Results[]
Ulti's Analysis[]
| Round | Division 7 Semi Final |
|---|---|
| Match # | 45 |
| Match Date | Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 |
| Oracle
|
Kratos - 30.98% Kirby - 29.12% L-Block - 21.12% Donkey Kong - 18.84% |
| GameFAQs
|
Kratos first place (4pts) - 15.40% Kratos second place (2pts) - 33.29% L-Block second place (4pts) - 2.14% L-Block first place (2pts) - 4.53% |
| Advancing Prediction |
Kratos - 48.69% (17,881) L-Block - 6.67% (2,449) |
Of all the L-Block matches this contest, this one was the most predictable. I'm looking at the Oracle picks now, and I don't understand the huge gap between Kirby and L-Block there.
What this match did show is how insane L-Block's early vote is. Within 2 hours, L-Block built up a lead of nearly 1000 on Kratos and all but guaranteed making second place.
Yes, Kratos.
Had Donkey Kong not been in this poll, history may never have happened in this contest. DK clearly LFFd Kirby here, and screwed him out of advancing in this contest. This was the first of many times L-Block would actually eliminate someone relevant, but he was the benefit of LFF on top of his own strength. It was a lot like how Tidus screwed Vivi out of beating Pikachu this round. But in the long run, Kirby would get the last laugh. Just go look at the 2008 bracket.
As for that 1000 lead on Kratos L-Block built up? Kratos got it down to 300 overnight, then with the morning vote he just went nuts. This had people thinking (hoping) L-Block was an early joke vote powerhouse and little else, and that he wouldn't get much farther in this contest. "Whoops"
And just think, replace DK with a mid-tier Square or Capcom character and L-Block never wins this contest. He didn't yet have the football-like momentum to beat Kirby on his own here.
Stats and Analysis[]
- L-Block overperformed by +7.21%, the #12 most impressive performance of 2007
- Donkey Kong underperformed by -4.45%, the #25 most disappointing performance of 2007
- L-Block advancing was the #5 most surprising result of 2007
- It was also the #10 most surprising result of all time
I can't believe that many people had Kirby winning. it's like they didn't even see the huge gorilla in the room.
anyway, this is definitely the most boring of L-Block's matches - it wasn't particularly close, L didn't do anything super insane (at least, compared to later matches), and there was an obvious explanation for it - Kirby and DK hurt each other a good amount. I'll even argue that this should have been an expected, or at the very least, a possible result. after seeing what L did against Kirby in round 1, and then seeing how Mudkip performed against Luigi and the 'dorf a few days prior, it should have been clear to people that joke characters don't suffer from other people being in the poll.
but no, this match has significance because this was the first time L eliminated someone of significance. in round 1, he/it eliminated Laharl -- the guy who lost 60-40 to Vyse -- and some dude named Nathan Hale. not exactly the toughest of competition there. but now, here was Kirby, beloved Nintendo character, and DK, oldschool icon, being eliminated by a Tetris block. a Tetris block. a Tetris block.
it was so confusing to people that they rejected L as a first-hour wonder that would crumble against real competition. this was no mere joke though, as it took a 950 vote lead over Kratos in 90 minutes. nothing compared to later matches, but still, one hell of an opening vote. Kirby was just getting killed in the early going, and not even a Nintendo afterschool vote could resurrect him. hell, it took Kratos nine hours to regain the lead, and he wasn't being held back by a gorilla. even Kirby's day vote would only succeed in stalling the Block.
it was this match that made people realize that L was a force to be reckoned with.
Match Trends[]
Ed Bellis' Analysis[]
Before this match, there was some idle joking around that DK and Kirby would SFF (or LFF, or whatever term you want to apply to it) each other enough to let L-Block pass. But few actually took it seriously. And hoo boy, did L-Block make us wish we had! Not only did the Block get second, he got roughly the same percentage he scored in the previous round against much weaker opposition. What was once a silly joke had become a serious contender, and next round’s matchup against Kratos, Snake, and Riku suddenly looked a whole lot different.
This match is memorably particularly because of its non-linearity and its spitting in the face of common sense. L-Block does the exact same on much stronger competition and ends up increasing seemingly exponentially each time. Somebody made an apt comparison of the Block to Goku from Dragon Ball Z, which is appropriate.