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The Ultimate Allen & Ginter Mini Set Bracket: Time to Finish Voting in the Sweet Sixteen!

It's time to finish our voting in the Sweet Sixteen round.  On Friday, we voted for the top half of the bracket to see who will make it on to the Elite Eight.  Now it's the bottom half of the bracket's turn to shine!

As before, I'll give a brief rundown of each of the various match-ups and then solicit your votes for the winner of each match-up down at the bottom of the post.  


2015 First Ladies vs. 2015 Mythological Menaces

The 2015 First Ladies set has been a surprise (to me) in the Mythological Region.  The set came in as the #31 seed but has managed to knock of the #34 US Mayors and then most recently the #2 seed 2009 Creatures of Legend, Myth, and Terror (which just so happened to be my personal pick to win the entire bracket)!  

The 2015 Mythological Menaces has also performed admirably throughout the tournament.  Starting as a #82 (!) seed, the Menaces survived 10-7 vote against the 2011 World's Most Mysterious Figures in the play-in round, then squeaked by the #18 seed 2011 Animals in Peril by a 9-7 vote, and most recently downed the #15 seed 2007 World's Deadliest Snakes by a 8-6 tally.  That's three rounds and three victories by a combined 7 votes!  

Perhaps even more amazing than the "Cinderella run" that the 2015 Mythological Menaces has been on is that as a #82 seed they aren't even the lowest remaining seed in the Sweet Sixteen (that "honor" goes to the #84 seed Magicians and Illusionists).  As for which set I want to win here, my vote has basically been against the First Ladies set for the entirety of the competition.  I'm sick of politics and while I appreciate a mini set dedicated to women that's not enough for me to personally root for the First Ladies set.  On the other hand, the Mythological Menaces set is (in my opinion) more worthy of a #82 seed than it is a spot in the Elite Eight...  That set is kind of a mess in my mind and the checklist selections make no particular sense to me.  

2016 Ferocious Felines vs. 2013 Peacemakers

The 2016 Ferocious Felines came in as the #7 seed and so far have stayed true to form.  In the Round of 64, they crushed the 2017 retail-only Horse in the Race set and then in the Round of 32 they snuck by another favorite set of mine, the 2010 National Animals set (a set that I think might be the best designed mini set of all-time for what it's worth).  Obviously, that isn't worth much since the National Animals are eliminated and the Felines are still in the running in the bracket!

The 2013 Peacemakers began the bracket as the #10 seed and they too have stayed true to form though it wasn't without a close call!  In the Round of 64, the Peacemakers actually ended in a tie vote with the #74 seed 2014 Athletic Endeavors and made it through via the tiebreaker rule (first vote breaks ties).  In the Round of 32, the Peacemakers squared off against the #23 seed New to the Zoo (another retail only set) and took care of business more easily winning by a 9-5 vote.  

For my money, the Mythological Region is now the worst region in terms of remaining sets.  I don't particularly love any of the four sets that are still alive in the region.  Frankly, I don't even much care who wins the region...I won't be rooting for whatever set it is in the Final Four, that's almost guaranteed!


2007 Flags of All Nations vs. 2013 The First Americans

For as much as I dislike the four remaining sets in the Mythological Region, I love the four remaining sets in the Wide World Region.  That's how it goes with bracket competitions though, sometimes on particular region ends up a lot stronger than another!  The 2007 Flags of All Nations set is the #3 seed in the tournament and so far it's avoided any upsets.  In the Round of 64, the Flags took down the #62 seed Lost Languages by an 11-3 margin and then in the Round of 32 the Flags rolled past the popular 2017 World's Dudes set by a 9-7 vote.  

The 2013 First Americans set has been just as dominant in the bracket so far, winning 13-2 over the 2011 Portraits in Penultimacy in the Round of 64 and then winning 9-7 over the #14 seed 2008 Ancient Icons set.  

The 2007 Flags set is, in my opinion, perhaps the second best designed mini set that Topps has done (after only the National Animals set from 2010).  For that reason alone, my rooting interests lie in the Flags moving on but I can respect the First Americans set as well.  Either choice here is good!

2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells vs. 2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic

To finish off our voting for the Sweet Sixteen, we have the #6 seeded 2014 Outlaws, Bandits, and Ne'er-Do-Wells set squaring off against the #43 seeded 2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic.  The Outlaws set has been on a roll lately but hasn't always been easy.  In the Round of 64, the Outlaws escaped by a single vote up against the #70 seeded Giants of the Deep from 2012.  In the Round of 32, the Outlaws find much easier sledding...a 14-2 dismantling of the #36 seeded 2008 Pioneers of Aviation left no doubt that this is a set to be recognized.

The Monsters of the Mesozoic, on the other hand, has had to virtually scratch, claw, and grab every step of the way to the Sweet Sixteen.  As the #43 seed in the bracket, the Monsters began in the play-in round with a 16-0 thrashing of the pitiful 2017 Super Stealth Minis but then life got more difficult for the dinos.  In the Round of 64, the Monsters barely made it past the #22 seeded 2018 Indigenous Heroes via an 8-7 vote and then in the Round of 32 things got even tougher with the dinos winning via an 8-8 tie-breaker against the #11 seeded 2015 Birds of Prey.  

Like I said earlier, you can't go wrong with any of the four remaining sets from the Wide World region of the bracket.  My personal vote here goes to the Monsters of the Mesozoic but I like the Outlaws set too and could easily root for them in most other match-ups.  The real challenge for me personally will be if the Monsters of the Mesozoic and the Flags of All Nations end up squaring off against one another in the Elite Eight.  Based on how my picks have gone lately though, I doubt I need to worry myself about such scenarios now!

To vote, please copy the text below and then delete the set you don't want to win.  This will make it a lot easier for me to quickly tally the winners of each match-up.  I also encourage you to stump for your favorite sets (remember, there is a bracket prediction contest going on here as well).
  • 2015 First Ladies vs. 2015 Mythological Menaces
  • 2016 Ferocious Felines vs. 2013 Peacemakers
  • 2007 Flags of All Nations vs. 2013 The First Americans
  • 2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells vs. 2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic
Copy and paste the above text into the comment section and then simply delete the set you don't want to win each of the match-ups.  That should make voting quick and easy for both you and me!  Remember that comments, votes, and general contest participation will potentially earn you chances to win additional prizes in the contest (along with the bracket challenge of course)!  Vote now!

Want more information about a specific insert set including the full checklist?  Here are my yearly breakdowns all in one spot for you.

Comments

  1. 2015 First Ladies
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2013 The First Americans
    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    ReplyDelete
  2. 2015 First Ladies
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2007 Flags of All Nations
    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    ReplyDelete
  3. 2015 Mythological Menaces
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2013 The First Americans
    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    ReplyDelete
  4. 2015 Mythological Menaces
    2013 Peacemakers
    2013 The First Americans
    2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic

    ReplyDelete
  5. 01. 2015 Mythological Menaces
    02. 2016 Ferocious Felines
    03. 2013 The First Americans
    04. 2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic

    ReplyDelete
  6. 2015 First Ladies

    2016 Ferocious Felines

    2007 Flags of All Nations

    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    As a US History guy, I'm very happy that the First Ladies are doing this well.

    Hope ever6had a Fantastic 4th!🇺🇸

    ReplyDelete
  7. 2015 Mythological Menaces
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2007 Flags of All Nations
    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    ReplyDelete
  8. 2015 First Ladies
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2013 The First Americans
    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    ReplyDelete
  9. 2015 First Ladies
    2013 Peacemakers
    2007 Flags of All Nations
    2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic

    ReplyDelete
  10. 2015 First Ladies
    2013 Peacemakers
    2013 The First Americans
    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    Quoting Gary Gulman: "How often did they do well? Ne'er!"

    ReplyDelete
  11. 2015 First Ladies
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2007 Flags of All Nations
    2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic

    ReplyDelete
  12. 2015 Mythological Menaces
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2007 Flags of All Nations
    2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic

    ReplyDelete
  13. 2015 First Ladies
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2007 Flags of All Nations
    2014 Outlaws, Bandits, & All-Around Ne'er Do Wells

    ReplyDelete
  14. 2015 Mythological Menaces
    2016 Ferocious Felines
    2007 Flags of All Nations
    2010 Monsters of the Mesozoic

    ReplyDelete

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