Hej venner! This is Karma, official European correspondent for The Daily Demba bringing you the big stories from the week. Before we move on to our top story and the exclusive interview I promised you last week, I want to make mention of a few notable developments. For those of you with card lists getting out of control and clogging up your trade lists, remember to do some spring cleaning! And if you feel inclined to chase old CX or PL cards, the previous CX's are now in packs for a limited time, so get to collecting. That brings us to our lead story, which is of course the end of CBL Season 6.

The results are in, and we have a new champion!

https://i.imgur.com/FWRORQN.jpg

Ana de Armas has claimed her spot atop the leagues, leaving no room for tiebreakers or doubt. In a development that broke the heart of The Daily Demba's newest intern, Margot Robbie was closely edged out of a spot on the podium. Next season will see the entry of one Victoria Justice in the top league. This reporter is keeping a close eye on League 2, where two of my favorites are being promoted to and will surely face fierce competition. There is much to absorb and plenty of data and numbies to process, and for some light analysis I present my exclusive one on one with the Battle Master himself, /u/Radrican420.

Karma: I suppose the biggest news is the ascension of Ana de Armas to PL champion and in convincing fashion, which some people have felt has been a long time coming. Did you expect it this season? What do you think accounts for this success?

Radrican: I believe that Ana de Armas has been on a upward trajectory ever since her arrival in the movie knives out. She had been in movies before that but that was the first time that general audiences were able to see her and get to know her. So I started looking ahead to what she had coming up and I knew that the new James Bond movie would be a huge launching pad for her in the public consciousness. So in my eyes, it was only a matter of time before she would make it to be champion. She’s more active than some of the other members in the Premier league. And you know that for most people it’s all about “what have you done for me lately” and she has been doing things lately.

Karma: That actually leads directly into my next question, is that how you account for what feels like a shocking fall for Emma Watson? She's certainly not as active and prolific as some of the others but to drop as much as she did seems unexpected. Do you think voter fatigue played a part?

Radrican: Voter fatigue and lack of activity. When you are in the zeitgeist, you are more likely to have people vote for you. Emma Watson has a large fan base but she is not that active in the most recent years and I do believe there is such a thing as voter fatigue. A great example of this, if we were to use a sports analogy, was in 2010 when LeBron James was clearly the best player in basketball but the voters were already tired of giving him his first two MVP awards and they voted for someone else. It’s not to take away from the fact that Watson is very popular but those two things do you play a part in voting. What is the next big thing? Or in our case, who is the next big thing?

Karma: With that in mind, how do you expect the ascending Victoria Justice to do in the Premier League next season? She has a large following and there is excitement for a new name in the top tier, though she perhaps isn't as active in a mainstream sense as a Robbie or de Armas or Olsen.

Radrican: I think that someone like Victoria Justice has a very dedicated Fanbase but I don’t see her finishing in the top three of the Premier league. I think she’ll be able to hold her own against a good portion of her competitors that would prevent her from being relegated so I can see her as a main stay in the top league. But in terms of winning? I don’t even see a top three finish for her.

Karma: Outside of the top two leagues, what would you consider the biggest surprises, good and bad?

Radrican: I can give you two surprises. The first one is Amber Heard. I honestly thought she would be relegated this season but she managed to get three wins in her division which leads me to believe that maybe people are starting to soften their stance on how they view her.

My second surprise was Jenna Coleman. She finished at the top of her division that included Lily James, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cara Delevingne and others. I did not see her having that strong of a fan base to vote for her.

Karma: We know a lot can change between now and the start of the next season, but do you have any bold early predictions?

Radrican: If you want me to go with a bold prediction, my bold prediction would be that Emma Watson falls out of the Premier League.

If she gets unlucky vs Justice and loses a match to Daddario, she is then in danger of falling out. It’s possible.

Thank you for your time, Rad! I'm sure some of our readers will have some thoughts in response, particularly with that prediction. Feel free to sound off in the comments!

In addition to the season wrapping up, we are quickly coming to the end of the User Tournament. Debby Ryan, Daniela Melchior, Olivia Rodrigo, and Olivia Culpo remain. TDD will retain its impartiality and merely encourage everyone to vote, and remember that voters with a hub have a tab for an additional vote. Good luck to everyone still with a stake in the tournament.

For those of you not on Discord and unaware, a special limited promotion is currently running. This humble reporter took it upon himself to update the Base, IF, SIF, and XIF Taylor Swift cards and the first people to pull the first copies of each of them in packs will be given a raffle ticket. As of the time of this publishing only the IF has been claimed. Good luck everyone, and a very sincere thank you for all the support!

New users who may be interested in card collecting, here is the place you want to start. And don't forget to join our Discord https://discord.gg/Ut4FkfWprn where we are happy to answer any questions you may have, and we have a steady rollout of card reveals, giveaways, games, and fun. And with that, the anniversary XIF giveaway is closed and I shall be off to pay them all out.

Until next time! 🌹