Midtime Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 It's time to buckle down, friends, as we head into the fourth round of the tenth Altador Cup! And by "time to buckle down" I mean "time to work your fingers to the bone or risk feeling vaguely guilty for not contributing more!" This is Brooke, reporting from The Daily Neopets' studio, and I'm feeling rejuvenated after our day of rest, and excited to bring you the results of the Alabriss bracket! Here's hoping you found the bye day as relaxing as I did. The fourth round of the cup got off to an exciting start as the Meridell Knights went up against the Lost Desert Mummies. The Knights haven't been having the most stellar year, but they managed to keep their heads above water and avoid being completely swept by a team that's swept all but the best. The Mummies' third place standing is still secure for the moment, as they held onto three of the four events of the day. But if they allow Meridell's Make Some Noise triumph to shake their confidence, they might just lose their grip on the podium. [There is suddenly a great kerfuffle as Brooke notices something in her notes, goes completely white in the face, and sprints from the room. An awkward silence descends for several minutes, punctuated only by the muffled sounds of a hurried argument from beyond the view of the camera. Eventually, the reporter strides back into the room, quite calm, and resumes her spot at the desk.] I have just realized that this is not the final round of the Cup. There is, in fact, a fifth round after this one. I've been mistakenly operating under the notion that this round was the last and I'd finally be able to rest my fingers. From writing reports. And... never mind. Let's get on with this. I need to go rearrange some plans. Islands Mystery and Krawk went head-to-head today, the Pirates took the penalty shots, the Natives took Yooyuball and and the slushies, and their fans were equally as enthusiastic resulting in an MSN draw. Annnnd the Terror Mountain Chillers swept the Faerieland Faeries. Hooray for Chillers. And I'm off. Midtime's next. [Brooke pulls a day planner from her stack of notes and wanders off, mumbling frantically under her breath and scribbling all over the planner. Midtime hurries into view just moments after she leaves, and takes their seat at the desk, quickly scanning the papers in front of them.] I'm terribly sorry! I was looking for my - ah, sorry, I'll get on with it. The teams in the Minitheus bracket have decided it is time to buckle down as we head into this Cup's fourth round! [Frantic whispering.] What do you mean, 'Brooke already -' oh. [Midtime stares down at their notes for several seconds.] Well, I don't see it. Still - [They slip the papers under the table.] - we're always better safe than sorry. I'll improvise. Anyway - the bracket began with a tense match between the fiery vitality of the Robots and the single-minded efficiency of the Magmas! Although the Magmas claimed victory at the slushie stands and among the crowd, Team Virtupets emerged narrowly but definitely the better on the field, thus earning greater accolades overall. Among fans, sentiments have been surprisingly fierce, though the spirit of sportsmanship still prevails. As we are now far into the second half of the Cup, it becomes imperative for both teams to seize the chances at glory that remain. Teams Tyrannia and Kreludor, both heavyweights of the season, must have felt the same pressure to succeed: they are separated by only two places, and a single loss could have decided which team will ultimately take a place on the podium. The Fossils played well, and the Moons fought hard; but they drew on the Yooyuball field, and their fans drew in the grandstands, and though Kreludor made the most extraordinary penalty shots, Tyrannia's slushies were so widely consumed among the audience that from one side of the stadium you could see their colours dominating the other. When the final whistle was blown, neither team had the victory they coveted. The Fossils are still two points short of third place, and the Moons are still three points short of taking the Cup home. Whatever the result should be for these contenders - already the best of the best - we wish them good luck. May the spirit of the Cup prevail. The Suns began this round auspiciously, crushing the Zombies soundly in every category. While no team that has qualified for the international Cup is to be easily dismissed, analysts say the Suns' consistency and coordination was of a rare calibre today. This is a moment "Trapper" Remis and his team may well agonise over for the rest of the off-season: what was different, this time? How can they make it happen again? It is the fourth round, and the Suns have just had their first sweep of the season. Let it not be their last! And let me conclude this bracket with a message to you, dear viewers. Do not be discouraged. You have watched; if you have watched, you have played. Your efforts are not without reward. Your games are not without goals. Your outcomes contain victories. If you have watched, you have played; if you have played, these victories - and these losses - are yours to claim. Your team thanks you for watching. They are playing for you. If you have watched, you have played; if you have played, it has been a good game. This has been the Minitheus bracket! Matt will give us the Vaeolus. Matt? [The camera focuses on Matt.] Alright, thank you! I'm back in the studio with my lovely co-hosts, ready to report the results of the Vaeolus Bracket. The fourth round started off with plenty of sweeps, so let's get straight into the results. Kiko Lake continues to dominate this year's Cup as they pull off yet another overwhelming sweep. The Minions fell victim to the Kikos in today's match as the Kikos dictated the pace of the entire match. Although the Kikos' scores have been dropping lately, one to two points seems to make no difference when they're sweeping their opponents with deficits of ten to twenty points. It seems as if no team stands a chance against the Kikos. Will they be able to run away with the Cup this easily? The Minions on the other hand need to get their act together. As it stands, the Minions are in danger of finishing eighth place, the lowest ever for this once mighty team. Darigan Citadel should take this defeat as a learning experience and use this as the first stepping stone to propel them to the top where they belong. The Mermaids were also able to pull off a clean sweep in their match against Shenkuu today. Although the Ninjas performed well in Slushie Slinger and Shootout Showdown, they were no match for the Mermaids today as wave upon wave of force pummeled the Ninjas into submission. Maraqua has gotten off to a fantastic start in this bracket, but the question remains. Can they keep up this momentum? The Ninjas will be looking to rally together and focus as they head into their next match against the Kikos. Luck has not been on the Ninjas' side this round as they will definitely struggle against the undefeated Kikos. Now moving on from that ominous feeling, the jolly Rooligans were...not as jolly today as Brightvale was able to demonstrate their yooyu-slinging prowess in today's matchup. With victories in Yooyuball and Shootout Showdown, the Rooligans had no option but to take the remaining games. However, to make matters worse, the Wizards were able to tie in Slushie Slinger. This excellent result is not without sacrifice however as the Wizards jumped ship and abandoned the SS Make Some Noise as they scored a meager one, allowing the Rooligans to finally have a small taste of victory. This give-and-take strategy seems to be quite effective, especially when lower tiered underdog teams face off against strong upper tier contenders. Will we be able to see more of this strategy be put to use in upcoming matches? Moving on, spectators will be delighted to know that there will be plenty of interesting matches to watch in today's match ups. In our first match, Meridell and Terror Mountain face off against each other today. Both teams are serious contenders for an upper tier finish. Terror Mountain is the favorite in this matchup, but will the Knights be able to pull off an upset with victories in Yooyuball and Slushie Slinger? Another close match will be between mid tier teams Maraqua and Brightvale. It'll be a close match today as both teams are predicted to win two games apiece. If that's the case, the team that wins in Yooyuball will have the advantage in the overall results of the day's match. Our last interesting matchup is between Darigan Citadel and Roo Island. Both former champions have not been at their prime. Will this match serve as a wake up call to both teams? The overall victor of this matchup will be determined by one or two side game victories. A definite nail biter indeed! That wraps up our report! This is Matt 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). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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