LogFAQs > #956196584

Fogbeasts
The Butterfly's Temptation
Pressure Cooker

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Xenoblade: Definitive Edition Fogbeasts Battle
Non-normalized rating: 8
Ranking: 10 of 16

Unfortunately for Snatcher, Fogbeasts is a definite match-up nightmare. What some are referring to as Torna part 2 has certainly lived up to the hype so far after mostly going the distance in Supras 2020 contest. Love Psalm had the unfortunate placement to get doubled in R1 and Altered Genos fared only marginally better. The quick right hand of the piano drives the opening of Fogbeasts before the other instruments jump in as well, giving this song a blend of casually-listenable and unpredictably-interesting that very few songs can match, alongside strong presentation and production. Its hard to foresee a match in bracket A where it wouldnt be seen as the favorite other than maybe against Gurumin.

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Ys IX -Monstrum NOX- Glessing Way!
Non-normalized rating: 7.5
Ranking: 12 of 16

Getting this far wasnt a major accomplishment against the likes of Mission 5 Spaceship and Sanctuary-SHU. Not saying it was unearned or that those opponents are fodder, but we know the board at large loves Falcom. Winning round 3 here will definitely put the exclamation point on the title here, though. TBH, its a longshot. Glessing Way is an uptempo, driving, energetic track with guitars and synths that do the Falcom thing that works so well in general. I dont think this is top tier Ys, though, and this is going to be one heck of an uphill battle.

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God Eater 2: Rage Burst Butterflys Temptation
Non-normalized rating: 10
Ranking: 2 of 16

Its no secret I love this track. Brought to the board by Nio #1 Go Shiina Fan raptH, Butterfly made the field 4 straight years, never failing to reach round 3, before dropping out the last two competitions. Its a divisive song and usually has a bunch of folks that are driven batty each time it wins a round, but while its not for everyone, it does do its thing very well. A strong opening backed by incomprehensible singing is the first wedge, and the dubstep guitar solo at 2:54 makes that an irreparable divide. So far, more of the voters have been on Butterflys side of that split, doubling Underwater Prom Queens and surpassing Inevitable Struggle by 10 votes, which the bracket placement suggests our hosts didnt see coming. That was a slightly painful match for me, albeit never in question.

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ClaDun: This is an RPG The Explosion
Non-normalized rating: 9
Ranking: 4 of 16

Speaking of nioI wonder if I can convince her to swing by and vote on these matches, because shell have some really torn loyalties. Bunnyslug go boom?

The Explosion had one of the most dominant performances of the contest against Planet X and didnt have too much trouble with Lucky Charm. Its a song I like, usually just not quite enough to put it over other tracks that I favor, so it ends up being a in the absence of other options track for me, which is unfortunate, because two of the songs left in A4 are tracks I favor. Still, I think Explosion has a reasonably decent chance of breaking through. Its certainly been here before in two previous appearances, so A4 gives the impression of being a stacked final four.

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VVVVVV Pressure Cooker
Non-normalized rating: 10
Ranking: 1 of 16

Perhaps the last great unretired VVVVVV track (Predestined Fate says hi), Pressure Cooker fell shy in retirement last year, which was tragic. Easily the songs strongest performance after 2-1-2 prior, but its back to try again and I certainly will be voting for it here. Theres really nothing I need to say about why this song is great beyond telling you its from VVVVVV. Its destroyed two very unfortunate victims, Psycho Soldier Theme and Fly to the Leaden Sky, and might go through a couple more before this is over, but its hard to be disappointed with those results.

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Phantasy Star Online Ice-Covered Love ~ Kohri
Non-normalized rating: 3
Ranking: 16 of 16

Im not really sure what to say about Kohri. Its not a track that appeals for me. It has a strong driving pulse, and listening to it objectively, I can appreciate why other people would like it. Its simply not for me. The non-normalized rating is working in most songs favor here, but it actually makes Kohri look a lot worse than I really think it is. Ill be very sad if it beats Pressure Cooker, and Ive been a sad a lot this year as the brackets played out, so Im fully prepared for it to happen. Kohri already defeated my surprise favorite, 14.3 Billion Years, and followed that up with a win over Subuta.1.

uh-oh, looks like I need to listen, rate, and write up more songs now. I thought we'd go to 4 songs a day and I'd have a little more time. =x

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