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Pac-Man won comfortably, but the writeup saw the performance as weak for a top seed against an obscure opponent. Like Lara before him, he immediately looked less formidable than his seeding suggested.

Pac-Man won another match that was never seriously in doubt, but the writeup saw his performance as further proof that he was badly overseeded. His weak half of the division still appeared likely to protect him from consequences.

Scorpion's decisive win over Pac-Man shocked most observers and exposed how weak the entire half-division had been. The writeup remembers the fallout, including outside attention from Penny Arcade, as the moment the first contest truly became a larger event.

Kefka survived Pac-Man after an infamous match picture badly damaged confidence in the heavily hyped newcomer. Pac-Man mounted a long comeback attempt before Kefka recovered late, while the image became a lasting Board 8 running joke.

Pic: The writeup says Kefka's infamous 'lettuce' match picture hurt him badly, turning what had been treated as a comfortable win into a close, contested match against Pac-Man.

Luigi beat Pac-Man in a routine match but looked weaker than the writeup expected, raising concern before his heavily debated meeting with Yoshi. Pac-Man, meanwhile, is portrayed as a fading former top seed still capable of respectable support.

Pac-Man upset heavily favored Ocelot in a close first-round finale that eliminated the remaining perfect brackets. The writeup celebrates Pac-Man's overdue major win while blaming Ocelot's poor picture for at least part of the upset.

Pic: The writeup argues that Ocelot's faded old-man picture hurt him in the close loss and says a recognizable in-game Metal Gear image likely would have improved his performance enough to win.

Yoshi crushed Pac-Man in one of the contest's steadiest matches and confirmed that his 2004 strength was real. The writeup also uses the result to revisit the casual bracketmakers who had failed to trust Yoshi's path this far.

Mario dominated as expected, but his suppression of Pac-Man made Big Boss's second-place finish much easier than many anticipated. The writeup treats Pac-Man's shared old-school appeal with Mario as the key reason the debated advancing spot became one-sided.

SFF: The writeup says Mario was an especially disastrous matchup for Pac-Man because of their overlapping old-school appeal and describes Pac-Man as being SFFed to death.

Mewtwo erased the embarrassment of his earlier contest debut with an emphatic performance. Ness collapsed against the stronger Nintendo presence, allowing Pac-Man to advance instead.

SFF: The writeup explicitly says Mewtwo SFFed Ness badly, leaving Ness far weaker than expected and opening the second advancing spot for Pac-Man.

Cloud overwhelmed the field, while Mewtwo held off Midna for the other advancing position without the race ever becoming the epic duel its closeness suggested. The writeup sees Cloud's dominance as the larger statement.

Nathan Drake survived a long, slow fight with Pac-Man, while Steve's presence is blamed for helping keep Pac-Man from completing the upset. The result stayed close enough to preserve Pac-Man's reputation as a dangerous wildcard.

LFF: The writeup says Steve stole votes from Pac-Man through similar broad casual appeal and argues that Pac-Man likely wins the matchup without Steve in the poll.

Pac-Man annihilated Sans in a matchup many had debated because of Undertale's rally history. The expected outside push never appeared, and the writeup treats Sans's natural weakness as one of the contest's biggest disappointments.

Bayonetta beat Pac-Man in a match that stayed close by percentage but never developed into an actual rally or comeback. The writeup is more puzzled by Pac-Man's unexpected strength than impressed by the drama.