I know it's been a while since there's been a post to the AWBW Blog, I'll have to use real life busy-ness and a lot of other stuff going on around AWBW as my excuses! But regardless, we're back today with another installment of Global League Review. I'm going to try to do the review weekly from now on, so we'll see how long that lasts!
The last time we took a look at the Global League was on October 16th, and not surprisingly a lot has changed since then. We've seen a lot of the commonly regarded "top players" rise up to the top, and we've also seen a lot of new players begin to make a name for themselves in the league. Perhaps the most interesting story of the last few weeks has been dorian5, who has shown himself to be worthy of a spot among the elite ranks of AWBW and who currently holds the top spot. His claim to the top of the standings is being fiercely contested though, with 4 players just one win away from leap-frogging him.
Overall the rankings have begun to stabilize a bit, but there is ever-increasing rating inflation due to the high frequency with which players enter and leave the league. The standings are also not fully accurate yet, since there still have not been a high number of match-ups amongst the very top players of the league. It is also interesting to note that the Chinese domination of the league has ebbed a bit, although there are still 3 Chinese representing the top 10 (Chilin-xiaoniao3, ANT13, and Diwa).
We'll be keeping a close eye on the movement of players up and down the standings over the coming weeks, but for now let's move onto the top 5 of the league.
Global League Top 5
1. dorian5 - 1147.10, 16-0-0 (Last review: 8)
Last Week: 0-0-0
Game(s) to Watch: vs. Ultra Storm (#2)
Dorian has proven himself to be a worthy foe so far, beating down all 16 of his previous opponents. However, he has just run into his toughest opponent yet; his match with Ultra Storm on "Shadows chase you endlessly" is perhaps the most intriguing league game to date. On day 10 already, dorian's Sasha has not shown any weakness against Ultra's Von Bolt despite early skirmishes as Ultra disrupted capture of dorian's central city. This is a must-watch game, and we'll be keeping a close eye on it as it progresses.
2. Ultra Storm - 1142.75, 13-0-0 (Last review: 12)
Last Week: 0-0-0
Game(s) to Watch: vs. dorian5 (#1)
Despite his slow playing pace, Ultra has steadily and consistently risen up the rankings to the tune of 13 consecutive victories. He's looking as invincible as ever, but might find his first true test against dorian5.
3. Chilin-xiaoniao3 - 1134.32, 29-2-0 (Last review: N/A)
Last Week: 0-0-0
Game(s) to Watch: vs. Duke of Blue Moon (#5), vs. felix45 (#6), vs. Ancient Paradise (#8)
Formerly known as the Weakest Xiaoniao, Chilin-xiaoniao made a new account and quickly elevated himself back up to the top of the league. His high ranking is not necessarily representative of his skill level, however; although he is surely a good player, he has mostly played very weak competition in climbing up to the 3rd rank. It would be very surprising if he can hold himself up in the top 3 for long, especially as he begins to play the likes of Hellraider and Ultra Storm more frequently.
4. Hellraider - 1130.83, 10-0-0 (Last review: 7)
Last Week: 0-0-0
Game(s) to Watch: vs. Chilin-xiaoniao3 (#3)
Like Ultra Storm, Hellraider's rating has slowly but consistently risen over time as he remains unbeaten in league play. The low volume of games has kept him from grabbing a spot in the top 3 for now. With a win over fdkanns and two over Kamuscha for his league resume, Hellraider has arguably had the best league wins to this point.
5. Duke of Blue Moon - 1129.83, 29-7-0 (Last review: N/A)
Last Week: 0-0-0
Game(s) to Watch: vs. felix45 (#5), vs. Diwa (#10), vs. benbever (#13)
A relative newcomer to the site, Duke of Blue Moon quickly showed that he is not someone to take lightly. He has taken care of many of the high-ranked players in the league, but has yet to record a significant break-through victory against the league's true elite. His 7 losses show that he is certainly beatable, but those losses do not come easily.
Best of the Rest
6. felix45 - 1110.79, 11-2-1 (Last review: N/A)
The returning veteran has elevated his level of play of late, and several big wins have boosted him to a spot just outside of the top 5.
7. fdkanns - 1097.73, 26-5-0 (Last review: 2)
Surprisingly, fdkanns has not been able to maintain pace with the top players as his 5 losses have knocked him down to 7th place.
8. Ancient Paradise - 1081.64, 26-9-0 (Last review: N/A)
Another player new to the site, it remains to be seen whether Ancient Paradise can truly hang around with the best.
9. ANT13 - 1063.11, 30-9-6 (Last review: 3)
ANT13's record has been worsened due to the high level of competition he's been seeing, but he has consistently been sticking around in the top 10.
10. Diwa - 1060.93, 13-1-3 (Last review: N/A)
Not a newcomer to the site, but certainly new to the top 10, Diwa is showing that he may be a force to be reckoned with as well.
Almost There!
11. walkerboh01 - 1057.79, 14-2-1 (Last review: 9)
12. TotalFire - 1050.88, 32-12-16 (Last review: N/A)
13. benbever - 1042.91, 4-3-1 (Last review: 1)
14. Kiririn - 1036.65, 11-1-0 (Last review: N/A)
15. Black Mont-Blanc - 1034.99, 8-0-0 (Last review: N/A)
By the Numbers
8 - Weeks since the last Global League Review
128 - Players currently in the league
2 - Players with rating above 1050.00 who have dropped out of league (Kamuscha - 1102.18, 15-2-1 and Roswell the Black Rose - 1065.34, 35-15-12)
256 - Players with rating below 800.00 who have dropped out of the league
960 - Rating required to crack the top 25 of the league
That's all for now! See you again for next week's review,
- Walker
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