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Post by Dale on Jan 22, 2008 13:03:59 GMT -8
So. Dropped the ball once more. Why am I not surprised? It's quite common with you.
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Post by Bob on Jan 22, 2008 18:23:40 GMT -8
Haha. Dropped balls.
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Post by Dale on Jan 23, 2008 23:48:06 GMT -8
Seriously, Dale, I'm 90% sure I would be done with this episode if you hadn't made your premature bitching comment. Calm down. Comments like yours only make me work less hard. Honest. I apologize for nothing I have said.
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Post by Dale on May 25, 2008 19:12:43 GMT -8
Well, since no one else has done it, here are my rankings for the rest of the race:
1. Reno & Rude: Boldly established themselves as the team to beat with their victory on the first leg. They showed they can go from the middle of the pack to the front when they put their minds and skills to it. But don't misunderstand. I don't want them to win (one men's team and FF7 team winning is enough, thank you very much), but won't be surprised if they do.
2. Fran & Balthier: They finished third on the first leg, but after maintaining frontrunner status most of that leg, I can see them stomping most of the other teams throughout the race and ending up in the F3 for that alone. I place them as finishing second (so far) because while Fran seems very focused on the race, Balthier seems more interested in stirring up trouble, which could backfire at the exact wrong time and slip them up enough to cause them to lose.
3. Freya & Fratley: They were another frontrunning team on the first leg, and they had enough momentum to keep themselves in at least the top four heading for the Pit Stop. They definitely work well together and get the job done, but I fear Freya's need for Fratley to remember her might hurt them. And hey, what a coincidence that I place them at third -- in my own race, they also finished third, although through other rather unique circumstances. (You can ask me, Bob, or Agent0042 for those details, if you wanna know.)
4. Ma & Zell: While they finished in a well-deserved second place on this first leg, I see them becoming fan favorites and thus getting the fourth-place elimination (like my darling Steiner & Beatrix did last season). They certainly get their tasks done quickly and effectively, but Ma's slowness and Zell's tendency to let his emotions get the best of him may trip them up at the wrong time and put them out of the race just short of the F3.
5. Reina & Faris: In my own race, Reina & Faris didn't make it far. In fact, they were the second team eliminated! But in Bob's race, I can see them making it to the midpoint of the race at the very least. This team is definitely being portrayed as the team with each member having much to learn about the other, so that alone has me thinking they'll be in it at least until the middle of the game. I put them in fifth place, despite their seventh-place finish on the first leg, since I see that low finish mostly as a result of their navigation error in leaving the starting line, whereas they did pretty well at everything else. Also, I don't see them making slip-ups as big as the other teams.
6. Dona & Barthello: I can see this team actually staying the course, not getting swept up in too much drama (oddly enough, considering Dona's elitist personality), and flying under the other teams' radars long enough to make it to or past the midpoint of the race. But I put them finishing sixth, below Ma & Zell and Reina & Faris, because this team doesn't seem as focused as they should be.
7. Cecil & Rosa: This team was actually in a fairly solid position in the early part of the first leg, but fell toward the back when Cecil hastily pulled a later flight time and then the two of them messed up at the Fame Detour. If this'll be a pattern for them -- starting out ahead but then making big enough mistakes to fall behind -- I can see them finishing possibly in seventh place (or maybe lower). That, and the prospect of Rosa choosing the worst possible time to bring out Cecil's darker side, if Cecil doesn't bring it out on his own at the wrong moment.
8. Zone & Watts: They did okay on the first leg (fifth place out of twelve is certainly nothing to sneeze at), but I put them finishing eighth due to the fact that the race will only get tougher as more and more teams get booted. The pressure will surely get to Zone, causing him to get one of his infamous (and obviously fake) stomachaches when he really shouldn't, and this team to be eliminated as a result.
9. Cid & Celes: Ah, here we are -- down to the three teams who are, so obviously, dead weight and, barring some miraculous writing from Bob to save them, have ZERO chance of winning. Why do I see this team finishing the highest of these last three teams? Well, for all they have going against them (Cid is old and slow, and Celes is a bit quick to act), they at least have two very focused members. But Cid's old age will definitely hinder Celes once the last two teams are gone, so I can see them not getting any farther than the F9, and thus not finishing any higher than ninth place.
10. Brahne & Garnet: I can see Brahne & Garnet making it to tenth place because for all of the things they have going against them (Brahne is overweight, slow, and spacey, and Garnet can get very frustrated, flustered, and overly emotional), they at least have one focused member in Garnet to keep them going. So barring any surprises from Bob that see them finishing leg two in last, I can see them surviving that leg before going on to get eliminated on the next one.
11. Biran & Yenke: This team, the only Ronso team, is one of my early favorites, but I'm eighty-percent sure their time is going to be up. While Cid & Celes have the benefit of having both members focused despite their hindrances, and Brahne & Garnet have at least one focused member despite their hindrances, the Ronso have thus far proven that neither member is fully focused on the race and the tasks at hand (not that they're completely unfocused, just not as focused as any good racer ought to be). I predict they'll be like Lisa & Joni from TAR9 and Kevin & Drew from TAR11 (All-Stars) -- stave off elimination on the first leg before falling victim to it on the second. Eleventh place is where I'll place them, but they could surprise me.
12. Barret & Dyne -- Eliminated on Leg 1: This team was originally expected to make it to the midpoint of the race at the very least, but mid- and late-leg screwups dropped them from the middle of the pack all the way to the back of it. Their inability to work around their handicaps (their gun-arms) proved to be their undoing, and more's the pity for them.
. . . But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
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Post by Bob on May 25, 2008 23:00:50 GMT -8
1: Auron. The obvious front runner. He'll come from behind (aka not even in the race) and win.
2-13: Everybody else.
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Post by Fleck on May 27, 2008 14:28:49 GMT -8
I think I'll stick with my original choices so far. Maybe move Zell and Ma up a couple of notches, but I still think my choices are valid.
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Post by Dale on Aug 14, 2008 2:07:15 GMT -8
Well, with another leg over and done with, and another elimination decided, here are my rankings for the rest of the race:
1. Reno & Rude: Despite a drop from first to second, I still think these two are the frontrunners right now. They're just steamrolling everyone so far, and would've won two legs in a row if not for the last Roadblock (though I'm grateful they didn't win again). I still don't want them to win (again, one men's team and FF7 team winning is enough), but it won't be a shocker if they do.
2. Fran & Balthier: They dropped from third to fifth on leg two, but I can still see them ending up in the F3 -- it was really bad luck with the garbage that put them behind more than anything. I can also still see them placing second, despite the drop. On the whole, I think they're just more focused.
3. Freya & Fratley: They were a frontrunning team on the first leg, and they definitely were again on the second leg. Their dynamic is definitely a calm one. They work just fine together and don't let the little things bother them. Plus, they maintained their fourth-place spot on leg two. All in all, the top three stays the same.
4. Cecil & Rosa: This team made an amazing improvement, jumping from tenth to first. If they climb through the ranks through hard challenges like those presented in episode two, then I think they have what it takes to at least make the F4. Should they maintain a top-tier spot in episode three (whenever Bob gets working on it), I may put them in my top three rankings (though it'll depend on how my current top three teams do on the next leg).
5. Zone & Watts: They did fabulously well on the second leg, and Zone didn't let his "stomachaches" interfere too much. They pretty much tore through the tasks they got and managed to jump from fifth to third. I think I can actually see them lasting to at least the F5, hence the move to fifth place on my rankings. Fifth rather than fourth because Zone's "stomachaches" could still be a factor in their undoing.
6. Reina & Faris: At least Bob's version of Reina & Faris made it past the second elimination! They pretty much middled it out again, so I can once again see them reaching midpoint of the race. There wasn't all that much seen from them on leg two, so I've got nothing more to say for this leg.
7. Dona & Barthello: Sure enough, this team lived up to my expectations -- they stayed the course, didn't getting swept up in the drama, and flew under the other teams' radars (as did Reina & Faris). So now, I can easily see them making it to a mid-stage leg, at least. But I put them finishing seventh rather than their previous sixth-place finish because this team still doesn't seem as focused as they should be -- they dropped from sixth to eighth on this leg, after all, though I should probably attribute that to the Six O' Clock Detour.
8. Ma & Zell: Ouch. Major drop to ninth place by this team after their stellar, second-place finish on the first leg. I won't put them last or next-to-last of the surviving teams because it really was a lot of bad luck that led to their previous low finish -- bad luck with the garbage, bad luck with the buggy, and Biran & Yenke's Xing. I think they can recover and last for a few more legs, but their rather glaring weakness was made apparent toward the end of the leg: Ma and her limited endurance and stamina. It could prove very costly at the exact wrong time and put them out of the race fairly early, so I dropped them down here to finish eighth.
9. Biran & Yenke: This team is still a favorite of mine, and I'm glad they made quite a jump from eleventh to seventh place, but they really did just get lucky at the right time with the garbage at Gongaga. That good luck seemed to get canceled out with the bad luck with their buggy, though, so it might even out. While their improvement was commendable, attributing a good part of it to luck is what keeps them low. (Decent call on the Xing, though, boys -- Ma & Zell were the right team of the three teams behind you to use it on.) Their collective IQ seems to be relatively low, which is NOT a good thing on the race. If they don't go out next, then I can see them at least finishing ninth -- at least they have the speed to win in a footrace.
10. Brahne & Garnet: Oh, I was wrong. Both members of this team can focus when they try. But they maintain their tenth-place ranking because of their performance on most of the leg -- bad with the RC cars (at least Garnet was), stupidity in giving Barthello the last number he needed (again, something of Garnet's making), and most glaring, Brahne's slow running speed, which was practically highlighted at the end of the second leg. That's probably going to hurt them enough to eliminate them very soon. They basically lucked out that Cid was an older, weaker runner than Brahne.
11. Cid & Celes -- Eliminated on Leg 2: I figured this team wouldn't last too long, and I was right. I figured they'd get to the fourth elimination, though. But they really did poorly on the second leg. And their fatal flaw was just like Ma and Brahne's -- Cid's age, build, and lack of endurance. Because of that, they just couldn't pass Brahne & Garnet to reach the Pit Stop before them. Props to Bob for eliminating them, though, as they really were the most boring team left.
12. Barret & Dyne -- Eliminated on Leg 1
. . . But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
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Post by Fleck on Dec 6, 2008 22:02:22 GMT -8
*sigh* Bob is pissing all over my picks. Just pissing away. Bob, stop drinking so much water.
End Metaphor.
Anyway, I guess I gotta revise my picks since the only time I was even close (Cid and Celes) was because I gave them a huge error ratio.
Revised with new data:
9th place: Freya/Fratley. Two cripples just ain't gonna win a race. They're going out the next leg unless one of the other teams becomes crippled even worse, which, judging by how this season has run so far, is not impossible.
8th place: Garnet/Brahne. All logic in the world dictates that a creature Brahne's size should have a land speed of 0.001 miles per hour. Yet somehow, they keep getting by. Not for long though..
7th Place: Zell/Ma. Mostly because this is really a one-person team here. Sure, Ma is a moderating force in Zell's life, but last leg's screw up (forgetting part of the clue) proves that she can't always be there to pick up after Zell. Eventually they'll have a brain fart and it'll be all over.
6th place: Zone/Watts. They keep getting by with a persistently strong mediocrity. Eventually that will run out.
5th place: Dona/Barthello. Karma, mostly, will keep them from getting much further. That, and the fact that Barthello does most of the work while Dona does nothing but make more enemies for Barthello to deal with.
4th place: Biran/Yenke. Freakish strength will serve them well, but a mental task will undo them completely.
3rd place: Reina/Faris. Umm.... because I said so.
2nd: Reno/Rude. All evidence so far indicates that Reno and Rude are the stronger team, but I refuse to believe the evidence! The results are skewed! The variables are off! The scientists were drunk!
1st: Fran/Balthier. They will pull it off. Because the universe will crumble if they don't.
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Post by Dale on Dec 7, 2008 0:00:13 GMT -8
Fleck? Who's your fourth-place team? You didn't note them.
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Post by Dale on Dec 7, 2008 0:28:50 GMT -8
Another leg's done, and another elimination has been decided, so here are my rankings for the rest of the race:
1. Reno & Rude: They're the only team who's hit the top three all three legs so far. Whenever they fall behind, they always seem able to make up ground quickly. I can't see them not winning unless Bob pulls a big surprise on us. Which sucks -- unlike everyone else, I've never been a Turk fan (the only one I ever liked was Elena).
2. Fran & Balthier: Even despite their steady drops from leg to leg, they still get their tasks done quickly enough to move on to the next one. So I'll leave them at second place for now. But I really wanna see them win a leg. They're smart, savvy racers, so it'd be a shame if they went the whole race without ever winning a leg.
3. Zone & Watts: Their plan to stay under the radar and middle it out is a very good, very respectable one, and it's for that reason I've made them one of my two dark horse teams. I disagree with Fleck that they're mediocre. They know what they're doing and seem to know the race inside and out, and show it with their performance at the tasks. If they don't make the F3, I see it being either because of Zone's "stomachaches" (which didn't seem to flare up at all on this leg -- go figure), or because Watts gives away some crucial information to a stronger team at exactly the wrong time.
4. Reina & Faris: This team has skyrocketed up to being one of my official dark horse teams after their first-place finish on this leg. I'm kind of "meh" on them, since I've already used them myself and still don't know what to make of Bob's take on them. But they really can get the job done when given the chance. I'll label them as dark horse contenders to make the F4, at best.
5. Freya & Fratley: This team, while I'm pleased that they overcame the adversity of Freya's accident, drops to number five because of their injuries. I think the first aid will help, but with their Dragon Knight jumping abilities neutralized for what might be the remainder of the race, I can see it keeping them from getting farther than they might if they still had them. I'll peg them for fifth place, at best.
6. Dona & Barthello: Dona & Barthello aren't winning this race now that they've emerged as the early-stage villain team. But because they're the villain team, I can see them floating along at least a few more legs before getting eliminated -- probably in sixth place. While Barthello does do most of the tasks, Dona has emerged as the stronger leader of the team. But if they (well, Dona) keep making enemies like this, they could find themselves Yielded or U-Turned right out of the race.
7. Brahne & Garnet: Okay, I'm going to bump this team up a few positions because of fine racing on this leg. Yeah, Brahne's a bit slow due to her heavy build, but don't forget that Shinra & Rufus won last season in spite of Shinra's own heavy build. That said, I won't peg them as winners just yet because of Garnet's tendency to get flustered, something Rufus didn't unless the pressure was really on, and even then, it wasn't a lot. Still, they ran a smooth leg this time that has me thinking they could've easily run better legs the last two times if dealt a better hand (in other words, had better luck).
8. Ma & Zell: This team almost rose up at least one spot, but they remain at eighth place because of their massive brain-fart at the monastery. Like Fleck said, Ma's usually there to clean up Zell's messes, but that mistake proved she's not always able to do it. And really, they only stayed in this time because of Zell being picked for a Roadblock that was right up his alley (and not up Cecil's). Were they in the bottom two with virtually any other team, I think they'd have gone home on this leg. But they're still better, on the whole, than the team below them, so I'll keep them at eighth place.
9. Biran & Yenke: This team remains one of my favorites, and I keep being surprised and impressed at their steady improvement. But like Fleck said, physical strength is the main thing they have going for them (and, in the case of this leg, a lucky handout from Reno & Rude). I want to think their jump up to fourth place wasn't a fluke, but . . . I think they might prove it was on the next leg, depending on how they perform without a team to give them handouts.
10. Cecil & Rosa -- Eliminated on Leg 3: Wow. This was quite a shock for me. After winning the second leg, I thought they had some staying power. Instead, they had the power to pull a first-to-worst. But there's no doubt they started falling apart at the Detour, and made things worse for themselves by helping Freya & Fratley there. They had a fighting chance when Ma & Zell made their critical mistake, but Cecil blew their last chance to catch up, the Roadblock, and sealed their fate. But it's kinda sad that the sole FF4 team bit the dust so early, just as the sole FF6 team did on the last leg.
11. Cid & Celes -- Eliminated on Leg 2
12. Barret & Dyne -- Eliminated on Leg 1
. . . But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
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Post by Fleck on Dec 7, 2008 21:03:08 GMT -8
Whoops. My fourth is Biran/Yenke
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Post by Fleck on Dec 7, 2008 21:11:03 GMT -8
My big thing about the "Is Garnet/Brahne like Shinra/Rufus?" debate is the fact that aside from the obvious obese-parent-with-healthy-intelligent-child comparison, they don't have much in common. I would describe Shinra as being "functionally obese." Yeah, he was big, but not to the degree that Brahne is. From what I've seen of her in the game, she seems like she'd have trouble maintaining a rapid shuffling pace for more than an eighth of a mile. And Shinra compensated for his size with ruthless, cold intellect, while Brahne is an overweight pile of emotions and impulsive behavior. The fact that they made it this far only proves the fact that Bob's just making this up as he goes along.
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Post by Dale on Dec 8, 2008 4:04:57 GMT -8
I think another thing that Garnet has in common with Rufus is that she's very instinctive, just like he was. Which is a far cry from what she was like in FF9.
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Post by Dale on Dec 8, 2008 4:10:18 GMT -8
True. Man, I forgot... Garnet is supposed to have a horn, but doesn't! Dare I say she's... hornless? ROTFL! This must be used at some point. It was . . . in episode two, apparently.
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Post by nobodyspecial on Dec 8, 2008 21:07:13 GMT -8
Here is my opinionated view of how the race will go down.
1. Reno & Rude: Strong Team, good teamwork, good logic, excellent at completing challenges, they have very few actual weaknesses besides possibly women or booze. I don't see much getting in their way.
2. Fran and Baltheir: Another good strong team, they will eventually catch up and make it into the final 3 and then finish in second.
3. Freya and Fratley: Provided their injuries heal up, this or an early elimination at Episode 4.
4. Dona and Barthello: Villain Team, they will lash out on other teams and barely make it to 4th before Fran and Baltheir overtake them.
5. Garnet and Brahne: Decent team, they wouldn't make it to the Final 4 or 3 but 5th ought to suit them.
6. Zone and Watts: Smart team, logical, good at challenges, but they'll remain a middle team.
7. Zell & Ma: They will only make it so far, they are good but not good enough
8. Reina & Faris: They will slip up and get eliminated, a major navigational mistake or just a failed challenge and they are out for the count.
9. Biran & Yenke: Mental challenge will screw them over.
10. Cecil & Rosa: Eliminated
11. Celes & Cid: Eliminated
12. Barret & Dyne: Eliminated
And here's my view on what actually will happen.
1. Zone & Watts: Cunning well-played challenges and remaining neutral to other racers will win them an unseen victory.
2. Fran & Baltheir: They'll make a come-back but just barely lose to Zone & Watts.
3. Garnet & Brahne: They'll barely make it to the final 3.
4. Reno & Rude: They'll be close into the top 3 but just won't make it.
5. Zell & Ma: They'll be a little behind Reno and Rude in 5th but just won't make it into the final 4.
6. Reina & Faris: They'll run a good race an make it to the final 6.
7. Dona & Barthello: Being the villain team will make them enemies who will surely undo them.
8. Freya & Fratley: Being injured they'll be boosted by others to get a team like Biran & Yenke out of the race but will inevitably be wiped out.
9. Biran & Yenke: They're the next to go. No doubt.
10. Cecil & Rosa: Eliminated
11. Celes & Cid: Eliminated
12. Barret & Dyne: Eliminated
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