This Week in Tetris: September 10-16

There's no CTL and the CTW battle royale is over, but there's still plenty of Tetris in the leadup to the Jonas Cup. With so many players sharpening their 29 skills, venues like Challengers or CTWC Regionals offer opportunities for new names to show up on the radar and for returning veterans to show their stuff.

We're always looking for new contributors, so if you're interested, join our Discord server and say hello. Huge thank you to sonic, who contributed quite a few writeups this week as well as fetching the scores for some first-round challengers matches.

The numbers next to the players are their September Premiere Poll rankings, not their tournament seeds. Scores in the tables are given in thousands; an (i) or (a) next to a score indicates that the topout was intentional or aggressive, respectively. As always, let me know if you found this entertaining or useful, or if there's anything else you'd like to see.

CTWC Polish Championship

The Polish championship went NTSC-only this year, and though plenty of DAS players were represented (including second-place 666_TIM, who came in from the UK), a roller ended up using the championship to begin to put his name on the radar.

CTWC Polish Championship Finals, September 14, 2024
DUZYK def. 666_TIM (4-2)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4	5	6
DUZYK	642	159 (i)	57	992	877	931
666_TIM	645 (i)	53	65 (i)	625	589	622

Tim put on a very solid DAS performance, but couldn't keep up as Duzy rolled his way to the championship. Duzy's gamble didn't pay off on game 1 when he misrotated a Z on top of a dirty setup and topped out midway through post, but he got the game back when Tim saw his board slowly boil over 40 lines in. Duzy dropped game 3 after a couple misdrops early in 18, but he was able to push the remaining three games 29, which proved out of reach for Tim. Tim was able to get to level 26 before being forced into setting up an unmaintainable column 2 well in game 4, but fell earlier in post after hanging pieces to the left in the following two games. None of Duzy's mullens hit the maxout mark, but he came close in game 4, where he was able to push the game a few levels past 29. | Twitch

Classic Tetris Monthly

CTM was front and center, operating on a slightly compressed timeline due to the Jonas Cup later in the month. Though Alex T is taking the month off, there are plenty of high-powered matchups between the usual suspects, though a few new names are sprinkled in. Challengers is particularly interesting this time around, featuring a new-look Coalbucket, a returning Fractal, and big games from Kitten and Duzy.

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 1 (Green), September 9, 2024
7 THEDENGLER def. 5 SIDNEV (3-1)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4
THEDENGLER	1,213	1,098	1,319	1,163
SIDNEV	1,201	1,191 (i)	1,267	1,060

Dengler avoided early slowdowns to take revenge on Sidnev in this rematch of last month's semifinals. Game 1 saw respectable pre-29 games from both players, but Sidnev fell early in post after missing a couple five-taps. Both players experienced some early misdrops in game 2, and though Noah was able to extract himself sooner, Sidnev kept herself within striking range, which proved valuable when Noah botched the 29 transition. Rough RNG was front and center in game 3, where Dengler was on top of his adjustment game and Sidnev kept having to deal with contorted stacks after S- and Z-bursts to fall almost 200k behind. Though she was able to chew up some of the defecit in post and put some tetrises on the board after 29, a square burst on level 32 ended her comeback bid. Game 4 was more of the same, where Sidnev got into trouble early in 18 due to an S spire and spent much of the level five up from the bottom, having to take more burns and lose pace to Noah. Another strong post saw her claw back some points, but trying to set up four off the bottom on 30 proved too ambitious. | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 1 (Green), September 9, 2024
6 MYLES def. 20 MEME (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
MYLES	722 (i)	1,747	1,505
MEME	661	1,251	1,166

Meme's first Masters match in a year showcased her much-improved 29 skills, but she couldn't keep up with an in-form Myles. Myles did get off to a rough start, transition with a low 300 after a neverending dig in 18, but Meme squandered a 200k lead when a longbar dependency spiraled out of control on 22 and Myles was able to use the rest of post to chase it down. Game 2 started off better, with both players hitting 600k before going into post, and while Meme kept herself on a respectable pace, Myles was able to up the efficiency and develop a six-figure lead by the killscreen. Meme played safe post-29 but couldn't keep herself set up, but Myles drained tetris after tetris, putting up a 1.7 before topping out on 37. Myles had another efficiency-driven lead in game 3, but he had to pull a houdini act to get his stack down before going into post-post. Repeated death-defying digs on the killscreen gave Meme ample opportunity to take the real-time score lead with plenty of lines in hand, but she fell to a drought on 35; Myles turned up the dial during the mullen and managed to hit a 1.5 by killscreen despite a sub-maxout 29 transition. | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 2 (Green), September 9, 2024
7 THEDENGLER def. 6 MYLES (3-2)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4	5
THEDENGLER	1,647	169 (i)	783	154 (i)	1,362 (i)
MYLES	1,788	69	871 (i)	77	1,080

After a big start, Noah ended up advancing to the semis through more bread-and-butter means: avoiding early topouts and keeping himself out of trouble pre-29. Game 1 was a banger; both players had to escape high digs early in 18, but they recovered to hit 1.1 into 29. Dengler did his best to keep up with Myles' blistering killscreen pace, and though he closed the gap a bit around levels 35 or 36 and eventually hit the rollover, he couldn't keep clean long enough in last stages of post-post to match Myles' 1.7. The players then fast-forwarded to the decider after three consecutive early topouts. Game 2 ended when Myles hung a bar high up in column 9 fourteen lines in, game 3 was done early in post when Dengler let a column-1 bar dependency develop too high, and Myles fell in game 4 after a blocked well combined with a hole high up on his left. Dengler played a very solid game 5, seeing his lead snowball to over 200k as Myles kept getting into dig after dig, unable to muster a max before 29 and misdropping too much to get anything done afterward. | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 1 (Orange), September 11, 2024
2 BLUE SCUTI def. 24 VICIOUS RHUBARB (3-1)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4
BLUE SCUTI	761 (i)	1,157	1,358	1,903
VICIOUS RHUBARB	589	1,226	994	1,021

To kick things off in Game 1, both players were relatively even and drama-free on 18. Rhubarb had an early topout due to a drought midway through 19, by which time Scuti was already ahead. In Game 2, Rhubarb had about a 100k lead on 18; Scuti soon caught up post-transition as Rhubarb had some trouble on 19, and pulled about 20k ahead by 29. However, Scuti hung a bar to the left on level 31, and Rhubarb completed the small chasedown with a tetris to win the game. Scuti was ahead all of game 3; he was 100k plus in the lead into 19, and transitioned at 1.25 into 29 with a 150k lead. Meanwhile, Rhubarb had a high and messy board into 29 and topped out almost instantly, Scuti cruising to a win. The final game also saw Scuti in the lead early on, with Rhubarb struggling with cleanup on 18 and falling 200k behind by level 20, although the gap closed to a 120k lead into 29. But on the killscreen, Rhubarb was stuck cleaning for a while as Scuti consistently scored tetrises, and there wasn't much he could do as he topped out on level 34, 300k behind Scuti. Scuti mullened in Game 4 to an incredible 1.9 million, a feat only achieved by Alex T before and good for #2 on the CTM leaderboard at that point -- until he pushed this score down in his next outing. -sonic | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 1 (Orange), September 11, 2024
15 SODIUM def. KUNFUSINGPOKE (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
SODIUM	1,149	890 (i)	1,250
KUNFUSINGPOKE	987	625	1,115

In Game 1, K-Poke struggled to keep his well open on 18 while Sodium paced to an incredible mid-600k transition, giving him a 200k lead into 19. K-Poke was able to close the gap to about 100k by 29, but he hung a bar to the right when going for his first killscreen tetris and instantly topped out, giving Sodium the win. Game 2 looked like a repeat of the first as K-Poke again had a high 400k transition versus Sodium's 650k. K-Poke then missed a tuck high up the board and hung a long bar to the left on level 22, leading to an early topout. Game 3 featured a 68-piece drought on 18, which both players survived admirably; Sodium and K-Poke traded leads throughout 19 and transitioned at similar scores into 29. A bar dependency on the left and a drought caused K-Poke to top out on level 30, handing Sodium the set in a sweep. -sonic | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 2 (Orange), September 11, 2024
2 BLUE SCUTI def. 15 SODIUM (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
BLUE SCUTI	1,374	1,568	1,921
SODIUM	1,359	1,222	1,216

In Game 1, Sodium paced incredibly pre-29, with a 600k transition and a 1.2 into 29, holding a lead over Scuti. Sodium topped out due to a missed 5 tap on level 31; Scuti was able to chase the 100k difference down by lining out. Game 2 had Scuti pacing with a 600k transition, holding a 100k lead over Sodium, but traffic on both boards caused a slowdown on 19, with Scuti's lead persisting. Scuti went into 29 with a messy board but managed to get it down to score tetrises again, while Sodium wasn't able to score tetrises consistently enough to make up the deficit, despite surviving many insane digs high up. In Game 3, both players transitioned in the mid-600k range and went into 29 with a 1.2 for Scuti and a high 1.1 for Sodium, but Scuti maintained a lead throughout. Sodium went for a center well on level 32, but a few misdrops later his board spiraled and Scuti was already 200k ahead. Scuti went on to mullen this game again to his second 1.9 of the day, bumping his earlier score down to third place on the all-time leaderboard. Sodium played well in this set, but there's nothing much you can do when your opponent is raining down 1.9s. -sonic | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 1 (Red), September 14, 2024
13 NEK0 def. COBRA (3-2)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4	5
NEK0	1,096 (i)	1,004	1,310	130	1,014
COBRA	1,016	1,013	1,064	195 (i)	928

Early and almost-early topouts were a factor, but Neko built up insurmountable pre-29 leads in two games to advance. The first couple games, which were very close pre-29, were decided by who stuck the landing going into the killscreen; in game 1, Cobra hung an S immediately after the speed change, while in game 2, Neko double-flipped a far after transitioning with a high setup. Game 3 saw Neko build a huge lead in post, popping off while Cobra struggled to stay clean. Neko bowed out on 31 after blocking the well and hanging a bar, but he had stretched the lead to 300k by then, and Cobra couldn't get himself set up to score long enough to score one tetris, let alone the dozen he would've needed to chase it down. The match went to a decider when Neko's extremely high VITS setup backfired 40 lines in. Game 5 echoed game 3 in that Neko built up a 200k lead while Cobra suffered through post, only hitting 875k by the time 29 rolled around. Neko misdropped a J right before the killscreen and couldn't survive until 30, but while the chasedown could be lined out, Cobra suffered one misdrop too many and topped out on 32. | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Masters Event Round 1 (Red), September 15, 2024
4 DOG def. 10 DANV (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
DOG	1,259 (i)	1,194 (i)	1,865
DANV	1,121	1,037	1,344

Dan didn't let Dog get too far ahead of him pre-29, but was seriously outmatched on the killscreen. Dan opened up a 200k lead before the 19 transition on game 1 as Dog struggled through a prolonged dig, but he couldn't keep it going in post, letting Dog get within 50k of him by 29 and topping out a few levels into post-post when half the pieces started plopping down in the wrong spot. Game 2 was close throughout, with Dog up by a tetris or two by 29, but Dan's 4-taps couldn't handle a next-box-high setup on 29. Game 3 bucked the trend a bit; Dog had an excellent post and went up by six figures, and though Dan had his best killscreen play of the set by far, he couldn't eat into the deficit and was forced into a fatal four-high left-well setup on 35. Dog would mullen that one to a 1.8. | Twitch

Challengers Circuit

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 1 (Green), September 11, 2024
25 LAZER def. SOMALIAN (3-1)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4
LAZER	1,248 (i)	1,071	1,065	420 (a)
SOMALIAN	1,062	1,164	932	229

Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 1 (Green), September 11, 2024
COALBUCKET def. PEEKAYRIC (3-1)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4
COALBUCKET	1,226	190	290 (i)	1,212
PEEKAYRIC	1,000	192 (i)	159	1,063

Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 1 (Green), September 11, 2024
COALBUCKET def. 25 LAZER (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
COALBUCKET	1,325	1,406	1,370
LAZER	1,261	1,323	1,252

Coal's rapidly improving 29 play was the deciding factor in this set. In game 1, Lazer went perfect for 11 tetrises at the start, but a missed rotation forced him into an extended dig, giving Coal the lead into 19. Both players stacked quite aggressively on 19, giving Lazer a 1.1 into 29, about 100k ahead of Coal. Lazer was then able to score a few 29 tetrises before topping out due to a misdrop, but Coal's solid 29 play carried him through to the finish line as he finished the chasedown. Coal had a scare early on in game 2, with a very rough level 18 and a low 400k transition, but he later caught up with a monster 700k post-transition. Lazer again topped out early on in 29, giving Coal another chasedown; with plenty of time, he chose to line out and completed the chasedown safely. In the final game, both players had some cleaning up to do on 18, with Coal about three tetrises behind Lazer into 19 and Lazer still having a lead into 29; Coal's 29 play again carried him, with him already having pulled ahead by the time Lazer topped out. -sonic Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 1 (Blue), September 13, 2024
TIMMYKIM def. JAKUB (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
TIMMYKIM	674 (i)	862 (i)	292
JAKUB	534	630	203

Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 1 (Blue), September 13, 2024
8 FRACTAL def. AKATU (3-2)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4	5
FRACTAL	1,180 (i)	359 (i)	641	698	1,372
AKATU	1,032	325	798 (i)	813 (i)	918

Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 2 (Blue), September 13, 2024
8 FRACTAL def. TIMMYKIM (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
FRACTAL	1,493	1,638	1,110
TIMMYKIM	1,382	917	862

He's back. Timmy put together a good set, but Fractal is starting to look like his old self. Game 1 was stellar; Timmy had 1.1 going into 29, but Fractal converted his lead from 18 into a C transition, and while both players kept setting up, scoring, and generally going ham on 29, Fractal was able to hold onto his 100k lead all the way up to the level 36 simultopout. Timmy suffered through 18 on game 2, and though he got back on track in post, he was never really able to eat into the 300k defecit, and it would've been near-impossible to beat the rollover that Fractal mullened to. Timmy was able to stay within striking distance in game 3 before a low left mid-post led to a tournament-ending topout. | Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 1 (Orange), September 15, 2024
FUR OF KITTEN def. TOBEGH3 (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
FUR OF KITTEN	681 (i)	463	1,242
TOBEGH3	661	421	507

Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 1 (Orange), September 15, 2024
GALAXYBISCUIT def. DAASIANN (3-0)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3
GALAXYBISCUIT	597 (i)	695 (i)	1,179
DAASIANN	445	524	741

Twitch

CTM September 2024 Challengers Circuit Round 2 (Orange), September 15, 2024
FUR OF KITTEN def. GALAXYBISCUIT (3-1)

Lv 18 (330 DKS)	1	2	3	4
FUR OF KITTEN	1,360	1,148	518 (i)	1,028
GALAXYBISCUIT	776	1,279	445	904

In game 1, Kitten was able to play efficiently pre-29, getting a 600k transition and 1.1 into 29; GalaxyBiscuit struggled with double flips and ended up over 300k behind throughout the game. Unable to play any 29 due to the state of his board, GalaxyBiscuit topped out almost instantly on 29 and gave Kitten the win. Game 2 was Kitten's turn to dig multiple times, and GalaxyBiscuit was the one to get a near-600k transition and a 1.1 into 29. Kitten topped out on level 31, by which time GalaxyBiscuit was already ahead and won the game. In Game 3, GalaxyBiscuit struggled with a dig late on 18, transitioning to 19 with a very messy board and topping out soon after; Kitten was able to stay clean and win the game. Game 4 saw both players being neck and neck into 19, but GalaxyBiscuit's board was again messy going into 29 and saw him topping out soon after. | Twitch