OverPower history: Ratings

[JohnL]

Well since somebody asked.

The first ratings system for OverPower players was done by Savanti - who provided a Global Rating System (GRS) for the CCG industry.

Savanti rated OverPower players through 1996 and 1997 and did a great job. They also attended tournaments and did some judging.

In 1998 Marvel terminated the relationship 'things ended with Marvel and OverPower on an extremely sour note.' I'll leave it to Mike if he wants to comment further on that!

Marvel then took over the ratings (I guess this would have been Marvel Interactive) using a similar (was it identical?) algorithm. BUT the whole thing was reset - all the 1996 and 1997 games and ratings were gone.

So, this ratings list, which some of you may have seen, is from 1998 to the bitter end:
http://overpower.ca/archive/Ripayuheadoff/op2/ratings.html

For the glory days of OverPower 1996-1997 you can still access the archived Savanti list here:
http://web.archive.org/web/19980129234635/http://www.savanti.com/grs/opl-rate.html

Even better I just discovered that the Savanti tournament reports are also archived.
For 1996:
http://web.archive.org/web/19980129234148/http://www.savanti.com/grs/tresul96.html
and for 1997:
http://web.archive.org/web/19980129234134/http://www.savanti.com/grs/tresul97.html

I'm going to enjoy browsing through those. Lots of familiar names. Lots of memories.

Place: San Diego Convention Center 96/07/06 - SouthWestern Regional

Winner: Cherie Briggs Santa Barbara, CA 8-0 2nd Mike Coe Hemet, CA 6-2

Cherie, Cherie? Who is this mystery woman, we ask. On her way to victory, she crushed Mike Coe the highest rated OverPower Player, as well as Chuck (a.k.a. "Charles") Freeze, another fair OverPower Player.

[NickW]

Wow, nice job digging those up on the wayback machine.

[Onslaught]

Cherie successfully defended her title from last year, narrowly defeating another Aaron for the Victory. Aaron had an incredible tournament, showing a gaming maturity beyond his twelve years. He had great cards in the Final, but Cherie calmly ground him out under incredible pressure, using her strong Energy/Intellect Deck. She proved once again she has the most amazing brain for computing odds under pressure, and she can always ramp up her game when there is cash on the line.

The one detail I remember from this match is that Aaron managed to kill Cherie's Scarlet Witch relatively quickly. John, any chance you remember what happened from there? I seem to remember him saying that she never bet more than two, and still consistently won venture.

[JohnL]

Cherie successfully defended her title from last year, narrowly defeating another Aaron for the Victory. Aaron had an incredible tournament, showing a gaming maturity beyond his twelve years. He had great cards in the Final, but Cherie calmly ground him out under incredible pressure, using her strong Energy/Intellect Deck. She proved once again she has the most amazing brain for computing odds under pressure, and she can always ramp up her game when there is cash on the line.

The one detail I remember from this match is that Aaron managed to kill Cherie's Scarlet Witch relatively quickly. John, any chance you remember what happened from there? I seem to remember him saying that she never bet more than two, and still consistently won venture.

No idea. Thanks to TV I can't remember what happened 8 minutes ago. I didn't attend either of the Nationals - and Cherie only went because they paid her way to the first one and the second one was conveniently situated so she could go on the way to a conference. I think you are right that her battle with Aaron was a close one that she eventually ground out. Cherie was always great playing under pressure. That was my problem - I'd always play just a little more cautiously in tournaments. I'd ask Cherie but she's in French Polynesia 'working'.

I'd forgotten where that quote came from. I used to say it to Cherie in a variety of different, and often inappropriate circumstances. I even made her a card inspired by it:

Most of Cherie's best nicknames come from OverPower. I think 'Terror of the West'  was from either the Savanti tournament reports or the Monthly Venture:


Do most people have this many pictures of their wife wielding a machete?

[Onslaught]

Didn't give her the 8 intellect...shameful...

[drdeath25]

I agreee with Onslsught, Cherrie deserves an 8 for being as brilliant as she is, i think your being a little too modest on her (or did you give yourself the only 8i stat from the set, lol  ). The inherent made me laugh out loud when i read it.

I really enjoyed seeing those... much more so than other homemades based on comic characters. And yes, Cherrie looks like she is having no problem handling that machete, quite impressive, she earns every bit of that 6f stat, just from the look on her face. Thank you for sharing, John.

[JohnL]

Didn't give her the 8 intellect...shameful...

As soon as she invents a flying car (Reed Richards) or time machine (Victor von Doom) or household robot (both Reed Richards and Victor von Doom) I'll bump it up to 8. As it is, given that Cherie actually has an engineering degree, our house is sadly robot, time machine and flying car free...

[BigBadHarve]

Didn't give her the 8 intellect...shameful...

As soon as she invents a flying car (Reed Richards) or time machine (Victor von Doom) or household robot (both Reed Richards and Victor von Doom) I'll bump it up to 8. As it is, given that Cherie actually has an engineering degree, our house is sadly robot, time machine and flying car free...

Well tell her to get on that! How do you put up with that slacker? 

-BBH