osu!weekly #84

Ever get that feeling of Deja Vu? Team China is going back at it again with the United States in yet another Grand Finals match next week. How did this happen? Read on to find out!

Weekly news

Hot off the back of the osu!World Cup, the osu!mania 7K World Cup registration phase has begun! If you enjoyed the main event of the year so far, why not give the other modes a go? The keyboard mashing mania is happening soon, so be sure to follow our twitch channel to keep up to date!

Time's running out for all you lovely artists out there, the osu! Christmas Fan-art Contest is ending in a week!. Submissions will be closing on the 20th of December, so if you've been holding off until the last minute, now's the time to really squeeze in some of those delicious extra details on your work.

The Monthly Beatmapping Contests are back in action to follow up with the recently concluded osu! Remix Contest! If you haven't seen the jaw dropping entries from the last episode, or do not intend on participating in this contest, at least give the winning entry a listen. Personally, I was surprised at what hidden talent the community delivered, and I believe our mapping talent will be sure to do it justice in this new contest!

Voting continues for the Community Mapping Contest. Head on over and have your say on the winners across all gamemodes - voting closes on Christmas Eve, so get cracking!

First teased during the quarterfinals of the OWC, a new osu!musician by the name of Loki/Thaehan joins the ranks of the Featured Artists! A clean split between symphonic metal and sugary chiptune electronica, Loki/Thaehan's got something for pretty much everybody. Head on over to his listing and check out his tracks for yourself!

Registrations for the osu!mania 7K World Cup opened this week. Visit the news post and read all about it - or sign up, if you're above rank 5k in the mode!

Nathanael just uploaded some new packs for us to dive into and conquer! Do you love Nanahira? Like, a lot? By that I mean like, a whole lot? Well I have good news for you and your unhealthy obsession! The new packs include a collection of the best from the vocalist we all enjoy listening to so much (onii-chaaan~~). Oh, and there happens to be some Yousei Teikoku there as well.

If it so happens that the last entry doesn't get me waterboarded by the media team, we'll be here to cover the end of the osu!World Cup next week! Evrien has been rather tirelessly looking after the tournaments section of this publication, so please give him your appreciation and regards as you pass through the comments!

Scorewatch: December Week 2 (with Raveille)

NerO managed to snipe the famous WubWoofWolf SS on Black Hole - Pluto, known for its frequent BPM changes ranging from 50 to 270 that make it incredibly difficult to follow the music and beat. His HDHR 97.66% FC gave him 358pp, but the play is more impressive than you think!

SillyFangirl surely isn't going anywhere down slow! He managed to FC the Loved Camellia - Shun no Shifudo o Ikashita Kare Fumi Paeria within the first week of getting loved with a strong 99.66%. We await the first FC on the SV difficulty of the map, nonetheless, congratulations!

blizzardice, a touchscreen player, managed to set the next HDDT FC on Maffalda - pensamento tipico de esquerda caviar with a 91.16% 580pp score. Yes, this was done on touchscreen, making this the highest touchscreen pp play and also the highest pp play in Canada. Check it out!

Adamqs is not just your typical Top 100 player - he managed to set the first ever HDHR 99.05% FC on Camellia - LET'S JUMP. This map is littered with 146BPM stream spacings, making an HDHR play very difficult to pull off. This play was only worth 446pp, but if you are willing to take out 7 minutes of your day, do take a look at this play.

OWC Week 5, Finals Week 1: Team China Treads the Road of Revenge (with Evrien)

Does anyone still recall how last year's OWC ended? After being defeated by team China 6-3 in Winner Finals, the United States fell into the dreaded Loser's Bracket, and faced imminent elimination when they crossed paths with Poland. However, the Freedom Fighters grasped onto this spider's thread of hope and fought their way back to a rematch.

The two teams duked it out in an epic fashion, and team USA walked away with the title after winning the final tiebreaker: Furioso Melodia. And this year, the table has turned as team China got knocked down by team USA in semifinals, and walked their road of revenge in the Loser's Bracket this past weekend.

The United Kingdom and Taiwan opened up the weekend for the teams in Loser's Bracket. Facing an imperfect roster due to their missing star player Rucker, Taiwan nonetheless fought their bravest against this British powerhouse, but the tea-drinking gentlemen took them down 6-4.

China then met Germany, and the match was a fearsomely close contest with neither team being able to break the other until a tight until 4-4 end. However, the Chinese dragons did not falter, and took down Germany with 2 straight wins, avoiding a tiebreaker.

Then immediately following, China faced off against the United Kingdom. Having tasted their weaknesses and measured their strengths now, China seemed much more reserved and comfortable with the pool. After falling behind on the first point by only 11k points, the Chinese team went on a rampage and knocked 5 straight points out from under the United Kingdom in a shockingly decisive display of talent. The match settled in a tidy 6-2, with China earning their ticket towards a match against South Korea well and truly.

ArtxE showing up for Team China on DT pick MEPHISTO with a FC

South Korea and the United States' match in the Winner's Bracket earlier ended in a dramatic comeback from the Americans. Just as the match seemed to lean heavily in favor of South Korea, the United States pulled themselves together at 2-4 by winning on a mere 10.1k on Mad Machine. Hitting their second wind, the tables rapidly turned and the United States emerged on top with a 6-4 finish.

Now, the South Koreans must overcome China in order to get a rematch against the Americans. However, China did not lose their momentum from the day before, and brought up their absolute A game against South Korea, finishing the match with a 6-2, showing that they are ready for the second chance against the United States.

What do you think? Will the United States be successful defending their title? Or will China ride the Loser's Bracket Momentum and make the comeback real? This weekend, Sunday UTC 0400, twitch.tv/osulive – you would not wanna miss it!

Be there, or be square. But don't be square, because we are circles. So just be there.

If that didn't get you hyped for the final week of World Cup action, I don't know what will! If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in the next issue of the osu!weekly, drop by our osu!dev discord and send us a message in the #osu-weekly channel. Otherwise, feel free to just send us the lowdown at news@ppy.sh.

See you next week!

—Nyquill