This was one of Gunther's best performances in recent times in my opinion. I actually disagree with Emil on the tricks he mentioned. Being able to perform the physical feat while not dropping the ball is quite impressive. The hand spring in particular, because he has to take his eyes off the ball. He also made a fairly good touch. He also didn't do quite as much of only tatw and atatw nt as he usually does. I mean, he has to do some, because that's his trademark. It's just I could never vote him winner based on that alone. I've never cared much for his uppers, and he has almost not good sits. He did show more creativity and good transitions in this battle than usual.
Lotar is a much better freestyler for me overall. I'm a big fan of his. Overall, he had more variety in every aspect. His lowers probably weren't quite as difficult as Gunther's, but having a large variety is difficult as well. Sits and uppers Lotar wins every time. This time, transitions were fairly close, but I may give it to Lotar for better execution.
Verdict: Close battle, but I may give it to Lotar.
Adi mentioned showmanship. That's something that is really missing from most freestylers. They don't seem to understand it's a show. Gunther has great showmanship for battles, not as much for LPs, but great for battles. He comes off with a type of cockiness or arrogance that is great for a battle. I'm actually in favor of that for the performance. It definitely means something to me even if I'm judging. Lotar looked more or less like a freestyle robot. He had no emotion. He just freestyled. If he'd added a bit more showmanship, it might have tipped the scales a bit. Whether you realize it or not, you will subconsciously enjoy watching the freestyler with more personality.
