Urbosa

I would also like to address some points made here.

1. I never claimed ownership of Link's elimination. I said I saw it coming (because I did) and failed to adequately rise to his defense (because I did). Not once did I claim to have orchestrated the vote.

2. When Mipha argues that Oaki's vote was "universal," what I would assume she means is that because the vote was a blow out it appears to have been a consensus. What she fails to realize here is that the vote was originally on her. Until the last hour or so before deadline, at least four votes (mine, Oven's, Revali's, and Kohga's) were on her, and given the displacement of the other votes she would have gone had we not changed our votes last minute. To claim Oaki was the collective choice disregards the fact that Oven had been in legitimate jeopardy as well and highlights that she was dangerously close to getting blindsided a second time. That's not an assumption -- that is something any one of those players can confirm.

3. Again, this is not accurate. I've received clearance from the Guides to share the following PM:



This was the first time Kass' name came up in our conversation following the joint immunity win. I raised the idea. Yes, it wouldn't have been successful without Mipha committing to the cause, but the conversation between us -- a conversation I initiated -- could have just as easily receded back into suspicion about one another at this point and we could have proceeded from this juncture just as opposed as we were before. We had both expressed an interest in our challenge thread of making a move here, but it would have likely been left at that without me trying once again to lay my cards on the table.

4. Once more, never took ownership of Oven's elimination or trying to organize a vote against Epona that round. The first I actually underscored as the biggest setback or otherwise the lowest moment in the post-Merge game for me. And Mipha is correct: I didn't want Epona to leave here, either. I'm not exactly sure what her point is here, as trying to make a push for Epona and it not going through ultimately reflects a shortcoming for each of the finalists.

5. As I explained in earlier responses, removing Epona from the calculus at Final Six ensured Sidon went. In addition, it also increased the chances of idols or other items being played in self-defense here. Sidon had the tools at his disposal to flip the vote on Revali, but he wasn't able to do so. Again, my plan was to take out Sidon here and to eliminate Kohga next so I had a hope of making it to FTC if both Epona and I were vulnerable at the vote. Kohga winning immunity forced that plan to change. The plan at Final Six was to blindside Epona. I derailed that, and in doing so prevented a scenario in which one of Mipha or Revali potentially goes at Final Five if Kohga still sidelines me in the challenge and Sidon wins immunity. 

when kohga showed up to the jury he shared with us that bullshit puzzle exploit you guys were doing. did you come up with that yourself and if so how did other players like kohga and revali find out about it

not to butt in but i mostly figured it out on my own -- all i knew was that revali wanted to tell me something about the challenge but wasn't allowed to and i worked it out from there with some mod questions

Having not played in past games where puzzles were a challenge, I didn't necessarily know there was a precedence to the method, no. I didn't utilize the strategy for the first puzzle, but tested different things out for the Moderate Test of Strength and had found a groove by Major Test of Strength. Like Kohga said, though, we really didn't compare notes. We talked briefly after the Final Four challenge about it, but only to the extent of saying that, "I think I know what strategy you employed."

Urbosa!

So if you've read the other two threads you can probably figure out where this post is going.

Firstly: I want you to know that to me I absolutely respect your enormous pile of advantages. This is a complex game, and in the same way that Mipha used the chamber to get here you used the tools at your disposal to give your game a tune-up. I can't hold the mechanics of a game against the player. Even then, since we knew this game was going to be filled with such mechanics, I don't think it's fair to hold it against the mods either. This game was a fun chaotic mess.

From where I'm sitting, I know Revali's game. It's a classic Survivor/classic motorcycle as he laid out for us. My question about how you used your tricks is basically me trying to figure out "were you able to capitalise on every opportunity to really take advantage of the complex theme?"

Mipha used the chamber, you used a bag of tricks. I'm running over your threads to try and figure out if I think you were able to optimally use the twists or if you could have just played the classic way in spite of them.

The one thing I'm sure of is that your game was definitely a valid game. And it was a strong game. There's no denying that. Wherever my vote ends up (I really don't know), I think that all of you have a legitimate case in your favour.

If you have any last pitches to me/any clarifications, I'll be around, but this will now be my thinking time.

Thank you, Patricia!

I must say I'm a bit surprised to hear you say that as well, but I will do my best to give you a thorough answer here. Hopefully this helps you make a determination one way or another

I will admit that my strategy tried to encompass several different assumptions, which would come back to haunt me almost immediately after deadline hit.

As soon as the Guides asked us to answer truthfully and stated responses would dictate who won immunity, I knew I wanted to skew my responses to affect the data range. The big question for me then was to determine how I thought the surveys would factor into the challenge. I first assumed we would be participating in a Majority or Minority Rules challenge. Having just come from the Yiga ambush twist, though, I also worried the highest or lowest ranking player would win immunity. That informed certain decisions such as placing you and Oaki as close to the center as I could to prevent either of you from winning Immunity.

Given the outcome of the challenge, let us all stop and laugh for a moment.

From there, I dispersed Kass, Kohga, and Sidon just in case Majority or Minority rules mechanics revealed or suggested how each player responded (I didn’t really trust King Hyrule saying exact results would not be made public). I didn’t want to risk putting them too high in my list for fear of drawing attention to an alliance that, while included in differing configurations within larger groups, was doing a decent job of staying off the radar. Putting any one of them too high might raise suspicion, but lining them up as my F2-F4 would potentially draw a battle line I didn’t want to make so early into the “Merge.” With that in mind, I spaced them through the middle and lower tiers of my list via randomization.

The final ranking was as follows:

02: Revali
03: Epona
04: Hunnie
05: Ancient Oven

° As luck would have it, this plan allowed me to place players I had known connections to a bit higher without worry of drawing too much attention to myself. This was the round Hunnie informed me of the “Underdog Alliance,” but to be honest I don’t think I knew about it before submitting my final list. Regardless, I felt more comfortable with the idea of three of my first four options being original Wisdom that most players realized I had good working relationships with. It felt like it would give the ranking an air of authenticity if I had to defend it at any point.

06: Prince Sidon | I placed Sidon highest of the Core Four. When we didn’t match, I had to remind myself others may have altered their lists as well to scramble the data.

07: Oaki
08: Kass
09: Patricia

° Again, my priority here was to ensure neither you nor Oaki won immunity. I placed Oaki higher by virtue of him having just won consecutive immunities and being the target I believed more people would be willing to target. I felt you were the bigger threat because of your relationship with Kass, but I hoped this arrangement would at the very least give me an easier case to pitch against Oaki.

10: Horse | Horse fell here by default, though maybe this was also my subconscious priming itself to make a case sooner rather than later. Unlikely, but it’s an interesting thought.

11: Kohga | Of the players in the Core Four, I felt most comfortable with Kohga despite knowing him for the shortest duration. As I said, I had randomized the order in which I would imbed Kass, Kohga, and Sidon within the list, but I was also content with Kohga being at the bottom of the ranking in case it meant him winning immunity.

Of course, this thought process ultimately had the opposite effect of what I intended: The rankings and my reactions to the twist ultimately served to push my allies away. The silver lining here is that, as I’ve explained in earlier answers, it allowed me to pivot to creating tighter bonds with Revali and Oven.

Riju, my Gerudo princess! How are you?

You may not realize it, but the conversation we had during our brief time together — about taking things at a pace that felt comfortable and ensuring that peace of mind and personal safety came first — impacted my journey through this game in so many ways. Thank you for being so willing to meet me on a personal level so early into the game.

And your question is excellent, but the answer is multi-faceted so I apologize in advance for trying to cover multiple things at one time.

It is important to first consider the context in which we first met each other: I was just coming from a Tribal Council in which I thought I had found "my group" in Kass and Sidon. Epona and I had a good relationship from Wisdom already, and Horse was also a formidable social presence in his own right. The only information I had been able to glean about you before we crossed paths was that you were an adept conversationalist who seemed more than capable of drawing people in — descriptors that I related to coming out of Wisdom. This was a narrative I knew and feared, but it was also one that I wanted to put on the back-burner until the time came to actually meet you. 

Then the twist happened, and we were able to interact. Within a few short PMs, I felt like I had found a friend in this game. In much the same way as Kim Spradlin was kept at a distance during Winners at War, though, I worried how much of the connection was game and how much was legitimate. From a strategic standpoint, I also recognized (or worried) that even if I were given the opportunity to team up with the Zora Three at some point in the future, I wouldn't be able to feel any better than fourth place. Mipha and I were also on questionable terms, as I worried she was one of the more vocal proponents of painting me as a social threat coming out of Wisdom — a contentious relationship both of us have more or less acknowledged with our accounts of Heart Container.

All of this is to say my apprehensions where you were concerned were much more than simply targeting players with targets on their back. Had we been given the opportunity to reconnect, to have more than a day or so to interact with one another in this game, I like to believe we would be looking at a much different game at the moment. I wanted to work with you as well, but I hadn't been given enough an opportunity to transition from a social rapport to strategic collaboration. We never got the chance to formalize any plans of working together. The general consensus coming out of that period seemed to be that the Zora Three had tried recruiting players for a voting bloc down the line, though that may not have been true. In the moment, though, having heard that and not been approached, it felt like I wouldn't have been welcomed there. 

I think the relationship I would come to form with Revali the phase that immediately followed our conversation might help to, hopefully, prove I was thinking long term even at that stage in the game. I talked about this in my opening and likely repeated facets in other responses, but Revali found himself in much a similar position as us coming out of Power: He was identified as a threat, and he had just been separated from Oaki who he deemed to be his No. 1. Whereas you and I bonded on a personal level first, Revali and I both recognized the pragmatism of protecting one another. The connection would develop as our loyalties were tested, but I was seeking connections that would offer me longevity in this game.

You stress the importance of banning together with others who were targeted, and I agree completely. This is why, instead of playing into Horse's, Epona's, and Revali's plan to have Mipha and I go after one another at the start of Tarrey Town, I went to her with my suspicions instead. This is why, when the F6 Twist came about, I solidified voting bloc with Revali and Oven to ensure that the imminent targets were able to fight back. I'm sorry if I made you feel less than by my opening remarks, but I didn't succumb to the narrative you seem to think I did. There's a reason I actively worked to dismantle Revali, Epona, and Horse — why I made a push for Horse the round he went. There's a reason I broke from Kass, Kohga, and Sidon: It was to fight against what I saw as dominant power structures. The fact that they are each sitting on the Jury and I am here speaks to the proactive game you had hoped to see people play, and I hope this response helps to clarify that.

Thank you <3