2009 Metaforge March Madness

From StrategoUSA

The 2009 Metaforge March Madness tournament began on March 1st, 2009 on Metaforge. It was primarily organized by TNRockyraccoon. The goal was a single elimination tournament based largely on the NCAA Basketball 'March Madness' tournament. There is a total field of 65 players, reduced to 64 after one play in game for the lowest ranked seeds. Seedings were set based on the 12 month rolling KRACH rankings.

[edit] Tournament Committee

Tournament rulings and rules were monitored and acted on by this five member team.

TNRockyraccoon, Barbarian, NE-pats010304, Flyers7, and XtraStar

[edit] Bracket

The tournament bracket is modeled after a NCAA Tournament, whereas the higher seeds play the lower seeds first. The Metaforge Classic Rolling 12 month rankings were used to seed the players. The seeds were filled from the top down with four number 1 seeds, four number 2 seeds, and so on.

[edit] Play In

dave2525 def InCharacter due to forfeit.

[edit] Round 1

External links are to replays of the games.

[edit] Eastern Bracket

Keyser_Soze (#7) def ShugaRay (#10) [1]

In a match that was promised to be a "blood bath", I had the pleasure of watching #7 Keyser_Soze vs #10 ShugaRay. The promise was upheld as it seemed to be a killing spree on both parts. However, a mid game mistake caused by distracting children (I have those too) cost Ray his General. This led to Ray making a pay for Keyser's General. Well, he got it but that sneaky spy was awaiting. Once Ray's Marshall was out of the way, Keyser was able to mass attack and gain a big advantage in Captains. IT wasn't long after that when Ray gracefully bowed out. Great game guys and thanks for playing. Good luck in round 2 Keyser.

lightwing (#1) def leechboy (#16) [2]

Audi_R8 (#8) def TARASBOULBA (#9) [3]

Ahaiceman (#6) def Nightmare (#11) [4]

The game began with a couple of firestorms of action, with pieces getting removed from the board in short order. Then, something happened that put NM in position to feed "upset Monday" another victim....after a quick killing spree against each other, an open lane was exposed for a quick scout and that scout found ahaiceman's spy. ahaiceman rallied and took a lead in Colonels but Nightmare strengthened his draw by taking a lead in Majors, Captains, and Sergeants. It looked as if a Nightmare was about to come true for the Iceman, until he called a bluff and captured a spy, then he evened it up on Captains. This opened up a lane and Iceman mounted a three piece attack that included a miner, and that was all she wrote. Nightmare was in position for the upset, but Iceman reminded him how it's never over until it over. Great game guys, congrats Iceman and best of luck next round.

Flyers7 (#4) def leon7 (#13) [5]

The game was one of great interest to some of us as it would be the first time we've seen Flyers in action in some time. Well, after watching the game, I must say that it looked like he never took any time off. The game started out close as both players exchanged a major and a few captains in an effort to find out valuable information. It looked as if the game would be a long slug fest of exchanging pieces, that is until Flyers busted it wide open by taking Leon's General and a Colonel in one fatal swoop. Leon tried to rebound but by this time it was too late. Flyers not only avoided the upset bug, but he also looked strong in doing so, winning the battle of the "7's".

madmax (#5) def jmrbonzo (#12) [6]

hielco (#3) def technique (#14) [7]

TheTerminator (#2) over valdomero (#15) [n/a - awarded by default]

[edit] Southern Bracket

KenraaliNiinimaa (#8) def magic1 (#9) [8]

A matchup between #8 and #9 seeds which are always exciting and almost even matchups. KenraaliNiinimaa and Magic1 faced off with game aids on. The game began with both amassing a lead in pieces. Ken took a big lead in 6's as Magic captured all of Ken's 7's. Then Ken started getting a piece here and there until his lead was a little tougher to rally from. However, Magic made one last run with a miner. his miner found a likely looking flag encampment, hit the top bomb, and was killed by another piece. Magic then hit the protected piece with his last colonel. Instead of finding a flag, he found a sneaky double stacked bomb flag decoy.

TNRockyraccoon (#4) def Ka_Mate (#13) [9]

Our game started off with a good amount of posturing on both sides, and then my Marshall was discovered. I was able to get a slight lead in lower ranked pieces as we came to a few fierce stand offs in the middle of the zone with my Marshall clogging the middle. Ka_Mate managed to snake a Captain from me as I tried to get through. He did a good job of spy bluffing my Marshall and at one point I was faced with trading my Marshall for his general. I turned it down, but I did manage to slide my general through his blockade after I found his Marshall. This turned out to be the turning point as I was able to hit a few moved pieces and two were majors. The game ended in a victory for me after a very hard fought game.

Apollo (#3) def GoldGrizzly (#14) [10]

Returning from my raid on Circuit City, I found one of the most exciting games going yet. It was very late when I came in =to the viewing area and was surprised to find a barn burner going on between #3 Apollo and #14 GoldGrizzly. Both players were short on men and it was basically deadlocked with both players holding an advantage in different ranks. Grizzly had a better position of attack on an obvious flag encampment, but the veteran Apollo also had a decent position as he had placed several of his pieces around Grizzly's back row. In the end, Grizzly looked to be a move or so slow with miner as Apollo started hitting the unbombed flag targets, finding the flag just in time.

ManofWar (#16) def NEPats010304 (#1) [11]

At 200 moves, the game was pretty much even with Mano up a Major while Pats was up by two Captains. This changed three quarters of the way through the game when Mano lost his Major to the General and Pats maintained a two Captain lead. At this point in the game the Marshall, General and one Colonel were still on the battlefield for both opponents. The turning point of the game came when Mano bluffed his miner through and removed the bomb covering the flag. Mano then came in with his unrevealed Marshall, which Pats discovered with his General. Mano, taking a bold risk of losing his Marshall to a bomb, went in for the kill and captured the flag with his Marshall. This game was officially played on day 3 but it's apparent that "upset Monday" was not finished yet. After the match, Pat's comments said it all. "I can't believe I lost track of those pieces, I never forget". So now everybody's "PICK'EM" brackets are turned upside down, as on Day 2, we're seeing an 11th seed, a 14th seed, and a 16th seed advance into the second round.

It was a suspenseful game that kept us viewers on the edge of our seats!

TheRumbleseat (#10) def VENOM (#7) [12]

I was caught in the shower when #7 VENOM and #10 TheRumbleseat faced off. I could here the turn bell dinging and the sound of soldiers dying. I emerged from the shower just in time to see Rumble take the win and feed the upset machine again

badmofo (#5) def comba (#12) [13]

Now, for a dance as intricate as mating sand hill cranes. I watched #5 Badmofo and #12Comba dance in and out of the gameroom as if on cue for almost three days now. One would be here for hours then leave and the other would come in right on cue. The game finally went down to day and while it was exciting, comba kindly let it out of his grasp when he challenged a protected piece with his General. Unfortunately for comba, it was protected by a Marshall, and while this alone didn't win it for mofo, it did set him on his way to victory. The rest of the game was just a metter of piecing down.

macken (#2) def ColdBlood (#15) [14]

mungobrush (#11) over madridista30 (#6) [n/a - awarded by default]

[edit] Northern Bracket

Thunder (#12) def LBboss (#5) [15]

I woke up this morning (I know, pathetically late in the morning) to find a few tournament players lounging around in the gameroom. After some light prodding we we're treated to a special matchup. #5 LBboss vs #12 Thunder. This match was special because they played a true spectators game. With Game aids on, and with remain visible on. The match started with Thunder bringing a flank attack down into Boss mans minefield. With the flank bombed in, Thunder slowly went to work opening the flank, and eventually was rewarded with finding Boss' General, Colonel, and a gift on a captured spy. This was the point that the game began leaning towards Thunder, as he'd already amassed a huge lead in lower ranks. Serveral skirmishes were going on around the battlefield and at this time, boss had to try and square off with power. Thunder however made a fabulous bluff with his spy as a General and eventually it won him the game. Great game guys and I must say that I truly enjoyed it. The Northern Bracket has been turned upside down as Day 2 has turned into "Upset Monday"

XtraStar (#7) def Pendragon (#10) [16]

supersour (#14) def major_force (#3) [17]

The game started out as a slug fest as both players traded out several high ranking pieces, yet they still remained relatively even, until Major took a slight lead on Captains. Sour overcame and despite a deficit in lower ranks, he managed to gain a lead by taking a major. Major was still in a fair position and he made it even stronger as he took a lead by capturing Sour's last Colonel. However, in doing so he left himself open to a strong attack that found a miner in position to attack a obvious looking flag encampment. The gamble paid off for SS as he found the flag and pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament this far.

arrowhead (#11) def DevoidofRuth (#6) [18]

The game was fast and furious from the get go. AH had booby trapped his left lane with a couple of bombs and it appeared to really slow D down. DofR maintained an attack on the left flank, while a major blood bath was occurring on the far flank. Both players were attacking and trading pieces as that side of the board quickly became less crowded. In the process of maintaining both attacks, DofR found himself down to one miner, yet he held a slight piece advantage in lieutenants. As the pieces began to dwindle, arrowhead managed to sneak a miner into the back field and he found a bomb that was closely guarded. This opened the game up as he also held several scouts and with pieces low, finding the right pieces to target was easy. The end game was quick and just as "Upset Monday" continued to claim higher seeds. Very entertaining game guys and thanks to both of you for participating. Congrats on the upset victory in a well played game arrowhead.

VermontMoon (#15) def bart505 (#2) [19]

gusiluz (#8) def bengalsguy (#9) [20]

Brogi (#4) def I.Am.Legend (#13) [21]

ricardo90 (#1) def dave2525 (#16) [22]

[edit] Western Bracket

trotsky (#7) def Machiavelli78 (#10) [23]

PUNISH (#2) def Street_Sweeper (#15) [24]

In the last game I saw pieces of, #2 power house PUNISH, pulled out an expected but tough fought battle of 15th seeded Street_Sweeper. This game was another long slug fest with PUNISH slowly building small piece advantages in some of the lower ranks. Eventually Street ran out of pieces and bowed out.

iliketheesauce (#9) def HardRain_Lenny (#8) [25]

tecato (#4) def DandyRandy (#13) [26]

Another public battle with full viewing, remain visible, and game aids....in other words, a real treat for the spectators. The game started rather slowly with posturing from both players for most of the first hundred moves or so. Tecato revealed a Colonel as he took a slight lead on captains, and this kindly setup the rest of the game as the Colonel controlled a traffic jam in the outside lane. The middle lane was packed with pieces and it was obvious that a killing spree would erupt once someone attacked there. The other outside lane was slightly open with a couple of exposed majors standing off. Well, eventually, after some Sadi style dose doe, Randy opened up his Marshall in the middle for a major lead, then he busted down the door with his General to capture the earlier exposed three. Tecato, being the skilled veteran that he is, was able to maneuver and make some moves that really kept him alive....but the whole time I was thinking that "Upset Monday" was about to strike again. Then out of nowhere, classic Randy showed up and gave up a piece needlessly, but he'd rebound and you'd think he was on it. Then came classic Randy again and he let his advantage Colonel get caught in a trap that was obvious. The crowd sighed and a few asked if he was throwing it or something? I still thought Randy had the pieces to make it happen. But Tecato worked a perfect Spy+General blockade on the middle as Randy needlessly exposed his last miner, and then got it trapped. In the end, Tecato avoided "Upset Monday" as Randy lottoed out on open pieces. This was a very entertaining game and I really enjoyed it as it had so many ups and downs for both players. Congrats tecato and good luck next round.

jjbuck (#14) def miroeltg (#3) [27]

Another stirring upset! Down a major and captain, jjbuck moved in a daring back row flank attack with a couple high ranking pieces & a miner that swooped in quickly, opened up a hole, allowing a quick flag grab. No dancing around in this one.

Exponential (#6) def Knights_Templar (#11) [28]

Underground (#1) def Glandz (#16) [29]

Stone_Cold (#5) def punko (#12) [30]

[edit] Round 2

[edit] Eastern Bracket

Audi_R8 (#8) vs. lightwing (#1)

madmax (#5) def Flyers7 (#4) [31]

hielco (#3) def ahaiceman (#6) [32]

TheTerminator (#2) def Keyser_Soze (#7) [33]

Termi wasted no time in getting his second round game complete. His second round match against Keyser_Soze took place shortly after Termi's first round game. Funny thing is one game was played in 529 moves, and the second was played in 528 moves. Keyser's attacks were enough to amass a small piece lead, but in the end, Termi pulled out a win and advanced into the Sweet 16. Congrats on moving on Termi, and congrats to you Keyser on a well played Tournament. See you win your ban is lifted.

[edit] Southern Bracket

ManofWar (#16) def KenraaliNiinimaa (#8) [34]

badmofo (#5) def TNRockyraccoon (#4) [35]

macken (#2) def TheRumbleseat (#10) [36]

Apollo (#3) def mungobrush (#11) [37]

[edit] Northern Bracket

supersour (#14) def arrowhead (#11) [38]

XtraStar (#7) def. VermontMoon (#15) [39]

Brogi (#4) def. Thunder (#12) [40]

Another great second round game was played last night as #4 Brogi took on #12 Thunder. This is a game I looked forward to watching as I know both are formidable opponents. The game did not disappoint as it was filled with several ups and downs for both players. Then Brogi started to pull away, amassing piece advantages in sever ranks. But Thunder held strong and eventually eliminated all of Brogi's miners. The game seemed to be turning as Thunder began working a miner into Brogi's territory. It was looking like we might see another upset, when Brogi found an unbombed flag to end the threat.

ricardo90 (#1) def. gusiluz (#8) [41]

[edit] Western Bracket

PUNISH (#2) def trotsky (#7) [42]

Exponential (#6) def jjbuck (#14) [43]

Underground (#1) def iliketheesauce (#9) [44]

UG and Saucey danced around a little yesterday while trying to get scheduled. When everything finally lined up...we found ourselves with primetime seats to what would become a mini strategothon! UG slowly amassed a lead over Saucey, and eventually Saucey lost track of one of UG's power pieces. By this time it really didn't matter as UG had Saucey's last piece of power pinned to the wrong side of the board.

Stone_Cold (#5) def tecato (#4) [45]

[edit] The Sweet 16 -Round 3 - Bracket Semi-Finals

[edit] Eastern Bracket

TheTerminator (#2) def hielco (#3) [46]

madmax (#5) vs. Lightwing (#1)

[edit] Southern Bracket

ManofWar (#16) vs. badmofo (#5)

Apollo (#3) vs. Macken (#2)

[edit] Northern Bracket

XtraStar (#7) def supersour (#14) [47]

Brogi (#4) def ricardo90 (#1) [48]

[edit] Western Bracket

PUNISH (#2) def Exponential (#6) [49]

Thinking he was on a roll, Expo asked for permission to play his Sweet 16 game vs PUNISH if he showed. I told him it was OK, and sure enough, they got it on this evening. In a long game that was virtually dead locked most of the game, PUNISH pulled out a tough win after having a slight piece advantage in lower ranks.

Underground (#1) def Stone_Cold (#5) [50]

Now a recap of this game would be very quick and short as was the actual game. I got up to fix a scotch and when I sat back down, UG was up a Colonel and a Major. A few short moves later it had escalated and now the lead had grown, to the point that S_C quickly bowed out. Several people came back and asked what had happened. It seems several peoples bathroom break was too long.

[edit] The Elite Eight - Round 4 - Bracket Finals

Underground (#1) def PUNISH (#2) The highlight of the evening came late as the people of Meta were treated to a great battle. A tale of brackets gone good where the top seeds had advanced and the outcome was a #1 vs #2 matchup. In this match #1 Underground was poised to play his third tournament game of the night, his opponent was the always menacing and powerful PUNISH. The game began with UG losing 7 of his scouts while taking a lead in Lieutenants and Sergeants. PUNISH wasn't rolling over though, and he struck a big strike when he took a Colonel from UG. In fact, someone in the crowd laid down a classic Hamby "POW" when it happened. Then PUNISH added a Majr to his lead, then a Captain. Marshals were traded, as was two of the Colonels. Now the lead was stacked for PUNISH. UG's hands were tied and all he could really do to get back in the game was to strike unmoved pieces in hopes of finding goods. As luck would have it, he made several good guesses and eventually got a captain and some miners out of the deal. Another late game move put him in a fork position between two of PUNISH's pieces, and one of them was another Captain. Then the move that finished the game in my opinion was when PUNISH lost track of UG's General, costing him his Colonel advantage. With a huge lead in the lower ranks, UG was able to rally as PUNISH watched in disbelief.[51]

The highlight of the evening came late as the people of Meta were treated to a great battle. A tale of brackets gone good where the top seeds had advanced and the outcome was a #1 vs #2 matchup. In this match #1 Underground was poised to play his third tournament game of the night, his opponent was the always menacing and powerful PUNISH. The game began with UG losing 7 of his scouts while taking a lead in Lieutenants and Sergeants. PUNISH wasn't rolling over though, and he struck a big strike when he took a Colonel from UG. In fact, someone in the crowd laid down a classic Hamby "POW" when it happened. Then PUNISH added a Majr to his lead, then a Captain. Marshals were traded, as was two of the Colonels. Now the lead was stacked for PUNISH. UG's hands were tied and all he could really do to get back in the game was to strike unmoved pieces in hopes of finding goods. As luck would have it, he made several good guesses and eventually got a captain and some miners out of the deal. Another late game move put him in a fork position between two of PUNISH's pieces, and one of them was another Captain. Then the move that finished the game in my opinion was when PUNISH lost track of UG's General, costing him his Colonel advantage. With a huge lead in the lower ranks, UG was able to rally as PUNISH watched in disbelief.

What a great game that was. One of the greatest comebacks that I've personally seen. What would you expect though from two world class players? Great tournament PUNISH, thanks for playing and as always.....it was a very PUNISHING game for UG, although he picked up the win.

Brogi (#4) def XtraStar (#7) [52]

lightwing (#1) def TheTerminator (#2) In Lightwings Elite Eight matchup, he faced #2 TheTerminator. Reported March 2th In our last Quarterfinal matchup, we saw the expected matchup of a #1 seed actually playing a #2 seed. We saw it earlier with Underground and Punish, this time it was #1 Lightwing vs #2 TheTerminator. This game was like a shooting star from the start. Termi started off getting down a couple of lieutenants, and this caused her to make a bad choice in an effort to try and pull ahead. Lighty had positioned a Major in easy range of Termi, and Terrmi's General quickly tackled him. Unfortunately, the General had no clue he'd just killed the Marshall's personal major, and LW's Marshal enacted quick revenge. From this point on you cold see the light flaming out in Termi's game as she made a few strong lotto shots to no avail. A quick congratulations was followed by a forfeit as our final four matchups became set. [53]

This game was like a shooting star from the start. Termi started off getting down a couple of lieutenants, and this caused her to make a bad choice in an effort to try and pull ahead. Lighty had positioned a Major in easy range of Termi, and Terrmi's General quickly tackled him. Unfortunately, the General had no clue he'd just killed the Marshall's personal major, and LW's Marshal enacted quick revenge. From this point on you cold see the light flaming out in Termi's game as she made a few strong lotto shots to no avail. A quick congratulations was followed by a forfeit as our final four matchups became set.

Apollo (#3) def badmofo (#5) In our Southern Bracket Quarterfinal, we saw a great matchup between #3 Apollo and #5 badmofo. The game started out with calculated scouting by both players, and the first 100 moves saw only equal piece trades. Then Apollo found a Captain, and he took it for the piece advantage. An advantage that was never made up. The next few hundred moves saw equal ranks killing each other off as the board became less and less crowded. Apollo added to his slight advantage by taking an extra Lieutenant late in the game. Badmofo still had a strong strategy as he held the lead in lower ranked pieces, specifically miners. All that was left for him was to trade the remaining Sergeants, which would allow him to exploit one of the three alleys. But Apollo was able to capture the Sargent without incident and the game ended with a graceful bow out from Mofo. [54]

The game started out with calculated scouting by both players, and the first 100 moves saw only equal piece trades. Then Apollo found a Captain, and he took it for the piece advantage. An advantage that was never made up. The next few hundred moves saw equal ranks killing each other off as the board became less and less crowded. Apollo added to his slight advantage by taking an extra Lieutenant late in the game. Badmofo still had a strong strategy as he held the lead in lower ranked pieces, specifically miners. All that was left for him was to trade the remaining Sergeants, which would allow him to exploit one of the three alleys. But Apollo was able to capture the Sargent without incident and the game ended with a graceful bow out from Mofo.

[edit] Final 4

Underground (West Champ) vs. Brogi (North Champ)

Apollo (South Champ) vs. lightwing (East Champ)

[edit] The Final Four Preview

First off, Let me congratulate each of our Final Four Players on great tournament runs. Some of you were expected to be here, while others may not have ever been considered. Tough game play and the right decisions against some very strong competition has gotten you to the upper level of the tournament. Will the powerhouses win out, or has the clock not yet struck midnight? The Final Four is coming up next!

Our first set Final Four matchup is #1 Underground vs # 4 Brogi.

Let's first take a look at #1 UnderGround. Him being here is no surprise to any of us. He's a past Champion in tournament play and is a top ranked player everywhere he goes. His road to the Final Four was quick an almost painless.

His first round matchup was against #16Glands. Reported on arch 4th. Another #1 advances as Underground gets by #16 Glandz. The game itself had a few surprising moments early as Glandz took a Major from UG, but UG used the knowledge that Colonel gained and proceeded to roll with it. Generals traded, remaining Colonels traded, and UG would pick up a piece here and there with a highlight on two Captains in a row. Eventually the odds grew too large and Glandz bowed out gracefully. Congrats guys and good luck next round UG.

UG's second round matchup against #9 Iliketheesauce had a lot of build up. Reported March 13th UG and Saucey danced around a little yesterday while trying to get scheduled. When everything finally lined up...we found ourselves with primetime seats to what would become a mini strategothon! UG slowly amassed a lead over Saucey, and eventually Saucey lost track of one of UG's power pieces. By this time it really didn't matter as UG had Saucey's last piece of power pinned to the wrong side of the board. Congrats on a well played tournament Saucey and thanks for playing with us.

UG wasted no time in finding and playing his Sweet 16 Matchup between #5 Stone_Cold. Reported March 13th Less than ten minutes after his win against Saucey, UG was back at it Sweet 16 action against Stone_Cold. Now a recap of this game would be very quick and short as was the actual game. I got up to fix a scotch and when I sat back down, UG was up a Colonel and a Major. A few short moves later it had escalated and now the lead had grown, to the point that S_C quickly bowed out. Several people came back and asked what had happened. It seems several peoples bathroom break was too long. A few rumors made the circuit alleging a points shaving scandal as it was heard before the game that Chip wanted S-C to take a dive to protect his "PICK'EM" brackets. I don't know if any of this is true.....but it was a quick game.

Rest, who needs rest. Well UG amost needed a relaxing vacation after his Elite Eight matchup with #2 PUNISH. Reported March 13th The highlight of the evening came late as the people of Meta were treated to a great battle. A tale of brackets gone good where the top seeds had advanced and the outcome was a #1 vs #2 matchup. In this match #1 Underground was poised to play his third tournament game of the night, his opponent was the always menacing and powerful PUNISH. The game began with UG losing 7 of his scouts while taking a lead in Lieutenants and Sergeants. PUNISH wasn't rolling over though, and he struck a big strike when he took a Colonel from UG. In fact, someone in the crowd laid down a classic Hamby "POW" when it happened. Then PUNISH added a Majr to his lead, then a Captain. Marshals were traded, as was two of the Colonels. Now the lead was stacked for PUNISH. UG's hands were tied and all he could really do to get back in the game was to strike unmoved pieces in hopes of finding goods. As luck would have it, he made several good guesses and eventually got a captain and some miners out of the deal. Another late game move put him in a fork position between two of PUNISH's pieces, and one of them was another Captain. Then the move that finished the game in my opinion was when PUNISH lost track of UG's General, costing him his Colonel advantage. With a huge lead in the lower ranks, UG was able to rally as PUNISH watched in disbelief.

Now UG has made it to the destination. The Final Four, where one will become the Inaugural METAFORGE MARCH MADNESS CHAMPION. Does he still have what it takes? I imagine he still has a few tricks up his sleeves.

And now, we'll take a look at his opponent. At #4, Brogi is the lowest seeded player to reach the Final Four and his road was by no means an easy one as he had to come through several great players to get here.

His first round marchup found him facing off with #13 I.am.Legend. This game started off even but Brogi began to slowly build an advantage in Lieutenants and was soon up by 3. This didn't slow egend down much though as he continued to push forward. Soon, Marshals and a Colonel were traded as Legend made a slight comeback as he took a Captain lead. The battle raged on as pieces fell to the graveyard. Brogi was able to neutralize the Captain deficit with a well placed bomb, and in the end...was able to outlast Legend.

Brogi's second round matchup was against #12 Thunder, Whom I felt was much better than his seed. Reported March 13th Another great second round game was played last night as #4 Brogi took on #12 Thunder. This is a game I looked forward to watching as I know both are formidable opponents. The game did not disappoint as it was filled with several ups and downs for both players. Then Brogi started to pull away, amassing piece advantages in sever ranks. But Thunder held strong and eventually eliminated all of Brogi's miners. The game seemed to be turning as Thunder began working a miner into Brogi's territory. It was looking like we might see another upset, when Brogi found an unbombed flag to end the threat.

Things got heated after Brogi's Sweet 16 matchup with #1 Ricardo. Words were exchanged and tempers flared. I was not around to watch this game unfold but I get the feeling a little lotto might have played a part. These are several of the comments made after Brogi's win.

Quote from dnusbaum on Mar 13th, 2009, 6:54pm: Hey, lotto's part of the game. No use crying about it. You have to plan for that possibility in your set-up. But I have to say, watching the replay, that Brogi did seem to take a huge gamble, as he lottoed a major and a colonel, both in places where bombs are likely to reside. It looked as if he had perhaps scouted out Ricardo's set-up beforehand. But don't get discouraged Ricardo, you should take it as a sign of respect that Brogi felt he needed to lotto to have a chance of beating you.

Quote from badmofo on Mar 13th, 2009, 6:24pm: USA USA USA BROGI BROGI BROGI cry

Quote from TNRockyraccoon on Mar 15th, 2009, 9:05pm: Holy Cow! I never imagined that Ricardo90 wouldn't make the Elite Eight. Sorry to hear of your ousting Ricardo, especially if a little lotto played a part, but it is a part of the game and the game could have been over early had bombs been hit. Congrats on a great tournament and thanks for playing with us. Congrats Brogi on the huge win, not the biggest upset of the tournament, but when a #1 falls....everybody hears it. Good luck in your next round game.

Finally, Brogi's final obstacle on his way to the Final Four was #7 XtraStar. This was a long, tough battle that lasted 713 moves. Star used the first 100 moves to amass a small lead in Captains as both players had upper ranks starting to fill the graveyard. Star managed to gain an extra Lieutenant but it cost him a Major in the end. Stars situation got worse as he lost his Spy. But we're still just 300 moves into it. Star was able to rally and add another Captain to his lead, yet he was still down a Major. The rest of the game was filled with both players losing all their miners while Brogi was able to eliminate the Captain lead. In the end, Brogi found an open piece to attack, and it turned out to be a flag.

Now, Brogi faces his toughest battle of the Tournament as he regroups to face Underground. Does he have another win left in him, will his luck run out, can he beat two #1 seeds in this tournament? Only time will tell.

Our second Final Four matchup is #1 Lightwing facing off against #3 Apollo.

First well take a look at #1 Lightwing. Lightwing is one player that most people had no doubt about making it to the final four. He's a World Champion in live events and has won more than his share of online events. He's also been the Metaforge #1 ranked player for much of the past year.

His first round game was a quick and painless affair against #16 leechboy. The game lasted only 178 moves. Unfortunately the game was played very early in the morning and npt many were able to watch it. I've tried to replay it and it's not working right....so, our recap for this game is just as quick as the game actually was.

Lightwing's second matchup was one of the more disappointing games of the tournament. His second round opponent, #8 Audi_R8, never showed up. We offered many extensions, but the game was never played and we had to award the game to Lighty on several factors. He posted times and was online and available on one account when Audi was avaiable, but Audi signed out.

Lightwing had a much tougher opponent for his Sweet 16 matchup, #5 Madmax. The game was played in short manner as it lasted only 377 moves. The game went sour for Max early on as Lightwing took an early Colonel and Major to really pad his postion. The rest of the Majors were killed off as Lightwing added a Captain and a Lieutenant to the lead. The Marshals were traded off the board, but not before LW took Max's other Colonel. This of course led to Max bowing out.

In Lightwings Elite Eight matchup, he faced #2 TheTerminator. Reported March 2th In our last Quarterfinal matchup, we saw the expected matchup of a #1 seed actually playing a #2 seed. We saw it earlier with Underground and Punish, this time it was #1 Lightwing vs #2 TheTerminator. This game was like a shooting star from the start. Termi started off getting down a couple of lieutenants, and this caused her to make a bad choice in an effort to try and pull ahead. Lighty had positioned a Major in easy range of Termi, and Terrmi's General quickly tackled him. Unfortunately, the General had no clue he'd just killed the Marshall's personal major, and LW's Marshal enacted quick revenge. From this point on you cold see the light flaming out in Termi's game as she made a few strong lotto shots to no avail. A quick congratulations was followed by a forfeit as our final four matchups became set.

So now what lies in store for Lightwing as he meets Apollo. The biggest majority of people here have picked Lightwing to win. It's most certainly possible, and probably likely, but you never know?

And now for our last player of the Final Four, #3 Apollo. Apollo's road to the final four required a lot of work as he had to face several really good players, as well as a surprisingly tough first round matchup that could have just as easily seen him packing his bags.

Apollo's first round opponent was #14 GoldGrizzly, and this game turned out to be a real pressure cooker. Reported March 1st Returning from my raid on Circuit City, I found one of the most exciting games going yet. It was very late when I came into the viewing area and was surprised to find a barn burner going on between #3 Apollo and #14 GoldGrizzly. Both players were short on men and it was basically deadlocked with both players holding an advantage in different ranks. Grizzly had a better position of attack on an obvious flag encampment, but the veteran Apollo also had a decent position as he had placed several of his pieces around Grizzly's back row. In the end, Grizzly looked to be a move or so slow with miner as Apollo started hitting the unbombed flag targets, finding the flag just in time. Great game guys, so far I'd say it was the game of the tournament.

His second round game found him facing off against #11 Mungobrush. This game was very close and also came down to the wire. While it only lasted 415 moves, it was action packed. Apollo got his Captain advantage in the early stages of the game, and that's where his advantage stopped. Mungo played well and was able to gain a two piece lead in Sergeants. This is a situation that can go either way as both players could win easily with the right approach. Apollo however, gained the upper hand by getting a miner into the back row. He attacked a possible looking target only to find a bomb sitting where the flag should be. But his next move found a sneaky flag, placed as a bomb. Congrats Apollo.

Apollo's third round matchup found him facing his highest seeded opponent yet, #2 Macken. Reported March 21st Our last Sweet 16 matchup featured #3 seed Apollo vs #2 seed "Saturday Attackin" Macken. This game was a real marathon, lasting over 950 moves. Unfortunately, I missed the first 700 moves. When I came in I quickly saw Macken's Marshall dead in the graveyard, with a General and Spy dead on Apollo's side. Apollo, also held a lead in Majors, Captains, Lieutenants, and Sergeants. Some advantages were slight and it looked like both players were still very capable of winning as both jockeyed for position in the lanes. However, a late game forgotten piece struck Macken late as Apollo took his last Colonel and the power shift was too much. Macken bowed out gracefully and wished Apollo well. Congrats on making it to the Elite 8 Apollo and best of luck against Mofo.....he's been on lately, and a little lucky too.

Apollo's Elite Eight opponent was another high ranking player who has been hit lately, #5 Badmofo. Reported March 25th In our Southern Bracket Quarterfinal, we saw a great matchup between #3 Apollo and #5 badmofo. The game started out with calculated scouting by both players, and the first 100 moves saw only equal piece trades. Then Apollo found a Captain, and he took it for the piece advantage. An advantage that was never made up. The next few hundred moves saw equal ranks killing each other off as the board became less and less crowded. Apollo added to his slight advantage by taking an extra Lieutenant late in the game. Badmofo still had a strong strategy as he held the lead in lower ranked pieces, specifically miners. All that was left for him was to trade the remaining Sergeants, which would allow him to exploit one of the three alleys. But Apollo was able to capture the Sargent without incident and the game ended with a graceful bow out from Mofo.

Now the question arises. Can Apollo knock off the overall #1 seed? In looking back through the records, I see that Apollo is 1 - 6 versus Lightwing throughout the Meta history. It's looking like it will be a great matchup.

[edit] The Final Four Semi Finals

#1 Underground vs #4 Brogi

As reported on March 29th.

The game started out as a scout fest with Brogi coming out on top with a lead in scouts. Soon, each player had several moved pieces and eventually Brogi showed a lieutenant and it was quickly ate up by a captain. But that captain was then captured by Brogi and this set up the next part of the game. UG maneuvered around and found a colonel, a colonel that he captured with his general. Brogi made a tough move when he decided to trade generals, and a short time later they traded colonels leaving UG with a lead there.

Both players zones were opened up now and the risk of a Brogi lotto was always present. Instead though, a major was traded, as Brogi took a slight lead in captains and UG held on to a stronger two piece lead in lieutenants.

Both players had lost several sergants but the next piece to hit the graveyard surprised me....as Brogi made a lethal scout strike to take out UG's spy. This opened up free range to Brogi's marshal. He only needed to keep from trading out marshals.

The game got even more interesting when Brogi lottoed a colonel to really get back into the game. UG's lead was now down to two sergeants, which is still a powerful lead, but the dead spy had weakened his defenses. The game was now going on 28 minutes and 400 moves.

I'm not sure if it was a loss of concentration or if UG just downright lost track of Brogi's marshal, but it cost him a major as UG had attacked deep in Brogi's zone. The players traded another captain, yet they remained even at captains with each having one left. But things were starting to turn sour for UG as Brogi started working his Marshal and extra Major to trap pieces.

The game took another dramatic turn as Brogi managed to snake a miner into UG's zone and found a 3rd row bomb. UG's instantly killed the miner but the damage was done. UG began taking lotto strikes with his extra lieutenants, finding two bombs. The urgency on UG's part really painted a convincing picture of a flag behind that defused bomb. Brogi took his time and worked a piece down as UG continued to make lotto attempts. UG was unsuccessful but Brogi's gamble paid off with big dividends as he attacked the suspect piece and found a big red flag.

What an incredible game. After getting down a colonel, then coming back, then being down in lieutenants only to strike a major after UG lost his marshal, and then making a successful raid on the flag. All I can say is great game guys.

Congrats on becoming our first player to reach the Championship game Brogi. Best of luck next round as you play as the underdog no matter who your opponent is.

#1 Lightwing vs #3 Apollo

as reported on April 4th, 2009

The game looked fairly as I took my seat. Then I spotted that Apollo had amassed a two Captain lead. ZBoth still had their Marshal and a Colonel as their power pieces. They both also had a Major between them.

So the strategy for Lighty was to spread out Apollo. Unfortunately, Apollo had his pieces in position and this made it a tough play to spread out. The best action I saw came during a standoff in the middle of the board that saw Lighty trading his Marshal for Apollo's last Colonel. This move could have possibly shaken things up a bit, leaving both players having a power piece to wage war with.

Lightwing forced the issue a little during an attack where I thought Apollo might get LW's spy out of the way. However, he played a great strategy when it became apparent that his spy could not be saved. His moved forced Apollo to kill the spy with his Marshall, leaving LW open to kill a Captain, cutting Apollo's lead in half. Both remaining Majors ended up killing each other.

Then Apollo took a big step towards winning when he managed to gain a lead in lieutenants. This almost wrapped things up for Apollo, as he had the pieces to trap and force move LW into confrontations. But, being the champion that he is, LW was able to open up a lane and get his Colonel a free shot at some of Apollo's pieces. Looking at the piece layout, Apollo had no pieces that were blocked to attack, So LW could hit any piece he could get to. Apollo quickly retreated his Marshal to block off half the board from lotto attack. So Lighty hit his most likely and most accessible piece....but it was a bomb, and the game ended in forfeit a short time later.

Everyone knows Apollo is a great player, but I don't think anybody expected this. Our final two players we're basically under the radar for most of the tourney, until they started knocking off top players. Now we're left with a #3 vs #4 Championship game....a game that promises to be an incredible matchup.

Congrats on a great tourney run Lighty and good luck in the 3rd place game against Underground. Funny, this is the championship game most people picked. I know a lot of folks are eager to see it, because of the participants it still has a huge game atmosphere. And after all, you both are past Champions on many levels.

What can I say Apollo? Congrats on an awesome run and on some well played games. Best of luck in your quest for the First annual Metaforge March Madness Crown.

[edit] 3rd Place Game

1 Underground Vs. #1 Lightwing

This game was actually the last game of the tournament, and quite possibly was the most anticipated match of the entire tournament. It was also the only match up to take two games in order to decide a winner. The first game was a long game that ended in a draw. Game 2 was played to decide the third place finisher and underground came out on top.

[edit] Championship Game

#3 Apollo vs #4 Brogi

as reported on April 12th, 2009

The game was scheduled for 6:30pm, but I logged in a little early just to see if everyone was there. The gameroom didn't have as many people in it as I expected, but we we're hovering around 30. Apollo and Brogi were both there though. But as the time came to start the game, Brogi disappeared. At first we thought it was a quick computer reboot, but when he didn't show back up shortly thereafter, we began to think that he'd left.

All was well though as he showed back up, a little late of course, but showed up nonetheless. So finally, after more than 40 days, and after countless battles to get here, Our championship game was about to begin. The game began conservatively as a few scouts from both sides were killed in order to find some early information. The recon paid off for Apollo as he was able to capture a Colonel very early in the first 100 moves or so. Of course it costs him a Major, but I think Apollo got what he wanted out of the deal. I never was sure if Apollo captured the Colonel with a General or a Marshal but I think it was the Marshal as Brogi began attacking quite liberally with his General on the far side of the board.

Apollo was able to control the right side of the board in Brogi's territory after capturing the Colonel, and this made things tough on Brogi's mobility. The center lane was also congested with pieces. It wasn't long before Apollo brought in his presumed Marshal and stacked up in the middle road block. All of Brogi's pieces had backing pieces that could have been a spy, or a Marshal, so Apollo appeared to hold off an attack for the moment. Until Brogi moved a backing piece forward to attack, leaving another piece unprotected. Unfortunately, the piece was his last Colonel which Apollo ate up. This move by Brogi kindly puzzled me but then again, IT was hard to follow not knowing whether Apollo's piece was the Marshal or the General.

The game was still young at this point, but Apollo had amassed a very powerful lead. Brogi was able to get his General into Apollo's zone but without scouting pieces to join the attack, he was left to roll the dice on the lotto. It wasn't long before his General found a bomb and was blasted into the graveyard. The game went on for another 100 moves or so, but myself and many others considered the General lotto to be the end of the game. Kindly like kneeling on the ball to run out the clock. Brogi, tried to get pieces down to strike Apollo but none of his attempts found anything of value and he soon bowed out.

I'd like to congratulate both of our finalist on excellent tournaments, and thank you all for participating.

Congrats Apollo on the big win and on becoming the first annual March Madness Champion! While it may not be the most prestigious tournament in the Stratego world now.....maybe it will one day, and your name will be right there in the history books!

[edit] Bracket Picks

Part of the excitement of NCAA March Madness has always been the interactive nature of the brackets and bracketology. In my mind, our version of March Madness would not have been complete without the picking of the brackets and the excitement of a contest that all could enter. So the call went out and the challenge was made. Who could pick the most wins? 9 Metaforge members stepped forward to make picks, we also had one come in after deadline. These are the the Members Bracket Picks.

[edit] Final Results

barbarian: 42

Street_Sweeper: 40 (money winnner since barbarian did not wager)

TNRockyraccoon: 38

lightwing: 38

NE-Pats: 37

Bengals: 37

Pendragon: 36

iliketheesauce: 36

mungobrush: 33

ManofWar: 33

Points of note:

While several people picked 2 of the final four correctly, and barbarian picked 3 of the final four, no one picked any of the final four players in their eventual ending positions.