Desert Dynamos Fight Fearless Faeries to Draw

[Midtime]

It's that time again, people! So, sit on down and get settled, grab some popcorn and your 4D goggles, and get ready for the AC X report! This is Brooke, reporting from The Daily Neopets' studio. The whole team is back and ready to give you the facts. Onward, to the Alabracket!

Faerieland started us off today with an impressive (for them) showing against the Lost Desert. The Mummies have stood tall against all but the strongest, top-tier teams this year, and they showed their prowess in Make Some Noise and Shootout Showdown. But when it came to the Yooyuball field, the Faeries gave them a run for their money, forcing a draw. Spurred by this encouraging result, the Faeries went on to snatch a surprising win in the slushie tents! This is their first win and best overall day of the bracket so far.

Next up, the Chillers and the Pirates clashed on the field. The brooms were back, if in smaller number, as Terror Mountain quite thoroughly swept Krawk Island with reckless abandon! The Chillers have been rather quiet this year, but they've also kind of been kicking butt, and currently sit in fifth place, tantalizingly close to a coveted podium spot. The Pirates, meanwhile, are tied with the Darigan Citadel in eighth, which is a really weird word to see in print.

Closing out the Alabriss bracket was the match between Mystery Island and Meridell. The fans of the Knights ran roughshod over those of the Natives, winning Make Some Noise by a landslide. They took Slushie Slinger as well, but were less fortunate in the remaining two events, where the Natives pulled off a tie in each.

Annnd that's it for the Alabriss bracket! I'll turn things over to Midtime for the Minitheus. How are things with you, Midtime?

[Midtime smiles politely, then holds the smile rigid for a few seconds, apparently panicking.]

Um, yes! That is to say, perfectly sanguine. Quite lackadaisical. Ahem.

Let us then wend our way into the scintillatingly discombobulated Minitheus parenthesis. The matches hereto have not been to floccinaucinihilipilificate at, and these are no different! They have been infernal - incinerating - highly diabatic! Oyez! The news to be anon delivered will have all the discombobulating impact of an iron stang or miraculously acierated newspaper roll! It will be more than copacetic, the antipode of defenestrable, positively individual! It will be as remarkable as the name of the famous hill Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaur- wait. Did I use 'discombobulate' twice? I think I did! Twice in three sentences, no less. Good grief. Expanding my vocabulary isn't as useful as I thought it would be.

Recovering gracefully from their eclipse at the hands of Team Kreludor, the Suns controlled the Yooyuball field today to great effect, beating the Magmas twofold in the main event, and claiming the shootouts for themselves as well. Moltara's accomplishments were all in the grandstand: the turnout among their supporters was extraordinary, carrying them to victory in the cheering and slushie categories. The captains of the two teams, Remis and Beign, exchanged cordial greetings during the post-match formalities, a sharp contrast to the tension of the game itself. Although it would of course be intrusive to pry into their personal affairs without a professional hand involved, it is well-known that they are quite closely acquainted, having been seen with each other several evenings in the days leading up to the Cup; that they have a common interest in hair styling, which they engage in together at least every other month; that Beign has a rice husk stuck just behind his left canine, not visible to frontal photographs; and that both of them share a mysterious aversion to visible surveillance cameras, at least when they are - oh, I'm rambling! I'd better not do that; the last time it happened my supervisor picked up my bugging remote from my jacket pocket, dropped it on the floor, and ground it thoroughly to pieces with the point of their heel in a most unfortunate bout of absent-mindedness. I can't seem to get my hands on a replacement. On to the next matchup, then!

The Zombies were faced with another rough match today: the Moons, as light on their feet as always, withheld no display of prowess against them, and try as they might, the Woods team stood little chance. Fans of the Moons have been far more than excited this year to see their favourites climbing back to the top - something which their extraordinary Make Some Noise score might well attest to - and if they continue with these sweeps, they may yet see an opportunity to close that three-point gap and claim first place from the powerhouse that is Kiko Lake. The Zombies, in the meantime, would be the last to resign themselves to the legendary Cup Curse. As captain Krell Vitor said to interviewers after today's match ended, "You're ignoring one fact: we have fought through this before. This time we will be faster."

The Fossils, not to be outdone by the team that battled them to a perfect draw at the beginning of this round, put a neat stop to the Robots' promising Round Four record with yet another devastating sweep. This is a heavy blow for the Robots, who have been striving to climb out of the lower half of the rankings as the final week of the season approaches - but then, they are no strangers to heavy blows. Perhaps they will rebound tomorrow; perhaps their finishing place will be something to cheer about, after all.

With the Minitheus bracket outcomes of the day thus tintinnabulated, or at least tabulated, it is about the proper time to put you through to Matt for the concluding set of results. Matt?

[The feed switches to Matt, but only after about a quarter of a minute. He is already talking when it does.]

-fter their rude wake up call in the match against Brightvale, the Kikos took no guff as they showed spectators that they are determined to win this year's Cup. The Kikos have dropped the playful attitude and unfortunately, the Rooligans were on the receiving end of this beatdown today. The Rooligans' push in Yooyuball was not enough today as the Kikos dominated all of the games with wide gaps. With only a few more days until the fourth round ends, the Kikos will be looking to solidify their position as the frontrunner to win the tournament.

Brightvale produced results yet again in today's matchup against the Ninjas. Although the Ninjas gave their best effort, they couldn't prevent the Wizards from sweeping them. The Wizards have been doing well in the fourth bracket, stopping the Kikos' winning streak while also defeating the Ninjas and the Mermaids. It's a surprise to many that the Wizards are still ranked sixth place in the bracket despite accomplishing these amazing feats. Brightvale only has one more day before the bracket ends. Will they be able to make a push to rise in the rankings?

Wrapping up the results of the Vaeolus Bracket today, the battle between sky and sea ended in an overwhelming victory for the Mermaids. Although the Minions fought valiantly, the Mermaids proved they had the superior yooyu-slinging skills and fan base in today's matchup taking victories in Yooyuball, Make Some Noise and Shootout Showdown. The Minions were barely able to escape a sweep by drawing with the Mermaids in Slushie Slinger. Will the Mermaids be able to overtake the Minions in the bracket standings?

Now let's move on to our interesting matches for the day. Darigan Citadel and Brightvale will be facing off against each other for the first time in this year's Cup. It is sure to be a close one as both teams are expected to take victories in two games apiece! The Wizards were able to end the Kikos' winning streak. Will they continue to surprise spectators?

Matches between the underdogs of the tournament will be occurring in today's matches. Faerieland and Mystery Island as well as Haunted Woods and Moltara will all be fighting to rise from the bottom of the pack. Mystery Island and Moltara are predicted to win in their respective matchups, but will the unwavering spirit of the Faeries and the Zombies be enough to overcome these two teams?

In our last matchup, the surprising upper tier teams of this tournament will be going head to head today as well. Both Lost Desert and Terror Mountain tied for thirteenth place in last year's Cup, and now they have a fighting chance to be on the podium. Although Terror Mountain is predicted to win the overall match, the Mummies will definitely put up a strong fight.

That wraps up today's report! We'll see you all tomorrow for the final results of the fourth round! 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).