2020-08-11 23:19:41 +0000 UTC by KevinY3
Welcome lads and lasses to the monthly bending tournament report! Unfortunately, this time around, you’ve all been deprived of QuietDove’s dulcet tones (delivered exclusively through text on a screen, somehow) and have been left with me, little ole KevinY3. The format's a little different this time around because of that.
This month’s tournament saw a cavalcade of fighters taking part, with each and every single one of them proving themselves in the ring. We’ve seen an astronomical rise in the standards of the participants in these tournaments as of late. Who knows what kind of incredible battles have yet to be fought, what tales of struggle and of triumph have yet to be transcribed? The possibilities are endless and you, my friend, have the opportunity to be a part of history. Just go to shop.avatarmc.com and donate all of your life savings to... I kid, of course. Now, that’s enough purple prose from me—onto the section that we all care about, the match summaries!
The VOD can be viewed by clicking here!
Competitors
Water: Best_Minority, 1card2, ShadowKing1255, Danger5002, jackhammerjack, StalkerRazor
Fire: AwesomeSpy546, Seppizza, Fire_LordAzula, FakeFires
Earth: Cafeman, Indomitis (Gentechian), jakkke, LAUR3NS_KLAV3R
Air: Momadt, dormagedonoff, EshelD, ThomasCraft00, CaesarSW4R, 17jlede, GamerAlex546, wuss_poppin__b, BananaVirus
Nonbending: Log_as, Avidius_Latte, KevinY3
First Round
Match 1: Best_Minority vs. AwesomeSpy546AwesomeSpy started the match with a single whiffed fireball. And for the rest, we had a farcical chase between him and Best Minority, with Best running after his opponent whose second, and only other, action during that match was to set himself on fire. Best wins, obviously.
Match 2: Momadt vs. dormagedonoffDormag went in hot, opting to indulge in close-quarters-combat while keeping light on their feet. As the match progressed, we saw both fighters trading blows, moving through one another in an intricate sort of dance, just waiting for one or the other to make a mistake. Ultimately, it was dormag's aggression that was their downfall, as Momadt adapted to their attacks and successfully executed a series of counters and long range snipes, forcing their opponent to concede. And by concede, I mean die.
Match 3: Seppizza vs. EshelDBoth fighters tried to stay distant, taking advantage of their longest range moves all while keeping a distance. EshelD tried to close in, using various melee range moves to try to get a read on his opponent, but the firebending fighter remained too mobile and created too many avenues of attack. For the longest time he looked invincible, delivering devastating blow after devastating blow while taking no hits in return. He kept up a constant barrage against Eshel, eventually burning him to a crisp. A well deserved victory for Seppizza!
Match 4: Log_as vs. 1card2Log went in hard and fast, using a mix of chiblock, falcon strike and throwing knife to deliver an unavoidable wall of aggression. Card responded by trying to stay in their element, keeping to the water pools in order to heal and fire off their most powerful moves. The gods of movement speed were not on Card's side, however, and Log found himself easily evading water's slow and ponderous attacks while easily punishing each and every one of their opponent's moves. Ultimately, Card went down while Log moved on with a victory to their name.
Match 5: danger5002 vs. ShadowKing1255Hopes were high this tournament to see ShadowKing take the whole thing, as the spunky waterbender had made a name for himself contending with the roughest and the readiest in the FNC arena, scoring an impressive track record of victories. Both waterbenders immediately went in close trading blow for blow. Danger executed on a seemingly perfect High Tide, but ShadowKing managed to escape from it in the nick of time. In a brilliant act of quick thinking, Shadow converted Danger's own High Tide into ice, suffocating the hapless waterbender within his own ultimate. Danger went down in thirty seconds flat, making this the fastest match in the entire tournament!
Match 6: 17jlede vs. GamerAlex546Both combatants seemed to enjoy taking it slow and steady, with each closing in on their opponent to use a series of close range, highly repeatable moves. This war of attrition quickly became untenable for both parties, leading to them having to adapt. Jlede took to the skies, using gusts and jumps to keep out of their enemy's reach while Alex started using a more diverse portfolio of moves, greatly extending his range and therefore his capacity for hitting his opponent where and when it hurt most. This battle was one whose result was determined by whoever made the most mistakes and unfortunately, in the end, jlede was the one who went down.
Match 7: CaesarSW4R vs. CafeManEarth has always been weak against air. With few fast-traveling moves to hit their mobile opponents and little mobility of their own with which to dodge the airbender's windy fare, earth is consistently the butt of the joke in every earth vs. air matchup. However, when this battle began, it seemed as if CafeMan immediately had his opponent on the ropes, successfully landing a series of attacks all while remaining close to his opponent where their strongest moves couldn't possibly penetrate CafeMan's armour. Amazingly, in a total reversal of roles, this time around it was the earthbender who stayed on the move and who couldn't be hit. However, Caesar made an incredible comeback, pinning his opponent with a series of close-ranged attacks and a full ultimate, leaving CafeMan with practically no health. From there it was all downhill for the coffee bender, as Caesar broke down his defenses and brought him to his knees.
Match 8: jakkke vs. Fire_LordAzulaBoth fighters were insanely aggressive, going in for absurdly risky plays all while refusing to give their opponents an inch of ground or space to breathe. It was like watching two trains colliding with one another headfirst, with both parties belligerently refusing to let up for even a second. Halfway through the match, however, jakkke began to run out of steam, whiffing many of their shots and taking many more in return. Azula capitalized on this weakness, making good use of fire's new move—Burnout—to deliver some incredibly painful attacks. Jakkke's defeat became an inevitability from there, and Azula found themselves moving on into the rest of the tournament. It seemed at this point that fire had truly stepped back into the limelight after a series of disappointing appearances in previous tournaments.
Match 9: ThomasCraft00 vs. Avidius_LatteAs expected of a duel between an airbender and nonbender, this round was a tight and mobile affair, with each fighter having to maintain an intricate grasp of both their own position and their opponent's. Avid delivered a series of beautifully well-placed grenades, knives and blowdarts, winning microvictory after microvictory, while Thomas seemed to be on the back foot the whole round, desperately casting defensive moves in an attempt to just stay alive and to keep his lethal opponent away. Thomas went down and Avidius—a crowd favourite expected by many to take the whole tournament—moved on to fight her next opponent.
LAUR3NS_KLAV3R and Hamster_Thing were supposed to fight in match ten, but the latter failed to show up. In the words of our immortal god-king CheeseSandwich, "sucks to suck."
Second Round
Match 10: Best_Minority vs. jackhammerjackHopes were high that the recent changes to water would prevent this match from dragging out for too long. As soon as the proverbial gun was fired, both fighters closed in on one another, each convinced that they could out-damage the other. However, in a cruel twist of fate, Jack found himself out of the water and stranded within Best_Minority's range of attack, who completely obliterated his opponent with a combination of ice-blizzard and splash, winning this round in spectacularly rapid fashion. An astounding performance from Best!
Match 11: Indomitis vs. LAUR3NS_KLAV3REarth vs. Earth, a matchup as old as… well, as old as earth vs. earth. There were the usual trapplings: hastily cast earth armours, walls created in a desperate attempt to avoid damage and an overuse of earth blast and shackle to the neglect of other moves like pebble toss and earth coin. This match was slow and steady, full of grace as if it were a waltz. Lauren and Indomitis danced all around the arena, but eventually, Indomitis stepped on their date's shoes, and Lauren was the one who ended up stumbling. Indomitis won this dance.
Match 12: Momadt vs. SeppizzaThis match felt like a fight between Zuko and Aang, with our airbender—Momadt—trying to stay evasive and near his opponent, taking advantage of his ability to dodge and weave around his opponent. Meanwhile, Seppizza kept up a constant stream of attacks, using all of the moves available to them to crush their opponent in a timely fashion. Momadt was forced to surrender and Seppizza celebrated their victory, hardly having broken a sweat.
Match 13: Bananavirus vs. Log_asIt was immediately apparent when this fight began who was destined to win. Log managed to land a devastatingly powerful ultimate on their enemy, and from there, the cards simply stacked up in their favour. Their knives consistently outranged Bananavirus' spears, their falcon strikes perfectly countered Banana's air shocks and their grenades kept his opponent from ever staying on the ground to recuperate or eat. This match felt immensely unfair, and in spite of an admirable performance from Banana—as they managed to pin Log with a wind slam in the middle of the match—this match had a foregone conclusion. Log moved on.
Match 14: ShadowKing1255 vs. FakeFiresIf there was any doubt in the crowd's minds that Shadow wasn't one of, if not the best waterbender to have ever graced the arena floor, there was none after this match. He managed to outpace, outgun and outwit his adversary the whole time that he was fighting, handily dodging every single one of his enemy's blows while opening numerous avenues of attack with which to bring the firebender crashing to the ground. In under a minute, ShadowKing was the only living thing left in the arena, having taken just one single hit throughout the entire fight.
Match 15: wuss_poppin__b vs. GamerAlex546Punchy, violent, destructive, beautiful. All of these words describe how this fight went, with Wuss and Alex trading ultimates, trading spears, trading every sort of blow imaginable as each of them desperately attempted to pull victory from the jaws of a stalemate. No quarter was given, no move misplaced. Every second of this round was do-or-die, win it all or lose everything. Nobody, least of all the competitors, knew who exactly was winning through the match, but everyone knew that they were witnessing something special: a duel between two people who were utterly comfortable with their elements and confident in victory. Ultimately, Wuss pulled out a surprise victory, dispatching their opponent dispassionately and clinically.
Match 16: CasesarSW4R vs. Fire_LordAzulaAzula played an interesting game during this battle, choosing to stay on the run for the most part only to unexpectedly turn around now and then to ensnare their opponent in a lethal cage of offense. They started the match out by pinning Caesar with a barrage of flame shots, followed by an absolutely killer solar burst, setting the airbender alight. From there, it was simply a matter of keeping up their momentum. However, in a surprise twist, Caesar managed to get the best of them, having quietly dealt enough damage to kill his opponent while everyone was distracted by Azula's incredibly flashy performance.
Match 17: Avidius_Latte vs. StalkerRazorWater has always been vulnerable to nonbending with its shamefully low range and incredibly slow moving projectiles. Stalker was fighting an uphill battle from the get-go, having to simultaneously stay close enough to his opponent to deal some genuine damage while also staying far away enough that he wasn't vulnerable to Avid's devastatingly powerful falcon strikes, chiblocks and impact grenades. In the end, the challenge proved to be too much for the young waterbender. Avid moved on with another impressive victory under her belt.
Match 18: KevinY3 vs. IndomitisIndomitis and KevinY3 played a game of cat and mouse in this one, with Indomitis trying to stay at a distance while KevinY3 constantly tried to close the distance between them. That wasn't an especially smart move on my part, mind you, because not only do nonbenders have only one melee range move that does any damage but also because of a move known as earth cage... well, it exists, and it is disgustingly good at suffocating inept nonbenders. After a short episode during which Indomitis and I chased one another around a wall, I went down, leaving Indomitis to carry on into their next fight.
Third Round
Match 19: Best_Minority vs. SeppizzaTwo aggressive, mobile and especially skilled fighters take to the ring. It's a duel for the ages from thereon after, with flame shots bouncing off ice cages and water blasts hitting nothing but air. Seppizza's rains of fire, in spite of being his best assets in previous rounds, failed to see much success in this one due to Best_Minority consistently staying in the water. Ultimately, it was Seppizza's inability to adapt to his opponent that brought the proverbial Icarus crashing into the equally proverbial sea. Best_Minority moved on, his confidence in himself growing.
Match 20: ShadowKing1255 vs. Log_asShadow has made a name for himself at this point bringing down all of his opponents in sixty seconds or less. This was absolutely no exception. Log struggled to find a moment of respite as his opponent clung to his back, repositioning on a dime to strike hard and to strike fast, completely outclassing the nonbender's damage-dealing abilities with water's incredibly powerful, incredibly repeatable attacks. Log couldn't keep up and ShadowKing, once again, seized an almost inconceivably fast victory.
Match 21: CaesarSW4R vs. wuss_poppin__bMirror matches between elements tend to be a visually confusing and boring mess with nobody capable of telling who's winning or losing. This round was not that. It was slow, it was long, it was never scarce of maneuvers to analyze and moments to comment on. Both fighters made use of their entire arsenals, desperately fighting against all odds to win. Spears, shocks, slams, shields—every single nameable move and every single possible combination of strategies and tactics—were deployed on the field. It was an insanely close match, and ultimately, Wuss came out on top, pulling through with just a sliver of health. It wasn't an easy victory for anyone, least of all the audience who were left biting their nails from the word go.
Match 22: Avidius_Latte vs. IndomitisA rematch of sorts for Indomitis, as his last fight had also been against a nonbender. To Avidius, however, it was a chance to make a name for herself defeating the legendary Gentechian (who, I will admit, I didn't realise changed his name to Indomitis until he'd already beaten me). It was a close quarters affair for the most part, with Indomitis constantly leaping close to his enemy in order to blast her with pebbles and earth blasts, only for Avid to run away and keep him at bay with a double-whammy of knives and blowdarts. Grenades were her best friend during this fight, as she was able to constantly overcome Indomitis' earth walls by slinging them over the top. Ultimately, Indomitis expired and Avid earned victory in handy fashion.
Semi Finals
Match 23: Best_Minority vs. ShadowKing1255Two master waterbenders and—oh, wait—ShadowKing's already won. Seriously, what's up with this guy? He hasn't broken a sweat throughout the entire tournament!
Match 24: wuss_poppinb vs. Avidius_LatteWuss was the underdog in this particular fight. Avid had managed to show that she was one of the strongest contenders for champion throughout the competition, completely annihilating each and every schmuck who passed into her crosshairs throughout the entire tournament. Wuss had to evade her battery of knives, stay out of reach of her catastrophically powerful grenades and avoid being caught in a falcon strike which, if landed, would end the fight in an instant. Ultimately, that's just what happened. Avid landed a falcon strike, and from there, it was all over for Wuss. He couldn't make heads or tails of the situation and was left trying to recover for the rest of the round until finally, inevitably, he went down. A commendable performance from both fighters.
Third Place Playoff
Match 25: Best_Minority vs. wuss_poppin__bA match to separate the slightly moldy wheat from the pretty-looking chaff. The victor here would take third place—perhaps not the greatest honour attainable for someone in the arena but still a respectable position to be in. Of course, neither Best nor Wuss were willing to be thrown into obscurity, and so both gave this match their all. Water met air in this maelstrom of carnage. Though both fighters may have been friends outside of the ring, when so much was on the line there was no mercy between them, not an ounce of respect nor fondness. Wuss played the long con, staying far away in order to cast spears at his opponent like David pitching rocks at Goliath. Best kept close and within the water, trying to ensnare his opponent and drag him to a watery grave. Ultimately, Best proved to be the better of the two in their war of attrition and pulled out a solid win—more than earning his spot on the podium.
Grand Final
Match 26: Avidius_Latte vs. ShadowKing1255Two legends enter the ring, each fabled to be a victor in their own right. Whoever won here would be immortalised in the annals of AvatarMC history, destined to be vaunted forever after as a master of combat, as an exemplar of what heights dedication, creed and skill could elevate a person to. There would be no shame in losing, for the status of 2nd place would still place the holder above the scores of forgotten fighters that they'd bested to reach that position.
This was Avid’s chance to earn eternal respect, and it was ShadowKing’s opportunity to live up to the legend! When the match began Avidius kept up the usual strategy, deploying knives and grenades and blowdarts and projectiles galore, never seeming to relent nor get pinned. She was too evasive, too mobile for ShadowKing to trap and defeat, and so he found himself having to play against his own strengths, maintaining his distance and whittling down his opponent's health. Yet in spite of this, in spite of every single advantage given to Avidius by her element, by her skill and by waterbending's inherent flaws, she still couldn't defeat ShadowKing, that legend who'd defeated all of his opponents in a minute or less.
ShadowKing beat Avid like he did all the rest, and with great aplomb, stood atop his opponent's cadavers, looked out over his domain and found his adversaries wanting. Avid, though she may have been the only opponent to have lasted more than a minute against ShadowKing, couldn’t end the waterbender’s streak of wins. A glorious sendoff to an equally glorious tournament.
The bracket for this tournament can be found by clicking here
Doves' Awards
Even though I'm not writing this report, I'm still gatecrashing to hand out the coveted Dove Awards!
Best Fighter - There is only one winner here, and that is the absolutely dominant.ShadowKing1255. They blew away the competition, drawing comparisons to their master—the double champion—Mystef/Yagura. We can't forget that Shadow was actually beaten in the July final by Yagura, so this has been a perfect way to come back. Honourable mentions go to Avidius_Latte and to Sepizza, who came with the recommendation of Vince.
Best Fight - We have a few contenders this month, with Indomitis' fights against KevinY3 and Avidius_Latte being highlights. The winner though, is Seppizza vs Best_Minority. An excellent display of bending from two very talented fighters.
The 'That Was an Interesting Use of a Lesser Seen Bending Move' Award - That, catchily named, award goes to ShadowKing1255 for the use of Phase Change on High Tide. Freezing the High Tide move was an inspired tactic from Shadow. It trapped danger5002 and caused them to suffocate, giving ShadowKing an easy victory.
The 'Giving BarelyDecisive a Run for Her Money' Award - This special award goes to the person who was only able to last 30 seconds in the arena. In fact, Decisive will be delighted to hear that her record has now been broken, as danger5002 fell in just 25 seconds during their fight with ShadowKing1255!
Funniest Moment - This month, the award is sponsored by Benny Hill. And that is appropriate, as the funniest moment this time was the short chase between KevinY3 and Indomitis, the latter chasing Kevin around an earth wall, drawing comparisons to the comedian.
Last Notes
Huge thanks to FireLordZuko and vincebobogunoosh for commentating this month's bending tournament, and thanks to CheeseSandwich, ShootItzStar, AvatarKorra_, King_Squirrel113 and BarelyDecisive for making it all possible in the first place!
It truly feels like a whole new generation of players are coming into their own and challenging the old guard. I have no idea what the future might hold, but I can't wait to find out.
Until we meet again. Ciao!
— KevinY3
I would like to add an additional thanks to KevinY3 for writing the report this month! These things take me ages to write, so having an able deputy is very welcome. I will still write the reports from time to time, and I will always be handing out the Awards. We all know that those are the most important thing about this whole 'Tournament' business!— Dove
Hall of Fame
- July 2018 - Kaaldr
- August 2018 - Porku
- September 2018 - nanook4219
- October 2018 - EvieAscendant
- November 2018 (2v2) - Tofu_ and Porku
- December 2018 - EvieAscendant
- January 2019 - KevinY3
- August 2019 - Vincebobogunoosh
- February 2020 - EvieAscendant
- March 2020 - Porku
- March 2020 (2v2) - Porku and Best_Minority
- April 2020 - KevinY3
- May 2020 - Jtox17
- June 2020 - Mystef
- July 2020 - YaguraKaratachi (Mystef)
- August 2020 - ShadowKing1255
2020-07-31 02:52:44 +0000 UTC by QuietDove
Event: Gaoling Bending Tournament // AvatarMC Discord
It's time for the fourteenth edition of the bending tournaments! Let's see if we can continue the streak of high numbers this time around.
As was the case in June and July, we shall again be testing the bending and stat system tweaks. In addition to this, the newly announced moves will also be used in this tournament: Creeping Ice, Burnout, Earth Rumble, Air Punch, Smokescreen, and Sand Attack. If you would like a full list of these changes, please read the announcement posts here:
If you would like to enjoy the tournament with some moderately accurate analysis, the server's new Twitch channel will be streaming the whole thing at http://twitch.tv/PlayAvatarMC.
When will it be?
- The event will take place on Saturday, August 8 at 19:00 UTC. Please use this Google search to find exactly what time this is in your time zone. World Time Buddy is also a helpful resource.
How do I join?
- Please join the Discord and sign up in the Tournament Chat or message a Mod or Chat Mod in-game. You can always sign up at the event, but you may not be paired with someone who best matches your skill level—so sign up as soon as you can!
Am I limited to the bending I chose?
- No! This event will take place off the main server by typing
/server event once the event is open for joining. You will be able to select any bending you wish and change it at any point before the tournament officially starts. The event server will be open 30 minutes before the tournament starts to allow players to have time to pick.
Will there be elytras?
- At the moment, we have decided to not provide elytras for players to use. These can be used to avoid combat completely by Airbenders and serve no purpose in combat since they are disabled after taking damage.
Will we be able to eat to heal during the match?
- No. In the past when we've allowed food and healing, matches lasted far longer than anyone felt was enjoyable. Because of that, health restoration from eating will be disabled. However, you will be able to eat while outside the arena and water healing moves will be allowed.
Will there be stats and levels?
- Just like on the main server you will have stat points to allocate typing
/c. You will be automatically set to max level and have all moves available from the moment you select a bending. You can reset your stats throughout the tournament to change your build based on the bender you will be fighting by speaking to the stat spirit near spawn.
Will there be rewards?
- First Place: 250,000¥
- Second Place: 150,000¥
- Third Place: 75,000¥
- Fourth Place: 50,000¥
- Participation: Everyone who signs up for the tournament and participates in it without missing any matches will receive a participation prize. This will consist of 4 spirit essence. Winners will receive these as well.
- As an additional reward for this month, every participant will be entered into a raffle to win $20 of cosmetics from the server store. One lucky player will be able to claim this prize!
How do I join the Discord?
- You can simply join with this direct invite. Below are instructions to link your AvatarMC account with Discord; however, this is not required!
- First, you need to create an AvatarMC Forum account by performing
/register while on the server. - Once you have the forum account set up, go to discord.avatarmc.com and log in with your forum information. This will link your account to your Discord account.
- If you already have an AvatarMC Forum account, but don't remember your log-in information, please contact GuoKao.
Various notes on how the event will function:
- The tournament will operate off of a public leaderboard that you can request the link to at any time (after the tournament has started).
- Veterans will face veterans in the first rounds, and newer players will face newer players. Veteran players will fight first. This is to give the new players an opportunity to watch and learn from the fights before and give them a better chance at beating a veteran player.
- Players who lose in the semi-final fights will match against each other to determine 3rd and 4th place.
- Time will be controlled so that Firebenders and Waterbenders will receive their day or night damage boosts throughout the fight for only part of the fight. High noon bonus and full moon bonus will not occur in any fight.
- This tournament is not only a way for you to earn free money, but also a way for us to gain balancing opinions on the elements. After the tournament, do not be afraid to share your opinions on the server Discord or on the forums!
If you have any questions regarding the event, you can ask in our Discord or message a moderator in-game.
We hope you join the fight on Saturday, August 8 at 19:00 UTC!AvatarMC Discord
2020-07-24 12:39:10 +0000 UTC by QuietDove
After much hard work, the whole team is delighted to give you an extended glimpse into the new features that will be arriving on the server this summer.
The Bends
As you may have seen in Issue 68, we have a number of bending changes arriving this update. Full details of the changes can be found here. We have been trialing these changes in the last two bending tournaments, so you may have already had a chance to try them out.
Rather than repeating that all again, let's look at the headlines.
Water: We already know about the bucket source addition and the Ice Spear move, but there is one more new move to reveal.
- Creeping Ice: Manipulate your source and surrounding terrain in order to alter the battlefield.
- 15s cooldown, 20s with the leaf variant.
- 24 block range, 10 with the water variant.
- Ice and leaf variants grow a larger radius over time and follows the projectile in a straight line, altering blocks on the surface.
- Ice variant imparts a long lasting slowness and converts the terrain to packed ice.
- Leaf variant imparts a shorter, but stronger, slowness as well as silencing the target for 2s. It converts the terrain to leaves.
- Water variant places water on the ground, and the move can be reoriented.
- All variants undo after 10s.
Earth: The addition of Earth Surf looks to be a very fun one for earthbenders, but what else have we got in store for you?
- Earth Rumble: Nearby enemies standing on bendable terrain are pulled towards you and temporarily slowed and silenced.
- 10 block AoE range.
- 12s cooldown.
- 0.5s silence effect.
- 4s slowness effect.
- 1 damage to players (preventing elyra use), 2 damage to mobs.
Fire: Kickback promises to kick ass in the next update, but what if you could hit even harder?
- Burnout: Forsake protection as you magnify the potency of your attacks.
- Toggleable.
- 15s cooldown upon ending the move.
- Alters the following stats:
- -30 Protection
- +30 Strength
- +30 Bending Energy Regeneration
- +15 Penetration
Air: Airbenders may look at their changes as a bit of a nerf, even with the addition of Wind Carry. Don't speak so soon though...
- Air Punch: Focus the air around your fist and blow your opponent away.
- 5s cooldown.
- 5 block range.
- Applies 5s of fall protection.
- 5 damage to players, 10 damage to mobs.
- The move will knockback your opponent significantly.
Non-Bending: The new Grappling Hook gadget has added a nice new weapon for non-benders to use. We must wave Disarm goodbye, but in it's place there are two more moves.
Smokescreen: Throw a smoke bomb to blind and damage anyone within for the duration of the cloud.
- 25s cooldown.
- Smoke pulses once every second, for 10s.
- 5 damage per second.
- Blindness applied every second the enemy is in the cloud, and it lasts no more than 1s once outside it.
Sand Attack: Utilizing tactical sand, throw opponents off your trail by blinding and turning them.
- 5s blindness duration.
- 15s cooldown.
- 8 block range.
- Turns opponent 180 degrees.
A Professional Job
If you ever get tired of trying out the new moves against your fellow players in the arena, then why not try out a whole new way of playing? The Professions system adds something completely different with four new skills to be explored:
Farming:The farming profession is the key to gathering the ingredients that are used to cook and brew the large amount of items we've created. Farming requires you to be both patient and observant. The last thing you'd want is a swarm of scorpion bees eating through your precious crops! Don't forget to pick up some fertilizers to help you out!
Fishing:Hook up some rare fish to either sell or use as ingredients with the fishing profession. You'll notice the harbours in cities are a lot more lively now, with people looking to buy your fresh catches around every corner.
Cooking:Whether you're frying up some snacks like flaming fire flakes to give you quick boosts of energy, or you're making some longer lasting full meals like roast turtle duck, the foods you make with the cooking profession will keep you feeling healthy along your adventure in the world of Avatar. You could even seek out some of master chefs located throughout the world in pursuit of the more unique food recipes.
Brewing:Becoming a master tea brewer requires skill and talent. The slightest mistake when brewing tea can be the difference between perfection and mediocrity. I can assure you that all the hard work that goes into brewing a tea is certainly worth it though. The teas that you can make with the brewing profession will provide powerful and long-lasting boosts to your energy based stats.
The Fields of Ba Sing Se
One of the largest sized build projects we've ever completed, the Agrarian Zone of Ba Sing Se is a brand new, interactive, and immersive build that is much more than just a pretty new location to look at.
The vast fields, quaint villages, and peaceful Lake Laogai hide many secrets, all of which are ready for you to explore!
Going on a Quest
In an area as large as the Agrarian Zone, there are obviously going to be people in need. Which means we are delighted to announce the start of a new questline!
In this initial release, we are adding two quests: The Tourist Trap and We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Don't worry, nothing will be spoiled here, you'll be able to experience it all for yourself!
Dungeon Crawlers
Fans of combat, rejoice! We have no less than THREE new mini dungeons arriving in the Agrarian Zone. They will be suitable for a range of levels and offer the same rewards that you are used to.
Raiding Field is perfect for brand new earthbenders, as it will be closest mini dungeon to the spawn. Can you foil a plot to steal a farmers hard grown wheat?
Woodland Lodge will be up next for the mid-level range, as you take on a hazardous mission for the Ba Sing Se police.
Fighter in the Fields is only for the most hardened benders. Can you defy the weather and defeat this experienced opponent in one-on-one combat?
One last note on the mini dungeons: A certain troublemaking firebender may have moved on from trying to conquer Ba Sing Se singlehandedly. They were last seen heading eastwards...
In Limbo
It's the build you never knew you needed! Waiting in Limbo will be a lot more scenic from now on—thanks to this beautifully reworked area.
Limbo is the realm that all players enter before selecting their character, as well as being the place where they get transported to during server restarts. The limbo area is designed to give players something to do during the 5-10 minute periods when the server is restarting. As such, there is plenty to see and do—but rather than tell you about it here—you'll have to explore it yourself!
The revamped Limbo was built by Jtox17.
Final Notes
We are getting closer and closer to release day. Expect one more post before then though...
2020-07-15 03:03:35 +0000 UTC by QuietDove
Event: Gaoling Bending Tournament // AvatarMC Discord
Start your summer off right by competing in the thirteenth edition of our bending tournaments. After the massive numbers we had last month, it would be great to see the same again this time around.
As was the case in June, we shall again be testing the bending and stat system tweaks. If you would like a full list of these changes, please read the last announcement post here: AvatarMC Soon™ - Issue 68: Bending Tournament v.12 + Bending Tweaks
If you would like to enjoy the tournament with some expert analysis, the server's new Twitch channel will be streaming the whole thing at https://twitch.tv/PlayAvatarMC.
When will it be?
- The event will take place on Saturday, July 18 at 19:00 UTC. Please use this Google search to find exactly what time this is in your time zone. World Time Buddy is also a helpful resource.
How do I join?
- Please join the Discord and sign up in the Tournament Chat or message a Mod or Chat Mod in-game. You can always sign up at the event, but you may not be paired with someone who best matches your skill level—so sign up as soon as you can!
Am I limited to the bending I chose?
- No! This event will take place off the main server by typing
/server event once the event is open for joining. You will be able to select any bending you wish and change it at any point before the tournament officially starts. The event server will be open 30 minutes before the tournament starts to allow players to have time to pick.
Will there be elytras?
- At the moment, we have decided to not provide elytras for players to use. These can be used to avoid combat completely by Airbenders and serve no purpose in combat since they are disabled after taking damage.
Will we be able to eat to heal during the match?
- No. In the past when we've allowed food and healing, matches lasted far longer than anyone felt was enjoyable. Because of that, health restoration from eating will be disabled. However, you will be able to eat while outside the arena and water healing moves will be allowed*.
- *Notice about water healing: Due to the unstable nature of healing in the previous tournament, we will be testing it prior to the tournament's start to see if the bug still exists. It will be disabled if that is still the case.
Will there be stats and levels?
- Just like on the main server you will have stat points to allocate typing
/c. You will be automatically set to max level and have all moves available from the moment you select a bending. You can reset your stats throughout the tournament to change your build based on the bender you will be fighting by speaking to the stat spirit near spawn.
Will there be rewards?
- First Place: 300,000¥
- Second Place: 150,000¥
- Third Place: 80,000¥
- Fourth Place: 50,000¥
- Participation: Everyone who signs up for the tournament and participates in it without missing any matches will receive a participation prize. This will consist of 4 spirit essence and a tea leaf. Winners will receive these as well.
- As an additional reward for this month, every participant will be entered into a raffle to win $20 of cosmetics from the server store. One lucky player will be able to claim this prize!
How do I join the Discord?
- You can simply join with this direct invite. Below are instructions to link your AvatarMC account with Discord; however, this is not required!
- First, you need to create an AvatarMC Forum account by typing
/register while on the server. - Once you have the forum account set up, go to discord.avatarmc.com and log in with your forum information. This will link your account to your Discord account.
- If you already have an AvatarMC Forum account, but don't remember your log-in information, please contact GuoKao.
Various notes on how the event will function:
- The tournament will operate off of a public leaderboard that you can request the link to at any time (after the tournament has started).
- Veterans will face veterans in the first rounds, and newer players will face newer players. Veteran players will fight first. This is to give the new players an opportunity to watch and learn from the fights before and give them a better chance at beating a veteran player.
- Players who lose in the semi-final fights will match against each other to determine 3rd and 4th place.
- Time will be controlled so that Firebenders and Waterbenders will receive their day or night damage boosts throughout the fight for only part of the fight. High noon bonus and full moon bonus will not occur in any fight.
- This tournament is not only a way for you to earn free money, but also a way for us to gain balancing opinions on the elements. After the tournament, do not be afraid to share your opinions on the server Discord or on the forums!
If you have any questions regarding the event, you can ask in our Discord or message a moderator in-game.
We hope you join the fight on Saturday, July 18 at 19:00 UTC!AvatarMC Discord
2020-07-01 21:20:08 +0000 UTC by QuietDove
Welcome back to the Tournament Report! This month saw one of the highest number of entries we've ever had for a tournament, with nearly 40 people taking part!
This tournament was used to test some features that are planned to be released in our upcoming AvatarMC v0.6 update. For a full list of updates, see the announcement post for this tournament.
We were also blessed with a first, the entire tournament was livestreamed on our brand new Twitch channel. Many thanks to our wonderful hosts, Vincebobogunoosh and FireLordZuko.
The VOD can be viewed by clicking here!
Competitors
We had a large and diverse number of competitors this month, which was great to see! I am especially pleased with the glorious return of waterbenders this month. Great work everyone!
Water - Mystef, PlagueDucktor, Jackhammerjack, Just_A_Shill, hubcityhero, StormScythe, Benito2710, KevinY3, BanditsSecret, TicTakJack
Air - GameCubeDude, 17jlede, BananaVirus, woerrr, FireLordIzumi, Jelle_964, Noorbie
Earth - Caljitsu, Zinnik, jamesthedragon, BarelyDecisive, Gentechian
Fire - KingSquirrel, The_Red_Spirit, Neutrinoboi, MeTheAwesomeKid, MochaGaming, Clearwater, icycreeperlord, Kaali_
Non-Bending - ShootItzStar, theking824, Mitsuoni,
First Round
Due to the number of competitors this month, the tournament was ran in a single elimination format, making this report writer very happy!
The first fight was a particularly intriguing fight between Caljitsu and KingSquirrel. Both fighters have recently returned to the server, but are both experienced benders and looking for a strong return to the tournament. The first thing of note was Caljitsu giving everyone their first glimpse of Earth Surf, a brand new move that will be coming to the server soon. And he made good use of it, forcing King onto the defensive. King fought back well however, poking away from range and drawing Cal towards him. A strong combination of Earth Cage, Shatter, and Shackle gave Cal a strong advantage. King fought back as best he could, but a second shackle from Cal, followed by a Blast, gave him the win.
The second fight saw a pre-tournament favourite, and the servers' resident heel, take to the arena. Mystef had arrived. He was up against The_Red_Spirit. The fight was a cakewalk for Mystef. He dealt heavy damage early on and kept mobile to avoid most of Spirits' attacks. A very strong first showing for Mystef, proving his credentials.
Fight three was between Zinnik and GameCubeDude. Zinnik had the early advantage, landing heavy hits with little retaliation from GameCube. Despite a handy Wind Slam from the airbender, it was Zinnik who ultimately took a simple victory.
The first controversy of the tournament reared it's head in the fourth fight. An unforeseen bug with the heal move meant that it would kick the user off the server if they used another move whilst they were healing. PlagueDucktor was the unfortunate victim of this bug, during their fight with Jackhammerjack. After the bug, a rematch was ordered. PlagueDucktor was unable to take advantage of their reprieve and was beaten by Jackhammer in a tight fight. After the match finished, the tournament organisers announced that any future matches disrupted by the heal bug would not be restarted, and that the victim of the bug would be disqualified.
The final fight in the round was between 17jlede and BananaVirus. This was a decent fight that started with an immediate Wind Slam from 17jlede, leading to a tight fight where both exhanged even blows. Eventually, Banana was able to drag themselves ahead and land a killer blow.
Benito2710, Noorbie, and Woerrr all got byes to the next round.
Second Round
Due to the sheer number of fights in this round, I'm going to rattle through most of these. I'll elaborate on any fights that were particularly interesting though.
And indeed, the very first fight of the round is particularly interesting! Fought between Caljitsu and FireLordIzumi, it was a fight of the Tournament contender! Both fighters are experienced benders, and it showed. Cal was arguably the more aggressive, trying to hit as regularly as possible. Izumi was content to dodge and land hits whenever there was a gap. After Izumi had managed to frustrate Cal for a time, the earthbender was able to get around and take Izumi from behind, landing several heavy hits. Izumi countered with a good Wind Slam, breaking Cals' defence. However, by that point, Cal already had a significant advantage and was able to claim a very good victory.
Elsewhere, Neutrinoboi took a dominant win over Just_A_Shill. Shill was simply never in the fight, in the face of a very aggressive Neutrino.
There was a fun fight between Jelle_964 and MeTheAwesomeKid. Both fought hard and traded equal blows. Despite some well timed ultimates from Jelle, it was MeTheAwesomeKid who took a tight win. However, Kid would not be the one to progress, as they were unable to compete in further rounds, meaning he would withdraw and allow Jelle to advance. The closeness of the fight meant that few could begrudge Jelle the chance to compete in the next round.
Hubcityhero took a slightly odd win over MochaGaming. Despite Mocha being in control for much of the fight, he fell victim to fall damage and was knocked out. Hub would count himself fortunate to advance.
Zinnik took a straightforward victory over Clearwater91. Zinnik was never in any trouble and was aggressive throughout.
The fight between Mystef and BarelyDecisive was over in the blink of an eye. Mystef claimed an embarrassingly easy win in just thirty seconds.
Noorbie and StormScythe met in an attritional fight, in complete contrast to the last one. Noorbie kept Storm at arms length and chipped away at Storms' health. Storm managed to get her way back into the fight with some good use of the rarely seen Blizzard move. It all came too late though as Noorbie continued to chip away and claim victory.
BananaVirus claimed victory over icycreeperlord after some nice use of Wind Slam.
Mitsuoni took a comfortable win over Benito2710. Mitsuoni started aggressively and didn't let Benito have a look in.
Controversy once again reared its ugly head in the fight between KevinY3 and BanditsSecret. Proper drama this time! Kevin had arrived to the tournament late, coming online just before their match got underway, and was unaware of the healing bug. They were also unaware of the subsequent announcement that anyone who fell victim to the bug would be automatically disqualified. Shortly after the match began, Kevin attempted to heal in a pool of water. Unfortunately, they were kicked from the server. Controversially, the tournament organisers went ahead with the disqualification, despite the evidence that Kevin was unware of that rule. Kevin was out—in highly controversial and unfair circumstances—whilst Bandit had advanced with little trouble.
The final fight in this round saw Jackhammerjack come up against TicTakJack—that's right—it was a Jack Derby! The fight ended astonishingly quickly for TicTak—too quickly in fact. It transpired that they were only on two hearts at the start of the fight, meaning a rematch was ordered. TicTaks' luck continued to be awful though, as they fell victim to the heal bug. Jackhammer moved into the next round.
Third Round
There was a high quality fight first up in the third round as Caljitsu met BanditSecret. Bandit flew out of the blocks, starting aggressively with and Octopus Form. Cal managed to escape the worst of the damage with Earth Surf, but Bandit made sure to keep him at a distance. Both began to trade even blows, but when Cal trapped Bandit in an Earth Cage, it looked like it was all over for the waterbender. Cal activated Sandstorm and looked to have it in the bag, but Bandit perfectly timed his Blizzard to counter, nullifying Sandstorm and giving him the perfect opening to take Cal down. It was a brilliantly fought fight from Bandit, with this victory being something of an upset due to Cals' previous form.
ShootItzStar and Woerrr met in a good encounter. Both fighters started on the offensive, leading to a close quarters fight to begin with. It wasn't long before Woerrr starting to sit back and use his mobility to evade Star. Both began to trade blows from range, only occasionally venturing towards each other. A combination of Chi Block and Falcon Strike gave Star the advantage, but Woerrr was able to counter with a Wind Slam soon after. They continued to trade blows, with Star perhaps being the more aggressive. This was to be the key to her victory, as she struck the final blow with Falcon Strike. A good fight there.
Mystef came up against Neutrinoboi in the next fight. Mystef was made to work harder than any of his previous fights here, as Neutrino came out fighting, landing the early blows. Mystef was forced to evade but soon came forward to meet Neutrino head on. More aggression from Neutrino followed. It has become something of his trade mark at this point. Eventually, Mystef was able to make his additional skill count, taking Neutrino down with a Splash.
A tight encounter between Theking824 and Zinnik came next. Zinnik landed some strong hits, and it took a Falcon Strike from King to get them back into the fight. Zinnik, crucially, landed a Shackle to give them an advantage, but it was countered by a Chi Block from King, proving the tightness and aggressivness of this fight. The end came as a result of an excellent combo from King. A Falcon Strike—followed up from some rapid, close range strikes—handed them the victory.
Gentechian and Noorbie promised a tasty encounter as student came up against master. Gentechian started the stronger, getting in some heavy hits. Noorbie was able to hit regularly with Air Spear, but it meant little against the onslaught that Gentechian was serving up. Noorbie seemed unable to get into the fight as Gentechian continued to be aggressive. A big Shatter from Gentechian, followed up by some large hits, seals the deal for the earthbender.
Jelle_964 claimed a straightforward victory over Mitsuoni. Jelle landed an early windslam to take the lead and then didn't look back. A second windslam secured their place in the quarter finals.
Kaali_ and BananaVirus came togther next. This was an excellent fight for Kaali, who's firebending was perfect throughout. The fight was all but over when they perfectly used Solar Burst to take a massive chunk out of Bananas' health. The final blow came shortly afterwards, thanks to Fire Rain. A highly efficient and impressive victory for Kaali. Fully deserved!
The final fight in this round was between hubcityhero and Jackhammerjack. The fight started promisingly, as both exchanged even blows. However, the heal bug reared it's ugly head again. Jackhammer was the unfortunate victim this time, and it meant that Hubcityhero was the one to advance.
Quarter Finals
ShootItzStar and BanditSecret kicked off the quarter finals. Bandit once again went for an early use of Octopus Form, but Star saw it coming and was able to silence the move through the use of Falcon Strike. From there, Star stayed back, poking away at Bandit. Bandit was the more aggressive, trying a plethora of moves against Star, but struggled to land too many meaningful hits. However, it soon came to an end. Bandit caught Star standing still for just too long and landed the killer blows. An impressive display from Bandit, who was starting to look like a real contender.
Fight two saw Mystef and theking824 locking horns. In truth, this was a simple victory for Mystef, and King was never really in the fight. Mystef expertly struck heavy damange to King and succeeded in avoiding damage himself. It was absolutely textbook from Mystef.
Gentechian vs Jelle_964 was the next fight, and it was a tight affair. Gentechian started the strongest, coming out with some big hits. Jelle missed an early Wind Slam, but Gentechian also failed to land a number of Shackles' that would've given them a heavy advantage. Eventually, Jelle was able to land their Windslam, only for Gentechian to work their way out of it. Gentechian then countered heavily and rushed in close, landing an Earth Shatter and taking Jelle down.
The last quarter final bout saw Kaali_ take on hubcityhero. The fight started evenly, with both trading blows. It looked relatively comfortable for Kaali, who was dealing the most damage of the pair. However, hubcity seemed to corner Kaali in the water, leaving them unable to get out. It was the perfect opening for hubcity, but somehow, Kaali escaped. The firebender had no hesitation in dealing the final blow and securing their passage to the semi finals.
Semi Finals
Semi final one was an all waterbender clash between Mystef and BanditSecret, two of the most impressive fighters so far. And the fight lived up to the billing, as both fighters showed off their agility and aggressiveness. It was hard to keep up with what was happening, but both landed hits on each other and didn't give an inch. Some excellent Steam Explosion placement from Mystef gave him some breathing room, but Bandit came straight at him again. After looking a bit rattled early on, Mystef soon started to take a bit more control, landing some neat combos on Bandit and pushing them on to the defensive. The fight ended as Mystef landed some fateful Water Bolts on Bandit, taking them down and giving Mystef a place in the final. This fight was the best display of waterbending we've seen since the days of Evie. It was superb to watch. Bandit had been excellent throughout the tournament and was fully deserving of their place in the final four, but ultimately it was all about Mystef. They looked like the favourite to take the title.
The second semi final was between Kaali_ and Gentechian. Both of these fighters had come out of nowhere and were now on the cusp of a truly remarkable championship, but only one could get there. It was Gentechian landing the signficant early blows, with the deadly Earth Shatter giving them a big lead. Kaali struggled to get back into the fight and was forced to simply evade the moves of Gentechian. The earthbender continued their relentless assault, eventually claiming their inevitable victory. Gentechian was hugely impressive in that fight, and they made a very promising firebender look weak. The final was going to be very hotly contested!
Grand Final
So here we are again—the last fight of another great tournament. This month we are guaranteed a new name on the trophy. Mystef and Gentechian had been masterful on their way to the final, with performances on par with the very best fighters we've seen in this tournament over the years. Mystef—a known quantity to many on the server—is widely regarded as being among the best fighters on the server. Gentechian, a new face, is someone with a great future ahead of them. This was going to be one for the ages!
Mystef was mobile at the start, jumping from pool to pool, whilst Gentechian rapidly fired off move after move. Incredibly, the first few seconds of the fight saw no damage being dealt by either party. Mystef was the first to land a hit, but it was quickly countered by Gentechian. Then, the first significant blow was dealt, with Gentechian landing a crucial Shackle, followed up by more rapid earth moves. The favourite was on the back foot! The impressive earthbender continued to land the biggest hits, with Mystef seeming to have nothing in return. Mystef wasn't to be kept down for long though. He fought his way back, landing some consecutive hits that would've surely restored some of his confidence. With Gentechian now looking a bit lost, the next hit was important. The Shackle came out once more, and this time, Gentechian took full advantage by following up with a Shatter, dealing heavy damage. Mystef fought back and landed some more hits but was surely staring down the barrel of defeat at this point. However, there was to be one final twist. As Gentechian moved in for the kill, they missed with a Shatter. This gave Mystef the opening he needed.
One final Water Blast.
That was all it took.
Gentechian fell after a valiant effort, but it was Mystef who took the crown. One of the greatest individual performances in tournament history was capped off in perfect fashion.
The bracket for this tournament can be found by clicking here
Doves' Awards
Best Fighter - The only winner here is Mystef. An impeccable showing that culminated in him taking overall victory in dominant fashion. Honourable mentions to both Gentechian and BanditsSecret, who had incredibly impressive debut tournaments and will no doubt feature again in the future.
Best Fight - There is only one winner here, and it goes to the Grand Final bout between Mystef and Gentechian. It was a brilliant fight.
The "Thanks for coming" award - This goes to BarelyDecisive, who managed to compete in the tournament for all of about thirty seconds before being torn to pieces by Mystef. If you're finishing in thirty seconds, you need to rethink your technique!
The "You should probably sue, to be honest" award - This probably doesn't count as an award, but oh well. This is award to all the waterbenders who were unable to use their healing ability without being kicked from the server. This especially goes out to KevinY3, who was unfairly disqualified for the issue, despite not being around to hear that this would be the case.
Funniest Moment - This should probably go to TikTacJacks' rather disastrous fight against jackhammerjack. TikTac failed to start the fight on full health, leading to a rematch, only to fall victim to the heal bug and end up being disqualified. Better luck next time!
Last Notes
Once again, a huge thank you to Cheesesandwich, Vincebobogunoosh, Grangoon and FireLordZuko for helping to run the tournament this month.
A special mention for Vince and Zuko, who excellently casted the tournament on Twitch for the first time ever. Hopefully the professionalism will only increase as time goes on!
-- QuietDove
Hall of Fame
- July 2018 - Kaaldr
- August 2018 - Porku
- September 2018 - nanook4219
- October 2018 - EvieAscendant
- November 2018 (2v2) - Tofu_ and Porku
- December 2018 - EvieAscendant
- January 2019 - KevinY3
- August 2019 - Vincebobogunoosh
- February 2020 - EvieAscendant
- March 2020 - Porku
- March 2020 (2v2) - Porku and Best_Minority
- April 2020 - KevinY3
- May 2020 - Jtox17
- June 2020 - Mystef