Brightvale Scores Another Upset Victory

[antiaircraft]

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).

 

We've come to the end of day twenty-four of the Altador Cup, and it looks like the upsets just keep coming, with no less than three remarkable outcomes on today's results card.

 

Let's start with Team Brightvale: since they first made the headlines with a stunning victory over the Virtupets Robots a few days ago, they've continued to add to their outstanding record, scoring a Yooyuball draw against Maraqua only the day before their match against the Darigan Citadel. And as for yesterday's match, well, the Citadel found themselves in the fight of the season right from the starting whistle, as Brightvale charged straight ahead with their carefully calculated new offensive strategy - but today the Wizards rolled out with a twist, sacrificing their initial defensive positions entirely and opting instead to focus all their efforts on mid-field play. The results were immediate, and spectacularly so, with the bold adjustments to their strategy serving to eliminate the defensive weaknesses that plagued it previously, simply by applying a massive degree of mid-field pressure.

 

Despite the Wizards' success, the Citadel's wily forwards inevitably managed to clear their mid-field line and quickly overwhelmed Brightvale keeper Orie Dinelle for an impressive final goal tally. This tally was nowhere near the one the Wizards managed to score however, having managed to play a significant portion of the game effectively on top of the Citadel's goal. With a Yooyuball victory (and the overall match) securely in their hands, Brightvale's wildly cheering fans seemed to have a good chance of taking home Make Some Noise as well, but the Minions' fantastic Slushie Slinger service, as well as an incredible last-minute victory at Shootout Showdown, gave the Citadel's supporters enough of a boost to take all three side games.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/darigancitadel_1.gif" alt="Layton Vickles" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> When questioned by reporters after the match, Darigan Citadel Team Captain Layton Vickles solemnly replied, "It jussst goes to show that experience doesn't determine a game's outcome. You've got to think, and you need the guts to try out new plansss. We all learn sssomething from each match, and Tressif wasss able to turn that knowledge into action. A true captain if there ever wasss one. Asss for us," the Hissi added with a sly wink, "it's always been a fact that teams learn lessss when they win, and more when they lose."

 

And it seems Brightvale isn't the only team that's been fielding a few new tricks lately, as Team Faerieland also managed to hold their own against top-tier contenders Terror Mountain - in no less than two games to boot. Both Yooyuball and Slushie Slinger were dead even by the end of the match, as the Faeries fought hard for every last second of the match, and while Terror Mountain still secured an overall victory with the remaining side games, Faerieland supporters were positively glowing with satisfaction as they left the match.

 

"It's not half bad," remarked one Faerieland supporter, "not bad at all. And it'll keep getting better, as we always do. Faerieland for the Cup!"

 

In our third exceptional result (and the second upset of the day), Team Virtupets' Yooyuball defence was utterly smashed by a ruthless onslaught from Haunted Woods forward Zo Junior and his supporting teammates, putting the Zombies ahead by a tremendous margin in the first quarter and maintaining that lead throughout the rest of the match. The Zombies quickly followed up their substantial Yooyuball victory with a string of faultless Shootout Showdown runs, and claimed a third win thanks to an aggressive renovation of the team's slushie stands, drastically improving the atmosphere, and subtly directing customers to queue up more sensibly in the process. Not even Team Virtupets' top-of-the-line Make Some Noise record went unmarked, as the Haunted Woods' raucous cheering carried them to a draw on that last front, leaving the Zombies just short of a sweep, and rekindling hopes that they'll still manage to make a first tier run after all.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/lostdesert_2.gif" alt="Vonde Cayle" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> While the Haunted Woods' first tier hopes were growing in strength, Team Maraqua's were doused a little, as the Lost Desert Mummies almost managed to hit the Mermaids with a full side game sweep. While the Mermaids' impregnable defence allowed them to gain a convincing victory in Yooyuball, neither team was able to outpace the other at the slushie stands, and the Lost Desert forged ahead in Make Some Noise and Shootout Showdown, grabbing a few more of those ever-more-critical match points. With most other top tier contenders maintaining a blistering pace, Team Maraqua's performance seems downright lacklustre by comparison, leading many analysts to question whether the team and its supporters have the drive needed to be a true championship team. Meanwhile, Team Lost Desert remains comfortably seated in tier four, no doubt readying itself for one final sprint towards the tier above.

 

Among the Lost Desert's rivals for a position in tier three are the eleventh-ranked Kiko Lakers, a team well known for pulling spectacular results out of the most difficult situations. Determined as always, the Kikos upheld their reputation in their match against Team Tyrannia, taking both Make Some Noise and Shootout Showdown from the side-gaming powerhouse. Tyrannia still managed a fair point tally however, with victories in Yooyuball and Slushie Slinger boosting their pursuit of the rapidly ailing Maraquans.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/mysteryisland_1.gif" alt="Volgoth" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> <img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2011/teams/rooisland_2.gif" alt="Jair Tollet" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> Mystery Island and Roo Island, two more mid-tier heavyweights on the rise, fought another pitched battle on section B's Yooyuball field, as the Natives' legendary offensive line-up met the Roos' flexible array of dual-purpose relays. Both teams had scored well over ten goals by the match's halfway point, but neither team seemed to be able to pull conclusively ahead, and indeed by the end of the game the scoreboard was dead even. While Roo Island was able to scoot easily ahead in Slushie Slinger, Mystery Island rapidly gained the edge when it came to the penalty shootouts, and the Natives' unquenchable enthusiasm was able to win them Make Some Noise, tipping the overall outcome in their favour.

 

Over in the contention for the top four, Teams Kreludor and Meridell leaped ahead with excellent results today, settling into first and second place respectively. However, despite being ranked on the opposite end of the leaderboard, Teams Altador and Moltara still managed to hit back hard, forcing their respective opponents to fight for every last match point. While Team Altador still wasn't quite able to stave off a sweep, and Moltara couldn't quite replicate their mind-boggling success from the previous match, the Moltarans did still manage a win in Make Some Noise, moving them closer to a much anticipated departure from the fifth tier.

 

Team Krawk Island, currently the third placed contender in the top four, didn't fare quite so well against the Shenkuu Ninjas yesterday. Despite clear victories for the Pirates in Yooyuball and Shootout Showdown, they were unable to make much progress against Shenkuu's determined supporters in Slushie Slinger or Make Some Noise, leaving the two games at a draw.

 

Moving right on to our matches to watch for today, we have something of a grudge match between old rivals Maraqua and Kiko Lake. The Kikos have a long-running history of pulling off upsets against Maraqua, which could be very bad news for the Maraquans, considering their lull in performance. Team Terror Mountain also faces a very tough match against the Darigan Citadel, while the two currently top-ranked teams, Kreludor and Meridell, will be facing off as well. With that in mind, I'd better get back on the field. This is AA, reporting from Altador, signing off! Good luck!

[jonathanjoseph99]

I'm kinda shocked and slightly scared.

Shenkuu and Brightvale's match points difference are very close.

If Shenkuu makes a lot of mistakes, and Brightvale continuously does this upsets. Shenkuu's gonna fall to Tier 4.

But I won't (we won't) let that happen! SHENKUU's GONNA BEAT ROO ISLAND IN SLUSHIE SLINGER TODAY AND EXCEED KIKO LAKE IN THE STANDINGS WITH WINNING YOOYUBALL , MAKE SOME NOISE AND SHOOTOUT SHOWDOWN FROM THE ROOLIGANS! :D

 

Faerieland deserves to escape Tier 4 and enter Tier 2. Hahaha. And Haunted Woods for the cup.

 

:DD

[AgJu]

Eeek....Terror Mountain really needed a YYB win! Now we're dangerously close to falling out of the 2nd Tier and with Darigan Citadel as today's opponents, there's a good chance it'll happen (depending on how Haunted Woods does today). Let's work hard Terror Mountain and kick some Darigan tail! There've been a number of upsets lately...let's be the next to pull one off!

[voteforpedro333]

Outstanding work really. When you're not fighting for the top four spots it's a lot more fun to look at all the awesome games. I know last year for sure the only thing I cared about was the opponent in front of us (and rightly so! gotta keep concentration). Good job to my fellow team for learning from past mistakes, it looks like we're starting to reverse our lackluster first round results. Onwards!

[Person335]

Geez. This entire year has gone topsy-turvy.

Unexpected teams rise the ranks, strong teams fall to smaller ones, and underdogs come out swinging on some days.

 

Too bad we didn't repeat yesterday's results, but hey, a win's a win, so we'll take it.

[Guest Ty]

Do you have something against KI? It's quite clear you don't like them.

[antiaircraft]

Do you have something against KI? It's quite clear you don't like them.

Of course I have something against KI, just like I have something against any other team depending on how many characters of text I write on their match, how tired I am by the time I get to covering them, the affiliation of the reader, the proportion of vowels to consonants in all related paragraphs, the screen brightness and temperature of the displaying computer, and the rotational tilt of the earth at the time of reading. :)

 

That said, Krawk Island is one of my favourite teams in the tournament. Any time you have a specific point you want to object to, feel free to raise it.

[nikh]

Do you have something against KI? It's quite clear you don't like them.

 

Not again! We welcome such people to the topic "http://www.tdnforums.com/index.php?/topic/27485-dinos-left-a-little-chilly/" for more "action" reviews! ;)

[-Ryan]

Guest fail. 0:-)

I dont see anything negative towards KI at all.

 

 

[Guest PewPew]

Do you have something against KI? It's quite clear you don't like them.

 

 

Of course I have something against KI, just like I have something against any other team depending on how many characters of text I write on their match, how tired I am by the time I get to covering them, the affiliation of the reader, the proportion of vowels to consonants in all related paragraphs, the screen brightness and temperature of the displaying computer, and the rotational tilt of the earth at the time of reading. :)

 

That said, Krawk Island is one of my favourite teams in the tournament. Any time you have a specific point you want to object to, feel free to raise it.

 

Yeah I don't see anything particularly negative, but I'm just guessing he/she/it said this because you said that KI did not "fare quite so well" against SK when they got 2 wins and 2 draws and clearly got an overall win, and that you said that Moltara "steamrolled" KI just because of a YYB win; a clear overall win for Moltara. So if Moltara wins YYB it's a steamroll, but if KI wins YYB coupled with SOSD they did not fare well? Idk, just trying to figure out why he/she/it said that haha, although I do agree that they did not fare as well as the last time they faced them. Love the reports btw!!! :D Keep doing what you do!

[antiaircraft]

Yeah I don't see anything particularly negative, but I'm just guessing he/she/it said this because you said that KI did not "fare quite so well" against SK when they got 2 wins and 2 draws and clearly got an overall win, and that you said that Moltara "steamrolled" KI just because of a YYB win; a clear overall win for Moltara. So if Moltara wins YYB it's a steamroll, but if KI wins YYB coupled with SOSD they did not fare well? Idk, just trying to figure out why he/she/it said that haha, although I do agree that they did not fare as well as the last time they faced them. Love the reports btw!!! :D Keep doing what you do!

Right, thanks for pointing this out (and thanks for reading too, much appreciated). :) I do admit that the use of 'steamrolled' in that headline was a bit sensationalist (which I suppose is the norm for most headlines these days xD ), but considering that an 18th-ranked team managed to defeat a 1st-ranked team, I figured they'd at least earned that.

 

With regard to the use of 'didn't fare quite so well' in this report, that was actually very literal, speaking relative to the matches mentioned in the previous paragraph. Team Kreludor achieved a sweep and earned a full 2 match points, while Team Meridell won Yooyuball and two side games, earning them 1 + 1/3 + 1/3 ≈ 1.67 match points. With a Yooyuball win, a side game win, and two side game draws, Krawk Island earned 1 + 1/3 + 1/9 + 1/9 ≈ 1.56 match points, meaning that it quite literally didn't fare as well as the victors mentioned just before.

 

Yes, I probably put waaay too much effort into the transitions between matches. :P Anyway, thanks again for your feedback. ;)