LW Round 1 - Heard Around the Horn:
[Message overheard from Aflima's comms device - the auto-record functionality possibly accidentally triggered, and diverted to the live feed of KHRA's sports studio. We believe the victim of the beating was undergoing hallucinations at the time and hope he gets the medical attention he needs]
Oh, Dev,... Got drafted as a floater... only to take inhumane levels of beating in the Orbital Arena. Yes it's not my first time duelling among heavyweights but never before has the disparity been as immense. Think of it as a zebra foal being tossed around by hungry crocs. Scratch that, nobody needs that image in their head.
My left eye has almost swelled shut, but I did take a look at the notice board. CT and WMD remain a class of their own and while my current colleagues are certain to hold fort to claim bronze, it will be difficult for myself to maintain footing by the time Round 3 begins.
Elsewhere, I see WMD's Outlaws branch pretty much having as easy a path as you could imagine, to a division title. The 5th Precinct has two teams together but you could take an all-star crew among these two and Brute Squad, and still Outlaws would be expected to dominate.
My right eye is a bit blurry now. I called Burning Daylight Labs to get a tech over here... BADGE med teams are apparently overwhelmed. The Divison 3 scorelines suggest Fortress of Solitude should have a path to another title, with a decent clash for silver in prospect between AoS and SFS.
Division 4 is probably settled after another Outlaws team claimed a low-scoring Round 1 win. SOB and Aussies put up big numbers but are probably in for a world of pain (I'll get to PAIN later) in later rounds.
Can probably speak the same in D5 as Avengers 51 Walking Dead look to march to yet another belt. These middle divisions are as rock chalk as you can get, no matter the format. Infected, despite their loss, would expect to waltz to silver.
Ouch... Shinobi tried to pat me on the back in a show of encouragement but I think it only helped to shift my scapula down a couple of inches. Must remember for Round 2 to pack some kind of nano healing capsules in my belt. Waiting for help is excrusiatingly long. Meanwhile, the D6 scores rolled by and there's PAIN as mentioned... Stacked Deck is historically a quality outfit but I'd imagine they can't stop the PAIN just yet.
Holy tamale, Freak Frequency put up 214 in their first match in D7. Bomb Squad of course the class of the division and will take the trophy at a canter. In D8, Suffering has a strong chance to go undefeated although Meat Locker won't let them go unscathed, I think. D9 is the other Bomb Squad's for the taking and Pride of Lions aren't going to miss out on silver. Wonder if a Champions Cup should be considered for the Pains, Bomb Squads and Walking Deads of this event. They hardly break a sweat in regular tournament play.
Teams are getting crushed at love in D10 and 9Planets... I don't think they're the same people as that 9 Planets crew from that other realm, although they're just as tough on a pound for pound basis... would be expected to continue to fill their trophy cabinet. There's a good SOB squad in that division that may press them a little.
D11 may not have the combined scores for all three rounds even approach that Freak Frequency first round number, as Raiders and Surfers each won while scoring under 10 points. This is the section of the competition where teams are trying to minimize points in order to avoid 'graduating' to the tier where 9Planets and Bomb Squad reside.
Another set of thrashings at love in D12 with Spirits with the weird spelling looking for yet another trophy and Nest of Vipers carrying that SOB banner proud. It can't be easy business for the betting shops though, the teams expected to win are always heavy favourites.
I hear footsteps, I really hope it's the BDL tech and not another CT guy. I like some of the CT guys no problem, but they hit hard and with little mercy... and in this arena I can't outspeed any of them. Arrgh. The D13 scores are up, though. 'Shocking', more zeroes on the board. Lost Souls and Dueling Duo are poised for a clash for all the marbles. Might make for a good contest compared to some of the others here. I think Lost Souls has a longer track record but it's really hard to recall the names and faces of these competitors.
Division 14 has teams actually putting up points. Maybe guys here are enticed more by the new Triumph points than the dreaded XP? And whoa, a tight match between Trident Tempest and Free City... and a wild comeback? Free City were probably favourites as they have previous titles to their names. We may yet have a first-time champ after all? D15 on the other hand is probably Team Cobra's to win without much fuss, the chase for silver may be more interesting.
The last division up for grabs, 16, has both victorious teams putting up 37 in different circumstances. This division is probably going to Sins if only because they have a more well-known trope. That other realm had a bunch of Sins too, although they were definitely much higher level than these folks. These guys are more like micro-Sins... hmm, wonder what Citizen Sin has been up to...
[the audio fades at this point, replaced by some inaudible mumbling and muttering. We believe the defeated warrior was injected with a tranquilizer at this point, and wish him well for the remainder of the tournament]
(ID: 10898)