Total Upsets of the Heart

[husker]

Good morning, Neopia. This is Austin reporting from the newsroom today. Matt couldn't make it in this morning. He said something about explosives and the jail. I'm not sure what he meant, but I didn't want to stop him.

Yesterday we saw the second round of the eighth annual Altador Cup get underway. After the first bracket ended, we saw the two huge surprises of the Cup, Tyrannia and Altador, leading the way as they still have not lost a single game. Both teams, along with Darigan Citadel, won their bracket. Last year's winner, Kreludor, still looked to be in winning form as they garnered a modest second place finish. Roo Island, though looking better than ever, fell just short of first, following Altador in their bracket for a second place finish. Krawk Island also gathered a second place finish in their bracket, as they paced themselves right behind Tyrannia during much of the first round.

Now, let's get started on results from yesterday's matches. First let's move into the Alabriss Bracket, where we saw a pair of very close matches, one ending up in a giant upset.

The first game we saw yesterday was Tyrannia taking on Shenkuu. The Fossils continued their hot streak with another sweep over the Ninjas of Shenkuu. The prehistoric crew from Tyrannia continues to make history during this Cup, as they've now completed their sixth straight sweep. Tyrannia, even in a new bracket, shows no signs of cooling down. They're currently leading the Alabriss Bracket and look set to continue their dominance.

Krawk Island and Kreludor renewed their storied rivalry yesterday evening. The Pirates were able to eclipse the Moons in dramatic fashion. With under one minute to play and down by one, Krawk Island youngster, Feldon "Dinksy" Collibridge, put two into the net to propel the Pirates to a six to five victory over last year's champs. Krawk Island is looking good for competing for a podium spot this year after finishing second in the first round.

The game of the night last night ended in a humongous upset, as the Robots of Virtupets toppled the Minions of Darigan Citadel. The Minions had been cruising so far in the Cup after winning their bracket in the first round. They looked poised to win their second round bracket as well, but Virtupets had different ideas. After taking an early four to one lead, the second Cup's champs seemed to put their play into "cruise control." Virtupets took advantage of that and tied the game up halfway through the second half. The Robots then proceeded to tack two more onto the board to take the lead six to four. The Minions put one more on the board, but it came far too late, as Virtupets were able to pull the upset, six to five. Darigan Citadel was able to remain strong, as they pulled the side sweep. We'll see how the Minions can rebound after a tough loss.

Now, we move onto the Minitheus Bracket, where the action was a bit less exciting, as there were three sweeps.

Altador continued their dominant form by sweeping the Chillers from Terror Mountain. The Chillers weren't able to come close to chilling Altador's hot streak, as the Suns had command of the whole game and ultimately won eight to four. Altador, through six games this year, has not scored less than seven points. Could this be the year Altador finally brings the Cup back home?

Maraqua gathered their first sweep of the year against Mystery Island. The Mermaids looked impressive after a first round of subpar play. Mystery Island continues their very disappointing showing in this year's Cup. Though both teams haven't looked particularly good, there is still plenty of time. We've seen great comebacks before, and Maraqua could be the late Cup dark horse this year.

Roo Island has stayed consistent all Cup and continued their consistency with a sweep of the Mummies of Lost Desert. The Rooligans snagged a nice victory over the Lost Desert by putting up 4 unanswered points to end the game. Roo Island could be one of the teams that we see chasing a podium spot near the end of the year. Their great play and experience could be the deciding factor on whether or not they win their second Cup.

The Vaeolus Bracket had no lack of excitement as it kicked off the second round. A big upset set the tone for the first day, as the Zombies took out the Knights. Meridell came into the second round disappointed after slipping to third, and Haunted Woods took advantage by taking three of the four games, including Yooyuball. There are questions on whether or not Meridell is a true championship contender this year after the loss, but most analysts agree that encountering upsets is not particularly unusual for championship teams, especially at the hands of capable mid-tier contenders like the Haunted Woods. As Meridell Team Captain "Wizard" Windelle put it, "As long as we don't make this a habit."

The Kikos seemed to be in the same situation as the Knights. After leading their bracket for the first few days, Kiko Lake fell to fourth. Moltara, much like Haunted Woods, took advantage of this and topped the Kikos. The Magmas were finally able to get their first Yooyuball win of the season by topping Kiko Lake five to four.

The Vaeolus bracket is shaping up to be a huge question mark and could have a huge impact on the outcome of the Cup. If the Zombies can retain their placing, the chemistry of the Cup could be changed completely. This is definitely the bracket to watch!

Now, let's move onto the games to watch today.

Tyrannia will try to continue their historical start against Darigan Citadel today. The Minions are looking to get back on track after their loss yesterday. This looks to be an epic matchup and the outcome could set the tone for both teams for the rest of the tournament.

Virtupets will try to gain even more momentum by taking on fellow space rival Kreludor, after upsetting front-runner Darigan Citadel, while Kreludor will attempt to regain their presence as contenders. This should be a fun match to watch and could greatly impact the standings.

Last but not least, Altador will try to keep their incredible start going by taking on Maraqua tonight. Maraqua has looked extremely impressive in side games this year, and could potentially give Altador their first loss of the season. This matchup should be very close. Keep your eye on Maraqua to pull an upset.

And that concludes tod-

You guys have got to help me! They're keeping me hostage here! I need to get out! Help me!!

Screen turns black

Get him! Don't let him run away!

You missed a match! YOU MISSED A MATCH! Brightvale versus Faerieland! The Wizards swept the Faeries! It was marginal on most counts! AHHH! NO! Help me! I need an adult! Someone just help. Please!

Now we've got you right where we want you!

Ahhh! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel-

Broadcast suddenly stops...

[singing is heard]

And I need you now tonight and I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right 'cause we'll never be wrong
Together we can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time [all of the time]
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight, forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight

Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do... a total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say... a total eclipse of the heart ;____;
 

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).

[Lydia Trebond]

(For anyone curious, Austin is serenading Matt with

by Bonnie Tyler.)

 

I really should keep a better eye on these guys. Oh well.

[Mireia]

Every time someone sings that song, I can only hear the literal version of it...

 

This year's AC is getting really dangerous for our reporters.

[husker]

Matt was gone tonight and I missed him. ;_;

[tinyplasticdinos]

@Austin++ for your excellent choice in music. I'm sorry I missed the serenade, I bet it was awesome.

[voteforpedro333]

Every day I get more and more confused about the standings as much as our reporters' antics...

[AgJu]

I gotta wonder about these results sometimes. I'm not trying to say it's wrong that TM lost; if we lost, we lost. Don't like it, but there it is. However, Altador and Tyrannia, their results are always extremely lopsided and it's only those two. I know they both have groups of All-Stars, but so does Roo Island apparently and it's only with AL and TY that results are so lopsided (15s? 13s?). Hmm...

[xblade356]

(For anyone curious, Austin is serenading Matt with

by Bonnie Tyler.)

 

I really should keep a better eye on these guys. Oh well.

You really should. XD

 

Matt was gone tonight and I missed him. ;_;

Awww I missed you too! Sorry you had to do everything yourself. :( The movie was awesome though! But if that's how you serenade a person, I should go watch a movie more often. XD

[jonathanjoseph99]

I gotta wonder about these results sometimes. I'm not trying to say it's wrong that TM lost; if we lost, we lost. Don't like it, but there it is. However, Altador and Tyrannia, their results are always extremely lopsided and it's only those two. I know they both have groups of All-Stars, but so does Roo Island apparently and it's only with AL and TY that results are so lopsided (15s? 13s?). Hmm...

The only logical explanation for that is that the other two ASGs are just way stronger. It's obvious how TY can get these results. Roo Island has lost once... and their results aren't as out of this world as the other two. I've been told that RI's SOTAC had quite a lot of its members join Altador along with Stealth. It's interesting to see though that all these three teams fail to win by huge margins in ALL games at all times... even against smaller teams.

[AgJu]

The only logical explanation for that is that the other two ASGs are just way stronger. It's obvious how TY can get these results. Roo Island has lost once... and their results aren't as out of this world as the other two. I've been told that RI's SOTAC had quite a lot of its members join Altador along with Stealth. It's interesting to see though that all these three teams fail to win by huge margins in ALL games at all times... even against smaller teams.

Yeah our losses to Altador yesterday weren't as massive as other teams have had against AL.