Board Thread:Season 43/@comment-26056991-20171029220654

Hello everyone! First off, I want to say how amazed and grateful I am that I've made it this far. I really never thought I'd be here and I'm so honored and surprised that I am! I am really thankful to the hosts for the work they've put into this season and letting me participate. I'd really like to prove to you guys that I am worthy of your jury votes; and I'm going to try and go through my game the best I can, highlighting the stuff I think I did well, some mistakes I made, and how I improved on those mistakes throughout the season.

So, beginning this game, I was placed on the Savanne tribe. I believe I was an integral part of what made Savanne such a well-oiled machine; we were a pretty tightly-knit tribe, I think. I formed quick game bonds with Shea, Lexi, Nicholas and Devon in particular and I also formed relationships with Audrey and Kells. I think that the pre-swap was a pretty good in-game period for me, due to being in a majority alliance on Savanne and, if I'm not mistaken, people who would come to me and work things out with me if there was ever any trouble. Of course, votes on Savanne were very unified, so I can't say I made any big moves or anything, but I think if we kept losing immunity challenges I would have been in a pretty good position in general. This, I think, demonstrates my ability to form essential bonds and connections in this game; with people who I know would help me and vice versa.

Obviously, the post-swap was a difficult situation. The odds were pretty stacked against me (and Lexi) in general, and I'm not sure what Ben and Emily have to say about it, but I think I really did have a part to play in getting Willow voted off. It really wasn't easy, despite her being quiet/inactive, and I think this is where I began to play my own game. I also formed an absolutely critical relationship with Lexi, and we basically became inseparable for the remainder of the game. I genuinely was planning ahead here; I mainly wanted to move forward with Lexi and try and get Ben and Emily on our side as their tribe's numbers were dwindling. Eventually, you all know how that worked out, and I faced a pretty big setback. Not only was Nicholas (someone I trusted) rocked out, but I lost potential allies in Ben and Emily due to the way I handled the situation. I don't actually regret anything I said; and despite the conflict, I was glad that we all worked our asses off to secure a win for that tribe. I believe this is the only point in the game I was truly in danger of going home (despite the vote count against me). This only strengthened my bond with Lexi further, and now, I had ammunition to get John, Ben and Emily out of the game.

When we merged, I was very happy to reunite with Shea, Devon and Audrey. I was also absolutely ecstatic to see Eve return. I quickly laid out my plans with her, and this is where I begun to lay my plans out for the rest of the merge. I've always been planning one step ahead in this game. Scenarios, alliances, anything like that, I was always talking to people about it (usually Lexi or Eve). I also believe I formed a critical connection with Felipe, and I used that "ammunition" I had against Emily, Ben and John to my advantage. I truly believe I was the "glue" that kept the majority alliance (or voting bloc) together for the first part of the merge, despite Shea going home and almost ruining Savanne 1.0's plans. I think if I wasn't there to reel Eve in and get her in on the vote, things may have turned out differently.

After the essential merge vote, this is where I began to act on my plans. I wanted to take Eve and Lexi to the end with me. Lexi, because we had been through the game together, and Eve, as her confrontational nature would possibly help me at the end. Evidently, my plans were in vain, as Eve was voted off that tribal council. This was, at the time, a setback to my game and all of the plans that I had begun to lay out. However, what this actually did do, was a couple of good things for my game. It gave me an incentive to get Devon and Audrey truly on my side. They knew I was mad; and I wanted to try and come across as unsure about whether I was still with them or not. They needed me for numbers - I could have easily flipped to the Moka side of the game if someone had come with me (say, Felipe for instance), and by eventually voting with them, I gave off the impression that I was well and truly aligned with them, despite them betraying me. I also formed an even deeper bond with Felipe, and I began to see the game in a new light - before, it was Savanne v Moka, but now, I saw it as Lexi, me and Felipe vs Devon and Audrey vs Ben, Devon & Emily. I knew that if me, Lexi and Felipe stuck with Devon and Audrey, the three of us would have eventual control over the game. My dream F3 at this point was me and Felipe/Lexi. I helped form an alliance between me, Felipe and Lexi, and together with Audrey and Devon, we controlled the next few votes of the post-merge, taking out Damien and Ben and then Audrey, before she accrued too much power as she was playing a pretty great game.

My plans in general began changing too. I wasn't sure about who I wanted next to me in the jury. I liked Lexi a lot as a person (still do <3) but I knew she was playing a fantastic game and would probably thrash me at the end. I also knew that maintaining Devon's trust would be important, and also I wanted to branch out and connect to Emily once more. Voting off Felipe seemed to be the sensible option, as I knew that if Lexi lost immunity, she'd be voted off, and if she won, the vote would have at least tied, I think, unless I was able to flip one of Devon/Emily. I also believed, as I had played closely with Lexi, and as a result of people saying Lexi was a big threat, that I would have a better chance if I tried to separate our game as much as possible, which I did by voting her off eventually. I think I handled this well; telling Lexi beforehand and maintaining that relationship we had until the bitter end.

I knew I needed to win Final 3 immunity. I wasn't 100% sure whether Emily/Devon would take me to the end, despite both indicating they'd do so. I made sure not to promise Devon anything as I believed he'd do better against me at the jury phase, and also for the sheer juxtaposition of me vs Emily at the end. Like, I mean, who would've expected that after the fight we had? I eventually (eventually is an understatement) won the final immunity and did what I promised Emily, taking her to the end.

I truly believe I am worthy of you guys's votes and I welcome any questions or criticisms you have. I don't think I played a perfect game; I was not very social with people like Ben and John and I was pretty confrontational at points. However, I think I was one of the few people who was always planning ahead, and despite losing an ally to out-of-game factors, one to a blindside, one to rocks and being swapped into a minority, I overcame all of the odds to sit here at the end. The Me/Lexi/Felipe thing I believe was crucial and executed as I would've liked it, I won immunity when I needed it most and I was generally very invested in this game. Thank you so much for reading and best of luck to you Emily! <3 