's facing Zaccino next. Regardless of whether or not edse believes that Zaccino and atheotes actually do have a strange connection, he's in a good mood because the psychological advantage clearly rests with him at the moment. Deciding to play with his opponent, he raises his eyebrows at Zaccino in an almost flirtatious manner and licks his lips. Zaccino won't look edse in the eyes after this. In the end, edse maintains his psychological edge, defeating Zaccino's Rock with a throw of Paper. Seven days in and the creepy pattern holds.
edse defeats Zaccino

Montmorency plays BSmith next. Both men have attempted to dig themselves out of early holes, with BSmith doing a slightly better job. He has 2.5 points to Monty's 2, but there is a world of difference in the standings with that half-point. Monty attempts to cross that gap with this match today, but BSmith initially matches him and both men throw Scissors. Before the rethrow, Monty takes a step back, trying to analyze what BSmith will do next from afar before the referee finally signals to get on with it. Whatever impromptu analysis Monty did evidently works, as his Rock crushes BSmith's Scissors on the rethrow.
Montmorency defeats BSmith

Next up is a match between classical_hero and Ishmael. These two higher-tier contestants are trying to maintain pace with Visorslash (as well as Sigurd/The King) as well as put some distance between each other. As these two are currently tied for fourth place, a crucial first-round bye in the knockout round could very well be at stake with this match today. However, it looks like the two of them are tied for fourth for a reason: They both initially throw Scissors. Grinning, they both go throw the motions and immediately rethrow: Rock. It looks like the battle for fourth will have to be resolved another day.
classical_hero and Ishmael draw

Finally, we have arrived at the moment: The battle for first. Sigurd vs The King. At stake is a hammerlock on first place and an almost-assured first round bye in the knockout round. On the other side of the coin, due to Visorslash's win earlier today, a loss today would mean that despite having gone undefeated with only one draw prior to this point, they would only be 0.5 points ahead of Visor for second. Such is the way of the tournament. Sigurd, who has gone through this before, knows what is in store for him in the knockout round and wants the easiest possible route to the finals. Due to his experience and his perceived greater hunger for the #1 overall seed, the oddsmakers have made him a slight favorite going into today's match. However, The King has openly been preparing for this match since Day 3. In the end, both men come out firing Paper, causing the audience to roar in delight. This truly is a worthy battle for #1. With the stadium's roof about to blow off from all of the cheering, Sigurd and The King try to block out the noise and concentrate on each other. Nearly a minute passes by with the two of them just staring at each other silently. Finally, the referee signals for the rethrow, and the crowd instantly goes quiet. Sigurd has switched to Rock, but The King has stuck with Paper. He instantly raises his arms in celebration as the crowd goes wild, leaving Sigurd to shake his head. It will be an uphill climb for that #1 seed. Meanwhile, The King is now looking all but invincible. The match is over.
The King defeats Sigurd

Standings through Day 7:

The King: 6.5
Sigurd: 5.5
Visorslash: 5
classical_hero: 4
Ishmael: 4
edse: 3.5
Montmorency: 3
LazyMcCrow: 3
BSmith: 2.5
Zaccino: 2.5
atheotes: 2.5
issaikhaan: 0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is now Day 8!

Day 8 matchups:

Visorslash vs. issaikhaan
LazyMcCrow vs. Zaccino
atheotes vs. BSmith
edse vs. Ishmael
Montmorency vs. Sigurd
classical_hero vs. The King

[atheotes]

LOL...Zack, now you are going before me. better start winning now...

[BSmith]

Let's go Lazy, Let's Go!!

[classical_hero]

Poor issaikhaan.

[Zack]

Poor issaikhaan.

It's obviously intentional, or else he would play something besides rock.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Waiting on @LazyMcCrow.

[Zack]

He fears me.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

@LazyMcCrow don't be lazy!

[GeneralHankerchief]

I got the PM, but need to do a few RL things before resolution.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

How many players will get to the second round? 8?

Edit: Never mind, read the previous game..

Noticed one thing though..

Not really, it will be a nice and relaxing break for you once my rock beats your sissors.

Edit: I mean my paper beats your Rock!

Edit: Edit: You know RPS III should include betting :)

So.. why didn't we include it?!

Also, if I should loose any games from now on it's because I'm still celebrating my victory over Sigurd.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 8 results

In the aftermath of the Sigurd-The King showdown yesterday, everyone is adjusting to the new order of things. The King wants to pad his lead, Sigurd wants to rebound. Farther down, Visorslash, only a half-point behind Sigurd, wants to capitalize off of Sigurd's misstep. classical_hero, Ishmael, and edse are all in good position to take the final first-round bye. As for the rest of the contestants, they all want to do well, but they're all in a tricky position as the #5 seed will almost assuredly face issaikhaan in the knockout round. issaikhaan, who, despite throwing Rock at every single opportunity, is now looking like the most dangerous opponent of all because he has given his potential opponents no data to go on.

With four days to go in the round robin, the game is truly afoot. The margin of error, if there ever was one, is decreasing. It is to a very tense atmosphere that the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

"Rock... paper... scissors... shoot!"

The first match is Visorslash against issaikhaan. While most people at this stage would want to avoid the #5 seed, Visorslash has his sights set on loftier goals. He's currently the #3 seed, has a solid cushion between him and the people directly below him, and is gunning for even higher. After Sigurd's loss yesterday, the Dragonslayer is only half a point ahead. The #2 seed has never looked closer. And so, Visorslash isn't fooling around. He promptly throws Paper, which of course triumphs over khaan's Rock.
Visorslash defeats issaikhaan

The match between LazyMcCrow and Zaccino is next. Zaccino, for the first time in a while, feels free. For once, he is not beholden to scoring clone atheotes's results, as Zaccino is now going first. Plus, while Lazy is certainly no slouch, he's not a heavyweight in the tournament and has been somewhat unlucky, having recorded more draws than anybody aside from Ishmael so far. At first, it looks like Lazy might pick up a third draw, with both him and Zaccino throwing Scissors. On the rethrow, though, Lazy succeeds, his Paper covering Zaccino's Rock. Afterwards, Zaccino mouths "sorry" to atheotes, shaking his head.
LazyMcCrow defeats Zaccino

atheotes, playing BSmith, just shakes his head. For whatever reason, he has never been as bothered as Zaccino about their weird connection. Perhaps it was because atheotes always used to go first, maybe he felt less responsible about upholding the connection. One thing was sure, though: he certainly wasn't going to let the result of another match influence his way of thinking for this match at all. Zaccino can go rot near the bottom of the standings. He's going to make a run for a bye. Staring down BSmith, he throws Paper, only to see that his opponent has done the same. On the rethrow, he switches to Rock... and sees BSmith's Scissors. The crowd gasps in surprise. At last, the connection is broken.
atheotes defeats BSmith

Up next is edse vs. Ishmael in a match that has playoff implications. edse has been perhaps the most quiet player in the tournament so far but has secured exactly the even amount of points so far, 3.5 out of 7. Ishmael, meanwhile, has survived a cracker of a schedule so far, defeating BSmith and securing two very respectable draws against classical_hero and Sigurd. If he can get by edse today, Ishmael's schedule for the final three days of the round robin is very doable and he'll probably have the inside track to the final bye. edse doesn't care about any of this. He just wants to get the win and keep on plugging. In the end though, Ishmael roars in triumph as his Scissors takes down edse's Paper. None of his next three matches are against people in the top six.
Ishmael defeats edse

Montmorency is next, playing Sigurd who is seeking to reverse course after yesterday's defeat to The King. Thanks to Visorslash's victory from earlier today, Sigurd is actually in danger of sinking to #3 for the first time in the tournament if he loses against Monty. Sigurd is determined not to allow that to happen. However, Monty, smelling blood, comes out firing, throwing Rock. Sigurd looks down and sees Scissors. The truth is now undeniable: After five straight wins, Sigurd is now in a freefall, having drawn one and outright lost the other two of his last three matches.
Montmorency defeats Sigurd

On the other side of the coin, classical_hero is looking to do anything he can to stop the freight train that is The King. classical has seen Ishmael, his closest competition for the final bye, win earlier today and knows Ishmael's easy schedule for the rest of the tournament. If there's ever a time to win and avoid the #5 seed, it's now. The King, though, has absolutely no sympathy, matching classical's initial Paper with his own. classical_hero grits his teeth and sweats it out on the rethrow, finally throwing Rock, but sees The King has once again done the same. Ah well, he supposes that considering the opposition, a draw is about as much as he could have hoped for. After all, the half-point he needs to get back into fourth is very easy to make up.
classical_hero and The King draw

Standings through Day 8:

The King: 7
Visorslash: 6
Sigurd: 5.5
Ishmael: 5
classical_hero: 4.5
Montmorency: 4
LazyMcCrow: 4
edse: 3.5
atheotes: 3.5
BSmith: 2.5
Zaccino: 2.5
issaikhaan: 0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is now Day 9!

Day 9 matchups:

issaikhaan vs. Zaccino
Visorslash vs. BSmith
LazyMcCrow vs. Ishmael
atheotes vs. Sigurd
edse vs. The King
Montmorency vs. classical_hero

[Ibn-Khaldun]

8 days without a defeat? Wow..

[seireikhaan]

Oh noes, the host found me out!

[GeneralHankerchief]

Oh noes, the host found me out!

The host knew about it from the start.

[Montmorency]

It's a very tricksy approach.

[seireikhaan]

The host knew about it from the start.

GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!!!


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHRAAAAAAAAAAA

[edse]

edse has been perhaps the most quiet player in the tournament so far.

In the end though, Ishmael roars in triumph as his Scissors takes down edse's Paper.
Ishmael defeats edse

You can't have known...

[Zack]

Oh noes, the host found me out!

Well, you did the exact same thing last game.

[Visor]

I'm catching up, King.

[GeneralHankerchief]

I'm catching up, King.

It's worth noting that The King holds the tiebreaker over both you and Sigurd should you end up with the same amount of points since he beat you both head-to-head. If you want that #1 seed, you'll have to outright score more points than him.

[Visor]

It's worth noting that The King holds the tiebreaker over both you and Sigurd should you end up with the same amount of points since he beat you both head-to-head. If you want that #1 seed, you'll have to outright score more points than him.

Number 1 seed would be nice, but I doubt I'll get it. I'll settle for 2, 3 or 4.

[LazyMcCrow]

A public sorry for the delay over the last couple of days. The days off work associated with The British Queen's Diamond Jubblies restricted my online time significantly.

[classical_hero]

Oh noes, the host found me out!

Then you change your approach and still lose.

[Ishmael]

I just know 'khaan will choose to change his strategy in the round I play him .

[Visor]

I just know 'khaan will choose to change his strategy in the round I play him .

It's a more nervewracking round with him then it is the King/Sigurd, because he has the potential to change the game.

[Sigurd]

It's a more nervewracking round with him then it is the King/Sigurd, because he has the potential to change the game.

He will most likely change when the finals start. Being bottom seeded, he will meet the top seed... Will he change to Scissors or Paper? keeping Rock because his top seed opponent expects that he will change?
That is why I am aiming for a more mid tree seed. I don't want to play 'khaan in the first knock outs.

[Visor]

He will most likely change when the finals start. Being bottom seeded, he will meet the top seed... Will he change to Scissors or Paper? keeping Rock because his top seed opponent expects that he will change?
That is why I am aiming for a more mid tree seed. I don't want to play 'khaan in the first knock outs.

It's a good thing that I won't get first seed then isn't it. Dodged a bullet there.