The Solar Flares are a Marble League team introduced in 2021. Their uniforms are red-orange with navy blue and yellow stripes. The team name was decided in a Patreon vote.
The team hails from Meteorine, a seaside city. They competed in the Stardust Classic and the Herbotamia Invitational before attending the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers.[1]
The team started off well in the Qualifiers, getting third in the first event, the Swing Wave. However, they finished poorly in the remaining three events, failing to qualify, relegating them to the Showdown.
Team Members[]
Flare, Scorch, Radiance, Ember, and Blaze are the original and current members of the Solar Flares. Flare became team captain upon the team's formation.
| 2021 - Present |
|---|
Flare 
|
| Scorch |
| Radiance |
| Ember |
| Blaze |
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Team Member | |
| Reserve Member | |
| Injured |
Timeline[]
Managers[]
| Manager | From | To | Events | G | S | B | Tot. | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helios | 13 June 2021 | present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coaches[]
| Coach | From | To | Events | G | S | B | Tot. | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eclipse | 13 June 2021 | present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Note: Events include any kind of events (friendly events, other tournaments, qualifiers, ...).
History[]
Pre-Marble League[]
The Solar Flares come from Meteorine. Flare, Scorch, Radiance, Ember, and Blaze met in 2012 at Sunspot Beach at one of the regularly organized recreational sports events that all members of the community can participate in. At one of these events, the five marbles competed together in a Swing Wave event, and after a few runs they realized they worked well together as a team.
Every weekend the five would commute in from different parts of the city to Sunspot Beach to compete together and individually in different events. At the end of the summer, the sports program ended and the five marbles decided to enter a local youth league together and chose the name "Solar Flares" after a solar storm threat that had occurred earlier that year. That fall, as the marbles entered secondary school, they started to gain notoriety throughout Meteorine for their sporting abilities.
The invitation letter
In 2014, after consecutive victories in the youth league, the Solar Flares were personally invited to compete in the Stardust Classic by Royal Stardust in recognition for their achievements. They accepted and the team minus Blaze traveled to Polaria.
Despite little recognition when arriving, the Solar Flares surprised the competition when Radiance had a photo finish during the Sprint. They tied with Sulfur of the Purple Rockets leading to a tiebreaker, which they lost. The team earned a silver medal ahead of Astron of Team Galaxy. As the competition went on, the Solar Flares became good friends with Team Galaxy, even travelling to Galakonur after the competition ended to visit the Galactic National Space Center and the families of Team Galaxy.
In the summer of 2015, the first Marble League was announced while Team Galaxy were visiting the Flares in Meteorine. The Solar Flares were too young to be invited but celebrated with Team Galaxy when they were invited to compete. In return, Team Galaxy helped the Solar Flares to compete in another established tournament. After being turned down by the MFC Championship League and the Ramen Bowl due to their youth, the team received an invitation to join Ocho's Marble Competitions, a competition in Ochatona debuting in the summer of in 2018. Unfortunately it was delayed by two years to the summer of 2020.
During the delay, the Solar Flares finished their run in the youth leagues in Meteorine and built a training facility, the Fire House, and a small stadium to host friendlies. In the summer of 2020 they finally traveled to Ochatona to compete in the Qualifiers for Ocho's Marble Competitions. Unfortunately, after a series of poor performances they failed to qualify, finishing in tenth overall.
The team returned to Meteorine and pondered the future of the team. However, shortly after their return they received another invitation from Royal Stardust inviting them to come to Polaria to watch Marble League 2020. All five members of the team plus their coach, Eclipse, traveled their and helped Team Galactic train in the month leading up to the competition.
The Solar Flares remained in Polaria throughout Marble League 2020 to cheer on Team Galactic. After the conclusion of the League, Celestial, the intern for Team Galactic, handed an invitation to the Solar Flare's manager, Helios. The invite was for the Stardust Classic Reunion competition, which they accepted.
The team had an average performance throughout the competition, with a high point of a silver medal for Blaze and Scorch in the Black Hole Funnel. The team finished in fourth overall. The team returned to Meteorine to rest.[1]
2021[]
The Solar Flares received an invitation from the Minty Maniacs to compete in the Herbotamia Invitational Tournament, a competition the team had been interested in competing in but were too young to enter. They accepted and the team traveled to Chlorotopia for the competition.[1]
The team again came in as an unknown, like they had done in the Stardust Classic years before. They won the hearts of the crowd with a gold in the first event, Balancing. They followed this up with a silver medal in the Funnel Race and a bronze in the Sprint. They failed to podium in the next event, Collision. The final event, a lap race of Minty Mania, started well as the Flares took an early lead. However, they were passed by the Grape Nuts in the penultimate lap, leading to another second place finish. This was enough for the Solar Flares to win the Herbotamia Invitational Tournament.
After their victory, a mysterious marble rolled up to the podium and revealed themselves to be Jelle Bakker. As a reward for winning the competition he invited the Solar Flares and the second-place Gliding Glaciers a place in the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers, replacing the Jawbreakers and the Hornets.[2]
Following the invitation, the team returned to Sunspot Beach and trained harder than they had before, even training with Team Galactic for some of the time. After long days of training, the team would return to the Fire House and eat waffles and drink lemonade.
The team arrived in Felynia a little early to see the Crazy Cat's Eyes setting up the stadium. They also went on a tour of the local area, going on trips to Cairoll, the Cat's Dunes and Mirage Meowntain and at one point Radiance got stuck on a cactus. After returning to Felynia, Flare and Blaze started having a sword fight with swords they had picked up. Unbeknownst to them, Red Eye was watching and used this as the inspiration for Jousting.[1]
Marble League 2021[]
The Solar Flares face Team Galactic
The Solar Flares were placed in Group B of the Marble League 2021 Qualifiers alongside their friends, Team Galactic. The team got off to a strong start with a third place finish in the Swing Wave. Unfortunately, this was followed by three consecutive bottom half finishes in the remaining three events, including a last place finish in the 5 Meter Relay. This put them in 11th overall, only ahead of Team Galactic, failing to qualify for Marble League 2021.
Ember atop the podium.
The Solar Flares returned to competition in the Marble League Showdown 2021. The team had a poor start, with Blaze finishing in ninth in Event 1, the 5 Meter Sprint. This was followed by three more bottom half finishes, dropping them to last place overall at the halfway point. However, Ember managed to save the team with their first medal of the showdown in the Triathlon. Their newly attained gold allowed them to climb into 8th place, however they were not able to hold the position for long, continuing their streak of poor performances and finishing last overall. If Showdown relegation had been in place, they would have been relegated to the Marble League Showdown 2022.
2022[]
Marble League 2022[]
The Solar Flares were placed into Group A for the 2022 Qualifiers after facing off 11th place Showdown team, Oceanics. Unlike the previous year, the team did not have a good start to the qualifiers, finishing eighth out of 12 in Climbing. This was followed by two dead last finishes in the 5 Meter Hurdles and Balancing respectively, which unfortunately eliminated them from qualifying. Ember managed to finish second in the Triathlon, however, it was already too late for the Flares as they failed to qualify for the second year in a row with 11th yet again.
The Solar Flares had a decent start to the 2022 Showdown, finishing fifth in the Swing Wave. Unfortunately, they couldn't keep the momentum. Flare, the team captain placed dead last in the 5 Meter Sprint while Ember could only muster eleventh for the Water Race. Nevertheless, they improved in the very next event, as they finished in 6th in the 5 Meter Relay. By the halfway point, the Flares had risen up two spots into 11th place.
Beginning the second half, the team were unable to perform up to standard, since they finished Block Pushing in eleventh, followed by another dead last finish by Scorch in the Funnel Endurance. Climbing, the next event, had some success. Ember and Blaze managed to finish second to bring the team up to 12th overall, three points above the relegation zone. Unfortunately, the last event, the Sand Rally did not go well, as Radiance finished with the team's third dead last of the showdown. This dropped the team to 15th place which meant that with relegation back on the table, the Solar Flares were forced into the 2023 Showdown.
The offseason provided the team with the opportunity to partake in an Xmas Marble Race, for all Marble League teams. Scorch was the marble chosen for the individual event where they placed third in both the heats and semifinal to enter the final. Terribly, they had run out of energy so crossed the line in last, but ended in a very respectable 8th overall.
2023[]
While the Solar Flares knew they weren't getting invited to Marbula One Season 4, the Indigo Stars gave them, along with every other non-invited team, an opportunity to participate in their own tournament, 'Starbula One'. They were training with the Purple Rockets at the time in their own training facility, the Fire House and were ecstatic to compete again.[3]
The tournament consisted of five racing-style events, beginning with the Starbula One Circuit GP. Ember was sent out but was unable to make it passed Q1, qualifying in the bottom half and couldn't recover in the race, finishing in 11th. Radiance was then the representative in the Street Race, and managed 7th. The Five-Star Relay saw the team come 8th, making it three consecutive events placed in the bottom half, keeping them in 11th overall. Next up was the Asteroid Field. Unfortunately, Flare got caught up on a bumper that was right in their racing line and en route to a last place finish. The Flares fell to last and were eliminated from podium contention with one event to go, the Elimination Race. Blaze, the reserve, was chosen as they started off strong, even winning Round 3. As the rounds went on, Blaze continued their fine form into the final five where they defended their position from Wispy of the Midnight Wisps. Heading into the final three with Snowy of the Snowballs and Diego of the Indigo Stars, Blaze was unable to hold on and veered off the track at the starting gate to end with bronze. This lifted the team back into 11th by the end of the mini tournament.[3]
Marble League 2023 Showdown[]
The Solar Flares had a weak start to the 2023 Showdown, as they finished dead last in the Honeycomb Team Pursuit quickly followed by twelfth in the 5 Meter Relay. In the Funnel Endurance, Blaze just missed out on the final to Indie of the Indigo Stars finishing ninth. Fortunately, they achieved third in the Legion March Wave, vaulting the team up to 11th overall and out of last place for the first time. To their demise though, Flare crossed in twelfth for the Sand Rally, dropping the team to 14th with one event left. It looked like the Solar Flares would be relegated for the second consecutive time. Ember was chosen to race in the Honeydome Grand Prix, where they started out poorly, falling into last place. Their chances at relegation were becoming more and more realistic. However, they was able to gain some ground to catch up to the other racers and eventually, Ember finished in fifth place. The team were beside themselves as it was just enough for the Solar Flares to escape relegation, four points in front of the Minty Maniacs in 12th.
2024[]
Marble League 2024[]
The Solar Flares had a bad start to the 2024 qualifiers, finishing 26th with captain Flare in the 5 Meter Ice Dash, Thankfully a silver in the Halfpipe helped them move up to 11th place, A mediocre 19th place in Snow Drag dropped them to 15th overall, Thankfully Radiance managed to get a silver in the Short-track, this launched the Flares up to 9th, qualifying for Marble League 2024.
Marble League 2021[]
- Main article: Marble League 2021
Qualifiers[]
The Solar Flares competed in Group B. They failed to qualify for Marble League 2021.
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Placing | Points | Overall Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swing Wave | All | 33 pts | 3rd | 10 | 3rd |
| Funnel Endurance | Scorch | 1:54.63 | 8th | 4 | 4th |
| 5 Meter Relay | All | 9.242 sec. | 12th | 0 | 7th |
| Sand Rally | Flare (C) | 1:46.29 | 7th | 5 | 11th |
Marble League Showdown 2021[]
- Main article: Marble League Showdown 2021
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Placing | Points | Overall Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Meter Sprint | Blaze (R) | 5.862 sec. | 9th | 3 | 9th |
| Funnel Endurance | Scorch | 1:51.47 | 10th | 2 | 11th |
| 5 Meter Relay | All | 8.694 sec. | 7th | 5 | 11th |
| Block Pushing | All | 144.30 cm | 8th | 4 | 12th |
| Triathlon | Ember | 22.87 sec. | 1st | 15 | 8th |
| Diving | All | 3.56 pts | 12th | 0 | 11th |
| Sand Mogul Race | Radiance | 55.66 sec. | 11th | 1 | 12th |
| Marblocross | Flare (C) | 4:27.02 | 10th | 2 | 12th |
Marble League 2022[]
- Main article: Marble League 2022
Qualifiers[]
The Solar Flares competed in Group A. They failed to qualify for Marble League 2022.
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Placing | Points | Overall Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climbing | Flare (C) & Scorch | 64.3 cm | 8th | 4 | 8th |
| 5 Meter Hurdles | Radiance | 9.718 sec. | 12th | 0 | 11th |
| Balancing | All | 198 cm | 12th | 0 | 12th |
| Triathlon | Ember | 18.485 sec. | 2nd | 12 | 11th |
Marble League Showdown 2022[]
- Main article: Marble League Showdown 2022
The Solar Flares failed to qualify for the Marble League 2023 Qualifiers.
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Placing | Points | Overall Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swing Wave | All | 34 pts | 5th | 11 | 5th |
| 5 Meter Sprint | Flare (C) | 5.819 sec. | 16th | 0 | 11th |
| Water Race | Ember | 42.10 sec. | 11th | 5 | 13th |
| 5 Meter Relay | All | 8.541 sec. | 6th | 10 | 11th |
| Block Pushing | All | 161.55 cm | 11th | 5 | 11th |
| Funnel Endurance | Scorch | 1:57.04 | 16th | 0 | 14th |
| Climbing | Ember & Blaze (R) | 76.6 cm | 2nd | 20 | 12th |
| Sand Rally | Radiance | 2:18.81 | 16th | 0 | 15th |
2022/23 Offseason[]
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xmas Marble Race | Scorch | 33.72 sec. | 8th |
Marble League Showdown 2023[]
- Main article: Marble League Showdown 2023
The Solar Flares qualified for the Marble League 2024 Qualifiers.
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Placing | Points | Overall Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeycomb Team Pursuit | All | 18.08 sec. | 16th | 0 | 16th |
| 5 Meter Relay | All | 8.524 sec. | 12th | 4 | 16th |
| Funnel Endurance | Blaze (R) | 1:06.48 | 9th | 7 | 16th |
| Legion March Wave | All | 79 pts | 3rd | 15 | 11th |
| Sand Rally | Flare (C) | 1:44.60 | 12th | 4 | 14th |
| Honeydome Grand Prix | Ember | 6:29.70 | 5th | 11 | 12th |
2023/24 Offseason[]
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Marble Race 2023 | Blaze (R) | 45.24 sec. | 4th |
Marble Survival 100[]
The Solar Flares participated in the Marble Survival 100, represented by Blaze. They were eliminated in Event 2.
| Event | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 16 | 28 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 6th (149) |
| 2 | DNF | 27 | 17 | 21 | 28 | 22 | 14 | 30th (57) |
Marble League 2024[]
- Main article: Marble League 2024
Qualifiers[]
The Solar Flares qualified for Marble League 2024.
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Placing | Points | Overall Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Dash | Flare (C) | 5.354 sec. | 26th | 2 | 26th |
| Halfpipe | All | 60.28 sec. | 2nd | 28 | 11th |
| Snow Drag | Ember & Blaze (R) | 146.25 cm | 19th | 9 | 15th |
| Short-track | Radiance | 9 laps (28.18 sec.) | 2nd | 28 | 9th |
Main Tournament[]
| Event | Participant | Final Result | Placing | Points | Overall Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Dash | Ember | 5.280 sec. | 16th | 0 | 16th |
| Halfpipe | All | 65.19 sec. | 2nd | 20 | 6th |
| Bobsled | All | 12.76 sec. | 6th | 10 | 7th |
| Snow Drag | Flare (C) & Scorch | 149.75 cm | 14th | 2 | 12th |
| Biathlon | All | 30.00 sec. | 14th | 2 | 13th |
Results[]
Marble League[]
|
Marble League Showdown[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career Events[]
| # | Events | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total Podiums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 32 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Team Members' Individual Scores[]
Marble League Showdown[]
| Marble | Competed in | Individual events participated in |
Medals Won | Total Individual Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaze | MLS21 MLS22 MLS23 |
5 Meter Sprint (2021) Funnel Endurance (2023) |
0 gold medals 0 silver medals 0 bronze medals |
10 pts |
| Ember | MLS21 MLS22 MLS23 |
Triathlon (2021) Water Race (2022) Honeydome Grand Prix (2023) |
1 gold medal 0 silver medals 0 bronze medals |
31 pts |
| Flare | MLS21 MLS22 MLS23 |
Marblocross (2021) 5 Meter Sprint (2022) Sand Rally (2023) |
0 gold medals 0 silver medals 0 bronze medals |
6 pts |
| Radiance | MLS21 MLS22 MLS23 |
Sand Mogul Race (2021) Sand Rally (2022) |
0 gold medals 0 silver medals 0 bronze medals |
1 pt |
| Scorch | MLS21 MLS22 MLS23 |
Funnel Endurance (2021) Funnel Endurance (2022) |
0 gold medals 0 silver medals 0 bronze medals |
2 pts |
Italics - As reserve member
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The name "Solar Flares" was the highest voted name throughout two rounds of voting on Patreon. The three names with the highest votes in the first round moved on to the second round, while the rest were eliminated.
- Names eliminated in the first round of voting;
- Coral Cobras
- Fireballs
- Firecrackers
- Ghost Peppers
- Heliospheres
- Martians
- Vandals
- Names eliminated in the second round of voting;
- Autumn Skies
- Sunset Stunners
- Names eliminated in the first round of voting;
External Links[]
- Solar Flares on the JMR Website
- Solar Flares RetRollSpective
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Stynth, The Emperor (30th June 2021). RetRollSpective – Solar Flares. Project Marblearth.
- ↑ NordiqueWhaler (30th June 2021). Marbula One Season 2 / Pre-Marble League 2021 Offseason Moments – Part 2. Project Marblearth.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fouc, PippinPlover, Stynth (21st July 2023). Star Love. Project Marblearth.
| Marble League Teams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Balls of Chaos · Black Jacks · Bumblebees · Chocolatiers · Crazy Cat's Eyes · Gliding Glaciers · Green Ducks · Hazers · Indigo Stars · Jungle Jumpers · Kobalts · Limers · Mellow Yellow · Midnight Wisps · Minty Maniacs · Oceanics · O'rangers · Pinkies · Purple Rockets · Raspberry Racers · Rojo Rollers · Savage Speeders · Shining Swarm · Solar Flares · Snowballs · Team Galactic · Team Momo · Team Plasma · Team Primary · Thunderbolts · Turtle Sliders · Wolfpack | |||
| Retired | Golden Orbs · Hornets · Jawbreakers · Quicksilvers · Team Momary | |||