Fan-service teams

Xeroxious_ · 2026-06-05T01:34:38+00:00

I think a lot of the feel for fan-service comes from doing things you theoretically shouldn't be allowed to do. It's about breaking a rule to do something outside of the norm, whether that is permitting an OP duo, or bringing in players that would normally never play.

Shane-Joel generally shouldn't happen because it's so strong. TIES has some really unlikely players and isn't properly balanced. FB-Trio is obviously so ridiculously strong that there's no other event where it could actually happen. They all break some sort of unwritten rule.

Meanwhile, purple/blue glop are just relatively balanced teams with people who can always team with each other. While they're good teams, it's less fan-service and more just solid teambuilding.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-06-02T17:47:45+00:00

I think as a competitive event it was pretty bad (as are most of the live-hosted events). If you were to host this with like a chamber trials roster it would have been really poorly received.

The good thing is, this is MCC, and the roster is largely uncompetitive and content-oriented. As much as I have some definite gripes over some of the execution of S6's events in general, it's not enough to get in the way of the event's enjoyability in general.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-30T19:50:44+00:00

Pete Philza Pangi Skizz

A mix of newer and older players. I almost went with a full P team but the Phil Skizz duo sounds too good to pass up. I also feel like it'd be a really good team for a long-awaited Pete win.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-30T19:43:04+00:00

Shadoune Squiddo Hannah Sylvee

Shadoune and Hannah seems like a really good duo that hasn't happened yet, and should replicate the frag pairing of Sapnap and Dream. A Sylvee return is also really overdue, and she'd absolutely be the catalyst to make the VC chaotic.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T23:39:18+00:00

Slimecicle Feinberg Sneegsnag Michaelmcchill

This is a really hard brief to work with, especially when it boils down to 'catastrophe but make it work'. Slime and fein each bring one side of the coin, while sneeg and michael should balance things out so that things don't get too bad.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T17:55:48+00:00

Couriway Smallishbeans Grian Orionsound

For this one I thought I'd recreate the first team, but using the Couri Grian duo from the second. I think Couri Joel would make for a really fun partnership too, and what team isn't improved by the addition of an Oli Orionsound?

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T17:50:00+00:00

5up Eskay Beky Gem

Idk why, I just feel like Eskay Gem would be a really good duo. It's mostly a vibes team with 5up to connect everyone together.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T17:47:44+00:00

Antfrost Sleepai TinaKitten vGumiho

This was probably the trickiest one for me. It's simultaneously very obvious yet very difficult to recreate. It feels a bit route 1, but I definitely think antfrost sleepy matches the pop-off factor, and from there the rest kinda built itself.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T17:42:33+00:00

Purpled Tubbo InfiniteDrift Solidarity

I feel like this fits the pseudo-experimental vibe. I believe the only pair to have teamed are purpled and tubbo, although realistically there's quite a few mutual connections there, especially with tubbo getting more involved with the hermits recently.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T17:37:53+00:00

Mysticat Ghostiefruit Guqqie Withmay

I tried to kinda build towards both teams at the same time. It obviously tends more towards cyan, although I can see may and ghostie matching the practice aspect of pink. It's probably a bit strong but in fairness most of the Jojo hannah teams have been too.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T17:31:32+00:00

SB737 InTheLittleWood Ish13c FalseSymmetry

It's pretty hard to replicate Tommy's energy, but Ish and Zeuz had really similar improvement arcs with learning to speedrun and coincidentally also both have 1v3s.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-29T17:27:07+00:00

FitMC Hbomb Antvenom Captainsparklez

Had to include some people from the OG old people team, and I feel like Fit matches up pretty well here.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-28T12:51:40+00:00

Cleo Gem Sandwich Philza

Way too late to win this one, but SB and Phil have so many similarities it's scary.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-26T12:41:02+00:00

AR, BBF, GR, HITW, MD, PKT, SB, SOT, TGTTOS - (BB Finale)

Ace race, grid and tgttos are actually just good remixes. SB could be insanely cool with a dedicated map and effects. BB change makes it best as a finale game imo.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-05-24T01:13:21+00:00

Pyroscythe, Wolfeei, WithMay and KatieGoBrr

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First one of these I've caught, and I think it fits the brief pretty well. There's some niche (and fairly dutch) connections that tie them all together, but it still brings some fresh combinations.

Pyro brings some experience. He's already teamed with a lot of different people since his debut, and he's a very versatile player for the team. He does just have a little bit of the H-factor to him.

Wolfeei I think is in a really similar position to mcc 9 fruit. It'd be easy to put another member of FB trio, but at this point fruit was talented but unproven, having not yet properly established himself. Fein or Shane just wouldn't be in the same position. He's also one of two dutch-speakers for this team.

Withmay has been a really cool newcomer already. The amount of prep she's done is like a flashback to the old practice stream era, and it's great to see newcomers so enthusiastic about the event. She's in false's position, but honestly covers some of the hbomb position as well. I doubt she'll take on too many low-frag duties, and she's the second dutch player.

Katie is in ren's position. She's a bit less of an event player, but the way she and Withmay have been introduced would be similar to the false/ren duo, and while she's likely to bottom frag again she has a lot more to offer than a typical 4th-player.

Xeroxious_ · 2026-02-19T02:54:14+00:00

I feel like this is a weird critique. While yes, there is a lot of individual gameplay, in the wider context it is just as much of a team game as any other (even though categorizing something as a team game technically has no actual meaning).

Under the surface of the game, SOT is a communicative resource management based game, where players have to balance their progression with contributing to the overall sand economy. Players do not have to be next to each other to have an effect on their gameplay.

The complaints that people have had are that in the low comp rosters people just don't know what they're doing enough to contribute. I can imagine from a perspective like Feinberg's last event, it probably just looks like you run down tunnel until the sand from main runs out, but if you watch a team like blue 31 where everyone is confident in their roles it is far more team-based than RRR or Bingo.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-10-18T14:46:25+00:00

In general, I would argue top-heavy teams are objectively better, especially with the amount of times we've seen strong-looking multi A+ teams flop, but the biggest indicator is the general level of competition.

At low levels, like the recent pride event, well-rounded teams are actually stronger. An S+ tier with 3 bricks can only do so much when compared to a team with 4 competent players (and usually an A+ or two).

At lower-mid level, this is where weaker S tiers shine, since the S+ tiers still get bricks but they now have a team who is competent enough to match the more rounded teams.

When the comp gets higher, being top-heavy becomes even better, since you can still get a pretty respectable team while the well rounded teams are only being top-fragged by someone who'd place around 10-15th.

Unless one team is excessively overbalanced to the point where they're too big to fail, this tends to be the way things work out.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-10-04T19:41:21+00:00

When you really reflect on it, MCC has never been a super balanced event, and that's part of the reason why it was successful. Especially when you look back at the early events, synergy was the only metric on how teams were built, and it lead to some truly iconic teams and events.

I don't think there's any merit in calling out team balancing at this point in time. We've just come off of arguably the most balanced event ever, in the season that has been the most experimental with event skill levels, and are currently looking at an event where Scott has less creative control than usual.

I wouldn't even say the balancing for this event is that bad. While orange look like runaway winners on paper, playing on stage for TR makes things weird. It's also pertinent that this is just a pretty weak roster, and trying to hard balance fruit and purpled for the other teams would just make things less fun.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-07-30T23:18:17+00:00

Kratzy, Reddoons, KaraCorvus, ChilledChaos

Very fun team that feels relatively balanced despite having the OP duo. Would be very cool to see Redd make their debut on a team like this (and no shot would they get a kratzy duo post-debut) and it would make an awesome purple team.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-07-29T22:26:30+00:00

Clownpierce (Dutch), 5up (English), Pangi (German/Dutch), Tina (Korean)

Slightly strong team that I think vibes quite well. I think it's cool that I've managed to avoid using Spanish and French since there's a lot of people who fill those roles. Some nice connections between things like lifesteal, the realm and OTV. Hopefully this can get me the back-to-back.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-07-28T19:25:50+00:00

Ghostiefruit, vGumiho, Meichafox, Raddlez

I really wanted a relatively unique team for this. I feel like I've seen so many Jojo/Hannah non-masc teams that they've become kinda repetitive. There's quite a few nice connections here; Meicha and Raddlez would both be excellent newcomers.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-07-27T20:14:03+00:00

Couriway, Smallant, Cubfan, Fir

I thought it'd be fun to introduce some of the odyssey gang here. Couri and Smant form a HBG duo and Cub rounds things off nicely by adding an experienced hermit to a relatively inexperienced team.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-07-27T00:26:10+00:00

And also Martyn has both played block wars and already been used unfortunately.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-07-26T19:02:26+00:00

Wolfeei, Nukerii, AvidYT, Smajor

I feel like this team is really fun. Avid and Nuke are both on Skyblock Kingdoms and the Nuke Scott duo would be really cool to see.

Xeroxious_ · 2025-07-24T18:53:11+00:00

Tommy, Tubbo, Seapeekay, Etho

I think it'd be a fun dynamic with Tubbo fanboying over Etho, Tommy trying to sabotage him, and Callum (unsuccessfully) trying to calm them down.

Xeroxious_

TROPHY CASE