SIF Coverage - Score Match Round 22 Conclusion

After one of the shortest event duration so far for SIF, Score Match Round 22 has come to a close! Fortunately, everything went smoothly throughout the event with no unexpected maintenance and, for once, the cutoffs were actually lower than predicted! Shortly after the scheduled maintenance at the close of the event, we are here to take an in-depth look at the event's conclusion.

 

Without further ado, let us first jump into the rankings starting with the Top 5 players. I cannot read Korean but, I can assure their presence is definitely felt in this event with the top spot player collecting a ridiculously impressive 1,700,609 points! The second and third positions were not too far behind at slightly over 1,600,000 points. While fourth and fifth place were sitting at slightly over 1,000,000 points. For a Score Match where the points come in slow, I really wonder how many hours these players had to put in to get here. A rather insane feat once you give it more thought.

Moving onto something more feasible but, still difficult, it is Tier 1 which encompasses the Top 1100 positions. The honors this time goes to Enjel who barely qualifies with 118,050 points.

Over on Tier 2, the final 5500th position went to Rin with 57,877 points. The cutoff for Tier 2 this time around was significantly lower than predicted throughout the event. With an initial prediction of ~70,000 points, it then dropped to slightly over 60,000 points. The final results though undercut the predictions rather significantly citing the lack of any "Wonderful Rush" during the course of this event. 

 

If you qualify for Tier 2, these are the rewards you would be expected to get. Tier 1 qualifiers receive an additional Scouting Ticket and two Event SR Nozomi. 
 

Before we shift our spotlight to Nozomi, here is a quick look at the event's N member, Kikkawa Mizuki. As mentioned in my first day coverage, this is actually a different N member compared to the JP version of the event. Hence, the reason she does not adopt the same New Year's theme that Nozomi has going on.

 

Here she is in card form, an easy free single Love Gem and good fodder to upgrade your R and above rarity members. Once you are done with her, of course.
 

Now, it is time to look at the star of our show. But first, we will have to put her through the Special Practice blender in order to idolize her. Either Stickers or an identical member can be used for Special Practice but, we would always recommend using an identical member whenever permissible. As usual, do not forget to place the higher leveled member on the upper slot. 

 

Successfully complete that and you will be greeted by Non-tan dressed in a cute Year of the Monkey themed outfit complete with ear, tails and a cute little monkey of her own!

 

At Level 80, Nozomi's Smile Points inflates to 4,760 points making it the other significant point about her. No changes to her Skill as those are only affected if you choose to normal Practice her with an identical version. A possibility for players who qualified for Tier 1. Otherwise, they could commit another Special Practice to unlock the additional Skill Slot.

 

Speaking of Skill Slots, idolizing Nozomi with an identical version also helps raise her number of skill slots from 2 to 3 allowing her to use a wider array of skills. My recommendation would be to use the conveniently 3 slot-cost "Smile Cross [3rd]" which boost her base Smile points by 762 points. This will even scale with her Bond boost making Nozomi even more powerful as you progress with her.

Lastly, here is a closer look at the idolized New Year's Food Nozomi. I was a little apprehensive about the inclusion of the monkey ears at first but, soon after, I have grown to become quite fond of it. Not to mention, Nozomi being a perfect choice to represent the Zodiac Monkey because of playful, mischievous nature while at the same time being very sharp and observant. Additional plus points included her gold ornaments throughout her outfit which are a clear reference to Sun Wukong (aka The Monkey King) especially with the headband. Not forgetting, the little monkey on Nozomi's right arm is incredibly cute too!

Regrets? Probably not going for Tier 1 for this event but, no point crying over spilled milk. With that, comes a close to our coverage of Score Match Round 22. The next event should probably begin on the 14th of December and judging from the rotation, it would be an Aqours event. You can be sure that Tiro Finale will be there to cover the event from the start all the way to the end. Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!