This article focuses on the six teams in Group B that failed to qualify. For the article that focuses on the six teams in Group A that failed to qualify, click here.
After months of waiting to see which teams would compete in the 2021 Marble League, we finally know the sixteen teams that have qualified, including the four that prequalified at the end of the 2020 Marble League and the twelve that competed in the 2021 Marble League Qualifiers. And now that we know, the 2021 Marble League is just around the corner! All of the teams are already in Felynia, and soon, it will be time to light the torch in the Felynia Coliseum.
In our theorizing, meme-making, and hype intensifying, we’ll rally behind at least one of the sixteen teams that have qualified, if not all of them. From the Gliding Glaciers, who have returned from retirement with a new roster, to six-time veterans such as the Thunderbolts, they all have something unique to bring to the games, and they have brought their all to secure their spot.
Regardless, there is a certain tragedy that comes with the passing of the Qualifiers each year. There are sixteen spots in the Marble League each year, meaning that if more than twelve teams are seeking to compete, there will be cuts. This has been the case since 2017 when the first Qualifiers were held, and the Kobalts, Snowballs, Balls of Chaos, and Rojo Rollers failed to qualify. In 2018, twelve teams failed to qualify (four from each group), the most in a single season yet. In 2019, the JMRC established the former system of relegation, and in addition to the Limers and Team Momo missing their first Marble League, the Limers, Turtle Sliders, Kobalts, and Shining Swarm did not advance to the 2020 Qualifiers from the 2019 Showdown. The system of relegation adopted this year saved the bottom four Showdown teams from missing out on Qualifiers, with the 2021 Marble League Qualifiers mandating that the top six teams of twelve within two groups move on to the main tournament.
This year saw a mixture of teams get cut after the four events of Qualifiers. Some were beloved fan favorites. Others were hoping, after years of being unsuccessful, to finally return to the competition. But none of them can be forgotten. Like the sixteen teams that have qualified, these twelve teams all bring something special to the competition. The difference is the effort put in—either it isn’t “their all” or it’s masked by other teams. And so it goes.
Still, as we await the 2021 Marble League, we would like to reflect on the “forbidden six” from Group B. They deserve to be heard, and their legacies deserve to be honored. Any team could be in their position right now.
Pinky Pain
The Pinkies followed up a middling off-season from the Marble League with a middling performance in Qualifiers, failing to advance to the main tournament for the second consecutive year. Although the Pinkies did well in the Showdown, placing fifth with a bronze and a silver, their performances in the Winter Special and the Practice Race left much to be desired, with their results at thirteenth and twenty-seventh respectively.
Pinky Rosa was selected to compete in the Practice Race, an odd decision considering they are not the strongest racer on the team—Pinky Toe is. Sure enough, Pinky Toe competed in the Sand Rally during Qualifiers and scored a clutch come-from-behind victory in the final seconds of the race, mirroring their gold medal moment from the 2019 Dirt Race. Alas, winning the final event was not enough for the Pinkies, in part due to the Chocolatiers’ silver, and in part due to the team’s poor performances in other events.
With Pinky Toe’s recent ascent to the role of captain (and Pinky Rosa stepping down from said role), one has to wonder if the recent issues with the Pinkies have something to do with coaching. Although I was not able to secure an interview with Coach Pinky Promise, I was able to ask Pinky Panther about it before we screened Miraroll, an epic sports film about the Midnight Wisps’ 2018 comeback.
“I mean, I would have loved to be put in for Funnel Endurance,” they whispered to me. “That was out of our control, but I’m hoping that we as a team learn from that.”
With luck, the Pinkies will learn from that in time for the 2021 Showdown.
A Fallen Redemption Arc
The intense photo finish between the Chocolatiers and the Kobalts in the final seconds of Qualifiers was a defining moment not just in the 2021 season, but in the careers of both teams. As the Chocolatiers shed their identity of “choking away” their potential, the Kobalts lost their chance to complete their redemption arc, which had spanned for nearly a year after their surprise victory in the 2020 Showdown.
“We thought things had turned around for us,” lamented Cerulean. “And we were so close to fulfilling that by qualifying for the Marble League.”
Had the Kobalts finished in second instead of third, they would have done so with twenty-three points overall, one point ahead of the Chocolatiers if they were the team in third.
“Two years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to give this interview because I wasn’t able to face the facts,” Azure stated, referencing my article from the 2019 season. “But this time…I understand what happened, and I’m confident that I gave it my all in the Sand Rally. Bonbon just had more of ‘their all’ to give than I did. As we train for the Showdown, we’re going to look into how much more we can give, both as individual athletes and as a team.”
The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Although they were visibly upset from the results of Qualifiers, I could also tell that they were ready to work harder than they ever had to prepare for the 2021 Showdown. Best of luck to the Kobalts there.
Feeling the Sting
One of two teams in Group B that participated in the 2020 Marble League and failed to qualify this year, the Bumblebees’ career in Jelle’s Marble Runs has been more of a stint than a successful venture. Following their four golds and resulting championship in the 2018 Hubelino Tournament, the Bees have simply gotten by in the rest of their appearances, qualifying for the 2020 Marble League in twelfth place (on the bubble of the four-way tiebreak), placing eleventh with one silver medal, and finishing thirteenth in Season 2 of Marbula One.
Before this year’s Qualifiers, the Bumblebees purchased the Hornets franchise with the support of the Royal Family of Buzznya, taking over the inactive team’s assets as they relinquished their spot in Qualifiers. Although none of the Hornets athletes were accepted into the Bumblebees’ roster, they all traveled to Felynia to watch Qualifiers, and following the tournament, I received a response for my interview request from both Honey and Vespa. How could I turn that down?
“The past few months have been really busy,” Honey confided. “I think I’ve dealt with it the best out of anyone on the team.”
“You have,” Vespa shrugged, agreeing. “Everyone else got caught up in what this means for ‘the rivalry’ and the press. It never mattered much to us, and with your third place in the funnels, you proved that.”
“It matters more to some of my teammates than others,” Honey clarified. “It’s when it gets in the way that there’s a problem. When you’re in the zone to perform the best that you possibly can, nothing else should matter but that. If something else does, you’ll only get stung by that before you know it.” Vespa chuckled, causing Honey, too, to chuckle.
Although my conversation with the two athletes was short, it helped me understand the primary issue that the Bumblebees are facing. With luck, they’ll overcome that in the 2021 Showdown.
Slipping Away
As I witnessed the Sand Rally, I was amazed to see Crush from the Turtle Sliders rebound from hitting the large orb obstacle at the very beginning of the race to nearly reaching the podium. For a team that hadn’t gotten a fair opportunity to qualify for the Marble League until this year, I almost believed that the Sliders would get that validation this time around.
Amazingly, the Turtle Sliders nearly missed out on attending Qualifiers. The above picture, captured by the paparazzi outside the freeway in Aslipi, shows the Sliders rushing to the airport the day before the tournament. Due to unfavorable flight conditions, the team had difficulty finding a new flight to Felynia until that day, and difficulty finding a ride to the Aslipi Airport until they decided to trek there themselves.
“After two years in the bottom four of the Showdown…can you blame us?” voiced Dash. “This was our chance to prove ourselves, and we were not going to let that go.”
Despite a difficult first half, the Sliders’ fourth place in the Relay Race left the team just under the cusp of qualification. Had Crush placed second or above in the order of the top four, they would have qualified on the bubble—or above.
“This is technically our third time failing to qualify: once last year, twice this year,” Shelly observed. “We had a great offseason, so this is difficult for us to take in. But if we don’t grow from it…what’s the point?”
“We’ve yet to make it through Qualifiers, but that doesn’t mean we never will. We’re stronger than that,” promised Crush.
With luck, we will see that prevail through the Sliders’ performance in the Showdown.
Solar Eclipsed
A team completely new to the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs, the Solar Flares admitted they weren’t expecting to make it into the 2021 Marble League.
“We certainly hoped we would, especially after we did so well in the Wave event,” Flare recalled. “We were honored to make it to the podium in that, even if we didn’t qualify.
Nevertheless, we understand that we were competing for the first time against the best of the best. Whether or not we’re among them is something we’re ready to prove in spirit, albeit not in practice.”
The team placed third in the aforementioned Wave event, which they had practiced as a team since their first sessions in Meteorine. They were in a provisional qualifying position until the Relay, where they placed last and fell to seventh overall. The Flares continued to dip from there, falling to eleventh overall with a seventh place in the Sand Rally.
“I felt good about Funnel Endurance from the Herbotamia Invitational,” Scorch said. “The Relay threw us all for a loop though. It’s not like we hadn’t trained for it, but every other team had a handle on what they were doing.”
“And even in that photo finish, the Green Ducks had the grace to finish ahead of me,” admitted Radiance. “Ultimately, being in the Showdown will give us the experience we need to be the best we can be.”
With luck, the Solar Flares will get that experience in the 2021 Showdown.
Voided Out
The Solar Flares followed me from their room to the penthouse of the hotel, which the Crazy Cat’s Eyes had reserved for Team Galactic as thanks for hosting the previous year. There, Team Galactic was hosting a potluck dinner with their friends, including the Flares, and some of their most trusted fans, including Mellacus, Novawolf, The Emperor, Phoenix, and others I recognized from around The Marblebase and my experience as a former JMRC member. I opted to bring two pounds of noodles with homemade tomato sauce and was pleasantly surprised to see the dish disappear by the end of the night.
As I caught up with my former JMRC colleagues, I inched closer to Team Galactic, who, despite hosting, were sitting alone together in the kitchen. It was clear that despite their efforts to stay in good spirits, Team Galactic was feeling low.
I could tell that they weren’t up to an interview, but Starry spoke up anyway. “Thank you for contributing to the dinner and not showing up just to get press from us. You’re a real one.”
In one of the only times I’ll quote myself in one of these, I replied, “I try to be.”
“We know we let down our fans, from the Wave to the final event. And I know they weren’t content with me being chosen for the Sand Rally,” said Cosmo, looking down. “I did the best I could, and I know it wasn’t good enough. I won’t let that go as much as the fans won’t.”
“But we also know that we’re better than this,” asserted Astron. “Whether we weren’t prepared this time around or had a bad four events, we do know that we’re going to come back from this. No matter how long it takes…we’re going to get another gold medal one day. We’ll make the podium one day. And one day, we’ll win it all.”
With luck, Team Galactic will begin that journey in the 2021 Showdown.
Conclusion: Looking Ahead
The hype that surrounds the Marble League each year often obscures the hardships behind the scenes: the difficulty in training to qualify, the struggle in maintaining strong performances, and the challenge of demonstrating excellence, among others. If it was easy, any group of marbles would team up and casually roll past the competition—but it’s not. It takes determination to be involved in any aspect of the Marble League, let alone participate in the main tournament, and it’s admittedly not for everyone.
Nevertheless, the result has been proven to be worth it; it has been rewarding beyond any marble’s wildest dreams. If these six teams work hard during the offseason and do well in the Showdown—pushing their capabilities beyond what they have thought possible—they will rediscover those rewards, as they have in Marble Leagues past.
Pinkies, Kobalts, Bumblebees, Solar Flares, Turtle Sliders, Team Galactic: we implore you not to give up, but to move forward. Learn from this, grow stronger, and be excellent. We’re looking forward to seeing you compete again.
Let’s roll.
Credits
- Writer: Stynth
- Editor: Ramen Powder
- Graphic Designers: Pim Leurs, Spex
- Photographers: Jelle’s Marble Runs, Vector
- Reference: Marble League 2021 Qualifiers | Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 30/06/2021
Project Marblearth 
I will watch the Solar Flares career with great interest.
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