- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 2, fight two v. G"nort Dragoon-Talandor. FaDodge/FeJK 2-1 Simon. -
Dragoon-Talandor: Gets out of the way of abso-freaking-lutely nothing. And loses the point for it.
Simon: He crouches, tensing as if to jump, and then rushes to block G's path.
Peter: Alright. Now here we get a good look at Simon styling a bit of that Momus pizzazz he no doubt picked up in the fight before this.
Chris: Please, Pete. This feint is all Simon's own. He's got perfect poise and control when executing this maneuver. So much so that D.T. falls right for it and falls back on an unnecessary and costly dodge.
Peter: Now you know full well that Dragoon-Talandor is one of my favorite fighters out there, but have a look at how he reacts to Simon's same maneuver in their next match.
- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 4, fight four v. Dragoon-Talandor. FDU/FeJK 3-1 Simon. -
Dragoon-Talandor: Does get busted yet again.
Simon: Drops down on G's gnomehead.
Peter: It's nearly the same reaction. I mean, Dragoon-Talandor is probably one of the best, but I have to deck off a few points just for perception flaws.
Chris: Don't be so hasty, Pete. Now, your man D.T. is much more physical than Simon. He focuses in all-around, full-bodied maneuvers. I'm talking about knowing every inch of his body to a T and knowing how to use it. It's no doubt why he's so dangerously successful in Swords.
Peter: But they both are. I'm just a little confused as to why Dragoon-Talandor didn't pick up on Simon's feints.
Chris: Well take a look at their previous matches, Pete. When you pair someone physical like D.T. with someone technical like Simon, that ends up being just one hell of a blow-up match. It's all about reading an opponent and zeroing in on openings.
Peter: But here, Dragoon-Talandor is playing it a little safely"
Chris: That's my hunch, and if I were you, I wouldn't fault him for it. This particular fight is for the IceDancer. D.T. can't just go all-out without thinking of the repercussions.
- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 7, fight two v. Dragoon-Talandor. SW/FLeap 5-2 Simon. -
Dragoon-Talandor: "You fool. This island has plans for us all."
Simon: "Is its plan for me to win this match?" Asking just before he goes skyward and kicks.
Dragoon-Talandor: "Apparently so." Sweeps and goes right under him.
Peter: On this winning blow, we get to have a look at Simon's objective analysis capabilities. Dragoon-Talandor goes low, is a little bit delayed in his execution, and Simon takes advantage of that. Now let's see what happens when Dragoon-Talandor tries that again in their next match.
- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 5, fight four v. Dragoon-Talandor. SW/JB 4-1 Simon. -
Dragoon-Talandor: Gets popped again. "Ow."
Simon: Punches G's gnomehead. "Down with the Gnome revolution! You, their leader, must be stopped!"
Peter: Once again, he goes low, Simon picks up on it, and decks him before he can score the point.
Chris: Here's where I'm a little bit disappointed though, because judging by the last match, D.T. should have anticipated an attack at what, chin level" Instead, he keeps his eyes on the ground. Maybe he's feeling exceptionally humble"
Peter: If I were to make an assumption, I would say that Dragoon-Talandor was banking on his speed here to try and catch Simon's ankles before his hit could connect. You said yourself, Dragoon-Talandor is inherently a physical fighter, right' How much of that is dependent on agility"
Chris: Just enough, I'd say. But playing it safe doesn't seem to be working out for D.T. this time around. That, or Simon spent those two months in some mountaintop secret training facility that honed his skills and his perception!
Peter: I don't know if two months is long enough to improve your perception, Chris.
Chris: He's better, faster, stronger! He's" THE SIMONATOR!
- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 4, fight three v. Wyheree Ravenlock. SW/JB 2-1 Ravenlock. -
Ravenlock: Sends a sharp right for Matt's shoulder.
Simon: There he goes, falling again.
Peter: Now I want to show you folks something interesting here. I had the good fortune to watch these fights at the Silver Snake -
Chris: - Coughing. - Ripoff.
Peter: It's not a ripoff, Chris. The Silver Snake Tavern has a good microbrew selection.
Chris: Silver snake, red dragon' you'd think they could have come up with a more original name.
Peter: The two places are nothing alike.
Chris: How do you figure"
Peter: Well, for one, no one gets shot at the Silver Snake.
Chris: Not recently anyway.
Peter: As I was saying. I had the good fortune to have that day off, so I was able to watch these fights broadcasted live. But I've got to say, the matches between Wyheree Ravenlock and Simon certainly made me scratch my head.
Chris: You can say that again, Pete. I don't know what these two were playing at. Maybe they think it was opposite day or something"
Peter: Let's show you what we mean. In the round we just aired, we see Simon going in for a sweep, but Ravenlock, being notoriously quick, thinks fast and lashes out with a solid blow to Simon's shoulder. But have a look here at their next match.
- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 5, fight six v. Ravenlock. SW/FL 3-1 Simon. -
Simon: Recovering enough to trap Wyh's feet.
Ravenlock: Gets for and incoming strike, and is unceremoniously dumped on her rump. Silver eyes flicker to jet for the briefest of moments as she rolls to her feet, circling Matt slowly.
Peter: Now Ravenlock has seen this maneuver before, hasn't she" But instead of catching Simon in the same fashion with a quick jab as he goes down, she grabs" air. Why"
Chris: You've got me there, Pete. Maybe she wasn't expecting Simon to follow through with the sweep"
Peter: - Slams the desk for emphasis. - He was there, on the ground, and she tries for a grab. Where is the learning curve here"
Chris: Don't say that until we air the next footage.
- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 8, fight three v. Ravenlock. JB/SW 4-1 Ravenlock. -
Simon: Gets himself on the scoreboard which, at the very least, is a moral victory.
Ravenlock: Shifts her focus to Matt's legs, and leaves herself wide open. Steps back into her ready stance, silver eyes intent on Matt, circling him slowly.
Chris: Here we see Simon scoring a point by doing a reversal in their first match. Taking a cue from Ravishing Ravenlock, no doubt. She goes for the sweep, and he catches her with well-timed blow, to keep her from completing the maneuver. But have a look at this same move combination in their next match.
- Roll footage IceDancer Tournament: Round 4, fight six v. Ravenlock. FDodge/SW 2-1 Simon. -
Simon: Definitely not catching Wyh that time.
Ravenlock: Drops down, using a well-guarded leg to catch Matt's ankles as he moves past her.
Chris: She goes for a sweep again, but rather than keeping to a method that works, my man Simon stumbles right into Ravenlock's identical sweep!
Peter: I'm really not sure what to make of these two, Chris. I think my best theory would be that these two aren't as comfortable fighting each other as say, Simon and Momus or Simon and Dragoon-Talandor are. And because of this, they're both constantly compensating and re-compensating and calculating and recalculating for anomalies in technique that aren't necessarily there.
Chris: Or maybe it's that the anomalies are there, and because of that, they are constantly shifting technique" or Simon is, anyway. I would have to say it's Ravenlock who threw him off. I mean, the one characteristic I can pin on Ravenlock is that she's unpredictable. And with someone like Simon, that works out to her advantage.
Peter: But at the same time, that unpredictability can be detrimental, because she isn't focusing on a set number of skills that she needs to hone.
Chris: To each his own, Pete. It came down to the wire for the two of them in this particular tournament. Now, you put Ravenlock in a ring with Simon when an Opal isn't on the line, and then maybe you can see how much they mesh or clash.
Peter: I'll have to keep my eye out on all three of these pairings, actually, because these fighters that we've featured tonight are the type who will completely surprise you on a dime. But for now, that'll have to do it for us here at the Post. Thanks for tuning into our special segment, folks. If there is a particular fighter that you'd like featured, or a fight that you'd like covered, don't hesitate to give us a shout.
Chris: Or just shout at us in general. We love being shouted at!
Peter: Er? yes, well, until next time, I'm Peter Pham!
Chris: And I'm Chris Reed! Whoop, whoop!
Peter: You stay sporty, RhyDin!
- End tape. -
