# Reverse countdown with one-line verdicts

A gaming format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming/reverse-countdown-with-one-line-verdicts

Rank a franchise, a stat or a year's releases from worst to best, or from least to most, giving each entry one sentence or one number and saving #1 for the end. It worked for 3 accounts, with a median of 9x their usual reach. Type: Editing trick. Seen as: Video, Talking head.

## Why it works

Viewers stay to see where their favorite lands and to argue with the order. Epix.gaming1, maxktv2, jacobm.stevens and _tomanderson16_ repeat this, and _tomanderson16_ puts an exact count or percentage on every entry.

## How to make it

1. Pick a countable list or a franchise
2. Give each entry a quick clip plus one verdict or exact number
3. Place a fan favorite surprisingly low and hold #1 (or Part 2) for last

## Hook formula

Every [franchise/item] ranked from worst to best (or by [metric])

## Examples

- @_tomanderson16_ (58K followers, Instagram video): 24x their usual views. Hook: “The Hardest Ranks To Reach In Video Games” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd4YTeGK9u5/)
- @jacobm.stevens (225K followers, TikTok talking head): 8.4x their usual views. Hook: “Ranking EVERY game I Beat in 2026 Worst to Best (40 Games💀)” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@jacobm.stevens/video/7694756249178524959)
- @houserulesdallas (101K followers, Instagram talking head): 4.3x their usual views. Hook: “Top 5 Best Selling Board Games” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DexO0hBPIDV/)

More gaming formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in gaming, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Gaming")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Gaming")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## How this is measured

- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.

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