[symetrik]

Frank trying to get that sponsor, i see.

master rock: this felt all over the place (comparative to you), and struggled to maintain a cadence. similar to most horror movies, it did little to elucidate what the actual monster is/was/were/you, which was disappointing. lots of long lines that dragged on, a semi-decent concept with the jabs at the other finalists.

There is a stunning line near the end:
"Meet exhibit A... a hurricane versus a paper mache."

the ending line was solid in its own right, but the cohesion of the entire piece wasn't there - it explored a lot of tropes while never picking. It only felt like it brushed the topic rather than embraced it. I see little gleams of what you've learned but a poor showing for a final.

deebs: good starting quote, sets the mindset of "this is inevitable", a good theme for you in a finals. mostly solid rhymes, sloppy with "a must" and "ambush" in the middle of a very elegant cadence. not much to say beyond "dope flow", solid cohesive story, stuck to topic and held a twist.

best line:
"They take aim of their hoisted arsenal, appearing to startle it,
before striking both fear in its heart and spears in its cartilage."

universe: also a great quote for you, in a finals. the reminder that "Hey I've been laying low, but you really want me to show up, okay...". you ended up linking the article, but as soon as that severed feet line dropped. this is a cool piece, more cohesive than it feels at first glance (which... is never what you should do with a universe piece). I'm reading this from the perspective of an Indigenous person, reliving/experiencing both the treatment of their kin and the treatment of other non-colonist folk across the world. could be off base though, just how I interpreted it. also "big foot sighting" har har. maybe werewolf vibe, maybe "I turn into a monster sometimes" vibes, given "eventually all appetites shrink back to nothing" playing the dual role for both the narrator and the power-hungry subjects of the piece, and yourself dipping from writing here.

mvgt: Diablo

this is a little tougher than I wanted it to be, bc the depth of Universe's piece speaks to me, but the simplicity of Diablo's (while still maintaining relative excellence AND sticking to the topic like glue) won this over. Universe's piece felt "hunt" adjacent, but I think it extrapolated too far into another space - not a negative for the piece, only a negative for this vote. Masterrock needed to bring something he's never shown for the finals, and failed to do so. (edit: I say "simplicity" for diablo's piece with tongue slightly in cheek, as it wasn't simple to execute but simple to read and that's masterful).