Gameroom Rock/Paper/Scissors Tournament III

[GeneralHankerchief]

Finals results

"If you ain't first, you're last."
~ Talladega Nights

It has truly been a tournament to remember.

There have been compelling storylines, incredible runs, spectacular upsets, heartbreak galore, and now, of course, one final match; one final match to decide everything. The road has been long and arduous for both contestants, but finally, it ends here. The preliminaries - the round robin, the previous knockout rounds, the just-finished consolation match - are all out of the way. Finally, it is time to resolve the one match that really matters.

In the stands sit the already-vanquished contestants: issaikhaan, Zaccino, BSmith, atheotes, edse, classical_hero, Ishmael, The King, and Montmorency. LazyMcCrow, having just taken third, is sitting elsewhere, ready to take part in the ceremony. Also spotted in the stands are former contestants Double A, Csargo, Centurion1, and even the very first champion CountArach, hoping that his legacy will be passed off to a worthy successor today. He smiles and tips an imaginary hat to the cheering crowd when his face is put up on the JumboTron. This, however, will be the only attention he receives today. The great majority of it will be devoted to the two competitors whose fates are about to be decided.

#2 Sigurd is the only person alive who has taken part in all three Rock/Paper/Scissors tournaments, although this is the first time he has broken through to the finals after losses in the semis during the previous years. He seemed destined to be here from the start, ripping off a 5-match win streak before drawing on Day 6 and then losing to eventual #1 The King on Day 7. From there, Sigurd had a herky-jerky remainder of the round robin, but righted himself nicely for the knockout round, defeating #8 edse in an epic marathon match and then ending #11 LazyMcCrow's Cinderella run in the semi-finals. Despite his vast experience and higher seed, Sigurd is still not favored to win today, primarily because of his loss to his opponent on Day 10. By this point he knows better than anyone that the opinions of the oddsmakers mean nothing, though. Instead, he is focusing on that one final hurdle that stands between him and the championship he has coveted for so long.

That hurdle takes the form of #3 Visorslash, and it is a very formidable hurdle indeed. Visorslash has had a rock-solid tournament, probably second only to #1 The King in consistency. Over the course of his run, Visor has followed up every single loss of his with a victory and has reeled off win streaks of 2 or more on three separate occasions. He has also exceptionally well against strong opponents, defeating Sigurd on Day 10, #4 Ishmael on Day 4, and semifinalist Montmorency twice. Finally, his run through the knockout round has had a workmanlike efficiency to it, having defeated #7 classical_hero and then #5 Montmorency both after they initially tied. Visor is looking to finish his impressive run with a second consecutive victory against someone he has already beaten.

Naturally, both of their thoughts cannot help but gravitate towards their Day 10 matchup. That battle was over in one throw, with Visorslash triumphing with a throw of Scissors. Everyone is wondering if the two finalists will base their throws off that matchup, since they have used all three choices effectively in the knockout round to this point. At the same time, though, everyone knows that any such discussion of tactics is purely an academic matter. Sigurd and Visor have both long-since passed beyond that stage of gameplay. Like Lazy and Monty, there is nothing left to do but execute their strategies and hope for the best.

It takes ten minutes for the wild cheering to die down to an acceptable level. The referee, who has walked out into the stadium, takes this time to acknowledge the contestants and congratulates them for making it so far. No matter the result today, their accomplishments cannot be diminished by any means. When the cheering finally does subside, the referee raises his hand in the air and says the words one last time.

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

Instantly, the crowd leaps back to its former noise level. Amidst the pandemonium, everyone sees that Visor has stuck with what worked for him in the past and thrown Scissors. Sigurd, though, anticipating this, has thrown Scissors as well.

The crowd cheers even louder. Rethrow.

Both men are sweating now. Any facade of coolness under pressure is long gone. There is far too much at stake now. This match needs to be over with, for both of their sakes. It has been a very long and trying tournament. Hoping this is the final throw he makes before he crowned champion, Sigurd gambles that Visor won't change and switches over to Rock. He's right about one thing: this is the final throw he makes in the tournament. Tuning out the loud shriek from the crowd, Sigurd's world for a brief moment boils down to Visorslash's hand... which ends up showing Paper.

The audience explodes at the result. In the past, scenes of pure chaos were the norm upon the crowning of a new champion; this is once again proven to be the norm as Visorslash is swept away by a tide of adoring fans ready to congratulate him on his incredible achievement. Sigurd cannot help but shake his head; he has been denied yet again, and this time aches the most of all. He briefly catches CountArach's eye in the audience. CA gives him a knowing smile and an apologetic shrug.

After about an hour, the tournament organizers have somehow managed to restore order and the medal ceremony begins without incident. On the top podium, Visorslash is drinking it all in. He had a very steady, solid tournament, and this is his deserved reward. Looking more and more elated as first LazyMcCrow and then Sigurd receive their medals, upon getting his Visorslash raises his arms high and yells out a cheer of victory, one which is given back to him by every single delirious member of the audience. He is officially the Rock/Paper/Scissors champion of the world.

Visorslash takes first place in the tournament!
Sigurd takes second place in the tournament!
LazyMcCrow takes third place in the tournament!

Thanks to all for participating and making it a great tournament!

Many people have requested that betting be incorporated for the next tournament. In the spirit of things, let me start off by laying very good odds that there won't be a 2+ year wait for the next one like there was for this one.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Congratulations @Visorslash! Also to @Sigurd and @LazyMcCrow !

@GeneralHankerchief, those write ups are just amazing!!

[classical_hero]

That was so much fun. Congratulations to Visorslash.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Also, since there was some discussion about this at the very beginning of the tournament, I'm 95% sure I'm keeping it at 12 players for next time. Shockingly enough, there are only so many ways you can write up Rock/Paper/Scissors results before you start to run out of steam.

[Montmorency]

Inconceivable! Sigurd is definitely going all the way next time.

Well-played.

Also, since there was some discussion about this at the very beginning of the tournament, I'm 95% sure I'm keeping it at 12 players for next time. Shockingly enough, there are only so many ways you can write up Rock/Paper/Scissors results before you start to run out of steam.

Begin accepting player-made writeups, or describing the matches as a physical confrontation - if we can stomach that. :wink;

[atheotes]

Contgrats to Visor! Sigurd and Lazy as well for finishing in the podium.
Thanks to GH for a great game. I was amazed how much you could write about Rock/Paper/Scissors. Write-ups were very good.

[Sigurd]

This is what happens when you give in to analyzis. Gut said Rock... ROCK dammit. I would have crushed this infidel on the first throw.
*walkes to the locker screaming "NO COMMENT" to the press.*

[LazyMcCrow]

Inconceivable! Sigurd is definitely going all the way next time.

Well-played.



Begin accepting player-made writeups, or describing the matches as a physical confrontation - if we can stomach that. :wink;

That was really good fun. I have a confession to make, now that the competition has ended: My match-up against atheotes - first knock-out round, Initially, I accidentally sent my orders to atheotes rather than General Hankerchief! - Now THAT'S what I call careless. Not to be deterred by my excellent blunder, I decided not to mention it and adjusted my orders - assuming that atheotes would make his orders based on my own. The gamble paid off, but left a slightly bad taste in my mouth :D Given my aversion to spreadsheet technology: The rest of my decisions (other than in the round robin against Khaan - which I nearly missed!) were all made based on pure instinct. Look forward to the next one.

[atheotes]

That was really good fun. I have a confession to make, now that the competition has ended: My match-up against atheotes - first knock-out round, Initially, I accidentally sent my orders to atheotes rather than General Hankerchief! - Now THAT'S what I call careless. Not to be deterred by my excellent blunder, I decided not to mention it and adjusted my orders - assuming that atheotes would make his orders based on my own. The gamble paid off, but left a slightly bad taste in my mouth :D Given my aversion to spreadsheet technology: The rest of my decisions (other than in the round robin against Khaan - which I nearly missed!) were all made based on pure instinct. Look forward to the next one.

No need for any bad taste. I thought you were just WIFOMing and did not even read your choices. I just went with random choices through out the tournament...never giving a second thought to my choices.