#BestVidyaGirlContest ROUND 1, MATCH 1 PREVIEW:

Samus Aran (Metroid) VS Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club)

The first match of the tournament will *probably* not be all that exciting, pitting the #1 Seed up against the #32 Seed, and with Yuri on top of that getting some quite negative pre-match buzz (it seems like her becoming the DDLC rep was quite unexpected, in addition to DDLC itself seeming quite divisive). Meanwhile, both Samus and her games are near universally beloved, and relatively recent additions like Metroid Dread and the excellent Metroid Prime 1 Remaster can only have further boosted the bounty hunter babe.

That said, there are still plenty of things to look out for:

Weirdness – anything other than a huge Samus win would signal that this contest is going to be very unpredictable, and that no character is safe even in the very first round.

Top Seed Hype – if Samus delivers an epic beatdown and gets something like over 80% of the votes, it will definitely put some pressure on the other high seeds and pre-contest favorites, and further establish Samus as the one to beat. Reimu especially will be watching, and be under pressure to at least put up comparable numbers in terms of percentages and vote totals when her match kicks off on Friday.

Rallying – will people already be attempting to mobilize support for their favorite girl in the first match, spread around her pictures and sing her praises, or will that just be reserved for the more competitive and contentious matches?