Shenkuu Crushes Mystery Island, Fight Breaks Out

[motz]

Obligatory disclaimer: This news report was written to inform you all of the latest Altador Cup results in as entertaining a manner as possible. The rest of its content is largely fictional, composed from various fan comments and the whims of our imagination in an attempt to inspire a sense of realism through our reporting. While we do our best to keep things reasonably neutral, this report is in no way intended to be a completely bias-free listing of the day's results, nor does it claim to provide critical analysis of past and potential outcomes from qualified Altador Cup experts. Please note that the opinions formulated in this report are from a full team of different reporters, and in no way represent the views of only a single faction. If you're looking for 100% unbiased performance data, take a look at our standings page. If professional analysis tickles your fancy, you want our predictions pages (global/daily).

 

Greetings, Cup fans, and welcome to TDN’s very own report of the latest AC matches. I’m Motz, here from the station, and the results have just started coming in from the Stadium. Let’s see how today has turned out for Neopia’s teams.

 

In our first game of the day, Maraqua swamped the Faerieland team in all but Slushie Slinger, where the faeries came out on top. The Yooyuball game was intense, with the Faerieland defense holding up admirably, and dare I say, surprisingly. Unfortunately, the Maraquan offence pulled through, securing even more points for the ambitious team.

 

It was roughly the same for Darigan Citadel, winning all but Slushie Slinger. As expected, they dominated on the Yooyuball field. We recieved a brief comment from right forward Tandrak Shay afterwords. He stated “...it’s a shame we lost was little we did. S’points that we kind of needed.” With the Citadel just on the brink of Top Four, it’s true that they need all the points that they can get. As for the Lost Desert, Captain Heggle was seen reprimanding his team off the field, his defenders in particular.

 

Moving on, Roo Island suffered today, losing both the Yooyuball match and Slushie Slinger to the Meridell team. They took Shootout Showdown, while drawing even at Make Some Noise. It proved to be a close match on the Yooyuball field, both teams scoring goals, and pushing the game into overtime. It did, however, end with a spectacular side shot from forward Fiorina.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/medieval/grumpy_king_notamused.gif" alt="King Skarl" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> <img src="https://images.neopets.com/games/dice/kingroo.gif" alt="King Roo" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> As a side note, the kings of both lands were seen sharing a Shrimp Cocktail in the VIP booth. As expected, by the end of the match, Skarl had gorged himself, and was dozing, while good King Roo encouraged his disappointed team.

 

Back to the results, Kreludor suffered a surprising amount of difficulty today. Being the top team, it was predicted that they would sweep Terror Mountain. The tenacious team from Terror Mountain proved that thought wrong, and defeated the space team in all but Yooyuball. The Kreludor team emerged victorious in an almost perfect game, though their victory was indeed marred by the other losses. Even though their Yooyuball team was dismayed, they were heartened by the side game wins, putting them up to 7th place. As for Kreludor, they remain at the top, this last match just a bump in the road.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/krawkisland_4.gif" alt="Zayle Sufhaux" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> In the highly anticipated match between Krawk Island and Tyrannia, tensions were high as both teams fought to hold on to their respective ranks and, hopefully, rise ahead. It was in Krawk Island’s favor on the field, as they took the Yooyuball match, and fourth place. It wasn’t all in vain, though, as Tyrannia won both Slushie Slinger and Shootout Showdown. Make Some Noise ended in a tight draw, and both teams left the Stadium cheerful.

 

It was battle of the more exotic teams today, as Mystery Island and Shenkuu duked it out. Before the matches, we managed to get a brief statement from Captain Volgoth. “Don’t be silly, miss, we’ll smash those puny ‘rice-eaters’,” followed by unintelligible growling and chest-pounding. Soon after, he was hauled off by team members, apologizing profusely for the racial slur. The game proved him wrong, and he was found afterwords in a rage, throwing anybody within range into the air, whilst the rest of his team tried to restrain him.

 

What’s this? It appears a fight has just now broken out between Shenkuu defender Larcy Phu, and Captain Volgoth! It was broken apart by nearby team members, but not without some damage done. Will come back to that in a bit!

 

Alright, now, for the Haunted Woods - Altador game, we go to AA, on location. How’s it looking there, AA?

 

"Well, the results of the match might not have been particularly surprising for analysts (Altador took Slushie Slinger, and the Haunted Woods triumphed in the other games), but the match itself was absolutely spectacular, as anyone who's been following the Cup will have come to expect from the underdog teams. What they lack in match points and raw strength, the teams in the tournament's lower tiers make up for in innovation. Every Yooyuball game they play sees a plethora of new strategies brought onto the field, and while many of these strategies inevitably fail, many of the sport's finest classic strategies were first seen right here, assembled by the brightest minds in the game.

 

This time around however, it wasn't just the underdog that was putting new tactics to the test. In fact, the Haunted Woods' incredible performance against a number of top-tier contenders over the past few days has been attributed by most analysts to the fresh twists they recently added to their offensive gameplan.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/hauntedwoods_4.gif" alt="Zo Junior" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> <img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/altador_3.gif" alt="Wilberto Seliz" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> To get the inside scoop on how these two teams have been working on the Cup's latest and greatest stratagems, I'm here with Winberto Seliz and Zo Junior, forwards for Teams Altador and Haunted Woods respectively.

 

Winberto Seliz and Zo Junior, thanks for joining us today.

Zo Junior: Not a problem! Any excuse to get off slushie duty for a few minutes, if you know what I mean. (laugh)

Winberto Seliz: Oh, I definitely know what you mean. Man, I've gained a whole new level of respect for people working in the food service industry. Kudos to them. But anyway, I'm happy to be here.

 

Heh, I think Slushie Slinger has had that effect on all of us. Right then, it looks like we're short on time already, so I'll cut to the chase. Both of your teams place heavy emphasis on defence, playing in defensive formations with only one forward. How does it feel to be the only offensive player on your respective teams?

Seliz: Well, it can be a tad pressing at times, but the truth is that we aren't really the only offensive guys on our squads. Even when we play in one plus three, the guys (and girls) on defence give us a lot of support, pushing up the line and bringing the match as close to the opposite goal as we can. There's some formal name for that strategy which I can't remember...

Zo: I'm pretty sure that's a 'slow push'.

Seliz: Right. Anyway, even the keepers can help us out on the offensive, even if it's just by screaming that we're doing a horrible job. (laugh) There was this one epic goal that Salayne managed to score in our last match though.

Zo: (wince) Ach.

Seliz: (laugh) Come on man, you paid us back triple for that one. You were moving so fast near the end of the match that I couldn't even figure out where you were half the time.

Zo: Only half? (laugh) All right, that goal from Salayne was amazing, I have to admit. But really, there's never any one person responsible for offence on a team. You play as a unit, or you just flop. It's a team sport, so that's how it's always been.

 

That's very true. Interestingly enough, despite your teams' focus on defence, it seems that most of your recent strategic developments have been oriented towards offence. Why is that so?

Seliz: Well, when you've got defence pretty much nailed down, there's only one area left to work in right?

Zo: That's right. Our teams are about as good at defence as we can manage under the new rules, so if we want to improve, we end up getting the most benefit when we set our sights on getting Yooyus across the field and into the opposite goal.

Seliz: Yep. Well, that was an easy one... hey come on, Windelle told us that TDN's interviews would be all impossibly tough strategic stuff. I knew I shouldn't have listened to him...

Zo: (laugh) That Windelle's a sly one. You can never tell when he's telling tall *tails*.

Seliz: (facepalm) *Please* don't start with that one again, I still have a headache from our last chat...

 

Erm... yes. Anyway, so what can you tell us about the new strategies your teams have been developing?

Seliz: Well over at Team Altador we've been focusing on getting our gameplan to fit the new rules. It's all in the formation, the player movements, all that stuff, making sure you have your angles down right so everyone's in place at the right moment.

Zo: That's absolutely right. My team's also been putting a lot of effort into the first few seconds of each run. It's all about ball control. Ball control, ball control, ball control. If we can get hold of the Yooyu, then we have control of the game. From that point on it's *our* formations and *our* movements that dictate how the match is going to go, and that makes it far easier to get in that one critical shot.

Seliz: Yep. Apart from that though, there's not a whole lot more to it. Most of the other stuff is just finding new ways to pass the Yooyu around in circles, triangles, rectangles, and whatever polygons we can think of while everyone runs back and forth and tries to get in position.

Zo: And trying not to get hit in the face by the ball.

Seliz: And trying not to get hit in the face by the ball.

 

Thank you for those insights. Well then, moving onto something that's slightly less focused on Yooyuball: it's a sad but inevitable fact that at some point during most matches, there are a few individuals from every team that like to get a bit unsporting, throwing negative comments back and forth and so on. What do you think of this whole issue?

Zo: Well, if you've got time to talk down hard-working people from other teams, then you've certainly got time to go and do something useful yourself. Sportsmanship is a key part of the Altador Cup, and being unsporting like that is really unproductive, not to mention plain rude.

Seliz: Spot on. Trolling hurts your team, 'nuff said. Someday I'm going to officially propose that all bad sportsmanship be penalised with three straight hours at the slushie stands.

Zo: You just want to get out of slushie duty, don't you?

Seliz: (gasp) I would never...

Zo: …

Seliz: (laugh) Yeah, it's also really important to be able to take a little criticism here and there, even if you think it's undeserved. It's not like you can hold a mirror up all the time while you're playing, so if somebody else notices something, it won't hurt to check up on it. And don't jab back at them. Just don't. It's stupid. Nobody wins.

Zo: Absolutely right. Criticism is a part of our development as athletes, whether it's well meant or not. It lets you look at the things you might not be doing so well from another perspective, and that's how you improve. And if you get criticised for something you're not doing any more, well, that's how you know you're improving.

 

On a more personal note, it's no secret that both of you have been good friends for a long time, despite playing on different teams. Have either of you personally had any trouble with your friendship?

Zo: (laugh) Nah, not really. We're not the only good friends you'll find on different teams in the Cup. Like any friendship, it's had its ups and downs, but we've had plenty of great times and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Seliz: Well there was this one time yesterday when I was going for a tackle, but you dodged out of the way and I ended up slamming into the wall...

Zo: (wince) Right... well hey, I'm not the one who always goes charging in full force for every tackle.

Seliz: (laugh) No worries there man, I haven't met a wall that's tougher than me yet. Just watch out the next time you try to tackle me top-field.

 

Winberto Seliz and Zo Junior, thank you very much for your time.

Zo: You're welcome! Thanks for having us on.

Seliz: Ditto. It was a pleasure dodging slushie duty with you.

Lyvon Cibaire: Ah! There you are Wilberto! Get over here quickly! Remis says you're up for slushie duty!

Seliz: Oh come on..."

 

Thank you very much, AA. It’s nice to see two opposing team members getting along so well. The insight into new strategies is a treat, as well. And, let’s hope this friendliness continues, even with fights breaking out, and surprising animosity between various fan bases.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/popups/virtupets/logo.png" alt="Team Virtupets Logo" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> Continuing on, Brightvale put up a surprising fight against the powerhouse from Virtupets. Weemelot kept the VP defence on it’s toes, scoring quite the number of goals. However, despite his admirable playing, VP came out on top, sweeping the medieval team in absolutely everything. This put the Virtupets team right behind Kreludor in ranking, providing a potential dogfight for first place. With the first round coming to a close, we can easily hope to see future matches between the two orbital teams, and a potential rivalry emerging. And Brightvale, though being one of the lower ranking teams, left with their head held high.

 

Ah, we’ve just received word concerning the fist fight between Shenkuu defender Larcy Phu and Mystery Island’s own captain, Volgoth. Apparently, Phu initiated the fight, having earlier overhead the ‘rice-eater’ comment. Fellow team member Foltaggio pulled him off the Mynci, and goalkeeper Benneveldt kept his captain from chasing after. Fortunately, no permanent injuries were sustained, potentially harming future playability. But, tensions run high between both teams, as Captain Grelinek was later seen exchanging harsh words with MI forward Bertie Shurtz. It appears players have grown outright aggressive, now that the first round draws to a close.

 

Last, but not least, Moltara continues to struggle. In today’s match, they fell beneath the Kiko Lake offense, and lost everything but Slushie Slinger. Kiko Lake continues to dance in a middle ground, ranking twelfth in the league. There is still a chance that they rise above, and with their side game trend staying positive, they can definitely hope so. However, this being their first Yooyuball win, things still seem too hazy to predict.

 

That’s all for today, folks! Today’s upcoming matches are almost the last of the first round. We have many exciting match ups, including Maraqua and Darigan Citadel, two ambitious teams, fighting to stay on top. Will Maraqua continue on the Top Four, or will Darigan Citadel take them down a peg? Also in the matches, we have Haunted Woods versus Tyrannia. Both teams have done well so far, though Tyrannia is fighting to get back on top. With Haunted Woods’ newfound strength show through, or do they face certain defeat?

 

And to spice things up, we have underdogs Kiko Lake and Altador, where the victor seems unpredictable. Altador has suffered more losses, while Kiko Lake has done admirably in side games, as well as hooking themselves a few Yooyuball draws and win. Still, it proves to be an exciting match up, one we’re all excited to see.

 

But, that’s it for now. Tune in tomorrow for the unpredictable results. Until then, Motz signing off.

[Angeló]

what do you mean by MI crushes Shenkuu ??

 

We are the ones who crushed them !!! <_<

 

W D W L

[-Ryan]

Finally, our sidegames are green! :3

 

... But wait... SK pretty much owned MI today, not the other way around.

[Angeló]

I'm not watching this news channel again

 

*switches off TV*

[Blurrz]

It's alright Angelo, my team's just a bump in the road Q_Q

 

In all seriousness, gave Kreludor one of their worst results of the year, and set ourselves up for 1st tier entry if we demolish Kiko Lake and Faerieland.

[pipdoubledip]

I can't believe more focus was given to Kiko Lake! Their victory takes them out of the bottom tier, which is pretty much historic for them! 12th place is brilliant for KL! With Shenkuu facing tough competition today, there is a chance that KL could move up to 11th after facing Altador.

 

Since we are nearing the end of the round-robin, it looks like anybody in the top 9 has a strong chance at a podium finish. Looking forward to the second round-robin stage!

[jonathanjoseph99]

HOLD IT.

 

We CRUSHED Mystery Island! We beat them, they didn't beat us.

 

And today's matches aren't the last of the first round. Other than Virtupets, we still have Faerieland to face.

 

Seriously. Why do you think MI beat us? The results clearly say we beat MI!

 

I have nothing against MI (since they we're my team in AC 1) but seriously..?

 

I just can't believe.

 

And please don't make SK and MI look bad. :/ Both of our teams are good sports.

 

I know your just doing that for entertainment but..

 

I'm just upset right now. I know I shouldn't be since we're battling it out with VP today.. but...

[antiaircraft]

what do you mean by MI crushes Shenkuu ??

 

We are the ones who crushed them !!! <_<

... But wait... SK pretty much owned MI today, not the other way around.

Our sincerest apologies on that point. It appears that our posting system failed to overwrite a headline from an earlier draft article with the correct one.

[jonathanjoseph99]

Our sincerest apologies on that point. It appears that our posting system failed to overwrite a headline from an earlier draft article with the correct one.

 

AA! Apology accepted. :) I'm not upset now! So that's what happened, now I understand. :DDD

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

Now I can work hard to prevent a sweep from VP!

 

(Also, forgive me If I reacted like a child about the mistake in the article.. I just wasn't able to control myself. :/)

[antiaircraft]

(Also, forgive me If I reacted like a child about the mistake in the article.. I just wasn't able to control myself. :/)

No worries there. Pretty much all of today's technology journalism makes me react in exactly the same way (well actually, I'm far worse :P ).

[nikh]

Today's match is against Maraqua! Today was the first day, I faced difficulties in the match. I mean look at all their defenders and that big Skeith! I would fear the day when oppenents could pick up power-ups and the Skeith has the Mystery power-up! :mellow: Anyways, packed a 13-0 punch! GO DC! :laughingsmiley:

[antiaircraft]

It's alright Angelo, my team's just a bump in the road Q_Q

 

In all seriousness, gave Kreludor one of their worst results of the year, and set ourselves up for 1st tier entry if we demolish Kiko Lake and Faerieland.

That you did. Terror Mountain has definitely earned the title of fledgeling powerhouse. :yes: In terms of a bump in the road... think of it this way, you're a mountain mighty enough to smite the moon. ;)

 

Today's match is against Maraqua! Today was the first day, I faced difficulties in the match. I mean look at all their defenders and that big Skeith! I would fear the day when oppenents could pick up power-ups and the Skeith has the Mystery power-up! :mellow: Anyways, packed a 13-0 punch! GO DC! :laughingsmiley:

Heh, Oten is a great guy isn't he? xD I should get a screenshot of him with a mystery power-up sometime.

[Xepha]

Today's match is against Maraqua! Today was the first day, I faced difficulties in the match. I mean look at all their defenders and that big Skeith! I would fear the day when oppenents could pick up power-ups and the Skeith has the Mystery power-up! :mellow: Anyways, packed a 13-0 punch! GO DC! :laughingsmiley:

 

 

Rwar! You mean, when Oten looks like this? xD

 

Good luck everyone today, and awesome report. I've always been fan of Winberto Seliz (he is a WOCKY!!!) and Zo Junior (he's just awesome!!!).

[jonathanjoseph99]

Rwar! You mean, when Oten looks like this? xD

 

Good luck everyone today, and awesome report. I've always been fan of Winberto Seliz (he is a WOCKY!!!) and Zo Junior (he's just awesome!!!).

 

Nice screenshot! XD. Antola looks so small. Hahaha. But I bet if the big guy has the ball Antola can still manage to steal it. XD. :D

[Person335]

Wow, this episode has everything. Fights, results, surprises, stereotypes, interview (love the idea of a double interview by two different team members).

Though kind of disappointed that we lost this one, I know things will get better. Only thing Moltara can hope for is that the second round goes smoother. And we WILL make that happen!

 

P.S. Writing this post from my iPod. From a McDonald's. 'Cuz I'm on the road for summer vacation at this moment. :P

[nikh]

Rwar! You mean, when Oten looks like this? xD

 

Good luck everyone today, and awesome report. I've always been fan of Winberto Seliz (he is a WOCKY!!!) and Zo Junior (he's just awesome!!!).

 

That's one big Skeith! x_x

TNT should never think of making opponents get the power-ups or it will be a tough time passing through this Skeith and hitting the goal against the gigantic Koi!

[motz]

Shoot! Guys, I am so sorry. I misread the MI-SK results entirely. Please, please forgive me. I don't even know... Sorry everyone. That will not happen again. :(

 

And today's matches aren't the last of the first round. Other than Virtupets, we still have Faerieland to face.

 

Also, in regards to that, I meant that today's matches are the last, not yesterday's. I'm sorry if my wording was funny. I'll watch that in the future. And, once again, sorry. Shenkuu is my team, I have absolutely no idea how I misread it. :* I feel like a right idiot now.

[-Ryan]

Well, actually tomorrows matches are the last. 0:)

[motz]

Well, actually tomorrows matches are the last.

 

Ah, you're right. *facepalm* This report is riddled with mistakes. Not my greatest moment.

[Angeló]

so you guys are like newspapers ??? you write two headlines and whichever the result is .. you publish that ??? :mellow:

[wistiria12]

what do mean by "mistery island beats shenkuu" were the ones who beat them.It says so in the site(no ofense MI fans) <_<

[Angeló]

what do mean by "mistery island beats shenkuu" were the ones who beat them.It says so in the site(no ofense MI fans) <_<

 

They fixed it , Wistiria ... and they promised not to do it again ... never mess with the Ninjas :ph34r: hahaha

[Sakabato]

Congrats to us Shenkuu players for defeating Mystery Island! :D

 

However, we need more hard work to defeat the second best team, Virtupets as well, so don't get your hopes up, fellow Shenkuu players.

[voteforpedro333]

Ironic that the one game that LD won against DC is also the one I didn't manage to play yesterday...weird. I sent in my highest YYB games yesterday too, which I'm totally proud of. Man we just never get draws on anything anymore.

 

Also, to Kiko Lake: can I say WOW? A 12th place spot using only one YYB win and loads of side game power just boggles me! And here we are, poised with the ability to pass four teams in the standings and doing squat. I said it yesterday but again you inspire me.

 

 

 

[antiaircraft]

Shoot! Guys, I am so sorry. I misread the MI-SK results entirely. Please, please forgive me. I don't even know... Sorry everyone. That will not happen again. :(

Not your fault. :P I completely missed the error while I was doing the final substitution and proof check (which is meant to catch stuff exactly like this).

 

so you guys are like newspapers ??? you write two headlines and whichever the result is .. you publish that ??? :mellow:

Depending on time constraints and other factors, sometimes we will write partial or full skeleton reports in advance and substitute the results appropriately when they come out (I'm usually too lazy to do that however, hence reports tending to be very slow when I write them xD ). As I recall, I actually wrote up a full draft for every possible outcome for last year's finals, which would make that my longest report ever.