IGPX Episode 9: Holiday

The match which will decide the victors of the IG-1 for the 2048 Season (the finals) are nearly upon us. Based on the results of the 15 Regular Season races, the team who has jumped ahead to secure a spot in the finals is none other than Team Velshtein, as they have done for the past 3 years. Who will be the team to secure the only remaining seat for the finals match? We'll be finding that out in the next race!

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The team who played against Team Velshtein in last year's finals, Team Sledgemamma, showed impressive strength when considering the final results of their racing this season being 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. Their race against Team Velshtein was the only race they lost during the regular season, but that was the race that Team Velshtein got the lowest number of points for this season. Also, Team Sledgemamma wasn't able to finish a race with a "complete victory" (where all three members of one team cross the finish line 1st, 2nd and 3rd) this season. But, not counting "retires", Team Sledgemamma never finished a race with a member placing 5th place or 6th. With those kinds of results, there must be plenty of eager fans for Team Sledgemamma. More than any other team, Team Sledgemamma is truly vying for the spot in the finals against Team Velshtein this year.

On the flip side, we have Team Satomi with the same win/loss ratio as Team Sledgemamma, despite it being their first time in the IG-1. Team Satomi is the surprise team for having accomplished so much in their first year in the IG-1. When you look at the results of each race, we see that they defeated Team Skylark with a 10-point difference, and had two complete victories against Team Edgeraid and Team Black Egg. With fantastic results like these, one wouldn't think this to be their first year in the IG-1! But their first race of the season was against Team Sledgemamma, and only one of their pilots made it across the finish line in that race for a draw. In their race against Team Velshtein, none of their pilots crossed the finish line and they ended the race with no points.

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With that kind of gap, it's no wonder that people consider Team Satomi more or less a team where Lady Luck will randomly smile upon them occasionally. It's difficult to tell where and when Lady Luck will shine upon them. However, the fact that they have been this lucky thus far is something that nobody could have predicted before the season's start and luck may still surprise fans as the semi-final match approaches.

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Some fans wonder if Team Sledgemamma carelessly showed Team Satomi too much mercy in their first match together. Now looking back at that match, had Team Sledgemamma not allowed Team Satomi to escape with a draw, Team Satomi would not have been able to appear in the semi-finals. In an interview with Team Sledgemamma's Yamma, he enthusiastically stated, "We'll toy around with Team Satomi once more. But this time, we'll show them no mercy." As the tickets go on sale for this semi-final match, River Marque, who was a substitute pilot for Team Satomi previously, has transferred to Team Sledgemamma. There's a rumor he may even appear in the semi-final match. As we await race day, this match is shaping up to be one where nobody will be able to predict exactly what will occur.