Board Thread:Season 46 - Kariba/@comment-20483335-20180413231154/@comment-33060993-20180415143359

Ahhh! Jack, my straight, I loved your commentary. I think you did a great job of reflecting the good and the bad, and I was admittedly short in my speech about the messy rounds, but I’m thankful for an opportunity to go into them! I also love the juror question, because I think it is a great opportunity to unveil my own awareness and impact!! I’ll first address your commentary, and then get into your questions!!

“However, you're not without your flaws either: you were totally left in the dust for both the f9 and f7 vote, raising questions of whether you had much power in this game either, and if you only made it this far because of having more skilled allies who were taken out before you.”

That’s a fair observation - the F9 and F7 votes are not my best. I was left blindsided by results and both take root in similar disadvantages - the first was obviously not having the same time everyone else had to scope out the Hwadze 1.0 dynamic; it prevented me from understanding crucial facts that were hidden by voting histories in the merge. I walked into relationships that had nineteen days to develop and had to start from scratch - I caught on to quite a few things, but admittedly missed others, just because I spent time distanced strategically from Hals and kinda Matthias. The Dan vote really cemented that and it took time to rework those bonds. It’s no secret that both times I was blindsided, it was an attempt to vote out a Hwadze that was curtailed by other Hwadzes. I don’t want to blame all of it on tribal lines - I had flaws too.

With the Drew vote, I had too much faith in him - that he had enough people who saw it beneficial to keep him. As someone also blindsided by that outcome, you know it isn’t necessarily a testament to power, because you also had a LOT in this game and you still played exceptionally. Every player here was identified as playing a solid game, and every one had voting outcomes that weren’t what they wanted — blindside or not.

With Louise, I pushed too hard and we worked too closely together. As the last two Zambezi, there was already a perception out there that we could be a duo and we really collaborated on our plans for that round, probably enforcing it. Additionally, we pushed too hard for Hals instead of Matthias. I personally thought keeping the Matthias-Louise-Vincent dynamic could be really advantageous, but I underestimated Hals’ social game and the hold she had on Roisin and Vincent. You were more strategic in your assessment of the situation, but the two of them were against it from the start.

To reiterate on the Hwadze dynamic, I didn’t have the opportunity to see her early merge game and the bonds she built and as someone who was against her up until F6, we never really talked strategically enough.

There were flaws in my game and my approaches that led to those votes, and there were also natural disadvantages due to the swapped scenario (I personally maintain that they had the stronger pull). But I don’t think that translates into a lack of power/influence at all. To the contrary, when Vincent explained why I wasn’t included in the Louise vote, he said verbatim “and I assumed you would try to do something” about it, indicating my exclusion was less a lack of awareness and more an intentional understanding that I could’ve caused a different outcome. The same applies with Drew in the sense that it was the trio taking power for a round. To hold onto power for the entire merge is a difficult thing and I don’t think a single finalist did it. Roisin was unable to save both Dovile, Louise, and Hals, as well as directly set and execute targets. Vincent didn’t really have power, but tried to take it at times and that was a whole lot of mess that we often talked about.

But I really think overall the merits of my other moves, which I’m about to go into, outweigh the two blindsides, because neither really was a huge deterrent for me in the game. The outcome wasn’t what I expected, but it was never a huge setback, and my recovery almost always left me back where I needed to be by the next round!

And now for your questions!!

''My questions for you: Let's say you never receive that idol at all, how does that affect your gameplan? I don't think it affects you making FTC, but it might affect how you approached things on the way, and perhaps even who you're sitting next to. ''

If I didn’t find Patrice, I think paranoia would have come to be a larger factor in a lot of my decision making and would’ve hurt me. I really tried to move as if I did not have an idol, and only save it for when I was truly in danger, which didn’t happen until F4. On a lot of instances - it allowed me to stay calmer in the face of adversity. A lot of times, I’d know that the act I was pulling (not having an idol) would ideally allow me to play it properly if I ever needed to save myself - that you, Vincent, or Louise could inform me. I think that’s the reason every time my name came up (F8/F6), I was able to assess the risk factor and ultimately not misplay my idol. The need to save myself eventually proved to be untrue - I managed to survive the target on the merit of my own social and strategic gameplay and one can note that even though both Roisin and I had idols, there were differences with how we used them. I ultimately didn’t need mine, whereas she relied on hers to survive rounds where her target management, the trust she built with others, and other factors, failed her. Flashy idol plays are cute, and I won’t pretend otherwise - but they come from a certain point of desperation I didn’t have in this game. (well maybe a lil at F4, but the votes were so tight at that point)

Another note - Obviously, the vote for you would’ve been different, but perhaps the same in the sense that you still would’ve received four votes to leave, as everyone left agreed you were playing the best game out of the five of us, having played such a solid and impactful strategic game.

So summary - I would have been more paranoid in general, as a safety net could not save me from adversity. Luckily, I never truly needed the idol despite holding it for seven tribals, which I think is a testament to my adaptive social and strategic gameplay!

And secondly, barring my boot, what other votes do you feel you were the key factor in?

Ahh! THE key factor is such a huge importance; ultimately, there were several castaways with unique roles in every move made, but I tried to pick out the ones where I think my contribution had enough of an impact that it was instrumental or at least significant in sending the contestant home and I really tried to explain why in the most detail possible. Like I said in my speech and reiterated in my response to Dan, I really think my contribution, as well as my gameplay, was adaptive - my “key” role with Dan was setting a dynamic, whereas with you or Hals, it was setting a target. Regardless, I did what I thought was best suited to send a person home. I really tried to do a play by play of what I did, so there’s no impression to the contrary. I’ll also be including receipts as necessary, because an overall vibe is that one needs evidence in this FTC and I intend to bring it!!

Dan - As I’ve gone into in other responses, I really think the Hwadze 2.0 alliance leak turned a 8-3 dynamic into a 7-4 one and that was my exact intention! If you look at Dan’s response, I posted the exact conversations wherein I suggested to use this information to exploit this crack and maneuver an outcome wherein a major threat was taken out. Initially, I was one of the stronger voices for Matthias to go, as he and Dan were the two preliminary targets and he was my open season. I was fine with either outcome, but initially preferred that one. However, it became relatively apparent that Hwadzes were hesitant to flip and wanted a “challenge threat” out, hence why AFTER Louise and I convinced Dovile that Matthias was the better route, I switched back and said that Dan might be the better direction - once this direction was clarified, the votes kinda stayed that way!! So I’d call myself one of the larger factors, but not necessarily the key one if that makes sense - the strategic direction I set for the round succeeded and got the exact vote I intended, but other people had similar intentions and ultimately, the direction I set was executed by Dovile, so she deserves a hell of a lot of credit for this vote too!

F11 CF: “i’m kinda trying to get the vote on either dan or matthias this round, bc they seem to have the best shot at playing the middle and dan's snakery on zambezi was NOT appreciated. but by the same measure, i understand that winning immunity and influencing the vote may be doing too much. so long dovile, vincent, jack, drew, and louise are here at the end of this round i am a happy person. and if not, i have my idol to go on the defensive going into the next round.”

F11 CF: “now matthias thinks louise and i are on board with dovile and is expecting a 8-3 vote her way. louise is being a lil snaky so idk where her head is at, but ms dovile might play her idol as insurance. the vote for our side was b/w dan and matthias and while i liked matthias originally bc he was my target, i already have an idol so i'm fine. dan was into snakery on og zambezi and is v cute with challenges, so it really is best for my game to see him go. idk if it'll happen just yet, but that's where the direction is headed.”

Dovile - While I won’t pretend I threw Dovile’s name or anything crazy like that, it was basic logic that she was probably going to get votes on her given the animosity the other side felt towards her and the threat they felt she posed. Initially, when the vote was between her and Matthias, I was up in the air on how much longer I personally wanted her in the game, but once you switched the target to Becky/Jordan, my route to the other side, it cemented my direction. Obviously the misplay served to weaken her and I think the “deciding” voice I provided that I went into on my Louise response was instrumental in this. Furthermore, when Dovile organized a last minute of alliance of myself, you, Roisin, and Louise - I worked against it because ultimately, it was the ideal outcome for my game, even if all three of you identified it wasn’t the best for yours, given the circumstances. I would call myself the key factor in sabotaging her last minute efforts to save herself, just by feigning skepticism overall. Attached is my best example, since we really were the swings here, and I put each insinuation of the direction I wanted to take while rationalizing in a bunch of weird ways as “PUSH”.

Jake

jack help sdfjhghfsghfghj

Jack

IDK WHAT TO DO

Jake

SAME

like wtf do we do

we'd be flipping on a lot of people and leaving A LOT of people unhappy (PUSH #1)

Jack

Yeah…

Jake

what do u think is best

Jack

I think voting becky out is better for me but idk

AAAA

Jake

i legit reassured her earlier

and if i voted her out yikes (PUSH #2)

Jack

Big fucking yikes

Jake

idkkk

this sucks

Jack

Vincent said he voted dovile already

Jake

yeah 😕

Jack

Whats louise going

Doing

Jake

idk

Jack

I think i have to vote dovile im about to see the overwatch league

Jake

i think it's best for us (PUSH #3)

louise/roisin might be mad

Jack

Alright yeah idk

Jake

but we'll be able to talk our way out of it i think (PUSH #4)

Jack

I hate being busy during votes

Jake

that we couldn't change so last minute

same

ok louise is on that's good

Jack

Aaaaaaaa

What r we doing

Jake

i'm thinking dovile

Jack

Kk im gonna vote for her now then if you will

Jake

roisin is insistent on sticking with dovile. louise realizes it's a dead cause.

Jack

Kk

Jake

are u sure??

Jack

NO

Jake

fdsjkhjdfshjfsdhkj

Jack

Okay lets just vote dovile i guess

Jake

ok ahhhhh

Becky/Jordan - By no means do I want to call myself the KEY factor here, but I do think I played a relatively large role and want to address that. Ultimately, Roisin identified that the exposé of the Hwadze 2.0 Four served to associate Becky/Jordan with a threat bloc and helped justify their elimination, which is something I did, making it an underlying cause. I was also the name that fractured the majority upon itself, as my social connections were strong enough or the perception of me worked to my advantage and saved me, shifting the target to someone else, in this instance - Becky/Jordan. So between the underlying causation and the three different sides fighting to keep me for their own reasons, I’d say this was a relatively significant contribution but don’t want to take too much credit as I was on the defensive and letting my social bonds do the work for me.

Matthias - I legit explained this so hardcore in my Dan response, so I’ll just summarize and if you want more details, they’re there! - I think that my ability to get both you and Vincent solidified for this course of action worked to my advantage here, especially because contrary to what she believes, Roisin lacked the trust / bond with others to make it work herself. It was my best route given that Matthias was directly opposed to me and I had three sources across the round confirm that he was, which was a solid yikes in terms of moving forward with him. So in terms of being key - I think I was the glue that kept you and Vincent together, ensuring we had the votes to send him out. If Vincent continued to target you, I believe wholeheartedly that the plan to send me out could have gained enough traction, which is why I shut it down dshfj.

Hals - With Hals, the rationale that I was able to convince Vincent that voting her was the best route for his game too ensured he was the second vote on her, giving me an opportunity to force a tie. This was obviously key in her elimination, as it ensured I had a fighting chance, one that I took!

And now for your other question,

I want each of you to tell me the weaknesses that lead to the elimination of each juror.

Oooh this one is fun. A lot of criticism towards me are a lack of awareness, so I really think this is a great chance to prove the contrary. I kinda included my own opinions with retrospect and what I thought the biggest factor or two was. Please faves - this is just showing my own awareness and not a criticism at all - you all played excellent games and I found it hard not to interweave that with the response despite the fact that it was weakness-oriented. Additionally, at F9 I made a confessional explaining my perception of the cast and the games they were playing, so I just included bits and pieces of those if they added flavor / new dimensions to my answer. The one for Hals is hauntingly true, so be shook because I just re-read that and was scared that I called her exact outcome at F9.

Dan - Being the merge boot is always tragic and circumstance is a bitch, but I’d attribute his demise to a few things: He didn’t always control his challenge performance premerge. In the two orisinal challenges, he popped tf off and definitely got eyes on him that he didn’t necessarily need. When the dynamic is still all over the place and impressions are being formed, one thing that remains solid is how you’ve performed in challenges, hence why it’s easy to gun for someone on that basis. The alliance network / swapped situation definitely worked against him too. If there were four people running Hwadze 2.0 (him/Becky/Hals/Matthias), he and Becky/Jordan were thrown into the worse position, because not only were they trying to work against OG tribal lines, but they were also still in a situation reminiscent enough of the 5-2 dynamic that it made him easier to gun for than Matthias, as explained above.

Dovile - Definitely the tenacity with which she approaches the game. She was seen as running things on Zambezi 2.0, probably because of how bold she would be, and it ultimately worked to her disadvantage because she was seen as a huge threat. Writing “Fuck you!” on parchments displays a certain type of confidence in one’s position and a boldness that I think scares people quite honestly. Her management of personal relationships wasn’t always stellar and sometimes a little intimidating, but it had its high moments too so that weighs itself out.

Drew - Drew’s social game was astonishing and it fostered a significant amount of strategic connections. I think his relationships were truly developed to the point where he had a lot of people convinced they were special to him. His downfall was his idol, because it is a measure of trust. Vincent leaked Drew’s idol to me (sometime before F10) and I had Drew telling me there was no reality wherein I was a juror and he was a finalist - that we would be there together. He even told me he thought someone had the Hwadze idol, when I was aware that he did and I was personally shook because it clarified where he stood, or at least how much he trusted me. I know others shared similar sentiments, and it turned enough people against him that he left. The idol truly was a measure of trust and directly contradicted what he was telling us. Actions speak louder than words.

Jordan (Becky) - As I kinda went into above, being associated with the threat bloc did no favors for Jordan (Becky)’s game at all - but alienating others probably didn’t help. I know part of the immediate justification Louise sent me about targeting Jordan (Becky) was the Jack situation, wherein they really didn’t communicate for a solid week. That’s leaving someone in the game who would never be opposed to Jordan (Becky) being voted off. Another factor was obviously threat management, but I don’t want to say too much - they survived the F10 vote with a clear amount of strategic prowess, getting several pro-Dovile votes to go on Dovile (though the F10 situation also partially resolved from alienating Dovile/Jack), but TS didn’t agree per sé? The alienation situation is, in my opinion, just a reflection of character - I don’t think Becky (Jordan) is one to fake a desire to align with someone, but rather to keep it relatively real. They didn’t want to work with Dovile, Vincent, Jack, etc. and didn’t feel the need to deceive otherwise, which is admirable in some regards, but in a game where it’s best to really bolster one’s relationship network, if they’d formed more crucial relationships with non-allies, it might have served to help. My own personal reasons were a lack of authenticity in our strategic conversations, wherein they were hesitant to share or tried to hide information, which kinda pertains to relationships with non-allies.

Confessional excerpt:

“BECKY: confuses me. she's explicitly lied to or tried to manipulate me on more than one occasion now and only professes loyalty when she needs me strategically i think. i feel like she definitely sees me as a number, which is great for me tbh. she is a threat, but i think people are more than aware of that, so it's not my concern entirely. love her on a personal level, just on a game level i've always gotten mixed signals from her.”

Louise - Louise’s downfall was a mix of Touchy Subjects and her role in the Jordan/Becky vote. It was made relatively clear that she was playing one of the better games in TS, and she fostered that perception by skillfully turning on an alliance she felt excluded on with people she had just blindsided, taking out a threat and definitely leading the charge. Those two things together were not great for her target management at all and put eyes on her that she just didn’t need. It put an immediate spotlight on her as a huge threat. You also obviously played a significant role in this, getting the vote off of Hals and onto Louise, preserving and furthering your own relationship network.

Matthias - Matthias was a fan of being bold, but it only took him so far. I think more than anything else, his consistent decision to blow up people who tried to work with him eventually left him as too much of a risk factor and at times, he really alienated people when he needed more friends than enemies. When his plan to gun for Louise at F7 wasn’t going exactly as planned, he tried to flip the situation on Vincent, who was sincerely attempting to work with him, but just spoke too soon. Instead of saying that privately, he blew up his own plans, resulting in his exclusion. Then at his own vote off, I was sincerely pursuing some sort of arrangement with him, but I heard from three sources that he used that against me to gun for me, at which point life changed.

Jack - Admittedly, I think keeping Hals at F7 was a huge mistake for you. Were you two tight? Yes! But not enough that it didn’t stop her from working against you at both F6 and F5. You felt she was not worth a vote at the time, but the same justification that was used to eliminate Louise over Hals was used to eliminate you. I think you were playing an extraordinarily solid yet quiet game, but once critical shields like Matthias and Louise left, it became transparent and the spotlight shifted to you. I hate to say the immunity too, but my principal risk factor that round was you winning immunity and that immunity was measured by how bad we wanted it. Despite knowing that if I won, it left only you and Hals vulnerable, you didn’t win immunity, cementing your fate.

Hals - forgetting Louise’s name had six letters and not five in the tiebreaker. JK - Her social game is SO KILLER. I remember the first night we met - I was walking downtown after accidentally being in a riot (long story) and we clicked really well. I think she managed to do that with everyone and the distinction between how stellar her social game was and how stellar Drew’s was was that she never necessarily needed to use it strategically the way he did. It worked against her in the end because I think she’d kill FTC!

Confessional excerpt:

“HALS: vincent dubbed her the most likely of the trio to survive and it's SO true. her social game is THERE. she could easily go far based on that alone and i'm not really opposed to it so long she doesn't reach FTC because she'd win on the merit of her likability alone. i'd vote for her.”

Overall, it’s been a pleasure interacting with my fave straight again and I can’t wait to talk soon. I hope this clarifies a lot and helps with some of your concerns. As you can tell by the time it took me to post, I put a lot of effort (4K words omfg) into this response  because the opportunity you’re giving me is not something I intend to waste. I really hope you’ll see the merits I addressed, the clarifications on my gameplay, and why my overall impression of my game is that I was adaptive, aware, and impactful throughout the majority, despite a setback or two! Ttyl fave xoxo!!