Won his first ever Tetris Championship with a broad mix of speed, offense and poise. His road to the final round was a bumpy one, with tough wins over veterans Agent Wells, Jeffrey, a suddenly dangerous Lenny and last month's MIP Amy. Vinnie took him to the rubber match in the finals, but it was Johnson's love of the game that gave him the edge in the deciding match.
Vinnie dug himself a hole early when a shocking 35-34 loss to Lenny sent him to the loser's bracket in the fist round. Playing with his back to the wall, Vinnie went on a murder spree, taking down heavy hitters like Joe Lighting, Leslie, Paul G. and even Lenny in a much-hyped rematch. Johnson took him 2-1 in the finals, but Vinnie showed that he's a player you never count out.
Last month's Most Improved Player proved that September wasn't a flook with an astonishingly gifted performance: in her biggest match of the night, Amy took out Paul G. 16-11 to send last month's champ to the loser's bracket. Vinnie beat her 27-16 on the doorstep of the finals, but watch for her next month to carry the momentum even further.
Last month's champ burst out of a self-imposed retirement in an attempt to surpass Vinnie as the most winningest player in Tetris. The results were mixed: he managed a big win against Jeffrey in the final 8, but losses to Amy and Vinnie kept him out of the final three. Any other player would be happy with this performance, but Paul G. is no other player.
This month's Most Improved Player came out of nowhere with some big upsets and playoff-caliber performances. He shocked the world with his first round upset over Vinnie, and held his own with impressive wins over veterans Joe Lighting and Dewey Decimator. Vinnie took him out in a barn-burning rematch, but nevertheless: Lenny is a true contender with plenty of wins in his future.
This month's Rookie of the Month raised some eyebrows with a stellar debut. Cassandra managed wins over monsters like former champ Leslie and perennial all-star Melanie, but couldn't hang with Paul G. in the closing matches. This player has tremendous upside, but can she put in all together in 2008?
Leslie continued her consistently powerful game-play in November, but it wasn't enough to give her a much-sought-after 3rd championship title. She was able to smoke Dan. J and Agent Wells in the loser's bracket, but a showdown with her arch nemesis Vinnie sent her packing.
This savvy veteran managed to squeak into the final 8 with some bold victories over Luke and Melanie. However, Paul G's barrage of Tetris skill was too much for Jeffrey, and he'll have to wait until '08 for another stab at the brackets.
