Originally Posted by
Parrot
how the fuck did chiv make it to the 3rd place matches lmao
I have a few guesses!
First of all, Toribash had more inactivity during this summer than expected. Usually around mid spring, we get the same threads "Is Toribash dying?" in the elerk boards, and the answer is a resounding NO as soon as summer hits and everyone gets out from school. But we didn't see the large rebound we usually do this time around. So for 1, smaller player base.
Second, the major power houses of this event really didn't show up. And the middle league guys really didn't either. Usually there's like, 4 teams who show up and you can't know for sure who's going to win Clan League. This year, there really is only one team that is heads and shoulders above everyone else. Now, it's a first to 8, single elimination, and it's Toribash, so of course anything can happen, but even so, usually there's around 3 teams who could all pretty much beat one another interchangeably. Last year, Parrot was pretty above and beyond any of the competition, and it wasn't too close. This year, Alpha did exactly what Parrot did last year with recruitment and they are where Parrot was, pretty much untouchable without strokes of luck. Relax All, a clan league champion team and powerhouse, Obey, a team that consistently does well in Clan League, NO, a clan who was 1 aikido match away from being clan league champions and otherwise did great with the Rai+Mwah core all didn't show up. Nitro, a middle-tier competitor, dropped out from competition round 1. WAPOW imploded and wasn't a middle-tier threat like they normally are. And TGS, ordinarily a huge powerhouse, clearly has moved on with their lived in their new clan CREAM and lost prematurely.
Third - format. Single player elimination increases luck. Aether has a few really strong carried, and have a coinflip 50-50 chance of beating Parrot and going to the finals, so they aren't weak. But there's clans who got eliminated too early that definitely would put up a good fight if given a second chance to organize. I mean clans like Elite could've done better for sure, if even for their own hyper-carry player.
But yeah, that's not to take away from anything. I hope Parrot goes to the finals, and I hope we pull off some crazy miracle. But if Aether wins, they deserve it and I hope they play well too. Clan League has always been my favorite part of Toribash in-game. I love judofrac and I'm so glad I get to play it in high stress environments.