Kikos Take Maraqua By Storm

[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).

 

Good morning everyone, and welcome to our roundup for day eight of the seventh Altador Cup. We're now a third of the way into the tournament's second round, and it was almost beginning to seem like we were overdue for one of those massive upsets the Cup is so well known for. Well, yesterday's results did not disappoint. Let's head over to Lydia for more.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/items/foo_chicken_waffles.gif" alt="Fried Chicken and Waffles" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> "Hi there, AA, I'm here in my rain gear, and with what I have been told is a waterproof microphone! I've also been informed that the Kadoatie was lured out with Fried Chicken and Waffles. All future transmission issues are due to something else, because we all know we're going to have transmission issues at some point. However, today it won't be due to the wet.

 

The reason I'm in the rain gear today is due to the long-standing rivalry between the Kikos and the Mermaids. After the game, the field they played in was completely flooded, and they are still working on getting it emptied - something about no one being allowed into the water plant any more.

 

In a surprising turn of events, the Kikos swept the Mermaids completely away. They flooded the stands for Slushie Slinger and drowned out the noise in Make Some Noise. They... moved through the field like... a whirlpool... and you know what? They should not put two water based teams up against each other and expect me to come up with my own puns. Something about a water cannon in Shootout Showdown and here's Kiko Lake's Team Captain "Poke" Cellers again, with his thoughts on today's match!

 

"I was amazed. We've always been great rivals with Maraqua mostly because we are always evenly matched. That was what is so great about it - no one knows what is going to happen, ever!"

 

And that was certainly true of today's match! It was one of the closest matches in the cup so far, with the Kikos miraculously getting in an uncooperative Darigan Yooyu at the last minute! An incredible match, kept me right on the edge of my seat.

 

Of course this means - [Lydia gets drenched by an enthusiastic fan] - that the Kikos are celebrating quite rambunctiously, right alongside Maraquan fans! One of the fans of the Mermaids said he was excited for the next match off.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/items/mcc_punkguitar.gif" alt="Punk Rock" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> In the dryer part of the bracket, Mystery Island swept Faerieland away, and Tyrannia took all but Shootout Showdown from Moltara.

 

Though Moltara seems to have lost its steam, it still has the punk. But if they team up with Tyrannia, then they'll have punk rock!

 

Was that too much? That was probably too much. Oh well, back to you, AA!"

 

Thanks Lydia, and uh... keep on sharpening that wit of yours.

 

Moving over to Vaeolus Bracket, this seems to be quite the day for clear cut matches, as powerhouses Meridell and Krawk Island held steady with sweeps against mid-tier teams Terror Mountain and Roo Island respectively. While neither the Knights nor the Pirates have yet managed to claim a spot in the tournament's top trio of unstoppable contenders, sooner or later one of the trio is likely to slip back into the rank and file, and both of these teams plan to be waiting in the wings for that moment. The two defeated teams, however, still seem to be confident in their ability to round out their performance - and indeed, the new tournament format was specifically designed to make playing catch-up a little easier, so it'll be a while yet before analysts can count any teams out.

 

Finishing off the bracket was a particularly friendly game between the Lost Desert Mummies and Shenkuu Ninjas. Amicable relations between the two teams were maintained, despite the results leaning heavily in the Mummies' favour (Shenkuu managed draws in Make Some Noise and Shootout Showdown, but the remaining games went to the Lost Desert). Mirsha Grelinek, the Ninjas' Team Captain, reflected that spirit in her post-match statement, saying:

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2012/team_members/shenkuu_1.gif" alt="Mirsha Grelinek" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> "I'm not sure what people were expecting to see, really. Even before we started today, it was fairly clear Heggle and his team were in much better shape than we were - we have played a match once before this season, after all. I think we played solidly all things considered, and our opponents were absolutely stellar as always. A pair of draws isn't the worst that could've come out of this match, so I'm reasonably satisfied, and very happy to see the Lost Desert playing strongly this year. Of course, we'll be making plenty of improvements based on what we've learned so far, and things might end differently next time we meet."

 

The ride to victory was a little bumpier for yesterday's Alabriss Bracket winners. Team Virtupets were able to edge out ahead of the Haunted Woods with a Yooyuball win, but the Zombies dominated the side games, taking victories in Slushie Slinger and Shootout Showdown, and leaving Make Some Noise at a draw.

 

Team Brightvale had a similarly colourful battle against tournament hosts Team Altador. Not many analysts expected Altador to be able to claim a win from the Wizards, but the plucky underdog team's supporters rallied strongly in Slushie Slinger and Make Some Noise, staying even in the former and ending the day well ahead of Brightvale on the decibel meter. The Wizards were able to maintain an impenetrable front in the Yooyu sports however, holding the overall win with victories in Yooyuball and Shootout Showdown.

 

<img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2012/team_members/kreludor_1.gif" alt="Derlyn Fonnet" style="float:left;margin:5px;" /> <img src="https://images.neopets.com/altador/altadorcup/2012/team_members/darigancitadel_1.gif" alt="Layton Vickles" style="float:right;margin:5px;" /> Last on the results list was yesterday's highly anticipated match between top trio teams Kreludor and Darigan Citadel. True to form, both championship contenders made a fantastic showing on the Yooyuball field. Led by legendary midfielder and striker Layton Vickles, Team Darigan Citadel's peerless ferocity boosted them into an early lead as they smoothly converted aggressive control of the central field into a plethora of scoring opportunities. It was a ways into the match before Team Kreludor could make enough adjustments to break up the Minions' relentless scoring runs, and even then it was slim pickings for Kreludan strikers Qyldae Wegg and Zenor Kevix. The duo kept at it however, steadily closing the gap between the two teams as the match wore on. With only thirty seconds until the final whistle, Team Kreludor's hard work finally paid off, as Zenor Kevix equalised the score with a classic second-degree corner shot, and Qyldae Wegg followed up a long range rebound score. Kreludor's left defender and Team Captain Derlyn Fonnet managed to top them both however, tossing an uncooperative Faerie Yooyu right across the field to secure her team's lead at three points with a mere second left on the clock.

 

Ecstatic Kreludor fans swiftly managed to carry their teams' Yooyuball victory over into the stands, marking the sixth time Make Some Noise records have been broken this year. Shootout Showdown also went to Team Kreludor after some intense competition, with Slushie Slinger ending dead even and the overall victory firmly in Kreludor's hands.

 

"It'sss always a pleasure to play a worthy opponent," acknowledged Layton Vickles after the match. "All credit to Kreludor for a ssspectacular game, their place in the ssstandings is well earned. Next time, however, they may not find usss such easy prey."

 

Indeed, despite slipping in performance ratings after yesterday's defeat, the Citadel certainly won't be easy prey for their opponents in today's match-up. Despite their steadily improving performance in recent days, Team Altador face a seemingly insurmountable challenge as they take on the Minions. Meanwhile, Kreludor will move on to duke it out against spacebound rivals Team Virtupets, and Alabriss Bracket middleweights Brightvale and the Haunted Woods will face off in the final match of the bracket.

 

After emerging victorious in yesterday's battle of raging waters, Team Kiko Lake will be facing the red hot Moltaran Magmas in their upcoming match. The defeated Maraquans won't have a whole lot of breathing room, as they'll immediately be pitted against the unstoppable offence of top trio contenders Mystery Island. The remaining Minitheus Bracket teams, Faerieland and Tyrannia, seem comparatively relaxed going into their match, with only traces of a historic Slushie Slinger rivalry lingering in the air.

 

Væolus Bracket has been handed a rather polarised set of match assignments today, as Meridell, Krawk Island and the Lost Desert (the bracket's stronger teams) play Roo Island, Shenkuu, and Terror Mountain respectively. While the results for these match-ups might seem predictable, after Kiko Lake's headline-topping upset, analysts are a little more hesitant to call them prematurely. One thing's for sure, however: we're in for yet another day of enthralling tournament play. On that note, I'm due back in the stadium in thirty seconds.

 

This is AA, reporting from Altador, signing off. Good luck!

[pipdoubledip]

Certainly an interesting day, that's for sure! Don't want to be underestimating Moltara, they have been able to take some games this year :S

 

Interesting set of predictions TDN has made this time around, predicting 6 sweeps. I guess there aren't any real stand out games there, although it will be interesting to see MI and MQ I suppose.

[xtreme654]

Wow.... not that happy about the results, but hey, someone's gotta lose.... just didn't know we were gonna lose THAT badly. Well played KD. But I gott scratch that, 1 loss doesn't mean we're out, just gotta play with more focus

 

Oh, and wow guys, really awesome report! I like it! Really makes it look real :D

 

And wow again. A sweep?! MQ got swept?! What in the world?! wow, KL, MT, MI, these teams are becoming really good (MI being spectacular)

[nbbug132]

I mean, it's Kiko Lake?!? O.o

 

No offense to anyone, but I thought we'd have smashed them. x__x

[voteforpedro333]

The tournament just gets more and more spectacular. So many teams have been shaking it up this year.

[antiaircraft]

I mean, it's Kiko Lake?!? O.o No offense to anyone, but I thought we'd have smashed them. x__x

It's Kiko Lake, one of the best upset-capable underdogs in the tournament historically. Meaning the moment you think that, they'll probably smash you. :P They're also playing particularly well this year, I might add.

 

Interesting set of predictions TDN has made this time around, predicting 6 sweeps. I guess there aren't any real stand out games there, although it will be interesting to see MI and MQ I suppose.

Nice catch! xD I generally analyse and write the predictions for the matches one by one - I had no idea I'd predicted that many sweeps. I guess the polarised match-ups in Vaeolus Bracket might have pushed the tally a bit high.

[:)Doc]

I personally blame myself, I haven't played the last two days and am leaving tomorrow and won't be able to help again until next Saturday! :sad02:

 

At least try to keep us in contention Maraqua! :rolleyes_anim: