Coaches Poll

We’re seeing flashes of what put Conrad’s name on the Cup years ago, winning the first ever six-person Civ VII game the league has commissioned with an uncharacteristic culture victory. We’ve seen this pattern before: sparks of the early 2020s ramp that defined his playstyle and commanded a four-title streak. But in recent years, that spark has been easily blown out when the lights shined the brightest. Looks like Dernie can keep it alive for a qualifier. The question is whether Conrad can keep it alive for the campaign, or if he'll fall to pressure, again.

Death, taxes, and Brook dominating the numbers game: these things are certain. All qualifier long, everyone was checking the yields and telling themselves, "surely that's as much culture as he can get." The first qualifier didn't go the way he wanted, being eliminated in the Exploration age, but his consistency in putting pins to paper and painting a tapestry of incredible yields will undoubtedly carry him to runaway victories this season. There's never been a question of who first put their name on the Cup in both Civ VI and Civ VII. The question the next months will answer is whether he can weave new strategies from his mastery of first principles.

"Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station." For a decade, the battle station known as Romero's ability to command both waves and land through bleeding-edge shadow tactics would have you thinking he didn't just read The Art of War, he wrote it. Sure, he lost a naval war this time, but we've seen this story before: a kid from Tatooine blew up the first Death Star, and the Empire just built another one. And what's this? Romero entered the science game and held a dominant lead through most of it, so maybe there's more here than meets the eye. But for now, contenders, enjoy your picnic on Alderaan, keep working on your dev, and try not to think about the moon on the horizon. We know Romero will strike back.

I don't know what they're putting in the water in Boise, but if you want to absorb mechanics like a sponge and figure out, in a month and change, how to leave everyone in the dust on pace for an economic victory, I'd consider visiting. From last place in July to fourth in September, Domanski continues to exceed expectations as a rookie, answering the many dichotomies of the game and uncovering new dials to get those yields up. Some are calling him an early favorite for the contender qualifier in December. But just as many are questioning whether he's building a graph with a pretty curve for the next shareholder meeting, or if he can convert that to wins.

You’d think the motto of the Majapahit after this game was “Don’t tread on me”. The markets may be a little late (he finished second in the qualifier, and the poll still has him fifth), but in the last few weeks Chausse has gone from the blueprint of how not to win an early game war to not just weathering the storm of Brook’s formidable invasion, but eliminated the games leader at the time. Nothing was as talked about after the first qualifier as the masterclass of influence Chausse put on, and Vegas would be taking his side in the war against Domanski we never got to see the end of. But a new trick only works once. Was the first qualifier the right time to play the influence card? If I wanted to set the tone that I wasn't just ready, but someone to keep an eye on, I'd have played it too.

It’s somewhat difficult to gauge Davidson from the opening at bat. A cynic might say she was playing single player in a multiplayer lobby. That said, she put up commanding figures, leading science after Romero was dismantled and pacing towards a mid Modern era science victory. We know all too well that talk of lucky spawns and unfortunate neighbors is a staple of these games, but if you can make a play when the ball bounces your way, you might be going home to a parade and this game had flashes of that level of performance. She finished ahead of two-thirds of last year's Civapalooza podium yet slid two spots in the poll. The coaches' message is clear: she can put up numbers, but few games are played out on an island of tranquility.

Mendoza's office declined to comment (in fairness, we ran out of time to ask before publishing). With no seat at the first qualifier, we're left wondering whether he's quietly developing frontier shadow tactics, or if we just got the wrong email for the calendar invite.