The 1999 Speedrunning Championship (2023)

"THE BATTLE FOR '99 SC"

The 2023 **1999 Speedrunning Championship** (also known as the '**99 SC**, or more simply the '**99** was a tournament hosted by ConorDavid and moderated by Lucas B. It was the inaugural Square 2 Charge event, featuring a field of fifteen competitors with varying degrees of speedrunning skill.

## Background

After Square 2 Charge was founded in early 2023, conversations quickly turned to organizing an inaugural event. ConorDavid announced his intentions to host a speedrunning tournament, solely dedicated to video games from the year 1999.

Signups for the tournament opened in March 2023. The initial fifteen competitors were drawn into 3 groups of 5 on April 16, 2023, and the tournament began on April 20, 2023.

It concluded with a live broadcast of the Grand Final, and the crowning of the inaugural Square 2 Charge World Champion on July 29, 2023.

## Tournament Progress

Round 1 (The Group Stage) began on April 20, 2023, and ended on June 3, 2023. 32 out of 35 matches were uploaded (counting races which were later voided, and not counting races which never officially took place). Nine competitors advanced from Round 1, with the top competitor in each of the three heats skipping the Quarter Finals and heading directly to the Semi-Finals. The remaining six competitors were drawn into three matches to determine the other three Semi-Finalists.

Round 2 (The Quarter Finals) began on June 12, 2023, and ended on June 19, 2023. 3 out of 3 matches were uploaded. Three competitors advanced from Round 2, to join the three top competitors from Round 1, in the Semi-Finals.

Round 3 (The Semi-Finals and Second Chance Triple Charge) began on June 29, 2023, and concluded on July 16, 2023. 4 out of 4 matches were uploaded. The three victorious competitors from each match advanced to the Grand Final, while the three losing competitors from each match advanced to the Second Chance Triple Charge, with the winner earning the fourth and final spot in the Grand Final.

Round 4 (The Grand Final Stages 1-3) aired live on the RIPTOStream Twitch channel on July 29, 2023. The match was uploaded to the Square 2 Charge YouTube channel on August 2, 2023.

## Special Rules

### Automatic Semi-Final Qualification

The top competitor in each group in Round 1 bypassed the Quarter Finals and automatically qualified for the Semi-Finals

### Tournament Progression

The '99 SC consisted of three preliminary rounds and a Grand Final. The matches in the Quarter Finals and the Semi-Finals were determined by a random draw, however previous opponents in the group stage of Round 1 would not be drawn against each other in the Quarter Finals and the Semi-Finals.

Round 1 featured three groups of five competitors. Each competitor faced every competitor in their particular group and after all matches in Round 1 were completed, the top three competitors from each group moved on to the Quarter Finals. In the event three or more competitors had won the same number of times in Round 1, a sudden death race, known as a Triple Charge would occur. For example: If Competitors A, B and C finished on the same amount of wins and losses, they would race together. If Competitors A and B placed first and second respectively, then Competitor C would be eliminated and would not advance beyond Round 1.

The Quarter Finals technically featured nine competitors, with three competitors from each group. However, due to the Automatic Semi-Final Qualification special rule, the top ranked competitors from each group in Round 1 (three in total), would not compete. Instead they would gain automatic entry to the Semi-Finals. The remaining six competitors faced off against each other in three matches of two competitors. The three winners of the three Quarter Final matches would advance to the Semi-Finals and the three losers would be eliminated from the competition entirely.

The Semi-Finals featured six competitors. The three winners from the Quarter Finals would link up with the three top competitors in Round 1, and the draw was based on one Quarter Finalist facing one of the automatic Semi-Finalists from Round 1. The Semi-Finalists faced off in three matches of two competitors. The three winners of the Semi-Final matches would advance to the Grand Final, whilst the three losers would advance to the Second Chance Triple Charge. In the Second Chance Triple Charge, the three losers would face off against each other at the same time, with the winner advancing to take the last spot in the Grand Final. The two losers would be eliminated from the competition entirely.

The Grand Final was a Fatal Four-way, featuring the three winners of the previous Semi-Final matches, as well as the winner of the Second Chance Triple Charge match. The winner will be crowned the inaugural Square 2 Charge World Champion.

### Accepted Games

Any game that was released in the calendar year of 1999 was acceptable for races in Round 1 (The Group Stage) and Round 2 (The Quarter Finals).

### Mandatory Games

In Round 3 (The Semi-Finals and the Second Chance Triple Charge) and Round 4 (The Grand Final), only the Mandatory Games were acceptable. These games were Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (Gateway to Glimmer), and Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue.

## Competitors

**Making Square 2 Charge Tournament Debut:**

* Bobbledink - Previously appeared in Super Charge Season 1 and VERSUS #1: Spyro 2 Full House Bingo *(Founding Member)*
* ConorDavid - Previously appeared in Super Charge Season 1 *(Founding Member)*
* Danta Fanta - Previously appeared in Super Charge Season 1 and VERSUS #1: Spyro 2 Full House Bingo *(Founding Member)*
* Garion - Previously appeared in VERSUS #1: Spyro 2 Full House Bingo
* Lucas B - Previously appeared in Super Charge Season 1 *(Founding Member)*
* MTB - Previously appeared in Super Charge Season 1 *(Founding Member)*
* Skater6453 - Previously appeared in Super Charge Season 1

**Making Square 2 Charge Channel Debut:**

* CharmedSky - DEBUT
* CrystalFissure - DEBUT
* Dr Crusher - DEBUT
* Garth Vader - DEBUT
* James Jones - DEBUT
* JaNinJuice - DEBUT *(Founding Member)*
* MidnightHeart - DEBUT
* PhantasticGrump - DEBUT
* The Kiwi Dragon - DEBUT

## Round 1 - The Group Stage

**Round 1 Draws:**

\*CharmedSky was initially a competitor in Group Cork, but quietly retired. She was replaced by The Kiwi Dragon.

**Group Cork:**

 Bobbledink
 JaNinJuice
 Danta Fanta
 MidnightHeart
 CharmedSky (Retired)\*

\*CharmedSky retired and was replaced by The Kiwi Dragon, therefore her matches were voided. As a result Danta Fanta and Bobbledink's victories over her do NOT count.

\*\*JaNinJuice and Danta Fanta's initial match in Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time was voided for not meeting the 10 minute minimum match length requirement. As a result, the match does NOT count as a victory for JaNinJuice. The game was switched to Kingsley's Adventure and Danta Fanta's victory in that match does count.

**Group Cork Pokemon Snap Tie-Breaker Triple Charge**

 JaNinJuice
 Danta Fanta
 Match Uploaded: 1/1

\*JaNinJuice and Danta Fanta had technical issues with Pokemon Snap, and therefore weren't able to progress. As a result, they settled their tie with 'Circle, X, Triangle' (the Square 2 Charge version of Paper, Scissors, Rock) which JaNinJuice won, and meant that he advanced to the Quarter Finals.

**Group Kilkenny:**

 Lucas B
 Dr Crusher
 Lucas B
 Garion
 Dr Crusher
 Skater6453
 Skater6453
 MTB
 Lucas B
 Matches Uploaded: 10/10

 Lucas B
 Skater6453
 MTB
 Garion

**Group Tipperary:**

 Garth Vader
 ConorDavid
 CrystalFissure
 ConorDavid
 ConorDavid
 James Jones
 GarthVader
 James Jones
 CrystalFissure
 Matches Uploaded: 7/10

 CrystalFissure
 Garth Vader
 James Jones
 PhantasticGrump\*

\*PhantasticGrump's only match was not voided, as due to time constraints, it was too late to replace them. In addition, ConorDavid had already secured himself a Semi-Final spot by winning his three other matches.

\*\*James Jones and Garth Vader were tied, and settled it with Rock, Paper, Scissors which James Jones won.

**Group Tipperary Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage Tie-Breaker Triple Charge:**

 Garth Vader
 James Jones
 Match Uploaded: 1/1

## Round 2 - The Quarter Finals

 JaNinJuice
 Lucas B
 Matches Uploaded: 3/3

## Round 3 - The Semi-Finals

 Lucas B
 Dr Crusher
 Matches Uploaded 3/3

**Second Chance Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time Triple Charge:**

 JaNinJuice
 Skater6453
 Match Uploaded 1/1

## Grand Final

 Dr Crusher
 ConorDavid
 The Kiwi Dragon

 Lucas B
 Dr Crusher
 The Kiwi Dragon

 ConorDavid
 Dr Crusher
 The Kiwi Dragon

 ConorDavid
 Dr Crusher
 The Kiwi Dragon
 Match Uploaded 1/1