Here are some highlights:
- No one in D1 has recorded more than one non-loss result. Of the 5 games played, three (!) have ended in solos, all by different people, and two have ended in 4way draws, all with different people.
- While the top three in the standings are the ones who soloed, they aren't tied, because the scoring system allows 4 points per center to count even in losses, and this separates the top three. Martz leads, with 25 total centers (18 and 7), then V, with 23 (18 and 5), and then Squasher, with 18 (and 0).
- Martz has a 2-center lead over V, so it is close at the top. But the third soloist, Squasher, is 7 centers behind the lead. How much does that mean Squasher is trailing? Well, at 4 points per center, that's 28 points. To put this in perspective, the difference between a 3way draw and a 4way draw is only 21 points. So suppose, for example, that in their next games, Squasher picks up a 10-center 3way, and Martz picks up a 9-center 4way. That's a difference of 25 points (124 vs. 99), which would not make up the gap!
- On the same note, the May game is lecrae's second--that 56-point loss could come into play with a good second result! Also worth noting is Frenchie07001, who has 48 points from losses, but with 2 results already.
- The next two in the standings are MasterGR and Charleroi, the two who topped their boards in the two 4way draws. Charleroi's draw result--the equivalent of 13 centers--is slightly better than MasterGR's 12, but with the extra 4 centers MasterGR picked up in his loss to a solo, he is sitting in fourth, with 16 total centers to Charleroi's 13.
- Speaking of "the equivalent of", the one game that was an agreed DIAS after the surrender is having some interesting implications in the standings. Because Austria's center points were distributed proportionally rounded to the nearest integer, NOT the nearest center, stew0610 sits alone in sixth with 100 points--the equivalent of 9.25 centers in a 4way draw. (stew0610 also leads all players who have only one result so far.) The actual endgame saw France and Italy eliminated, so calling the game early helped both stew0610 (France) and Tortellacci (Italy).
- There is a tie at 99 points between Groo and SelhurstPark. Groo has a 9-center 4way, and SelhurstPark has a 7-center 4way and a 2-center loss. So both have one 4way draw and 9 total centers across their results. Currently, Groo leads on tiebreaks (because he had more centers in his draw).
- While the top 3 both have 2 games played and 2 to go, there are 9 players who still have 3 games to go. Six of them are in the May game. Only one player (Charleroi) has 3 games played and one left, and SelhurstPark will be the second as of the May game.
Overall, I notice two other things. First, the 4 points per center seems like it could have some outsized implications in the standings. There is definitely a chance that someone's higher total center count would put them higher in the standings than someone with smaller draws. But at the beginning of the league, I thought this might be because of something like a big power getting stalemated on 15+ centers and then taking a 4way or 5way. Instead, it might be because centers gained in a loss to a solo count of top of centers gained in draw results. I was not anticipating this! I'm very curious to see how that plays out.
Second, earlier in the thread I noted that solos are easier to catch in this scoring system than most other scoring systems. The actual results so far make it less likely that a soloist would be caught by someone who didn't solo. I view that as a good thing (though that's just my opinion).
Looking forward to the next "phase" of games. This is fun to follow!
