Tournament 7: The Next Phase - Round 1!

Tournament 7: The Next Phase kicked off with a bang as a field of sixty-four fighters battled it out for the opportunity to join the top ranks of the seasoned elite! It was to be a particularly tense round as fights were decided by the narrowest of margins, even matched challengers bolstered by their deep determination to take advantage of this rare opportunity!

In a completely random draw without seeds, the two biggest names of The Next Phase tournament were pitted against each other in a shocking twist of fate! In a blockbuster main event, Hokey was able to fend off the competitive advance of his Duo Division Champion partner, Ninja_Mime, keeping alive a fond tradition of The Great Arena that has seen four previous Tournament winners defeat Hokey before their victory. Will this finally be Hokey's time to shine, or is he the key to victory for one of the others in a very strong field?

Back amongst the living, The_Purple_Bunny has had to delay his quest for revenge against Shoe, but sent a booming message to his arcdh-nemesis, delivering a +3 impact in the biggest defeat of the round against Buster! TonyTheTiger wasn't as harsh in his beat down of xtactics, but was the only fighter to exert total domination over his opponent! They were joined by the likes of Pink_Ranger, Ghostdragon, Porygonix and Baraka_MK, who also secured confident wins over First Round opponents!

Ken's inconsistency continued into T7 as he suffered defeat at the hands of Tyrant-Cenobite, a harsh reminder that he remains on the periphery of contention, despite coming close in the past. CaTigeReptile was similarly unlucky in her clash with Casselman, bowing out as one of the promising faces of the "Next Phase." Her posterboy counterpart, Jammer2Omega, fared much better in a solid performance against T1 veteran, Shadaloo. DECEPTION, m0s, Chiefin, JRF, and STEROLIZER were also successful, advancing to the Second Round.

Round 1 Results:
1. unixpunk d. ThePredator151 in a close fight.
2. Politics d. Angelia in a close fight.
3. Casselman d. CaTigeReptile in a close upset.
4. Hokey d. Ninja_Mime in a comprehensive blockbuster.
5. Pink_Ranger d. MINION in a comprehensive win.
6. Scott-Howell d. Shizuma in a close fight.
7. JRF d. Murdoink by a narrow margin.
8. foahchon d. ScottK
9. TonyTheTiger d. xtactics in a decimation.
10. Swisher d. Leroy in a close fight.
11. STEROLIZER d. rxvt in a close fight.
12. ShingoEX d. Dolce in a narrow win.
13. Tyrant-Cenobite d. Ken in a close fought upset!
14. Ghostdragon d. Menas in a comprehensive result.
15. GreenLantern d. Vultyrex in a close fight.
16. Mandijadeee d. Piccolo in a close fight.
17. Chromatose d. MinnyBean
18. Khan d. kororaa in a close fight.
19. Stealth-Ninja d. nif in a close fight.
20. Bofh d. Chewwi in a close fight.
21. Baraka_MK d. Mark in a comprehensive result.
22. Chiefin d. Onryo
23. SmokeRulz d. CCShadow
24. The_Purple_Bunny d. Buster in a comprehensive +3 win.
25. m0s d. Kairyu
26. Artanix d. NovaStarr
27. Celeste d. Jerrod
28. SubMan799 d. ZachAngel
29. GuiltyByDesign d. ThirtyThr33 in a close fight.
30. Porygonix d. Liam in a comprehensive win.
31. Jammer2Omega d. Shadaloo in a solid victory.
32. DECEPTION d. NightHawk

The Second Round serves up some scintillating match-ups as The Next Phase continues! All eyes will be on Hokey as he continues his campaign to win his first tournament, facing off against First Round upstart and Duo Division rival, Casselman! The Duo Division will be a major feature when Pink_Ranger faces off against Scott-Howell in singles competition; while PR's former partner, Ghostdragon, faces the controversial Tyrant-Cenobite! Also in Round 2; key Next Phase battles in Jammer2Omega vs DECEPTION, Baraka_MK vs Chiefin, and much more!

Round 2 Bracket:
1. unixpunk versus Politics
2. Casselman versus Hokey
3. Pink_Ranger versus Scott-Howell
4. JRF versus foahchon
5. TonyTheTiger versus Swisher
6. STEROLIZER versus ShingoEX
7. Tyrant-Cenobite versus Ghostdragon
8. GreenLantern versus Mandijadeee
9. Chromatose versus Khan
10. Stealth-Ninja versus Bofh
11. Baraka_MK versus Chiefin
12. SmokeRulz versus The_Purple_Bunny
13. m0s versus Artanix
14. Celeste versus SubMan799
15. GuiltyByDesign versus Porygonix
16. Jammer2Omega versus DECEPTION