The Ultimate Order of the Stick Plotline / "Round" Tournament: Round 2A

[Procyonpi]

Welcome to the next round of the Ultimate Order of the Stick Plotline / "Round" Tournament, the tournament where the fans vote to determine their favorite set of 3 to ~60 strips! This is where the heavy hitters really start to come out. This Week's matchups:

1. Deus Elf Machina (DStP) (623-642) vs. 41. Pyramid Scheme (BRitF) (834-866)
16. Secondary Damage (DStP) (582-599) vs. 17. Prize Fight (BRitF) (775-822)
8. Q & A (WaXP) (321-338) vs. 27. Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF) (1-43)
9. On a +9 Cloud (DStP)) (489-499) vs. 26. Blood Will Out (BRitF) (742-774)

The round closes at 9:00PM EST on Wednesday February 4th. Get out there and vote!

Links to First Pages of Each Round:

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Dungeon Crawlin' Fools
The Order Introduced (DCF)
Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF)
The Linear Guild (DCF)
Hot Dwarf-on-Dwarf Action (DCF)
To Xykon! (DCF)

No Cure for the Paladin Blues
The Villiage Idiots (NCfBP)
The Bandits (NCfBP)
Lizard Noises (NCfBP)
Vilification (NCfBP)
Turning Points (NCfBP)
Inn and Out (NCfBP)
A Linear Plot (NCfBP)
Trial or Error? (NCfBP)
Allies and Other Obstacles (NCfBP)
Epilogue (NCfBP)

War and XP
A Toast to the New Year (WaXP)
Q & A (WaXP)
Ready to Rumble (WaXP)
Kill the Messenger (WaXP)
Heroism for Dummies (WaXP)
The Collapse (WaXP)
The Battle for Azure City (WaXP)
Fight Another Day (WaXP)

Don't Split the Party
On a +9 Cloud (DStP)
Where Are They Now? (DStP)
The Prisoner (DStP)
Advanced Diversions & Distractions (DStP)
Secondary Damage (DStP)
Return of the King, Baby (DStP)
Deus Elf Machina (DStP)
The Power of Balance (DStP)
Mended Stick (DStP)

Blood Runs in the Family
Save Room for Desert (BRitF)
Face the Nation (BRitF)
Father, Sun, and Slaughter (BRitF)
Blood Will Out (BRitF)
Prize Fight (BRitF)
All the Wrong Places (BRitF)
Pyramid Scheme (BRitF)
Life After Death (BRitF)
Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRitF)
Into the Sunset (BRitF)

Seeds:

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1. Deus Elf Machina (DStP)
2. The Battle for Azure City (WaXP)
3. The Power of Balance (DStP)
4. Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRitF)
5. Heroism for Dummies (WaXP)
6. All the Wrong Places (BRitF)
7. Life After Death (BRitF)
8. Q & A (WaXP)
9. On a +9 Cloud (DStP)
10. The Prisoner (DStP)
11. Advanced Diversions & Distractions (DStP)
12. The Villiage Idiots (NCfBP)
13. Ready to Rumble (WaXP)
14. The Collapse (WaXP)
15. Fight Another Day (WaXP)
16. Secondary Damage (DStP)
17. Prize Fight (BRitF)
18. The Order Introduced (DCF)
19. The Linear Guild (DCF)
20. Hot Dwarf-on-Dwarf Action (DCF)
21. To Xykon! (DCF)
22. Trial or Error? (NCfBP)
23. Epilogue (NCfBP)
24. A Toast to the New Year (WaXP)
25. Face the Nation (BRitF)
26. Blood Will Out (BRitF)
27. Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF)
28. The Bandits (NCfBP)
29. Lizard Noises (NCfBP)
30. Vilification (NCfBP)
31. Turning Points (NCfBP)
32. Inn and Out (NCfBP)
33. A Linear Plot (NCfBP)
34. Allies and Other Obstacles (NCfBP)
35. Kill the Messenger (WaXP)
36. Where Are They Now? (DStP)
37. Return of the King, Baby (DStP)
38. Mended Stick (DStP)
39. Save Room for Desert (BRitF)
40. Father, Sun, and Slaughter (BRitF)
41. Pyramid Scheme (BRitF)
42. Into the Sunset (BRitF)

Previous Rounds:

Spoiler

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Seeding Round

Round 1A

Spoiler: Results

Show

41. Pyramid Scheme (BRitF) (6) vs. 42. Into the Sunset (BRitF) (3)
27. Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF) (5) vs. 28. The Bandits (NCfBP) (4)
25. Face the Nation (BRitF) (4) vs. 26. Blood Will Out (BRitF) (5)
35. Kill the Messenger (WaXP) (6) vs. 36. Where Are They Now? (DStP) (3)
33. A Linear Plot (NCfBP) (1) vs 34. Allies and Other Obstacles (NCfBP) (8)

Round 1B

Spoiler: Results

Show

39. Save Room for Desert (BRitF) (0) vs. 40. Father, Sun, and Slaughter (BRitF) (9)
29. Lizard Noises (NCfBP) (6) vs. 30. Vilification (NCfBP) (3)
23. Epilogue (NCfBP) (3) vs. 24. A Toast to the New Year (WaXP) (6)
37. Return of the King, Baby (DStP) (4) vs. 38. Mended Stick (DStP) (5)
31. Turning Points (NCfBP) (7) vs. 32. Inn and Out (NCfBP) (2)

Rules:

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1. This will be a single elimination Tournament with a seeding round at the start. Voting on each round will last 1 week typically close Wednesday at 9:00 PM EST. Generally, there will be multiple elimination matches voted on each week.
2. The moderator (me) generally will not vote, except to break ties.
3. Feel free to post as much or as little as you want explaining your vote, however, I would appreciate if you bold the round you are voting for. Votes will be counted as I am able to interpret them.

[Bird]

1. Dues Elf Machina (DStP) (623-642) vs. 41. Pyramid Scheme (BRitF) (834-866)

16. Secondary Damage (DStP) (582-599) vs. 17. Prize Fight (BRitF) (775-822)

8. Q & A (WaXP) (321-338) vs. 27. Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF) (1-43) For you see, I theorize the halfling does not possess a truly sentient brain, like you or I, but rather a simple lump of nerve tissue that serves as a primitive "proto brain"...

9. On a +9 Cloud (DStP)) (489-499) vs. 26. Blood Will Out (BRitF) (742-774)

[ranagrande]

Deus (not Dues) Elf Machina
Prize Fight
Q & A
Blood Will Out

[Gift Jeraff]

1. Deus Elf Machina (DStP) (623-642)
17. Prize Fight (BRitF) (775-822)
8. Q & A (WaXP) (321-338)
26. Blood Will Out (BRitF) (742-774)

Pretty sure On a +9 Cloud starts at #485.

[Sylian]

1. Deus Elf Machina (DStP)
17. Prize Fight (BRitF)
8. Q & A (WaXP)
9. On a +9 Cloud (DStP)

I nominated both "On a +9 Cloud" and "Blood Will Out", it's a shame one will have to leave already. I quite enjoyed the afterlife scenes, so "On a +9 Cloud" gets my vote.

[LadyEowyn]

Deus Elf Machina vs. Pyramid Scheme.
And wow, that's an impressively fitting matchup. The precipitating event and its consequences.

Secondary Damage vs. Prize Fight. The arena scene is one of the less compelling parts of BRitF in my opinion, and one of the parts that could have been condensed a little. On the other hand, I really do like Therkla's arc, and it's interesting to see Elan mature a bit.

Q & A vs. Wacky Dungeon Hijinks
Q&A wins because, let's face it, the first book is just crappy. It's incredible how much both the art and story have continuously improved (NCftPB is okay, WaXP is good, and everything from DSTP onwards is great).

On a +9 Cloud vs. Blood Will Out
I really do like the sequence with Roy in Heaven; it's a very thoughtful examination of alignment, and the amenities once he gets in are perfectly chosen (the Debating Hall Where You're Always Right would keep me busy for, oh, at least several years). But it's hard to match up to Tarquin's impressive villain speech and Haley's conversation with her dad.

[Joerg]

1. Deus Elf Machina (DStP) (623-642) vs. 41. Pyramid Scheme (BRitF) (834-866)
16. Secondary Damage (DStP) (582-599) vs. 17. Prize Fight (BRitF) (775-822)
8. Q & A (WaXP) (321-338) vs. 27. Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF) (1-43)
9. On a +9 Cloud (DStP)) (489-499) vs. 26. Blood Will Out (BRitF) (742-774)

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Deus Elf Machina
Prize Fight
Q&A
On a +9 Cloud

[littlebum2002]

Deus Elf Machina
Secondary Damage
Q&A
On a #9 Cloud

[martianmister]

Deus Elf Machina (DStP)
Secondary Damage (DStP)
Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF)
Blood Will Out (BRitF)

[AGD]

41. Pyramid Scheme (BRitF)
17. Prize Fight (BRitF)
8. Q & A (WaXP)
9. On a +9 Cloud (DStP)

[Procyonpi]

Voting is closed!

Results:
1. Deus Elf Machina (DStP) (9) vs. 41. Pyramid Scheme (BRitF) (1)
16. Secondary Damage (DStP) (4) vs. 17. Prize Fight (BRitF) (6)
8. Q & A (WaXP) (9) vs. 27. Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF) (1)
9. On a +9 Cloud (DStP)) (4) vs. 26. Blood Will Out (BRitF) (6)

Two relatively close matches and two near shutouts.

Next round should be up within the hour.