WEEK THIRTEEN MAG: ‘VID VS VERSE

[Adverse]

INTRODUCTION:
What’s up fellas? I was hoping to change the format to a voice/video mag but after a crazy past couple of days, and the return of COVID in my household, it seems as though next week will be a better time to do so. Shout to NYC for holding it down for me last week. I really appreciated that, everyone’s been doing a great job in the participation department and that’s the reason this league has gone on so strongly for 13 weeks now. Really happy with it, thanks for that, let’s dig into the reviews.



WEEK TWELVE REVIEWS:

CHAMP MATCH: FRANK VS DEAD MAN

This was an interesting one to watch play out. Frank has been meticulous this season about showing up in a timely fashion and giving himself the time and space to cook, while dead man usually stumbles in around the deadline and fashions together a masterpiece. Well the roles were reversed this week, and it worked out in Black’s favor. The topic picture admittedly wasn’t easy to decipher a meaning out of. It was sort of vague IMO but that’s why I thought it would be perfect for this matchup. Dead man did a perfect dead man impersonation here, he did what he did best. An emotionally driven story, with some (possibly) true content straight from the heart. Frank, who is usually a super technical and almost robotic writer, went ALL CAPS throughout his verse and conveyed anger in a way we hadn’t seen from him. I think Frank’s real life frustration bled into his writing this week and to be honest, the sloppy, uncharacteristic verse from Frank lost him the AOWL belt. Dead man signed out right after winning it though, which had to be even more of a slap in the face.
RESULT: DEAD MAN WINS AND SUBSEQUENTLY SIGNS OUT

CONTENDERS: NYCSPITZ VS BROKENHAL0

This was a solid contenders match, both writers brought their all (Hal0 even went like 30 lines over the limit) but it’s all good. What was so interesting here was the way the verses from both writers kind of mirrored each other’s work. At least as far as the atmosphere and the setting, both obviously have knowledge of Japanese culture amongst other things, it really came to life here. Hal0 has been pretty solid all season from a storytelling standpoint but it seemed to have slipped away from him here. He started well and ended pretty decent other than the last rushed bar (which may have been the result of chopping a quarter of his verse out) NYC was just the more solid of the two, he told a cohesive narrative that I really dug.
RESULT: NYCSPITZ WINS

DOMINATE VS SOULÉ’

Soule’ was kind enough to step in for the busy Mike Wrecka this week, and proved what an asset he is to the AOWL from the jump. He wrote on a super short notice and really took it in stride, I was impressed with him, obviously a guy that knows his way around a topical. Problem for him is Dominate has been on an absolute roll this season, and he didn’t stop here. The problem was that the two verses were super similar in concept (same situation was presented of boy meets girl, girl goes home with boy, boy turns out to be sadistic murderer, you know, Nicholas Sparks type shit) but the way things went down varied and Dominate’s end game shined, he brought his horror movie brain this week and gave us some kind of Hostel/Human Centipede crossbreed. Soulé’ wrote a verse good enough to beat almost anyone, too bad he got caught under the steamroller m.
RESULT: DOMINATE WINS

MASTER ROCK VS ADVERSE


Not much to say here. Props to Master Rock for showing up at all, he’s obviously super busy. I’d like to see what we would get from a Rock who has time to flesh his verses out, because you can see the genius peak through in these short key styles yet it’s never allowed to operate at full capacity. Maybe one day. I think 7/8 of my verses this season have had a tragic ending, I wish I could say that I would try to have more variety, but I would be lying through my teeth. I write tragedies, it’s what I’m compelled to do. Anyways..
RESULT: ADVERSE WINS

NO SHOW SHINE
Shout to Eviction for winning his first match of the season via NS, think that speaks to what a good track record he’s had in this league. Definitely one of the stronger writers in competition as we close in on the end of the regular season.



A masterpiece depicting tragedy, I’ll hang it on my wall like a tapestry,
Turned agony into a parody, arrogantly lacking any required apathy.
It’s sad to see, black lights, reveal satin sheets stretched to capacity.
Depths of my insanity, a thick scent like mass graves after calamity.
Being alone by force of habit; an exit strategy when you’re lost in place.
So when you’re locked away you treat all company like toxic waste.
Social interactions render a catatonic state, anxiety is the common phrase.
No decorations for the holidays, unless you count rolls of caution tape.
These shockwaves create repellants like every path will show an L.
Bravery is how you expose yourself, so act cowardly before you go to hell.
I don’t mean to overwhelm, but this motel is worse than a holding cell…
AND I know it well, I thought visitors would be put off by the rodent smell.
I’m not content until opponents fail, their misery is a conversation piece.
A blue-collar wasteland, I can develop nausea if I watch it anxiously.
What phases me is the wasted dream and the constant stage of grief.
Often aim to please, it’s like choosing distress when I’m dodging pain relief.
I get treated like dirt by society, you wonder why I keep a cluttered house?
Like I should let these intruders run afoul while I stay hidden underground.
Because these days I consider it a home invasion when family comes around.
I always looked below the surface when my world is already upside down.
My body count will force a shutdown, they drop and create a dust cloud.
The dirt is my suboxone, cleanliness makes matters worse if I’m strung out.
I’m hiding from the sea of doubters’ a joke that’s heckled by this tough crowd,
Enough rat poison to dumbfound, somehow they stuck around like a bloodhound.
I recycled this schedule, a recurring pattern’ there was only a select few,
Of the entitled next to you, only one of them lifted a finger to rescue,
The others? let their dog get loose’ and lick open every fresh wound.
The saving grace is beneath hell, this cesspool gives me the headroom.
You’re that rich know it all, holding a briefcase because they gave you a million.
Me the cheapskate, a cheap date for “angels” that think that angles appealing
If there was an options menu, preferential treatment would have came to an ending.
My success? Label it pending, watching them fail helps me break through the ceiling.

POWER RANKINGS:

#5 FRANK
RECORD: 6-2

I wouldn’t say Frank is the fifth best writer in this league, so if you make the argument he should be higher on this list I’m not going to be the one to argue with you. At the same time, this is a power ranking and momentum is everything. Frank is coming off of a huge loss in last week’s championship match, one in which he dropped a very uncharacteristic, rushed verse. I think he can work his way back up the rankings quickly but for now this is where he’s landed.

#4 EVICTION
RECORD: 8-3

Though Eviction has had a great season and again finds himself in a contenders match, he seems to be on the downswing of his tremendous run, is there any more left in the tank? After all, a loss and a NS win consecutively wouldn’t exactly warrant you a contenders bout in most leagues, but here we are. Eviction gets a chance to get revenge on Dominate, we’ll see if he can capitalize.

#3 UNIVERSE
RECORD: 1-0

The only person Universe has beaten this year is myself, in a battle in which he finished Lars’ verse for him. So yes this ranking is mostly based on merit, Uni is a vet and absolutely can turn on the jets at any time. NYC has given him the keys to the sandbox this week In an unlimited line limit. So we’ll see what happens, sky’s the limit for this guy.

#2 NYCSPITZ
RECORD: 6-2

NYC has had a couple of slip ups this season. With whatever kind of verse he dropped against me and then that whole Eviction debacle. I think he’s back in the drivers seat so to speak and is ready to get to business. Honorable of him to find a replacement for his upcoming championship match with dead man signing out. He’s on the cusp of another championship, let’s see if he pulls through

#1 DOMINATE
RECORD: 8-2

No brainer here for me. Dominate has absolutely turned heads every week he’s been in this league, becoming our first champion of the season and now on the verge of playing for that position again. Dominate has truly only lost to dead man and hasn’t really seen a challenge this season. We’ll see how his last few weeks pan out for him.





WEEK THIRTEEN PREVIEWS:

CHAMPIONSHIP: UNIVERSE (1-0) vs NYCSPITZ (6-2)


I’m actually quite nervous for this one, not for the result of it, but for the product. This is the first battle of the season with an unlimited line limit, which means we could very well be walking into a 600 bar gauntlet. There are only a few battlers I’d welcome that from and two of them are right here. Universe has snuck into another championship bout, with a measly record of 1-0 he most likely has more to prove? Also with this topic picture it feels more like a Universe topic but I’m not going to count out NYC here, he knew what he was getting into dragging Universe into the championship match this week. He might have something up his sleeve, I’m slightly leaning towards Universe.
PREDICTION: UNIVERSE WINS 51/49

CONTENDERS: DOMINATE (8-2) vs EVICTION (8-3)


This is the third time these two meet this season, once in contenders and once in a championship match (that I was also in) while one ended in a tie and one in a Dominate victory, Eviction was close to taking the first match, actually receiving a winning vote after he already agreed to a tie. So needless to say there’s some history here and both battlers are more than capable of stepping up and winning these tough matches. This topic is open for interpretation, and both these guys are dope at creating worlds and characters. I’m leaning towards Dominate here because he really impressed me last week, Vic is coming off a NS win and I think Dom just has more momentum at the moment.
PREDICTION: DOM WINS 60/40

MASTER ROCK (5-6) vs CANDY (3-7)


Though i highly prefer Rock’s style over Candy’s, the fact that Rock can’t find ample time to write really hurts him competitively. Also I feel like he’s at a disadvantage here because this picture is asking for a storyline, while he usually writes raw emotionally fueled, almost free form pieces. That being said, I think Candy has a true advantage here and I expect him to take this one.
PREDICTION: CANDY WINS 70/30

RAWN MD (0-0) vs SINACOG (0-5)


I know nothing about Rawn, he’s a name from before my time but I’m excited to see guys like him and Soulé in the league. Even if he’s not a terrific writer if he can overcome Sinacog being Sinacog (which is a task most 2nd graders could accomplish) then he’ll be well on his way to his first win. Excited to see what he brings to the table which can be one of the only bright spots this battle has this week.
Prediction: RAWN WINS 80000/0

SOULÉ (0-1) vs FRANK (6-2)


Even though Soulé has only been in this league one week he has proven to be a good writer, if he had faced anyone but the red hot Dominate last week he may have pulled off a victory. Frank is coming off of a super uncharacteristic showing last week, fumbling away the championship belt in the process. I’m leaning towards Frank here because I don’t think he’ll make the same mistakes in consecutive weeks, I think he’ll be back to his technically proficient self. If soulé pulls off an upset here though I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.
PREDICTION: FRANK WINS 60/40

ADVERSE (5-3) vs BROKENHAL0 (6-5)

Hal0 is a guy with a lot of upside and despite falling short in the contenders match this last week, he had a pretty solid showing. This battle is also reminiscent of another matchup that went on between us late into Season Nine where Hsl0 pulled off an upset. What does all that mean? I don’t know but we’ll find out.





OUTRO:
Well there it is guys, a decent mag made with love and COVID. Next week I’m probably going to change the format to audio/video so hopefully you guys enjoy that. Have a great week!

[Soule]

Dope mag. Thanks fam

[Eviction]

I agree with everything other than nycspits being above me in the power rankings since it wasn't that long ago I took his title.

[NYCSPITZ]

Originally Posted by Eviction

I agree with everything other than nycspits being above me in the power rankings since it wasn't that long ago I took his title.

It’s simple

You’re low iq and a bad writer

I’m high iq and a good writer

Makes sense ur ranked lower…

[Soule]

NYC had one of the best verses of last week tbh

[Eviction]

Originally Posted by NYCSPITZ

It’s simple

You’re low iq and a bad writer

I’m high iq and a good writer

Makes sense ur ranked lower…

was that grammar mistake on purpose?

[Adverse]

Originally Posted by Eviction

I agree with everything other than nycspits being above me in the power rankings since it wasn't that long ago I took his title.

It’s literally momentum based. NYC has had a strong showing the last couple weeks, picking up Ws and you had an L and had a NS win. We’ll see what happens this week

[NYCSPITZ]

Originally Posted by Eviction

was that grammar mistake on purpose?

That’s not grammar…

That’s spelling retard….

Smh

[Eviction]

Excuse me

Also that’s timeless’s fault not mine

[Candy]

thanks for the prediction

[Soule]

Aye. If you want. I can do like battle of the week and verse of the week for mags.

[Dominate]

Dope mag as always Ad. Lol @ the memes

[Adverse]

Originally Posted by Soule

Aye. If you want. I can do like battle of the week and verse of the week for mags.

That would be dope if you’ve got the time

[Soule]

I'll do this week since you already posted

[Frank]

Hats Off.