...And with another post (to avoid triple-merging), I have a little segment I'd like to call...
~~~SOUTHERN PLAINS COMMENTARY!!!~~~
First off, congrats to all of you who made these events so awesome. Billy, Lauren, and I all observed some great sportsmanship (Billy probably observing the most 'cause he went to the most tournies of us three :X).
-The players. Other than uhhh, a few people here or there bragging nonstop about success at low-stakes tournaments (I'm looking at you, Sidney!), were all tactful and knew just what the BR season was about: the seemingly impossible hybrid of fun/competition.
-The staffing was strong as usual. I have no examples from San Antonio/Oklahoma because I didn't attend any of those tournaments, but I'm sure it was all great. Dallas' strongest point was their always-active judging, and Houston's strongest point was their efficiency. You all did a great thing by running so many tourneys, so pat yourselves on the back, 'cause I can't literally do it!
-Aaaand now for my top five masters of this portion of the season:
#1: Adam Garcia (TX, Houston). With four BR wins (most of them undefeated), not a single missed top cut, and a solid list of one of the format's best decks, I think Mr. Garcia takes this easily. He has JUST moved up to the 15+ and is already dominating. In the past year and a half I've known him, his play has exponentially improved, and I'm just very glad to see him succeeding. He gave me a run for my money in my second BR, and best of all...gets every single one of my South Park references!!!
#2: Will Berry (OK, OKC). Five battle road wins...Verrrrry, very impressive! Best of all, it's with a deck that many people underestimate (Feraligatr). The list we worked on has been doing great, and after seeing you win the first three or so, I decided to dust it off, and boy did it work well! Kudos, sir.
#'s 3 and 4: The Super Kettlero Brothers (Billy and Johnny: TX/Denton, TX/College Station). Again, another player that has exponentially improved in the past year, my one and only brother is doing a good job representing the Dallas/Fort Worth area with his play and creativity. With a 1st, 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd, he is consistently performing, no matter where he goes. Sky's the limit.
As for me? Well I'm not dead yet. With only two tournaments I was able to make the Top 20 in North America, and currently I'm 2/2 at my Battle Roads...Not too shabby.
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Expect the Kettlero Brothers to claim those top two spots by the end of cities, 'cause now we'll actually be working together full-time. : D
#5: Clay Carney (TX, G-R). Unlike the other four people, he actually _gets_ that Battle Roads are for experimenting more than anything. Billy and I didn't get
too creative, and #'s 1 and 2 are one-trick ponies, but Clay was unafraid to use anything. Because of that, he was rewarded with two hard-earned wins.
TBH, #'s 3, 4, and 5 (as well as the unnamed 6-10) are generally interchangeable, but meh, I'm biased.