Urbosa

Jurors,

The history of Hyrule is also a tale of order and chaos, of harmony and discord between the three facets of the Triforce: Power, Courage, and Wisdom. With the passage of time, each conflict has faded to legend, but their legacy endures. Echoes of these struggles have reverberated through the stories of the Gerduo for centuries, and many of Hyrule’s great cultures share similar narratives. It should come as no surprise to all assembled here, then, that each of this adventure’s finalists reflect the diversity of this land. The paths we’ve taken bring us to the crossroads of destiny: Our actions have led us this far, but our fate now rests in your hands.

So who will you ultimately choose?

Will it be our Rito representative, Revali, whose journey began as he struggled against the crosswinds of a blindside and has found himself reeling in a maelstrom ever since? During these deliberations, Revali has likened himself to a Dragon Rider and described me as the dragon — a challenge beast. A force of nature. I acknowledge and agree with these titles, but not without following that thread of logic to its inevitable conclusion: In his own words, Revali was content to ride not on the backs, but on the tails of others. To find himself buffeted by the game’s many twists and turns.

Hyrule was never in need of a Dragon Rider, esteemed jurors. She needed a Dragon Slayer, and that player never answered the call.

Though presented with myriad opportunities to author the chapters of his own story, Revali opted to coast. To let the dragon pave the way while he sought shelter from the carnage. It cannot be understated that Revali was spared no fewer than three times in this game through the actions of others. By his own admission, Revali played a reactionary game. This ultimately makes sense when considering that, when offered the chance to take decisive action, he instead chose the smoother, safer course at nearly every turn.

Revali played round by round to survive. I played to win.

If this narrative proves disquieting, will you then turn your attention to our Zora representative, Mipha?

Mipha began the game strong, endearing herself to the Wisdom Tribe and finding a formidable team in the Zora Three. However, she would make a fatal error in Heart Container — a forced mistake — that would leave her exposed as the players arrived in Tarrey Town. This would ultimately be her undoing, resulting in her elimination.

I can only guess at the hardships faced by players during the Redemption Rounds, and as such I have — and continue to be — a proponent in favor of the twist. Every player who went through that process ought to be commended for fighting to the very end. The fact that Mipha was able to earn her way back into the game is an achievement that, without question, ought to be lauded. How she played following this opportunity, though, should also be taken into account.

Mipha returned with a vengeance, yes, but then proceeded to squander many of the tools at her disposal — spreading so many conflicting chains of “information” that a large number of players caught her in lies and ultimately failed to believe her; flushing a second idol; and failing to deceive players or influence play to any noticeable degree with her claims that the Final Four challenge would rest upon rupees. She aimed to shift focus to Epona at Final Six for this reason, and I prevented that wagon from gaining momentum. If the crux of Mipha’s claims to Power, Courage, and Wisdom are dependent on her first being voted out to (1) win Redemption, (2) acquire the Spirit Orb idol, (3) have a wealth of information at her disposal (perceived threats, number of idols, etc.) then I ask the Jury scrutinize these factors — and what I see as missed opportunities to utilize Redemption momentum in the ways necessary to influence her own game — under the same lens used to critique my possession and usage of items.

Like Revali, Mipha was forced on the defensive as we headed into the later stages of the game. She had all the tools at her disposal to dominate, but she failed to exercise consistent, credible autonomy over her own journey. 

With this in mind, I leave you with a third option: 

Jurors, I ask you to crown me, a player who has been identified as a threat — first social, then in challenges — since Round One and, despite the odds, endured. My game has not been without its missteps to be sure, but of the finalists before you I can say with confidence that I best adapted to this game’s many twists and mechanics and, in doing so, exemplified the tenets of the Triforce.

Power | I stand before you having won a total of seven individual immunity challenges. Seven. I realize that number, while record-breaking, also carries with it a negative connotation that I have argued against this entire Final Tribal Council. Both my peers have suggested that, by virtue of winning, I never had to worry about truly playing the game. This is simply not true. As I’ve said before, security was never guaranteed long term, so I had to make the most of every round with the immunity necklace to neutralize targets (thereby making the necessary moves) to do more than survive. I was tenacious in my approach to each challenge, translating my analysis of the game to tactics that would advance my chances of succeeding each round. I am able to own that now without regressing back into the self-doubt of the player who began this game. I am here because I undeniably reflect the very best of the Triforce of Power.

With this in mind, there is something I would like to address.



I wouldn’t find this as insulting had the very same player not publicly posted the following:


By contrast, I stayed up all night before "Shifting Through Inventory" to create a database that would help be decisively win that challenge. I spent hours on the puzzles in Divine Trial Tribe and at Final Four, knowing full well I didn’t have the luxury to “not try very hard” if I wanted the opportunity to defend my case here and now. I am not saying this is the bar by which to judge challenge performances or dedication to this game; instead, it highlights the lengths to which I was personally willing to go — the passion, commitment, and process — to give this game my all even after finding myself at the bottom of the group.

Courage | As mentioned several times through this process, I exited the Wisdom Tribe having been branded a “social queen,” and this moniker would follow me until I began my winning streak. While this facet of play suffered in the endgame, my social game also underpinned some of my proudest accomplishments to this point. It brought me in league with such players as Sidon, Kass, and Kohga. Recognizing a kindred spirit Revali once we reached Heart Container, I was able to initiate the conversations that would lead to a game-long alliance. I employed a similar tactic with Link, and would later spin a shortcoming in my own planning during the F6 Twist to form an alliance that included Oven, Revali, and myself. My social game placed me at the center of a network of information for most of the game — Robbie passing me information I would use to eliminate him and cast suspicion on other players; Hunnie letting me know about the fledgling alliance of Horse/Oaki/Patricia/Oven and herself; Mipha relaying information about Sidon’s plans, which allowed me to calibrate my own accordingly as we headed into the home stretch. My social game culminated in Oven passing me the Idol Nullifier, a tool that could have just as easily spelled my doom in this game. Even from the dialogue during the Q&A phase, Oven acknowledged this was an error on their part, but it underscores the work I put into fostering lasting, legitimate relationships.

Wisdom | Without question, Wisdom proved to be the keystone around which I built my game. I have demonstrated countless times over how my analytical mind factored into the ways in which I approached challenges — implementing a strategy that would net me advantages when I previously was exposed, pulling off wins by a wide margin, etc. What’s more, the principles of Wisdom were made manifest through my reads of social interactions, which helped me scope out the topography each tribe I passed through, improve my position, and gain momentum. Ultimately, it would be through a steadfast trust in my own intuition that led me to force errors and flush items, execute moves at the correct times leading into the Merge, eliminate opposition before they had the opportunity to strike — eliminating Horse to dismantle a new voting bloc, taking out Oaki to weaken Sidon, removing a strategist like Kass from the board — and ultimately utilize my own arsenal to set the terms of battle through the endgame.

Finding balance in the elements of the Triforce saw me through to this, the Final Tribal Council. It also helped me ensure that the game’s multitude of threatening players were eliminated. My game was far from perfect, but I have demonstrated that my play, though controversial, proactively addressed future problems and adapted to the framework set forth by the Guides. In doing so, I was able to do what both Revali and Mipha could not: Maintain control of my own narrative and continually execute a vision.  

From the inception of Survivor: Power vs. Courage vs. Wisdom, I aspired to be a great player, and through a combination of luck and cunning, I found myself given many opportunities to fulfill that destiny. I didn't always succeed, but in those setbacks — losing Link, losing Oven, ostracizing myself from my allies — I also never stopped pushing myself to aim higher and to do better. I played a flawed game, yes, but I also played a persistent, resilient game. Far too late, I realized that it was perhaps better to be a decent player who nevertheless aspired to do great things. Some actions cannot be undone, but this game has underscored to me that someone who is lost might still be able to find her way through hardships.

I began this game a warrior wearied from a century of hardship and loss. I stand before you now, resolute and wholly proud of what I have accomplished in this game. Respect me or despise me, what I achieved in this contest has never been seen before on this site, nor do I think we will soon see this trajectory repeated. I say that not with cockiness, but with awe. Not with arrogance, but with an acknowledgement that an unprecedented record is befitting of an unprecedented game. You may not believe I played the game of Survivor, but I played this game of Survivor, and I played it with every fiber of my being.

My time in Hyrule has afforded me many titles — Warrior, Social Queen, Dragon; Coward, Turncoat, Adversary. Even now, however, the associations tied to each begin to fade (though some still sting). Soon, they will all but be forgotten. It is with this in mind that, as we enter the twilight hours of this adventure, I ask each of you to bestow upon me one final title: Champion.

As always, thank you for your consideration. I'll see you on the other side <3