Australia vs Norway · Round of 16

Very cool rotational patterns here, they complement well the repetitiveness of the synth at 00:44:986 - ! 01:09:107 (1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2) - feels like it could have gone harder on the other side, feels a bit weak compared to the rest of the section (clean visuals though) 01:18:853 - would have maybe added some more hs for feedback in the 1/4s in this section given how they are used here 02:09:295 (1,1) - cool! 03:02:369 (1,1,1,1,1) - very cool too! 02:49:982 - kinda expected this section to be a bit more intense but might be just me overall incredibly clean entry, it's basically spotless to me lol good usage of patterning too, reflects the song really well

Cool keysounds attempt, although it sounds off-key to my ears at places (at least for the initial section). 00:44:986 - another cool use of repetition here! 01:28:635 (1,2,1,2,3,4) - i appreciate the emphasis but this feels a bit too sudden compared to the rest of the section. 01:39:200 (3,1,2,1,2) - also feels a bit too detached from the synth, i would have used some hs to make them pop out maybe, the 1/4 just feels a tad too disconnected as it is 01:50:958 (1) - nice! 02:42:627 (1,2,3,1,2,3) - and similar also feel a bit too spiky when compared to the rest oh the bell hitsounds at the ending kiai portions are very cool overall very solid entry! not as clean as the other entry and a bit too spikey at parts but still pretty creative and works well with the song :)

Despite the simplistic slider shapes, I think this entry does a good job with interesting patterns both in visuals and in gameplay. I do wish that it experimented a bit more with more elaborate slider shapes, but this entry does make sure to use them for the most special of sounds. The fairness in difficulty and the readability are what I see as this entry's biggest positive over other entries, even if I would have preferred different visuals.

The idea that stood out the most to me in this entry was the usage of different kinds of repetition. The map has many instances of patterns copied but with rotation, patterns copied but reordered, patterns with objects returning to the same position, and so on. Overall, I do like many of the patterns in the map and how repetition was incorporated. At the same time, I think the repetitive feeling of the map as a whole is the biggest flaw. Most sections don't strive to do anything different than other sections of the map. Even the choice of using two similar and muted colors of blue as the combo colors makes the experience feel monotonous.

This entry shows a good level of expertise above the other entry, the whole map feels cohesive, but it does toe the line of being a bit too safe as this map overuses very specific slightly curved 1/4 slider patterning , this led the slower sections that show some creativity to be the standout parts for me such as 01:10:716 (1,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4,5,1,2,1,2,1,2,3,1,1,2,1,2,1,1,2,1,2,3,1,2,1,1,1,1,1,2,1,2,3,4,1,1,1,1) - 02:06:411 (1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,1,1) - and 03:02:369 (1,1,1,1,1) -. Overall this does win but its not by a landslide

This entry has some interesting ideas throughout, but it loses to the other entry in terms of expertise, this entry could have been great if you had built something more from the baseline ideas that you have with repetition and mirroring patterns and finding a way to elevate those ideas (a good example of this is the pattern at 02:37:595 (1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3) - , i expected this to be built upon a lot in this section as earlier in the map it teases repetition with sections like 00:44:986, so this just felt like a missed opportunity to tie the whole map together and build upon earlier concepts) . Another standout issue for me was the hitsounding, most of the keysounding is slightly off-pitch, and the choice to overuse the default drum-hitclap when the song doesnt have a strong drum instrumental to support it is very jarring

Pernicious's map, whilst demonstrating more expertise, had more flaws than Abstruse's. Pernicious biggest strenghts are their base structures and the correct usage of the colorhaxing tool, however, the rest of the map is not up to its own potential. The lack of emphasis on the distinctive crazy piano notes and the sheer similarity between some sections with different musical approaches (such as 00:56:186 - and 01:51:983 - ) and the underwhelming intensity of the kiai on its most important part (02:49:982 - ) makes me believe that Abstruse understood the song better.

Abstruse, whilst showing a lack of expertise on executing their ideas, created a map that had clear differences between the sections, and those differences aligned with the general aesthetic of the map nonetheless. I dislike the lack of colorhaxing, because it makes the map look almost inorganic... but almost every movement on this map has been thought throughout. Also, this is the first case where I think 1/1 keysounding works excelently at the beginning, it turns the eerie vibe of the song into a reality. Their biggest downside is that the map is based on a simple aesthetic, which undermines the quality of their playability on its core sections (01:51:983 - and 02:49:595 - ). I have the feeling people will look down on this entry, but I trust my judgement above all.

This map wears its DeviousPanda inspiration on its sleeve, which feels just right for this song. It's beautiful, extremely competent, highly consistent, and utterly lacks novelty. Here, it works out because the song presents as highly complex and chaotic and thus as needing to be reined in, lest it become an unplayable monument to the excesses of a team of mappers who forget that their map is a level in a video game and meant to be played by people. This was clearly made by highly competent mappers who are capable of coordinating, communicating, and matching each other's styles and ideas. I don't doubt they have every bit of skill needed to win this entire tournament, but they will only be able to do so if they can use their outstanding grasp of fundamental skills to execute on more ambitious, sophisticated, and novel ideas, rather than butterfly sliderart that hasn't been new or exciting in 10 years.

Certainly a more creatively inspired entry than its opposition, but the gamble of skipping an entire section at 00:31:745 - and ignoring all the rhythmic complexity of the keyboard to only map the drums simply did not pay off.

Pernicious focuses, as I see it, on the execution quality and I think in this matchup it delivers enough. While the map feels "safe" in its essence, it still brings enough complexity in its patternings to have an overall solid work. The only negative part to me would be the execution of the main drop, while the map follows the 1-2-3 groupings along with the song, I feel it could explore a lot more in terms of patternings, with the current version being too basic. To counteract that, I think the entire 1:19 section is extremely well executed. While maintaining simple shaping the flow is applied in such a manner that the section keeps being engaging throughout, well done. And both 2:06 and 3:02 are great resolutions to their respective parts. Overall this map is my pick

Abstruse has few sections that almost show brilliance, but ultimately fall flat. I think execution of both 1:18 and 2:38 begin great and show a promising take on the 1-2-3 groupings, however both after about 3-5 seconds lose me. 01:24:070 (1,2,3,1,1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3,1,1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2) - this sequence tried to upkeep the visual ideas but I just don't understand what the flow is trying to create here. Second half similarly starts great and has hints of a good section, but then why does it decide to have 01:32:809 (1,2,3,1) - full spaced triplets, into having similar same sounding triplets being mostly ignored in the very next pattern sequence. The main drop up to 2:42 is looking great, but then the gimmick is immediately broken by a cross-screen triplet and the section never wraps back around to the initial ideas after, doing mostly basic triangles. Rest of the map is alright, I think 56sec section is handling the density quite well given it is mapped mostly active, making it interesting. But it is not enough to pull the map over the other entry.

00:44:986 - such a cool idea with movement and rhythm choice, rest of the map is pretty solid, provides clean and somewhat straightforward representation of the song, but also has a pretty consistent style throughout that is executed well, the flower and butterfly themed sliders are cute too; overall this map feels more coherent and it's consistent execution of ideas is making me lean toward it a bit more

neat keysounds, like how 02:49:595 - fully commits to slider mapping for bigger contrast, a decent map overall though i think some parts could have been executed better , 01:18:852 - for example loses out on having more solid song representation due to some spacings and patterning becoming more forced to fit a pattern rather than the song