Gameroom Rock/Paper/Scissors tournament II [Concluded]

[Centurion1]

oops sorry guys sent in my choices.

[GeneralHankerchief]

All choices are in. I'm going to take a shower and then write up the first day. I think we'll come in under 24 hours, which is what I was aiming for. Good job, guys. Let's try to keep this pace up for the rest of the tournament.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 1 results

An excited buzz fills the stadium as it slowly becomes more and more packed with people. Finally, after a whole four months of waiting, the greatest spectacle known to man is once again about to begin. People are only wondering how this tournament can possibly top the one over the summer, but the contestants are hoping to do their best. For some of them, it is their first time out, and they clearly have the jitters as they walk out to their spots. For others, such as CountArach and Sigurd, this is old news to them and they calmly take their positions, hoping that their demeanors will give them a psychological advantage as well.

All is silent as the referee walks out, acknowledges the contestants, and raises his hand in the air.

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

The first match of the day is between two rookies, Double A and Yaseikhaan. Both men are looking to build up some early momentum and gain confidence as they progress farther and farther into the Round Robin phase. However, as is the case in these things, only one of them actually can. This time, it is Double A, whose Paper covers khaan's Rock.
Double A defeats Yaseikhaan

Next up is last tournament's bronze medalist Sigurd against new player Centurion1. Sigurd, who some consider to be the most mentally strong player of the tournament, is looking to resolve his inconsistency issues from last time and start strong. Centurion, however, is unfazed. He equally matches Sigurd throw for throw, first with Paper and then Paper again. The two of men have come away with a draw, though Centurion is visibly more pleased by this than Sigurd.
Centurion1 and Sigurd draw

The most anticipated match of the day is between defending champion CountArach and fourth-place finisher Death is Yonder. Interestingly enough, it was DiY who dealt CA his most recent loss, on the final day of last tournament's Round Robin phase. CA then went on to win three straight matches in the knockout phase to win the entire thing. The two stare each other down for a long while before both throwing Paper. The crowd's volume raises a couple of decibels in anticipation of what's to come. Upon the rethrow, CA sticks by Paper, but DiY switches up to Scissors, thereby once again sending the defending champion down with a loss. CA starts to wonder if DiY has a hex over him, as he is now 2-0 against CA and 2-7 against everyone else, including playoffs.
Death is Yonder defeats CountArach

Up next is a battle between Thermal Mercury and former superfan Jolt, who was the biggest supporter of the tournament last time and was elated to hear that he gained entry in its sequel. He quickly proves that he belongs here by matching Thermal's Scissors with his own, and then doing the same on the follow-up throw with Rock.
Thermal Mercury and Jolt draw

Sprig and Csargo stare each other down, each of them hoping for a quick victory over each other. Say what you want about draws, but neither of them want any of it. A win is a win, and neither of them will be satisfied with anything less. In the end, though, Csargo goes home unhappy, as Sprig quickly dispatches his Scissors with his trusty Rock.
Sprig defeats Csargo

The final match of the day is between two more new players, Sasaki Kojiro and Stildawn. Sasaki notes that Paper has been far and away the most common choice of the day. In addition to this, paper has only lost once, coming up against scissors only in the CA/DiY tiebreaker. Applying this logic, Sasaki throws Paper, which continues its win streak by defeating Stildawn's Rock. Rock/Paper/Scissorsicians will be careful to see if this trend continues in later rounds, but for now Paper, and by extension Sasaki, is supreme.
Sasaki Kojiro defeats Stildawn

Standings through Day 1:

Double A: 1
Death is Yonder: 1
Sprig: 1
Sasaki Kojiro: 1
Centurion1: 0.5
Sigurd: 0.5
Thermal Mercury: 0.5
Jolt: 0.5
Yaseikhaan: 0
CountArach: 0
Csargo: 0
Stildawn: 0

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

It is now Day 2!

Day 2 matchups:

Double A vs. Sigurd
Yaseikhaan vs. CountArach
Centurion1 vs. Jolt
Death is Yonder vs. Csargo
Thermal Mercury vs. Stildawn
Sprig vs. Sasaki Kojiro

[Centurion1]

are you kidding me.........

[Jolt]

Hah! I knew Thermal would throw those two! I only wanted to keep the suspense by tieing with therefore making my true decisions a mystery!

[Double A]

Wow I won?

[Stildawn]

Stupid paper.... Beating a rock absurd lol.

[Thermal]

Hah! I knew Thermal would throw those two! I only wanted to keep the suspense by tieing with therefore making my true decisions a mystery!

Yeah right....

That was strange, unlike centurion & sigurd, we didn't stick, yet we both still had the same choices.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Day 2 results:

The initial excitement that ratcheted up the crowd for yesterday's matches has died down somewhat, but the contestants still enter a packed and noisy stadium as they prepare to battle today's opponents. After one day, the standings are evenly spread out, with four people having won, four people having lost, and four people having tied. People are waiting for a hierarchy to be established and for a separation to happen.

As the referee enters, everybody silences though, knowing that there will be only minutes before their hopes are answered. He acknowledges the contestants and raises his hand into the air.

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

Double A, one of the early winners, faces off against one of the people who drew yesterday, Sigurd. Double A decides to stick with what worked for him yesterday, by once again throwing Paper. However, Sigurd, who has noted the general trend of paper being victorious, is ready for him and counters by throwing Scissors, smirking as he sends Double A off grumbling.
Sigurd defeats Double A

Up next is Yaseikhaan against defending champion CountArach, both of whom lost yesterday and are searching for their first points. CA, probably thinking like Sigurd, goes for the paper-killer and throws Scissors. However, he has overthought the situation, as he groans when he realizes that khaan has simply stuck with Rock. The crowd gasps as the defending champion has now played two matches and has nothing to show for it.
Yaseikhaan defeats CountArach

Two players that drew yesterday are next, with Centurion1 facing off against former superfan Jolt. For the third match in a row, someone throws Scissors as Centurion makes the proper gesture with his hand. It is now up to Jolt to see whether he has overthought it or made the right move. It turns out to be the latter, as Jolt has thrown Paper and immediately curses.
Centurion1 defeats Jolt

Death is Yonder, fresh off his victory off CA and hoping to build up some momentum for once, battles Csargo in the next match. Those hoping for a quick victory, however, are denied as both players initially throw Paper. Now the real chess match begins, as the two men stare each other down before the referee signals a rethrow. On the second throw, Csargo yells in triumph as his Paper defeats DiY's Rock.
Csargo defeats Death is Yonder

Thermal Mercury and Stildawn are next, having both failed to achieve a full victory yesterday. They are looking at each other as an easy target today to gain some points in the standings. However, both prove to be initially evenly matched as each man throws Scissors. Stildawn, however, decides to change it up on the second throw by throwing Rock, which easily trumped Thermal's conservative choice of Scissors.
Stildawn defeats Thermal Mercury

The final match of the day is between Sprig and Sasaki Kojiro, in a classic example of what happens when you overthink things in this tournament. Sasaki, noting the Paper trend of yesterday and seeing how many people reacted to it, decides to follow the trend and pick the most common choice, Scissors. Sprig, however, is having none of it and simply decides to throw Rock, which immediately nullifies Sasaki's logic.
Sprig defeats Sasaki Kojiro

Standings through Day 2:

Sprig: 2
Centurion1: 1.5
Sigurd: 1.5
Double A: 1
Death is Yonder: 1
Csargo: 1
Stildawn: 1
Yaseikhaan: 1
Sasaki Kojiro: 1
Thermal Mercury: 0.5
Jolt: 0.5
CountArach: 0

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

It is now Day 3!

Day 3 matchups:

Double A vs. CountArach
Sigurd vs. Jolt
Yaseikhaan vs. Csargo
Centurion1 vs. Stildawn
Death is Yonder vs. Sasaki Kojiro
Thermal Mercury vs. Sprig

[Death is yonder]

And so begins the fall into disparity...

I can't say I'm surprised