Discuss all of your questions, concerns, comments and ideas about Second Edition.
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By Armus (Brian Sykes)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
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Regent
Community Contributor
#606149
After an unexpected hiatus last year, Worlds Pickem is back by popular demand for 2023!

The rules are simple: You make 4 picks: Day 1 winner, Day 1 Biggest Ratings Gain, Day 2 Winner, and Day 2 Biggest Ratings Gain. Whoever makes the most correct picks wins!

Here's who's registered for 2e Worlds Day 1:

Michael Van Breemen 1995
Eric Robinett 1913
Jared Hoffman 1785
Tjark Ott 1783
Christopher Jansa 1758
Stuart Motley 1730
Ben Liebich 1723
Maggie Geppert 1713
Nick Yankovec 1676
Thorsten Wanek 1601
Fritz Meissner 1599
Daniel Giddings 1584
StateofSTCCG 1500

"Expert" Picks and analysis:

Day 1 Winner: This 13 player field is loaded with talent. I think with 6 rounds and a top 7 cut line, there's room for people with Earned byes to play it a little safe. That said, it should also be a competitive field, so emphasis on "little" ... can't take it too easy! While any player in this field could make a run, I think Eric is well positioned to have a good day. Assuming he doesn't get cute and plays what he knows, that Borg deck is hard to stop, even if you see it coming.

Day 1 Most Improved: This one is even harder than picking a winner, but I'm going with Nick Yankovec. His sub-1700 rating gives him a lot of upside in this field and I think he might be a little salty that nobody is picking him to play Khan in the affiliation draft. Here's the thing: With 5 Space Voyager in the meta, Khan is a great oblique meta play, and Nick might very well be the most experienced Khan player in the game. It wouldn't shock me if he made some noise and knocked off one of the top dogs along the way.

Day 2 Winner: I think MVB is tired of only having one 2e Worlds title. He has the talent to win any tournament he enters, but does he still have that eye of the tiger to make him a truly dangerous opponent? That remains to be seen, but if he does, look out! Even if he doesn't, I'm going with the talent and experience he brings to the table and going chalk: MVB to win.

Day 2 most improved: normally the player going 3-0 stands to gain the most rating points, but with MVB already way ahead of the field, a plucky 2-1 performance by the right person could pay dividends here. Enter the Dark horse: Christopher Jansa. He's a criminally Underrated player who doesn't have the notoriety of some of these other players but does have some results. I could see him making day 2 and then making a splash with a 2-1 podium finish and a big Ratings Gain even if he does take a loss to MVB along the way.

But wait, there's more! There's a rub: the boys across the pond have made it more interesting... the person who finishes highest in the Friday Hall of Fame event that doesn't make top 7 of day 1 gets the 8th qualifying spot. First off, whoever made that decision needs a raise, because that's awesome. Second off... now we have a tiebreaker opportunity! Whoever correctly picks the Hall of Fame qualifier gets an edge in the main Pickem game. There's currently 8 players registered, and some of the big dogs won't be in the field because they'll be playing 1e. Here's the thing though. Unlike picking a winner or a Ratings Gain, this isn't so easy. Who's going to do well here but miss the cut in the main event is the question one has to answer. For me, I'm going with Thorsten Wanek. This guy is an old school player who hasn't been as active recently, but still has the talent. I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with something creative for Hall of Fame and catches a couple people off guard. He's right on the Day 2 bubble for me in the main event, so a good showing here might just put him over.

In summary:
Day 1 Winner: Eric R
Day 1 Ratings Gain: Nick Yankovec
Day 2 Winner: MVB
Day 2 Ratings Gain: Chris Jansa
HoF Qualifier: Thorsten Wanek

So there it is!

Now it's your turn. What do you think will happen this weekend? Get your picks in now for ultimate bragging rights!

And most importantly, good luck to all the players heading into the arena this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing games and hearing stories and I can't wait to see how it all shakes out!
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Director of Operations
 - Director of Operations
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Architect
#606159
Day 1 Winner: Eric R
Day 1 Ratings Gain: Daniel Giddings
Day 2 Winner: MVB
Day 2 Ratings Gain: Chris Jansa
HoF: Tjark
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By monty42 (Benjamin Liebich)
 - Delta Quadrant
 -  
Continuing Committee Member - Retired
Chancellor
  Trek Masters 2E Champion 2024
2E German National Runner-Up 2024
#606162
Day 1 Winner: MvB
Day 1 Ratings Gain: Danny
Day 2 Winner: MvB
Day 2 Ratings Gain: Me
HoF Qualifier: Nick Yank
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By Armus (Brian Sykes)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
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Regent
Community Contributor
#606190
The Ninja Scot wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:18 am Day 1 Winner: Me
Day 1 Ratings Gain: Me
Day 2 Winner: Me
Day 2 Ratings Gain: Me
HoF Qualifier: Eric
You don't think Eric will Qualify top 7 out of Day 1?! :shock:

MVB Dropping the bulletin board material!! Bold Choice!
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North American OP Coordinator
By The Ninja Scot (Michael Van Breemen)
 - North American OP Coordinator
 -  
1E World Champion 2024
2E World Runner-Up 2024
Tribbles World Champion 2024
The Traveler
1E North American Continental Runner-Up 2024
2E North American Continental Runner-Up 2024
  Trek Masters 1E Champion 2024
1E American National Champion 2023
1E Canadian National Champion 2023
2E Canadian National Champion 2023
2E  National Runner-Up 2023
2E American National Second Runner-Up 2023
1E Ferenginar Regional Champion 2024
2E Ferenginar Regional Champion 2024
#606193
Armus wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:26 am
The Ninja Scot wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:18 am Day 1 Winner: Me
Day 1 Ratings Gain: Me
Day 2 Winner: Me
Day 2 Ratings Gain: Me
HoF Qualifier: Eric
You don't think Eric will Qualify top 7 out of Day 1?! :shock:

MVB Dropping the bulletin board material!! Bold Choice!
Oh, I treated it as him winning the HoF tournament.

If you mean who gets the bye in from this tournament? Then it would be Danny.

Michael
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By Armus (Brian Sykes)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
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Regent
Community Contributor
#606194
The Ninja Scot wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:32 am
Armus wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:26 am
The Ninja Scot wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:18 am Day 1 Winner: Me
Day 1 Ratings Gain: Me
Day 2 Winner: Me
Day 2 Ratings Gain: Me
HoF Qualifier: Eric
You don't think Eric will Qualify top 7 out of Day 1?! :shock:

MVB Dropping the bulletin board material!! Bold Choice!
Oh, I treated it as him winning the HoF tournament.

If you mean who gets the bye in from this tournament? Then it would be Danny.

Michael
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Executive Officer
By jadziadax8 (Maggie Geppert)
 - Executive Officer
 -  
The Traveler
1E North American Continental Quarter-Finalist 2024
2E North American Continental Semi-Finalist 2024
2E Deep Space 9 Regional Champion 2024
#606301
Day 1 Winner: MvB
Day 1 Ratings Gain: Thorsten
Day 2 Winner: MvB
Day 2 Ratings Gain: Fritz

I'm not picking me, since I thought I was a value proposition yesterday. Turns out not so much. :lol:
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By Armus (Brian Sykes)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
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Regent
Community Contributor
#606383
Congrats to MVB @The Ninja Scot for winning Day 1!

Congrats to BigBen @monty42 for taking the biggest ratings gain with a whopping +92 points!

And congrats to @jadziadax8 ,@Psionic Hobo , and @monty42 for each picking MVB to win.

Also, apologies for MVB for talking him off his correct answer on the HoF qualifier... but in my defense, there's a reason I'm the "Expert"! :P
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By Armus (Brian Sykes)
 - The Center of the Galaxy
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Regent
Community Contributor
#606486
Congrats for the second day in a row to Michael Van Breemen @The Ninja Scot for going undefeated and finishing atop the field!

And a BIG congrats to Nick Yankovec @nickyank for his 2-1 4th place finish, which was good enough to net the big gain on the day at +67!

Looking at the pick results, @Psionic Hobo , @jadziadax8 , @monty42 , and the Champ himself, MVB all finished with 2 points on the MVB to Win double dip. Nobody got points for ratings gain or the HoF qualifier tiebreaker.

As for your friendly local "expert" I had the right process, just the wrong names at the wrong time. That's going to happen, but the process is still good, so I still trust it.

That wraps things up for this year. I hope everyone enjoyed this silly little forum game... the people keep demanding it, so I'll keep doing it!

In the meantime, now that Championship Season is over for this year, it's time to start turning an eye toward 2024... and we have a new Hall of Fame nomination window opening in just a few short months!

PREVIEW: This next ballot will be the first "Phase 2" ballot, encompassing the sets Return to Grace, Balance of Terror, and the 20th Anniversary Collection... I see some cards in these sets that I would consider first balloters, but it's not my opinion that ultimately matters, it's yours! It's not too soon to start thinking about nominations at this point, and even starting to discuss if you're so inclined (though that might be better in a new thread). What will the new year bring? Stay tuned to find out! :cheersL:
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Director of Operations
 - Director of Operations
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Architect
#606487
After 10 seconds of looking, I see 5 first balloters already, should be a heavy class.
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