Looks like the killscreener list didn't much appreciate being doubted!
One more for 2014, and it's the big one.
I've known for the past couple of years that Allen Staal's first kill screen was going to come suddenly and without any warning or build-up.
He's had everything he needs to do it for quite a while, but with Allen, it's never about his skills, knowledge, focus, or luck - it's always about whether he can "ever get those to fit" (
) all at the same time.
As I put it early this year:
Allen's first kill screen is like the next big California earthquake - it could happen today, or it could happen two years from now. It's inevitable, but it can't be predicted!
My assessment remained unchanged right until 7 hours ago when the "earthquake" hit! And, aside from a recent string of 500K games (plenty of such strings we've seen before), it did indeed come with no warning or build-up.
(Unfortunately for me, I wasn't there to see it live! Where's
when you need him???)
Would we all have preferred for it to happen with more hype? More preparation? During a tournament or an "Allen Off"? Sure. Did it unfold the way that any of us imagined it would? Doubtful. Did it hurt the suspense, or feel a little anti-climactic, for him to roll into L=22 with a man in reserve? Maybe.
But this is life, not a movie. You get what you get - sometimes it plays out with drama, most of the time it doesn't.
In my view, the way it went down was actually classic Allen: struggling nearly every day for the past thousand-odd days with rarely anything to show for it but a low 600K at best, only to then, out of nowhere, pull off a third-man kill screen. (And just as Allen-ish was his befuddlement over the spare man and what to do with it.)
Regardless of the specifics, almost four years of dedication have led to this triumphant day, and we are all happy to celebrate what was, far and away, the most anticipated Donkey Kong kill screen that ever was, or ever will be.
Congratulations to Allen Staal, confirmed kill screener #74!
