Deathmatch 2023

Special Interest Games
21

“Sacrificial lamb” would make a nice category. :+1:

3 Likes
22

With the Quarter Finals done, the top seed is out.

(Percentage) / Place change from Round 2
1 Silva (3) 80.97 (-2.85) / +1
2 OHMSS Blofeld (1) 77.7 (-6.64) / -1
3 Klebb & Grant (5) 74.55 (-3.81) / -
4 Drax (2) 74.22 (+0.72) / -
5 Goldfinger (10) 70.08 (-0.68) / -
6 Le Chiffre (8) 65.24 (-) / +1
7 Stromberg 62.92 (-5.92) / -1
8 Scaramanga (4) 60.88 (-) / +1
9 Largo (6) 57.7 (-7.1) / -1
10 Sanchez (7) 54.35 (-4.21) / -
11 Dr No 49.66
12 Zorin (9) 42.9
13 Oberhauser Blofeld 42.9
14 DAF Blofeld 41.7
15 Kananga 41.1
16 Trevelyan 40.32
17 YOLT Blofeld 39.08
18 Carver 38.36
19 Elektra 35.6
20 Graves 31.1
21 Safin 26.3
22 Greene 25
23 Khan & Orlov 21.4
24 Kristatos 13.3
25 Koskov & Whitaker 11.7

OHMSS Blofeld goes out early for the second year in a row; can he possibly hold on to top seed placing for next year? GOD ALMIGHTY, IT’S TENSE.

Drax slowly, as if weightless, drifting upwards and there’s a solid chance that last year’s winner finds himself in the final again. That said, a Goldfinger element keeps up its 2022 form of being at least Semi Finalist in each category…

Some of the non-participants benefit again, notably Scaramanga, but one could still say that’s a poor showing overall for the fourth seed. Might have been overpromoted in the past, though. Stromberg drops, and drops out, but a good year for him, in the round.

Top Ten decided insofar as no-one else can break into it, but still some capacity for movement within it, even with only two rounds of games left.

4 Likes
23

Oh, mercy me I’m a twit (you can replace the vowel, should you so crave).

The Deathmatch X is obvious - a match of Deaths.

Fecund as the series is with creative methods of death, and it is basically a series about killing people, that seems to lend itself to all 25 films and across a wide range of characters. Some might appear in other categories but many won’t so - decided. Will appear towards the end of November, when we’re getting geared up for Christmas so that’ll put us in the mood. Bond can only deliver Death for Breakfast; as an act of my supreme munificence, I give you Death for Christmas.

Will contemplate other suggestions - Allies has a substantial (if not absolute) crossover with existing Victims, and I am still unsure whether “stunts” is too narrow and would bias the bigger spectacle style of Bond, whereas “Action” encompasses a wider field. Will think about that a bit more.

3 Likes
24

Exactly–and they both seem to adopt the Connery pose from DAF (though the gun barrels get longer).

One of my favorites that I keep getting outbid on (though it may also be the case that my bid limit is too low, indicating that I do not want the poster that much LOL).

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image
image1200×1600 209 KB

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26

Voting in the Final is now open, to 7 June - also the Death-Off, which might be “significant” for form points and seeding and basically a lot of ranking going on.

Final sees the 2021 winner, Silva, up against the 2022 winner, Drax. Silva did get into the final in 2020, but Drax has otherwise always been in the Semi Finals; last year Silva did not get through to that at all. Accordingly, quite hard to say how that will pan out, but out it must pan.

Form table - to and including Semi Finals

(Percentage) / Place change from Quarter Final
1 Silva (3) 79.49 (-1.48) / -
2 OHMSS Blofeld (1) 77.7
3 Drax (2) 72.02 (-2.2) +1
4 Klebb & Grant (5) 68.1 (-6.45) / -1
5 Goldfinger (10) 65.96 (-4.12) / -
6 Le Chiffre (8) 65.24
7 Stromberg 62.92
8 Scaramanga (4) 60.88
9 Largo (6) 57.7
10 Sanchez (7) 54.35
11 Dr No 49.66
12 Zorin (9) 42.9
13 Oberhauser Blofeld 42.9
14 DAF Blofeld 41.7
15 Kananga 41.1
16 Trevelyan 40.32
17 YOLT Blofeld 39.08
18 Carver 38.36
19 Elektra 35.6
20 Graves 31.1
21 Safin 26.3
22 Greene 25
23 Khan & Orlov 21.4
24 Kristatos 13.3
25 Koskov & Whitaker 11.7

It’s actually quite tight and tough at the top, and a little bit flabby at the bottom, but enough about me; the table is still up for grabs, depending how voting now goes…all of the top six, maybe even the top seven, could shuffle about a bit.

4 Likes
27

We have a winner: Silva

Roll of Dishonour:

Winner: Silva
Runner-Up: Drax
Third: Goldfinger
Fourth: Klebb & Grant

Last four years of this nonsense:

2020 2021 2022 2023
Winner OHMSS Blofeld Silva Drax Silva
Runner-Up Silva Sanchez Goldfinger Drax
Third Drax Scaramanga Klebb & Grant Goldfinger
Fourth Klebb & Grant Drax Largo Klebb & Grant

2021 a slight outlier year, although that was the year Klebb was all on her lonesome. Drax has made the final four each year, “interestingly”.

Further analysis to follow, including seeding for next year.

Films Group stage category starts tomorrow, 8 June.

3 Likes
28

I find it fascinating that OHMSS Blofeld wins the first year, and then is gone–kinda like the New York Jets and Super Bowl III.

Boundless munificence has its rewards.

4 Likes
29

Strikes me as a perfect couple for future Bond villain-building:

  • Silva, the cunning, dentally-challenged, hair-bleached master of manipulation and oedipal rage,

mixed with

  • Drax, the even Stromberg-surpassing bemused snob planning mass murder and a new master race as if it were a menu for his afternoon tea

Voilà, EON, here you go!

4 Likes
30

OK, so final form table for Villains, and there is a bit of a shock. Just a bit. A smidge.

(Percentage) / Place change from Semi Final
1 OHMSS Blofeld (1) 77.7 (-) / +1
2 Silva (3) 76.49 (-3) / -1
3 Drax (2) 68.58 (-3.44) / -
4 Le Chiffre (8) 65.24 (-) / +2
5 Klebb & Grant (5) 65.15 (-2.96) / -1
6 Goldfinger (10) 64.65 (-1.31) / -1
7 Stromberg 62.92
8 Scaramanga (4) 60.88
9 Largo (6) 57.7
10 Sanchez (7) 54.35
11 Dr No 49.66
12 Zorin (9) 42.9
13 Oberhauser Blofeld 42.9
14 DAF Blofeld 41.7
15 Kananga 41.1
16 Trevelyan 40.32
17 YOLT Blofeld 39.08
18 Carver 38.36
19 Elektra 35.6
20 Graves 31.1
21 Safin 26.3
22 Greene 25
23 Khan & Orlov 21.4
24 Kristatos 13.3
25 Koskov & Whitaker 11.7

With close margins in the Final and the Death-Off, albeit winning the Final, Silva’s form actually dipped and therefore OHMSS Blofeld just retains the top spot. Slimy bugger Le Chiffre oozes up the form table, for a similar reason resulting from a close Death-Off.

Form table over the years

2020 2021 2022 2023
1 Klebb & Grant OHMSS Blofeld Drax OHMSS Blofeld
2 OHMSS Blofeld Zorin Klebb & Grant Silva
3 Stromberg Drax Goldfinger Drax
4 Le Chiffre Largo Scaramanga Le Chiffre
5 Scaramanga Silva OHMSS Blofeld Klebb & Grant
6 Silva Scaramanga Silva Goldfinger
7 Largo Dr No Largo Stromberg
8 Sanchez Sanchez Sanchez Scaramanga
9 Drax Goldfinger YOLT Blofeld Largo
10 Oberhauser Blofeld Le Chiffre Zorin Sanchez
11 Carver Kananga Stromberg Dr No
12 Trevelyan Klebb Le Chiffre Zorin
13 Zorin Elektra Dr No Oberhauser Blofeld
14 Kananga Trevelyan Kananga DAF Blofeld
15 Khan & Orlov DAF Blofeld Kristatos Kananga
16 Goldfinger Oberhauser Blofeld Trevelyan Trevelyan
17 Dr No Khan & Orlov DAF Blofeld YOLT Blofeld
18 DAF Blofeld Carver Carver Carver
19 Elektra YOLT Blofeld Khan & Orlov Elektra
20 YOLT Blofeld Kristatos Elektra Graves
21 Kristatos Stromberg Graves Safin
22 Greene Graves Koskov & Whitaker Greene
23 Koskov & Whitaker Koskov & Whitaker Safin Khan & Orlov
24 Graves Greene Oberhauser Blofeld Kristatos
25 Greene Koskov & Whitaker

I’d forgotten Oberhauser Blofeld did well in 2020. If only I could forget Oberhauser Blofeld. The most consistent players for position appear to be Koskov & Whitaker, but that is no compliment. Graves climbing the table by one or two places each year, so give him another 21 years and… he’ll still be no higher than 20th.

Average of rounded form

2020 2021 2022 2023 Average form
Dr No 34 61 46 50 47.75
Klebb & Grant 69 49 67 65 62.5
Goldfinger 38 56 67 65 56.5
Largo 59 58 61 58 59
YOLT Blofeld 25 28 55 39 36.75
OHMSS Blofeld 66 73 66 78 70.75
DAF Blofeld 31 43 40 42 39
Kananga 41 50 46 41 44.5
Scaramanga 61 62 67 61 62.75
Stromberg 64 22 53 63 50.5
Drax 58 69 73 69 67.25
Kristatos 12 28 40 13 23.25
Khan & Orlov 38 37 37 21 33.25
Zorin 42 70 54 43 52.25
Koskov & Whitaker 7 8 24 12 12.75
Sanchez 59 57 59 54 57.25
Trevelyan 43 46 40 40 42.25
Carver 44 36 38 38 39
Elektra 27 49 34 36 36.5
Graves 0 17 25 31 18.25
Le Chiffre 62 55 51 65 58.25
Greene 12 2 19 25 14.5
Silva 59 65 65 76 66.25
Oberhauser Blofeld 47 37 20 43 36.75
Safin 21 21 21

Overall form and seeds for 2024 – seeding based on overall average

Seed for 2024
OHMSS Blofeld 1
Drax 2
Silva 3
Scaramanga 4
Klebb & Grant 5
Largo 6
Le Chiffre 7
Sanchez 8
Goldfinger 9
Zorin 10
Stromberg
Dr No
Kananga
Trevelyan
DAF Blofeld
Carver
YOLT Blofeld
Oberhauser Blofeld
Elektra
Khan & Orlov
Kristatos
Safin
Graves
Greene
Koskov & Whitaker

Rather amazingly, Scaramanga remains fourth seed, although that’s due to much better years than this, and the 2021 anomaly where Klebb fought by herself. Next year, there may be more change. Although he generally does well, Goldfinger tends to have tighter squeezes through the window to get through, hence lower form than his Deathmatch knockout placings would suggest.

There appears to be a definitive Blofeld.

Despite being anonymous in the knockout, Largo’s oddly - weirdly - consistent form (i.e. a just about better than average Villain, which is “very Largo”) retains sixth seed and, despite a very iffy showing this year, Zorin just about makes it.

Safin - consistent, but an odd consistency. Bit like his face.

Hard to suggest any alternative personal Top Ten based on pure preference, but I would generally place Kananga and Carver higher and Brofeld much, much lower.

4 Likes
31

Accordingly, Groups for next year - with the refinement that, to try to make some groups a bit more of a challenge, the remaining Villains beyond the seeds will be drawn from Pot 1 (Villains 11 - 15 i.e. Stromberg to DAF Blofeld inclusive), Pot 2 (Villains 16 - 20 i.e. Carver to Khan & Orlov inclusive) and Pot 3 (Villains 21 - 25 i.e. Kristatos to Koskov & Whitaker inclusive). Might (might) make things a little more unsettled for the traditional big beasties, and avoid OHMSS Blofeld and Largo being drawn against all of the bottom 3.

With the Films draw for June having already taken place, this approach will be introduced for the category after that (Songs). Pot-based analysis; you might think it all reads that way anyway.

Groups (and seeds) for Villains Deathmatch 2024

OHMSS Blofeld (1)
Largo (6)
Pot 1
Pot 2
Pot 3

Drax (2)
Le Chiffre (7)
Pot 1
Pot 2
Pot 3

Silva (3)
Sanchez (8)
Pot 1
Pot 2
Pot 3

Scaramanga (4)
Goldfinger (9)
Pot 1
Pot 2
Pot 3

Klebb & Grant (5)
Zorin (10)
Pot 1
Pot 2
Pot 3

You’d think I’d thought this through.

3 Likes
32

So, OHMSS Blofeld…

Seems like baldies have the edge.

There is still hope for me then!

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You’d think up there, in his lab, he might have bothered with a cure for baldness. But no, it’s all about hypnotising dolly boids to interfere with chickens, molest bananas and talk truth unto Brer Potato. This is why he is great.

3 Likes
34

He probably wants Bond to go bald, too.

Hah, that’s what we will never get: a bald Bond.

Then again, I would prefer to have my wish fulfillment fantasy with great hair forever.

2 Likes
35

Voting now open in Group stage for Films, to June 10.

36

If you really want to think this through, you should do it as most sports leagues do and have the top seed get the lowest ranked seed, then the second highest seed gets the second lowest seed, and so on.

In which case, #1 OHMSS Blofeld would be paired with #10 Zorin
#2 Drax would be paired with #9 Goldfinger
#3 Silva would be paired with #8 Sanchez
#4 Scaramanga would be paired with #7 Le Chiffre
and #5 Klebb & Grant would be paired with #6 Largo

But you, sir, are in charge and we are at your whimsy/mercy. :grinning:

37

Was thinking about that and might introduce it. The middle one wouldn’t be any different, of course. It’s open to refinement, I accept.

'Tis true.

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image

“I see it all now. You don’t give a damn about peace! All you care about…”
“Shut up, Metz.”

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IMG_3764

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Group Stage for Films is done; Round 2 voting is now open to 11 June. Analysis follows.

1 Like