Wizards Bring New Hope to the Field

[Navy]

[Matt appears on camera with two cardboard cutouts. He neatly places them down in their respective seats and turns to the camera. One is of Brooke and one is of Austin. Matt turns and faces the cameras with a big malicious grin on his face.]

[As he begins to start off his report, his voice is noticeably deeper, with a more venomous tone.]

Hello, and welcome to today's report. As you can very well see, I have another cutout to add to my collection today. It was the only logical thing to do after what happened to Brooke yesterday. I had to find a replacement somehow. As for what happened to her yesterday? Let's just say she won't be assisting us with visuals anytime soon. That'll teach her to never pull a stunt of that proportion again. We're all still searching for Austin, but until then this'll have to do. My dark backstage reporter antics aside, let's move on to today's results - which were certainly interesting, as there were only three sweeps today in total, with one powerhouse team missing the opportunity to sweep! Let's take a look at the Alabriss Bracket first.

Leaders of the Alabriss Bracket, The Haunted Woods and Tyrannia managed to sweep their opponents Roo Island and Meridell today, respectively. The Zombies and the Fossils had a relatively easy time mopping the floor with the Rooligans and Knights. As this is the last day in this bracket, it seems as if the positions that all six teams currently stand in are final.

The Mermaids had a rough time keeping the Faeries at bay today, as they were determined to have some green on their record. Elon's spectacular plays allowed Maraqua to narrowly take the victory in Yooyuball, the final score resting at 5-4. Their penalty shots were also on point today, snagging that from the Faeries as well. However, the team known for their resilience and endurance came through today, as they rallied together and united as one, taking Slushie Slinger. This propelled their small and loyal fanbase to take the win in Make Some Noise. Faerieland fans were beyond ecstatic at their two victories today!

Now for the results from the Minitheus Bracket.

Breaking news has come in to the studio! Virtupets has LOST Slushie Slinger to Brightvale! You're hearing me correct, folks! the Wizards have been able to pull off a hat trick and deal Virtupets their first loss of the season. Of course with all their attention focused on Slushie Slinger, Virtupets was able to sweep Brightvale in the remaining games, but fans of the Wizards have paid no attention to that! I asked a fan how it felt to take a win against such a strong competitor as the Robots. "It feels amazing! Brightvale is a force to be reckoned with, don't mess with us! It shows that no matter how big the obstacle is, you can overcome it with sheer determination and willpower!" There's a great vibe emanating from Brightvale's tent at the moment - I might have to stop by to grab some of their winning slushies.

It seems as though few of the teams in the Minitheus Bracket had a little taste of victory today, as Altador managed to take Slushie Slinger as well from the Pirates. It seems the underdog teams are aiming to take Slushie Slinger - the big powerhouse teams will have to focus on that if they want to continue their winning ways. While their victory might not be as grand of an accomplishment as Brightvale's, many supporters of Altador were happy at another win. "The Sun has broken through the clouds once again, and it doesn't plan to hide its radiance!" The Pirates were able to pull through like the Robots and sweep the Suns in their remaining games.

Kiko Lake must've taken a play off of Maraqua's fieldbook today as the results between the two matches were identical. Of course the scores differed slightly, but the underdog Lost Desert was able to take Slushie Slinger and Make Some Noise from the Kikos. Kiko Lake retaliated and took Yooyuball and Shootout Showdown from the Mummies. The Kikos were on point today, never missing a single goal. Kiko Lake is sitting comfortably at second place in the Minitheus Bracket at the moment and 5th place overall, tied with Darigan Citadel. They are enjoying another great season, a common occurrence for them nowadays.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Brightvale's tent to drink some of their combo-breaker slushies. I'll be sure to grab a few for you guys!

[The smile from the beginning of the report appears on Matt's face once again.]

And I'll be sure to drink one in honor of Brooke.

[The camera feed turns to static. The newsfeed reappears and in front of the camera stands Hanna.]

Mystery Island ought to dump some sea water onto the playing field because Moltara is on fire! Today marks the end of Round 3 and Moltara has finished with a perfect score, landing their spot in first place along with Virtupets and the Haunted Woods. Last week I interviewed Zo Junior from Team Haunted Woods where we discussed the secret to their almost flawless season thus far. This week I sat down in the locker room with Zax Bannet, Moltara's right defender, to get at his thoughts about the season.

[The screen transitions to the reporter adjusting hair and mumbling to the cameraman.
"Uughh! I can't get my hair to do that flippy-thing, so make sure you get my good side! You have to get my good side!" A locker door slamming in the background can be heard, while the corner of the screen shows Aldric Beign and Tulah Kisner chatting as they walk out the exit double doors.]

Oh, we're rolling? Let's get straight to it, then.

Thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with me, Zax!

It's no problem, really, but I only have time for a question or two; the rest of the team and I were going to go out to dinner to celebrate today's victory.

Okay, I understand. I'll try to make this quick. In 2010, '11 and '13 you placed last, only coming up a little from placing 15th in 2012. You're about to start Round 4 in first place! What do you think is the source of this sudden change of pace?

You have to keep in mind that we joined the Cup four years later than most of the other teams - we haven't had quite the experience as our competitors, but this year we've finally found our footing and we're ready to show the world what Team Moltara is capable of! Our loyal fans have stuck by us through the last few years and continued to root for us this year even with our not-so-phenomenal track record, and we're going to prove to them that we're not going to be the underdog anymore!

[The double doors swing open again as Harlis Neyhbol stomps in, waving to Zax to let them know they're still waiting on him.]

I'll take this as my cue to end this interview. Once again, thank you, Zax! We look forward to seeing what Moltara's results at the end of the next round.

It was my pleasure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have Molten Meatballs calling my name!

[Zax stands, yelling out to Harlis, "Hey! Do you think we can order some extra Singed Dinner Rolls this time?" The two make their way out the door where their laughter and chatter, though unintelligible, can still be heard as they walk down the exit corridors.]

Shenkuu and Terror Mountain bumped heads today, ending the round with a nearly identical win-loss ratio. Both teams have had it pretty rough lately and seem determined to fit in as many wins as possible. As disappointed as Shenkuu fans might be in their team's progress so far, they seem to be the best of the best when it comes to sportsmanship and knowing how to take a loss. When asked how her team's morale is holding out after all of the losses, Timu, Shenkuu's Centre Defender, said with no hesitation: "Win or lose, we're just happy to be here playing our favorite sport!"

Maybe it's all the dark colours, but it seems like Darigan Citadel is a bit grumpy after taking a devastating blow from Kreludor. These space contenders have always ranked high since joining the Cup, but this year they seem to be sinking into a lower rank than usual. The same could be said about their shadowy competitors today who are left at the end of this round in 5th place. Kreludor versus Darigan Citadel will probably always be my favorite matchup; they're almost equally skilled and watching the ball bounce back and forth more quickly than your eyes can keep track of is a good way to keep yourself entertained for hours on end.

Whether you're rooting for the underdogs, or siding with the most popular teams, the Altador Cup is one of the most anticipated events marked on the Neopian Calendar. This is where I sign off - Hanna, out.
 

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).