TWO TEAMS WILL DUKE IT OUT (oh - sorry, caps lock) to be the first ever inaugural OWL League Champions! Let's start with a recap of the semi-finals.
Semi-finals Recap
Queens 35ers @ Kyoto Foxes LC
The Queens 35ers defeated the #2 seed Kyoto Foxes LC by betting on the advantage of their astral magicians over the experienced and dependable squad of witches fielded by the Foxes - a huge gamble in the triple-mountain arena! The stars aligned for Head Sage Spiff but let's see if they can pull it off again against the Cardiff.
They're still cleaning up the messes made in Fushii Inari Taisha as the six-magician 35ers squad barely beat back the five-magician Foxes, grabbing both diamonds and the crystals in the path. The luedo-duelo brawl witnessed impressive broom piloting, enchantments and counter-enchantment castings, and a surprise channeling of the the the celestial magnificence of Beta Aquarii by 2-star Q35 Astral Sorcerer Ambrose King. The channeling of the overwhelming fury of the often uncaring heavenly body by King clinched the critical 3-point diamond for the 35ers.
Beta-Aquarii location and source of 2-star Q35 Astral Sorcerer, Ambrose King's power
Worcester Ravens @ Cardiff Dragons
Cardiff appears to have bested #5 seed Worcester Ravens while only deploying two witches alone in the less point-heavy lanes. Perhaps they are being rested for the finals
The battle for Castell Coch's two diamonds was fierce and witnessed both teams concentrate the majority of their forces. Despite the magician advantage of the Ravens, the teams split the diamonds evenly one-one. The lone 5-star Cardiff Witch, Chidi Medici, meanwhile secured an unopposed 4-points for the Dragons. The most impressive feats of magic occurred between the 4-Star CRD City Witch Dimple Ogundimu who bested 3-star WTR Folk Druid Gregory Porter-Hanson to the 2-point crystal before being forced away from the 1-point pearl by Porter-Hanson's impressive snake slash-broom dive (pictured below).
Dimple Ogundimu and Gregory Porter Hanson facing off on brooms for the last pearl in Cardiff Castle parking lot
@CRD
Time: Night
Weather: Cloudy
The Castles Gem Allocation
Cardiff Castle (City Mountain) - 3 Diamonds (9 points)
Castell Coch (Draconic Mountain) - 1 Diamond, 1 Crystal (5 points)
Caerphilly Castle (Mountain) - 1 Diamond, 1 Crystal (5 points)
Both the 37-star Cardiff Dragons and the 39-star Queens 35ers team have punched consistently above its weight class this season, proving the importance of the skills not ranked by Alice Quinn as well as decent specialization and diversity. The Cardiff Dragons are in trouble as their 2-and-1-star back-benchers may be unfieldable - narrowing their potential strategies considerably. However, the Queens 35ers may also be in trouble as the club lacks the witches required to capitalize on the triple-mountain arena (which almost cost them the W in Kyoto).
Implanting the gems before the match at Castell Coch
For more on the analysis of the match, we'll turn to the highly respected Head Sage Amethylia of the #3 seed Kyoto Foxes LC for a guest column.
Amethylia's Analysis
I'm relieved that this match won't go to Astrological Favour. Unless both teams abandon Lane 1 entirely, it simply isn't possible to have a draw. It isn't possible to get a score of 7-7 if both teams were to abandon either Lane 2 or Lane 3, and both teams abandoning Lane 1 with its 9 points on offer is simply unthinkable. All things considered, this match will come down to skill and a little bit of luck.
Everybody knows that Christina Pekkala is an absolute star - duly recognised by Alice Quinn for that too! But her ability to secure an easy 3 points in Lane 1 simply by being there (Cardiff's best, Chidi Medici is ranked 4th) is a double edged sword. Yes, she gets 3 points, but it also means that her placement in the match is predictable. As a Sage, the more predictable you are, the more you find yourself able to be outmaneuvered by a cunning plan from your opposing Sage.
These Sages don't need any help from the sidelines. Cardiff have only lost a single match since the OWL League formed. And as for the 35ers, they're the only team to have beaten the Kyoto Foxes - and they did it twice! But, if I were whispering in their ears, I'd say this: "Get creative. Think outside the box". The Sage who best anticipates their opponent's plan and then counters it will win. For my pick, I have Cardiff winning 10-9.
Live Update: Astrological Favors Tied
Cardiff & Queens are both AQUARIUS!
OWL League Officials declared that Favor should be determined by coin toss moderated by Head Astrologists. Cardiff was given the option to call the toss since they have home field advantage. Cardiff declared "tails, of course, because dragons."
As the coin was flipped an astral portal opened up to consume the coin. After some time, the coin returned and landed Tails! The opposite side of the coin revealed ten deep slashes on the heads side as if the coin was damaged by swords... After conferring, Head Astrologists and OWL Officials both deemed this to be a magically valid coin flip.