[MAG] PlayOffs Pamphlet : Issue 1 : Round 1

[Lucifa]

..Play-Off Pamphlet : Issue 1 : Round 1..

Welcome to the Official RSTL Play-Offs Pamphlet.
For the 1st 2 weeks of Play-Off competition this will be the [MAG].
The Tribune will return on week 3 and the Pamphlet will be incorporated in there until the tournament is concluded.

I. Introduction
II. Round 1 Play-Off Ranks & Match-Ups
III. How Round 1 Went Down
IV. Top 5 Verses Of Round 1 (selected by Lucifa)
V. Round 1 Highlights
VI. Round 2 Play-Off Ranks & Match-Ups
VII. Lucifa Predicts Round 2
VIII. RSTL Season 3 Information
IX. Mod Balls
X. … Of The Week
XI. Outroduction

I. Introduction

Well all I can say is “wow”. More eventful than I thought it would be and for various reasons. We saw people go in to hiding, give excuses, say they wanted in 100% and vanish, pull verses, attempt to slide under the radar via other people’s accounts, but most importantly, we saw 7 of the 8 battles go full force in to voting. It’s a real damn shame we still, after all the warnings and private messages and promises made, had to endure a no-show win in round 1.

Apart from that, and a few minor hiccups getting to where the battles are, I really would like to thank everyone that did show. You guys have put on one hell of a show. I don’t recall seeing so many close battles for a long while now, with immense heat emanating from this forum.

I’m writing this intro a few hours before the threads will close, so I don’t know yet who is through and who beat who (although some are far more predictable now a few votes are in). I have to say though, that nobody drops from round 1 with their head in shame. Really good effort on all your parts and we appreciate that.

I personally have felt pepped up by this showing and hope that Season 3 will continue the trend as near as possible. The Sign-Ups thread is set, but those involved in the Play-Offs will automatically drop in to competition without having to sing-in. You can use the thread to reset your record for the season if you wish, or maybe sign-out, but come on, after a week like this, how can there still be doubt to how much weight the RSTL holds as far as a topical league goes?

So Baron Mynd should eat a fat one.

Geeza, I ain’t happy about you pulling that shit you did in hook-ups. Not only bagging on the league, but promoting another site. Shame on you kid. Shame on you!

Enjoy the pamphlet guys.

[Lucifa]

II. Round 1 Play-Off Ranks & Match-Ups

So the Top 16 didn’t all want to be part of this tournament. To combat the problem, we drafted in substitutes for ONE week so we had a full roster. In the end, 3 of the 16 failed to show, but we only had 1 substitute get a verse in on time. Whilst DeadKing bitched out and gave Got Life? his account so Eugene could fulfil his dream of competing. Some of you will remember that GL? was banned from the Play-Offs due to his persistent recycling. We can’t however stop someone ghost writing for someone else, so given the verse was up and I wanted battles to go ahead, I let his verse and him compete, via my battle.

So this is how the Top 16 looked when all was said and done:

1. Nah Son [45]
2. Lucifa [43]
3. Mound 10 [36] - Substituted for 3-Planes
4. Cereal_Killer [22]
5. Eye-Rime [19]
6. RICO [18]
7. MetaSin [17] – No-Show with no Substitute
8. Nom De Plume. [16]
9. Infinite Truth [16]
10. LDogg [16]
11. DaAlmightyDolla [15]
12. TheReturn [15]
13. Pent Up [14]
14. Vada [14]
15. DeadKing [10] - Substituted for Got Life?
16. Bodian [8]

So the battle card went as follows:

Nah Son vs Bodian
Lucifa vs Got Life?
3-Planes vs Vada
Cereal_Killer vs Pent uP
Eye-Rime vs TheReturn
RICO vs DaAlmightyDolla
MetaSin vs LDogg *
Nom De Plume. vs Infinite Truth

*LDogg advances via no-show

With the brackets dictating the following Round 2 match-ups, with “winner of” in mind:

Nah Son/Bodian vs Nom De Plume./Infinite Truth
Eye-Rime/TheReturn vs Cereal_Killer/Pent uP
3-Planes/Vada vs RICO/DaAlmightyDolla
MetaSin/LDogg vs Lucifa/Got Life?

I’ve voted on all the battles besides my own (obviously) and I was very impressed with what I was reading throughout the battles. Some were easier to vote a winner than others but all-in-all this was a big headache whilst being a treat for the eyes and minds of voters. Good shit guys!

[Lucifa]

III. How Round 1 Went Down

Nah Son vs Bodian
Who would have guessed that Baron would cause drama over his battle? Yeah, everyone. So Baron posts first and posts a verse which I assume he figured would see him advance via no-show, even though the sub system was in place and he was well aware of it. Baron’s verse was a light hearted comical piece about a dog, made to read like a lover with a flip on the topic he chose. Whilst Nah Son surprised many by actually showing, he surprised very few by posting a full and complete verse that was written to a high degree. It made for an interesting battle but ultimately one sided in the voting, with Baron throwing his chances away with his ‘open mic’ fun piece.
Nah Son wins 8-(-4) and advances to Round 2

Lucifa vs Got Life?
I had been forewarned that DeadKing would be a bitch and instead of stating he wouldn’t be showing; he gave Got Life? his account details so as the IronMan could play a part in the tournament after his ban. I opted to not stick with the ban and allowed the verse to stand so as to get as many battles popping as possible. I don’t regret my decision, even though this battle has seen my exit from the play-offs. A close battle and I take heart from knowing I was far from stomped out of the tournament, with a vote that would have come my way not making it due to whatever reason and another voter stating he thought I won after voting the other way originally.
Got Life? wins 4-3 and advances to Round 2

3-Planes vs Vada
The drama llama hit this thread too, but thankfully all was sorted and we got a hot battle out of it. Two writers that excel in the mechanical side of writing a piece went head to head with fairly short verses in comparison to the league norm. What a match it turned out to be, with Vada going for a topical based around life against 3-Planes’ topical based around death, creating a great contrast in approach. Highly competitive and thoroughly entertaining battle that split the votes, just not by a short enough margin to keep 3-Planes hopes very high.
Vada wins 5-2 and advances to Round 2

Cereal_Killer vs Pent uP
A re-match of the final Championship battle from Season 2, that was probably not as highly anticipated as other match-ups from round 1. However, it still made for an entertaining battle, and was actually better than their Champ match. Votes were again split down the line but unfortunately this battle became a murky affair, pretty much from the get go with Got Life?s vote (which Q later disqualified), and later having further rulings needed to take this to a battle won by technicalities. A shame really as this overshadowed what was a good battle. C_K showcasing the best verse I’ve read from him, but personally felt Pent slightly out-did him. C_K did end up with a 5-4 result, turned down to 4-4 with a vote dq’d, and then further altered because of C_K’s reluctance to vote on time.
Pent uP wins 4-0 and advances to Round 2

Eye-Rime vs TheReturn
One of four battles that were contenders for Match Of The Week honours. Both these guys are amongst the elite of the current RSTL writers and this told in the battle. TR showed his skill at buttering that flow with a highly polished verse in all aspects, including the content which, accompanied by some nice imagery work, made for an excellent read. This was contrasted against Q leaving his comfort zone of a strict flow scheme and multi rhyming to deliver a more conventional approach to storytelling. A move that worked in his favour this time as the story was engaging and thought provoking.
Eye-Rime wins 5-1 and advances to Round 2

RICO vs DaAlmightyDolla
If general opinion counts for anything, this was always the battle with the least appeal or potential to be epic. This is mostly due to RICO (sorry bud) being considered the weakest writer in the play-offs along with DAD not always being a fan favourite. There was no real surprise here, as RICO did post the ‘worst’ verse of the round and DAD didn’t have to pull one out his hat to take it. DAD did bring a nice verse IMO, but as I expected, a lot of the voters were not feeling the “ition” rhyming in the first stanza. Overall though, RICO suffered from a real lack of firm execution of his idea, whilst DAD gave a far more interesting verse to read.
DaAlmightyDolla wins 7-(-4) and advances to Round 2

MetaSin vs LDogg
Tried and tried to get a substitute in for this but failed and unfortunately we had to endure a no-show battle.
LDogg wins via no-show and advances to Round 2

Nom De Plume. vs Infinite Truth
These guys have met a few times now and it’s always been a close fought thing. This was no different, even though the votes became a white-wash. NDP crafted his usual poetic flair piece that was written really well and would have given a lot of the other verses from round 1 a real good run for their money with the votes. However, in IT, Nom faces his closest comparable when it comes to writing style and finesse. IT exceeded the line limit by quite a margin, due to his structure, but those 92 lines did read quickly and it never felt like a novel/chore to read. A battle that was well worth the read and a great showcase for the talent level here in the RSTL.
Infinite Truth wins 8-(-4) and advances to Round 2

[Lucifa]

IV. Top 5 Verses Of Round 1

All of you came with it and made this a very hard task. I’m still in 2 minds as to whether I should have nom de plume. in here over Nah Son, with 3-Planes just on the edge of that same feeling. But here it goes. In Reverse Order:

Number 5: Nah Son
The Champion of Champions is back and dropped what I felt was a very solid showing for a defender of the throne. Baron has turned complete bitch on the league, but he can deal with his own issues as he far from had the better verse in this battle, like he thinks he did. Nah Son had a well told, plot driven piece, with plenty of emotional value to draw the reader in and not let go easily.

Number 4: TheReturn
I fully expected his battle with Q to be close and true to form it was. Hot damn was it close. This verse oozed quality from the smooth flowing text to the content within; which was entertaining and made for a really enjoyable and worthwhile read.

Number 3: Vada
After the little bit of drama, this verse is thankfully there for all to see. At the time of writing this, he’s losing on votes but getting very positive feedback. Win or lose I truly feel Vern deserves this spot as I thoroughly enjoyed and was captivated by this piece and its metaphorical approach to mother nature.

Number 2: Eye-Rime
Experienced writer vs the hot shot, and the experience told for me in the end as this was a very well polished piece of storytelling. Q left his multiple multi multies behind and gave us some real content, which still flowed real nicely. Some drama about his ‘outro’ to the verse but regardless, I was really impressed by this piece.

Number 1: Infinite Truth
He does it again. He tops my list with what I would consider a beacon of talent from the RSTL mould. This verse is technically WAY over the line limit, mainly due to his structure (that come next season’s rules could face drama). However, Alias2 did not call it into question and I say props to him for that, as this was an awesome display of texting a piece with great descriptive and emotion evoking wording. I think on current form, Inf is well on course to take this Play-Off by the neck and throttle the shit out of it.

[Lucifa]

IV.V. Top 5 Verses Of The Round : Verse Of The Round Showcase

Lucifa’s Verse Of The Week: Infinite Truth

{“the painter, the poet, the guardian.”}

smoke vapors rose
over red roses for harvestin’,
while the painter spoke
of both the poet & guardian.
his aesthetics echoed
past cracked severed thresholds
of pasts never let go,
then through trashed restless ghettos.
his canvas is colored
in swift elegant motions…
the spectrum of life, yes,
it is mixed well in the potion.
delicate strokes then,
trembling,
embellish emotion
with love,
lust,
& the devil of hell- his commotion.
developing intelligent notions
of intellectual graffiti…
he streaks streets
discretely
while he creeps deep.
see…
the painter is a purist,
dropping polished politics
upon the walls of boston-
tagged with self-acknowledgments.

~~~

he drifts through the silhouette
trashed off carnival magic,
while cinders of his cigarette
turn to particle fragments
that traffic
like black magic
through the night sky.
& he’s inspired to aspire
by stars afar in the twilight.
bright lights
skydive
from an ecliptic moon
missing truth,
while them black clouds’ thickness grew.
then,
sunshine’s bleak transit leaks,
transmitting hope,
while he’s dancing on streets
to the same anthems he wrote.
he is a poet…
in simple, a prophet of linguistics
criss-crossin’ inner images
often off-center, yet vivid.
frequencies reverberate pride,
& while smoke circles rise high
he spoke verbalized cries-
they frequently circulate skies.

~~~

the guardian seeks the answers,
watching over the city.
broken, empty, & missing,
quickly
then he’s spun dizzy.
driven to redemption
he be steady running rushed.
still, he knows inside
that his penny’s luck is up.
his cig smoke pollutes puddles
like acid raindrops
with unspoken truths juggled
& castaway thoughts
that portray lost souls
as cursive constellations.
he’s lured by contemplation
that sure is complicatin’.
& he says…
…forever move in evolution,
for love is the execution
of a revolution.
& he says…
…forever move in evolution,
for love is the execution
of a revolution.

~~~

& so they search for the salvation
that the savior brings.
& they’re all in relation
through the art of love the paper sings.
the painter thinks.
the poet breathes.
the guardian’s truths unfold…
you see,
the painter, poet, & guardian,
are my mind, my body & soul.

topics:

-Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.
Plutarch
-Poetry in Motion

[Lucifa]

V. Round 1 Highlights

Best Battle
Vada vs 3-Planes

Best Verse
Infinite Truth

Best Voter
Quriosity

Best Story
Eye-Rime

Best Story Progression
Nah Son

Best Imagery
Vada

Best Flow
3-Planes

Best Overall Mechanics
Infinite Truth

Biggest Surprise
Got Life? being involved .. I guess.

Biggest Upset
as above? ..
Getting 1 no-show battle, after all the effort to avoid it.

[Lucifa]

VI. Round 2 Play-Off Ranks & Match-Ups

Ranks based on Round 1 rank (in [x]) plus seed beaten to progress (in {x})

Rankings for Round 2:

1. Nah Son [1] {16}
2. Eye-Rime [5] {12}
3. Infinite Truth [9] {8}
4. Pent uP [13] {4}
5. DaAlmightyDolla [11] {6}
6. Got Life? [15] {2} /(subbed in)
7. Vada [14] {3} /(via sub)
8. LDogg [10] {7} /(via no-show)

The brackets were set, so this is not a replica system of Round 1 (of 1v8 / 2v7 etc.)

Match-Ups for Round 2:

Nah Son vs Infinite Truth

Eye-Rime vs Pent uP

Vada vs DaAlmightyDolla

LDogg vs Got Life?

[Lucifa]

VII. Lucifa Predicts Round 2

Nah Son vs Infinite Truth
This should be an interesting battle and one I’m looking forward to most. Nah Son definitely has something to offer but I think on current form, Infinite Truth has that flair and prowess that will see him through to the Semi-Finals. I do think it is in his own hands, as should he be caught sleeping on Nah Son then I see no reason why Nah Son wouldn’t beat an half arsed verse; as was seen in round 1 against Baron. The number 1 seed should really enter this as the favourite, but I’m going to say that I feel Infinite Truth is the actual odds on favourite to win this.

Eye-Rime vs Pent uP
Both deserve their spot in round 2, but only one can advance to the Semi-Finals, with my money on Q to continue to prove why he is a highly rated writer in this league. I take nothing away from Pent uP and fully expect him to make this a close call thing, having shown strength in verses although not displaying consistency with them. Definitely not a sleeper match, but I do feel Q has the stronger mechanics and a real knack of dropping the thunder when he’s up for it. Time will tell but Eye-Rime is the predicted winner for me.

Vada vs DaAlmightyDolla
Being a fan of both of their work, for different reasons, this is a hard one to call for me. I can see DAD winning this but I have to go with Vada in my prediction, as his verses are always better received by the majority than DAD manages. Both have creative flair but in my opinion, Vada has the stronger writers voice and ability to express his ideas in a solid verse that doesn’t sacrifice in other areas. Hoping for a good one here.

LDogg vs Got Life?
I’d like to see LDogg take this one, if only to wipe the smirk off Eugene’s face; after he has avoided his ban and actually entered the 2nd phase of competition. However, I do think Got Life? really wants to progress in this tournament more so than LDogg, since the RSTL is Eugene’s life. That said, that pink slip never went down and this would be the ideal time for us too see how that may have gone. I’m rooting for you LDoog, but I see Got Life? coming out of the battle as the winner.

[Lucifa]

VIII. RSTL Season 3 Information

Week 1 of Season 3 will begin on Monday 16th June.
Sign-Ups are open until Sunday night/Monday morning via the Sign Ups Thread
Competitors that drop from the Play-Offs will be automatically signed in to the following week’s competition.
New Rules & Regulations have been posted, giving clear rulings for all to see and save arguments over some previous rules and rulings not staying consistent or being clear from the outset.
[TOPICS] threads will be posted at the weekend before competition of the following week begins. Giving plenty of time to work on ideas before finding out who your opponent will be.
We will strive to have a Champ Match by Week 6 of the new season. Leaving a possible 10 Champ Titles up for grabs.
Season 3 Play-Offs will be after the completion of Week 16 and are only open to competitors of Season 3 itself, with the WINNER of Season 2 Play-Offs automatically taking the Number 1 Seed.
Points for the Play-Offs will tally from the 16 weeks of competition, plus points obtained in Season 2’s Play-Offs.
The points have been altered slightly to keep things competitive in the race for a top 16 rank, as well as easier to calculate for mods.
The Points System:
2pts for a win.
-1pt for a loss.
5pts for Champ match win (including defences).
5pts for making previous Play-Offs
5pts per round advanced.
10pts for the Play-Offs Champ.

(Points are subject to change, but for now, I feel this is the best system to keep it fair and competitive)

[Lucifa]

IX. Mod Balls

Whooooo .. what a week! PM’ing my arse off to get this Play-Offs rolling at full force. I had to admit defeat when we failed to see an opponent for LDogg, but all-in-all I think that the 1st round was a successful one. I over-ruled myself and Q by allowing Got Life? to take DeadKing’s spot, cos I would prefer to see the battles open rather than taking a no-show win myself. Whether I get credit/hate for that action is ‘whatever’ as it only really impacted on me. I swallowed my pride and let it stand, which led to me being knocked out the tournament, and I doubt Eugene will ever say thanks or show appreciation for being allowed to compete after being banned for his antics.
I (I’m sure “we”) would like to thank the 15 people that put in the time and effort to make Round 1 as dope as it was. Closely contested battles and a major headache for voters (and me for the mag highlights) made for an extremely enjoyable week being involved in the RSTL as a mod and a competitor. Hopefully this magazine will be seen as reward, by this lengthier than usual issue which I have put a fair chunk of me time and effort into creating.

All that said, in this edition of Mod Balls I want to talk about:

The *New* RSTL Rules & Regulations

The new revised rules thread is up : Click Here
We strongly advise and encourage everyone to read and get to grips with the new rules and the regulations by which those rules will be enforced. I’ve spent time to create clear and concise guidelines to how rulings will be made in each scenario behind the rules. I made every effort to cover loopholes that people were exposing and using to their advantage during competition. Those are the people that will probably complain most, yes, looking at you Eugene.
We have the bases covered with clear regulations that now take the power back into the mods control without having to endure hissy fits, as the rules are there and the ruling are clear. It is go to for both competitors and moderators to rule on any breach made by ANY party. We, as moderators, are allowed to compete and some people have argued that rules have been “bent” in certain ways to benefit either themselves or other competitors, with a level of inconsistency based around “what the competitor wants to do”. Well that’s all changing now!
Most rule breaches will result in vote deductions, as this is a harsh penalty, but not as harsh as disqualifying competitors based on their opponents bitching.
Some rule breaches will result in disqualification, but those are the rules that we feel are the most important and deserve the most severe penalty for breaking.
There are also rulings where a win will be voided. This is not to be confusing with taking a loss. You will simply not advance in the ranks and you will not have a win added to your RSTL record, and the opponent will still receive a loss when this is the case.
To avoid falling victim to vote deductions and other penalties, please, please, please, read the rules!
The vote deduction idea is based around hitting you guys where it hurts, whilst not disrupting the league or ranks via more severe methods. It’s extremely workable and very easy for us to enforce along with you to follow.
You have all been warned, so we’ll be taking no shit from moaners. If you don’t like it, feel free to not compete. Also, take note of the foot of the Miscellaneous section, as in conjunction with what I’m saying here about bitching/complaining/moaning, we have every right to sign you out or ignore your sign-in if you persistently bug us with such dissent.
We want the league to be fun, but we also want this shit running like clockwork, so help us help you by sticking to the rules and avoiding drama.

Lucifa
AIM = Lokoveli

[Lucifa]

X. … Of The Week

Honey Of The Week
Just another mainstream woman, but yum yum.
Eva Mendes








Music Video Of The Week
I’m keeping this tied in with the RSTL for the next 2 weeks, opting for my favourite storytelling tunes.
After next week, I may change to just any hot video and/or track I feel deserves some limelight.
This is an old track but the story telling is vivid and hard hitting.
Ladies, I give you: Immortal Technique – Dance With The Devil




Random Video Of The Week
A 10 minute segment of Russel Peters, a stand up comedian.
Edited video of his act that is based around race and nationality.
Must say the England shit is a little weak in comparison, but the final line is funny.
He’s a funny man and you should check this guy out if you haven’t already.




Lucifa’s Joke Of The Week

A dog walks in to a hardware store and says: “I’d like a job please.”
The hardware store owner says: “We don’t hire dogs, why don’t you join the circus?”
The dog replies: “What the hell would a circus want with a plumber?”

Boom!

[Lucifa]

XI. Outroduction

14 pages of Word later, I think I’m all typed out. Hope you guys like this mag as I have given it the attention that I felt you all deserved for giving the RSTL such a great 1st round in the Play-Offs. I’m hoping Round 2 will be just as mouth-watering and that the enthusiasm can be rolled over in to the beginning of Season 3 next week.
As I said, there will be 1 more issue of the “pamphlet” as a stand alone Tribune substitute, before the Tribune returns at the end of Week 1/Semi-Finals, when it will simply be incorporated into the [MAG] thread.

Thanks again to those involved in Round 1 and good luck to everyone in Round 2.

Keep it hot!

[Quriosity]

dope post.