Board Thread:Battle Of The ORGs 2: Mount Yasur/@comment-9643387-20160527033701/@comment-4600940-20160527220502

1. Myself.

I feel like everyone tends to see themselves as the hero of their own story and for me to put myself any lower than the most deserving spot just so I can look more humble or to appeal to the jury isn't something that I feel comfortable doing. I want to be honest with everyone and I honestly do believe I was the best and most deserving player of the season. I am by no means saying I played a flawless game but I deliberately made decisions that actively put me a good spot and took me to the end of this game. I was not dragged here, I did not get here through luck or through the actions of others, I am here solely because I played this game well. Even after I lost my closest allies, I was constantly able to adapt and bounce back to ensure I'd be sitting here at the end. I also believe the moves I made had a direct effect on the game's pace - if I never made my move at Final 10, everyone's plans would have been completely screwed and an idol would have remained in the game for even longer, causing potentially game-ending challenge. I made the moves I needed to make to get to the end - I not only successfully got to the end but I played to win and I truly do not believe that my opponents here nor anyone else in the game can make that statement honestly.

If I lose this game, I will still be satisfied with the way I played. I truly hope that my game is enough to deserve everyone's votes and while I know the anger you feel towards me is completely deserved, I hope that it is not enough to overshadow the otherwise very strong game I played.

2. Zach.

Zach is the definition of a good social player. He had strong relationships with everyone and was on good terms with pretty much every player in the game. Even when my allies were constantly singing his praise, I didn't even realize what a threat Zach was because he was so good at staying behind the scenes when he made his moves. He knew what was going on and was very in-tune with the game which is definitely the mark of a strong player. As I said in my opening speech, being likeable is a player's greatest asset and Zach had that part of the game down pat.

3. Jake.

Jake and I played a very similar game and I feel to put him lower on the list would also be an insult to my own game. We were in lockstep for a majority of the merge and I believe he played a very strong strategic game that was incredibly in-tune with how everyone else was thinking. He was always able to get people to believe his lies and he had a strong pull on everyone, convincing every individual person they were meaningful to his game instead of expendable. Similarly to Zach, I also believe Jake was a big threat to win and that is a huge factor in my respect for his game.

4. Will.

Will was another huge target at the merge. I was constantly afraid of Will and the threat he posed to my game. He was the leader of his alliance but never came across as rude or like he felt others were disposable - he still had a great social game and managed to make everyone feel valued. He pulled in Grace despite her being on the 703 Tribe and managed to constantly turn things around for his alliance even when it looked like his game was at it's end. I also strongly admire his drive and focus. Like myself, Will played for himself and no one else, and that's something I strongly admire in other players.

5. Domonique.

Domonique was an amazing player. She had the biggest target out of anyone this season and still managed to make it to F8 despite being relentlessly targetted. It takes a special kind of skill to navigate the game and still have control when you're name is always being thrown out there and I think the negative aspects of her game can be overlooked due to the position she was in. It's impossible to play subtly when you're that big of a target - she lived and breathed the idea of "go big or go home" and that's definitely the type of game I think is worth respecting.

6. Grace.

Grace did play well, especially considering the position she was in, and I cannot deny she was a strong competitor. She managed to hang on to the end and win immunities when it counted to help get her here and despite the odds against her, she's still standing. However during this FTC, I have to say I have lost a bit of respect for Grace's game. She did not do nearly as much as she's claiming and I think her FTC alone shows how inaccurate her perception of the game was. I admire the drive and determination she is showing but it's honestly hurtful to see her take credit for the moves I made like they were her own. I'm not sure if she was that unaware how little what she wanted influenced the game or if she knows these were not her moves and doesn't care but I can't support someone who isn't even owning up to the game they played. If Grace wins this game, I will believe that a good player won, but I want the Grace that actually played to be the one you are considering voting for, not the player she is selling herself to be in her speech.

7. Aren.

Aren showed a lot of potential and I truly believe had he made it further, he would have been a major threat in this game. He knew how to make strong relationships and put himself in a good spot where he could comfortably gain information from both sides, something I greatly respect as I know how hard it is to play that position. In another cast, his game could be one that gets him the win, it just didn't work out for him here.

8. Liam.

Despite being in the minority, Liam still managed to make it to the F3 and that alone is a very impressive accomplishment. However, Liam's self vote strategy made me really disappointed with his game and it's a huge reason I cannot put him higher on this list. Instead of facing the situation head on and actually playing, he took the easy way out and self-voted so he could remain a swing vote. It's clever and it definitely worked but I see it as abusing a loophole in a rule that's designed to punish you, not to be used for strategy. I cannot admire someone who didn't even cast a vote and chose to take the easy way out instead of dealing with the consequences. If someone stood up and simply said "I refuse to vote!", I would not consider it admirable at all and the same feeling applies here even though Liam's strategy was a little more intelligent. This isn't to say I don't admire swing votes, I just don't admire those who get in their position by taking the easy way out instead of intentionally shaping the game around them.

9. Charley

Charley's game was very subtle, it just had a weakness that made people not like it. They viewed her as a side vote to many people's game, and it may not be true, but it's just their perspective. What they think it can go a long way because it effects a lot in the end overall. Like Grace said, people never really got to experience being close with her.

10. Seth.

Seth's under the radar game would be really good - just not in this group of people. With clashing characters all around, trying to remain under the radar isn't the good way to go in this group of players unless you know the information you give out won't be leaked, and unfortunately Seth's did. If he created more trust in people then he would've made it far, but he didn't.

11. Alex.

Alex played well but the swaps threw him for a loop and he had a lot of difficulty recovering from them. It took him a while to get his footing but once he did, he had a solid alliance and was in a good spot. I'm not entirely sure what benefit going against this alliance served him because it directly resulted in him going home but I admire his effort.

12. Micah.

Micah never once initiated a conversation with me so I really can't comment on his game. I don't know what kind of a player he is because I never got to see anything from him.

13. Jamie.

I feel like this one is obvious. I understand why she quit but it's really frustrating to those of us who were trying that she gave up so close to the end. I also don't think she was playing a game that would have in any way got her a win and she had very little control over what was happening.

Thanks Zach!