Welcome to the SpinShare Winter 2021 SpeenOpen! This quarterly tournament features 32 players in eight brackets going against each other for a top 8 playoffs spot. Our matchups for qualifiers feature plenty of seasoned veterans to the tournament, but we do have a few newcomers who could potentially upset the higher seeds. The bracket groups feature 4 players who face off in a single-elimination bracket, with the winner of the bracket heading to the double-elimination Top 8 the following weekend. For more information on the tournament itself, click here.
Bracket Group 1: Mapy vs. Xandy, metalman20 vs. Loosiano
Mapy is the number 1 seed heading into the tournament. He won the Autumn edition of the SpeenOpen, giving him the obvious seeding leading into this winter. Xandy is a newcomer to the tournament, with not a lot known about his play. Regardless of how good Xandy’s play is on the day of, it is almost unlikely to put a quick stop to Mapy’s advancement to the top 16. Mapy is extremely accurate on the lower difficulty charts, and most first-round charts come down to accuracy battles. Mapy will likely perfect full combo his way into the top 16 match.
metalman20 is a great player with a unique playstyle; the “spin” mechanic, instead of being on his mouse like a normal keyboard and mouse player, is mapped to buttons on his keyboard. Loosiano plays with a controller, one of the only controller players that actively plays and the only controller player in the tournament. This is a battle of the unique playstyles where both are evenly matched. Loosiano is better at sight-reading, however; if nerves don’t get to him, he will likely beat metalman in a close set that may be decided by a slim margin.
The outcome of metalman vs. Loosiano is unlikely to pose a threat to Mapy’s advancement to Top 8 in the Round of 16 qualifiers match. Loosiano does not have the pinpoint accuracy of Mapy, and metalman doesn’t have the sight-reading ability that Mapy possesses. Mapy will win the Top 16 match and secure his spot as the first seed in the SpeenOpen Playoffs.
Bracket Group 2: NickAzn vs. aznchibikid, Banda vs. Konomi
NickAzn is one of the few turntable players that have entered into the SpeenOpen. He has won both the Spring and Summer editions of the tournament, and placed 3rd in the Autumn edition. he will likely beat aznchibikid in the first round, as he is extremely accurate and tough to beat when he gets into a rhythm. NickAzn is seeded 2nd this tournament, as his only loss has been to Mapy.
Konomi has been progressing as a player ever since his Round of 32 loss back in autumn. He has become more accurate with fewer misses, and his confidence has improved ever since he started clearing the harder charts. Banda is a great player as well, but Konomi’s recent improvements give him the edge in this matchup.
Even with Konomi’s improvements, nothing is likely to stop NickAzn’s progression to Top 8. Nick seems to outclass nearly everyone he goes against in tournament, and this bracket will likely be no different. Konomi could potentially make it a closer match than NickAzn might like, but it will not be enough to knock him out of the tournament early.
Bracket Group 3: Programmatic vs. TobyAkka, PnO_Mader vs. juch.
Programmatic is a stellar player who placed 2nd in the Autumn SpeenOpen. TobyAkka, while he has been improving lately, is unlikely to beat Programmatic in the first round. Programmatic will easily move into the Top 16 qualifier, but face some stiff competition in the winner of PnO_Mader and juch.
PnO_Mader is a newer player who has less hours in the game than top players, but still has great scores on the harder charts. juch is returning from the Summer SSSO after a loss to Programmatic in the round of 16. juch is accurate but doesn’t have the tournament experience that PnO_Mader does. His skill could carry him to the Top 16 qualifier round, but it seems more likely that PnO_Mader will progress.
Programmatic will have a challenge of whoever comes out of the other matchup, but he will likely take it. He is a consistent player with very few errors across all of his tournament appearances. Programmatic it seems will secure his spot in the Top 8 playoffs.
Bracket Group 4: TreXDer vs. abysmalcosmos, TANDOKU vs. wolf
TreXDer is one of the best players of the game and of one of the longest-tenured SpeenOpen participants. He plays 1-button click to move, debated as one of the hardest playstyles in the game. His accuracy is rivaled only by Mapy, in which that matchup would be a tossup in who wins. abysmalcosmos is new to the tournament, but TreXDer’s playing ability will make him hard to stop.
TANDOKU is a great player, but can sometimes lose himself if he gets an early or late far into the song. wolf is a newer player, but progressing every day. TANDOKU’s skill and accuracy will allow him to beat wolf, but he will not be able to progress against TreXDer in the Round of 16. Unless TANDOKU can come out and have excellent accuracy on the charts in the round of 16, he will lose, and TreXDer will secure a spot in Top 8.
Bracket Group 5: PickPig vs. Blueye, Ex vs. swagdude
PickPig was a top 8 contender last SpeenOpen that didn’t have the chance because their bracket contained Programmatic. Now, they have a chance to make a deep run–if Ex doesn’t get too much in the way. PickPig will do very well against Blueye and move onto the round of 16, but their opponent could send them home before Top 8.
Ex is a player that has come out of nowhere in the past month. Posting perfect scores on some of the hardest charts in the game is no easy feat, but Ex has been doing just that. His recent proven skill is enough to show he will beat swagdude and progress to the round of 16. If there is one match to watch in the entire qualifier round, this is it. Ex and PickPig will make a great matchup. Two very accurate players with a first top 8 berth for either on the line, this will be the matchup to see.
Bracket Group 6: Ricki vs. Franco, kaddalaug vs. Edge
Ricki is another one of the consistent, proven players of the game. If everything goes to plan on the day, his play will push him to the top 16 match and beat Franco in the first round. He is one of the most accurate players, but doesn’t play enough to have the standing that Mapy and TreXDer do, but is still very good.
kaddalaug is another very proven player, but with less accuracy than Ricki. kaddalaug will do very well against Edge, but he will have to have some of his best charts if he wants to pull out the win against Ricki in the round of 16. kaddalaug has had a steady progression of improvement in accuracy and ability to clear hard charts since the last SpeenOpen, but it will probably not be enough to gain a Top 8 Playoffs spot.
Bracket Group 7: Matt vs. Halflite, Stride vs. Krauvando
Halflite has been showing improvement on scores as of late, but Matt is unshaken when it comes to tournaments. His ability to pull out the best of his play when he needs it most is what propelled him to Top 8 in Autumn. can he repeat this time? His bracket is looking good for him, as Halflite has been progressing, but he has as well. Matt’s accuracy has improved over the past 2 months, as well as better overall scores on the harder charts. Matt will likely beat Halflite and move onto the round of 16.
The last time Stride has appeared in a tournament was back in the Spring. He is finally back, looking to rebound on a performance he isn’t the proudest of. Stride is playing the best he ever has, with great scores on plenty of harder charts as well as near-perfect accuracy on the qualifier round charts. Krauvando has been steadily improving since Autumn, but Stride’s improvements seem to outpace Krauvando. Stride will then go up against Matt, and both are very evenly matched. It will come down to a final chart tiebreaker, and Matt seems more experienced. Matt can take the bracket and a Top 8 spot, but Stride will be hard to beat.
Bracket Group 8: LtChaos720 vs. g4, smb vs. Baby_Jimbo
LtChaos made Top 8 in Autumn with a very solid performance overall. He is a turntable player, one of the best turntable players currently participating in the tournament. it is likely he will make it through the round of 32 again. g4 has been improving with better scores on new charts recently, but LtChaos is consistent and accurate. g4 can upset LtChaos if he makes a few mistakes, but with Chaos’s consistency, it seems unlikely. LtChaos will move onto Round of 16.
smb is in an interesting place. He made Round of 16 in Autumn but then was upset, and switched to turntable. He is accurate when he gets into the song, but the beginning can be rough and he has not fully adjusted quite yet. Baby_Jimbo is a great player with some rougher accuracy. It will take a large jump in accuracy to beat smb. Consistency is key in early rounds. Jimbo would need to be more consistent than ever if he wants to move on.
LtChaos vs. smb will be another match to watch, as it will showcase the best of turntable play that the Spin Rhythm community has to offer. LtChaos, with more turntable experience and more game experience overall will likely take this match against smb, but it will be a tough one as both are evenly matched.
Tune into The SpinShare Winter 2021 SpeenOpen on Twitch starting January 9th at 1:00 PM EST. You can also follow the bracket here.
