Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have competed in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re going to focus on the Black Jacks, a team that debuted in the Hubelino Tournament and returned from a hiatus to compete in the Marble League 2022 Showdown. Read on to find out how this team is suited for victory!

The Black Jacks originate from Las Veglass, far from where they would compete for most of their career. All four team members, Club, Diamond, Heart, and Spade, rose to prominence in the region, not for marble sports but for professional card games, specifically blackjack. 

The four became some of the more prominent blackjack players on Marblearth, and they toured the globe competing in different tournaments. In particular, they spent much of their time in Buzznya, where the four players first bonded over a high-stakes game and a lengthy sightseeing trip. But by the time 2009 came around, they had begun to lose a bit of love for the game, as they believed it had become unenjoyable and were tired of traveling the world for these competitions.

A growing desire to leave the sport had started to affect the team. Spade was on a streak of bad luck, and their poor results were noticed by others, creating stress that they had never faced. They all started to grow interests in other things, among them marble sports.

“2009 was a difficult year for me, between a burnout from all the tournaments and my results becoming more inconsistent than they had been in previous years,” stated Club. “I had thought about it a lot, and I decided to announce my retirement in Herbotamia, after the final tournament of the year. I decided the first marble to tell my plan would be Diamond.”

Club decided to take Diamond on a roll through the streets of Chlorotopia to tell of their plan. As they were rolling, the pair noticed a crowd of marbles gathered around the side of a bridge overlooking a creek. Club and Diamond pushed their way to the front of the group to see what was happening. They noticed a mint green marble and a golden marble racing down the stream. The mint green marble held the lead; the golden marble tried to make a pass but was blocked, and the green marble was the first to pass under the bridge.

“I still don’t know how to describe it,” commented Club. “But something just immediately clicked for me. This competition, whatever it was, just seemed so interesting and exciting. I had never pondered marble racing through the water or being able to watch it from a bridge. It was an amazing concept.” 

After the race, Diamond rolled back to the hotel to get Heart, thinking they would appreciate this competition. While they were gone, Club stayed at the creek – and learned more about what was happening. They heard two names: the Minty Maniacs and Golden Wisps. As Club learned, the two marbles racing were Minty Flav and Willo, and the bridge they were standing on was the finish line of this race, the first of four.

Diamond would return with Heart to catch the end of the second race, with Spade also tagging along. In Race 2, Spirit beat Minty Swirl by a sizable margin. In Race 3, Minty Drizzel held on to win over Pixie, and in Race 4, Minty Fresh pulled off a last-second pass to win over Fairy by five-thousandths of a second.

The members were all highly intrigued by what they just witnessed, and Club was the first to approach the two teams about future events and what they were doing in general. 

“I remember thinking – if we all stopped wasting so much time at the card tables and focused our efforts on this, we could be just as good or even better than these guys,” Club recalled. “The level of competition, even between two teams racing in a Herbotamia creek, was a sight to behold.”

The Golden Wisps and Minty Maniacs never intended to reveal their competitions to the public, but usually, the marbles who watched their events were just casual passersby. Nobody was more interested in this event than Club, Diamond, Heart, and Spade, so the two teams promised to keep in contact with them.

One month later, they were back in Herbotamia and witnessed another event between the Maniacs and the Wisps. From then on, they decided they wanted to participate in the events, so they started training. After the event, the Minty Maniacs and Golden Wisps revealed that they were considering letting an additional team compete in their events. They decided that Club, Diamond, Heart, and Spade could join if they wanted to. The four accepted and agreed to take on the name “Black Jacks” for their marble sports team.

With the arrival of the Black Jacks, the series of turf tournaments would now have cumulative points standings for the first time. Unsurprisingly, the Black Jacks didn’t do great in their first year, finishing last of the three teams, as the Minty Maniacs won convincingly and the Golden Wisps finished in second. The Black Jacks did have some success – as they won the Pursuit Slalom, an event where marbles would sidewind their way through rows of mint plants. Given the team had the home-field advantage and past success in 2009, the Minty Maniacs were clear favorites for the events, but the Black Jacks bested them by a noticeable margin.

“I look back at that Pursuit Slalom as one of the most important moments for our team,” stated Heart, beginning to stand out as the best athlete. “We knew we weren’t the best, but this event proved to us we were certainly capable athletes, and we had so much potential to catch up to the Minties and Wisps.”

Before 2011 kicked off, Minty Flav mentioned they had found a potential new team in a street race, who called themselves Team Phoenix. The Black Jacks were on board with another team joining because they figured they would fit in with another new team. Though they only captured one gold in 2010, the Black Jacks went into 2011 with hope and confidence, and their hope was rewarded immediately with a first-place finish in Event 1, the Block Push. They couldn’t keep up the momentum as they quickly fell behind the Minty Maniacs, but they fought the Golden Wisps in a close battle for second. The Golden Wisps held the position by two points going into the final event, the Halfpipe Dash, but the Black Jacks were able to win gold and snatch second overall thanks to a big final push from Heart.

In 2012, the tournament rebranded into the Herbotamia Tournament under the guidance of the Herbotamia Recreational and Sports Club (HRSC for short).

“The support that the HRSC gave us had its pros and cons,” Club stated, during an interview in a 2020 documentary on the original Herbotamia Tournament. “We were given the necessities of major tournaments, like courts, locker rooms, and proper equipment, but spectator access was still as limited as it was back in 2010. I mean, the HRSC budget wasn’t nearly enough to sustain the tournament for its duration. But thankfully, our past career was also in a professional sport, so we had the most money to offer. More often than not, we had to fill the gaps in the budget.”

2012 would see the first season as a professional tournament, along with the debut of the Ruby Rollers. The Black Jacks had improved over their first two seasons, but the brilliance of the Minty Maniacs looked difficult to challenge. Even so, the Black Jacks were confident in their abilities. 

In the first event, the Minty Maniacs edged out the Black Jacks in the Catwalk by just one point. The following event saw a disappointing fourth in the Halfpipe Dash, but they managed to win Event 3, the Relay Race. Quartet Jump saw a second-place finish, and with the Minty Maniacs finishing last in the event – the Black Jacks had an outside chance at winning the tournament, with it being more likely for Team Phoenix to steal the crown. However, as the Herbotamia Tournament returned to the event where the Black Jacks had gotten their first victory, Pursuit Slalom, the team won it again. The tournament came down to Minty Maniacs and Black Jacks in the final event, the Maze.

In the most important event of their career thus far, the Black Jacks selected Heart to compete in Maze. It almost ended in disaster on the first run, but Heart stayed just ahead of the Golden Wisps, who got eliminated. Minty Flav got eliminated on the second run, elating Heart and their team. Run 3 saw a win for Heart as the Ruby Rollers followed suit. Heart needed to finish first in the event for the Black Jacks to win the tournament, and all that stood in their way was Nixy of Team Phoenix. Despite the pressure, Heart managed to roll to a win and an unlikely championship victory.

“Of course, we were overjoyed,” said Heart. “But we were also fulfilled, knowing for sure that we were as competitive as the Minty Maniacs, Golden Wisps, and the other teams, even if we weren’t as experienced as them. For us especially, there was so much to look forward to in the future.”

Despite the Black Jacks’ insistence that 2012 wasn’t a coincidence, they couldn’t keep up their stunning form. They ended up finishing the season without an event win for the first time, though they did manage to beat Team Phoenix in the standings. 

During the midseason break of 2013, a reporter contacted the tournament, asking permission to show clips from the league for a TV featurette. But the teams weren’t keen on the idea.

“When we first joined the tournament, we would’ve accepted it without hesitation,” Diamond stated. “But we wanted this to be our thing – and we understood we didn’t need more publicity or if it would be helpful, so as a team, we declined. It likely would not have mattered, as the other teams also declined.”

2014 was more of a traditional season, as the Minty Maniacs returned to the top with the Golden Wisps in second. The Black Jacks finished in third, though a long way off the top two. 

Before the following season, the HRSC announced that they would not be able to fund the tournament and that they would need sponsors to ensure the tournament’s survival. Given the Black Jacks’ wealth from years of competing in card tournaments worldwide, they had little choice but to serve as benefactors to keep the series going. 

“I knew from that second what we had to do,” Club said. “We weren’t exactly happy about it, but we would give anything to compete. We did the same when we gave up cards, so we paid as much as we had to.”

Although we cannot confirm this, it was reported that the Black Jacks did not give as much as they could have and that they only donated enough so that it and the money earned off of the Golden Wisps’ jewelry raffle would be just enough to keep the tournament going for another season. Going into the year, however, it seemed likely that 2015 would be the last season of the Herbotamia Tournament.

Known as “the team that just wants to compete,” the tournament’s fate hit the Black Jacks the hardest. They would finish last, with zero event wins.

Having barely missed out on victory in the final event, Hurdles, Heart recalled, “I remember walking off the field for the final time, looking at my teammates, my competitors, and saying nothing. After all those years in Herbotamia and all that progress we thought we had made, it ended just like that. It was definitely the lowest point of our careers.”

Once the Minty Maniacs announced their retirement, effectively ending the Herbotamia Tournament, the Black Jacks returned to the blackjack tables, hoping to use their relevance as athletes to have a successful career. With this, the Black Jacks would settle in Herbotamia. Diamond would comment, “We had been living in Herbotamia for so many years, and it felt like we never got to appreciate the region. From the astounding skyscrapers in the cities to the rolling fields of the farmlands, or even to the empty desert dunes, Herbotamia truly is a lovely place.” 

After some time away from racing – and more success at the card tables – the Black Jacks were thrust back into marble sports in 2016. Minty Flav contacted the Black Jacks and all other teams to tell them that Jelle Bakker, organizer of the Knikkigen Marble League, had proposed to bring the Herbotamia Tournament back. Jelle Bakker put this revival forward during the inaugural Marble League, a competition that was the first of its time, composed of the best teams in the whole world. Jelle Bakker had missed running a smaller and more regional tournament, so when they heard of the Herbotamia Tournament’s woes, they were quick to assist.

After some thought, the Minty Maniacs agreed to join the competition, and this alone was enough to get the other teams to agree to Jelle’s proposal. Hubelino Tournament 2016 would include mainstream broadcasting for the first time, all track parts supplied by the sponsor, Hubelino, and three new teams: the Green Gang, Valiant Violets, and Bluefastics. Many of the classic events, such as the Catwalk, were replicated with the new Hubelino equipment. The Black Jacks, at the sponsor’s suggestion, entered the tournament under pseudonyms to link themselves to the team, although they quickly came to find names like “Jack of Diamonds” too much of a mouthful.

Heart was chosen for the first event, Funnel Spinning, an event new to the original Herbotamian competitors. The event didn’t start as well as they hoped as they were the first to fall into Funnel 5, but playing their cards right with well-timed blocks and pushes, they fought back into contention. Heart outlasted the Minty Maniacs in the final funnel as they took home the gold for the Black Jacks in the first event. 

Out of breath, Heart, in what would be the tournament’s first-ever televised interview, would say, “I didn’t know what I was doing. When you’ve been racing for a few years, this new stuff just kind of comes to you immediately.”

The Black Jacks continued their hot streak with two bronzes in the Catwalk and Halfpipe Crash. Having avoided carnage in the Elimination Race, Club lost the final heat to the Ruby Rollers, claiming silver. The team held an eight-point lead afterward, which fell to a one-point margin after Quartet Jump, where they finished in last place. During that event, Spade flew off the track, and the other three scored limited points. 

The Black Jacks fell to third after Pursuit Slalom, when they lost their heat to the Green Gang by quite a distance, finishing seventh in the event. The event would cause a bit of infighting within the team, which Spade noted: “Club thought Heart was holding them up, and that’s what cost them so much time, but Heart said Club just fell behind. The two kept insisting they were right and the other was wrong for days. To be honest, it was arguing for the sake of arguing, and it didn’t help us at all.”

The championship was still close, and the Black Jacks had every chance to bring down the deficit, but in the Swing Wave, they finished last, falling to fourth. Going into what was to be the final event of the tournament, the team had little to celebrate. They had been in first for the first five events, yet they found themselves in fourth going into the event that mattered most. Diamond would salvage a silver in the Combination Race, moving them up to third and the podium.

However, they did not remain on the podium for long. After Jelle’s announcement that the tournament would continue for another four events, to be held either side of the 2017 Marble League, the Black Jacks could not keep their momentum going. With finishes of sixth, seventh, fourth, and fifth in the new events, the Black Jacks ended the tournament in fifth overall with 67 points. 

While the team was disappointed to fall off the podium, Club reported in an interview that “we’re just happy the competition kept going, really. The original Herbotamia Tournament was always a friendly event, so we’re glad that Jelle offered us sponsorships to let us keep that atmosphere going even though the stakes were higher.”

Following the end of the Hubelino Tournament, Jelle approached the teams once more with an offer to join the qualifiers for Marble League 2018. Although several weren’t interested in the additional pressure of the higher competition standard, the Black Jacks decided to take the offer. “The decision was simple for us,” Heart later remarked. “We’ve always been that team that loves to compete, and after seeing the astonishing level on display at Marble League 2017, we were all more or less in agreement before we even finished reading Jelle’s letter.” The Black Jacks recruited Ace, a long-time friend of Spade from the HRSC who had designed their original uniforms, as their reserve member and began training for the upcoming qualifiers.

The Black Jacks joined Marble League 2018 Qualifiers alongside the Minty Maniacs and Golden Wisps (now rebranded as the Golden Orbs), as well as three other newcomers – Team Plasma, the Crazy Cat’s Eyes, and the Gliding Glaciers. Under the new qualifying format introduced in 2018, the Black Jacks were sorted into Group C and started their qualifying run well with a fourth place in Curling, and missing out on 3rd place to the Balls of Chaos on a tiebreaker. The second event, the Snow Race, ended dramatically for Group C as damage to the course caused none of the racers to finish. Diamond was awarded fifth place after the pile-up, keeping the team in fourth overall, but a sixth-place finish for Heart in the Ice Dash and fifth place for the team in the Halfpipe caused the Black Jacks to drop to sixth altogether, failing to qualify for the Marble League.

“We knew the step-up to the Marble League would be a big one, but we still weren’t quite expecting it to be that much of a switch from the Hubelino Tournament,” Diamond told interviewers after the qualifiers. “I think all the new teams felt it. The competitors at this level have the attitude and focus we haven’t needed since our card-playing days, and we just didn’t find enough of it this time.”

The Black Jacks attended Marble League 2018 to support the Minty Maniacs, the only one of the three Hubelino teams to qualify for the tournament, but watching their friends compete further proved how different the level was between the Marble League and the friendly competitions they were used to. The Black Jacks did take part in some off-season events, with Club finishing in sixth place in the consolation race for the unqualified teams and Heart pulling off a strong performance in the 100 Meter Water Race, finishing in seventh out of 28 racers. 

However, in the lead-up to the next off-season event, the A-maze-ing Race Tournament, the Black Jacks, alongside the Minty Maniacs and Golden Orbs, announced their withdrawal from both this and Marble League 2019 Qualifiers in favor of the Hubelino Tournament. The Black Jacks also recommended a team from Buzznya, the Bumblebees, as a replacement for the now-retired Team Phoenix, with which the other organizers agreed given the Bumblebees’ success in the Bug Circuit.

The Black Jacks started Hubelino Tournament 2018 well with a silver medal in Swing Wave, only losing to the debutant Bumblebees. Dead last in the Catwalk event did knock them down to fourth overall, but a masterclass from Heart in the Funnel race, entering the penultimate funnel in sixth place and outlasting five marbles to win the event before even leaving that funnel, brought the team up to second place, and another silver medal for Diamond in the Halfpipes brought the team into first by a single point over the Bumblebees. “The Hubelino Tournament may not have prepared us for the Marble League,” Heart told reporters, “but our experience from Qualifiers is certainly helping us here.”

By the halfway point in the tournament, though, it was clear to the competing teams that interest in the Hubelino Tournament was waning. The Marble League had captured the attention of global marble sports fans, and while Jelle’s influence drew some interest in the tournament, there was little they could do. The Black Jacks once again offered to provide more funding to help keep the Hubelino Tournament running, but even that was not enough.

As the tournament continued, the Black Jacks kept their momentum up with another silver medal in Block Bumping, holding first place, before a disastrous seventh place finish in the Relay Race knocked them off the top spot, while the Minty Maniacs took the lead with a gold medal. Fifth place in the Maze was an improvement, but with their championship rivals, the Bumblebees and Minty Maniacs, taking the top two spots, the Black Jacks fell to third overall, with only an outside chance at winning the tournament. A DNF for Heart in the first heat of the final event, the Big Tower, folded the Black Jacks’ hopes of winning the championship, though they were narrowly able to hold on to the third podium spot by a single point.

After the conclusion of the 2018 Hubelino Tournament, the teams knew it was unlikely that the competition would continue even with additional funding. On top of disinterest from fans, teams were losing interest in competing any longer, and the Hubelino Tournament was discontinued in early 2019. “It’s heartbreaking to see the end of the Tournament after all these years,” Heart stated in a press release accompanying the announcement. “It’s been such a huge part of our lives ever since we first met the Golden Orbs and Minty Maniacs back in 2009, and while we have no intention of abandoning marble sports, the teams as a collective have agreed that disbanding the Hubelino Tournament is the best option.”

Surrounding the discontinuation of the Hubelino Tournament, there was speculation over whether any Hubelino teams would get invited to join the Marble League 2019 Showdown. While some had formally retired from competition, the Black Jacks remained hopeful for an invite. It was not to be, however, and their last-event DNF would prove more costly than they anticipated, as Jelle announced that only the top two teams from the Hubelino Tournament would get invited to join the Showdown.

“We were gutted, of course, but that’s how the cards fall sometimes,” Ace remarked in a later interview. “Heart was blaming themself for letting the team down, despite Diamond’s best efforts to convince them otherwise. But we just had to move on.”

Without the need to prepare for the Marble League Showdown, the Black Jacks found themselves at a loose end. “We knew we didn’t want to return to playing cards,” Club explained. “Ace had never been particularly interested – or good – and we’d spent enough time away from the card tables that we’d all more or less moved on from that part of our lives. We really wanted more racing opportunities, but with the Hubelino Tournament disbanded, that didn’t look likely.”

On their return to Las Veglass, the Black Jacks were expecting to be at a bit of a loose end, but to their surprise, their homecoming was met with considerable fanfare. The Hubelino Tournament had become a sensation in the City of Jacks, and as the local team, the Black Jacks found themselves thrust into the spotlight. In particular, their sharp uniforms had caught the attention of Las Veglass high society. “I’d designed the team’s original uniforms way back at the HRSC,” Ace revealed, “so having the local fans taking notice gave me an idea that, honestly, seemed far-fetched at the time, but it wasn’t like we had anything better to do.”

Ace approached the rest of the Black Jacks with a proposal a week after their return to Las Veglass: Since they were known for their sleek, stylish attire, why not start a fashion brand?

“We’d been funding the Herbotamia Tournament for long enough to know how investment worked, so we doubled down on what we were known for and assumed it would be a simple step up,” Heart claimed to reporters in 2021. “The others weren’t fully convinced it would amount to anything, particularly Club, but we decided it was worth taking a gamble.”

In late 2019, the Black Jacks launched their new clothing company, 52Styles. The company’s initial store on Casino Square in Las Veglass was an instant hit. Ace’s designer suits, which maximized ease of movement while staying sleek and stylish, became a sensation in the City of Jacks. 52Styles soon opened for business across Herbotamia, with the brand reaching as far as Accellaise and Rosaka by the end of 2020. The Black Jacks adapted quickly to their new roles as business marbles while holding onto their roots as athletes.

“The idea to branch out into sportswear is one we’ve had since we founded 52Styles,” Spade announced in a press release in early 2020. “We’ve always known the value of good equipment and clothing from our time as athletes, so we’ve decided to bring our own experience to the table with our latest clothing line: High Rollers sportswear, which includes uniforms modeled after every active team in the Marble League!”

52Styles’ High Rollers line was an instant sensation, with several Marble League teams helping to promote the new alternate uniforms designed for them. The Pinkies even took a sponsorship deal from 52Styles to use their alternate uniforms during the Marble League Winter Special in early 2021, hugely boosting the Black Jacks’ business. 

However, with the announcement of a new CEO of 52Styles in mid-2020, followed by leaked paparazzi photos of the Black Jacks training at a gym in Chlorotopia, the City of Jacks started buzzing with rumors that the Black Jacks were returning to marble sports.

The rumors proved true a couple of weeks after the leaked photos with the announcement of the Herbotamia Reunion, a closed-doors event featuring the original Hubelino Tournament teams alongside the Bumblebees, Yarble Yellers, Grape Nuts, and Team Plasma. Despite several attempts by the press to learn the results of the tournament, the Black Jacks and other teams kept the Herbotamia Reunion private, but it was clear to the Black Jacks’ many associates that the event had sparked something.

A few months after the Herbotamia Reunion, the Black Jacks received another letter from the Minty Maniacs. The reunion had gone so well that the Minty Maniacs were planning another, more formal tournament – the Herbotamia Invitational. After their most recent outing, the team had a taste for competition again and was accepted. “Even after our success with 52Styles, there’s still nothing that gets me quite as excited as competition,” Diamond told reporters after announcing the team’s involvement in the tournament.

The Black Jacks’ return to televised marble sports had an underwhelming start. Their performance in the first event, Balancing, was more akin to their 2018 Catwalk form than their bronze-winning run in 2016, finishing in seventh place. Spade’s run in the funnels had a similar outcome, with their winning streak from the days of the Hubelino Tournament giving way to a sixth-place finish. The 5 Meter Sprint and Collision events continued this pattern with a seventh and sixth place, leaving the Black Jacks dead last into the final. “We knew we weren’t exactly favorites to win, given how long we’ve been away from marble sports, but this does still sting a little,” Club remarked after their 3-1 Collision loss to the Gliding Glaciers. “Back in the Hubelino days, we were some of the most consistent medal-winners in the tournament. But hey, at least we can’t choke it away this time!”

The final event of the Herbotamia Invitational was one the Black Jacks had been dreading. The team had followed along with the events of Marbula One and knew all about the tragedy that occurred the last time marble racing came to Minty Mania. Diamond, however, wasn’t deterred by the track’s history. “They’ve made so many safety changes after Speedy’s accident that there’s no real chance of it happening again. I’m more worried that I’ve never actually competed in a track race outside training,” they noted before the race.

Despite Diamond’s inexperience, however, the race proved to be a return to form for the Black Jacks. After starting on pole, Diamond held the lead for the first five laps of the race, eventually losing out to the Grape Nuts and Solar Flares but holding on to third place, the team’s first medal of the tournament. The bronze was enough to pull the team out of the basement into sixth in the final standings – a far cry from the top two and the places in the Marble League qualifiers on offer, but satisfying for the Black Jacks, who expressed to reporters that they were relieved not to have the pressure of Marble League Qualifiers looming overhead.

In private, however, the Herbotamia Invitational had only fueled the Black Jacks’ desire to return to marble sports. “I remember the drive home after Minty Mania,” Ace later remarked. “We were all a little down after our results, but Diamond’s medal sparked something, and our conversation was just stories of past competitions. It roused something in us.”

The fans from the Herbotamia Invitational had also felt something in the team’s return. Throughout the 2021 Marble League and beyond, the call for the Black Jacks to return to competition grew louder and louder, particularly with rumors of an extreme sports tournament planned by the Balls of Chaos and JMR. In the autumn, soon after those rumors began, observant Las Veglass residents noticed Heart rolling up to an exclusive VIP gym, and the speculation only grew.

In December, Marble ManiaX was announced as JMR’s new extreme sports tournament, and, to the delight of their fans, the Black Jacks were one of the first teams announced as competitors alongside their new coach, Jack. As a familiar face among several comparatively unknown teams, the Black Jacks quickly emerged as one of the favorites for the tournament.

Marble ManiaX kicked off a few weeks later with Extreme Diving, a daunting event for all the marbles involved. “They weren’t kidding when they said this would be extreme,” Club reported nervously. “We’ve done plenty of diving practice, but never from quite that high up! I can only imagine what it’s like staring down that jump.”

Despite Club’s worries, however, the diving board was a return to form for the Black Jacks, as the team tied for the best score of the event with the Purple Rockets and the Constrictors. The tiebreaker went to the team with the highest individual score, the Constrictors, while the Black Jacks and Purple Rockets, in a dead heat, were both awarded silver medals.

“That first time in the locker room after diving was an interesting experience,” Jack explained. “Doing a timeshare with the Purple Rockets on the podium was strange enough, but I learned more afterward about the Constrictors and their history. Since our team members were considerably better off than theirs, there was clear tension – the Constrictors definitely felt they had something to prove.”

The battles between the Black Jacks and the Constrictors didn’t end there. In the next event, Domino Bowling, the Black Jacks held second place before the half-time show, only for strong runs by the Constrictors and Purple Rockets to drop them off the podium – five points behind the Constrictors. While the teams never faced off in the Extreme Funnels, both were eliminated in the first round. The Obstacle Run saw both the Black Jacks’ and Constrictors’ captains facing off. After Heart made a last-moment pass on Boa to finish in third for the first round, the Black Jacks’ fortunes flipped as, after battling with the Constrictors again, Heart fell to the back of the pack. A last-minute change couldn’t pass the Pinkies, and the Black Jacks were eliminated. The Constrictors followed in the next round, keeping the tension between the teams high after two rounds of fierce racing and another side-by-side placement on the leaderboard.

By this point, things were growing ever more heated in the locker room between the Constrictors and the Black Jacks. Coach Jack later reported that “there’d been snide comments muttered under their breath before, but after the obstacle run it exploded into a slanging match. Thank goodness I was able to help their coach Charmer calm it down before it escalated anymore.”

Despite the two coaches’ efforts, the two teams’ attitudes hadn’t cooled by the announcement of the final event of the tournament – the return of Fidget Spinner Collision – just in time for the Black Jacks and Constrictors to face off for the first round. While Jack and Charmer hoped it would be a chance to clear the air in an official brawl, tensions only grew – if the Black Jacks won the match, they would stop the Constrictors’ run at the title and possibly beat them to the final podium. If the Constrictors won, the Black Jacks would be locked in the bottom half of the standings while their rivals went on to challenge for the championship. As the teams lined up at their gates, the anticipation in the stadium was palpable.

With the crowd roaring, the teams got released from the starting gate. On impact, the marbles went flying. The Constrictors splayed to the sides while most Black Jacks darted straight for the ramps and comparative safety. In the chaos that followed, three of the Constrictors were flung out of the arena, while only two of the Black Jacks got eliminated. 3-2 to the Black Jacks.

As the teams thundered towards each other for the second half, both teams had changed their strategy, and after a solid impact, only a single competitor from each team got knocked out of the ring. However, one of the Black Jacks was left dazed behind one of the fallen wall blocks and got missed by the referees. The officials’ call was 5-3 to the Constrictors – sending them to the next round by a single point. 

Fans of the Black Jacks, having overheard the referees’ initial call, were quick on the draw with corrections pointing out the mistake, but the event continued without acknowledgment. The Constrictors were awarded the bronze medal before the news finally reached event officials, at which point an air of uncertainty swept over the Pandemonium as they conducted a review.

As Jelle rolled out onto the podium with an announcement, the marbles held their breath. “Thanks to the efforts of our spectators, event officials have noticed a miscount in the second-round match between the Black Jacks and the Constrictors. We will hold a tiebreaker round once we have prepared the arena.”

The Black Jacks and Constrictors wasted no time warming up, as did the Pinkies, Shining Swarm, and Balls of Chaos, who might have needed to return to the court if the Black Jacks won the tiebreak. The two rivals barely spoke a word as they rolled up to the gates for the tiebreak.

The fidget spinners got wound up, then released. Moments later, the starting gates opened, and the teams raced down the ramp.

Chaos broke loose as the Black Jacks and Constrictors slammed into one another. The teams splayed wide, with several competitors flying over the sides. When the dust settled, and the two remaining Black Jacks settled dangerously close to a fidget spinner near two of the Constrictors, they spotted a third opponent safely tucked between the arena wall and a fallen domino.

The Constrictors had won the match 10-9, affirming the original result. The Constrictors kept the Bronze medal and their second-place finish in the tournament, while the Black Jacks fell to seventh overall with 18 points. Though the team was disappointed, the event was conducted accurately thanks to the fans’ engagement, which was the most important thing.

By the time every team left the stadium that evening, the pitch blackness of night was punctured only by Hunluen’s neon skyscrapers off on the horizon. The Black Jacks rolled alone to their team van as Ana and Python sprinted up to them.

“Look, Club, all of that nasty business is a part of sports… but in the Bug Circuit, we are also looking for teams for an invitational this Spring…” we heard Ana say. “I know this is abrupt… why not come by if you’re interested?”

“Actually, the scheduling would work,” said Club of the Black Jacks. “That would work quite well.”

The Black Jacks traveled to Buzzkill a month later to join the Bug Circuit Invitational at Ana’s suggestion. Despite struggling through the first three events, the Black Jacks spun their momentum on its head with a gold medal in Collision, defeating the Constrictors in the final in a close match. That and the following silver medal in the Stinger Circuit finale let the team run the table, finishing the tournament in second place behind the Hornets and beating the Constrictors on a tiebreak. Although they weren’t close at the start of the Invitational, relations between the Black Jacks and Constrictors warmed during the tournament, mostly thanks to Ana, Charmer, and Jack.

The day after the team’s return to Las Veglass, Ace was woken suddenly by the sound of Märblehead’s Spades of Ace. Wondering who would be calling at such an early hour, they answered the phone.

“Uh, hi, who is it?” Ace asked groggily.

“Hi, Ace! Oh, goodness, I forgot about the time difference,” came the reply. “It’s Ghost. You know, from Team Plasma? We were chatting at the Herbotamia Invitational – I got your number from Spade.”

“Oh yeah, hi! Don’t worry about the time difference – I always get out of bed at four in the morning,” Ace joked. “So what can I do for you?”

“You were the lead designer for 52Styles before you got back into sports, right? I was hoping you’d be able to help me out.”

Six hours later, Ace still hadn’t slept. As they rolled down to join the rest of the team for blackjack & brunch, the others could all tell Ace had been up to something.

“What kept you up all night this time, Ace?” Coach Jack laughed. “Honestly, the amount of time you pour into new ideas at ridiculous hours of the day never ceases to amaze.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Ace responded, “If only I put that much effort into training, I’ve heard it all before. Check this out.”

Ace pulled a sheet of graph paper out of their satchel and unfurled it with a flourish. The rest of the team looked on, quickly realizing they were looking at a uniform design. “Ghost called me this morning. Team Plasma was invited back to the Marble League for this year’s Showdown and they wanted some design help for the new uniforms they’re making.”

“Wow, Ace, that’s brilliant!” Diamond exclaimed. “Definitely one of your better designs,” agreed Club.

As the others inspected the design more closely and Ace rolled over to the food station, Jack pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling.

“You know, that’s got me thinking,” Spade said as Jack dealt the first hand. “There’ve been a lot of calls for us to return to the Marble League, and if Team Plasma got an invite…”

“What happens if we get one?” Heart replied. “Honestly, I don’t know. Competing again has brought it all back, and the business manages itself these days, but you know how much of a step up the Marble League is from the Bug Circuit.”

“Hell, we couldn’t even beat the Hornets, and look how they turned out,” sighed Club. “Do we really want to put ourselves through that again?”

There was silence as the players completed the round before Diamond, the only loser, spoke up. “Guys, I know you all too well. We all miss the athlete lifestyle and always talk about how we love it when the stakes are high. If we get an invite, I vote we go all in.”

Spade nodded in agreement. “I was waiting for one of you to call it,” they said. “It’s like waiting for the house edge to swing your way. It won’t always come quickly, but if you put the time in, you’ll see results. No reason to fold now.”

“Spade, stop talking in card metaphors for once,” Heart laughed. “Honestly, just because you’re right doesn’t mean I’ll let you keep getting away with it.” Spade grinned at the joke, as well as the blackjack they hit with their next card.

Another quiet moment later, Club finally spoke up again. “Oh, screw it. It’s a risk, but I guess it’s more fun than sitting around being a business marble all day. Besides, it’s not like we’re guaranteed an invite anyway.”

Jack smiled, revealing the dealer’s next card with a flourish. “Are you sure about that, Club?” The team smiled at each other as they realized what they were looking at. “You sly devil, Jack!” Ace laughed, rolling up to the table with a plate of food. “Since when have you been good at keeping secrets like that?”

“Oh, you pick up a few things occasionally when you work with card players,” the coach responded with a wink.

The Black Jacks announced their return to the Marble League shortly before the 2022 Qualifiers. Their reunions with the Purple Rockets and Team Plasma were friendly, and the newcomers from the Wolfpack fit in alongside them. After the qualifiers had concluded, the event organizers proposed an appearance by the four new teams in the Friendly Round alongside the auto-qualified teams, which all four captains agreed to unanimously. “I figured if we were coming back to the Marble League, we might as well double down and get out there as soon as possible,” Heart said about their decision.

The Practice Round started slowly for the Black Jacks, with third place for Heart and Spade in Climbing and for Club in the 5 Meter Hurdles, followed by last place in Balancing. While the team got locked out of winning the practice, Diamond still had a strong performance in the final event, the Triathlon, leaving them tied for third with the Wolfpack. “It’s disappointing not doing as well as we’d like, but it’s better to get some of the bad early performances out in the Friendly instead of the first few events of the Showdown,” Coach Jack told reporters after the contest was over.

The Black Jacks spent much of Marble League 2022 watching from their box in The Pond, marveling at the unexpected success of the Pinkies and Team Galactic. At the halfway point in the tournament, however, the first half of the Showdown began, and the Black Jacks took to the arena once more to kick off their return to the Marble League.

The first event of the Showdown, the Wave, had been inspired by the version featured in the Hubelino Tournament, and unlike 2018 the Black Jacks’ experience there showed. The Black Jacks’ second run scored 38 points, equalling the previous event record and earning them a silver medal behind record-breakers Team Plasma. Diamond couldn’t match that success in the 5 Meter Sprint, finishing 14th, but Club carried the team back up to third in the standings with a nearly two-second victory in the Water Race, the team’s first-ever gold medal on the Marble League stage. “Winning something feels incredible,” Club told the media as they toweled off after the race. “We felt so disappointed not being able to win any rounds in the past few years, but now we’re back in the house.”

Eighth place in the Relay was enough to bring the Black Jacks up to second overall at the halfway point in the Showdown. Team Plasma had run away with the first half of the Showdown with three medals and a fifth place, but the Black Jacks and Wolfpack had also received attention for their strong performances. With the Black Jacks’ history, the question on their fans’ minds at the time was whether they could hold on to their success.

After seven more rounds in the main league, the Black Jacks answered that with a resounding yes. Competing in Group B for the fifth event, Block Pushing, the Black Jacks opened their run with the farthest push of the entire event, 92.9 cm. Though Team Momo matched their 90 cm mark twice to win the event, none of the other teams came close to the Black Jacks’ mark, leaving them with a comfortable silver medal and bringing them within two points of the leaders.

Heart followed this with fourth place in the Funnel Race, demonstrating that they hadn’t lost their touch after winning the event twice in the Hubelino Tournament.  The team had a scare in Climbing as Spade and Ace finished dead last: Despite that, their previous results were enough to hold second place overall, and going into the final event, the Black Jacks were the only team left that could challenge Team Plasma’s miracle run, though they would need at least a silver medal to do it.

“We’ve already proved that we made the right bet coming back to the Marble League,” Diamond stated in a press conference before the Sand Rally. “We’re guaranteed a spot in next year’s qualifiers, and while the odds may not be in our favor for the Showdown title, we’ve played high stakes before. Sure, we’ll be happy whether we win or lose, but we’re going all in.”

Coach Jack selected their captain, Heart, to put the Black Jacks’ hopes on their back in the Sand Rally. A poor start out of the gate left Heart at the back of the field through the first few turns, but they clawed out of last through the next leg of the race. However, with Team Plasma already ahead and Heart struggling to break out of the bottom four in the race, it simply became a matter of pride for the Black Jacks’ captain and a few well-timed moves in the second half of the race slotted Heart into a comfortable place at the tail end of the top 10. While they couldn’t hold off the Wolfpack for that spot, 11th place was good enough to keep the Black Jacks in second place overall on the final Showdown podium.

With their return to professional marble sports entering on a solid note, fans anticipated that the Black Jacks would join Marbula One for its fourth season. Amid several surprises in the roster, the team’s invitation was made public in April 2023, with Heart and Club chosen to represent them. Coach Jack appeared optimistic in the accompanying press conference, stating, “The team has been fans of Marbula One ever since its debut, so receiving the invite was something we were all looking forward to. It’s a risk focusing our training and resources heavily on something new so close to the Marble League Qualifiers, but since when do the Black Jacks shy away from a high-stakes bet?”

The Black Jacks’ Marbula One debut was as uninspiring as their 2022 Showdown performance had been electrifying. Heart’s ninth-place finish at Sakura Garden was the highest the team finished in the first half of the season, with Club’s impressive qualifying run to P4 at Greenstone failing to translate to the race. After five races, the Black Jacks were in 15th place with just 22 points. Much of the media expected that the Black Jacks’ host Grand Prix would be their only success of the tournament.

At Sleet Street, however, Club turned the Black Jacks’ luck around with an uncharacteristically strong climb into sixth place, gaining positions from qualifying for the first time. Heart followed suit with a seven-position climb to ninth at Misty Mountain before Club doubled down on the team’s reversal of fortune to achieve sixth place and fourth place in back-to-back races at Electron Expressway and Stardust Accelerator, starting from 12th both times.

The Black Jacks’ turnaround saw the team rise to a comfortable 11th place and Club to 13th in the individual standings going into their home Grand Prix. Although the season’s top-heavy distribution of medals left the Black Jacks with no hardware, they were the highest-ranked team in the tournament without medals within close reach of the Green Ducks and Team Plasma above them. Unfortunately, Heart could not make up any more ground at Casino Square, with the house edge only turning out a tenth-place finish after qualifying in 13th.

Despite this, the Black Jacks’ second-half rise had resulted in solid results, with a comfortable 11th-place finish overall and an individual top 15. In the team’s final press conference of the season, held by the Casino Square track outside the 52Styles flagship storefront, Heart told reporters, “We came into Marbula One as we’ve come into every tournament we competed in – just wanting to race for the fun of it. Sure, we would have loved to come away with some medals or a better finish, but this first outing has just whetted our appetites for more. We’ve proven, not just to our fans but to ourselves, that coming back to the marble sports stage was the right call, and you can bet any money you’d like that we’ll be bringing our experience to the table in future tournaments.”

In RetRollSpective, the Black Jacks are a team that has used its skills on the card table and successfully transferred them to the marble sports world. They have proven their worth as one of JMR’s most beloved teams, and we look forward to seeing them in future events. Best of luck to the Black Jacks in the near future, keep on rolling!

Credits

• Writers: ElrQ, GhostDM, XBC
• Additional Writing: PippinPlover, Stynth
• Editors: Edu G. J., Fouc, Pastelle, Smacg13
• Artists: Pim Leurs, Toffeeshop
• Graphic Designers: Emmun_Isaac, Fouc, GhostDM, Jelle’s Marble Runs, MightyCucumber, Pim Leurs, Spex, Stynth, Tim Ritz, Turtle
• Photographers: JackJack, Jelle’s Marble Runs, Pesky, Vector
• Release: 06/09/2023

Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have competed in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re going to focus on the Wolfpack, a team that debuted in Marble League Showdown 2022. Read on to find out how this team has hunted down a spot in the competition!

In a distant corner of Marblearth, far removed from the great civilizations of the planet, tucked away in the remote wilderness of Pawlaska, sits the town of Furbank, the hometown of the Wolfpack. There is nothing remarkable about Furbank, nothing that makes it noteworthy on the world stage. Considering its isolated location and frigid climate, the city’s most intriguing aspect is that it even exists. Furbank is sustained by its tough, hard-working citizens, who form a tight-knit community. While the citizens of Furbank devote much of their time to their jobs and household work, they still find time to engage in community activities. One of the community’s pastimes is snow races, with marbles often challenging each other to race through the snow that covers the tundra for most of the year. The night of a full moon is held as sacred in Furbank, with marbles observing a night of silence.

Being such a small town, Furbank has only a single system of schools where the Wolfpack marbles met each other as youths. Balto loved nothing more than challenging their friends to race through the snowy city streets, and while small for their age, Balto was undoubtedly a gifted athlete. As they grew older, only three of their classmates raced at their speed: Remus, Sirius, and Fenrir. The four would bond over their dedication to becoming the fastest marbles in town. They would meet after school nearly every day to roll all across town and through the surrounding wilderness.

“All four of us liked racing,” stated Remus, “but Balto loved it the most. I think their dedication was inspiring for the rest of us. We wanted to keep up with them.”

“Racing was always my greatest passion,” said Balto, reminiscing on those early days. “Growing up, I was counting down the years to when I could sign up for the Iditaroll.”

The crown jewel of Furbank snow racing is the Iditaroll, an annual race held during the harshest winter month. Marbles compete in teams of four to carry a heavy sled from Furbank to the nearby village of Noom. The course winds through kilometers of challenging terrain, dense forests, and tall mountains. Only the most physically fit marbles in Furbank and the surrounding region can complete the course. Because of how dangerous the track is, marbles must be of adult status to compete. The team who wins the Iditaroll earns respect and fame from the rest of Furbank’s citizens; for most of these marbles, it is the highest glory they can achieve.

“We knew that as soon as we were old enough, we were going to compete in the Iditaroll,” said Balto, the group’s natural leader. “And we were determined to win it.” 

The winter following their graduation from school, all four members of the Wolfpack had reached adulthood and were eligible to compete, so they entered the competition for the first time. Although they had been very successful youth snow racers, the Iditaroll was of incomparable difficulty to the courses they had raced on before. Additionally, the competition in the Iditaroll was fierce, as teams with years, even decades, of experience would be competing. Such intense competition was typically not kind to newcomers. A rookie team finishing near the top of the Iditaroll standings was a rare occurrence, and for such a team to win the competition was unheard of.

That, however, did not discourage the four marbles as they prepared for their debut. 

“We went into that race with the mindset we were going to win,” recalled Fenrir, the fastest sprinter of the four. “Deep down, we knew the odds stacked against us, but we wanted to believe we could do the impossible. We knew that was the only way we would have a chance.”

When race day arrived, the pack found themselves among hundreds of other teams looking to etch their names into the local lore. Balto and Fenrir took the front spots, Remus and Sirius lined up behind them, and they all strapped themselves to the sled that they would have to carry the course’s length. With all the teams ready at the gate, the starting gun fired, and they raced out of town to the cheers of spectators. In the race’s initial stages, the teams ran in a big group, trying to keep up with the pace-setters up front. As the day grew longer and the race wore on, teams began to fall behind, unable to sustain the pace needed to remain upfront in this unforgiving race. 

Eventually, day turned to night, and the team of rookies saw no one directly ahead of or behind them. Nights in Pawlaska are typically dark, cold, and often blistering with snow, and that night, the snow was intense. The pack had no idea how many teams were ahead of them, but they kept going, with Sirius replacing the tired Fenrir in the front row. 

“When it’s nighttime, I’m in my element,” remarked Sirius, an avid stargazer. “Fenrir gave us the speed to start strong, but the atmosphere of that night was getting to them. I was happy to keep the energy going.”

The night wore on. The team had to take more frequent breaks, knowing they could not rest for long. Fatigue was beginning to set, and the crippling cold showed no signs of letting up. The marbles were all exhausted, yet they kept on rolling.

“By the night’s end, we were rolling on fumes,” said Fenrir. “All we knew was that we weren’t stopping until we reached Noom.”

At last, the sky began to change. The darkness started to retreat, and the snow finally ceased. Signs of civilization were beginning to appear. It had been hours since the pack had seen another team on the course, and as the freshly fallen snow came to light, one thing became evident: There were no marks on the track ahead of them.

“We all had that sudden realization that we were in the lead,” remembered Balto. “That gave us all the energy we needed to get to the finish.”

The team rolled into Noom to a crowd that was as shocked as it was cheerful. No one had expected the newcomers to be the first to emerge from the wilderness. To roaring cheers, they dragged their sled across the finish line, cementing their first-ever Iditaroll victory. They dropped their straps and grouped to celebrate with what little energy they had left. “All I remember from that morning was being completely exhausted but also very happy,” said Remus.

After the race’s conclusion, the triumphant Wolfpack returned to Furbank, where news of their victory quickly spread, instantly becoming household names throughout the town. Their victory was a source of inspiration, especially for the town’s youth, who all dreamed of following in the Wolfpack’s footsteps when they could compete in the Iditaroll themselves. They had proven that with enough hard work and training, anyone could thrive in the race.

In the following years, the question turned to whether the Wolfpack could prove their victory wasn’t a fluke. As it turned out, that victory was no fluke; if anything, it was a sign of things to come. The team went on to win the Iditaroll every year without fail. Every year, they would become even faster and stronger and would complete the course in record time.  Other teams poured countless hours into training in the hopes of dethroning the Wolfpack, but by the time of the race, there was simply no keeping up with them. They were in a league of their own.

“We had never seen anyone dominate the Iditaroll like the Wolfpack did,” remarked a former champion. “When they were in the race, it felt like we were all competing for second. That was the best any of us could hope for.”

Indeed, it appeared the Iditaroll was no longer sufficient in providing the Wolfpack a challenge. However, the team didn’t have any greater honors to pursue, not even in the larger city of Ancarnage, which would hold infrequent athletics competitions. The Wolfpack was tucked away in a remote corner of Marblearth, far from other regional competitions that were starting to feature world-class talent. They were completely unaware of any competition more significant than the Iditaroll…until the best marble sports teams in the world came together to form the Marble League.

“We first heard about the Marble League through the local newspaper,” recalled Balto, “reading about big names like the Savage Speeders and O’rangers, champions of the world. At the time, it was hard to believe any marble could be more athletic than we were. We hadn’t seen other marbles at our level compete before.”

“At the time, the rest of Marblearth was kind of foreign to us,” mused Remus. “We had no idea how good these teams were. As far as we were concerned, we were the champions of our world.”

That changed with the announcement that the Snowballs would host the upcoming Marble League 2018 in Hailfern. While Hailfern was still farther from Furbank than the Wolfpack had ever traveled, it seemed about as close as a major sports competition would ever be held to Pawlaska. For the Wolfpack, it was an opportunity to explore the outside world and witness world-class talent for themselves. They decided to begin saving money to make the trip and attend the games. “We were excited,” said Sirius. “None of us had traveled outside of Pawlaska before- we were finally going to explore the outside world and find out how good all these other teams were.”

In early February 2018, just after another dominant Iditaroll victory, the Wolfpack departed from Furbank and headed to Hailfern. Their flight from Furbank first stopped at the Pawlaskian capital of Ancarnage, the largest city in the region, before flying non-stop to Snoronto. The Wolfpack had been to Ancarnage before, so they were familiar with what a modest-sized city looked like. However, that did not prepare them at all for when they landed in the metropolis of Snoronto. Suffice it to say, Snoronto far eclipsed any settlement the Wolfpack had seen in their lives. “We were completely overwhelmed rolling off our flight there,” recalled Remus. “I think there were more people in that airport than the entire town of Furbank.”

Balto added, “Where we’re from, everyone knew our names. Then we go to a city like Snoronto, and you’re a nobody. It was a crazy feeling.”

After picking up their bags, the Wolfpack headed to a regional train carrying passengers from Snoronto to Hailfern, where the Marble League would take place. Upon arriving in town, they headed to their hotel, where they would stay for the next two months. “Hailfern was more of the size we were used to,” said Balto. “But it was a pretty fast-growing city. They had built up to accommodate every marble visiting to watch the games. I think they did a pretty good job.”

During their stay in Hailfern, the Wolfpack explored the town, visiting its renowned ski slopes, quaint coffee shops, and gatherings with other fans that often included a celebrity guest. Of course, the main attraction was the Marble League itself, and the Wolfpack attended each of the eleven events at the Arctic Circle, awestruck by the fanfare and even more so by the athletes competing in the tournament. “Our minds were blown,” Fenrir commented. “It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. Now we understand the hype around this competition. Those marbles are racing at speeds we didn’t think were possible.”

“Those professionals would have made us look like total amateurs,” thought Sirius.

Remus mentioned, “Other marbles would ask us where we were from, and we told them about Pawlaska and the Iditaroll. Many of them had never heard of it before. Here we were, thinking this race we dominated every year was a big deal. Turns out it wasn’t at all.”

The Wolfpack’s stay at Hailfern ended abruptly when an avalanche devastated parts of the town, including the Arctic Circle. Event 12 got relocated to an overseas venue, and the Wolfpack lacked the means to travel there and watch the games’ final event. They headed home early, but the experience was still nothing short of transformative. “As we were leaving,” said Balto, “We all agreed we wanted to make it into that stage someday. Whether or not we would make it, we didn’t know at the time, but we were going to try our hardest to make it happen.”

The Wolfpack were not yet at the level needed to compete on the world stage. Thus, they decided to focus on a regional tournament to gain some tournament experience and build a profile that could earn them an invite to the Marble League. During their time in Hailfern, they spoke with a few teams that competed in the Surculo, an annual tournament held in Numerun. One of the oldest and largest regional tournaments still running in 2018, it seemed an excellent opportunity for the Wolfpack to begin their tenure as semi-professional marble athletes. Every spot in the 2018 edition had been filled by this time, so the Wolfpack set their sights on making their Surculo debut the following year.

As dearly as the Wolfpack loved their hometown of Furbank, it had become clear that their athletic prowess had outgrown the town, and they would need to relocate to a bigger city to continue their training progression. Thus, when the Wolfpack returned from Hailfern, they immediately set their sights on a move to Ancarnage. “It made us sad leaving everyone we knew behind,” Balto acknowledged, “and everyone else was sad to see us go, too. But they were all supportive of our goals. We wanted to make Furbank proud.”

After a few more weeks in Furbank, the Wolfpack said goodbye to their home, settling into their new home in Ancarnage. Being a much larger city, Ancarnage had a much stronger marble sports scene, with amateur-level mini-tournaments held throughout the year and plenty of resources for training. The Wolfpack’s Iditaroll experience gave them an advantage in endurance-related events, but they had not yet developed their skill sets in other areas. “I still remember our first time trying out a balancing beam,” chuckled Remus. “We all fell off almost immediately… and we laughed after that. We knew we had some work to do.”

Throughout the year, the Wolfpack developed themselves as more well-rounded marble athletes, and the results showed. They quickly became a strong contender in any tournament held in the city, and their prowess in outdoor snow races was still unmatched. If Pawlaska was going to get a team into a regional tournament, the Wolfpack undoubtedly had the best chance of making that happen.

After nearly a year of training and honing their skills, the Wolfpack turned their eyes toward the 2019 Surculo. After the tournament’s 2018 reorganization, the Surculo organizers announced they would hold tryouts to determine which teams would fill those spots. The Wolfpack knew this was the opportunity they were waiting for and traveled down to Numerun. “We were all excited to show what we were capable of,” stated Fenrir. “We didn’t know how we’d stack up against the rest of the teams, but we were still confident in ourselves. All we could do was our best and hope that would be enough.”

The tryouts consisted of several skills showcases across many different disciplines of marble sports, such as speed, endurance, balance, and strength. Dozens of teams showed up that day, hoping to win one of the few spots up for grabs. The Wolfpack had quite a successful showing, performing exceptionally well in some showcases and at least decent in others. However, many other teams put together impressive performances of their own. The Wolfpack’s performance had given them a good chance of being selected. “We were happy with how we performed that day,” recalled Sirius. “But there were a lot of other good teams. We were optimistic we would make it in, albeit unsure.”

Later that day, the tournament officials summoned the Wolfpack, delivering the team the news they hoped for. “We were over the moon,” said Balto. “We felt like all our hard work had paid off, and it was the step we needed in our journey towards the Marble League.”

Now, the Wolfpack would have to prove they were skilled enough to compete with other athletes in the Surculo, many of whom had years of experience competing there. For the first time, the Wolfpack could not turn a competition on its head the moment they entered it. Their rookie campaign got off to a slow start, with the team finishing dead last in both Balancing and Funnel Endurance. These results left the Wolfpack discouraged. Continuing to perform at a low level would end their professional career just as quickly as it started.

Perhaps their lack of experience was finally catching up with them, but there was something else the Wolfpack was missing: a coach. Fortunately, one particular marble attending the tournament was waiting to fill a coaching role. That marble was Akela, who had become a tenured coach of youth teams throughout the southern jungle. They had been aiming to make the jump to coach a professional team and had been one of the Jungle Jumpers’ coaching finalists before that team settled on Tarzan. Disappointed about missing that opportunity, Akela returned to the Surculo, hoping to find a team needing a coach. The Wolfpack seemed a perfect fit. “I had watched them during tryouts, and I knew they had potential,” commented Akela. “I think their lack of experience held them back at the start. If I helped prepare them for the remaining events, I hoped they would see better results.”

Thus, at the halfway point, Akela reached out to the team, who were thrilled at the prospect of an experienced coach working with them. During the mid-tournament break, Akela used their expertise to help the Wolfpack train for the last four events, which improved the team’s overall skills and consistency in execution. The results of Akela’s coaching were immediately apparent when the Surculo 2019’s second half began. The Wolfpack looked much more prepared for the events and assembled a string of great finishes, including a Relay Race bronze; a thrilling victory in Collision, defeating Team Toadstool in a final round tiebreaker; and a silver from Balto in the Silver Surculo GP. The team’s strong second half was enough to elevate them to fourth out of eight teams in the final standings.

“That second half was amazing,” recalled Balto. “We felt like we were rolling at the top of our game. It was a complete 180° from how the first half went.”

“Akela’s coaching was a complete game-changer for us,” remarked Sirius. “They helped us unlock our potential and get the results we thought we were capable of.”

With the success Akela’s coaching brought to the team, the Wolfpack frequently flew out their new coach to Ancarnage, so they could continue training together during the offseason. They continued to dominate local tournaments, putting up event results that were often comparable to those in the Marble League. It became clear they were approaching the skill levels needed to make a convincing case for a Marble League invite, and given their success in that year’s Surculo, they had already secured their spot in the Surculo 2020. If the Wolfpack could put together a strong performance there, they would be a top candidate for any opening in the Marble League.

While the Wolfpack’s training regiment had become much more focused on Marble League events, the marbles still enjoyed their snow races. On a frigid morning in February 2020, the pack traveled out of Ancarnage to spend some time rolling through the wilderness. As the day progressed, a snowstorm was building up in the distance, eventually making its way toward the Wolfpack. While they often toughed it out in the blustering snow, the approaching storm seemed stronger than usual. The pack decided to call their training session early and head back into town. All of them headed back, except for Balto. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll roll back into town when the conditions become too severe,” they told the others. They were always the most akin to braving the elements. The others were hesitant about leaving Balto alone in the face of an incoming storm, but Balto insisted they would. Eventually, the rest of the pack rolled back to town, leaving Balto alone, who continued to roll around the wilderness as the storm surrounded them.

The next thing Balto knew, they were waking up in a bed in the intensive care unit at Ancarnage Hospital. They had almost died in the storm.

“It’s a miracle they survived,” commented one of the doctors who had treated Balto upon their arrival at the hospital. The snowstorm, a record-setting blizzard, had devastated much of the city. When Balto realized the storm’s severity surrounding them, they took cover in a seldom-used cabin in the woods, but that shelter was simply inadequate for the monstrous blizzard. Not long after taking cover, they lost consciousness, and only thanks to a rescue mission sent out shortly after the storm subsided was the unconscious Balto found and taken to the hospital before it was too late. Even then, it was unlikely they would have survived had it not been for the toughness they had built up as an athlete.

Remus, Sirius, and Fenrir had arrived back at their homes in Ancarnage when the blizzard struck town. They all realized Balto had likely been trapped in the storm, but it was too dangerous for them to go out and find their leader. “It was awful,” thought Fenrir, shuddering. “None of us got any sleep that night. When the search team found Balto the next day and told us they were still alive, we hugged each other, crying. We thought we had lost them.”

Balto was promptly transported to the intensive care unit, where they remained on life support for about another full day. They had experienced frostbite and extreme hypothermia, putting them in critical condition with almost all of their internal functions shut down. At first, the medical team was unsure whether Balto would survive. Thankfully, the marble was responsive to treatments, and the next day, they regained consciousness. At Balto’s bedside were their family, teammates, and coach, all relieved to see the marble awaken.

“I wasn’t in Ancarnage when the storm hit,” recalled Akela, “but when I got word of what happened, I traveled there as soon as the storm subsided. If nothing else, I wanted to be there for the other pack members. We had grown close to each other over the months.”

“We were so grateful they survived,” expressed one of Balto’s parents. “The last thing you ever want to hear as a parent is that your child is in critical condition.”

Slowly but surely, Balto began to recover from their condition. They were transported to a regular hospital room, where doctors would monitor the marble as they recovered. After spending weeks in the hospital, Balto finally returned home. However, they were still feeling some of the damage the incident caused, affecting their ability to perform any athletic activity. With their leader unable to compete, the Wolfpack had no choice but to withdraw from the Surculo 2020. The future of Balto and the team now looked quite uncertain. “I let my overconfidence get the best of me, and I almost paid the ultimate price for it,” lamented Balto. “I had no idea whether I would seriously compete again. But honestly, I was just grateful to be alive.”

What the team did know at the time was that they had the support of all of Furbank and Ancarnage behind them. Messages of support, fundraising, and gifts flooded the team. One fan even purchased tickets for the Wolfpack to attend Marble League 2020, held in Polaria. When June arrived, they traveled across Marblearth to witness the most high-stakes, competitive tournament in the history of marble sports. Unlike two years ago, the Wolfpack had started to make a name for themselves, and the Surculo teams all recognized them as a participant in that tournament the year prior.

“Watching the marbles compete on that stage made me realize how badly I wanted to join them one day,” thought Balto. “I didn’t know if I was going to return to top form, but I was surely going to try my absolute hardest.”

Over the following months, Balto would begin redeveloping their athletic abilities, but progress was often frustrating because of how far their injuries set them back. The team hired a trainer to help them, and specifically Balto, regain their skills as quickly as possible without over-exerting themselves. By the year’s end, Balto’s skill levels had surpassed those of all Pawlaskian marbles aside from the Wolfpack. Throughout Balto’s journey to re-establishing themselves as a top-tier athlete, their teammates remained highly supportive of their leader’s efforts.

“Balto was always the one who pushed the rest of us,” expressed Sirius. “If not for them, we never would have come as far as we have. Now was our opportunity to repay that favor, to do everything we could to help Balto get back to their past self.”

To study the fastest racing strategies and take a break from training, the Wolfpack attended every Marbula One Grand Prix in Season 2. They traveled to these venues with their friends from school who had become avid followers of marble racing. One marble they took with them, though, seemed less interested in watching the races… and more interested in inventing their own fun. 

When the Wolfpack and company entered the O’raceway in Orlango, they realized that that same marble had gone missing. They spent some time searching for them, but with the qualifiers soon to start, they headed to their seats to spectate the event, hoping the missing marble would turn up sometime during the event. While that was exactly what happened, it was likely not in the way any of the Wolfpack marbles were expecting.

“The marble I was next to suddenly turned to me and said, ‘Fenrir, look down there!’ And I did, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” Fenrir, with everyone sitting with them, looked down to the venue’s floor to see their missing friend in the track’s background, disguised as a marbsheep.

“That’s where Sheep got their name from,” explained Fenrir. Sheep had gotten the idea for the stunt from Roldo, who had successfully pulled it off the week before. Unlike Roldo, Sheep was not a master in the art of sneaking into sporting events, so when they attempted to leave the stadium, they got spotted by security guards, who started rolling after them. In response, Sheep turned around and rolled away as quickly as possible. The Wolfpack caught a glimpse of the chase as they were leaving, and they realized that, while Sheep might not have planned out their stunt very well, they sure were one fast marble.

“I was talking to Fenrir after we saw that,” mentioned Balto, “and I told them that I thought Sheep might have had a faster sprint speed than me at the time. I don’t think Fenrir disagreed.” 

Ultimately, Sheep got caught by the guards and charged with trespassing. The only sanctions imposed on the marble was that they would get barred from attending Marbula One races if they got caught trespassing again. The next time the Wolfpack attended a race, Sheep wasted no time hiding themselves in the track’s scenery again. Fortunately for them, they were not caught, but marbsheep were not featured in later Marbula One tracks, meaning Sheep’s streak of hiding came to an unfortunate end.

Sheep declined to partake in any interviews for the writing of this piece.

“It’s hard to say why Sheep enjoyed hiding like that so much,” chuckled Remus. “They hardly ever talk, even to us, and they never really told us why they did that. I guess they’re just a bit of a strange marble. Although, I suppose we’re all a bit strange in our own ways.”

Just as their Marbula One circuit tour ended, the Wolfpack faced a difficult decision. The Rojo Rollers, who had competed in last year’s Surculo, would not return due to their focus on the upcoming Marble League qualifiers. Thus, a spot would be opening up in the Surculo field, and the tournament organizers had decided to send the Wolfpack an invitation to return for the 2021 tournament if they wanted to. If the team chose to accept the invitation, they would be gambling on Balto making a full recovery in their athletic abilities, a prospect that still seemed quite distant, if it would even happen. The team met to discuss what they would do.

Balto insisted the team accept the invitation, confident they would be in top form when the tournament began. “I was feeling good about the rate at which I was recovering,” they remarked. “I had already cost my team the chance to compete in one Surculo, and I didn’t want that to happen again.”

Akela recalled, “One thing we had a lengthy discussion about was what path to the Marble League we would have if we gave up our spot in Surculo. We would not have had a guarantee to get it back in the future, especially as other regional tournaments were going under. It appeared the Marble League’s roster of teams was beginning to stabilize a bit, and if we waited any longer, we weren’t sure we would ever get the chance to make it in.”

Eventually, the team concluded they had no choice but to roll the dice with Balto’s recovery and accept the invitation. Although they were all excited to return to competition, they were aware of the risk they were taking with their leader’s health. The exposure to the blizzard had permanently damaged parts of Balto’s figure; if Balto pushed themselves too much training for the competition, they were at high risk for injuries that would sideline the marble from competition or even end their career. “I knew there was a lot of risk involved,” said the team’s captain, “but I knew it was a chance we had to take.”

Before the Wolfpack could accept the invitation, though, there was one more thing they had to do. Starting in 2020, the Surculo featured teams of five marbles, adding a reserve to each roster. This meant the Wolfpack needed to find a marble to fill this position. Fortunately, they happened to know a speedy Pawlaskian marble that would fill the role perfectly. “As soon as I heard we needed a reserve, my mind thought of Sheep,” said Fenrir, “and I’m guessing everyone else did too.” Akela was skeptical at first because they had heard of that marble’s disciplinary record, but the team convinced them to let Sheep try out.

Balto recalled, “When we first called Sheep and told them what was happening, I don’t think they believed us. But we were right. They were one fast marble. I think a few test rolls from them was all it took to get everyone onboard.”

The Wolfpack could spend the next few months preparing for the Surculo with their reserve in place and acceptance letter posted. The last time they competed, they were trying to prove they belonged. Now, they needed to prove they were one of the best. Akela made accommodations to stay in Ancarnage for the upcoming months so they could devote all of their time to helping the team with their training. Sheep joined training regiments with their teammates, and Balto continued working with the team’s trainer as they slowly brought their skills back up to the level needed to be competitive in the Surculo. Balto admitted, “I don’t think I quite made it back to how strong I was during my prime, but just making it as far as I did was a huge victory.”

With the Surculo now on the horizon, the Wolfpack set off to cheers from the residents of Ancarnage, who were fully aware of how significant this tournament could potentially be to Pawlaska. The team arrived in Numerun and checked into their hotel, where they met other tournament participants. These teams included Team Toadstool, the winningest team in Surculo history, and the Quicksilvers, who had previously appeared in the Marble League. Even without any active Marble League teams participating, this would easily be the most competitive field the Wolfpack was part of. Finally, the first day of the Surculo arrived, and the teams headed to the stadium for the games.

Unlike their debut two years ago, the Wolfpack rocketed out of the gate, thanks to a dominant win in the 5 Meter Sprint by the speedy Fenrir. Podium finishes in Funnel Endurance, the Relay Race, and Block Pushing allowed the team to hold on to their top spot in the standings. Even in Balancing, the team managed to avoid an embarrassing run, finishing better than not one, not three, but two other teams. Another pair of solid finishes in the Triathlon and Collision kept the team atop the standings heading into the season’s final event, the Sand Rally. The Wolfpack had been performing as well as they ever had in their team’s history, and they put themselves in a great position to win the entire tournament. Only two other teams, the Electric Eels and Team Toadstool, remained in contention.  “We were thrilled with our performance,” said Fenrir. “We felt like we were on top of our game, and the results showed it.”

For the finale, they once again trotted out their captain, who had put together a brilliant run in the sand two years ago. This would be the biggest test for the team’s captain since their journey to recover from their injuries began. If they could finish on the event podium, they would clinch the championship, and even a good result would still give them a great chance at victory. A strong finish here would be a fitting end to their comeback story. Unfortunately, such a storybook ending was not in the cards for Balto, as they finished the race second to last, the team’s worst event result in the tournament. But it didn’t matter. The Wolfpack were the 2021 champions of the Surculo.

“I thought I had blown it,” commented Balto, “until I saw my teammates coming over to celebrate with me. That was when I knew we had done enough to win it.”

“I knew it wasn’t the result they wanted,” stated Akela after the tournament, “but we were still proud of Balto for being able to go out there and put up a good effort. Even if they weren’t as strong as they used to be, they had just as much fight inside them.”

Following the tournament’s awards ceremony, the Wolfpack spent a few nights celebrating in downtown Numerun before heading back home to Ancarnage, where more celebrations awaited them. They touched down in their home city to the cheers of tens of thousands of fans, including what seemed like over half of the population of Furbank that had all made the trip down to greet the team. The significance of this championship could not be overstated. The Wolfpack were no longer an unknown team tucked away in the corner of Marblearth. Their names were now known, with many active Marble League teams taking note of their impressive win.

“The Wolfpack did a fantastic job representing the north in the Surculo,” commented Snowballs manager Avalanche. “I was happy for them. I remember telling Blizzard I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them in the Showdown next year.” As it turned out, the Wolfpack’s triumph could not have come at a more opportune time. The Marble League had just announced that it would expand its field to 32 teams, meaning four new teams could receive a spot to compete in Marble League Showdown 2022. With their Surculo championship, the Wolfpack were already on the radar of Marble League organizers as a candidate for one of the four expansion spots. One marble who was working for the Marble League was particularly intrigued by the Wolfpack. That marble was Nova.

Born in Polaria to a family with Pawlaskian ancestry, Nova rose to prominence under Royal Stardust as a director in the Polaria sports industry. After working in the Team Galactic organization for several years, Nova was offered a position in the Jelle’s Marble Runs Committee that led to a Marble League production role, managing the graphics department and event logistics. This endeavor ultimately proved too stressful for Nova to continue after Marble League 2021, so they made plans to leave their position upon the tournament’s conclusion. However, Nova was already in contact with the Wolfpack, and they offered to put in a word to the organizers before departing, in exchange for the team’s managerial position. The Wolfpack quickly agreed to this proposition.

Nova commented, “I didn’t know what I would do after leaving JMR. I figured I could take a year off from work and figure something out during that time. But when I noticed the Wolfpack hadn’t filled any managerial role, I saw that as a good opportunity for myself and the team.”

In their last-ever meeting with the Jelle’s Marble Association, Nova made their pitch for granting the Wolfpack an expansion spot, which would be decided the following year. Then, instead of returning home to Polaria, Nova traveled across the ocean to visit Ancarnage for the first time in years, meeting the Wolfpack’s athletes and staff for the first time. During a conversation with Sirius, they discovered that they and Nova not only shared a fascination with the stars, but they were also distant relatives. Nova enjoyed the change in scenery and being with their new team so much that they picked up everything from their lifelong hometown in Polaria and moved out to Ancarnage. Throughout the winter, they continued discussions with Marble League organizers, determined to win the team a spot. All the while, the team continued their training in anticipation of their Marble League debut. 

At last, in late March of 2022, Nova was summoned to the JMA’s headquarters. When they headed back home to the Wolfpack, Nova carried home a gift for them: an invitation for the Wolfpack to join the Marble League 2022 Showdown.

“All of us went crazy,” reminisced the team’s captain. “This was our dream ever since we watched the Marble League in 2018. We had made it, against all odds. It was an incredible feeling.”

“I was happy for myself, but even happier for them,” added Akela. “They are the hardest working marbles I have ever met. I did not doubt that they deserved it.”

With that, the Showdown became the Wolfpack’s sole focus. Once again, they knew they could not afford to come in unprepared. Many teams had seen their dreams of competing in the Marble League come true, only for them to flounder in their debut. Relegation was back on the table for the Showdown, so the Wolfpack knew they at least needed to finish 12th or higher. With so many veterans bound to join the competition, the Wolfpack did not want to become fixated on immediately winning, as they had done in the past. Instead, they would focus on putting together a respectable rookie campaign and see where that would place them in the standings.

After months of preparation and anticipation, the day arrived for the Wolfpack to fly out to Bermenghank, where the Marble League 2022 would take place. This time, it seemed as if the entire state of Pawlaska had converged at and around Ancarnage International Airport, all wanting to see the team before they departed. The Wolfpack were national heroes, the representatives of a land that likely would have never imagined making it to the pinnacle of marble sports. As the team landed in Bermenghank and headed to the hotel where all of the athletes would be staying during the games, the magnitude of their accomplishments began to set in. From such humble beginnings, they had achieved the status of world-class marble athletes.

The Wolfpack spent their first few days exploring their new surroundings and meeting many Marble League teams, most of whom were preparing for the upcoming qualifiers. Instead of worrying about the qualifiers, the Wolfpack went with the other expansion teams to a meeting held by tournament organizers. They asked the four new teams if they would like to participate in a practice round, similar to the one the pre-qualified teams annually held with each other, to give themselves some experience with the events featured in qualifying. All four teams agreed, meaning the Wolfpack’s first appearance in The Pond would come much earlier than anticipated. This friendly round would be their first chance to show the world who they were. “We figured we could do well against them,” commented Sirius. “Even though they got featured in world competitions, none had ever qualified for the Marble League. We felt like we were mostly on equal footing with them.” 

Once the Friendly Round’s concluded between the pre-qualified teams, the Wolfpack trotted onto The Pond with Team Plasma, the Black Jacks, and the Purple Rockets. The teams were greeted enthusiastically with cheers before heading into the first event, Climbing. With Sirius and Remus teaming up in the duo event, they managed a decent result that started the Wolfpack off in second place. Unfortunately, the other three events did not go so well for them. Fenrir stumbled in the Hurdles, the team faced their weakest event in Balancing, and Balto couldn’t keep pace with the leaders in the Triathlon. The Wolfpack finished the mini-tournament tied with the Black Jacks for last place. “It wasn’t the debut any of us were hoping for, certainly not me,” Fenrir dismally expressed. “We knew we would have to do better than that when the Showdown came around.”

“I think they might have gotten a bit caught up in the moment,” suggested Akela, “and lost some of their focus. I knew they would do better once they got settled in. It was good for them to get some of those jitters out early.”

Now, the Wolfpack could sit and watch as the teams who qualified for the Marble League battled for that year’s championship. Watching the top teams battle for the world championship was as thrilling as ever, but the experience felt much different to the Wolfpack this time. After weeks of competition, it was their turn to compete in the Showdown. It was time for the Wolfpack to make their first appearance in a meaningful Marble League tournament.

In the first event, the Swing Wave, they found themselves in the blocks with the Rojo Rollers, another team whose origins were rooted in the Surculo. Neither ended up putting together a spectacular run, with the Wolfpack settling for 12th in their first event appearance. The Wolfpack knew they couldn’t afford to wait too long to rack up some good results. Fortunately, the next event was Fenrir’s wheelhouse: the 5 Meter Sprint. “We had a lot of confidence in Fenrir,” said Remus. “None of us wanted to pressure them, but we knew they had the speed to do well.”

Within the event’s opening heat, Fenrir finished second place, losing out to the Indigo Stars’ Diego by one-thousandth of a second. They were disappointed they lost out on the photo finish, but it was still enough to advance to the semifinal, where they put together a brilliant run to handily beat the others. Now, they would be moving on to the final. This was an opportunity for the Wolfpack to get a big points haul early in the Showdown. The final, a rematch between Fenrir and Diego, began with the latter again getting out to an early lead. Fenrir was determined to catch them, and just before the line, that was exactly what they did. In their second-ever Showdown event, the Wolfpack had struck gold. “We were howling with joy,” said Balto. “Fenrir went out there and owned the competition. It was one of the most inspirational things I had ever seen.”

Fenrir was ecstatic about their first individual event result. “Again, I kept telling myself I could win against all these other marbles. It didn’t matter that they had more experience than me. I knew I had the speed to win it, and that was what happened.”

Following this victory, the Wolfpack sent out their reserve to compete in the Water Race. Perhaps the event’s chaotic nature aligned perfectly with Sheep’s erratic personality. They easily advanced to the final, where they managed to hold off a group of marbles behind them to win silver in the event. The Wolfpack were now in second place overall, just two points out of first. “Sheep’s emotions can be pretty hard to read sometimes,” remarked Remus. “But we could all tell they were feeling pretty happy with how they did.”

A poor handoff doomed the Wolfpack in the Relay Race, but they still ended the day in fourth place overall, well ahead of the teams behind them. They were among a host of surprise championship contenders, all on track to blow away the expectations set on them. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, the Showdown’s second half of events ended up being much less successful for them. Amassing just 21 points across the four events that day, they slipped back to 6th in the final standings. Balto in particular had a tough day, finishing in the bottom half of both their individual event appearances. “I was pretty disappointed in myself,” lamented the team’s captain. “We had a real shot at the overall podium and had I had done better, we could have done it. I felt like I let my teammates down, but they were still proud of me. I should have felt proud of myself just to be here, after everything I went through over the past couple of years.”

Despite their disappointing second half, the Wolfpack had done more than enough to ensure they would make it to the Marble League 2023 Qualifiers. As that year’s Marble League concluded, the Wolfpack got informed of an off-season holiday race that the Snowballs were hosting in Hailfern. The Wolfpack were eager to compete in an event held closer to home, and Balto saw it as an opportunity to somewhat redeem their lackluster performances in the Showdown. Thus, the team nominated their captain to represent them. 

Despite the course’s difficulty, Balto’s history of snow racing paid dividends as they advanced to the final and finished fifth out of the 32 marbles competing. It might have been a result of an exhibition race, but it was a result Balto took pride in no less. “Balto was happy with how they did, and we were all happy for them,” stated Sirius. “It was a huge confidence booster for them, one they really needed.”

Now, the team would be heading into a long offseason leading up to the Marble League 2023 Qualifiers, or so they thought. Instead, only a few months had passed before the Wolfpack got contacted by the organizers of Marbula One, where they were shocked to learn they were receiving an invitation to Season 4. “We thought there was no chance we would get an invitation,” recalled Fenrir. “I don’t think we had even discussed who would represent the team if we got invited because we just didn’t expect it to happen at all.” Having already proven their speed at the highest level of competition, Fenrir was an obvious choice. As the team’s captain, Balto wanted to focus on training for the Marble League. Sheep wasn’t interested in participating either, meaning it was between Remus and Sirius for the final spot. The two held a race with each other to decide who would join Fenrir. Sirius won convincingly.

“As much as I wanted to go to Marbula One, I think Sirius was the better choice,” thought Remus. “None of us had any experience with circuit racing, but we figured those two would be able to represent us well.”

Many times before, the Wolfpack had overcome their lack of competitive experience and done well in them anyway. This time, that would not happen, as both Fenrir and Sirius failed to score any points in either of their debut races. During their second race at Sakura Garden, Fenrir would pull off one of the tournament’s most impressive moves: a quintuple overtake in the first sector of lap 6, elevating them into P4. While they could not hold this position, they remained in the top half for the rest of the race, ending in P8, and Sirius followed up that effort with a P8 finish of their own at Greenstone. “It felt like we were starting to build some momentum,” remarked Fenrir, “but we ended up losing it just as quickly as it came to us.”

Indeed, the Wolfpack looked like they got sent back to square one, as they would go scoreless in five of the last six Grands Prix. While they occasionally made impressive maneuvers to gain a couple of spots, Fenrir and Sirius weren’t quite able to keep up with the pace set by most of the other racers. Their season ended as unceremoniously as possible, with Fenrir being overtaken in the final race’s final turn, capping off a disappointing season with a P20 race finish. Only the Raspberry Racers placed lower than them in the final standings, and even they did not record as many scoreless finishes as the Wolfpack. “I kinda gave up at the end of that last race, and I paid the price for it,” admitted Fenrir. “That was just embarrassing. It summed up our season as a whole. I guess circuit racing just wasn’t our thing.”

Despite their poor performance, hundreds of Wolfpack fans traveled to every Grand Prix to cheer the team on. Those fans’ support was not dependent on how well the team did; just seeing their team present in a competition was all the reason marbles from Pawlaska and abroad needed to come and represent the team’s loyal fanbase. “We knew no matter how we did, we would have the support of Pawlaska behind us,” commented Sirius. “And that meant a lot to us.”

Furthermore, the Wolfpack’s partners in misery during that season of Marbula One, the Raspberry Racers, offered the newcomers some words of encouragement as the season concluded. “We knew they probably didn’t feel too good about themselves for their results,” said Razzy, “so Rizzy and I met up with the Wolfpack and reminded them that Marbula One doesn’t have to define their legacy. Even if circuit racing isn’t their forte, that doesn’t mean they can’t become a successful Marble League team. Look at how different our fortunes have been in those two tournaments.”

“Razzy’s words of encouragement meant a lot to Fenrir and Sirius,” expressed Akela. “I know both of them were disappointed about how their season went, but after that conversation, they seemed a lot more motivated to put it behind them heading into training for the Qualifiers. It’s nice to know that, even at such a competitive level, marbles from different teams can support one another.”

With Marbula One behind them, the Wolfpack again focused on the Marble League 2023 Qualifiers. Five years after first being introduced to the pantheon of marble sports, they will have the opportunity to qualify for the Marble League, a tournament they once only could have dreamed of participating in. Expectations for the team seem to be low, but that doesn’t discourage the Wolfpack at all. In fact, it just might embolden them instead. “I honestly think we perform better when others underestimate us,” concluded Balto. “We’ve shocked the world before, we’re determined to do it again. Even if no one else has confidence in us, we have confidence in ourselves, and as far as we’re concerned, that’s all we need.”

In RetRollSpective, the Wolfpack is a team that has put together their athletic ability and unwavering confidence to defy the odds at every stage they have competed. With everything they have accomplished, only the grandest stage of all waits for them now. Best of luck to the Wolfpack in the near future, keep on rolling!

Thank you to Novawolf for creating the Wolfpack and the lore surrounding the team!

Credits

• Writer: Novawolf
• Editors: Edu G. J., Fouc, Laurent Rollon, Pastelle, Phoenix, Smacg13, Stynth
• Artists: Phoenix, Toffeeshop
• Graphic Designers: Emmun_Isaac, Jelle’s Marble Runs, Laurent Rollon, Novawolf, Pim Leurs, Tim Ritz
• Photographers: Jelle’s Marble Runs, Phoenix
• Release: 30/08/2023