ISML 2009

ISML 2009 was the second edition of the International Saimoe League contest.

Hinagiku Katsura claimed this year's Heavenly Tiara, defeating top-seeded Shana in the closest ever ISML grand final match to date: a margin of just 11 votes, which coincidentally was also Hinagiku's seed. The Hayate representative also became the first champion to defeat the runner-up twice in the playoffs. Her victory as an 11th seed made her the lowest-seeded champion in ISML history, a record that still stands to this day.

Fate Testarossa, the defending champion, was knocked down into the lower bracket by Hinagiku in the first round of the playoffs, and was later eliminated in LB Round 4 after losing to last year's runner-up Yuki Nagato.

Aquamarine
With thanks to the first and previous ISML, title defenses were introduced in the ISML. With the new rooster came many new faces and some old faces. The most decisive match was Fate Testarossa vs. Kirino Chiba at Aquamarine 1, where Fate defeated Kirino by 829 votes (1257-428, 74.60% of total votes). The closest match was Nanoha Takamachi vs. Rin Tosaka at Aquamarine 3, where Nanoha defeated Rin by a mere two votes (927-925, 50.05% of total votes). A match that was considered a surprise was at Aquamarine 9, where C.C., a 22nd place girl, defeated Kotomi Ichinose, a 6th place girl, by fifty votes (1260-1210, 51.01% of total votes). By the end of the Aquamarine period, Shana, #2 in the Aquamarine standings, would defend her necklace against Tomoyo Sakagami, #1 in the Aquamarine standings. When all was said and one, Tomoyo defeated Shana to become the new ISML Aquamarine Necklace winner, her first ISML necklace. Necklace Winner: Sakagami Tomoyo

Topaz
Because Setsuna Sakurazaki was not a part of the 64 girls this year, a new Topaz Necklace winner must be crowned. The most decisive match was Haruhi Suzumiya vs. Tamaki Kawazoe at Topaz 1, where Haruhi defeated Tamaki by 1538 votes (2182-644, 77.21% of total votes). The closest match was Minori Kushieda vs. Louise Vallière at Topaz 5, where Minori defeated Louise by three votes (1194-1191, 50.06% of total votes). A match that was considered an upset was at Topaz 2, where Ami Kawashima, a 36th place girl, defeated Rika Furude, a 15th place girl, by forty-four votes (1261-1217, 50.89% of total votes). By the end of the Topaz period, the top 4 contenders for the Topaz Necklace were Kagami Hiiragi, Yuki Nagato, Fate Testarossa, and Tomoyo Sakagami. Because Shana defeated Kagami, Haruhi defeated Fate, and Yuki defeated Tomoyo, Yuki, who, ironically, is a silent and passive girl, would become the new ISML Topaz Necklace winner, her first ISML necklace. Necklace Winner: Nagato Yuki

Amethyst
During the Amethyst period, there was a major Rozen Maiden push. The most decisive match was Suigintou vs. Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga at Amethyst 5, where Suigintou defeated Ayumu by 1469 votes (1996-527, 79.11% of total votes). The closest match was Konata Izumi vs. Sakura Kinomoto at Amethyst 6, where Konata defeated Sakura by six votes (1472-1466, 50.10% of total votes). The match that bewildered many voters was at Amethyst 3, where Suigintou, a 18th place girl, defeated Fate Testarossa, a 5th place girl, by 406 votes (1791-1385, 56.39% of total votes). By the end of the Amethyst period, Kagami Hiiragi would defend her Amethyst Necklace from girls such as Suigintou, Rin Tosaka, and Haruhi Suzumiya, who were also up in running for the necklace. Due to a loss by Tomoyo Sakagami at Amythest 9, Kagami was forced to relinquish her title. Because Suigintou had the highest SDO, sum of the strength of her defeated opponents, over all of the girls, she would become the new ISML Amethyst Necklace winner, her first ISML necklace. This necklace was befitting for her, for she was cold, yet bright when the situation calls for it. Necklace Winner: Suigintou

Sapphire
The most decisive match was Shana vs. Patchouli Knowledge at Sapphire 4, where Shana defeated Patchouli by 1534 votes (2256-722, 75.76% of total votes). The closest match was Anya Alstreim vs. Shiki Ryougi at Sapphire 4, where Anya defeated Shiki by three votes (1221-1218, 50.06% of total votes). A match that surprised voters was found in Sapphire 1, where Rika Furude, a 19th place girl, defeated Saber, an 8th place girl, by thirty votes (1314-1284, 50.58% of total votes). By the end of the Sapphire period, Kyou Fujibayashi would have to defend her title against girls such as Shana, Tomoyo Sakagami, and Haruhi Suzumiya. Due to a loss from Haruhi at Sapphire 9, Kyou was forced to relinquish her title. Because Shana has the highest SDO over all of the girls, she would become the new ISML Sapphire Necklace winner, becoming the third girl to be a two-time necklace winner and the only girl to have a necklace in two separate ISMLs.

Necklace Winner: Shana

Emerald
Emerald 6 proved to be the round where the unexpected happened. Shinku, a 21st place girl, defeated Saber, a 12th place girl, by 435 votes (1763-1328, 57.04% of total votes). Kotomi Ichinose, a 20th place girl, defeated Kagami Hiiragi, a 7th place girl, by 187 votes (1566-1379, 53.17% of total votes). Suiseiseki, a 15th place girl, defeated Yuki Nagato, a 6th place girl, by 107 votes (1660-1553, 51.67% of total votes). Rin Tosaka, an 11th place girl, defeated Fate Testarossa, a 4th place girl, by 37 votes (1516-1479, 50.62% of total votes). The most decisive match was Rin Tosaka vs. Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga at Emerald 8, where Rin defeated Ayumu by 1751 votes (2351-600, 79.67% of total votes). The closest match was a tie-breaker match: Akari Mizunashi vs. Remilia Scarlet (989-989, 1404-1820 tie-breaker) at Emerald 2. By the end of the Emerald period, Kagami Hiiragi, the previous Emerald necklace winner, had to release her necklace due to an early loss at Emerald 6. At Emerald 9, the "undefeated" Haruhi Suzumiya received her first loss from Tomoyo Sakagami. When everything was settled, Suiseiseki became the new ISML Emerald necklace winner, her first ISML necklace. The necklace was befitting her, for she was someone to took care of the gardens in our hearts. Necklace Winner: Suiseiseki

Ruby
The most decisive match was Mai Kawasumi vs. Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga at Ruby 3, where Mai defeated Ayumu by 1409 votes (1922-513, 78.93% of total votes). The closest match was Anya Alstreim vs. Marisa Kirisame at Ruby 1, where Anya defeated Marisa by four votes (1334-1330, 50.08% of total votes). A match that caught voters off guard was at Ruby 6, where Kotomi Ichinose, a 19th place girl, defeated Fate Testarossa, a 5th place girl, by 39 votes (1376-1337, 50.72% of total votes). By the end of the Ruby Period, Haruhi Suzumiya, the defending Ruby Necklace winner, had to give up her necklace early due to an unexpected loss from Taiga Aisaka at Ruby 8. By the end of the Ruby period, it was Hinagiku Katsura that became the new ISML Ruby Necklace winner, her first ISML necklace. Necklace Winner: Katsura Hinagiku

Diamond
The most decisive match was Shana vs. Aya Shameimaru at Diamond 4, where Shana defeated Aya by 1689 votes (2302-613, 78.97% of total votes). The closest match was Evangeline A.K. McDowell vs. Amu Hinamori at Diamond 2, where Evangeline defeated Amu by eight votes (1111-1103, 50.18% of total votes). A match that was considered an upset was at Diamond 1, where Fuuko Ibuki, a 24th place girl, defeated Yuki Nagato, a 5th place girl, by sixteen votes (1622-1606, 50.25% of total votes). By the end of the Diamond period, Haruhi Suzumiya, the defending Diamond Necklace winner, had to take off her necklace early due to a surprising lost from Shinku at Diamond 7. In the end, it was Shinku who became the new ISML Diamond Necklace winner, her first ISML necklace. Necklace Winner: Shinku

Playoffs
Format:


 * 16 females play in a Double-elimination bracket.
 * Round of 16 match-ups are determined by regular season ranking
 * Losers drop to Lower Bracket Rd 1, Winners advance to Upper Bracket
 * Winner of the grand final wins the Heavenly Tiara and declared as the year's champion.

Round of 16
This year's ISML Post-Season became one with interesting revelations. The Rozen Maiden girls, who had a very strong beginning, was starting to dwindle in power as the Post Season continues. The main cast of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, who seem to have been losing strength during the end of the Regular Season, regained it during the Post-Season. Hinagiku Katsura, who was shown to be growing stronger by the end of the Regular Season, continued to dominate her opponents at Post-Season. At Winner Round 3, Shana and Hinagiku would meet once again to determine who would be the first to be automatically qualified to the Championship Round. Shana, who was #1 in the overall standings, lost to Hinagiku, forcing her to go to Loser Round 6 to determine who will face Hinagiku at the Championship Round. Shana defeated Tomoyo Sakagami to challenge Hinagiku once again for the Tiara. Hinagiku needs only one more victory to be crowned the Champion while Shana has to defeat her twice. In the closest and most fiercely fought championship round in ISML, Hinagiku defeated Shana by a thin margin of just eleven (11) votes (2117-2106) to become the new ISML Champion.

Final Rakings
Bold: Necklace Winner

Site navigation

 * International Saimoe League
 * Saimoe 2009
 * KBM 2009