20th Kobalts: Look, I know they won the Showdown recently but I don't see anything happening for them. They do have potential, but I just see this season as their test to see if they'll amount to anything in the future, and 1 good Showdown doesn't beat 4 years of missing qualifying.
19th Thunderbolts: A big shock, but they've came 12th or below in the Marble League 3 times now. I could argue similar things for the Oceanics, but they are known to do well in speed based events. This team has gone severely downhill, and I don't think they have the energy anymore, though I could be proven wrong.
18th Limers: I mean duuh. As a Limers fan, I did anything I could to keep them from last, but literally the only good performance this team has shown was in the 2018 offseason events (the Amazing Marble Race and 100 Metre Race). This team has the least going for them, but hopefully they have the dignity to at least not come last.
17th Mellow Yellow: Another great team from 2016 down here. They're mediocre performance in the first Marbula and their horrible showing in the 2020 Marble League has them this low. Honestly what kept them from doing even worse is that they got a silver medal in the Marbula Marathon in the Marble League this year.
16th Balls of Chaos: They've always been a middle-ranked so if it wasn't for 2020 I would have put them around 8-13, but for the first time in their history they place below tenth in a competition, after just making the benchmark in ML19 and Marbula1, so I think this team is going downhill a bit. However, I also wouldn't be surprised to see this team do great.
15th Team Primary: I know it's a shock after a top half in the first Marbula 1, but at this point, poor Prim must be tired of carrying his weak team. Especially since they only just made it out of the Showdown, I'm starting to think this team is tiring out, similarly to the Thunderbolts.
14th Raspberry Racers: They're a great team, probably in the top 5 best of all time, but they just seem to suck at Marbula events. They came 14th the first time, and 16th in the 2020 Marbula event. However, I don't think they'll do as terribly as other teams, just because they're overall a great team.
13th Bumblebees: There's not much to say about this team. They had a subpar performance in the Marble League, and they're obviously not very experienced, but what puts them above a few others is that for a relatively new team, they haven't embarrassed themselves yet, not to mention a good position in the ML2020 Marbula event.
12th Team Momo: They're obviously not the best team in the line-up, but obviously not the worst. The last two Marble Leagues they competed in (not counting 2018) they came 9th and 8th, which is as middle of the pack as you can get, but their bad racing in Marbula based events is why they're slightly below the middle.
11th Snowballs: I really don't know what to predict. They were horribly unlucky at the qualifiers, just missing out when they came last in the final event, and went on to do even worse in the Showdown. But, we can't count out a top 4 finish in the first Marbula 1, so I think the middle is a safe bet for them.
10th Oceanics: The Oceanics aren't great, so it surprised even myself to put them in the top half of the order, but as I mentioned before, they are known to do great in speed based events, and managed to win the qualifiers of the Marble League marathon. They are pretty bad, but have the specific skills they need for this competiton.
9th Jungle Jumpers: This team is by far the best of those that didn't compete in 2020. They had a good 2019 season, and just missed out on 2020 because of a track defect. Not to mention their 2nd place in the Showdown. This team actually has potential, but I won't risk placing them too high yet.
8th Green Ducks: Similar story to the Jungle Jumpers, a great ML2019, but unlike them they made the 2020 ML, even if they weren't able to replicate their 2019 success. Though that was disappointing, they did come 6th in the original Marbula1, so I think that they have the overall skill to do well again.
7th Midnight Wisps: After a disheartening ML19 and Marbula1, the Midnight Wisps are finally back to form, and I think we all expect a good placement from them. 7th is fine, but what prevents them from doing better is that they aren't great at Marbula events. Not horrible, but enough to put them here instead of the podium.
6th Minty Maniacs: This team might have just had a lucky season, or they might really have turned into a great team almost overnight, but for this specific competition, I don't think it matters. They won the Marathon in the Marble League, the one thing we can compare them to, and though I'm too skeptical to put them even higher, they definitely are a team to look out for this time.
5th O'rangers: This ML20 season solidified them as one of the greatest teams of all time, so honestly, I think they can win. But honestly a gut feeling coupled with their mediocre performance in the Marathon event makes me think they have work to do. They also wore out after the High Jump in the Marble League, so maybe they won't have the energy to podium. Still, they've been incredibly consistent and we shouldn't count them out.
4th Savage Speeders: I put the Savage Speeders and the O'rangers just out the top 3 for a reason. They're great teams, they got a podium in both Marbula 1 and ML2020, but they must be worn out by now. The Savage Speeders also notably only placed 9th in the Marathon, proving that they'll do well (because...duh) but it would be crazy to win 3 of the biggest Marble Sport competitions in a row.
3rd Crazy Cat's Eyes: Honestly, they are a great team, but their placements don't show it. They had decent 2018 and 2019 seasons, which were lessons for them on how to be a consistent team, and they put that to use this year. They seem to be a team on the rise, and I say all this without even mentioning their 3rd place in the Marathon event. They are ready to podium, however their bad second half of ML20 keeps me from putting them in first.
2nd Team Galactic: Even Greg Woods has noticed how strangely "close but no cigar" this team is. However, I think they are finally ready to make a push for a championship. (yes I realise they are still in second) They came fifth in the inaugural Marbula 1 and 4th in the Marathon, so they clearly have the skill to do something great, and the consistency for it. However there is probably one team who wants it more...
1st Hazers: Lets have a quick look at their placements in all major competitions. 6th in ML18 and 20. 3rd in ML19. 2nd in Marbula 1. This team is probably even more "close but no cigar" than Team Galactic. After all they've been through, this team must be desperate for a win at something, and clearly they have the expertise they need to win. They also are known to do great in other speed events in the Marble League, so I think the stars are aligned for the Hazers to win the second edition of Marbula 1.
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