Kobalts

* Current
* 2019

The **Kobalts** are a blue team introduced in Marble League 2016, and are currently represented by Azure, Cerulean, Gnome, Royal, with Meepo as the team's reserve.

Hailing from the city of Zuro, the Kobalts were invited to the Marble League after failing to apply for the Knikkegen Marble League in 2015. They would go on to finish 9th in Marble League 2016 with 2 silver medals. However, they would fail to qualify for the next seven Marble League editions, and currently holds the distinction for being the only team to have debuted in Marble League 2016 that has never qualified for any other edition of the Marble League. They are also notable for their performances in the Marble League Showdown, having won 2 consecutive editions of the tournament, yet also being relegated twice.

In contrast to their dubious records in the Marble League, the Kobalts are considered one of the best teams in Marbula One, as they finished in 8th in their debut season, with Cerulean finishing in 6th in the individual championship. In Marbula One Season 3, they would seal two gold medals as they finished 3rd in the season, with Royal also finishing 3rd on the Individual Championship.

## Team Members

### Athletes

Azure, Cerulean, Dodger and Royal were the original members of the Kobalts. Dodger and Royal were replaced by Meepo and Gnome in 2017. Royal, however, returned as the fifth and reserve member of the team in 2018. Azure became team captain in 2019.

Before the start of Marble League 2021, Meepo was demoted to reserve due to poor performances, and Royal was promoted to a full member. In 2023, Royal took over as captain.

## History

### Pre-Marble League

The Kobalts come from the Central African city of Zuro, a city renowned for the sciences. The four original team members, Azure, Cerulean, Royal and Dodger, met while at a university in the city. They all studied chemistry (although Dodger was previously a history major) and met in the university laboratory, where they were experimenting on cobalt(II) oxide and alumina, which produces blue pigment. They all love four main things: the color blue, science, roll-playing games and marble sports.

The four first heard of the growing popularity of marble sports in their final year at university in 2014. In the small amount of free time the four doctorate students had, they would play Marbles & Monoliths, a popular roll-playing game, on a chat room called the Marblebase. In the middle of the campaign, another user named Sapphire shared a featurette about the Knikkegen Marble League. The four watched the video together and got hooked.

Azure admitted that they and their friends had so much love for chemistry that they never thought anything would move them away. After finishing their final semester in Spring 2014, Azure contacted Sapphire and learned they were an athletics trainer with connections to Knikkegen. They agreed to train Azure and their friends. While not the most athletic marbles in Zuro, the four exhibited their intelligence with a good knowledge of anatomy and how to get in shape.

The four eventually came to be known as the Kobalts. They applied for participation in the 2015 Knikkegen Marble League, but their application was declined due to strict selection process. Undaunted by this, the team kept training and applied again the following year for what had become Marble League 2016. They were one of the few individual teams to be accepted, alongside the Oceanics and Team Galactic.

### 2016

The Kobalts had a decent start to Marble League 2016, coming sixth in the first event, Balancing. However, they did not do as well over the next three events, finishing in the bottom half, although they did earn a bonus point due to a track defect in Event 2, the Relay Race. Their next points came in Event 5, the Long Jump, where Royal came 5th. The team won their first medal when Azure came second in the next event, the Water Race. Halfway through the competition, the team were in eighth overall. Unfortunately, the second half of the competition didn't go as well. Apart from a silver medal in Event 10, Precision Slalom, the team failed to get any further points. They finished ninth overall with 20 points.

### 2017

With only two months to go before Marble League 2017, the Kobalts were experiencing some difficulties with training. Royal and Dodger were trying to balance the long nights in the lab with their jobs as chemists and the early morning marble sports training sessions. Royal admitted that they and Dodger both found a sense of fulfillment in marble sports, but they needed the money from their jobs and the opportunities they provided. The two left the team, leaving Azure and Cerulean with an incomplete team.

Fortunately, Azure, Cerulean and Sapphire had lots of connections from the Marblebase. They reached out to their Marbles & Monoliths party, and managed to convince Meepo and Gnome, siblings from the city of Elsham, to join the Kobalts. Elsham is also the place where many Marbles & Monoliths conventions are held. Meepo and Gnome traveled to Zuro to start training.

Meepo made their individual debut for the Kobalts in the second event of the Marble League 2017 Qualifiers, the Sand Race, where they failed to show a promising result. They finished in 14th, dropping the team into last place. Although the team managed to come second in the third event, Block Pushing, a 12th place finish for Cerulean in the final event, the Funnel Spin, led to the Kobalts finishing the Qualifiers in 13th overall, failing to qualify. The team were disappointed, but understood that late changes to the team's roster affected their chances of qualifying. They watched Marble League 2017 from the stands and started to train together again.

### 2018

While training for Marble League 2018, the Kobalts were able to contact Royal. Rejoining the team as reserve member, Royal felt comfortable to return as the reserve position made it easier to balance their priorities, while at the same time trying to get the team back to shape. The team were prepared to redeem themselves.

The Kobalts were seeded in Group B in the Marble League 2018 Qualifiers. The team started with two sixth-place finishes. However, they managed to turn things around by finishing third in the 5 Meter Ice Dash and second in the Halfpipe. Unfortunately, this was not enough for the Kobalts to qualify for Marble League 2018, as they finished fifth in the group, one point shy of qualifying. They once again watched the main tournament from the stands.

During the offseason, the Kobalts participated in three events. Meepo finished in fifth during the Marble League 2018 Consolation Race. Despite this, the team failed to show promising results in the next two events. Azure failed to finish the 100 Meter Water Race. The team then failed to make it out of their heat in the Amazing Maze Marble Race. To add insult to injury, their bid to host Marble League 2019 failed.

### 2019

The Kobalts once again tried to qualify in the Marble League 2019 Qualifiers. Once again, they did not impress, with only one finish in the top half of the results, a ninth place finish in Event 2, Block Pushing. The team finished in 16th, failing to qualify for the third year in a row. Fans had accepted the circumstances before Marble League 2017, but questions were being asked about why they had failed to work together after this.

It was reported that the Kobalts wouldn't be attending Marble League 2019, and would instead be attending a Marbles & Monoliths convention in Elsham. Before they set off, they heard of the Marble League Showdown. The friends had already booked their tickets, and so they went to the convention anyway, successfully remaining undercover. After it was over, they returned to Zuro to start training. Some fans questioned their decision to go to a convention, but Gnome defended by saying the team deserved a break.

The Kobalts returned to the Seven Seas Stadium for the Marble League Showdown 2019. The team had a decent start to the tournament, with Azure coming fifth in the first event, the Sand Rally. Unfortunately, the team faltered in Collision, finishing in 11th. The team dropped to tenth overall. Meepo could not turns things around in the third event, the Funnel Race, where they finished eighth. The team were hoping to get a good result in the final event, Balancing, only to get a mediocre fifth-place finish in the event. Staying in tenth overall, the Kobalts would yet again not be able to qualify, missing out on the Marble League 2020 Qualifiers.

The Kobalts returned to Zuro for a long, quiet offseason. Team coach Sapphire, while giving a tour of the team's stadium, the Cobalt Circuit, stated that the team have heart, but were heartbroken at their most recent results. They also claimed that one of the reasons for their failure was inadequate funding, although the Kobalts were not among the teams that retired at the end of 2018. Azure, on the other hand, assured that things would get better for the team in the upcoming Marble League Showdown 2020.

### 2020

#### Marble League Showdown 2020

In June 2020, reporter Stynth travelled to Zuro to interview the Kobalts prior to Marble League Showdown 2020. Dodger greeted the reporter and shared that following Marble League Showdown 2019, they had purchased the team to save them from falling into bankruptcy. During this time, the Kobalt's home stadium, the Cobalt Circuit, was in the process of being renovated. Azure led Stynth on a tour of the stadium while sharing their (and the rest of the team's) anxieties about returning to compete in the Showdown.

Despite being stuck in the Showdown again, the the team did not feel down, instead being determined to demonstrate their desire to once again compete in the Marble League. The Kobalts started off the Showdown in familiar positions with a fifth and sixth in the first two events, the Relay Run and Halfpipe respectively, putting them in sixth overall. The next event, the Black Hole Funnel, is where the team's fortunes started to improve. The leaders at the time, the Jungle Jumpers, finished last in the Black Hole Funnel, opening the door for another team to take their place. Cerulean and Royal dominated the event, winning gold, their first medal since 2016, putting the Kobalts into second overall as well as securing a spot in the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers. In the Sand Mogul Race, Azure qualified for the finals by finishing second in their heat, qualifying for the final in the Wild Card spot. In the final, Azure took the lead away early, and never looked back, winning the team's second consecutive gold medal. The Kobalts had won the Marble League Showdown.

To celebrate their victory, the team partnered with the Minty Maniacs to sell baked goods to raise money for charity with Cerulean taking charge. They stated that it was wonderful to give back to those in needs. The teams managed to raise enough money to feed over one thousand marbles across Zuro and Herbotamia. They would later host similar events to raise money for charity.

#### Marbula One Season 2

In September, the Kobalts agreed to participate in season 2 of Marbula One, with Azure "Brilliant Blue" and Cerulean "Natural 27" representing them. The team applied to host a race at their track, the Electron Expressway, but it wasn't built in time and the Grand Prix spot was given to the Jungle Jumpers at the Raceforest.

The first half of the season saw a sharp contrast in the two athletes' performances. Cerulean surprised everyone by scoring points in all three of their Grands Prix in the first half, including a bronze medal at the Aquamaring Grand Prix and setting fastest lap at the Arctic Circuit, putting them into seventh overall in the individual standings. Azure, on the other hand, failed to qualify for all three races they participated in, putting them in dead last in the individual standings. The Kobalts concluded the first half of the season in tenth.

The Kobalts were invited to the Marble League Winter Special but Dodger had already organised an exclusive Marbles & Monoliths conference in Zuro so the team declined the offer. The team also found time to have interviews with fans, thanking them for their support.

### 2021

#### Marbula One Season 2

Azure managed to improve from their first half by qualifying for their next two races, finishing seventh and sixth at the Raceforest and Palette Park respectively. However, they once again did not qualify at the Savage Speedway. Cerulean managed to have a solid second half of the season despite one poor race at the Momotorway. They were able to get two top five finishes in their final two races. The former, at Misty Mountain, saw Cerulean lead for most of the race being the red flag after Bumble crashed into Cerulean on turn six, coming to a stop. Cerulean was shaken by the incident and fell to fifth after the restart. The latter saw Cerulean get their first pole position at Midnight Bay, eventually finishing in second place. This was enough for the team to finish in eighth overall. In the individual championship, Cerulean placed sixth, while Azure placed 35th.

The team returned to Zuro for the offseason where they were greeted by an excited Dodger. Dodger announced that the team would be hosting a fundraiser to help support residents of Zuro. The team had previously had financial difficulties so wanted to give back to others in need. The team raised funds every day, seeing this as a form of training for the Marble League, rolling along movable balance beams and riding around on hoverboards to practice balancing.

#### Marble League 2021

Azure was sent to participate in the Marble League 2021 Practice Race, finishing in 20th. Azure was content with their performance, claiming they were saving their energy for the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers.

The Kobalts was seeded into Group B for the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers. The team had a strong start to the Qualifiers, finishing fourth in the first and last event, the Swing Wave. However, the team performed poorly in the next two events, finishing in the bottom three, dropping them to tenth overall. Azure was able to improve on their Practice Race performance in the final event, the Sand Rally, ending in a photo finish with Bonbon of the Chocolatiers. Unfortunately, they lost to them, finishing in fourth. This took the team to eighth overall, just missing out on qualifying for Marble League 2021. If Azure had edged out Bonbon then they would qualified.

The Kobalts once again returned for the Marble League Showdown 2021. They started out with a second place in 5 Meter Sprint, courtesy of Meepo, who won their first individual medal. Gnome followed this up with a gold medal in the next event, Funnel Endurance, also their first individual medal, taking their team into first overall. Despite a tenth place finish in the 5 Meter Relay, a third medal, another silver, in Block Pushing kept them in first overall at the end of the first half.

The second half of the Showdown wasn't as impressive as the first half with the Kobalts having two bottom half finishes. The team returned to form in Event 7 with Azure's second Sand Mogul Race medal, a bronze medal. A final sixth place by Cerulean in Marblocross kept the team in first overall, winning the Kobalts their second consecutive Marble League Showdown.

### 2022

#### Marbula One Season 3

Having won the Showdown for the second time in a row, the Kobalts were invited to participate in Marbula One Season 3, which they accepted. Cerulean was retained from the previous season, whereas Azure got replaced by Royal "Regal Marine". Their start to the season at the Tumult Turnpike Grand Prix was disappointing, as Cerulean could only manage an 18th place in qualifying and went on to finish the race in dead last. However, Royal made up for this at their debut in the Sleet Street Grand Prix where they finished in sixth after qualifying in 12th. At the Misty Mountain Grand Prix, Cerulean made up for their bad start, finishing fourth, improving on their fifth place finish from the previous season. Royal secured the team's first pole position of the season at the O'raceway Grand Prix. They were part of the front pack throughout the entire race, and eventually finished fourth. Then, in the Mellow Meadows Grand Prix, Cerulean kept up their strong form by geting the fastest Q1 time and eventually qualified in 3rd. In the race, they fell two positions but still finished in a very respectable fifth and the team gained another spot in the overall standings into 4th. The Honeydome Grand Prix was the final race of the first half where Royal continued the Kobalts' streak of top 3 qualifications with the third consecutive one by capturing P2. Things only improved in the race as Royal took the lead out of the first turn and held onto it for the entire race, only extending it across the laps; even getting fastest lap in the process. This marked the first race win for the Kobalts in their history. Heading into the mid-season reak, the Kobalts were sitting 3rd in the standings while Royal and Cerulean were 4th and 12th respectively in the individual standings.

### Qualifiers

The Kobalts failed to qualify for Marble League 2017.

### Qualifiers

The Kobalts failed to qualify for Marble League 2018. They competed in Group B.

## Other 2018 Competitions

The Kobalts took part in three other competitions in 2018: the Marble League 2018 Consolation Race, the 100 Meter Water Race and the Amazing Maze Marble Race.

 Amazing Maze Marble Race | All

### Qualifiers

The Kobalts failed to qualify for Marble League 2019.

## Marble League Showdown 2019

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2019*
The Kobalts failed to qualify for the Marble League 2020 Qualifiers.

## Marble League Showdown 2020

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2020*
The Kobalts qualified for the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers.

## Marbula One Season 2

*Main article: Marbula One Season 2*
The Kobalts took part in Marbula One Season 2, represented by Azure and Cerulean.

\*Cerulean set the fastest lap, earning them 1 extra point.
\*\*Cerulean qualified for pole position, earning them 1 extra point.

## 2020/21 Offseason

### Qualifiers

The Kobalts competed in Group B. Despite getting two top four finishes, including a third place in the Sand Rally, they failed to qualify for Marble League 2021.

## Marble League Showdown 2021

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2021*

## Marbula One Season 3

*Main article: Marbula One Season 3*
The Kobalts took part in Marbula One Season 3, represented by Royal and Cerulean. Being the only team with repeat race wins throughout the season, they finished third in the teams' standings, while Royal also finished third in the individual standings.

\* Season still in progress

\* 3 bonus points for qualifying in pole position.
\*\* 1 bonus point for qualifying third.
\*\*\* 2 bonus points for qualifying second.
\*\*\*\* 1 bonus point for fastest lap.

### Qualifiers

The Kobalts competed in Group A. They failed to qualify for Marble League 2022.

## Marble League Showdown 2022

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2022*
The Kobalts failed to qualify for the Marble League 2023 Qualifiers.

Ⅰ A consolation point was awarded as the DNF was caused by a track defect.

## Marbula One Season 4

*Main article: Marbula One Season 4*
The Kobalts took part in Marbula One Season 4, represented by Royal and Cerulean.

\*2 bonus points for qualifying in second.

## Marble League Showdown 2023

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2023*
The Kobalts qualified for the Marble League 2024 Qualifiers.

## Results

### Marbula One

 S3 | 12
 S4 | 10
 Total

## Team Members' Individual Scores

### Marble League

 Cerulean | ML16 | Sand Rally (2016)High Jump (2016)
 Dodger | ML16 | 10 Meter Sprint (2016)Hurdles (2016)
 Royal | ML16 | Long Jump (2016)

### Marbula One

 Cerulean | M1S2M1S3M1S4 | O'raceway GP (S2)Aquamaring GP (S2)Arctic Circuit GP (S2)Momotorway GP (S2)Misty Mountain GP (S2)Midnight Bay GP (S2)Tumult Turnpike GP (S3)Misty Mountain GP (S3)Mellow Meadows GP (S3)Momotorway GP (S3)Electron Expressway GP (S3)Midnight Bay GP (S3)Razzway GP (S4)Greenstone GP (S4)Sleet Street GP (S4)Misty Mountain GP (S4)Stardust Accelerator GP (S4)
 Royal | M1S3M1S4 | Sleet Street GP (S3)O'raceway GP (S3)Honeydome GP (S3)Stardust Accelerator GP (S3)Short Circuit GP (S3)Mirage Meowntain GP (S3)O'raceway GP (S4)Sakura Garden GP (S4)Tumult Turnpike GP (S4)Electron Expressway GP (S4)Casino Square GP (S4)

## Gallery

Team Profile 2020Team Profile 2021Team Profile 2022Marble League Showdown 2021 Team ProfileMarbula One (S2) PosterMarbula One (S3) PosterMarbula One (S4) Poster
## Trivia

* The Kobalts are one of the six teams who have yet to qualify for a Marble League through the Qualifiers.
	+ The Kobalts are the only team from the inaugural Marble League edition to have never appeared in any subsequent edition.
* The logo for the Kobalts includes 26 white dots on the rings surrounding the dark blue inner circle. These white dots represent the electrons of the cobalt element (Co).
	+ That said, the badge should actually include a 27th electron in order for the cobalt atom to be balanced. The badge instead represents a cobalt cation, or a positively charged cobalt ion. The designer of the badge, Tim Ritz, states that the extra electron was omitted in order to make room for the "JMR" lettering that appears in every other ML team badge.
* After being relegated to the 2023 Marble League Showdown, the Kobalts became the first team to be in all five Showdown tournaments to date. The only other team with this distinction is the Turtle Sliders.
* In both years that the Kobalts won the Marble League Showdown, relegation was eventually suspended.
	+ In both years that relegation was enacted, the Kobalts placed 3rd-last.

## External Links

* Kobalts on the JMR Website
* Kobalts RetRollSpective

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stynth (8th August 2020). Offseason Moments – ML2020 Showdown. Marble Sports.
2. ↑ LittleMighty\_ (25th February 2019). Captains voting results!. Reddit.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Stynth, The Emperor (20th August 2021). RetRollSpective – Kobalts. Project Marblearth.