[Gohan78]

My problem with Chapter 20 was that I perceived Shizu not as a monster but as a "badass normal" who fought monsters through sheer determination.

Simplifying a bit, there are two types of sports manga protagonist:
1. the natural born genius.
2. the average player who, through hard work and determination, manages to compete with the best in the game.

Up to chapter 19, Shizu was firmly in category 2, while in chapter 20 we suddenly learn that she is a category 1 monster.

IMHO Ritz's fault was showing only the last two rounds of the captain match of the quarterfinals. What did we learn from that game?

1. Shizu deals into a haneman -> sign of a bad player
2. Shizu makes up for her mistake through her "never give up" attitude, obtaining a splendid victory after changing her wait 3 times.

From this bit of gameplay, I concluded that Shizu was not a very strong player but a player who fights until the last tile. I liked the idea of a normal player fighting against a table full of monsters in the finals. Sadly this possibility was shattered by the last chapter.

I disagree with people who claim that Shizuno is a defensive player. First of all, it doesn't suit her personality. Second thing, the score of the QF round means nothing because it could be the result of a big win followed by a big loss.

As for Shiraitodai, I think that Ritz's mistake was actually making Teru too strong. She had too much of a lead after the vanguard match (>90k). So much that the only way to avoid a curbstomp was for the other players in Shiraitodai to perform badly. If Teru had won by a more reasonable margin, like 30-40k, she would still be perceived as the number one in Japan (considering that she didn't even use all her tricks!) but the match would have been more balanced.