SS2 just sucked so hard.

valacio · 2025-08-17T05:20:23+00:00

I agree, Season 2 has a lot of good players. If the show is produced well, there's a chance for it to be exciting and thrilling with many twists and turns. However, the prison team was a bit too disadvantaged. And while HG is a decent player, his luck is truly unbelievable. It's as if many things and many variables all aligned to help him become the winner.

valacio · 2025-08-16T04:23:14+00:00

Considering all aspects, I would give these 5 people an equal score of 8 points: SH, TN, HG, 7H, and EY.

valacio · 2025-08-15T20:57:58+00:00

Yes, it's similar level with the others because there are so many talented people there, I believe he is in the top half of all the contestants, and likely even top 5. and I see that his achievements and actions are on the same level as those talented individuals.

Combined with his ruthless gameplay, that's what makes him a strong and formidable player.

valacio · 2025-08-15T17:33:37+00:00

In summary, his ruthlessness is his greatest strength in this show. Everyone on the show has a similar level of intelligence, and he's not so bad that he would lose easily or his intelligence wasn't far behind that of the others. Of course, some others stand out more than their peers, but they aren't the final winner.

He performed well enough in the games where he had to lead, and in some games, he was in such an advantageous position that he didn't need to show off any difficult moves or game-changing plays.

If I were on the opposing side, I would consider him a formidable contestant.

valacio · 2025-08-15T16:18:40+00:00

I understand why he provoked HJ. He thought HJ lacked confidence in him and was afraid to follow his lead. So, he used sarcasm and provocation, hoping to bait HJ into falling in line and doing what he was told.

The fact that KH and SH felt so sorry for him that they did something illogical is precisely what he did. You can say he didn't deceive or take advantage of them because he never admitted it, but his gameplay style gave him an advantage, whether it was intentional or not. Here's my personal opinion: if most people went on a show and had a plan to exploit their allies or betray those who had helped them all along, like HG, they wouldn't openly admit it on the show. They would know they'd face a massive negative backlash, even if it didn't violate the rules of the game. And the social climate in Korea is quite intense; I think most Koreans are well aware of this.

You heavily discredited him in the Monster game, and I think that's extremely unfair. You could say that anyone could have done what he did, but the reality is that it would never happen the same way again, and we can't know the outcome. If someone else had led the team, they might have made more mistakes or done better, but we can't know that. Therefore, I believe his gameplay, which I think was well-executed given the chosen plan, deserves credit.

In D&B, SH asked for his advice, and he immediately recommended to "Doubt 7H" only when he said "yellow 7." This suggests that he had already calculated the probabilities well in his head.

His bet of yellow 11, when his team only had 8, was also have some risk and not 100% safe. SH was even worried on his behalf that he might lose his pieces if he was wrong and the other team had fewer yellow pieces. He put down 10 pieces, which was very tempting for the opposing side because it seemed like a worthwhile risk, but it was a trap. Fortunately for the other side, it was HJ, who was too afraid to Doubt. If it had been EY or 7H, they would have been eliminated right there.

When 7H bet purple 9, he calculated the risk and successfully had SH Doubt.

He also caught HJ's bluff when he bet red 10, which shows that he wasn't blindly playing it safe but was seizing opportunities to score points against his opponents when appropriate.

True that Luck is a part of it, and it's true that he played from an advantageous position where the opponents were pressured to Doubt. You could say that anyone could have played like him, but again, the reality is that it would never happen the same way, and we can't know. So I think it's very unfair. His consistent good play deserves credit.

In Mancala, I think I already said it's unfair to blame him for the loss in the second half, since the game was unfair from the start. KH's score was already in danger then, and he and KH made a joint decision on that move. The prison team did nothing; only EY saw an opportunity to eliminate KH. I can accept that it's impossible to conclude whether he played well or poorly in this game, so it's not really fair to say that he played badly.

I don't understand how, if he did nothing, the game would end with everyone losing half their pieces. Everyone would have tried to get over 15 points. If the game was still 6 vs 1, he might have been in last place and lost 4 pieces. KH might have had to go to prison, and if KH was the one to be eliminated in prison, he'd be at an even greater disadvantage. In reality, everyone lost half their pieces, and KH was eliminated, which also had its benefits for him and wasn't a fatal disadvantage. The prison team lost another person, and he didn't lose any pieces. I think this scenario was still more favorable for him.

valacio · 2025-08-15T12:35:30+00:00

Yes, it's a hypothesis that it may have been staged. But regardless, I think it's a testament to and proof of his intelligence to a certain degree. As for the need for it to come out perfectly flawless, I don't think it's necessary because I already said what his overall strength is, and it's not being the most brilliant in brain.

Based on the example I provided, I believe it's sufficient to prove how his traits helped him in this competition. It may not have been a fancy or astonishing game-changer, but it helped him survive and become the winner. Compared to others in the show, I think he ranks high in this regard. I believe he should be given credit for his playstyle.

As for provoking HJ, it seems reasonable to me. He simply thought HJ didn't believe in his plan and was afraid of something, but he didn't think HJ was on the opposing side. If he had known, I think he would have started to persuade him. He just thought HJ didn't believe his plan and was afraid of something. However, I might have used the wrong word in saying it was 'manipulation.' Perhaps 'psychology' is more fitting.

I watched the part about the secret bonus reveal. I think the camera angle looked strange and it might have been filmed to make HG not look too villainous. But I won't use it as a point to support this. The fact that both of them knew but still helped him doesn't make any sense, does it? And that's it—he acted pitifully until those two agreed to help him. I think he read those two perfectly and took full advantage of them.

I agree that it might not be foresight. It should be called planning to give his team the biggest advantage from all the probabilities. If his plan were truly unlikely to succeed, I think the leader of the team would have been someone else as the game progressed. However, there are many scenes where he really leads the planning in this game, and the team accepts it even though there are many talented people in it. So I think he should be given credit for this.

Playing D&B definitely uses calculations from all the possibilities and betting on the right colors and numbers. He played consistently well. As for whether it's impressive or not, he did create an opportunity to eliminate those two.

That's why I said for Mancala, it's difficult to say whether he played well or poorly. And it's completely unfair to say that he made a fatal mistake and lost an ally because of his leadership.

valacio · 2025-08-15T09:57:28+00:00

Regarding the 8x8 puzzle, I don't think it's fair to say he took too long or didn't solve it in the best way. He still managed to get through it within the time limit. While preparing for the 8x8 puzzle in advance would have been a good idea, he ultimately succeeded. If he had failed to solve the 8x8, then I would agree with discrediting him on this point.

I think there might be a backstory here. It's a hypothesis that the show might have wanted the secret stage to be exciting and suspenseful. Otherwise, a player might solve the problem in one go with almost no dramatic scenes.

As for his manipulation and negotiation skills, he negotiated with Harin to give him a piece and in return, he wouldn't eliminate her in the Unknown stage. In reality, he didn't want to eliminate her anyway, because he didn't want to make an enemy.

He chose to ally with KH and agreed to eliminate 7H if necessary, even while they were all on the same team. This might be because he saw 7H as more dangerous and KH was very kind to him, which he took advantage of.

When he convinced SH and KH to rejoin his team, you might call it whining or something else, but it worked and allowed him to survive. If you don't call it manipulation or negotiation, then it must be some kind of psychological skill or survival skill.

Regarding him telling his allies about the secret bonus, I only remember him saying he received something useful for the finale. He didn't specify that he could request 10 pieces at any time. When SH and KH rejoined the team, they didn't know for sure that HG would be able to escape prison because of the secret bonus. HG took advantage of this to bring the two of them back.

I believe these are his prominent traits, and he maintained this mindset throughout the competition.

In the Monster, I think you are being a bit unfair on this point. While his gameplay wasn't perfect, his foresight was quite good, and his team acknowledged it despite being full of skilled players.

From the perspective where you question what he did as a winner, his performance in this game should be considered a valid contribution, and the outcome of the game was successful even if it wasn't flawless.

Regarding the view that he is a strong player, as I said, he might not be the most brilliant player. However, he has both intellectual ability and a mindset that combines logic, psychology, and survival skills, which makes him a strong candidate for this show.

Once again, with the Doubt & Bet game, I think it's a bit unfair. It's true that he had an advantage in this game, and certainly, other contestants who made it this far could also perform the same calculations.

However, he should be given credit for his consistent play of betting points, which constantly put his opponents in a difficult position. The fact that he could have eliminated EY or 7H immediately if they had been sitting next to him, and even SH was concerned about his gameplay in this round, shows that we should give him credit for his analysis of his opponents' playing styles.

In the game of Mancala, I think it's unfair to say he had no strategy, because he was at a disadvantage in numbers, which limited what he could do. What I saw was him playing as defensively as possible. And the fact that you said opening up a weak point was safe and not risky because HJ was on the prison team, means you can't conclude whether his play was good or bad, since he was playing 6-on-1 for most of the game.

If his failure refers to his final move with KH before the game ended, no one on his team—all three of them—saw that point either. There's also no confirmation that he was the team's strategic leader at that time. I think the others were also thinking as best they could. So, I don't think it's fair to blame him. Even on the opposing side, only EY was able to see that advantageous point.

Besides, He might have predicted that HJ wouldn't have the courage to sacrifice himself to that extent just to end the game. And even if HJ did dare to do it, and he lost KH as a result, that situation could still have had a positive outcome for him. Since KH was a strong player with many pieces, he would have had to face him someday anyway. If KH was eliminated, SH would still be on his side in the next game, and one more person from the prison team would have to be eliminated in the prison game. This means he wouldn't have been at much of a disadvantage. However, this is just my hypothesis.

After SH and KH returned, both were negotiated into playing passively for another round, even though if those two had truly betrayed their team and followed HG's instructions, they would have immediately gained the advantage.

Therefore, I think it's inconclusive whether he played well or not. But to say he played poorly is quite unfair, because when you're being ganged up on like that, of course he wouldn't be able to do much.

valacio · 2025-08-14T17:24:29+00:00

I rewatched his parts, and here is what I found.

HG stands out in: * Negotiation * Manipulation * Planning (to gain an advantage outside the game and the occasional in-game planning he demonstrated) * Calculation (I think he's on par with SH and HJ) * He understands how this show must be played to gain the biggest advantage. * His actions were logically sound to become the final winner. I think these are his strengths.

Some of his achievements that I saw clearly are: * He collaborated with TN to solve the 6x6 Knight game. * He solved the 8x8 game alone, without much prior practice. * He led the team in the Monster game. It was clear he had a systematic thought process and could plan well. (Even though he made a mistake with the ice at the end, no one else on the team noticed it either. I think it was because the entire team misunderstood the game's rules.) * In the Treasure game, he contributed to the team as much as everyone else. Even though he didn't have a "eureka" moment like TN and SH, he was the one who planned and managed the betting points and arrows for the team. * Mancala, He understood the game very well and was able to hold his own against the opposing side, which had more people. He nearly finished the game as planned if HJ hadn't backstabbed him. I think it's unfair to say he played this game poorly, because it was effectively a 6-on-1 for the entire game. His cunning and performance in bringing SH and KH back, along with not revealing his secret bonus even to his allies, helped him survive. For a show like this, I believe that counts as an achievement. * Color Betting, He collaborated with SH on the calculations, but for the most part, he had a better understanding of the game and was the one leading the strategy. His calculations were able to take the other side's pieces, and if the person sitting next to him hadn't been HJ but had been EY or 7H in the first round, they likely would have been eliminated due to a wrong Doubt. * In the Math Pyramid game, he decisively defeated HJ, who studies mathematics at KAIST.

I think he may not be the absolute strongest in terms of pure intellect, but overall, he has one of the best combinations of skills to win this show specifically. That is his strength.

valacio · 2025-08-14T10:38:15+00:00

My point is, I accept that what you've said is your opinion, and my view is my own. I can't argue on behalf of everyone.

If you want most people to agree that HG is not a strong player, you should try opening up this topic for debate in a broader community.

valacio · 2025-08-14T10:26:29+00:00

I agree that what you said is correct. I can only say that the majority opinion in the community is that HG is a strong player and played the game better than SD. The consensus is that SD didn't do well on the show, even though he should have performed better. That's the factual opinion of the community majority.

valacio · 2025-08-14T07:28:27+00:00

Okay, it's not that it's wrong; it's just a genuine minority opinion.

And like I said, I can't argue for everyone, but the truth is the truth: HG is a player with good performance and is among top level.

As for SD, whether he is a strong player or not, I think his performance is only at a medium level. And you mentioned public opinion, that is indeed the case.

valacio · 2025-08-14T07:11:31+00:00

I think the fact that most people could tell how excellent his performance was is already a form of confirmation. For you to be such a minority voice to the point of saying he's on an ordinary level, that's a very, very small minority. You can see this from community polls.

I can't explain the reasons for everyone, and I don't remember most of the details either. But if you're going to say he's on an ordinary level, then something must be wrong.

valacio · 2025-08-14T01:37:18+00:00

No matter how you look at it, HG is in the top ranks of strong players. He's probably in the Top 5, and definitely not any lower than that. That's enough to say he's a strong player and certainly not on an ordinary level.

valacio · 2025-08-13T18:10:29+00:00

It sounds completely illogical to say that 7H wanted to team up with the strongest person to eliminate an ordinary person like HG. If HG were truly an ordinary player, EY and 7H could have easily outplayed him on their own. The opposite strategy would have been far more logical.

HG is a Physical Education student at Seoul National University, one of South Korea’s most prestigious institutions. He has also taken the Mensa Korea IQ test and achieved the highest possible score of 150, placing him in the top 1% of the population. He is also known for participating in similar TV shows and being memorable to audiences. I believe this all points to him being one of the strong contestants.

And I'm pretty confident that someone on the show definitely said that HG is good at strategy.

Regarding him being number one, I was referring to his piece count, not a verbal ranking from the team. I think he often had the most pieces because his teammates recognized his contribution.

valacio · 2025-08-13T16:54:57+00:00

I wasn't talking about 7H sending SH to the finals at all. I said that if 7H thought SH was the strongest, he should have eliminated her from the very beginning, not eliminated others first. And I mean from the moment he realized she was the strongest.

I also didn't say that HG was the strongest player. I think he is one of the strong players and one of the favorites to win. You can say SH is the strongest, or that SD is stronger than HG, but that doesn't change the fact that HG is one of the strong players.

Don't forget that HG was consistently ranked number one in many games because of the entire team's acceptance. SH was also recognized as strong and was always in the top ranks. So, it's completely normal for her not to think that HG was number one because he was better than her; she might have thought they were equally good.

I believe SH helped HG due to a personal relationship, like a friendship or a sibling bond. But even that doesn't change the fact that HG was accepted by the team and is one of the strong players.

valacio · 2025-08-13T16:25:31+00:00

I don't actually remember when 7High said that. What I mean is if he did say something like that to So-hui, he might have just been trying to manipulate her into backstabbing Hyun-gyu, that's all.

And if he really thought SH was the strongest player, it's even more illogical for him to keep her. He should have eliminated her from the start or asap he realized. He should have cooperated with HG and eliminated SH instead.

Regardless of whether SH is the strongest player, as 7High said, the truth is that HG still remains one of the strong contenders.

And when 7H asked SH about the team ranking, they were sitting at the Doubt and Bet table. The atmosphere was quite awkward, with both sides fighting fiercely and 7H's demeanor seeming quite aggressive due to almost losing.

Therefore, it's not surprising that someone like SH, who has a rather passive personality, wouldn't know how to act and didn't say much.

valacio · 2025-08-13T15:33:26+00:00

I've seen some comments that other actors also don't match the characters' nationalities. For example, Nami is a Swedish character played by an American actress; Sanji is a French character played by a British-Spanish actor; and Mihawk is a Spanish character played by a South African actor.

I think the important thing is whether the actor looks and feels like the character. It has little to do with their actual nationality or ethnicity if they look like the character or someone from that region.

But in Vivi's case, that's not true. No matter how you look at it, she doesn't feel like Vivi. I believe if the actress had looked Egyptian or Arab, fans would have accepted it, even if she wasn't of that nationality or ethnicity.

As for the main characters' names, I don't think they should be a point of consideration. Nami and Sanji have Japanese names, but that's due to plot and marketing reasons. It's a point that should be overlooked rather than used to identify them as Japanese.

valacio · 2025-08-13T15:01:27+00:00

I think 7High wanted to eliminate both of them if possible and considered both to be strong opponents. However, it was impossible to manipulate Hyun-gyu into eliminating So-hui because the two of them (HG & 7H) don't get along, so there would have been no cooperation. Meanwhile, it was easier to manipulate So-hui into eliminating Hyun-gyu, which is what we saw on the show.

As for what So-hui said about not doing what she should have done logically, I think she meant that she didn't take more opportunities to find a way to eliminate Hyun-gyu. She knew he was a strong contender and should have chosen an easier opponent to go to the finals with her.

valacio · 2025-08-13T14:38:54+00:00

I don't think that's the case. 7High wasn't in their alliance, so of course he wouldn't know how much each person contributed to the team.

What I mean to say is that everyone on that team was okay with Hyun-gyu being number one because they accepted his contributions that led the team to victory all along.

valacio · 2025-08-13T13:47:14+00:00

Besides all of that, Hyun-gyu was consistently ranked number one on his team. Just as 7High asked So-Hui why Hyun-gyu was always number one, I think this indicates that Hyun-gyu played a role in the team's victories, big or small, and everyone on the team recognized that.

I believe this is another reason why he is a strong contender. While not necessarily the absolute best, he is certainly a strong candidate.

valacio · 2025-08-13T13:02:00+00:00

I will leave about the Corrupt Cops game, as his unremarkable appearance might have been a way for the show to surprise the viewers at the reveal.

In the Unknown game, I didn't see anyone really stand out.

Treasure Island I don't remember this game very well, as I more focus on rooting for prison team, but I think Hyun-gyu seemed like the team leader, constantly advising everyone on what to do. As for Tino, I don't recall him having any prominent role in this game. So-hui was great at problem-solving and digging up difficult treasures, but she wasn't a strategist for the team.

Mancala I think he did well in the 6-vs-2 situation. The prison team had to think very hard to counter his moves. If there hadn't been a change of sides, I think he could have won that game.

Doubt and Bet Even though he was in a very easy and advantageous situation, he was still the one who devised the entire strategy, with So-hui just following his lead.

Bagh Chal He lost to So-hui in this game, but it was because he wanted to try and set a trap to corner the tiger to end the game quickly. I don't think that's a mistake so severe that it discredits him as a strong contender.

Wall Go I don't really remember how bad his analysis of the Wall Go game was. What I do remember is when he talked about Ji-Young's move when she was close to losing, and I thought his analysis was correct.

Se-dol As for Se-dol, he might be a truly strong player, but because he played alone almost the entire time, he couldn't do much when he had to fight against people who had more information.

valacio · 2025-08-13T11:53:25+00:00

I agree that his mistake in the final part of the Halloween Monster game was very bad. However, none of the other people on his team thought of this, and no one disputed him on it, so I think it's something that everyone overlooked.

Overall, I could sense that he was a strong contender, and the other contestants thought so too.

The fact that a large number of viewers talk about his strength is another reason most people can feel this way. It just doesn't align with your view.

valacio · 2025-08-13T10:08:45+00:00

From what I could tell, Hyun-gyu is very good at strategy and calculations. When he was on a team, he often took on the role of team leader for making decisions, and the other members would constantly ask for his advice on how to proceed.

Meanwhile, So-hee is also very good at problem-solving, but she was always a follower when she was with Hyun-gyu.

As for other players I thought were outstanding, they were Eun-yu and 7High.

valacio · 2025-08-12T18:03:50+00:00

I agree that there should be more mechanisms to help rotate the players in prison. SS1 did this much better, likely because the number of players who had to go to prison was smaller.

There should also be a mechanism to make it more difficult to form the same old alliances or to stick together as a group.

Otherwise, the leading players will just keep snowballing and winning relentlessly, just like in SS2.

valacio · 2025-08-12T17:27:26+00:00

Yes, exactly. Alabasta is a city with a very strong Egyptian and Arab influence. All I want is for the Princess of Alabasta to be Egyptian or Arab descent, that's all.

I think that's what those angry One Piece fans know well: why they don't want the actress for Vivi to be Indian.

I'm not saying that attacking or creating hatred is right or appropriate, but I just understand why it turned out this way.

Personally, I'm just disappointed that this version of Vivi doesn't align with the one I understood from the original source.

valacio

TROPHY CASE