Thoughts on the Final 4:
I promise Poirot that he was my bet to win the game if he manages to make it there. I think he played the best social game out of everyone. Lucifer struggled at the beginning to get out substantiative messages and was only getting better near the end, but still not enough to best the prowess of Poirot's messages
. Rust frequently sent me one liners, but hey, if he was keeping me safe, I was fine with it. There was really nowhere to hide in that F5 with Poirot being the only person who's had any sort of social game, so the fact that he's still in this astounds me. I think he suffered a lot by attaching himself at the hip to Judy. He was noncommittal and hard to pin down until he had his allies on board. He wasn't a risk taker. If she stayed, he risked the jury viewing him as the goat. Though, I think that's his only fatal flaw, yet he dealt with that. I think he knew exactly when to get out the right person, and this intention and planning is what sets him apart from the rest.
Rust relied heavily on his connections to make it far despite not having a strong social presence on any tribe I was with him on. At least in my opinion, no one had a strong view about Rust except that he seemed trustworthy and garnered support. I think that's why he was able to skate by and not get hit with Jake's idol. He attached himself to a target and has managed to play the shield card much better than anyone else in this game. I don't necessarily see playing under the radar as a bad strategy so I want to see him talk about his connections and plans at the pre merge and how that all changed with Pika going. How did he play the merge to ensure that whatever alliance he was in was stable, or that when it fell apart, he came out on top.
I risk painting Lucifer as a player of opportunity. I think he had some foresight trying to align with Grouch/Rust/Myself during what was supposed to be Jake going home during F9. He saw the fears of a 99th voting block and was getting ready to strike, but he waited too long and was forced into a position where he had to find new connections. I think it's gotten him this far, but again, would like to see what his strategy was. Was it strictly playing the middle between the two sides or just drifting in between? I can respect either, but I need him to own up to that and talk about why those were good moves. I think he could have easily sided with the 99th/27th block at the end of the merge but didn't as he knew siding with Poirot/Judy to the end wouldn't get him any points as they vastly overshadowed him. Overall, I see the foresight, I just want to know if he did.
Leon I don't quite understand. I haven't seen any real intention, just a newbie siding with whoever seems the strongest, but done in a way that doesn't make me feel like he knows what he's doing. At least with Rust, he works to ensure his shield feels safe and secure while we works in the shadows to plot their downfall in a safe way. Leon just promises sweet nothings while not really divulging any content or thought in a logical way. I'm most concerned with how he genuinely believed it was a good move to promise both Poirot and I that he's with us 100%, when even the less comital, honest answer could have theoretically put him in a swing position. I don't know if he's aware that he was not a target in any of the post merge shenanigans because he just wasn't a threat and thinks that promising a F2 to everyone is good gameplay. I'd have to be really pressed to vote for him, but I look forward to seeing what he says at FTC if he makes it.
Overall, my vote isn't decided. I do have preferences and it's largely going to be impacted by the speeches and questions asked. I think this is the least bitter jury I've ever seen so I'm excited to have a productive FTC
