posted Nov 22nd, 2023 - The first NSL News update from the Weembinamic 2023 covered the situation after Round 4, which was the end of the qualification in the format that the event has applied since it was launched in 2016. The remaining six rounds were elimination duels between two or three teams following a similar bracket system as the one at the NSL Championship 2000.

The traditional leaderboard of the first four rounds becomes history when the scores are wiped out after Round 4 at the Weembinamic, as well as the scores of each of the next two rounds in the elimination duels, at least for the continuation in the bracket system. The losing teams of the duels are not really eliminated after their first duels (Rounds 5 - 6). They still complete the ten rounds of a traditional 4-way or 8-way competition in the following two 2-round duels (Rounds 7 - 8 and 9 - 10) where they are pitched at other losing teams.

All teams are using the same sequences in the four qualification rounds and in their elimination duels, which automatically creates a complete traditional 10-round leaderboard at the same time. Only the NSL News generates this traditional leaderboard for journalistic purposes. The elimination duels over two rounds can generate different results than the traditional leaderboard if a team has a very weak or very strong performance in one of the elimination rounds. This effect is even supersized with a Super Sequence in Round 10 that is well known and practiced, as it is posted months before the Weembinamic competition begins.

Weembinamic 2023			1		2		3		4		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		L,4,20		B,14,6		19,O,D,15		2,13,5		Total	Avg
1	Black Hole Dynos	UK	22	-1	23	-2	28		23	-1	96	24.0
2	Aerokart Monaco	FR	22	-1	25		27		19	-1	93	23.3
3	Unicorns Weembi	FR	24		26	-1	21	-3	21		92	23.0
4	Nephtys	FR	21		23	-1	25		21		90	22.5
4	FCUK Weembi	UK	22	-1	23	-1	23		22		90	22.5
6	Chesspaf	FR	21	-1	25	-1	23	-1	20	-1	89	22.3
7	Nice Autrement	FR	20		25		22	-1	19	-1	86	21.5
7	ISR Fireflash	BE	19		19	-2	27		21		86	21.5
9	Once Pakoi	FR	21		21	-2	23		20		85	21.3
10	Oblivion	IT	17		22		18	-1	17		74	18.5
11	RFA	US	14		19		20	-1	17		70	17.5
11	Bandits Revolution	IT	15	-1	20	-1	19		16	-1	70	17.5
13	Expend4bles	FR	16		19		18		16		69	17.3
14	4Ever Nancy	FR	14	-1	17		17		13		61	15.3
15	Vedett Weembi	FR	14		16		13		13		56	14.0
16	Garudas	BE	12	-5	14	-4	14	-4	15		55	13.8
17	Axel'Air	FR	11	-2	15		15	-1	12	-1	53	13.3
18	Fly 4 Smile	FR	12		14		15		7	-3	48	12.0

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Black Hole Dynos - ISR FireFlash at the Weembinamic 2023

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Last year, the order on the top of the traditional leaderboard was upset when Weembi Unicorns were in 1st place with a 9-point lead over FCUK after Round 10. However, FCUK won the last 2-round duel (90 - 88) with the better Super Sequence (68 - 65) and officially won the AAA Class competition of the Weembinamic 2022.

This year, the three Weembinamic medal winners were identical with the three teams on the traditional leaderboard, and they also finished in the same order, even though ISR FireFlash had their own road how to get to the 2nd place in both formats.

ISR FireFlash were tied in 7th place after Round 4, nowhere close to the top of the leaderboard, and they did not have an easy opponent at all for the first elimination duel. The format's bracket put them together with the team that was in 2nd place after the four qualification rounds, the former French 4-way juniors of Aerokart Monaco, currently the national senior B-Team in France.

However, the Belgian team with original HayaBusa member Sven Ibens in the lineup, gained momentum in Round 3 and Round 4 after a very slow start, and the young French team lost five points in the second duel round (6) with ISR FireFlash. The Belgians moved forward, while the promising French team was eliminated.

Weembinamic 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		L,4,20		B,14,6		19,O,D,15		2,13,5		11,17,22		3,P,K,G		18,10,1		A,H,12,J		8,21,16		Q,M,F,C,N		Total	Avg
1	Black Hole Dynos	UK	22	-1	23	-2	28		23	-1	21		31		20	-1	29	-1	21	-1	75	-3	293	29.3
2	ISR Fireflash	BE	19		19	-2	27		21		22		29		20		30		21		71	-4	279	27.9
3	Unicorns Weembi	FR	24		26	-1	21	-3	21		21		30		19	-1	29	-1	20	-1	66	-2	277	27.7
4	FCUK Weembi	UK	22	-1	23	-1	23		22		19	-2	26	-1	19		27	-1	20		71		272	27.2
5	Chesspaf	FR	21	-1	25	-1	23	-1	20	-1	17	-1	26		18		25	-1	20		72		267	26.7
6	Nephtys	FR	21		23	-1	25		21		19		28		19	-1	27		19		64		266	26.6
6	Aerokart Monaco	FR	22	-1	25		27		19	-1	20		23	-5	18		28		20	-1	64	-1	266	26.6
8	Nice Autrement	FR	20		25		22	-1	19	-1	21		29		17	-1	28		21		34	-11	236	23.6
9	Once Pakoi	FR	21		21	-2	23		20		16		22		16		23		19		49		230	23.0
10	Oblivion	IT	17		22		18	-1	17		17	-1	21	-2	15		19		14		52	-2	212	21.2
11	Bandits Revolution	IT	15	-1	20	-1	19		16	-1	16	-1	17	-3	13	-1	18	-1	16		44	-2	194	19.4
12	Expend4bles	FR	16		19		18		16		14	-1	17	-2	15		19		14	-1	43	-2	191	19.1
13	RFA	US	14		19		20	-1	17		15		7	-4	14		23		16		40	-2	185	18.5
14	Garudas	BE	12	-5	14	-4	14	-4	15		8		20		12	-1	22		17		48	-5	182	18.2
15	4Ever Nancy	FR	14	-1	17		17		13		13		14	-1	12		16	-1	13		48	-1	177	17.7
16	Vedett Weembi	FR	14		16		13		13		10	-1	16		11		17		13	-1	31	-3	154	15.4
17	Axel'Air	FR	11	-2	15		15	-1	12	-1	11	-1	12	-3	9		17	-1	13		33	-1	148	14.8
18	Fly 4 Smile	FR	12		14		15		7	-3	12		14	-1	9	-1	16		9	-2	36		144	14.4

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Weembi Unicorns - Nephtys at the Weembinamic 2023

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It became even more challenging for ISR FireFlash when they were facing Weembi Unicorns in the semifinals (Rounds 7 - 8), the strongest 4-way team on the top of the leaderboard in 2022, with host Julien Degen in the identical lineup. The winner of this duel would battle the last two rounds for the gold medal position.

ISR FireFlash had already moved up to the 5th place on the traditional leaderboard after Round 6 and before winning both rounds by one point each over Weembi Unicorns. The home team was still ahead of ISR FireFlash on the traditional leaderboard, even after losing Rounds 7 and 8. ISR FireFlash changed that in the two remaining rounds. They could not get anywhere close to Black Hole Dynos throughout the whole meet, even though they kept up with the winner since Round 5. They finally lost the last duel by four points only in the Super Sequence..

The FireFlash performance is all the more impressive, as the Weembinamic 2023 was the first competition for new member Lena Clynhens. Center Inside Sven Ibens introduced the new team member during NSL Live Talk on January 3rd this year, and the NSL News followed up with more information on January 12th. The update of the team situation came once again with NSL Live Talk half a year later. Lena Clynhens was obviously ready for the top level performance, with the help by former FireFlash member Wesley Claessens in training, and Maya Van Campenhout has recovered well from her injury. ISR FireFlash could be ready to win the ISR Grand Prix again this weekend, as they did at the 2019 event...