MB4 Finals - Minhotops vs. Bigger Boris vs. The Bandersnatch

[normsherman]

The end is upon us: the climactic, concussive conclusion of The Mega-Beast Death-Match season 4 kicks off today. The The Finals are happening now right on through Beast'Giving. Vote for your Meta-Beast of choice at mega-beasts.com up until Sunday December 5th (Midnight, Eastern). The last great meat string is due out the grinder; 14 have entered, only 1 will leave.

From the editor hewn round 1 comes Minhotops, a heinous hybrid of Scarho'tep and Tristegotops, with dominant personality Minotaurd.

From listener driven round 2 erupts Bigger Boris, the chilling combination of The Birmingham Meth Worm and Lamb Chops, with Big Boris captaining the collaborative creature's consciousness.

From Drabblecast author crafted round 3 emerges The Bandersnatch, a maximization of Mongoose's potential, the apex predator known for leaving no survivors.

Another audio podcast featuring the death panel should arrive this week. Details of prizes will be in an accompanying topic. Bo will pop on in a second to break down the return of finals tiered voting.

[StalinSays]

Tiered voting was an experiment we ran in season 3's finals, and it proved interesting enough for a revival. It's pretty simple.

The ultimate tally that decides season 4 comprises votes from 3 channels. 1, two weeks of traditional site voting on Megabeasts.com. 2, the poll at the top of this forum topic. 3, calls received on the Beast-Line (443 552 0335).

Forum votes are restricted to those with accounts. You may change your forum vote up until the site voting cut-off on the 28th (waffling welcome). We encourage formal announcements of intent ("I'm voting for Minhotops because of his missles and blah blah blah"). Beast-Line call-in's should start with your normal person name and/or forum moniker, the beast you are boosting, and optionally clever lines or battle analysis. Calls from random friends and the uninitiated welcome, and will be counted, provided they follow that format. As a bonus, forum votes and beast-line call-in votes offer the opportunity to win prizes.

Votes from each channels are weighted differently. A site vote is worth 1. A forums vote is worth 25. And a Beast-Line call-in is worth 50. Totals are determined by the Death Panel and released in the final podcast episode of the season.

A quick example: If Bigger Boris had 8 votes at the top of this page, 4 people called in and left messages announcing him as their favorite, and on the 28th at midnight he had 600 votes logged on megabeasts.com, his grand total would be 1000.

[Mikes]

Aw, this is going to be a toughy. Each one of them is so awesome. Right now I'm thinking it's really between Bandersnatch and Minhotep. Boris is cool, but versus heat seeking missiles and a phasing apex predator? All it could do really is hide underground and wait for one to take out the other before dying anyway.

[moonowl]

Minotops seems pretty cool. I'm going that directions for now. Unless someone convinces me otherwise...

[Mikes]

OK, I've done some thinking (paid work be damned!) and I'm definitely leaning for Bandersnatch on this one.

Boris is pretty much toast or mulch, depending on whether Minotops or the 'Snatch get to him first. Sure a 5 ton meth/roid addled ninja would be terrifying to behold, but that dosn't mean anything when heat seeking missiles can get to him a mile away. His only hope is to burrow through the ground, but if 'Snatch has his scent he's still toast as it'll just phase in behind him and start shredding.

No, it's between Minotops and Snatch, and I think Snatch has it. Minotops would loose some of those missiles at Snatch, and all he has to do is pahse out just before they get to him, and do that all the way up to the big. Once there it's phase, slash, phase, slash, phase, slash. Ad infinatum.

Snatch, but a country mile. Plus he has 'snatch' in his name.

[normsherman]

Boris is pretty much toast or mulch, depending on whether Minotops or the 'Snatch get to him first.

I was concerned about this at first too but Bo and I talked about emphasizing Boris's worm-like speed burrow and versatility underground. If sand were water, and bears were fish.

So basically all three have an evasive component. Heat-seeking missiles won't follow Boris underground just like mud kept Arnie safe from the Predator's heat vision. Snatch won't know where to phase to get at him underground and following him down a tunnel would put him out of his element and into Boris's subterranean home field advantage. Boris has got Crouching Tiger Hidden Worm-Bear agility, stealth and deadly ability. He's got superior brains and strategic thinking, which gives him an advantage against Minhotep and the fact that he feels no pain and is exponentially bigger and stronger than Snatch makes him formidable in that match-up also. I definitely wouldn't write him off that easy.

[boot]

I do believe these are some of the most MEGA beasts I've ever seen.

[Lucid]

I have cast my vote for the 'snatch. Because... well for one thing I get to say that I'm voting for 'snatch.
But more importantly, I think the phasing thing gives the bandersnatch a wicked edge that would be tough to counter. Also, Mongoose was pretty badass and that was just the undeveloped juvenile version. The actual Bandersnatch has to be much, MUCH more badass. And those tentacles are probably a bitch to get away from.

That's my logic thus far anyway. Mostly I think it looks freaking awesome.

[Mikes]

The actual Bandersnatch has to be much, MUCH more badass. And those tentacles are probably a bitch to get away from.

Ah, someone after my own heart. Remember people; when it comes to badassary (it's a word) there's only one choice.

[Lucid]

My personal motto is, "When in doubt, vote for whatever has tentacles."

Words to live by.

[Mikes]

So, no come back from the Boris and Minotops camp? Indesiciion, people. That's what'll get Boris and Minotops killed. While they're milling about wondering what to do up pop Snatch! Kapow! Slash! It only takes a second, just ask my wife.

[StalinSays]

So, no come back from the Boris and Minotops camp?

I think people are too hasty in your assumptions the Bandersnatch is inevitably lethal in all its ways. It's a big ol' flimsy noodle with snapping teeth. Certainly one hard to pin down and keen in its defenses, but not an implement sure as a deftly swung samurai sword on each and every attempt. We know it to be adept at killing squishy humans and trampling toves, but do recall Mongoose vs. the Breeder was positioned as a David vs. Goliath, this creature is vexed by armoring and a substantial heft. Now it is in the big leagues, neither opponent will be distracted by the business of birthing progeny.

Bigger Boris has ninja reflexes and a body made of bubbling, stewing miasma. Not easy to pin down, no fun to bite. Big threshing claws - like flinging a noodle in to a blender. Minhotops is covered in armor. Sure, its missiles don't work out to well in this particular match-up, but swords and shields are a different matter. Like a noodle against a steak knife.

This is all without a blow by blow timeline, which has wrinkles of its own. Take your alien and stick it in a dimension where the sun don't shine.

My personal motto is, "When in doubt, vote for whatever has tentacles."Words to live by.

There is truth to this. Extendable segmented limbs are pretty tentacle'y, right?

[Lucid]

No, I'm not sure they really qualify. I mean, Inspector Gadget had extendable segmented limbs and... well he only ever beat Dr. Claw because of his niece and dog.

Also, how can you frappe a noodle that can phase out of existence.. ish... before it ever hits the blades? And I'm pretty sure that the bandersnatch is already from a dimension where the sun don't shine.

Frankly, I'm not that impressed with ninja reflexes. Ninjas are human. And while they're pretty fucking badass humans, we humans don't, historically, do so well against the reflexes of even your average terrestrial house cat. And they don't even have tentacles. Ask yourself if you'd pit a ninja made of miasma against a phase shifting monster from another dimension and expect that ninja to walk away.

[angagaur]

Those are some good points, Stalin!
If the Bandersnatch get's snicker snacked, then it just comes down to Bigger Boris and Minhotops.
And a little birdie told me that Boris is going down in the 4th, so I'll be betting with that in mind.

[Mikes]

And a little birdie told me ....

Moonowl?

[tbaker2500]

All right, who tried to cheat so hard you broke the server?

[StalinSays]

All right, who tried to cheat so hard you broke the server?

Back in action. Server had run out of space, so the vote counting txt file wasn't able to update itself. Chris fixed it, and is writing a script to see if anything got lost between the restored version and the breaking point.

Despite a strong desire to do so, I did not add 100 votes to Bigger Boris's tally in the interim.

[boot]

All right, who tried to cheat so hard you broke the server?

Y'know that really is what I thought had happened. I mean, it's hardly a stretch around here...

[jannypie]

First, this has got to be my favorite of all the rounds. It feels like we went from "mega beasts" into "nuclearly colossal armageddon-style beasts." THESE are attributes worth debating.

Second, at first glance I am pretty taken with Minhotops, but I have yet to finalize my decision.

[Mikes]

And Snatch leap frogs Boris into second! Look out, Mino, you're next.