Angkor Anguish Review Thread (SPOILERS)

Thanks, buddy! We are thrilled to have ya!

9.27243/10

Yes, I realize I've rated most of the TRIAD shows quite high, because I'm choosing to base my ratings on a scale of 0 to "What Sahara sees/reads elsewhere", rather than rating them on a scale of 0 to "What Sahara thinks this was the perfect show". Mostly because the latter would result in shows scoring much closer to a zero. I kid. Maybe. That being said, what I see out of the TRIAD is higher quality in terms of promotion, graphics, writing and overall care about the product they produce -- free of charge -- than I've seen practically anywhere else.

I love the idea and the format of these Trials. It gives the writers the ability to tell a complete story (beginning|middle|end), without having to worry about what's next. It also puts a spotlight on a limited number of characters, which makes them all seem that much more important. Win, lose, or draw... if you can get into this thing... get into it. It's the perfect concept for our beloved hobby, shining a light on writers that otherwise would be lost in a sea of more talented writers... like me. For clarity, I mean I'm one of the ones that'd be lost... not that I'm a more talented writer.

I also don't get the sense that you put something out there after saying, "Fuck it, it's good enough", and I've gotten this sense in other places many times.

Not here.

This show, like the others preceding it, was excellent, in spite of the setting. And before you get angry and say, "What the hell does she mean the setting?! What's wrong with Cambodia?" Nothing is wrong with Cambodia, so calm your cancel culture. What I mean is writing shows/spots in an irregular setting -- such as this -- can introduce issues with the reader being able to visualize what you're writing. I had no issues visualizing them... and they were creatively used throughout, so great job.

On the Sahara pyramid of greatness, this fed makes the cut.

And it's a very small pyramid.

I don't really want this to become a cookie cutter show review, so instead I'm turning it into that, I just want to thank those that came up with the concept, created the graphics, put in the immense time and effort to read, review and leave feedback on all of our work... and to write the shows and continue to come up with unique ideas and concepts to make us all look great, even when losing.

I was skeptical to even sign up for this, but I'm glad I was convinced to do so, and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to join in on the fun. I may not have won whatever that Triad thing is, but I had a hell of a great time trying.

So again, thank you for providing us with the platform... and for all the work you've done throughout to make this place as good as it is.

This feels like the major leagues of efedding, gentlemen... a testament to what you've accomplished. Keep it small, keep it exclusive, and keep it going to allow new competitors a chance to shine, but don't water it down.

I rate this place 9 stars + a Tokyo Dome.

Hey, dudes. Sorry about the delay, holidays and whatnot, but I've got a feedback streak going and I don't wanna end it because I wanna be feedback Goldberg. ANYWAY.



Thanks for the kind words. I truly appreciate it. This event's been a blast and even though I swore I would take a breather for the Wit Trials I keep getting the itch to come back with an alt, especially since it seems that's what most of the regulars are doing. Great work fedheading, great shows, great community vibes, somehow I'm still in the Discord and I actually talk to people there, wow.



How would you rate Night 8 on a scale of 1-100?

Giving this shit 100 - for actual results, for ongoing execution and sticking a finale and also getting an event like this up over the holidays when I personally wanted to handle family obligations and literally nothing else, besides seeing Iron Claw, which was really good. Results, concept and hype wise you dudes are all killing it and this shit is a bright spot in efedding, cool to see more people coming on board.



What was the best match?

All bangers, but I'll say the main event. The way the scores came out leading into the match added a ton of drama. We got dungeons, dragons, and Dales. Mancini pocketing diamonds and jewels during an epic battle was a great character beat, plus the possibility that he might become Biff from Back to the Future 2, the best Back to the Future movie. Alias snatching the Triad and immediately deflecting dragon fire was some sick ass shit, big Ganon getting the Triforce feels going on, especially controlling a dragon, very final boss. Like a literal end of the world scenario if this guy leaves with it. Alias weakened by BLACK SHIT, Vhodka basically using Wolf as a summon, reluctant alliance between Cat/Vhodka, much finale, hey remember Doge. But yeah, epic shit, great payoff, maximum theatre extracted from this match.



What was the best spot?

SEB and Bacchus brawling amid rising water and an increasingly small fighting area, leading to the Johnny tapping right before they're submerged. So basically this is a wrestling match happening inside of an Indiana Jones death trap, with the participants trying to not die while also winning, which means the tap out isn't just about the hold but also wanting to not drown in a temple. Johnny decides to come in second but not drown, meanwhile SEB just stared death in the face to score a win.



What was the best segment?

Brandon Walsh showing up, honestly my reasoning is that with the existence of Jungle Boy, efedding needs a 90210 adjacent character. Usually I'm against 'character is the offspring of X real person' backstories, but I'm open to the idea of Forest Kid or some shit. Also the Alias/Wolf interactions have been a fun throughline and the payoff in the main event was a great capper, along with PIC and TLS shooting the shit right before the main event, love a good just-people-talking-right-before-shit-goes-down scene. Also Pantheon, yes I mentioned every segment because I'm a coward. But with Triad: The New Class coming, Spencer's out, but SEB is familiar with the game and Corey Black is a fresh face to the competition, so it's always good to have a teaser for your next season.



What was the best line(s) of commentary?

Hood: I dig how this room gave the wrestlers a place to jump off of...like it just knew a wrestling event would be here someday.

This line made me think of New Jack, who if you're unfamiliar, was an ECW wrestler who couldn't really wrestle but man he would jump off of anything. And if you said you were gonna go along with the spot and then chickened out at the last second, he would grab you and make sure you were still jumping off the thing even if he had to pull you with him. It's like the story that every human civilization keeps repeating is the story of wrestlers jumping off shit.



Best moment of the show?

Alias going full Ganon with the Strength piece while Vhodka powers up with the Bravery piece, complete with color-coded glowing eyes. Back in Indiana Jones/fighting game territory with incomprehensible powers infusing our competitors with otherworldly abilities. Great payoff to both the Strength Trials and calling back to Vhodka's victory in the Bravery Trials. I'm sure we'll get a similar setup at the end of the Wit Trials, with but another season, plus two other seasons to build on that shit's gonna be nuts.



Most shocking moment of the show?

Pantheon formation. Even if Spencer isn't draft eligible, SEB's a returning heavy hitter among all the new characters, and Corey Black is a fresh face with a not-so-fresh resume. Depending on how the draft goes, it'll be interesting to see how the two work together, especially since Triumvirate cemented themselves as the TRIAD supergroup.



Overall how would you rate your experience in TRIAD?

Awesome, loved it, had a blast, honored at the positive feedback and happy with the negative feedback because I think it helped me make some much needed tweaks. Hats off to Vhodka, Alias, and Mancini. This shit was brutal and I stressed pretty hard over my final post because I knew competition was gonna be stiff. The kind words are much appreciated. I feel like doing the Wit Trials would kill me but I also really want to come back with an alt. Either way, I'll be watching the next season, the World Tour aspect is a cool change and seeing all the new participants almost makes this feel like a brand new event from the same team. Should be one hell of a capper to the trilogy.



Suggestions?

Nah. The Wit Trials are shaking up the formula for an event that's already been unique. I haven't participated in anything else like this, so I trust you guys to keep the ball rolling.



Anything else you'd like to add:

I had a blast. Thanks again for running this. Considering the ideas, effort and execution that went into this, I know it couldn't have been easy. Props to Vhodka, Mancini and Alias again. I already run into Vhodka enough but I'm very excited for Cat to meet up with Alias again, plus interact with Mancini/Warstein/LCP. Good game, folks.