H2H3 / H2H3 First Half Recap

A bit late, but here's the H2H mid-season review!



[font="Impact"]FIRST HALF REVIEW[/font]

Introduction
Five weeks into the season, it's pretty much a given that H2H3 is off to a fine start. Even though there's still half a season left, it's not a reach to say that this will be the best H2H season yet. In just five short "weeks," we've seen mad disorder, electrifying matchups, heated controversy, and ABSOLUTELY NO FORFEITS. The athletes certainly deserve a hand for that. We've seen two teams jump to the top of the league, and we've seen the pre-season favorites get off to a very rocky start. Yet, the season is ten weeks for a reason: comebacks and collapses are nothing new to competition, and it takes a full season's work to win the H2H Championship. Can the IIIcons make an epic comeback to secure their third H2H championship in a row? Can the upstart Hurricanes continue their roll and demolish the competition? Will the MoLLester's daring plan of all LL players end up working? Will The Ed strike with Vehemence? Will the Flying Germans emerge with the other spot in the South Division? Will the Seal Clubbers' luck continue? Well, there's another half of the season to look forward to, and that's not including playoffs!

Half Season Recap
The season started off on a rocky note with a bit of confusion. The resignation of Iris left H2H without a commissioner and the IIIcons without a captain. Worse yet, Toon had to suddenly take leave when he was presented with a business opportunity he simply could not pass up (I'm happy to report that he seems to be doing well, and other than being really busy with his now TWO restaurants, is doing just fine). WME generous stepped up to take over captaining and parkmaking duties for the team, but the effects of the departures would last throughout the first half of the season. It seems that without their original heart and soul, the IIIcons became lethargic and disorganized.

H2H in general wasn't exactly aided by confusion on the part of replacements, with Commissioner Corkscrewed initially failed to take the Captain's rule into account, nearly allowing the IIIcons to pick up Adonis and drop Jellybones. But after setting up a Captain's Lounge, re-establishing ground rules, and restoring order, the season was ready to begin.

Week ONE was a pair of blowouts and one expected blowout that instead provided a great matchup. The Seal Clubbers exhausted their solo park with Venetian Harbour, a Spotlight-quality piece of work that easily defeated Kierikkengord Castle, which appeared plain and measly only in contrast. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes, helped by Corkscrewed's preseason work, handily ousted the Vehemences with Escape from Rockwood Prison. It was the MoLLesters' Kihme Research Facility, however, that had some trouble against Monopoly Tycoon, the Flying Germans' heavily gimmicked entry that impressed enough people to garner over 40% of the vote.

Yet, it would be Week TWO that would prove to be the most exciting round of H2H parks in history. That week, the Hurricanes faced off against the MoLLesters in a now-legendary matchup that had everyone eagerly checking the score each hour. There was a buzz around NE that hadn't been felt in a while, and the excitement even spilled over to rampant AIM conversations about who was winning. Both teams suffered through this roller coaster ride of a battle, in which neither Sierra Glen nor Symphony of Pollution ever really had a lead more than three votes. Ultimately, the matchup was proclaimed the first TIE in H2H history, prompting a revision of the H2H rules to include statutes about voting time, the value of ties in the standings, and tiebreaking procedures.

Compared to this matchup, the other Xenon vs Hotel of Horrors almost overlooked, but that doesn't mean turnout was low. The Flying Germans crushed the struggling IIIcons in their matchup, getting over 75% of the 80 votes cast.

And then there was controversy #2, when the Vehemences' Merlinwood was disqualified (despite being clearly better than the Clubbers' Strange Happenings In Time) for breaking the anonymity rule. Yyo made a gaffer of all gaffers when he jokingly placed his name in a banner and forgot to remove it. The eventual ruling caused the second stir of the season, as the sides were split between supporters and opposers of the decision. As it's turned out, the decision has certainly had far implications. The Vehemences would be in the thick of the playoff race with an extra win and one less loss, while the Seal Clubbers would also be much less above the IIIcons and Flying Germans.

And so, as Week THREE rolled around, a rest was in order after all the action. A rest indeed was granted, as the week passed without incident. The parks submitted this week were, for a most part, nice but not incredibly strong. The battle of undefeateds saw the Hurricanes triumph as their Tropico-esque Paradise Island defeated the unorthodox Seal Clubber entry, the Cave, which put up an incredibly surprising fight. The Vehemences picked up their first win of the season with their colorful solo, Rainbow Valley, by Junya Boy (who also won a Death Match that week, I believe), downing FG's Area 51 with ease. In both cases, the victors used themes that had been done before but executed them well. In both cases, the losers boldly tried new themes but failed in the execution.

Week FOUR was a one-matchup deal, but it might have been the best one of all. The IIIcons, sorely needing a win, pulled off an improbable upset of the powerful MoLLesters, crushing them with God's Isle, a beautiful park by WME and rookie Magnus that outshone Hansen, another techie park from the MoLLs. The matchup was certainly closer than the final score indicated. Both parks showed incredible skill, but ultimately, poise won out over triumph.

And as hard as it is to believe, Week FIVE marked the final time all six teams would be in action during the same week. As such, it certainly went with a bang. The MoLLesters and the Vehemences trumped the century mark (in votes), becoming the second team this season to do so, with their matchup of LL vs RCT 2. Though Space Lake River Shrine was yet another techie looking park, it was solid enough to defeat the sort of creative Malaria by a mere four votes. This matchup became the first to test the new five-day rule since it was implemented after Week Two, but it was certainly exciting.

During the same week, the Seal Clubbers overcame a sudden scheduling conflict to win handily with Rapper's Delite, a park that had JKay's fingerprints ALL over it. Against such energy, Star Wars Death Assault, by the Flying Germans, stood little chance, especially when the risky gamble on a gimmicked map backfired. Also, the undefeated Hurricanes remained so with a firm shellacking of the IIIcons, as their wildly creative and hilarious Parkmakerz map was easily better than the essentially unfinished Mysterious Forests. With the win, and the Vehemences' loss, the Canes reduced their magic number down to one. Yes, though we're only halfway into the season, the Canes need only one more win, or one more Vehemence loss, to make the playoffs. Similarly, the Seal Clubbers need only one more win and one more IIIcons or Flying Germans loss to clinch. Technically, their magic number at the moment is two.

Looking Forward
Looking ahead, there still remain a number of potentially great matchups, most of which happen late in the season. All eyes will be on the Hurricanes and MoLLesters in Week EIGHT as they face off in a rematch to determine who is the better team head to head. Week two produced that infamous tie, and both teams will be quite eager to show that they should have won. The winner will certainly hold bragging rights, regardless of record.

More important towards playoff jockeying will be the final week of the season. The IIIcons and Flying Germans, both sitting at 1-3-0, will face off against each other in a match that could very well determine who gets into the playoffs and who sits out. Should the teams remain tied, that will definitely be the case.

Should the MoLLesters falter, their season-ending matchup against the Vehemences may also have a lot of weight. The Vehemences have definitely been a lot better than their record indicates. Week 2 would have been a win were it not for a disqualification, and Malaria was certainly a very solid park. Chapel's team could easily be 3-1 instead of 1-3, and it would be challenging the Hurricanes for league supremacy.

And of course, the Hurricanes need only one more win to clinch. The Seal Clubbers, barring an epic collapse, should also make the playoffs. And that leaves the other four to duke it out. Come playoff time, it will be north vs north and south vs south in the first round (best of one). Winners of those face off in the Finals (best of three).

Division of the League
Without a doubt, the North Division has been this year's "AFC." All three teams have shown some outstanding work, and the Hurricanes are already talking about the playoffs. Their cockiness could cost them, however, should their lose composure and lose every remaining game while the Vehemences win every single one and the MoLLesters win all but one. This, of course, would be a collapse for the ages.

The MoLLesters' strategy of using all LL players thusfar seems to have worked. They have a solid 2-1-1 record and sit comfortably in second place in the North. At this point, it looks as though the Vehemences will be the ones looking in, but as mentioned before, they've churned out some great work. Plus, the Michael Jordan of H2H, CoasterEd, has yet to be featured. So a second half run is totally not out of the question.

Matchup of the Half-Year
WINNER: Sierra Glen vs Symphony of Pollution.
Though neither park was the best of the year, the matchup was so even and opinionated that it really generated a load of buzz. It was class vs clash. And the interest it brought will certainly be remembered for a while. I haven't seen people so interested in NE for a long while.
HONORABLE MENTION: God's Isle vs Hansen
If you were talking about combined quality, this would certainly win. In my opinion, this presented the highest combined showcase of quality.

Best Park of Each Team:
HURRICANES: Parkmakerz
MOLLESTERS: Hansen
VEHEMENCES: Malaria
SEAL CLUBBERS: Venetian Harbour
FLYING GERMANS: Xenon
IIICONS: God's Isle

Best Park of the First Half:
VENETIAN HARBOUR
This is a tough call, really, as any of the above six can qualify, but VH gets the nod for its incredible atmosphere, nice rides, and the fact that it was a solo effort. Now, this decision will definitely and should definitely be argued, but in my book, John's masterpiece takes the cake by just a bit of icing. There has not been any clear-cut "best park" so far, but as most teams save their best for last, that could very well change.

Captain of the First Half:
Kumba
I promise this isn't bias. As annoying as he can be, Kumba's done a terrific job motivating his troops, scheduling matches, and making sure good work is submitted on time. Looking at each Hurricane park, you can't really say that there are any bad ones. And of course, the Hurricanes' record speaks for itself. Their tie was with their arguably weakest park, and the rest have been solid wins.
HONORABLE MENTION:
ThemeParkMaster for churning out a pretty good supply of solid parks
Gymkid Dude for somehow getting his team to 3-1-0.

Most Disappointing Park
HOTEL OF HORRORS
It's unfortunate, really. This park wins because of circumstances, not because of lack of skill. When Phatage showed this in the Hurricanes forum (before redraft), we were all blown away. And had this been finished with all of its details, it would have really been something to behold. But unfortunately, it was rushed and never really finished. This is disappointing because it could have been Park of the Year Caliber.

Worst Park of the First Half:
MYSTERIOUS FORESTS
It only got as many votes as it did because it was filled with trees at the end. But this park was definitely unfinished, and it showed. That said, if you compared it to parks at any other site, it'd still probably kick their ass.
HONORABLE MENTION: Strange Happenings In Time. Face it... as Raven admitted, it was SHIT.

Most Obvious Park
RAPPER'S DELITE
C'mon. You have to be living under a cave to have not known JKay had a hand in this.

Most Unorthodox Park
THE CAVE
Speaking of caves... who would have though someone could make an ugly place to spelunk and actually have it stand a chance.

The RUPE Rip-Off Award
MONOPOLY TYCOON
No really. If you'd included a floral picture of Rich Uncle Pennybags, you might have won! After all, last year, Othello had a giant playing board that covered absolute crap underneath....

Best Replacement
SIX FRAGS
Dude... he made like 1/5 of Parkmakerz in two days. And it was the better looking 1/5th. ( at Kumba )

H2H First Half MVP:
Really, to be honest, there hasn't been a stand-out to warrant an honest assessment of this. Only Richie and Raven have gone twice, and neither has exactly been CoasterEd-like. So if I had to make a wild-card nomination, it'd be.....

JKAY

Because he's the reason the Seal Clubbers are 3-1-0 instead of 2-2-0. Had he not stepped up to take over Week 5, then shuffled it off to Raven so that the park wouldn't be DQ'ed, the Clubbers wouldn't be in the nice position they're in.

But really, you can't make a choice at this point. By the end of the season, however, I think we'll see some pretty solid candidates.


Conclusion
It's been a pretty awesome first half, but the second half promises to be even better. Big guns like CoasterEd, Natelox, and X-Sector, haven't gone yet. Neither have Titan, Turtle, DarkJanus or Metropole, four amazingly talented players. Other huge names, like Corkscrewed, Slob, Phatage, John, JKay, Gutterflower, Evil WME have only gone once. We can be sure that there are a lot of great works left.

I'd like to thank everyone who has participated, either in parkmaking or in voting or both, thusfar, and I encourage continued high voter turnout and continued submitted parks. Remember that the IIIcons hold the record for longest non-forfeit streak. They've NEVER forfeited in the three years of H2H. And I'd love to see the other teams keep up with the due dates as well. The deadlines will continue to average every 1.5 weeks, for those scheduling playoffs.

Here's to the second half!

P.S. Week 6 is due today. The 10th of February.

That basically means I better have it when I check my nedesigns@gmail.com account on Friday after I wake up.

You're making this season so enjoyable, Corkscrewed.

I loved that. I hope to see more H2H reviews.

Not just from you, but maybe others as well.

Metro went week 1. Apart from that, a fantastic write up! Thankyou, Mr. Screwed.

Hey
Awesome recap corky.
I must give some praise to TPM for being an awesome captain and helping create a great team spirit among our team

heres to the 2nd half.

Will the Seal Clubbers' luck continue?

I would say YES to thay my friend....

Rapper's Delite, a park that had JKay's fingerprints ALL over it.  Most Obvious Park  RAPPER'S DELITE

the Seal Clubbers overcame a sudden scheduling conflict

SUDDEN being the key word in that phrase. 40% of RD was built in less than 36 hours....

HONORABLE MENTION: Strange Happenings In Time.  Face it... as Raven admitted, it was SHIT.

Agreed.

H2H First Half MVP:
Really, to be honest, there hasn't been a stand-out to warrant an honest assessment of this.  Only Richie and Raven have gone twice, and neither has exactly been CoasterEd-like.  So if I had to make a wild-card nomination, it'd be.....

JKAY

Because he's the reason the Seal Clubbers are 3-1-0 instead of 2-2-0.  Had he not stepped up to take over Week 5, then shuffled it off to Raven so that the park wouldn't be DQ'ed, the Clubbers wouldn't be in the nice position they're in.

Wow Corky.....I know that was big win for us, but does one park constitute a 1st half MVP mention???....My vote would be for richie, but you're right in saying there isn't one particular stand-out person thus far...

Nice write-up Corky....I killed a half hour reading this when I should've been working....

Metro went week 1. Apart from that, a fantastic write up! Thankyou, Mr. Screwed.

Doh!! My bad. I guess the park was so boring I purged it from my memory!

Just kidding.

Matchup of the Half-Year
Sierra Glen vs Symphony of Pollution.

Best Park of Each Team:

MOLLESTERS: Kihme Research Facility
VEHEMENCES: Malaria
SEAL CLUBBERS: Rappers Delight
FLYING GERMANS: Xenon
IIICONS: God's Isle

Best Park of the First Half:
Xenon

Most Disappointing Park
HOTEL OF HORRORS

Worst Park of the First Half:
MYSTERIOUS FORESTS

Most Obvious Park
Orange County

Most Unorthodox Park
Monopoly Tycoon

The RUPE Rip-Off Award
n/c Cork

Best Replacement
SIX FRAGs

H2H First Half MVP:
No-one as of yet...

About the captain thing I find it kinda silly, in the end it just goes to the guy whos team won it all.

Thanks for the work Corky. It's and awesome recap
Now go and produce a TV series about h2h

About the captain thing I find it kinda silly, in the end it just goes to the guy whos team won it all.

this is Kumba's way of saying, 'thank you, how flattering!'

And thx for remaining relatively positive about us IIIcons. We know we haven't been the best as we should be and stuff, but noone has to worry. After we beat our last three season matchups, we'll wipe our asses with the clubbers and then take the finals. That's just how it'll go.

Except for the "take the Finals" part, I'm rootin' for ya.

Funny how the 'most votes' for a park at the time of calling is tied between Xenon and the Sierra Glen/Symphony Of Pollution, yet the highest % of votes goes to Venetian Harbour.

I think it's good that the biggest victory was from the best park. And even counting SHIT as only 50%, Seal Clubbers still have the highest average voting percentage.