Certain
03-18-2014, 06:03 PM
http://i.imgur.com/uAJesXX.png
Season 3, Edition 4
Let's Do It Faster
INTRODUCTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrMrqBcv6Mk
Warning: This is the shortest edition of the magazine this season. Part of that is that the number of competitors is lower, but a bigger part is that I simply had no time because of a wedding Saturday and a family emergency Sunday. I do promise more depth in the future, but thanks to Mike Wrecka for chipping in.
Week 3 Rewind
BATTLE REVIEWS by Mike Wrecka and Certain
Another strong week produced two nail-biters and a handful of really good battles. Here, we rank them based on the quality of the battles. Rankings are by Certain, and reviewers are attributed at the end of each paragraph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G0Uos-Le9M
1. oats beats timeless 10-0.
BATTLE OF THE WEEK! Sometimes a shutout is just that. oats wrote one of the two best verses of the week, and he simply is on another level than timeless. But timeless keeps improving every time out. He tried to rhyme a bit more than maybe he should have, and it got in the way of his narrative. But mostly oats flipped his topic really well and showed the heart of a rainbow warrior. (C)
2. Vulgar beats Adonis 7-6.
Adonis dropped a poetic verse with a lot of short lines. At times he even used one word lines to drive home the point and to create cadence. His verse about a murderer was dark and gruesome but still intelligent. Many readers myself included thought that the connection to the Drums topic was flimsy at best. Vulgar wrote a verse about Puff the Magic Dragon, which right off the bat just sounds like it would be corny. Vulg was able to make it a really good read with his great multis and end rhymes. The tone switched to serious about half way through and while seeming a bit preachy was enough to get the W here in a very tight match up. (MW)
3. Just Write beats patrown 9-1.
JustWrite took the win here with a lengthy plot driven verse. He tackled the internet dating topic telling the story of someone who dumped their gf because he didn't think she was the one. In the end after taking a compatibility test on a website he finds what he thinks is his perfect match, his ex gf. So he had the person that was perfect for him all along but now that he realizes it, its probably too late. That is a dramatic finish to a great verse. patrown tackled the same topic and was unfortunate that he even used the same website as JW. After reading JWs epic novel , readers were most likely exhausted and patrown didn't pull in the readers quick enough to keep them interested. good battle. (MW)
4. Frank beats Ink 6-4.
If you asked me who was going to try to incorperate as many topics as possible into his verse, I would have guessed Frank 10 times out of 10. Ink went with a comparatively streamlined verse, and he told his story well. But Frank's massive ambitions won over enough voters, especially since some felt Ink's verse lacked drama. (C)
5. Vividlyvague beats King Ra. 9-4.
Neither of these guys showed up to their full potential. Like Frank (and similarly unsurprisingly), Vividlyvague fell victim to trying too much all at once. King Ra.'s verse felt a bit rushed, particularly in some major diction and spelling mistakes. But Vividlyvague did enough to win pretty convincingly, if only for his ambition of using a bunch of topics. (C)
6. Zenland beats cyph her 6-0.
cyph her apologized for not having much time and proceeded to post a keystyle about a friend that was lost in an accident. It didn't have any complexity to it and was very short. Zenland stated that he wasn't going to drop his real verse and dropped a keystyle of his own. A risky maneuver. He dropped mainly a swag and flowish verse that won over voters due to its nice flow and more complex structure. WBOTW. worst battle of the week. but hey props for at least showing. (MW)
7. Pinot Grij wins via Mike Wrecka no-show.
Pinot Grij's verse on Alex Trebek probably was the best of the week, and Mike Wrecka apparently fell asleep before being able to complete his verse. (C)
8. ZYG wins via neutral no-show.
ZYG wrote about weird wildlife, but he might have lost had neutral showed and stuck to his topic more. (C)
9. YDK wins via Objective no-show.
YDK kept it short, while Objective left us hanging because Manchester United lost or something like that. (C)
10. dyedinthewool and Innovator both no-show.
dyedinthewool still did her voting but lost track of time. Innovator said he had meant to sign out anyway at one point. (C)
11. Witty and Rawn MD both no-show.
Dickheads. (C)
NO-SHOW SHINE by Certain
No, I didn't review any verses submitted in the chat thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxIZzTU53Ag
Pinot Grij | 5. A giant robot is walking down the street, killing people and blowing up storefronts.
And we have our hands-down most creative verse of the week. Pinot Grij took the extreme spin on his topic, using it only as a vague outline for a much deeper and funnier verse, one in which Alex Trebek is getting back at all those he has to share airtime and knowledge with by building a robot killing machine. The standards for humor are pretty low in topical verses, but I think it suffices to say there were true laughs in this verse, which is high praise.
What made the verse work was the background that probably almost all of us know about Trebek, the Jeopardy! host who has been parodied in so many movies and sketch comedy shows, one way or another. But Pinot Grij's fluid storytelling definitely helped, as did his ability to get in character. The "Who is ..." punchlines also added a lot, and the best laugh was the Vanna White line.
This may be my favorite verse of the season thus far, but no one escapes without feedback. I would have liked a few more gags on the level of the Vanna White line, particularly because the LaToya Jackson line fell flat despite knowing the reference. I also thought the verse didn't hit the topic fully (the robot was not walking down streets and blowing up storefronts), but that was the right move in this case. It's tough to imagine even a good writer such as Mike Wrecka beating this verse.
ZYG | 10. Animals are leaving your town at an unheard-of rate. Birds, squirrels, rabbits and even insects are migrating elsewhere.
When writing the topics, I thought that was the toughest of the week. So of course ZYG chose it. What he did with it was quite unique: He turned it into a Planet Earth series based on animals that don't by any of my Google searches seem to exist in the real world.
The creativity level here was very high. Consider that ZYG invented dozens of creatures and gave them very realistic features that made them each believable. But he then doubled down and linked them all together in a fictional ecosystem. The creativity outstriped the writing, but it would have been difficult to get too showy while still executing this concept.
My biggest issue is that the verse didn't directly tie into the topic. A better explanation of the migration might have clarified the link, but that was lacking. Still, the YouTube video of the Lyre bird (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSB71jNq-yQ) that ZYG included at the end of his verse was amazing.
YDK | 8. You just lost the ability to speak.
I'm not sure if YDK knew Objective was going to no-show, but his verse seems to indicate that he wasn't expecting a full-throttle effort from our Dutch master. As has been the case every week this season, YDK showed solid mechanics. But the content was pretty uninspired. The stumbling block was how vague he made the verse, a symptom of using a twist ending.
The approach of losing your voice on the day you sign a recording contract that's been your dream was pretty good, but I think he could have revealed one of those two layers before the final line. By choosing not to, the verse was very vague and distant up until that clever last line. In general, story leads also are best when the inherent weirdness of the situation is explained in the verse, and that was missing here as well in a very brief verse.
I'd like to see YDK push his limits, particularly with regards to stronger content, in the future. He has taken major strides as a writer but still plays it safe when approaching topics too often, and he simply is not going to compete at the top level of this league until he is more willing to run with his imagination.
Week 5 Preview
POWER RANKINGS by Mike Wrecka
Last season's moderator tries to rank the five 3-0 writers in rankings that continue to mean nothing and everything all at once.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6VZAOph-fE
5. Vividlyvague (3-0)
Defeated Verb, Mike Wrecka and King Ra.
Vivid had a big come from behind overtime victory against yours truly and followed that up by beating King Ra. in fairly dominant fashion. He hasn't really blown anyone away as far as margin of victory but his verses have all been very dope so far and he is still unbeaten. This guy has finally found his stride and is using a much more voter friendly style than we saw last season. He went far into the playoffs last year and appears poised to crack some heads in the upcoming weeks. A bit of an unknown but he is quickly making a name for himself and earns my last and final top spot for the power rankings.
4. Frank (3-0)
Defeated sacrifice, Clockwerk and Ink
Frank has a huge win against sacrifice under his belt this season but has been flying a bit under the radar since that monumental victory. He received a no show win against clockwork and then just barely squeaked by with a win against the always very dangerous Ink. He still remains undefeated and is a big threat in any league that he is signed into but his slim margin of victory last week and the no show win hold him back from being in the top three here. He has been on his best behavior and hasn't attempted to bend the rules which could mean he is all business this season. Watch out for the Red Glare!
3. Vulgar
Defeated King Ra., H4ZE and Adonis
The Czar of Bizarre bars is riding high after defeating Adonis last round by the slimmest of margins in a very high profile matchup. He is undefeated heading into Week 4 and looks poised to make some noise. I expect an incredible verse from him this week. It just feels like he is ready to unleash hells fury on the league.
2. oats (3-0)
Defeated Rawn MD, ZYG and timeless
oats could easily be ranked number one here but he hasn't faced as tough of competition as JW. That being said he does have a signature win of his own against ZYG. oats seems to really be running on all cylinders and appears poised to make a run at the championship. We have never seen oats so determined and focused on NCs 2.0 and that is a good thing for the readers but a bad thing for his opponents.
1. Just Write (3-0)
Defeated Objective, El Pancake and patrown
Just Write has taken the league by storm with a few land slide victories against strong competition. During his undefeated run thus far this season votes have been casted in his favor a whopping 24 out of 26 times. A signature and career defining dismantling of El Pancake in Week 2 was impressive. He has been overlooked all season long but that comes to an end now as he nabs the number 1 seed in my POWER RANKINGS.
PREDICTIONS by Certain
Week 4's topics are a selection of street-art murals as we enter the first wave of contender battles leading up to next week's championship match. The shape of the season is taking form, and the pressure is on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLhAuH93bs
Contender: Just Write (3-0) vs. oats (3-0) | "Adorable Suicide Bomber"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! This matchup exemplifies how Season 3 has gone so far, with established force oats blasting through opponents but perhaps not doing so quite as impressively as up-and-comer Just Write. Just Write is the only 3-0 member to have won all of his matches via votes, and he's only dropped two all season. He's done so while really impressing everyone with his straight-forward storytelling and creativity, which he showed flashes of in Season 2 but clearly has taken to another level here. oats is a pro's pro with a great mastery of skills, but the same could have been said for El Pancake, whom Just Write toppled in Week 2. The topic is one of the best of the round, in my opinion, and I don't think it favors either. I'm going to make the risky pick here and say Just Write's content tops oats' polish, for this round at least. Prediction: Just Write 51-49.
Contender: Frank (3-0) vs. Vulgar (3-0) | "Illuminati Slave Table"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! Have these two fine gentlemen ever sparred before? I'm not sure. This definitely is the favorite for battle of the week, a stylistic clash with a fascinating topic that plays to both of their strengths. They were my two favorites entering the Season 2 playoffs, and they both can wow people when the inspiration hits. The biggest difference here is that Frank tends to rise to the level of his opponents, while Vulgar shows little regard for that aspect and instead simply writes as he's inspired to write. But with this topic and these stakes, both should be rather inspired. It's easily the most complicated piece of street art I chose for this week, a deliberate choice. Frank and Vulgar both can let complexity get in the way of narrative, and they almost both tripped up last week. But here they stand, and the question is who's fastball is better. Vulgar's has more velocity, but Frank's has more movement. Prediction: Frank 51-49.
Vividlyvague (3-0) vs. Pinot Grij (2-0) | "Girl Frisks Soldier"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! These two have some wild imaginations, so I'm fascinated to see where they take this Banksy classic. And by "fascinated," I mean terrified. Pinot Grij turned Alex Trebek into a world-conquering madman last week. Vividlyvague can match Pinot Grij's bombastic stylings, and I could see this battle featuring two 65-line verses if Vividlyvague goes off like he did last season. But one of the things he's done well this season is reining in that explosive nature. Pinot Grij still has a big advantage in polish, but Vividlyvague has evened the field a little bit from if they had faced last season. With that said, I don't think there's any scenario in which I would pick against Pinot Grij when given a topic that lends itself to storytelling. He might not measure up to some of our best in topical stylings, but the man has the natural gift of storytelling. This week's topic probably plays into that hand, though it also should bring out the best in Vividlyvague. Prediction: Pinot Grij 58-42.
patrown (2-1) vs. Ink (2-1) | "Asian Children Love Swings"
Do not Google "Asian Children Love Swings." OK, now that we've established that, let's talk about patrown and Ink. I'm pretty sure both of these guys go back a bit, to the RSTL's dying days, so I'm guessing they've faced at some point. The interesting stylistic clash here comes from patrown's raw (and inconsistent) aggressiveness and Ink's prosaic polish. Neither of these two has a perfect grasp of rhyme mechanics, but both are very capable of hitting home runs at times. patrown signed out only to decide against it later, so I'm not sure how inspired he is. This topic could be interesting, but I think it plays into Ink's hands more for a straight-ahead narrative. Prediction: Ink 56-44.
YDK (2-1) vs. Adonis (2-1) | "Father, Daughter and Plane"
These two have joined Just Write, Vividlyvague and timeless in vying for the biggest leaps from last season. What's weird is that both, particularly Adonis, are seasoned veterans who are now putting it all together. I've loved what Adonis has done with his writing lately, using a unique flow to better amplify his poetic diction. But a very unique, distinct style like that can eventually wear on voters, particularly since the league's numbers have thinned and votes per matchup have gone up. YDK has stuck with a more traditionalist style but really tightened his rough spots. His rhyme scheme is greatly improved. It will be interesting to see how they handle this topic, which plays more into YDK's wheelhouse. Adonis' darker inspirations have come out this season, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to the softer side for this week. He's been stronger lately and is more creative, but the upset could be in the making. Prediction: Adonis 52-48.
timeless (2-1) vs. ZYG (2-1) | "Graffiti in Burqa"
ZYG already posted because he is ZYG. timeless has posted early in the past, but he might be wise to think this one through. The topic is probably the one that most allows for writing about graffiti and street art, as it depicts an artist. But there also are major cultural statements in this image, and it will be interesting to see how each writer deals with those themes. timeless just got shut out by oats last week, and ZYG is a very tough follow-up match. ZYG also shut out timeless (then Mordycai) in Season 2. But the underdog can prevail if he comes up with the right approach. He's shown a lot of growth this season, probably more than anyone else. But ZYG is the master of conceptualizing. Prediction: ZYG 59-41.
Zenland (1-0) vs. sacrifice (1-1) | "Hookahristocrat"
This matchup will be tough for Zenland because his greatest strength is outrhyming people. No one outrhymes sacrifice. But the topic here probably favors Zenland, though sacrifice also has shown the ability to write quite well about drugs. And Zenland going off on a tangent about smoking something might end up being too crazy for the voters, as it was last season when he wrote about an acid trip. And Zenland is generally unstable. And sacrifice might be the best writer in this league, particularly from a mechanics perspective. But I'm fascinated by this one and really looking for to it. Prediction: sacrifice 64-36.
Mike Wrecka (1-2) vs. dyedinthewool (1-2) | "Jar Girl"
Mike Wrecka has a creative approach for every topic. He almost never takes the by-the-book angle, and that's one of the reasons he wins but also can be his undoing at times. dyedinthewool has shown diction dexterity and knows how to use a metaphor, and this topic might play into her hands. But I think it plays even more into Mike Wrecka's, as he can showcase that creativity on one of the more abstract images of the week. He's also more polished, and it's difficult for me to give the nod to dyedinthewool until she shows up with a full-length verse. Prediction: Mike Wrecka 62-38.
King Ra. (1-2) vs. Mr. J (0-1) | "Burning Down the House"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! This battle is so interesting because these two writers are so hard to predict. King Ra. is a talented, bombastic, polished and experienced competitor who for some reason almost never puts it all together in one verse. Mr. J has one of the smoothest flows around a great grip on abstract writing but sometimes seems to ignore topics entirely and others lets himself get weighed down by them. Here's hoping this fantastic topic can bring out the best in both. , which I think is a realistic possiblity because it plays into both of their strengths. But I don't like picking against Mr. J when the topic allows him to stretch out his thoughts. Prediction: Mr. J 52-48.
We'll Do Better Next Time
CONCLUSION
I had a family issue come up this weekend and into the early part of this week, so I apologize for the magazine's brevity. Thanks to Mike Wrecka for helping out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TAko3RH0bk
Season 3, Edition 4
Let's Do It Faster
INTRODUCTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrMrqBcv6Mk
Warning: This is the shortest edition of the magazine this season. Part of that is that the number of competitors is lower, but a bigger part is that I simply had no time because of a wedding Saturday and a family emergency Sunday. I do promise more depth in the future, but thanks to Mike Wrecka for chipping in.
Week 3 Rewind
BATTLE REVIEWS by Mike Wrecka and Certain
Another strong week produced two nail-biters and a handful of really good battles. Here, we rank them based on the quality of the battles. Rankings are by Certain, and reviewers are attributed at the end of each paragraph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G0Uos-Le9M
1. oats beats timeless 10-0.
BATTLE OF THE WEEK! Sometimes a shutout is just that. oats wrote one of the two best verses of the week, and he simply is on another level than timeless. But timeless keeps improving every time out. He tried to rhyme a bit more than maybe he should have, and it got in the way of his narrative. But mostly oats flipped his topic really well and showed the heart of a rainbow warrior. (C)
2. Vulgar beats Adonis 7-6.
Adonis dropped a poetic verse with a lot of short lines. At times he even used one word lines to drive home the point and to create cadence. His verse about a murderer was dark and gruesome but still intelligent. Many readers myself included thought that the connection to the Drums topic was flimsy at best. Vulgar wrote a verse about Puff the Magic Dragon, which right off the bat just sounds like it would be corny. Vulg was able to make it a really good read with his great multis and end rhymes. The tone switched to serious about half way through and while seeming a bit preachy was enough to get the W here in a very tight match up. (MW)
3. Just Write beats patrown 9-1.
JustWrite took the win here with a lengthy plot driven verse. He tackled the internet dating topic telling the story of someone who dumped their gf because he didn't think she was the one. In the end after taking a compatibility test on a website he finds what he thinks is his perfect match, his ex gf. So he had the person that was perfect for him all along but now that he realizes it, its probably too late. That is a dramatic finish to a great verse. patrown tackled the same topic and was unfortunate that he even used the same website as JW. After reading JWs epic novel , readers were most likely exhausted and patrown didn't pull in the readers quick enough to keep them interested. good battle. (MW)
4. Frank beats Ink 6-4.
If you asked me who was going to try to incorperate as many topics as possible into his verse, I would have guessed Frank 10 times out of 10. Ink went with a comparatively streamlined verse, and he told his story well. But Frank's massive ambitions won over enough voters, especially since some felt Ink's verse lacked drama. (C)
5. Vividlyvague beats King Ra. 9-4.
Neither of these guys showed up to their full potential. Like Frank (and similarly unsurprisingly), Vividlyvague fell victim to trying too much all at once. King Ra.'s verse felt a bit rushed, particularly in some major diction and spelling mistakes. But Vividlyvague did enough to win pretty convincingly, if only for his ambition of using a bunch of topics. (C)
6. Zenland beats cyph her 6-0.
cyph her apologized for not having much time and proceeded to post a keystyle about a friend that was lost in an accident. It didn't have any complexity to it and was very short. Zenland stated that he wasn't going to drop his real verse and dropped a keystyle of his own. A risky maneuver. He dropped mainly a swag and flowish verse that won over voters due to its nice flow and more complex structure. WBOTW. worst battle of the week. but hey props for at least showing. (MW)
7. Pinot Grij wins via Mike Wrecka no-show.
Pinot Grij's verse on Alex Trebek probably was the best of the week, and Mike Wrecka apparently fell asleep before being able to complete his verse. (C)
8. ZYG wins via neutral no-show.
ZYG wrote about weird wildlife, but he might have lost had neutral showed and stuck to his topic more. (C)
9. YDK wins via Objective no-show.
YDK kept it short, while Objective left us hanging because Manchester United lost or something like that. (C)
10. dyedinthewool and Innovator both no-show.
dyedinthewool still did her voting but lost track of time. Innovator said he had meant to sign out anyway at one point. (C)
11. Witty and Rawn MD both no-show.
Dickheads. (C)
NO-SHOW SHINE by Certain
No, I didn't review any verses submitted in the chat thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxIZzTU53Ag
Pinot Grij | 5. A giant robot is walking down the street, killing people and blowing up storefronts.
And we have our hands-down most creative verse of the week. Pinot Grij took the extreme spin on his topic, using it only as a vague outline for a much deeper and funnier verse, one in which Alex Trebek is getting back at all those he has to share airtime and knowledge with by building a robot killing machine. The standards for humor are pretty low in topical verses, but I think it suffices to say there were true laughs in this verse, which is high praise.
What made the verse work was the background that probably almost all of us know about Trebek, the Jeopardy! host who has been parodied in so many movies and sketch comedy shows, one way or another. But Pinot Grij's fluid storytelling definitely helped, as did his ability to get in character. The "Who is ..." punchlines also added a lot, and the best laugh was the Vanna White line.
This may be my favorite verse of the season thus far, but no one escapes without feedback. I would have liked a few more gags on the level of the Vanna White line, particularly because the LaToya Jackson line fell flat despite knowing the reference. I also thought the verse didn't hit the topic fully (the robot was not walking down streets and blowing up storefronts), but that was the right move in this case. It's tough to imagine even a good writer such as Mike Wrecka beating this verse.
ZYG | 10. Animals are leaving your town at an unheard-of rate. Birds, squirrels, rabbits and even insects are migrating elsewhere.
When writing the topics, I thought that was the toughest of the week. So of course ZYG chose it. What he did with it was quite unique: He turned it into a Planet Earth series based on animals that don't by any of my Google searches seem to exist in the real world.
The creativity level here was very high. Consider that ZYG invented dozens of creatures and gave them very realistic features that made them each believable. But he then doubled down and linked them all together in a fictional ecosystem. The creativity outstriped the writing, but it would have been difficult to get too showy while still executing this concept.
My biggest issue is that the verse didn't directly tie into the topic. A better explanation of the migration might have clarified the link, but that was lacking. Still, the YouTube video of the Lyre bird (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSB71jNq-yQ) that ZYG included at the end of his verse was amazing.
YDK | 8. You just lost the ability to speak.
I'm not sure if YDK knew Objective was going to no-show, but his verse seems to indicate that he wasn't expecting a full-throttle effort from our Dutch master. As has been the case every week this season, YDK showed solid mechanics. But the content was pretty uninspired. The stumbling block was how vague he made the verse, a symptom of using a twist ending.
The approach of losing your voice on the day you sign a recording contract that's been your dream was pretty good, but I think he could have revealed one of those two layers before the final line. By choosing not to, the verse was very vague and distant up until that clever last line. In general, story leads also are best when the inherent weirdness of the situation is explained in the verse, and that was missing here as well in a very brief verse.
I'd like to see YDK push his limits, particularly with regards to stronger content, in the future. He has taken major strides as a writer but still plays it safe when approaching topics too often, and he simply is not going to compete at the top level of this league until he is more willing to run with his imagination.
Week 5 Preview
POWER RANKINGS by Mike Wrecka
Last season's moderator tries to rank the five 3-0 writers in rankings that continue to mean nothing and everything all at once.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6VZAOph-fE
5. Vividlyvague (3-0)
Defeated Verb, Mike Wrecka and King Ra.
Vivid had a big come from behind overtime victory against yours truly and followed that up by beating King Ra. in fairly dominant fashion. He hasn't really blown anyone away as far as margin of victory but his verses have all been very dope so far and he is still unbeaten. This guy has finally found his stride and is using a much more voter friendly style than we saw last season. He went far into the playoffs last year and appears poised to crack some heads in the upcoming weeks. A bit of an unknown but he is quickly making a name for himself and earns my last and final top spot for the power rankings.
4. Frank (3-0)
Defeated sacrifice, Clockwerk and Ink
Frank has a huge win against sacrifice under his belt this season but has been flying a bit under the radar since that monumental victory. He received a no show win against clockwork and then just barely squeaked by with a win against the always very dangerous Ink. He still remains undefeated and is a big threat in any league that he is signed into but his slim margin of victory last week and the no show win hold him back from being in the top three here. He has been on his best behavior and hasn't attempted to bend the rules which could mean he is all business this season. Watch out for the Red Glare!
3. Vulgar
Defeated King Ra., H4ZE and Adonis
The Czar of Bizarre bars is riding high after defeating Adonis last round by the slimmest of margins in a very high profile matchup. He is undefeated heading into Week 4 and looks poised to make some noise. I expect an incredible verse from him this week. It just feels like he is ready to unleash hells fury on the league.
2. oats (3-0)
Defeated Rawn MD, ZYG and timeless
oats could easily be ranked number one here but he hasn't faced as tough of competition as JW. That being said he does have a signature win of his own against ZYG. oats seems to really be running on all cylinders and appears poised to make a run at the championship. We have never seen oats so determined and focused on NCs 2.0 and that is a good thing for the readers but a bad thing for his opponents.
1. Just Write (3-0)
Defeated Objective, El Pancake and patrown
Just Write has taken the league by storm with a few land slide victories against strong competition. During his undefeated run thus far this season votes have been casted in his favor a whopping 24 out of 26 times. A signature and career defining dismantling of El Pancake in Week 2 was impressive. He has been overlooked all season long but that comes to an end now as he nabs the number 1 seed in my POWER RANKINGS.
PREDICTIONS by Certain
Week 4's topics are a selection of street-art murals as we enter the first wave of contender battles leading up to next week's championship match. The shape of the season is taking form, and the pressure is on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLhAuH93bs
Contender: Just Write (3-0) vs. oats (3-0) | "Adorable Suicide Bomber"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! This matchup exemplifies how Season 3 has gone so far, with established force oats blasting through opponents but perhaps not doing so quite as impressively as up-and-comer Just Write. Just Write is the only 3-0 member to have won all of his matches via votes, and he's only dropped two all season. He's done so while really impressing everyone with his straight-forward storytelling and creativity, which he showed flashes of in Season 2 but clearly has taken to another level here. oats is a pro's pro with a great mastery of skills, but the same could have been said for El Pancake, whom Just Write toppled in Week 2. The topic is one of the best of the round, in my opinion, and I don't think it favors either. I'm going to make the risky pick here and say Just Write's content tops oats' polish, for this round at least. Prediction: Just Write 51-49.
Contender: Frank (3-0) vs. Vulgar (3-0) | "Illuminati Slave Table"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! Have these two fine gentlemen ever sparred before? I'm not sure. This definitely is the favorite for battle of the week, a stylistic clash with a fascinating topic that plays to both of their strengths. They were my two favorites entering the Season 2 playoffs, and they both can wow people when the inspiration hits. The biggest difference here is that Frank tends to rise to the level of his opponents, while Vulgar shows little regard for that aspect and instead simply writes as he's inspired to write. But with this topic and these stakes, both should be rather inspired. It's easily the most complicated piece of street art I chose for this week, a deliberate choice. Frank and Vulgar both can let complexity get in the way of narrative, and they almost both tripped up last week. But here they stand, and the question is who's fastball is better. Vulgar's has more velocity, but Frank's has more movement. Prediction: Frank 51-49.
Vividlyvague (3-0) vs. Pinot Grij (2-0) | "Girl Frisks Soldier"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! These two have some wild imaginations, so I'm fascinated to see where they take this Banksy classic. And by "fascinated," I mean terrified. Pinot Grij turned Alex Trebek into a world-conquering madman last week. Vividlyvague can match Pinot Grij's bombastic stylings, and I could see this battle featuring two 65-line verses if Vividlyvague goes off like he did last season. But one of the things he's done well this season is reining in that explosive nature. Pinot Grij still has a big advantage in polish, but Vividlyvague has evened the field a little bit from if they had faced last season. With that said, I don't think there's any scenario in which I would pick against Pinot Grij when given a topic that lends itself to storytelling. He might not measure up to some of our best in topical stylings, but the man has the natural gift of storytelling. This week's topic probably plays into that hand, though it also should bring out the best in Vividlyvague. Prediction: Pinot Grij 58-42.
patrown (2-1) vs. Ink (2-1) | "Asian Children Love Swings"
Do not Google "Asian Children Love Swings." OK, now that we've established that, let's talk about patrown and Ink. I'm pretty sure both of these guys go back a bit, to the RSTL's dying days, so I'm guessing they've faced at some point. The interesting stylistic clash here comes from patrown's raw (and inconsistent) aggressiveness and Ink's prosaic polish. Neither of these two has a perfect grasp of rhyme mechanics, but both are very capable of hitting home runs at times. patrown signed out only to decide against it later, so I'm not sure how inspired he is. This topic could be interesting, but I think it plays into Ink's hands more for a straight-ahead narrative. Prediction: Ink 56-44.
YDK (2-1) vs. Adonis (2-1) | "Father, Daughter and Plane"
These two have joined Just Write, Vividlyvague and timeless in vying for the biggest leaps from last season. What's weird is that both, particularly Adonis, are seasoned veterans who are now putting it all together. I've loved what Adonis has done with his writing lately, using a unique flow to better amplify his poetic diction. But a very unique, distinct style like that can eventually wear on voters, particularly since the league's numbers have thinned and votes per matchup have gone up. YDK has stuck with a more traditionalist style but really tightened his rough spots. His rhyme scheme is greatly improved. It will be interesting to see how they handle this topic, which plays more into YDK's wheelhouse. Adonis' darker inspirations have come out this season, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to the softer side for this week. He's been stronger lately and is more creative, but the upset could be in the making. Prediction: Adonis 52-48.
timeless (2-1) vs. ZYG (2-1) | "Graffiti in Burqa"
ZYG already posted because he is ZYG. timeless has posted early in the past, but he might be wise to think this one through. The topic is probably the one that most allows for writing about graffiti and street art, as it depicts an artist. But there also are major cultural statements in this image, and it will be interesting to see how each writer deals with those themes. timeless just got shut out by oats last week, and ZYG is a very tough follow-up match. ZYG also shut out timeless (then Mordycai) in Season 2. But the underdog can prevail if he comes up with the right approach. He's shown a lot of growth this season, probably more than anyone else. But ZYG is the master of conceptualizing. Prediction: ZYG 59-41.
Zenland (1-0) vs. sacrifice (1-1) | "Hookahristocrat"
This matchup will be tough for Zenland because his greatest strength is outrhyming people. No one outrhymes sacrifice. But the topic here probably favors Zenland, though sacrifice also has shown the ability to write quite well about drugs. And Zenland going off on a tangent about smoking something might end up being too crazy for the voters, as it was last season when he wrote about an acid trip. And Zenland is generally unstable. And sacrifice might be the best writer in this league, particularly from a mechanics perspective. But I'm fascinated by this one and really looking for to it. Prediction: sacrifice 64-36.
Mike Wrecka (1-2) vs. dyedinthewool (1-2) | "Jar Girl"
Mike Wrecka has a creative approach for every topic. He almost never takes the by-the-book angle, and that's one of the reasons he wins but also can be his undoing at times. dyedinthewool has shown diction dexterity and knows how to use a metaphor, and this topic might play into her hands. But I think it plays even more into Mike Wrecka's, as he can showcase that creativity on one of the more abstract images of the week. He's also more polished, and it's difficult for me to give the nod to dyedinthewool until she shows up with a full-length verse. Prediction: Mike Wrecka 62-38.
King Ra. (1-2) vs. Mr. J (0-1) | "Burning Down the House"
BATTLE OF THE WEEK CANDIDATE! This battle is so interesting because these two writers are so hard to predict. King Ra. is a talented, bombastic, polished and experienced competitor who for some reason almost never puts it all together in one verse. Mr. J has one of the smoothest flows around a great grip on abstract writing but sometimes seems to ignore topics entirely and others lets himself get weighed down by them. Here's hoping this fantastic topic can bring out the best in both. , which I think is a realistic possiblity because it plays into both of their strengths. But I don't like picking against Mr. J when the topic allows him to stretch out his thoughts. Prediction: Mr. J 52-48.
We'll Do Better Next Time
CONCLUSION
I had a family issue come up this weekend and into the early part of this week, so I apologize for the magazine's brevity. Thanks to Mike Wrecka for helping out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TAko3RH0bk