{
  "spec": "pointcast.saturday-myth-machine/v1",
  "title": "SATURDAY MYTH MACHINE",
  "subtitle": "A mascot atlas that knows how to fight.",
  "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler",
  "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler.json",
  "season": 2026,
  "board": "000",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-27T20:30:00-07:00",
  "cardCount": 25,
  "classCount": 8,
  "rules": [
    "Pick a conference deck and a creature-class deck.",
    "Three deterministic rounds test place, lore, and Saturday force.",
    "Arena weather, class advantage, conference chemistry, and type instinct modify the cards.",
    "Every number is editorial game balance, not a claim about living animals, students, or institutions.",
    "Collection state stays in this browser. No signup, wallet, wager, or purchase is required."
  ],
  "boundary": "Unofficial editorial game. PointCast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any school, conference, mascot program, or athletic association. Original illustrations depict broad creature archetypes and do not reproduce official mascot costume designs or logos.",
  "methodology": {
    "locality": "Editorial score for how specifically the mascot identity belongs to its home landscape and civic context.",
    "legacy": "Editorial score for accumulated football and institution memory.",
    "myth": "Editorial score for symbolic force, story, strangeness, and mascot-specific tradition.",
    "form": "Deterministic score derived from PointCast 25 Board 000 rank: max(46, 96 - rank × 2).",
    "balance": "Editorial play-balance score that keeps multiple deck strategies viable.",
    "battle": "Three deterministic rounds compare place, lore, and Saturday force. Conference chemistry, creature instinct, arena weather, class edges, and a small set of published signature abilities modify the base scores."
  },
  "classes": [
    {
      "id": "flora",
      "name": "Flora",
      "fieldName": "The Buckeye Engine",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-flora.png",
      "color": "#bb2f24",
      "instinct": "Roots turn patience into late-round force.",
      "strongAgainst": "colossus"
    },
    {
      "id": "aerial",
      "name": "Aerial",
      "fieldName": "Storm Bird Parliament",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-aerial.png",
      "color": "#185d8c",
      "instinct": "Weather changes are information, not interruption.",
      "strongAgainst": "range"
    },
    {
      "id": "apex",
      "name": "Apex",
      "fieldName": "Night-Cat Territory",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-apex.png",
      "color": "#d76027",
      "instinct": "Pressure increases when the lights get smaller.",
      "strongAgainst": "hound"
    },
    {
      "id": "hound",
      "name": "Hound",
      "fieldName": "The Loyal Weather Pack",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-hound.png",
      "color": "#334f6c",
      "instinct": "Continuity compounds; the pack remembers the assignment.",
      "strongAgainst": "folklore"
    },
    {
      "id": "range",
      "name": "Range",
      "fieldName": "Hoof and Horizon",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-range.png",
      "color": "#c56a19",
      "instinct": "Space becomes speed before the defense can name it.",
      "strongAgainst": "flora"
    },
    {
      "id": "colossus",
      "name": "Colossus",
      "fieldName": "Old Power Country",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-colossus.png",
      "color": "#476942",
      "instinct": "Ancient mass wins the part of the game that cannot be rushed.",
      "strongAgainst": "apex"
    },
    {
      "id": "folklore",
      "name": "Folklore",
      "fieldName": "Saturday Tricksters",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-folklore.png",
      "color": "#6e4b77",
      "instinct": "A good story changes what the opponent thinks is possible.",
      "strongAgainst": "null"
    },
    {
      "id": "null",
      "name": "Null",
      "fieldName": "The Mascot That Is Not There",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-null.png",
      "color": "#202733",
      "instinct": "You cannot scout an absence.",
      "strongAgainst": "aerial"
    }
  ],
  "arenas": [
    {
      "id": "rain",
      "name": "Rain Game",
      "note": "Lake weather, soaked paper, bad footing.",
      "favored": [
        "aerial",
        "hound"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "altitude",
      "name": "Thin Air",
      "note": "The field tilts uphill after halftime.",
      "favored": [
        "aerial",
        "apex"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heat",
      "name": "Heat Index",
      "note": "Old power and open-range legs survive.",
      "favored": [
        "colossus",
        "range"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "night",
      "name": "Night Kick",
      "note": "Myth gets louder when the edges disappear.",
      "favored": [
        "apex",
        "folklore",
        "null"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prairie",
      "name": "Crosswind",
      "note": "Nothing hides on a horizon this wide.",
      "favored": [
        "range",
        "flora"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "archive",
      "name": "Archive Field",
      "note": "History, absence, and plant memory become playable.",
      "favored": [
        "flora",
        "folklore",
        "null"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "cards": [
    {
      "slug": "ohio-state",
      "mascot": "Brutus Buckeye",
      "mascotClass": "flora",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Columbus",
      "state": "Ohio",
      "stadium": "Ohio Stadium",
      "localResource": "Buckeye groves · Olentangy River · central-Ohio limestone",
      "tradition": "A state-tree seed became one of the sport’s rare botanical mascots.",
      "ability": "ROOT SYSTEM",
      "abilityText": "Gains eight Locality in an archive or prairie field.",
      "locality": 84,
      "legacy": 96,
      "myth": 91,
      "balance": 83,
      "sourceLabel": "Ohio State Buckeyes",
      "sourceUrl": "https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com",
      "school": "Ohio State",
      "short": "OSU",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 1,
      "accent": "#ba0c2f",
      "form": 94,
      "pointcastReason": "The highest quarterback–receiver ceiling in the sport, carrying the season’s nastiest road schedule.",
      "pointcastProof": "Win an early road game without asking the passing game to be perfect.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-flora.png",
      "className": "Flora",
      "classFieldName": "The Buckeye Engine",
      "classInstinct": "Roots turn patience into late-round force.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/ohio-state",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/ohio-state.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "notre-dame",
      "mascot": "The Leprechaun",
      "mascotClass": "folklore",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Notre Dame",
      "state": "Indiana",
      "stadium": "Notre Dame Stadium",
      "localResource": "St. Joseph lakes · northern-Indiana winters · golden-hour campus light",
      "tradition": "A live student performer carries a folklore identity rather than an animal one.",
      "ability": "GOLDEN HOUR",
      "abilityText": "Turns one losing Myth round into a tie during a night kick.",
      "locality": 78,
      "legacy": 98,
      "myth": 96,
      "balance": 86,
      "sourceLabel": "Notre Dame Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://fightingirish.com",
      "school": "Notre Dame",
      "short": "ND",
      "conference": "Independent",
      "rank": 2,
      "accent": "#c99700",
      "form": 92,
      "pointcastReason": "Unusual defensive continuity and fewer imaginary preseason dependencies than anyone else.",
      "pointcastProof": "Show that the new run game can finish drives instead of merely protecting the defense.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-folklore.png",
      "className": "Folklore",
      "classFieldName": "Saturday Tricksters",
      "classInstinct": "A good story changes what the opponent thinks is possible.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/notre-dame",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/notre-dame.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "texas",
      "mascot": "Bevo",
      "mascotClass": "range",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Austin",
      "state": "Texas",
      "stadium": "Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium",
      "localResource": "Hill Country limestone · live-oak shade · Colorado River heat",
      "tradition": "A live longhorn turns Texas ranch history into a sideline presence.",
      "ability": "OPEN RANGE",
      "abilityText": "Adds six Form when the arena favors Range.",
      "locality": 93,
      "legacy": 96,
      "myth": 94,
      "balance": 82,
      "sourceLabel": "Texas Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://texaslonghorns.com",
      "school": "Texas",
      "short": "TEX",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 3,
      "accent": "#bf5700",
      "form": 90,
      "pointcastReason": "The Arch Manning window is now; the unresolved run game keeps this from being No. 1.",
      "pointcastProof": "Control one serious opponent on the ground when the box knows what is coming.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-range.png",
      "className": "Range",
      "classFieldName": "Hoof and Horizon",
      "classInstinct": "Space becomes speed before the defense can name it.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/texas",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/texas.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "oregon",
      "mascot": "The Oregon Duck",
      "mascotClass": "aerial",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Eugene",
      "state": "Oregon",
      "stadium": "Autzen Stadium",
      "localResource": "Willamette rain · Cascades timber · river-valley wind",
      "tradition": "A waterfowl identity became a national design laboratory without losing its regional joke.",
      "ability": "WEATHER SHIFT",
      "abilityText": "Rain Game activates Aerial instinct twice.",
      "locality": 91,
      "legacy": 83,
      "myth": 90,
      "balance": 91,
      "sourceLabel": "Oregon Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://goducks.com",
      "school": "Oregon",
      "short": "ORE",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 4,
      "accent": "#148e3d",
      "form": 88,
      "pointcastReason": "Dante Moore, deep talent, championship capacity—and two new coordinators to assimilate.",
      "pointcastProof": "Look like the same adult operation before the conference schedule becomes cruel.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-aerial.png",
      "className": "Aerial",
      "classFieldName": "Storm Bird Parliament",
      "classInstinct": "Weather changes are information, not interruption.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/oregon",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/oregon.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "georgia",
      "mascot": "Uga",
      "mascotClass": "hound",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Athens",
      "state": "Georgia",
      "stadium": "Sanford Stadium",
      "localResource": "Georgia red clay · Athens tree canopy · Oconee heat",
      "tradition": "A live English bulldog lineage makes continuity itself part of the mascot.",
      "ability": "KENNEL STAND",
      "abilityText": "Never loses more than four points to a class disadvantage.",
      "locality": 86,
      "legacy": 94,
      "myth": 95,
      "balance": 88,
      "sourceLabel": "Georgia Bulldogs",
      "sourceUrl": "https://georgiadogs.com",
      "school": "Georgia",
      "short": "UGA",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 5,
      "accent": "#ba0c2f",
      "form": 86,
      "pointcastReason": "Back-to-back SEC champions receive institutional trust until the rebuilt secondary spends it.",
      "pointcastProof": "Survive one explosive passing offense without retreating into conservative coverage.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-hound.png",
      "className": "Hound",
      "classFieldName": "The Loyal Weather Pack",
      "classInstinct": "Continuity compounds; the pack remembers the assignment.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/georgia",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/georgia.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "indiana",
      "mascot": "Hoosier the Bison",
      "mascotClass": "range",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Bloomington",
      "state": "Indiana",
      "stadium": "Memorial Stadium",
      "localResource": "Indiana limestone · Brown County woods · state-seal bison history",
      "tradition": "The bison returned in 2025 after a nearly sixty-year official hiatus.",
      "ability": "BACK FROM HIATUS",
      "abilityText": "Receives ten Myth the first time it appears in a battle.",
      "locality": 96,
      "legacy": 79,
      "myth": 97,
      "balance": 84,
      "sourceLabel": "Indiana Athletics · Bison restoration",
      "sourceUrl": "https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2025/7/14/general-iu-reinstates-the-bison-as-the-official-iu-bloomington-mascot-hoosier-the-bison-to-make-first-public-appearance-on-aug-30-at-iu-football-season-opener",
      "school": "Indiana",
      "short": "IND",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 6,
      "accent": "#990000",
      "form": 84,
      "pointcastReason": "The undefeated champion deserves deference; repeating after turnover would change the sport permanently.",
      "pointcastProof": "Run the same calm, grown-up offense with different people in the most important chairs.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-range.png",
      "className": "Range",
      "classFieldName": "Hoof and Horizon",
      "classInstinct": "Space becomes speed before the defense can name it.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/indiana",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/indiana.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "miami",
      "mascot": "Sebastian the Ibis",
      "mascotClass": "aerial",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Coral Gables",
      "state": "Florida",
      "stadium": "Hard Rock Stadium",
      "localResource": "Biscayne storm water · Everglades wetland · Atlantic pressure",
      "tradition": "The ibis is cast as the storm bird that knows when danger is coming and when to return.",
      "ability": "STORM FEEDER",
      "abilityText": "Adds nine Myth in rain and five Form at night.",
      "locality": 95,
      "legacy": 91,
      "myth": 96,
      "balance": 76,
      "sourceLabel": "Miami Hurricanes",
      "sourceUrl": "https://miamihurricanes.com",
      "school": "Miami",
      "short": "MIA",
      "conference": "ACC",
      "rank": 7,
      "accent": "#f47321",
      "form": 82,
      "pointcastReason": "A national finalist plus Darian Mensah creates an immediate return path; the defensive reconstruction is real.",
      "pointcastProof": "Create pressure without selling out the secondary.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-aerial.png",
      "className": "Aerial",
      "classFieldName": "Storm Bird Parliament",
      "classInstinct": "Weather changes are information, not interruption.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/miami",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/miami.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "lsu",
      "mascot": "Mike the Tiger",
      "mascotClass": "apex",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Baton Rouge",
      "state": "Louisiana",
      "stadium": "Tiger Stadium",
      "localResource": "Mississippi floodplain · live-oak shade · humid night air",
      "tradition": "A live tiger habitat and costumed counterpart make Saturday night feel zoological.",
      "ability": "SATURDAY NIGHT EYES",
      "abilityText": "Adds twelve Form at night, but loses four Balance in heat.",
      "locality": 92,
      "legacy": 94,
      "myth": 98,
      "balance": 74,
      "sourceLabel": "LSU Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://lsusports.net",
      "school": "LSU",
      "short": "LSU",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 8,
      "accent": "#461d7c",
      "form": 80,
      "pointcastReason": "Lane Kiffin, Sam Leavitt, and the leading transfer class: enormous ceiling, delicious combustion potential.",
      "pointcastProof": "Win a game that requires patience rather than a track meet.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-apex.png",
      "className": "Apex",
      "classFieldName": "Night-Cat Territory",
      "classInstinct": "Pressure increases when the lights get smaller.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/lsu",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/lsu.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "texas-tech",
      "mascot": "The Masked Rider + Raider Red",
      "mascotClass": "folklore",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Lubbock",
      "state": "Texas",
      "stadium": "Jones AT&T Stadium",
      "localResource": "Llano Estacado wind · red dirt · huge western sky",
      "tradition": "The Masked Rider’s 1954 entrance and Raider Red’s 1971 portability form a dual-mascot system.",
      "ability": "TWO TEMPOS",
      "abilityText": "Uses the better of Myth or Locality in every first round.",
      "locality": 97,
      "legacy": 84,
      "myth": 98,
      "balance": 81,
      "sourceLabel": "Texas Tech Athletics · Masked Rider history",
      "sourceUrl": "https://texastech.com/news/2003/9/8/1954_Gator_Bowl_Team",
      "school": "Texas Tech",
      "short": "TTU",
      "conference": "Big 12",
      "rank": 9,
      "accent": "#cc0000",
      "form": 78,
      "pointcastReason": "The Big 12 champion has a serious floor; quarterback health determines whether the ceiling survives.",
      "pointcastProof": "Let Hammond be efficient without turning every drive into a medical suspense film.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-folklore.png",
      "className": "Folklore",
      "classFieldName": "Saturday Tricksters",
      "classInstinct": "A good story changes what the opponent thinks is possible.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/texas-tech",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/texas-tech.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "usc",
      "mascot": "Traveler",
      "mascotClass": "range",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Los Angeles",
      "state": "California",
      "stadium": "Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum",
      "localResource": "Los Angeles basin light · Coliseum concrete · coastal evening air",
      "tradition": "A white horse circles the Coliseum as an old-Hollywood piece of live theater.",
      "ability": "COLISEUM GATE",
      "abilityText": "Adds seven Legacy when battling a top-ten PointCast card.",
      "locality": 82,
      "legacy": 97,
      "myth": 93,
      "balance": 79,
      "sourceLabel": "USC Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://usctrojans.com",
      "school": "USC",
      "short": "USC",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 10,
      "accent": "#990000",
      "form": 76,
      "pointcastReason": "Five returning blockers, a huge recruiting class, and Gary Patterson. The excuse inventory is empty.",
      "pointcastProof": "Tackle well and close a one-score conference game without theater.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-range.png",
      "className": "Range",
      "classFieldName": "Hoof and Horizon",
      "classInstinct": "Space becomes speed before the defense can name it.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/usc",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/usc.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "alabama",
      "mascot": "Big Al",
      "mascotClass": "colossus",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Tuscaloosa",
      "state": "Alabama",
      "stadium": "Bryant–Denny Stadium",
      "localResource": "Black Warrior River · red clay · dense southern heat",
      "tradition": "The elephant identity grew from the scale and force observers saw in Alabama football.",
      "ability": "MEMORY OF GIANTS",
      "abilityText": "Legacy cannot be reduced below ninety.",
      "locality": 80,
      "legacy": 99,
      "myth": 92,
      "balance": 88,
      "sourceLabel": "Alabama Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://rolltide.com",
      "school": "Alabama",
      "short": "ALA",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 11,
      "accent": "#9e1b32",
      "form": 74,
      "pointcastReason": "This is no longer a brand ranking. It is a referendum on whether Alabama can become physically frightening again.",
      "pointcastProof": "Move a good defensive front when everybody in the stadium expects run.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-colossus.png",
      "className": "Colossus",
      "classFieldName": "Old Power Country",
      "classInstinct": "Ancient mass wins the part of the game that cannot be rushed.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/alabama",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/alabama.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "penn-state",
      "mascot": "The Nittany Lion",
      "mascotClass": "apex",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "University Park",
      "state": "Pennsylvania",
      "stadium": "Beaver Stadium",
      "localResource": "Nittany Mountain · central-Pennsylvania limestone · cold valley air",
      "tradition": "A mountain-lion identity gives an inland campus its own guardian species.",
      "ability": "MOUNTAIN ECHO",
      "abilityText": "Gains eight Balance after losing a round.",
      "locality": 91,
      "legacy": 94,
      "myth": 93,
      "balance": 90,
      "sourceLabel": "Penn State Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://gopsusports.com",
      "school": "Penn State",
      "short": "PSU",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 12,
      "accent": "#041e42",
      "form": 72,
      "pointcastReason": "Matt Campbell and 39 transfers: either an intelligently assembled machine or a very expensive group project.",
      "pointcastProof": "Look connected on third down before talent can cover the seams.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-apex.png",
      "className": "Apex",
      "classFieldName": "Night-Cat Territory",
      "classInstinct": "Pressure increases when the lights get smaller.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/penn-state",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/penn-state.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "texas-a-and-m",
      "mascot": "Reveille",
      "mascotClass": "hound",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "College Station",
      "state": "Texas",
      "stadium": "Kyle Field",
      "localResource": "Brazos heat · post-oak country · prairie thunder",
      "tradition": "The highest-ranking member of the Corps is also a live rough collie.",
      "ability": "HOME OF THE 12TH",
      "abilityText": "Adds eight Locality whenever its conference deck trails.",
      "locality": 96,
      "legacy": 91,
      "myth": 95,
      "balance": 84,
      "sourceLabel": "Texas A&M Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://12thman.com",
      "school": "Texas A&M",
      "short": "A&M",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 13,
      "accent": "#500000",
      "form": 70,
      "pointcastReason": "Eleven straight wins proved the shape; the ending proved the fragility.",
      "pointcastProof": "Finish a close game after the first plan stops working.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-hound.png",
      "className": "Hound",
      "classFieldName": "The Loyal Weather Pack",
      "classInstinct": "Continuity compounds; the pack remembers the assignment.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/texas-a-and-m",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/texas-a-and-m.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "oklahoma",
      "mascot": "Boomer + Sooner",
      "mascotClass": "range",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Norman",
      "state": "Oklahoma",
      "stadium": "Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium",
      "localResource": "Red River wind · prairie grass · cross-state horizon",
      "tradition": "Two white ponies animate the Sooner Schooner and the land-run identity around it.",
      "ability": "TWIN PONIES",
      "abilityText": "The second round repeats half of the first round’s arena bonus.",
      "locality": 91,
      "legacy": 97,
      "myth": 94,
      "balance": 82,
      "sourceLabel": "Oklahoma Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://soonersports.com",
      "school": "Oklahoma",
      "short": "OU",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 14,
      "accent": "#841617",
      "form": 68,
      "pointcastReason": "A championship defense being asked to carry an offense that must finally become ordinary-good.",
      "pointcastProof": "Create four reliable yards without requiring quarterback improvisation.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-range.png",
      "className": "Range",
      "classFieldName": "Hoof and Horizon",
      "classInstinct": "Space becomes speed before the defense can name it.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/oklahoma",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/oklahoma.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "michigan",
      "mascot": "No official mascot",
      "mascotClass": "null",
      "officialStatus": "identity-only",
      "city": "Ann Arbor",
      "state": "Michigan",
      "stadium": "Michigan Stadium",
      "localResource": "Huron River · Great Lakes winter · glacial terrain",
      "tradition": "The Wolverine is the nickname and visual identity; Michigan still fields no official mascot.",
      "ability": "ABSENCE IS ARMOR",
      "abilityText": "Opponents receive no class advantage against this card.",
      "locality": 88,
      "legacy": 99,
      "myth": 99,
      "balance": 93,
      "sourceLabel": "Michigan Athletics · no-mascot note",
      "sourceUrl": "https://mgoblue.com/news/2010/9/25/football-field-pass-with-richard-retyi-bowling-green",
      "school": "Michigan",
      "short": "MICH",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 15,
      "accent": "#00274c",
      "form": 66,
      "pointcastReason": "Kyle Whittingham plus Bryce Underwood is the season’s strangest and most compelling culture experiment.",
      "pointcastProof": "Give Underwood a coherent game rather than a weekly rescue assignment.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-null.png",
      "className": "Null",
      "classFieldName": "The Mascot That Is Not There",
      "classInstinct": "You cannot scout an absence.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/michigan",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/michigan.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "byu",
      "mascot": "Cosmo the Cougar",
      "mascotClass": "apex",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Provo",
      "state": "Utah",
      "stadium": "LaVell Edwards Stadium",
      "localResource": "Wasatch altitude · Provo River · dry mountain light",
      "tradition": "A cougar identity becomes especially convincing when the mountains are physically behind it.",
      "ability": "ALTITUDE DISCIPLINE",
      "abilityText": "Adds ten Balance in Thin Air.",
      "locality": 98,
      "legacy": 82,
      "myth": 88,
      "balance": 94,
      "sourceLabel": "BYU Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://byucougars.com",
      "school": "BYU",
      "short": "BYU",
      "conference": "Big 12",
      "rank": 16,
      "accent": "#002e5d",
      "form": 64,
      "pointcastReason": "Consecutive 11-win seasons are evidence, not atmosphere.",
      "pointcastProof": "Win when the offense is merely normal.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-apex.png",
      "className": "Apex",
      "classFieldName": "Night-Cat Territory",
      "classInstinct": "Pressure increases when the lights get smaller.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/byu",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/byu.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "ole-miss",
      "mascot": "Tony the Landshark",
      "mascotClass": "colossus",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Oxford",
      "state": "Mississippi",
      "stadium": "Vaught–Hemingway Stadium",
      "localResource": "North-Mississippi clay · cypress water · hill-country humidity",
      "tradition": "Introduced in 2018, Tony honors Tony Fein and a defensive “Fins Up” gesture born in 2008.",
      "ability": "FINS UP",
      "abilityText": "Adds nine Myth when an opponent’s Form is higher.",
      "locality": 79,
      "legacy": 83,
      "myth": 94,
      "balance": 75,
      "sourceLabel": "Ole Miss Athletics · Tony introduction",
      "sourceUrl": "https://olemisssports.com/news/2018/8/11/football-ole-miss-holds-meet-the-rebels-introduces-new-on-field-mascot",
      "school": "Ole Miss",
      "short": "MISS",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 17,
      "accent": "#ce1126",
      "form": 62,
      "pointcastReason": "Enough offensive continuity to matter; an entire post-Kiffin identity still to invent.",
      "pointcastProof": "Show an offensive identity that is not a tribute act.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-colossus.png",
      "className": "Colossus",
      "classFieldName": "Old Power Country",
      "classInstinct": "Ancient mass wins the part of the game that cannot be rushed.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/ole-miss",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/ole-miss.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "tennessee",
      "mascot": "Smokey",
      "mascotClass": "hound",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Knoxville",
      "state": "Tennessee",
      "stadium": "Neyland Stadium",
      "localResource": "Tennessee River · Smoky Mountain fog · orange clay",
      "tradition": "A bluetick coonhound lineage links the stadium to Appalachian working-dog country.",
      "ability": "RIVER HOUND",
      "abilityText": "Rain turns Locality into an attacking stat.",
      "locality": 99,
      "legacy": 91,
      "myth": 96,
      "balance": 82,
      "sourceLabel": "Tennessee Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://utsports.com",
      "school": "Tennessee",
      "short": "TENN",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 18,
      "accent": "#ff8200",
      "form": 60,
      "pointcastReason": "Jim Knowles can make the defense serious immediately. Nobody has earned certainty at quarterback.",
      "pointcastProof": "Produce boring, repeatable quarterback decisions for four quarters.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-hound.png",
      "className": "Hound",
      "classFieldName": "The Loyal Weather Pack",
      "classInstinct": "Continuity compounds; the pack remembers the assignment.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/tennessee",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/tennessee.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "clemson",
      "mascot": "The Tiger",
      "mascotClass": "apex",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Clemson",
      "state": "South Carolina",
      "stadium": "Memorial Stadium",
      "localResource": "Lake Hartwell · Carolina granite · humid foothills",
      "tradition": "A tiger, a hill, and a rock turn the entrance itself into the mascot’s first move.",
      "ability": "HILL CHARGE",
      "abilityText": "Adds eight Form in the opening round.",
      "locality": 91,
      "legacy": 93,
      "myth": 92,
      "balance": 80,
      "sourceLabel": "Clemson Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://clemsontigers.com",
      "school": "Clemson",
      "short": "CLEM",
      "conference": "ACC",
      "rank": 19,
      "accent": "#f56600",
      "form": 58,
      "pointcastReason": "Potentially exceptional receivers, a new quarterback, and the clearest Dabo inflection point yet.",
      "pointcastProof": "Turn receiver talent into explosive points before the crowd starts remembering 2018.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-apex.png",
      "className": "Apex",
      "classFieldName": "Night-Cat Territory",
      "classInstinct": "Pressure increases when the lights get smaller.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/clemson",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/clemson.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "utah",
      "mascot": "Swoop",
      "mascotClass": "aerial",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Salt Lake City",
      "state": "Utah",
      "stadium": "Rice–Eccles Stadium",
      "localResource": "Wasatch thermals · Salt Lake basin · red-tailed-hawk country",
      "tradition": "Swoop is a red-tailed hawk; the Utes nickname is used with tribal permission.",
      "ability": "REDTAIL THERMAL",
      "abilityText": "Adds six Locality in heat and ten in Thin Air.",
      "locality": 99,
      "legacy": 84,
      "myth": 91,
      "balance": 89,
      "sourceLabel": "Utah Athletics · traditions",
      "sourceUrl": "https://utahutes.com/sports/2016/6/10/trads-ute-trads-what-html",
      "school": "Utah",
      "short": "UTAH",
      "conference": "Big 12",
      "rank": 20,
      "accent": "#cc0000",
      "form": 56,
      "pointcastReason": "Can the infrastructure survive the end of the Whittingham era? We believe it can—barely.",
      "pointcastProof": "Look unmistakably like Utah after the person most associated with “Utah football” is gone.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-aerial.png",
      "className": "Aerial",
      "classFieldName": "Storm Bird Parliament",
      "classInstinct": "Weather changes are information, not interruption.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/utah",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/utah.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "washington",
      "mascot": "Dubs II",
      "mascotClass": "hound",
      "officialStatus": "live-and-costumed",
      "city": "Seattle",
      "state": "Washington",
      "stadium": "Husky Stadium",
      "localResource": "Lake Washington rain · cedar air · Puget Sound weather",
      "tradition": "Dubs II is the university’s fourteenth live mascot and is an Alaskan malamute.",
      "ability": "RAIN PACK",
      "abilityText": "Adds twelve Balance in rain.",
      "locality": 99,
      "legacy": 87,
      "myth": 93,
      "balance": 92,
      "sourceLabel": "Washington Athletics · mascot history",
      "sourceUrl": "https://gohuskies.com/sports/2013/4/18/208229209",
      "school": "Washington",
      "short": "WASH",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 21,
      "accent": "#4b2e83",
      "form": 54,
      "pointcastReason": "Quietly respected by models and preseason consensus; a perfect early candidate for “we noticed first.”",
      "pointcastProof": "Carry offensive efficiency across one cross-country conference trip.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-hound.png",
      "className": "Hound",
      "classFieldName": "The Loyal Weather Pack",
      "classInstinct": "Continuity compounds; the pack remembers the assignment.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/washington",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/washington.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "florida",
      "mascot": "Albert + Alberta",
      "mascotClass": "colossus",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Gainesville",
      "state": "Florida",
      "stadium": "Ben Hill Griffin Stadium",
      "localResource": "Paynes Prairie · subtropical wetland · limestone springs",
      "tradition": "A paired alligator identity makes the swamp both habitat and tactical concept.",
      "ability": "SWAMP CLOCK",
      "abilityText": "Heat adds nine Balance; rain adds six Myth.",
      "locality": 99,
      "legacy": 89,
      "myth": 94,
      "balance": 83,
      "sourceLabel": "Florida Gators",
      "sourceUrl": "https://floridagators.com",
      "school": "Florida",
      "short": "FLA",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 22,
      "accent": "#fa4616",
      "form": 52,
      "pointcastReason": "Jon Sumrall inherits real talent and an SEC-sized proof requirement.",
      "pointcastProof": "Beat a good opponent without making the new-coach story the entire offense.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-colossus.png",
      "className": "Colossus",
      "classFieldName": "Old Power Country",
      "classInstinct": "Ancient mass wins the part of the game that cannot be rushed.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/florida",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/florida.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "south-carolina",
      "mascot": "Cocky",
      "mascotClass": "aerial",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Columbia",
      "state": "South Carolina",
      "stadium": "Williams–Brice Stadium",
      "localResource": "Congaree heat · palmetto shade · Carolina sandhills",
      "tradition": "A gamecock identity turns noise, timing, and local agricultural history into personality.",
      "ability": "DAWN CROW",
      "abilityText": "Wins exact ties and receives five Myth in heat.",
      "locality": 89,
      "legacy": 79,
      "myth": 96,
      "balance": 78,
      "sourceLabel": "South Carolina Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://gamecocksonline.com",
      "school": "South Carolina",
      "short": "SC",
      "conference": "SEC",
      "rank": 23,
      "accent": "#73000a",
      "form": 50,
      "pointcastReason": "LaNorris Sellers is the reason; whether anybody can protect him is the entire ranking.",
      "pointcastProof": "Let a deep concept develop without asking Sellers to escape first.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-aerial.png",
      "className": "Aerial",
      "classFieldName": "Storm Bird Parliament",
      "classInstinct": "Weather changes are information, not interruption.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/south-carolina",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/south-carolina.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "boise-state",
      "mascot": "Buster Bronco",
      "mascotClass": "range",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Boise",
      "state": "Idaho",
      "stadium": "Albertsons Stadium",
      "localResource": "Boise River · high desert · blue-turf mirage",
      "tradition": "A bronco on an impossible blue field makes place and spectacle inseparable.",
      "ability": "BLUE MIRAGE",
      "abilityText": "Adds eleven Myth when facing a higher-ranked card.",
      "locality": 98,
      "legacy": 84,
      "myth": 97,
      "balance": 89,
      "sourceLabel": "Boise State Athletics · Buster Bronco",
      "sourceUrl": "https://broncosports.com/news/2008/8/28/Buster_Bronco_Selected_To_Capital_One_Mascot_Team",
      "school": "Boise State",
      "short": "BOI",
      "conference": "Pac-12",
      "rank": 24,
      "accent": "#0033a0",
      "form": 48,
      "pointcastReason": "The outsider benchmark: the team that reveals whether this poll actually watches beyond the power brands.",
      "pointcastProof": "Beat the kind of opponent whose logo normally wins the argument before kickoff.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-range.png",
      "className": "Range",
      "classFieldName": "Hoof and Horizon",
      "classInstinct": "Space becomes speed before the defense can name it.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/boise-state",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/boise-state.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "iowa",
      "mascot": "Herky the Hawk",
      "mascotClass": "aerial",
      "officialStatus": "official",
      "city": "Iowa City",
      "state": "Iowa",
      "stadium": "Kinnick Stadium",
      "localResource": "Iowa River · black prairie soil · cold western wind",
      "tradition": "A cartoon hawk named for Hercules became a friendly face for a notably stern football place.",
      "ability": "KINNICK DUSK",
      "abilityText": "Adds ten Legacy at night and five Balance in crosswind.",
      "locality": 91,
      "legacy": 91,
      "myth": 88,
      "balance": 95,
      "sourceLabel": "Iowa Athletics",
      "sourceUrl": "https://hawkeyesports.com",
      "school": "Iowa",
      "short": "IOWA",
      "conference": "Big Ten",
      "rank": 25,
      "accent": "#fcd116",
      "form": 46,
      "pointcastReason": "An elite imported runner, institutional defensive competence, and the possibility of extremely strange winning.",
      "pointcastProof": "Score enough early that the punter does not become the offensive identity again.",
      "art": "/images/mascot-battler/type-aerial.png",
      "className": "Aerial",
      "classFieldName": "Storm Bird Parliament",
      "classInstinct": "Weather changes are information, not interruption.",
      "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-07-27",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/iowa",
      "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/mascot-battler/iowa.json"
    }
  ],
  "sources": "Every card includes an official athletics source URL and PointCast check date. PointCast 25 current-form evidence is adjacent at /25 and /25.json."
}