My 5 Favorite Series

by Crazy Ivan


Myachi Man says choosing a favorite Myachi is kind of like trying to pick a favorite kid.  He refuses to select one as his personal favorite, or even to say that one is a better jammer than the other.  He makes the very reasonable argument that any Myachi is jammable if you put enough time and effort into it (with the possible exception of the Vette).

I don't go that far with it and will not only choose a favorite Myachi (the Calvin), but go as far as rating the top 10 or even 20 if asked.  But when it comes to rating a whole series, I find myself in a dilemma a lot like Myachi Man's.  These series are more than a grouping of fabrics to me.  They represent different eras in my life.

The 1.0 was my first summer with Myachi, the 1.1 my first Christmas.  The 2.0 series will always make me think of Universal Studios, the XM7 will always make me think of the early days at FAO.  The 4.0 will always make me think about the Myachigon and the 2.2 will always make me think of filming the first commercial.

So when I rank the series I know that I'm adding a little of my own prejudice.  It would be impossible for me to divorce the series from all the symbolism that clings to them through Myachi's long history.  With that in mind, I'm presenting my top 5 series.  Unlike normal top 5 lists, I'll be starting with the number one and counting down.

 #1) Series 3.1 

This series was an all time classic.  Not only did it contain the rerelease of the Calvin (history's favorite Myachi), but it also contained the legendary Black Beard, the quintessential sack in the "Beard" family.  As if that wasn't enough, this was the first series (along with the co-released 3.1) to make heavy use of corduroy fabrics so the Highlander Blue in this series complimented the never-before-seen yumminess of the Black Beard.

 #2) Series 3.0 

It would be kind of unrealistic to list anything else here if 3.1 takes my top spot.  The two series were, after all, released at the same time and contained a perfect harmony of sister sacks.  The 3.0 had a Black Butter, the 3.1 the Slater.  The 3.0 had the Deisel, the 3.1 had the Calvin.  The 3.0 had the Red Beard, the 3.1 had the Black Beard, and so on.  Clearly, the jammability of the two series was essentially the same, but the Calvin was and is a better jammer than the Diesel and the Black Beard is cooler than the Red in my opinion so the 3.1 earns a slight edge.

I should also mention that the 3.0/3.1 release was the first series that contained the "Crazy Ivan" cartoon character (the old, awful reboot of the Big Dog character that preceded my modern illustrated avatar).  I only bring that up because that might be entering into my thinking as I try to recall my all time favorite series.

 #3) Series 4.2 

A spectacular series that has earned notoriety even so recently after its retirement, the 4.2 offered something for everyone.  There was an experimental fabric that keeps this series from taking its place as the all time best, but sacks like the Cherry Fizz, the Yellow Jacket, the Patchwork Black and the Rolling Thunder made this series a pleasure to look at and jam with.  In addition, you had the inclusion of the first new Beard since the 3.0/3.1 introduced them.

 #4) Series 5.0 

I know that it's way too early to be declaring this newest series as one of the all time best, but given the extraordinary jammability of 10 of the 12 sacks and the appealing look of 12 of the 12 sacks, I have a sneaking suspicion that this placement will be warranted in the future.  The Shredders, Tidal Waves and Lumberjacks are sure to be lasting favorites and the Hounds Tooth stands to be one of the most popular Myachis of all time.

 #5) Series 1.05 

Going all the way back to the dawn of the Blister Pack, the 1.05 was a hastily chosen rerelease of the 1.0 with three key changes.  The Juice became a Midnight Blue (the first appearance of this sack), the Royal Tiger became a Cammo (not the first appearance of this sack) and the Eye of the Dragon became a Fireball.

In addition to these sacks, the 1.05 contained the Diggity, the Black Butter, the Calvin, the Red Stripe, the Purple Haze and the Leopard Lime.  While not all of these sacks were great jammers, it was probably the most visually striking series of all time.  Add to that the fact that it contained at least three of the best jammers even released in a series, it would be a shame not to give that series at least an honorable mention on my list.