NBL Playoff Opening Mag

[Sharp]

@Allen Knight @CtrlF4 I dont feel like waiting, just add your shit when you can

Introduction
Sup guys, I'm gonna keep this short cause im burnt out as all hell. There's 3 of us trying to run this playoffs so I promise you if yall show up we'll get it done. Make it dope.


Interview with Bender


Alright, I'm here with (in my opinion, at least), the NBL playoff's biggest sleeper, Bender aka Jimmy. What's good my dude?

Hey Sharp, Just hanging out right now sitting at work taking some 911 calls saving some lives and trying to brew up some ideas for my battle against Orc.


This season you saw a ton of competition and managed to be consistent as fuck, a solid effort every week and an impressive record of 6-1. How do you feel about your odds for the playoffs?

Thanks, I gave it my best shot I was actually surprised by myself I had a lot of battles against some pretty dope heads and I think a few times I was saying “oh shit” when reading the verses against me.


Outside of yourself, who do you see as strong contenders for the title?

I don’t really see myself as a strong contender for the title, I just kind of do my thing, I mean it’s all about fun for me. Some people I could see getting an NBL CHAMP Tattoo but I don’t take it that seriously in that sense.
I would say my say bet for top contender would be my dude Karaoke.


Is there anyone you're hoping to see in the playoffs?

I enjoy reading a lot of the dudes verses and I’m def looking forward to seeing some shit from Hush if he gets a slot but I think the Battle of the Week is going to be Tettris vs Alvin Karpis, honestly both these dudes are talented and whoever wins I would bet they are going to the finals.

Finally, now that the season's coming to a close, do you have any final thoughts as far as how the season went and what could be improved?

I think the NBL was decent; it is hard to get things done with the lack of participation really. The no-shows this season really killed a lot of the competiveness, I was lucky to only have one person no show on me and I still posted the verse, the way I see it is at least I got to practice. I think that promotes a lot more people to write more generic verses with punches that will fit anyone. I write mine personally for whoever I battle so I just wrote one for GOW I had to completely scrap.



Thanks for doing this interview! I'll give you the last word for whatever you'd like to say.

Thanks for having me, I look forward to see this League wrapping up and seeing who comes out on top. With the summer coming it will be tough for texting but I’m hoping we retain enough heads to go right into a Summer Classic. Remember there’s no need to get butt hurt over this shit it’s just for fun, if you’re not having fun don’t do it. That might be a backhanded shot at Destroyer just to troll and hear him bitch in this thread because it is entertaining.



Meet the Contenders

Karaoke
This season has really been the season of Karaoke. Clocking in a record of 12-0 may have seemed easy during this slower season of the NBL, but considering Karaoke managed to remain undefeated against probably the toughest set of battlers anyone faced this season, winning 6 consecutive title matches against some of the best active - including ill nik-A, Destroyer, and God of War (not to mention beating Allen Knight and Cashius in regular season battles). Going into the playoffs, Karaoke is easily among the favorites to champ the season. Anyone to facing him will have to bring their A-game to have any chance against one of the hottest battlers in text.

ill nik-A
Nik’s resume speaks for itself. He is one of text’s most versatile writers and easily among the funniest and deadliest battlers. Nik is still able to keep his verses fresh, and really only comes weakly when he isn’t motivated. But this season motivation has rarely been an issue for him, and was able to come with great stuff in just about every battle. His only losses came from a NS verse being left up too long and in a champ match against the undefeated Karaoke. Nik brings a competitive energy that can fuel him to write to his best, which can beat anyone who doesn’t show up with 100%. He’ll definitely be someone to watch in the next few weeks.

Tettris
I gotta wonder what this season had been like if Tet were around earlier. At 7-0, he is one of only two people to champ the NBL this season. He was in a contender spot the week that Karaoke signed out, meaning had he been around just one week earlier we would’ve seen one of these two undefeated streaks come to an end. Tettris has proven to be a deadly battler himself with no signs of rust over the last few weeks, and he stands out as having one of the best chances of champing.

CtrlF4
Ctrl is one of the better guys to stay under the radar over the course of this season. While he’s been overshadowed by the unstoppable champing sprees of Karaoke and Tettris, Ctrl has still had an impressive 7-3 record. He’s proven to be a close match for just about anyone, and has brought some of the strongest hits of the season. While Ctrl might not be the favorite to champ the season, he is definitely going to be involved in some of the best battles of the playoffs.

Bender
Bender aka Jimmy is probably the most slept on cat in the league. A consistent battler with strong hits in almost every battle, Bender’s experience really showed throughout this past season. He managed to maintain an impressive record of 6-1, establishing himself as an unexpected force during the later part of the league’s tenure. His playoff run starts with him battling season 4’s champ, Orc, in what could be the battle of round, but with a win here, you can expect to see some high quality work from Bender.

Kwal!ty
Kwal!ty aka Vinny aka Phuck Yew probably had more battles than anyone else this past season and managed to pull off 8 wins. Kwal can have his off days but his record proves he can show up well enough to win pretty often. He is easily one of the most active guys in text today and is constantly improving. While he may fall short compared to the league’s biggest names, he’s definitely capable of making an entertaining battle and could go pretty far into the playoffs.

Tic Tac
Another one of the RR cats who hung around here and put in some serious work. Props to both Tic and Kwal for showing up as much as they did. Tic Tac isn’t the most consistent but he can and has surprised dudes throughout the season. He may not fare too well against a more experienced opponent, but his rapid improvement in the shortbar style has shown that he’s a threat in the making, and definitely capable of closing this season out with a shock.

Lotto Smirk
Lotto is the definition of underdog. He’s been making strides since showing up around a year ago and has turned into one of the better guys around when he can show. Real life has caught up with Lotto which might not give him as much time as he’d like, but what I really respect about the guy is that he always tries to show, regardless of whether or not he’d win. When he does have as much time as he wants to turn out a verse it’s been pretty enjoyable. He’s absolutely one of the guys to watch, and while he’d probably get beaten by someone more experienced he’s capable of upsetting, or at least making it a tight, dope match.

Destroyer
SWAY. Destroyer’s one of my favorite battlers, but he’s caught some really unlucky breaks this season. His record really doesn’t reflect his skill as a battler - he’s far and away one of the funniest guys I’ve read lately and definitely capable of beating almost anyone. While he hasn’t been as motivated this season as he has in the past, he’s absolutely capable of beating just about anyone in text today, let alone the NBL playoffs. If he stays motivated he will most definitely be a threat.

Greed
Greed aka Pryde has done some damage this season, which honestly surprised me at first. He was consistently doing better as the season went on, managing the upset of the year by beating out Karpis when he phoned it in. He’s not the most consistent, but lately when he goes in it’s been a lot of fun to read. Look for Greed to show up and surprise someone.

Clash
Clash aka Flossaurus is a relatively new face to the NBL, but his record shows that he’s not necessarily new to text. While his verses aren’t always strong, he showed that he was able to adjust his style and really started getting some bite in the last few weeks. Clash has been entertaining at times and is developing really well, look for him to have a few hard hitters during the playoffs.

Orc
Orc’s on just about everyone’s list of top battlers today. Coming in as a reserve, Orc’s in a position where he could champ the NBL for the second time. Even when he half-asses verses, his wording is always on point and his bars pack solid punches. If he brings some effort, look for him to be one of the last guys standing and potential league champ.

murda sho
I really don’t know much about sho. I don’t think I’ve seen him battle since he came back when I was off. But I know he’s capable of handling strong competition, so his first round battle against CtrlF4 could definitely be tight. I have no idea what to expect from him, but I’m looking forward to seeing him in action.

Alvin Karpis
The reigning champion of the summer classic, Alvin’s wording is the definition of efficient. He can turn like 10 words into a haymaker, and that concise style works incredibly well for him. His season was relatively short, which is a shame since he could’ve been a lot higher than 14th seed, but his 2-1 record was enough to get in and that’s the most important part. The winner of one of NC’s last big tourneys could absolutely go all the way again, and no matter what the outcome his first round against Tettris should be a banger.

Strikta
Strik is one of my favorite battlers when he shows. His Summer Classic run was deadly and he can be one of the most aggressive heads in text if he’s motivated. His season was full of NS, but this playoff spot could be exactly the motivation he needs to kick him into that text battle beastmode. Him vs. nik could be an absolute banger, and I expect the winner of that to go far.


Interview With Tettris

Alright, I'm here with the NBL's current champion, Tettris. What's good my dude?

Not much homey...thanks for having me

You're one of two (the other being Karaoke) to champ the league this season and not let it go, both of you keeping an undefeated record against plenty of competition. What do you think your odds are as far as champing the league?

I think I have a pretty decent shot at it...a lot of good talent signed in for the playoffs though so it's going to be difficult. I'll just take it one battle at a time and try to put together some good lines and see where that takes me.

Outside of yourself, who do you see as strong contenders for the title?

Karaoke for sure...dude's gotten a lot better since NC1.0. He always had potential but I think he's really found his stride...outside of that, Nik is definitely a great writer...Orc can definitely champ the whole thing as well...if they all stay interested, it could be really interesting.

Is there anyone you're hoping to see in the playoffs?

Ha...just the aforementioned guys...I owe Nik a rematch and Kar and I haven't battled before that I remember...Orc and I always put on classics. But the great thing about these kinds of tournaments, you never know who you're going to face or what kind of rivalry will bud out of it.

Finally, now that the season's coming to a close, do you have any final thoughts as far as how the season went and what could be improved?

Eh...I came into the season halfway through...it seemed like a lot of the activity was down but we're developing new talent so that it is always a good thing. I think that's the key to keeping this thing going...the new guys need to have that experience all of us old guys had in order to build a passion for better writing. There's really nothing I would say that needs to improve other than keeping people interested week to week and drawing in the new talent and developing them.

Thanks for doing this interview! I'll give you the last word for whatever you'd like to say.

Shout out to everyone trying to get better every week...keep the fire and passion alive fellas!