The Hunter Games at the last IAC were an extremely popular success. Some may describe them as a cross between watching a gladiator match and a nature documentary. Of course, in a nature documentary, the predators and preys weren't so evenly matched and gladiator matches were far more brutal. Just because these hunts had far lower stakes and safeties included to prevent real injury didn't make them any less exciting. As such, they were one of the most anticipated part of this year's IAC.
But while the Hunter Games set in Lyre and the underwater version set in Mieni Atoll were popular, the Hunter Games set in Dinosaur City were the ones that arguably drew the most attention. The dynamics between predator and prey were considerably different when it came to Dinotopians. Most modern prey species avoided being eaten by being fast. And while the top speeds of some dinosaurs were debatable, it was clear that most herbivore Dinotopians would have to fight their way out instead of evading the carnivores.
Of course, the herbivores were hardly under-equipped for combat. Though like with the Hunter Games in Lyre, safeties had to be added to make sure no one was injured. Plastic covers had to be put on Sherry's horns and Rachel's spikes to prevent them from puncturing their hunter's skin. And a large foam cover had to be put over Walter's tail club to keep him from accidentally crushing anyone's bones.
The terrains for the hunts weren't quite as diversified as the ones in Lyre. As they couldn't perfectly replicate the prehistoric forests of the Mesozoic era, they went with deciduous trees to cover them. And most of the hunts either took place in forests, open plains, or forest clearings. The latter were particularly important for the ambush predators.
Now, there was a considerable distinction between the carnivore Dinotopians that hunted in packs and the ones who hunted solo. The best example of that were Sora and Yuki. They were both paired against Candace. Granted, Velociraptor lived on a separate continent than Parasaurolophus and would have been the wrong size class to try and hunt it. However, the two raptor sisters did show very good coordination with taking down Candace. Of course, their sickle claws were capped and they didn't anything more lethal than taking her flag.
Tyra was a different beast. It was interesting to see how she would hunt. As a Syntixisaurus rex, Tyra was a combination of different theropods, even if she was nominally a subspecies of Tyrannosaurus. And of course, Tyra herself would have a different approach. Her chosen prey was Andrew. They might not have existed in the same time period, but Tyra's species didn't actually exist back then. In any case, a Brachiosaurus wasn't just something one just charged head-on. If they were targeted by predators, it would only be the young ones or the old ones who wouldn't put up a fight. Andrew was clearly neither.
Some would expect, given Tyra's flashy personality, that she would make a brazen attack and try to rush Andrew. But she was smarter than that. She stalked Andrew through the forested area. When they got to an area with closely-placed trees, she sprang out and caught him by surprise. Even then, the hunt wasn't over that easily. Andrew was able to hold his own against Tyra, even though both were not trying to hurt the other. It was a really close match, with both making near misses. But eventually, Andrew snagged Tyra's flag and won the match. Still, it was probably the most exciting match-up of the Hunter Games. And while Tyra may not have been the winner, she was confident she would able to come out on top in the bodybuilding competition.