I'll consider Nauz's decline a forfeit unless a match is started within 5 days from today. If at 10pm PT on 2021/06/15, we have not heard from Nauz about extenuating circumstances or some explanation for the decline that's consistent with wanting to continue the series, sanmu will win by default 2-0.

There's no 'unless'. I said in the chat before declining that I had no interest in playing any of the remaining games.

Sanmu can claim he won 6-0 for all I care. I don't enjoy playing SE, and I'm not wasting my time playing games I don't find enjoyable with the little free time I have available. Sanmu winning 6-0 or 6-3 or whatever says literally nothing when the only games played are SE.

The only interest I ever had in a challenge vs Sanmu was one where half the games were SE, since then it at least measured the relative skillcap between SE and whatever the other games were. All the games being SE is meaningless, as it doesn't in any way compare SE to other templates, it's like having a amateur basketball player play a basketball game vs an amateur football player, it's silly, and frankly pointless. It doesn't make basketball be the harder sport or the basketball player the better athlete if/when the basketball player wins unless they also play football and that player wins at both sports, or wins handily at their own sport and nearly wins in the opposing sport.

Then why’d you join it in the first place?

Lol Nauz.... If SE doesnt require any skills, then why did you always lose to sanmu 2-0

Hmmm, this new SE challenge format isn't going so well ... 2 series started, 0 series finished! lol

Is anyone willing to see an entire series through? Do we have a next qualified challenger that actually wants to do this as opposed to settling a dispute or argument of some kind, and will commit to a full series?

Lol Nauz is too scared to face samnu as he knows that he will lose....

Proof: https://www.warzone.com/MultiPlayer?GameID=27280891 He declined 3rd game for people who didnt read earlier replies...

Lol Nauz.... If SE doesnt require any skills, then why did you always lose to sanmu 2-0

To be fair, ignore some of the things Nauz actually wrote, read through to the principle of what he was actually arguing, and the crux of Johnny's argument was not that SE is 0 skill, but that it's easier to master and thus requires less skill than other templates, MME for example, and thus there are more masters and thus when the template is saturated with masters, it's essentially a luck based template b/c everyone is playing at the same level. Secondary argument that I think we will likely hereby declare as being denounced, is that skilled MME players would likely be around the same level as the SE masters.

So the point of of the challenge series was 2 fold.

(1) To see if it would be 6-5 (essentially means it is after all luck based, approx 50/50 - doesn't matter who actually wins, it's fairly even between a specialist and a non-specialist), 6-3 Shamu wins (some skill), 6-0 (hardcore skillz). And of course 6-3 Nauz wins, well then this indicates that MME skills prevail over SE skills.

(2) And then to do an MME series and measure the same. We expect Nauz to win, but is it 6-5, 6-3 or 6-0?

And if the series results are SE 6-0 Shamu, MME 6-0 Nauz, then we see that they are different skill sets. If it's SE 6-5 whoever, MME 6-0 Nauz, then we see MME skills actually outweigh for the most part SE skills.

But the more important factor is that we need to do this with more than just 2 players. Let's say Nauz destroyed Shamu in every game on both templates - all this means is he's better than Shamu, not necessarily that SE is in fact 0 skill. Thank you, Next player, repeat please ... until we have revealed a pattern.

read the game chat lol

I can boot myself into a 6-0 win for sanmu if that works for anyone

It’s just small earth. Y’all could play 4 more games in an hour real time

On that note, sanmu is the inaugural champion of the Small Earth Series.

We're now open to new challengers. I will pair up sanmu with whoever we believe to have the best shot of beating him (sanmu will have some input here), based on criteria including but not limited to:

- performance in Small Earth competitions (like the Seasonal)
- Quickmatch score on Small Earth templates (with SE1W strong pref'd)
- Clan Wars performance on Small Earth templates
- any known impressive wins demonstrating strong play
- known general ability (from MTL and other community competitions, like the CL)


If you are interested in challenging for the title, please apply in this thread with:

- Whether you are open to being paired in an undercard match (so we can cut down the challenger pool; winning an undercard match will strongly advantage your odds of getting selected as the next challenger, and if you work your way up the undercards you are guaranteed to wind up in the title match eventually)
- The strongest case you think you can make for why you are going to beat sanmu

Good luck! I'll kick off of the next series once the challenger pool looks strong enough to set up the next match.

I would like to give it a try. I have won all my seasonal ladders till now... I dont believe i would win, i will would still like to try if samnu has time...

Arrow, are you open to being on the undercard if you don't make the title match this time?

Yes i am

It's not the time, Jacob, it's the honour that is at stake here. (;

Yeah i am fine with it. Since i was a SE player, i dont think the me or samnu will have any advantages over each other... It would be fun to play him(even if honour is at stake)

I'd take the non SE master spot. No tryout matches though

non SE master

(https://www.warzone.com/LadderTeam?LadderTeamID=27095)

While we're waiting for a new headline challenge, why not have an undercard tournament? Anyone who wants to throw their hats in can play in the tournament for a chance to be an official undercard, who will battle each other to challenge the champ (Shamu, unless someone dethrones him before then).

thank you for the confirmation knyte. rank 35 is nowhere near master of course, also my QM rating is rather poor compared to SE masters