Final Verdict

The Alpha Descends, Reluctantly Do I 🦖

adjusts headset while the gills silently protest one more heat advisory Eight mercenaries reported to Buckhorn for the Final Verdict under a punishing 88–96°F, closing out ten weeks of the "Mongo is Appalled" campaign with the Alpha Raptor's silent nod hanging over every throw. This was the last raid before the books close — Cameron Collar swinging from a 67-rated exile straight into redemption, Bradley Bushman grinding out a season of wire-to-wire consistency, and a wave of first-timers crashing the finale like they'd read the campaign notes nobody gave them.

Exile to Coronation in Eight Days

Cameron Collar was the only name on the RAD card, and he still made it must-watch — a wire-to-wire -5 on a 984-rated round, a staggering 75 points above his 909 rating. He owned every unique birdie the pool had to offer, solo birds on holes 6, 10, and 17, with only a brief hot-streak cooldown after hole 10 interrupting the plot, before a clutch closing birdie on 18 sealed it. One week removed from an +8 finish and an 867-rated collapse, that's a 117-point rating swing and a 13-stroke turnaround — the kind of comeback the Phantom Claim's cosmic eye apparently can't resist. 👁️

Hole Three Decides Everything, Again

Sean Hook seized the RPA lead after hole 3 and never let it go, closing at -4 for a 974-rated round of the day in his series debut. Bradley Bushman and Hudson Kozak tied for second at -2/955, both riding identical front-nine heaters — four strokes better than their backs — before the wheels came off: Bushman's hot streak ended at holes 11-13, Kozak's ran 13-16. Bushman's 955 landed a rough 35 points below his 990 rating, a steep comedown from the back-to-back wire-to-wire weeks (998, then 980) that defined his August, and left both him and Kozak stranded right on the missed-cash bubble. 🥈

A Newcomer Yeets to the Crown 🏆

Playing her first-ever league event, Shannon O'Neal grabbed the RAE lead after hole 3 and rode it wire-to-wire to a -2, 955-rated win — 59 points above her 896 rating — despite a rough Super Ace hole 10 (one over) and a steady five-hole par train from holes 4 through 8, sealing it with a birdie on 18. Jeremy Pittman finished second at +13 on an 812-rated round, 39 points below his rating and a continuation of a slide — down 64 rating points and six strokes from last week's above-rating 876 finish — though a cold streak ending on holes 15-17 offered a small mercy. O'Neal's debut didn't just win a division; it planted her straight atop Pool B's tag ladder. 🐾

Hole Five Ends a Reign

Austin Peterman took the RAH lead after hole 5 and held it the rest of the way, closing at -3 for a 965-rated round — 22 points above his 943 rating — capped by a clutch birdie on 18, all in his first-ever league appearance. John Shearin, last week's wire-to-wire RAH champion, slipped to second at +3 and 907-rated, 27 points below his rating and a 54-point swing off his Week 9 peak, though his front nine still ran five strokes better than his back. A debut chapter written in chains for Peterman, closing out the season on a genuine high note. 🎯

Ten Raids, Zero Excuses

Only eight mercenaries braved the furnace for the finale, but the season-long ledger still had plenty to say: Bradley Bushman and Cameron Collar both completed Perfect Attendance across all ten weeks, a grind that deserves more than a raptor's silent stare. The rating swings drew a clean line in the sand — Collar (+75), O'Neal (+59), and Peterman (+22) soaring well above expectations, while Bushman (-35), Pittman (-39), and Shearin (-27) came in well under theirs. Ten weeks of judgment, and the Underdark still plays favorites. 🌡️

$296 and Counting, Still No Chains 💰

The Super Ace Pot grew again this week — three contributors added $6.00, pushing the split pot from $290 to $296 — no ace fell, but the balance keeps building suspense for whoever eventually threads that needle. No CTP was configured for this event, so the growing Super Ace stash remains the lone unclaimed storyline heading into next season. 🕳️

The Eye That Never Blinks Returns 👁️

Pool A's Phantom Claim came right back home to Cameron Collar, closing a loop that started with a 67-rated collapse and an exile from the standings — this week's 984-rated round vaulted him from #5 back to #1, the cosmic eye recognizing his claim once again. Pool B saw a full reshuffle under the AllIn rules, and debut player Shannon O'Neal walked away with the Spectral Decree and King of the Hill status outright — the single biggest riser of the week, going from unranked newcomer straight to #1. drops dungeon voice The relic demands a sacrifice... of your stroke count... and this week, two mercenaries paid it in full.

The Alpha's Nod, Finally Given 🦖

Ten weeks of feathered contempt end here: Cameron Collar's exile-to-coronation arc reclaiming the Phantom Claim, Bradley Bushman's Perfect Attendance grinding out a full season, and a finale stacked with newcomers — O'Neal, Peterman, Hook, Kozak — crashing the leaderboard in their very first appearances. Thanks to everyone who showed up through the heat, the water carries, and ten straight episodes of raptor judgment to close out "Mongo is Appalled." From the depths of the Underdark... which is just the broadcast booth with mood lighting... a new campaign awaits. Same raptors, same relics, new mercenaries to grade. See you at the next raid. 🏕️