Bracket Breakdown - The Final Four! (Patreon)

The season started off with 32 mighty ticklers charging into battle, but after a series of amazing victories, shocking upsets, and more tickled toes than anyone can count, we’re down to our Final Four. All of our surviving girls have scraped through some bruising battles to make it this far, but all of them have a different story to tell. And as we gear up for the final battles of the season, let’s take a closer look at their journey so far!

Alex

Alex competed in the tournament last season, but fell in the opening round to eventual champion Katara through a tiebreak vote. Some other ticklers might have called it a day there and then, but Alex decided to give the competition another shot, and this season, it’s been a completely different story. Alex has learned a lot from her previous loss, and every victory so far has been a confident win. Her friend Clover was no match for her experience, and even defending champion Katara fell to Alex’s newfound tickle skills in a rematch from that infamous first fight. Now that Alex has taken down the champ, is the stage set for Alex to become a champion herself? That question will weigh heavily on Alex’s mind as she steps into her first Semi-Final.

Sandy Cheeks

It’s the Cinderella story of the season! In the rankings, Sandy Cheeks was never given much chance at success, mainly due to the strength of the field and the sheer number of powerful ticklers in the bracket. However, Sandy gave Mr. Matchmaker here a massive shock, and the scrappy squirrel got straight to business by taking down the #7 seed Terra in the opening round! As if that wasn’t enough, two more upsets over #10 seed Nicole Watterson and #15 seed Gwen Tennyson came after that, and now Sandy has risen to become one of the top four ticklers in the universe. Unlike any of the other girls in the Final Four, Sandy is the only one to have been an underdog in every single match, and it’s not getting any easier. Will she melt under the pressure, or can she complete the greatest underdog journey in tickle history? Whatever happens, Sandy is ready for it.

Starfire

In a bracket that has been busted more times than anyone thought possible, a lot of the veterans from last season have fallen short of expectations. Katara, Raven, Harley Quinn – all eliminated before the Final Four this time. But when it comes to Starfire, we might just have found ourselves a fan favorite. Starfire is a rare example of a tickler who really doesn’t care whether she wins or loses – she just loves to compete and show her appreciation for “the tickles”. That kind of attitude has seen her make it all the way to the Final Four, surpassing her previous performance and leaving her as the highest remaining seed in the tournament. Looking at the numbers, that makes Starfire the runaway favorite to be the new Tickle Champion, and having faced a good variety of opponents to get here, you have to imagine that Starfire is more than prepared for anything the others can throw at her. It’s just a case of whether “the tickles” favor her to the very end.

Wuya

Easily the meanest girl left in the field, Wuya stepped into a lion’s den full of villains in her quadrant of the bracket, and came out roaring! Every win so far has been a romp to victory, and the wily witch has taken out some serious opposition along the way, maybe having the strongest schedule when you look at her path to this stage. Katnappe was easy prey, but Wuya is the only tickler here who can boast about beating two of the top five seeds in the tournament, with both Azula and Harley Quinn sent laughing all the way home. She might be the only barefoot girl still standing, and the other ticklers will be hungry to get their hands on those exposed soles, but Wuya is unbeaten up to this point, and she’s confident it’ll stay that way. No villain has ever reached the Grand Final before, and Wuya is looking to be the first to go all the way and conquer the tickle universe for her own.

And that is your Final Four for this season! The Semi-Finals are set, and just three remaining matches will decide who reaches the top of the mountain. Alex. Sandy. Starfire. Wuya. Only one can win and become our new Tickle Champion!

The first Semi-Final kicks off tomorrow!