As far as the 2018 WGI World Championships are concerned, it's a pretty epic toss-up between which West Coast group will come out on top in Dayton, Ohio, this weekend.

From the start of the season, Broken City (Lake Elsinore, CA), RCC (Riverside, CA), and Pulse (Westminster, CA) have been on everyone's minds as title favorites. These are groups that often sweep the top three spots—for example, in 2016, Pulse took first, RCC took second, and Broken City third. 

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It's important to remember these groups are also competing in the Southern California Percussion Alliance, or SCPA, alongside WGI competition. The SCPA has spawned some of the most iconic ensembles, show design concepts, and technique styles to hit the indoor percussion scene.

Editors note: As you read this, be careful assuming SCPA results will translate over to WGI results; the sheets are similar but not exact.

Early-Season SCPA

Going as far back as the SCPA Damien show on Feb. 3, RCC and Pulse were not far from each other. Even with a 0.9-point penalty, RCC was just two points behind Pulse—RCC scored a subtotal of 84.95 (-.9) and Pulse earned an 86.05.

Two weekends later, on Feb. 18, it was time for Broken City to make its first showing and for RCC to show off its improvements since getting judges feedback earlier that month. Interestingly enough, at Monrovia High School, Broken City barely topped RCC—the two groups were just 0.05 away from each other—with an incredibly tight margin.

RCC won three of the four captions (music effect, music, and visual), but Broken City's visual effect show was nearly half a point higher, giving it the edge overall.

March Madness

Nearly a month later, the groups have gone through a clear adjustment phase and made fixes following the notes from judges at the two SCPA shows as well as changes the designers may have planned—or not planned.

On March 11, RCC and Pulse met once again to bring their best to the floor at the SCPA Temescal Canyon show. Pulse did sweep all four captions and beat RCC by 1.2, but both groups improved right around the 90-point mark. Pulse earned a 90.1 and RCC fell JUST short with an 88.9.

Finally taking this excitement to a WGI show, all three groups converged on the West Power Regional. In prelims, the tension was nearly tactile. Broken City and RCC tied with a 92.7, but Pulse was right behind the two with a 92.6. 

Although the spread did open up in the West Power Regional finals, it was still only a point between third and first place. Broken City held the top spot and improved its score by less than a tenth of a point. The group ended up taking first in three of the captions, unlike prelims where it only took one. 

RCC and Pulse flipped, putting RCC in third with a score of 91.85. Pulse earned a 92 flat.

Parking Lots, Rim Shots: Jackpot.

Before making their way to Dayton, all of the groups made a pitstop at the SCPA Championships in San Bernardino, CA.

Pulse scored a pretty impressive 95.05 (remember, the sheets are not exactly the same as WGI), putting it in first in prelims on April 7. Broken City (94.1) was only 0.95 behind Pulse, with RCC was tight in pursuit with a 94.0. Here's where things get even crazier: SCPA Championship finals.

In this past weekend's finals, RCC made the jump to first, closing the 1.05 gap and then some, to beat Pulse by 0.2. Broken City took third but was only about half a point behind Pulse in second. 

En Route To Dayton

At this point, everyone has beaten everyone. RCC was trailing just barely behind in the early season and have now started its surge forward at what could be the perfect moment. Either way, Pulse, RCC, and Broken City are bringing a season's worth of shake-ups to Dayton and no one knows where the cards will fall.