Table of Contents, Recommended Blogs, and Favorite Matchups

Hello everyone,


 Since it's been a while I want to refresh you on the matchups I have done until now. My current body of work is rather small, but some of the stuff is hard to find so I'll list it all here in one place.


 And my matches are:

-The Spike Matchup Forum User UBER Battle!

In my first-ever matchup, the most prominent forum users and bloggers from seven months ago square off in a real-life battle to decide who IS the DEADLIEST WRITER!!!!

Seriously though, this was my first attempt at matchups and it shows. Still, it's worth a read if only to see who the big names were at that time. Some you'll recognize, some have been gone for a while and one is writing this right now! It's also an interesting study in how us geeks could arm ourselves if we ever did go into battle. Knives, bows, sticks, wooden shields and other makeshift weapons clash in a six-way fight to the finish, but only one aspiring nerd writer will emerge victorious! By the way, someday I'm going write a sim to this just for kicks, perhaps after Sora vs. Toon Link is done.



-DW Showdown Match 1: Southern Redneck vs. Gangsta Thug!


This match put me on the map for a few reasons as it was one of the first to introduce music, complex characters, and an epilogue to the matchup experience. I actually completed the first draft in just two days, and it shows since the profiles are a bit short and it could use more detail in general. It doesn't hold up great today, but it was well-received at the time and my current plan is to revise it as my second matchup. I actually got the idea for this from another forum poster back when Spike was cool. Those were the good 'ol simple days.......

Anyway, as to the match itself Gangstas vs. Rednecks was what Ninjas vs. Pirates is today before the latter was in vogue. These two pop culture icons both command the respect of different segments of American society, and the time is now to settle their score once and for all. Will the precision shooting and rebel yelling of the Redneck win him the victory, or will the Thug's body armor and high-powered weapons make him the king of the streets once more? Here is where to find out!



DW Showdown Match 2: Chinese Imperial Tang Warrior vs. Japanese Ashigaru Sneak Peek


After the success I experienced with my first match, I decided to go a different route and create a historical matchup featuring some of the two best Warriors in Asian history. The intro to this is as far as I got, but the quality of that is much improved over my previous effort. The reason I stopped this early was because of a combination of lack of interest at the time plus the fact that the Tang Warrior was very difficult to research. Perhaps someday I'll resurrect this, but most likely I'll end up rematching the Ashigaru against an enemy that's easier to research like the Song or Yuan Warrior.



Southern Redneck Revised Warrior Profile


Following my failure with the preceding match, I took a break from blogging to follow what others had to offer at the time. The rapidly improving work of writers such as Sparta, iHonk, Russiasfury, Meibukanman, Marek, and others convinced me that what I had done before would not cut it anymore. With that in mind, I set out to revise my first match with new weapons and tons of additional detail. The Redneck profile I actually completed, and while it's not as impressive as it once was it was very good for the time with tons of information and videos.

Unfortunately, I started this activity as Season 2 ended and interest in DW waned in turn. Overworked and seemingly one of a dying breed, I decided to give up blogging and instead just enjoy the work of others. However, this just didn't feel right to give up on something I enjoyed and so after hearing a podcast featuring iHonk I decided to reenter the game in a big way.......



About Me, and My Writing Philosophy


With a manifesto detailing my goals and how I felt about blogging in general. I decided that if I wanted to continue and be fufilled I needed to change the game and create something different. In this piece I detail my reasons for coming back and also my new writing style which is more or less based off of Monopolyman's but with a few differences.



DW Showdown Match 2: Sora vs. Toon Link!


My current match is the product of all these changes, in that two epic video game heroes with very personal goals will clash until only one is left standing. This actually began as a quickie match to ease myself back into writing, but as with everything else I like to "go big or go home." As of now it has been a month and a half in development (an eon by blogging standards) and though both profiles are over halfway done there is still a long way to go until it's finished. When it finally is done, it will be well worth the wait, trust me.....







Recommended Blogs


There are plenty of other writers out there producing great work, and many are inspirations to myself so I highly suggest checking out their work. What follows is a list of writers whose work I am fond of, as well as my favorite match from each:



iHonk: Also known simply as Mike, this guy was quite simply the best before anyone else even started. His matches emphasize historical detail, so if you are a fan of the strict DW ancient battle formula you'll be at home here. His innovations are many but they are all important to us who follow in his path. Actually, he was so successful as a blogger that he's now planning his own book!


Favorite Match: iHonk has perhaps the largest body of work of anyone, but if I could only read one of his sims it would be "Norse Warlord vs. Samurai Daimyo." This one is a classic rematch of the famous DW episode, and it expands upon that concept very well with new weapons and tactics for both sides. The sim is characteristic of his writing style, which emphasizes the tactical decisions of the factions' leaders.


Monopolyman: Also known as afanofsparta, he is my main inspiration in terms of writing style and his highly detailed matches set the standard for today's new bloggers. He does a mix of fantasy and ancient matchups and also throws a fair bit of plot intrigue into his simulations. Be warned: while they are highly entertaining, his sims are very long so getcha popcorn ready beforehand! We have traded several ideas for DW matches and though I owe pretty much my entire style to him he also has adopted some of my innovations as well.


Favorite Match: It's very hard to pick here but I can narrow it down to two episodes that struck me as being particularly memorable: Julius Caesar vs. Cao Cao of Wei settles the ultimate question of Rome vs. Han China quite convincingly, and in my mind it has the best plot twists of Sparta's sims. The other one is Byzantine Cataphracts vs. Polish Winged Hussars, quite possibly the best single matchup that anyone has produced to date. This one has it all: great weapons, plenty of history, and a twist ending that I'm still just coming to grips with now.



Marek: Also known as Marek the Warrior, he is a bit younger than the rest of us but he has a long history of producing matches for our entertainment. Most of them are found on his profile on Spike, but he does have a blogspot titled "Making the Cut." He is extremely ambitious and plans a tournament called the King of War that pits history's greatest warriors from six continents against one another. Marek's been on hiatus recently due to business, but I'm an example of how quickly that can change.


Favorite Match: Most of Marek's earlier work is short and to the point, and while it is all of high quality his latest effort called the "Sioux Achictka Warrior Bio" is remarkable for its level of detail, previously  matched only by a few such as Russiasfury, Master of The Boot, iHonk, Sparta, and myself. I certainly hope that he gets around to completing his current match.



MeibukanMaster: This was one person who went under my radar for a good long while. I personally don't know much about his art, but his matches are certainly entertaining enough to be noticed. His style is a mix between iHonk's and Sparta's, and where he excels is in using warriors that nobody has ever heard of before. It certainly makes you feel disappointed in Spike for not using some of these guys in Season 3.


Favorite match: "Scottish Border Raiders vs. Crow Nation" exemplifies what Meibukanmaster is all about in that both sides are exotic and the profiles are informative and easy without being overkill to make you lose interest. This is Meibukan's only simulation on his blog right now, but it is excellent with plenty of personality amongst the characters.




Ares: Formerly known as Areshuls and from the Netherlands, Ares has been a presence on forum boards for a long while now. He does both Historical and fictional battles, and he periodically shares his perspectives on the real show as well. Like myself, his skills as a blogger have increased considerably in recent months.


Favorite Match: Ares' latest work, "Ramesses II vs. Xerxes I" is clearly his best as it represents the latest in his development as a blogger. Two of the Bronze Age's best generals are compared here, with direct comparisons of Persian and Egyptian gear that are illustrated with some fascinating videos. The sim is excellent as well, portraying a chariot battle between the two leaders.



Master of the Boot: Apparently this guy has been doing matches for quite a long time, but I only stumbled upon his work recently. He takes a different approach than most others, sticking strictly to the show's format and making each episode feel like an episode of the show. He is very dedicated and his matchups are quite long, even more so than Sparta's, but they keep things entertaining with witty dialogue between the experts and the hosts as well as videos. I'll be honest with you all in saying that I haven't even skimmed the surface of what Master of the Boot has put out, but I'm already amazed by what I have.


Favorite Match: Like I stated, I don't have much experience reading Master of The Boot's work so I'll recommend one I have read, "Sarah Kerrigan vs. Anakin Skywalker". This match pits the famous pretty-boy turned evil Sith lord against the Queen Bitch of the Universe from Starcraft II. This is one match you'll have to read to believe since it is so unique from everything else out there (yes, Sparta has done the same match but I'm talking about the style).



Northern Dancing Guy: Don't let the odd name put you off, he is a rising star in the small DW blogging community and he has the matches to show for it. Also known as Warrior Song, he has taken a slightly different approach to blogging in that he has introduced the element of comedy into his page. His Comedy Cats pages are welcome diversions from the seriousness of DW, and he also has an expansive library of normal matches as well.

Favorite Match: I'd have to take his latest work, "Rough Riders vs. Boer Commandos" as my favorite since it contains a lot of useful information about two warrior cultures that were similar and contempraneous yet never fought one another. Song's weapon descriptions shine here as they incluse a tale of the tape type information setup. The allies and enemies sections are also very well written.


Rikun: Someone that's new around here, his match is "Untouchables vs. Nazi Gestapo." It's pretty good so far, and it reminds me somewhat of my own Redneck vs. Gangsta match in terms of style. Check it out and support other new bloggers!



Those are my recommended and favorite blogs, but before I leave I want to highlight another writer whose work I have not read: DaRaginCajun. He has been active for a while, but I haven't had the time to check out his work. I'll update this appropriately when that changes.


 Until next time, check out my update log for more news on Sora vs. Toon Link!

Thanks for reading,
                                         Vercingetorix\_