How I score text battles.

[Shodan]

Well, this is just something I've been plotting to create for a while, but never previously got around to doing. With that said, I think I ought to state what exactly this is, and what exactly this is not.

The following text is exactly what it appears to be - an explanation of how I choose ratings, from 1-10, to be assigned to each battle verse in text battles I vote on. This was something I originally intended to create as a response to any and all accusations of unfair high-voting or low-voting leveled against me, so as to explain to the accuser why I voted the way I did (assuming, of course, that the rating in question was actually one that was given out fairly). Hopefully, the reader will come to understand why I assign the ratings I do to battle verses. Now, before we dive headfirst into the actual explanations of each potential score I may choose to assign to a verse, we must take some points into consideration:

- It must be kept in mind that the rating assigned to a battle has no effect on who wins or loses that battle - correct me if I am wrong, but I am currently under the impression that its only visible effect is the modification of an (entirely superfluous) star-based ranking meter that nobody ever looks at or uses as an indicator of actual battling skill. The only thing that determines the winner (or loser) of a given battle is the chosen winner - it does not matter if the ratings of the verses are 10-10, 8-5, or 3-1. The only real purpose of rating a battle is to give the person who wrote the verse feedback on what you believe the quality of their verse to be.

- This explanation is, of course, not only valid for text battles. While this would seem to be self-explanatory, this guide is being written in text battle terms and posted in the text battle forum because I am primarily a text-based battler. The methods and ratings herein would seem to be no less validly applied to audio, video, and even live battles.

- The explanations given for each rating point are, of course, only generalizations as to what a verse at that level might look like, or how well a certain aspect of the verse that can, depending on the options of the battle, be subscored (e.g., wordplay, multies, punches...). An actual verse may not (and, indeed, most likely will not) conform exactly, or closely, to the criteria specified for that particular rating.

- I may give higher ratings than the quality of the verse would otherwise deserve to longer (32 lines and above) battles, so as to show respect for the amount of effort the contestant(s) put into their verses.

- Ratings do not increase linearly, either in terms of rarity or skill displayed. They are assigned in a manner which causes them to become rarer (past the very bottom few options, of course) at an increasingly rapid rate, due to the immense differences in difficulty involved in writing verses of increasing quality.

- Ratings may (at least in the explanation of a vote provided by a comment, which accompanies the ratings) be subdivided into various categories, such as "High," "Medium," and "Low." These subdivisions are - obviously, of course, though some will need it said - entirely superfluous (much as the ratings themselves), serving only as a further indicator of the alleged quality of the verse. Such subdivisions are entirely optional.

Alright, that ought to be enough for us to get started. On with the show...

---

Jahannam's Battle Rating Guide


~~~ IN THIS SECTION, THE SO-RATED VERSE IS NOT A BATTLE VERSE

~~~ 1. This rating is never given to actual battle verses, but is, instead, reserved entirely for those verses which do not even qualify as such. Examples of verses that would be deserving of such a score include: bitten lines, recycled lines, posting "Pugz is a faggot." repeatedly, writing something that doesn't even rhyme and has no resemblance whatsoever to a text battle verse, etc.


*** BEGINNER-TIER RATINGS - THE VAST MAJORITY OF ALL BATTLERS ARE IN THIS SECTION

*** 2. The verse is completely awful, but now recognizable as a battle verse. Insults may not be directed at the opponent, or even anything in particular - indeed, they may entirely fail to be present, leaving a verse consisting only of big-ups, or perhaps even complete rambling (which may revert the rating back to a 1). Rhyming is kept to single-syllable constructions, if it is even present at all. There is a total lack of proper structure, conceptual punchlines, and actual bars throughout.

*** 3. At this point we reach the level of the typical "absolute beginner." Concepts, if present, will most likely be of the most simple and played variety. Rhyming will likely be single-syllable, but is at least present. Something resembling proper bars may be present, but it is not guaranteed. It is more likely that such a verse will contain mere insults or threats that, while not "rambling" per se, do not contain a coherent or logical progression throughout. (note to anyone who gets this rating: if you came here from Epic Rap Battles of History, LB is nothing like that, okay? Good. Glad we got that straight.)

*** 4. Here we begin to reach true "battling" in its modern and advanced form. Concepts will still be simplistic and probably played, but are generally turned into some sort of impact. The punches, though, may never truly "land" (i.e. end with an impactful and interesting flip of the concept that concludes the bar's structure and elicits a positive response from the viewer), merely ceasing to build without any notable payoff. The flow will likely be choppy, and rhyming, though beyond single-syllable basics, is usually still fairly simplistic, in addition to being slanted or even broken. At this level, the very fundamentals of battling have been more or less solidified, but to achieve anything of note, the aspiring texter will have to put much work into solidifying his grasp of the further essentials.

*** 5. Now we reach the level at which all of the fundamentals are understood, if not always shown in the verse. Flows may still be choppy, schemes excessively slanted (but probably not broken), concepts simplistic and played, and execution found wanting - but these principles are coming together in the form of bars, leading from a setup into a logical conclusion. At this level, one is no longer a simple beginner, but has made the step into becoming a true textcee.


### COMPETITIVE RATINGS - MOST EXPERIENCED TEXTERS ARE PAST THIS LINE

### 6. Here resides what would be considered among most to be the absolute minimum level of proficiency demonstrated in a verse for it to be truly "competitive" at a strong level. By this, I mean that such a verse can respectably hold its own against most of the regulars of the site, who compete in such events as tournaments and quasi-PPV cards. To reach this level, of course, one must have a solid grasp of the basics, eliminating any and all gross deficiencies in their verses that may have been present at the 5 level - but smaller weaknesses remain abundant. The concepts are hardly amazing, but are executed properly, and may at least interest the viewer. Flows, scheming, execution, etc. all combine into well-structured bars to form understandable punchlines. A litmus test for a 6 rating is this: If you audibly reacted in a positive manner (e.g., saying OOOOOOHHHH!!! to your computer monitor) to the verse, it deserves above a 6.

### 7. There is little that can truly be said of a 7. It is very similar to a rating of 6, only with minor improvements. There will be fewer deficiencies, the deficiencies noted will be less severe, the concepts will be more interesting, and the execution will be superior. This is the level of most forum-regulars and competitive battlers (when they put in an honest effort).

### 8. The battler who can reliably score an 8 out of 10 on this scale ought to be quite proud of himself (or herself?), for it is quite a rare honor. The essential condition in awarding this honor is, for me, that the verse be essentially free of any notable deficiencies. This includes not only obvious blunders, such as broken multi sets and meaningless concepts, but also subtler errors, such as wordplay that doesn't work both ways, played concepts, bars that take too long to conclude, and an excessive amount of superfluous words between multi sets (looking at you, Grizz). Few writers are capable of creating such verses, as easy as it may seem - the ability to systematically detect and eliminate all such errors in your verses is a valuable one indeed.


!!! EXCEPTIONAL RATINGS - RATINGS AND SUBDIVISIONS INCREASE QUASIGEOMETRICALLY PAST THIS LINE - FEW WILL EXCEED THIS

!!! 9. If a verse that I award a score of 8 to is free of any noticeable deficiencies, then what must one do to receive a score above even that? The answer is as follows: One must incorporate some element(s) into their verse that make it exceptional. Such could include scheming an entire 32-lined verse without dropping off of the scheme, and throwing punches throughout. A verse awarded a 9 ought to make the viewer audibly react and leave a lasting impression of both the excellence of the verse and the artist's skill on them. A verse worthy of a 9 is a rare thing indeed, and a battler that consistently writes them is a rarer thing still - the number of such that exist, at least to my limited knowledge, can be counted on one hand.

!!! 10. Simply put, a verse awarded a 10 ought to shock the viewer. It should be ingrained into their mind forever and confer to them an indefatigable respect for the battler that wrote it. Simply writing a "flawless" verse does not bring one to this level - writing a verse that can only be called a masterpiece might. Verses worthy of a 10 are so rare that one is challenged to find even a single example of such - a possible candidate is Thrilla in Manilla as a mid-10.

[Shodan]

Well, this is just something I've been plotting to create for a while, but never previously got around to doing. With that said, I think I ought to state what exactly this is, and what exactly this is not.

The following text is exactly what it appears to be - an explanation of how I choose ratings, from 1-10, to be assigned to each battle verse in text battles I vote on. This was something I originally intended to create as a response to any and all accusations of unfair high-voting or low-voting leveled against me, so as to explain to the accuser why I voted the way I did (assuming, of course, that the rating in question was actually one that was given out fairly). Hopefully, the reader will come to understand why I assign the ratings I do to battle verses. Now, before we dive headfirst into the actual explanations of each potential score I may choose to assign to a verse, we must take some points into consideration:

- It must be kept in mind that the rating assigned to a battle has no effect on who wins or loses that battle - correct me if I am wrong, but I am currently under the impression that its only visible effect is the modification of an (entirely superfluous) star-based ranking meter that nobody ever looks at or uses as an indicator of actual battling skill. The only thing that determines the winner (or loser) of a given battle is the chosen winner - it does not matter if the ratings of the verses are 10-10, 8-5, or 3-1. The only real purpose of rating a battle is to give the person who wrote the verse feedback on what you believe the quality of their verse to be.

- This explanation is, of course, not only valid for text battles. While this would seem to be self-explanatory, this guide is being written in text battle terms and posted in the text battle forum because I am primarily a text-based battler. The methods and ratings herein would seem to be no less validly applied to audio, video, and even live battles.

- The explanations given for each rating point are, of course, only generalizations as to what a verse at that level might look like, or how well a certain aspect of the verse that can, depending on the options of the battle, be subscored (e.g., wordplay, multies, punches...). An actual verse may not (and, indeed, most likely will not) conform exactly, or closely, to the criteria specified for that particular rating.

- I may give higher ratings than the quality of the verse would otherwise deserve to longer (32 lines and above) battles, so as to show respect for the amount of effort the contestant(s) put into their verses.

- Ratings do not increase linearly, either in terms of rarity or skill displayed. They are assigned in a manner which causes them to become rarer (past the very bottom few options, of course) at an increasingly rapid rate, due to the immense differences in difficulty involved in writing verses of increasing quality.

- Ratings may (at least in the explanation of a vote provided by a comment, which accompanies the ratings) be subdivided into various categories, such as "High," "Medium," and "Low." These subdivisions are - obviously, of course, though some will need it said - entirely superfluous (much as the ratings themselves), serving only as a further indicator of the alleged quality of the verse. Such subdivisions are entirely optional.

Alright, that ought to be enough for us to get started. On with the show...

---

Jahannam's Battle Rating Guide


~~~ IN THIS SECTION, THE SO-RATED VERSE IS NOT A BATTLE VERSE

~~~ 1. This rating is never given to actual battle verses, but is, instead, reserved entirely for those verses which do not even qualify as such. Examples of verses that would be deserving of such a score include: bitten lines, recycled lines, posting "Pugz is a faggot." repeatedly, writing something that doesn't even rhyme and has no resemblance whatsoever to a text battle verse, etc.


*** BEGINNER-TIER RATINGS - THE VAST MAJORITY OF ALL BATTLERS ARE IN THIS SECTION

*** 2. The verse is completely awful, but now recognizable as a battle verse. Insults may not be directed at the opponent, or even anything in particular - indeed, they may entirely fail to be present, leaving a verse consisting only of big-ups, or perhaps even complete rambling (which may revert the rating back to a 1). Rhyming is kept to single-syllable constructions, if it is even present at all. There is a total lack of proper structure, conceptual punchlines, and actual bars throughout.

*** 3. At this point we reach the level of the typical "absolute beginner." Concepts, if present, will most likely be of the most simple and played variety. Rhyming will likely be single-syllable, but is at least present. Something resembling proper bars may be present, but it is not guaranteed. It is more likely that such a verse will contain mere insults or threats that, while not "rambling" per se, do not contain a coherent or logical progression throughout. (note to anyone who gets this rating: if you came here from Epic Rap Battles of History, LB is nothing like that, okay? Good. Glad we got that straight.)

*** 4. Here we begin to reach true "battling" in its modern and advanced form. Concepts will still be simplistic and probably played, but are generally turned into some sort of impact. The punches, though, may never truly "land" (i.e. end with an impactful and interesting flip of the concept that concludes the bar's structure and elicits a positive response from the viewer), merely ceasing to build without any notable payoff. The flow will likely be choppy, and rhyming, though beyond single-syllable basics, is usually still fairly simplistic, in addition to being slanted or even broken. At this level, the very fundamentals of battling have been more or less solidified, but to achieve anything of note, the aspiring texter will have to put much work into solidifying his grasp of the further essentials.

*** 5. Now we reach the level at which all of the fundamentals are understood, if not always shown in the verse. Flows may still be choppy, schemes excessively slanted (but probably not broken), concepts simplistic and played, and execution found wanting - but these principles are coming together in the form of bars, leading from a setup into a logical conclusion. At this level, one is no longer a simple beginner, but has made the step into becoming a true textcee.


### COMPETITIVE RATINGS - MOST EXPERIENCED TEXTERS ARE PAST THIS LINE

### 6. Here resides what would be considered among most to be the absolute minimum level of proficiency demonstrated in a verse for it to be truly "competitive" at a strong level. By this, I mean that such a verse can respectably hold its own against most of the regulars of the site, who compete in such events as tournaments and quasi-PPV cards. To reach this level, of course, one must have a solid grasp of the basics, eliminating any and all gross deficiencies in their verses that may have been present at the 5 level - but smaller weaknesses remain abundant. The concepts are hardly amazing, but are executed properly, and may at least interest the viewer. Flows, scheming, execution, etc. all combine into well-structured bars to form understandable punchlines. A litmus test for a 6 rating is this: If you audibly reacted in a positive manner (e.g., saying OOOOOOHHHH!!! to your computer monitor) to the verse, it deserves above a 6.

### 7. There is little that can truly be said of a 7. It is very similar to a rating of 6, only with minor improvements. There will be fewer deficiencies, the deficiencies noted will be less severe, the concepts will be more interesting, and the execution will be superior. This is the level of most forum-regulars and competitive battlers (when they put in an honest effort).

### 8. The battler who can reliably score an 8 out of 10 on this scale ought to be quite proud of himself (or herself?), for it is quite a rare honor. The essential condition in awarding this honor is, for me, that the verse be essentially free of any notable deficiencies. This includes not only obvious blunders, such as broken multi sets and meaningless concepts, but also subtler errors, such as wordplay that doesn't work both ways, played concepts, bars that take too long to conclude, and an excessive amount of superfluous words between multi sets (looking at you, Grizz). Few writers are capable of creating such verses, as easy as it may seem - the ability to systematically detect and eliminate all such errors in your verses is a valuable one indeed.


!!! EXCEPTIONAL RATINGS - RATINGS AND SUBDIVISIONS INCREASE QUASIGEOMETRICALLY PAST THIS LINE - FEW WILL EXCEED THIS

!!! 9. If a verse that I award a score of 8 to is free of any noticeable deficiencies, then what must one do to receive a score above even that? The answer is as follows: One must incorporate some element(s) into their verse that make it exceptional. Such could include scheming an entire 32-lined verse without dropping off of the scheme, and throwing punches throughout. A verse awarded a 9 ought to make the viewer audibly react and leave a lasting impression of both the excellence of the verse and the artist's skill on them. A verse worthy of a 9 is a rare thing indeed, and a battler that consistently writes them is a rarer thing still - the number of such that exist, at least to my limited knowledge, can be counted on one hand.

!!! 10. Simply put, a verse awarded a 10 ought to shock the viewer. It should be ingrained into their mind forever and confer to them an indefatigable respect for the battler that wrote it. Simply writing a "flawless" verse does not bring one to this level - writing a verse that can only be called a masterpiece might. Verses worthy of a 10 are so rare that one is challenged to find even a single example of such - a possible candidate is Thrilla in Manilla as a mid-10.