[Certain]

dead man: Your word choice was so precise, which was key in executing the extended metaphor without hitting readers over the head with it. The subtlety was much appreciated. I still don't know how you work your flow out to be so smooth for the most part, but the one negative is that the tiny little creases seem like huge flaws. That was the case in the bumpiest section of the verse, the middle part about the boyfriend and the bathroom. Content-wise, that didn't hit quite as hard as I think you were hoping, in part because the extended metaphor kind of got a little lost in the actual events. But also, the "razor your flesh" line was a slight break in the flow. But that's all nitpicking. What you did here was very well-executed and a good display of your skill. At first, the verse seemed a little like something El Pancake would write. But this was distinctly dead man, all the way down to "Kafka, coffee and toast." How many times have you used those four words in a verse, perhaps not together? I haven't read other votes, but I do bet that at least one or two people will miss the metaphor entirely. That's kind of proof that you executed it well. But lines such as "your smile would kill me inside" and "i hope you're alive / even though i couldn't let you let me die" and "we met between classrooms" and "we bonded over addiction" really submitted to me that this was more than a smoking friend you were describing. Or was it exactly that, a literal smoking friend?

Nigma: This is the Nigma I remember. You really took it up a notch with this verse, delivering the same complex rhyme scheme but doing it with more fluidity and a greater focus on impactful content. This by far is your best verse of the tournament. But it was a bit cluttered. You had so much to say and put such an emphasis on rhymes that you didn't fully develop any of your many thoughts. They got lost in this endless string of rhymes and thoughts. Cleaner organization and transitions were necessary to get to the heart of the issue of the tobacco industry's power and the effects of cancer and pregnant women smoking and marketing to kids and all the other stuff you had wrapped up in this verse. You often need to pull back a little on your rhymes to embrace your content, but your reluctance is understandable since the rhyming is what makes your style so distinct and difficult. And it is difficult, for better or worse. But it felt like you kept poking me with the points on the ends of emotional hooks without ever digging in and pulling. The rhyming kept the verse moving, but further rereads left me wanting more from the content.

Vote: dead man