Spark of Hope for Altador, Robots Run Haywire

[Midtime]

Welcome, everybody! Matt here, reporting from the TDN newsroom! Let's get straight into the results from the Alabriss Bracket.

Sweep after sweep after sweep occurred today in the Alabriss Bracket! Maraqua and Faerieland fell victim to the overwhelming strength of Tyrannia and Roo Island, respectively. After a slew of losses in their first round, the Rooligans seem like they've started to gain momentum. Granted, their sweep today was against one of the weakest teams this season, but it was still well deserved. We'll see if their recent success will give them enough motivation to start making a comeback. The Mermaids' rough patch has lasted throughout the entire season so far, and they've only managed to snag a few wins, with their only sweep being against Altador. The opposite holds true for the Fossils, however, as teams are finding it hard to obtain a win against such a well-organized, solid team.

The Fossils currently stand in second place, trailing behind Haunted Woods. Behind the Fossils sit the Meridell Knights comfortably in third, almost assured that spot unless the Mermaids make a miraculous push to overtake the Knights, or the Knights are able to surpass the Fossils. Neither of which options seems very likely to happen. Will the Mermaids' performance improve in the near future? Will the Fossils continue to assert their dominance? Only time will reveal these answers to us.

The Haunted Woods took on Meridell today and with the Knights' performance spotty throughout the entire season, it was no surprise that they ended up being swept by the Zombies. They came close in Yooyuball, but the Zombies made a final push that resulted in a win for them. In the side games, the Zombies completely dominated, posting scores way out of the Knights' range. This match has proven that the powerhouses of this season do have their notable weaknesses. It's up to the teams to organize themselves, focus, pinpoint, and exploit those said weaknesses.

It's time to hand over the report to Lydia, who'll be covering the Minitheus Bracket, where some few upsets have occurred today! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the Zombies' tent to grab some slushies. I'll be sure to save some for you guys!

"Thanks, Matt! You'd best save one for me! The Minitheus Bracket has definitely caused a stir today, with two firsts for this tournament. Altador fans were making quite the racket when the scores from Slushie Slinger went up, marking their first win in any game this tournament. Their jubilation wasn't enough, as the Lost Desert was able to take the rest of the games from the Suns.

"But the biggest news comes from the Kikos. Their draw in Shootout Showdown wouldn't cause a stir on most days, but today it was against Virtupets - marking the first time they haven't completely swept away their opponent. While this dent in their armor isn't going to hurt their chances at a top spot on the podium, it gives the other teams hope when facing them in the coming days.

"Brightvale and Krawk Island rounded out the Minitheus Bracket. Both teams have been having a spotty season, with unexpected and sporadic wins. Today's fairly evenly matched game was no different, with Yooyuball and Make Some Noise going to the Wizards and Slushie Slinger and Shootout Showdown going to the Pirates. Neither of these teams should be underestimated in the coming days. I'll pass it over to Midtime now, with the final bracket of the day."

"Thank you very much, Lydia. I'll get straight to the Vaeolus results.

"Following a satisfying first round and an almost perfect second, Moltara show no sign of relenting. The Minions' fans, hoping for a field performance like that which toppled the Lost Desert and Krawk Island, instead watched as Moltara's fledgling but capable Aldric Beign once again led his team to a close, but certain victory. The Magmas' victory was rounded out by their usual high ratings in the side games, completing the Darigan Citadel's fourth sweep at the hands of this year's powerhouses. The thunderous cheers of Moltara's supporters still echo through the stadium, on which topic do these people ever quiet down?"

[The reporter defiantly clamps a pair of large, orange earmuffs onto his head before continuing.]

"Ahem. DC captain Layton Vickles called the defeat "deeply frustrating" - do I have to read his Ss exactly as he said them? Fine. - Layton Vickles called the defeat "deeply frussstrating", but asssserted that he had "no intention of sssettling for sssecond placcce". There - was that sssatisfactory?

"The Scary - oh, excuse me. Bad habit. The Chillers' victory against Maraqua two days ago left them hopeful, quite naturally, for a change in fortunes; but it seems those hopes were easily crushed, as their rising scores have faltered once again. The Moons', by contrast, have recently skyrocketed; despite their rocky second round, it appears that few teams are now able to stand in their way.

"The Mystery Island Natives are also intent on maintaining their recent good fortune, following their sweep against Altador with a dominating victory against Shenkuu. While their demonstration of steady Yooyuball prowess is fully appreciated by fans, most remarked upon this match appears to have been a vast improvement in their catering system - no doubt a long-term investment. The Ninjas made sure the win was a narrow one, however, and dodged the stroke of the broom through a series of penalty shots much talked about by the audience. Despite their record this past round, our Occidental team is determined, like many of those closer to home, to fight to the last.

"Thank you for watching, every one. That's the report for to-day. Lydia will provide you with the matches to watch for the day to come."

"Thanks, Midtime! We've got almost a full day of sweeps predicted for today, so get out there, prove us wrong, and help us stop the angry letters! Good luck to all the teams out on the field today: we'll see you back here tomorrow, same time - same place! This is Lydia, for The Daily Neopets, signing off."

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).