“It’s been rather busy around here, what with all the changes being made to the Altador Cup tournament… What? You haven’t heard about the changes? Well – I will try to give you the quick run down. Now listen carefully! The Altador Cup officials have decided to change the tournament style up a bit, I hear. The biggest change is that there will no longer be a Finals bracket. Instead, there will be four rounds with each round lasting six days long– hold on a moment, will you? I need to take care of something.

Oh good, you’re still here. Anyway, as I was saying, each round will consist of three brackets with six teams in each bracket. And yes, don’t worry, we still have all 18 teams. Apparently each team will only play teams in their bracket, and each bracket is randomly generated. There is more, of course, but we won’t hear about it until the Altador Cup starts. Now move along, I’m rather busy as I still need to check the inventory on fan freebies that will be handed out soon… *mutters and walks away*”

Well, we’re getting a new system this year. Tons and tons of people are complaining already, but we really don’t know everything yet. People seem to be forgetting that *tons* of people asked for a shorter AC; this one will certainly be shorter.

We do know that there are three groups of six teams, four six-day rounds of play, two teams play each other twice in each round, no finals, top overall team at the end wins.

What we don’t know yet is how exactly the pools will be determined — will they all be random, or just the first round? We also generally don’t know how this will be balanced and fair (though I don’t think anyone should assume at this point that TNT doesn’t have a plan, as much as we like complaining about TNT). Also, we don’t know anything about potential break days yet, though I personally hope we have one after each round.

That’s about all the information I can think of, and I hope this works out well this year.

Team Altador announced it traded off right defender Timu with Team Shenkuu’s right forward Foltaggio.

“This has changed our team formation from 1+3 to 2+2,” Altador team captain “Trapper” Remis said, “we are hoping this will give us the extra firepower needed to get off the bottom of the ladder.

“We cannot keep using the excuse that we are rusty after 1,000 years slumber in the seventh tourney.

“Timu went to Shenkuu for a spiritual meditation journey and fell in love with the land. When she came back, she pleaded to our management to negotiate a trade.

“Team Shenkuu seemed more than happy to accept Timu into their team. We wish Timu all the best in Team Shenkuu.”

Team Shenkuu captain Mirsha Grelinek said she is a little bit over-pleased with the trade.

“This makes me the only forward on the team and all the limelight will be on me,” she said, “Personally, I hope our new 1+3 formation will stop goals getting scored against us, and we will return to the glory that we once had.

“Foltaggio blamed himself for our fall in the standings, and when Team Altador offered to negotiate a trade, he jumped at the opportunity.

“He said he felt being on Team Altador would get the pressure to succeed off his shoulders because they seem to be a very relaxed team… Plus he would get free slushies. It was really a win-win for all parties involved.”

Team Brightvale and Team Roo Island have also announced a trade in their rosters, with a Roo Island’s right defender Gordo Gunnels traded with Brightvale’s team captain and left defender, “Squeaky” Tressif.

“Squeaky” Tressif said he decided it was time expand his horizons and learn other team’s playing styles.

“First, we tried to negotiate a trade with Team Lost Desert, we have a close relationship with that team, but the team was too close-knit to give up any of their teammates.

“Then we went to Roo Island. Lilo Blumario, Fenny Vail and Jair Tollet stated they did not want to change teams, but Gordo Gunnels jumped at the opportunity.”

A representative Brightvale team management said the trade of Tressif with Gunnels went better than expected. Now the team has a skeith and a grarrl, we are sure the size of the two players will help us rise in the standings.

Roo Island team management said it is thrilled to have “Squeaky” Tressif on the team.

“Someone with that much knowledge and experience will no doubt be an asset to the team.”

Gordo Gunnels said “I like Brightvale. Brightvale is smart and has lots of food. Maybe I can get lots of food too… Oh, and learn a thing or two while I’m there.”

The final change in the team rosters was the announcement that Mystery Island’s star forward Bertie Shurtz has retired.

“I love my team,” Ms Shurtz said, “but my life must come first.

“I am very excited to announce that over the off-season, I got married, and I am now expecting my first child.

“My replacement is a highly skilled young man, and he’s also quite handsome (And ripped with muscles), I’m 100 per cent sure he will be a hit with the fans. Especially the ladies.”

Enjoy!

Click. Zoom in. Zoom out. Switch. Repeat.

This is my job. I am paid by the minute to perform these simple actions over and over again. Although… they’re not as simple as I have made them sound. It’s not just about clicking or zooming and repeating. I have to take extreme care to detail.

For I am Gamma. I am a green skeith, and I am a member of the Altador Cup Committee.

My entire summer consists of me staring at monitors, and making sure that nobody is bending, breaking, avoiding, swerving around, or severely violating the rules I helped to set in order years ago. I also control the entire game. At all times. Sure, you get those referrees that coach the actual game, but do you really think they can see all that’s going on all by themselves? That they can watch the clock, the yooyu, and all the players at all times? This is where I come in.

I’m the reason you got a timeout for tripping that one player. I’m the reason you got a Mutant Yooyu instead of the Fire Yooyu you so desperately need. I’m the reason your goalie “missed” that one yooyu that cost you the game.

I, along with Alpha and Beta, control the entire game. We all work to make sure the game is going as planned. That nobody breaks the rules, or decides to cheat the system, or pull a miracle without our consent.

It’s been going like this for years. However, there will always be that one Neopian year that will always be in my mind. It was the most challenging when it came to us keeping the game in order, mainly because a new team joined the mix. A team we expected, we planned to fail, but decided otherwise.

The year Moltara joined the cup. AC V…

_________________

“Yo, toss me the yooyu!”

Mor Gollog clutched the fire yooyu in his bare hand, unaffected by the flame because he was painted relic, and threw it at amazing speeds towards Zax Bannet, standing nearer towards the middle of the field. Zax caught the yooyu with his sling, and instantly, only a second or two after catching the thing, flung it back at Mor Gollog. Mor, nicknamed “Abs” by his teammates, caught the yooyu in his hand without even looking. Or trying. Abs was always meant to be a Yooyuball Goalie, and his instinctal reflexes showed it.

Aldric Beign, the Team Moltara captain, held a stopwatch in his hand. After Abs caught the yooyu, he pressed a button. “Impressive! 0.4 seconds off your previous record!”

Zax did a fist pump, and said, “Oh yeah! That was pretty sweet, you have to admit!”

Aldric chuckled, and replied, “Yes, I do admit, that was pretty sweet.”

While Zax, Abs, and Aldric practiced with Yooyuballs, Tulah Kisner and Vere Polnicek were doing various things like pushups and laps around the stadium. Basic warm-ups to get them ready for the Altador Cup 5, which was only a few days away.

“So, you excited for your first year in the big leagues of Yooyuball?” Tulah asked Vere, while running around the field.

Vere, getting somewhat exhausted from so much exercise, said, “Yeah, it’s my first time even being accepted into a Major league of Yooyuball, such as the one that represents our entire land. You?”

Tulah shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I played for the Gears of Moltara, the only Minor league in all of the Underground, but yeah, nothing I’m not already used to.”

Vere nodded, and slowed down to get a drink of nice, cool ice water. Tulah went to go get some boiling water out of her flask. They both took a sip at the same time, and said, “Ahh, refreshing”.

Vere pointed at Tulah’s bottle, and asked, “How do you get refreshed from boiling water? Isn’t that, like, dangerous to drink?”

Tulah laughed, and replied, “Well, you gotta remember I’m made of magma. My average temperature is around 1000 degrees! Boiling water is pretty refreshing when there’s that much of a temperature difference!”

Vere and Tulah collapsed into giggles, and Aldric turned around. “Hey, are you two goofing around? You have to remember the Altador Cup is 4 days away! We need to be more than prepared; we have to be extra, extra, extra prepared! We need to be 200% ready!”

Tulah walked over to Aldric, and said, “Oh, lighten up, will ya? We’ll be fine for the AC. We’re at the top of our game, and practicing all the time may cause our downfall one day. Breaks won’t hurt; in fact, they’ll help.”

Aldric stroked his goatee (Which just so happened to be made of fire), and said, “Well, I suppose you’re right. A break won’t hurt. Right, guys?”

Zax yelled, “Right, Captain!”, while Abs replied in a low, manly voice, “Breaks are fine by me if they’re fine by you, captain.” Both Zax and Abs did a slow jog over to where the rest of the team was gathered.

Aldric said, “Alright, I say we all go to Molten Morsels. My treat. Now remember, no getting overstuffed on food, and Zax!”

Zax looked up. “Yeah?”

Aldric sighed, and said, “No burning anything. Please try to keep your wing flames under control.”

Zax, looking awfully saddened by the remark, said, “Ok.”

________________________

The rest of the team did a little happy dance, and ran off to Molten Morsels. Zax noticed they were all leaving and ran after them, back in his happy mood.

Little did any of the team know I was watching their entire conversation.

I knew about everything they just said.

I dialed a number on a phone. Two rings later, someone answered.

I said, “Hello, Molten Morsels? Make me one lunch reservation under the name of Gamma.”

To be continued…

First of all, thank you for your time today, Mr Heggle. I’m sure you must be very busy.

Leera Heggle: That’s no problem, little lady; I always have time for a dedicated fan!

NT: Aw shucks! So give us a bit of the history of the Lost Desert squad.

LH: Of course! As is common knowledge, yooyuball has been around for thousands of years, and each land has its own league. Once Altador was re-discovered, and announced they were holding a major tournament in honour of their return, well, we got the best players from our league and headed to Altador!

NT: I understand Derbi Azar had a bitter argument with Vonde Cayle briefly before the beginning of the first cup. Tell us about that.

LH: Oh, I almost forgot about that. Of course now Vonde and Derbi are the best of friends, but when they first worked together for the first time, Azar was the best forward in the Lost Desert league, and didn’t take well to having to share the forward position with another. So she left in defiance. After a couple of days, I gave her a good pep talk and she agreed to come back and play. She’s had no problems since then, though. Staying on for her sixth year now!

NT: You’ve had three team members leave the team in the past six years, and had three join. Can you provide us any insight to the departures of these former teammates?

LH: Wyett Tuggins was the first member to go. We felt he couldn’t handle the pressure of the Altador Cup, especially when the players are the best of the best of each land’s leagues. Luvea Trivon replaced him. “Dirty” Navers felt it was time to retire and hang up the sling. He was replaced by Lamelle Turow. Of course, there’s no denying he’s a skilled defender, but he was a bit of a complainer, complained about the heat of the desert non-stop. He also didn’t get along well with our forwards or Luvea, and I had to act as moderator. It’s really no surprise he left when Maraqua offered a position for him. And young Rhee Solters replaced him.

NT: I’m sure you wish him the best of luck on Maraqua. About your current team mates, what are they like off the field?

LH: Derbi is a bit of a megalomaniac sometimes. Whether she’s serious or not, we’ll never know. She has a dry way of delivering her humour. She’s also very nurturing, and has taken a few promising new players under her wing.

Vonde is a bit of a joker at times, always playing jokes on us: Cobralls in our bags, stealing our towels, et cetera. He’s also very hyperactive and a little over the top at times. He’s a good guy though, very reliable and quite trustworthy.

Luvea is a quiet guy, he prefers to keep to himself a lot of the time, enjoys reading, but he is a very skilled defender. Right now, he is the only member of the team who wasn’t born in the Lost Desert. He actually spent the first few years of his life in Brightvale. His family moved here when he was still quite young. Come to think of it, that would explain his love of books!

NT: And young Rhee Solters?

LH: Ah, yes. Rhee is quite a bold personality. As you see on the field, she is a bit timid, and gets knocked around a bit; off the field it’s completely 180. She is like Derbi’s younger sister!

NT: Now, last season wasn’t exactly the best, according to experts laziness is the fault. One insider said you would spend most of your practice time signing autographs. Comments?

LH: What?! I bet it was Turow, that little… Erm. Yes, well we wouldn’t be anywhere without our fans. However we have been practicing as hard as ever. I’m not going to accuse my team of being lazy. Vonde and Derbi are playing to their usual standard, as is Luvea. Rhee could bring some confidence to the field, though. And me, I guess the thought that I’m now the oldest player in the tournament is getting to me. I’m not as young or fast as I used to be.

It’s also quite discouraging to see how little fans we had this year. We see a lot of familiar faces, but now they’re supporting the other teams. It’s also very discouraging that our fans this year would rather serve slushies to fans, or scream at each other than support us on the field.

NT: Well, you can always count on me! You had a big win against Tyrannia. They have come a long way in and were even top of the leaderboard for a long time. What do you think of Tyrannia?

LH: Ah, yes. If I can say, Loryche is a sweetheart. Whenever she knocked poor Rhee over, if the ball were over the other side, she’d help Rhee up. She’s a really good sport. Tyrannia is a lot more aggressive than they usually are, but Loryche’s sportsmanship has remained unchanged. I wish the best for their team this year.

NT: So, it was Virtupets that won this year. Coming from last in the second Altador Cup to first in this year’s. What are your thoughts on the Virtupets team?

LH: I could not have thought of a more deserving winner, in my opinion. I mean, coming all the way from last place one year, gradually climbing that ladder to finally reach first place. It’s a true inspirational story. Plus, Keetra Deile is a very hard working captain; she has been with them through all the hardships, and never lets her spirit get dampened. Plus, it can’t be easy working with two robot players; they lack the intuition a normal Neopet player would. She reminds me of a young me.

NT: Lost Desert came in a very disappointing thirteenth place. How do you feel?

LH: Normally, a team would lament their low finish… However for us, it was a completely different story. True, thirteenth isn’t a good placing, but we did beat Mystery Island. That’s a huge plus! Beating Mystery Island makes me feel like I have accomplished something. We hardly beat them, so one could say it’s a grudge. It’s a really good feeling.

NT: Ahaha! I know what you mean! What is your main goal for next season? What is your strategy to win?

LH: Our main goal is of course to win it again, but I think after last season, our goal is to get back in at least fifth place. I want my team to be feared once again, and not one that loses to Faerieland. As for my strategy… I invite our fans, of course, to watch some training sessions, as all good sports teams do, we have many different tournaments all year round. So any Lost Desert fans that deserted us this year (No pun intended), please come watch us in the Lost Desert league. You may even see some new techniques!

NT: Thank you so much, Mr Heggle. Good luck with the Lost Desert league, and for next year’s tournament. You can always count on me to support the might Lost Desert team. So on behalf of fans of the Team Lost Desert, I would like to thank you for being a great captain over all these years, we all adore you.

LH: Oh such flattery! *hearty chuckle*

NT: Any closing words to your dedication of fans?

LH: Remember to eat healthy, sleep regularly and exercise on a daily basis, and you can grow up to be a Yooyuball team captain like myself! And most of all!! Never stop believing in yourself, or your team!

Article recently published at The Neopian Times, after 6 long months of trying!

If you want to keep up with me during the off season:

I will NOT be giving out my facebook or twitter, So don’t ask.

But if you do want to keep up with me, You can add me on neopets, My username is Leotanner

I will try and be more active in the forums now aswell.

Feel free to neomail me or PM on forums, And I will try and do a post on here once or twice during the offseason.
Lastly,  Id just like to thank all of you, All of you who read my write ups and predictions, and thank you Alex for giving me this opportunity in the first place. I will be coming back next year if alex allows me too.

Have a great rest of the year everybody!

~Tanner

The battle for third was decided with orginal cup favourites, Kreludor taking home the bronze medal over another consistently strong team, Team Maraqua, who still fought valiantly, despite losing all finals matches. Though Maraquans are disappointed, this is the highest ranking they have had so far, so they should not be disappointed.

Meridell have once again achieve fifth place, after many years of trying, but barely missed out on first tier, their victory was over still happy Tyrannia supporters, who have achieved a fantastic result, placing 6th, to achieve their best result to date. Next down the line were Darigan Citadel, who defeated Terror Mountain in a great show of sporting prowess.

Roo Island defeated Shenkuu to take home ninth place, and Haunted Woods got their gear together to take a victory for eleventh place. Though the former champs were disappointed about their decline in the standings, they were extremely pleased with the solid overcoming of their hated rivals, Mystery Island. And Faerieland has once again defeated Kiko Lake, to take home 15th place for the second year straight.

Finally, Altador lost weight just in time to steal 17th place from Moltara, giving Moltara the wooden spoon, once again.

——————————————

To my readers,

I would like to thank you for following us, and choosing Altador.com as your guide to Altador Cup news and results.

Thank you reading, and be sure to join us on the Altador.com forum for off season chatter of everything Neopets, Altador Cup, and even real life issues, such as politics, and what everybody looks like.

Once again, thank you.

-Tails.

Whether AC VI was your greatest year yet or “Phase 1 of the Neo-Apocalypse”, we can all agree that AC VI was a year like no other.

This year, we saw upsets and bitter defeat. Drops and rises like no other. Underdogs becoming superstars and Superstars becoming underdogs. During this year’s finals, the players played their hardest and have eagerly awaited the results for 2 days.

And now, your wait is over!

Here are your official results of the Sixth Annual Altador Cup -

1st – Virtupets

2nd – Krawk Island

3rd – Kreludor

4th – Maraqua

5th – Meridell

6th – Tyrannia

7th – Darigan Citadel

8th – Terror Mountain

9th – Roo Island

10th – Shenkuu

11th – Haunted Woods

12th – Brightvale

13th – Lost Desert

14th – Mystery Island

15th – Faerieland

16th – Kiko Lake

17th – Altador

18th – Moltara

Congratulations Virtupets for not only making the top tier for the first time, but also for bringing home the cup!

Also, congratulations for Krawk Island and Kreludor, for achieving 2nd and 3rd place in that order!

You heard the results here first!

This is your reporter, Niku, signing off!

Well what an amazing Cup! What initially started out as a major controversy eventually bloomed into possibly one of the most thrilling Cups in recent history.  In this analysis, I will seek to cover the individual plights of each team from the 4th and 5th tier. Despite these teams being oftenly overlooked and forgotten, (by analysts and players alike)  they have all shone brightly during this years cup.

1. Team Altador

It’s been a fairly fascinating tourney for the Gladiators this year! While entering the finals stage in 17th place may seem an ordinary and status quo result for the Gladiators, let us not forget that their entire standings were propped up entirely on SLSL and MSN scores! However, remaining winless in both SOSD and YYB for the entire DRR significantly sunk the teams hopes of improving upon last years 17th place finish.

Where to from here for Altador?: while 2011 proved to be a tough year for the gladiators, a 2nd overall placing at SLSL will go down well! If Altador can garner up a few more YYB wins next year while retaining their SLSL specialty, we could see an Altadorian rise. Altador could easily be a team to watch next year if they gain some more momentum! Their warm and inviting spirit is unmatched among the other teams and they are a team which surely will be able to glide up the standings with more support!

2. Team Moltara

For team Moltara, 2011 was the year with which they finally “got the machine up and running!” Moltara successfully proved that they could stand the heat of YYB, successfully beating AL twice during the DRR! Who could forget the eruption that ensued following the Moltaran triumph over the Krawk Islanders! (The same KI that’s playing in the finals NOW!) The Magmas proved that they have organisational structure, by successfully stealing wins from top teams on many occasions. It’s unfortunate that the Moltaran’s weren’t able to break free of the 5th tier (like Altador) but hey, someone has to be in it right? 

Where to from here for Moltara?: Like Altador, 2011 didn’t do the magmas justice. However, the upset over KI has proven the squads potential to become a YYB powerhouse, if they can consistently perform. Consistency will be the key word for the Magmas next year as they try to finally break out of the restricting 5th tier and really get up the standings. Watch out for the magmas next year! An eruption is on the way :D

3. Team Faerieland

The Faeries made history this year in being the first team to officially change their team strip and logo colour scheme! This rebranding unfortunately didn’t translate to a new team, as Faerieland retained a finals spot in the 4th tier this year. However, Faerieland successfully ended their DRR season with a highly commendable record in SLSL! It seems lower teams (such as FL) took advantage of SLSL to pick up many points! FL YYB result is also extremely impressive, picking up many wins and draws with teams such as Brightvale and Terror Mountain! The fluffers were only swept on 3 occasions during the DRR, (against TY, MD and TM) showing their intense potential to consistently gain points daily.

Where to from here for Faerieland?: The Faeries can leave the cup this year with their heads held high! Despite not quite achieving their desired standings climb, the gap they have between the 5th tier teams really is sensational. I see Faerieland really blazing with potential next year, and if they can pick up a few more YYB & MSN wins, there really is no reason they shouldn’t be flying into (at least) the 3rd tier!

Anyway, Lets get onto predictions

BRACKET 1

Krawk Island vs Virtupets > Virtupets wins, Though it wont be easy. One thing I noticed is that MQ was breaking records in EVERYTHING as far as their scores go, And virtupets still managed to beat them. Virtupets also has beaten KI on both occasion in the DRR, And VP lost to MQ both times, and still managed to beat them in the finals. The odds are in VP’s favor

Kreludor vs Maraqua > I had never pictured Kreludor losing, I never once thought I would be predicting this. But Kreludor’s morale is crushed after their defeat yesterday, The reason they were defeated though is because they EXPECTED themselves to win. Big mistake. As far as my predictions go though, I think the underdogs, Maraqua will prevail.

BRACKET 2

Tyrannia vs Meridell > Im surprised Tyrannia won against Darigan citadel, But I don’t think they can do the same against Meridell. Meridell is a 1st tier team stuck in the 2nd tier.

Darigan Citadel vs Terror Mountain > Terror Mountain isn’t all that impressive in YYB, Where Darigan Citadel is, But after losing to Tyrannia, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost to Terror Mountain also.

BRACKET 3

Shenkuu vs Roo Island > I predict Roo Island to take this one because they are an all-around better team. But Shenkuu could upset though

Haunted Woods vs Brightvale > There is always a possibility for a Brightvale upset. But i think HW has this.

BRACKET 4

Mystery Island vs Lost Desert > Ahh, The rivals face off again. I have said it before and I will say it again, Mystery Island is Lost Desert’s Kryptonite, Lost Desert has only beaten Mystery Island ONCE, and it isn’t going to happen this time.

Faerieland vs Kiko lake > Kiko Lake seems to be a better team, But Faerieland does have a chance to win here.

CONSOLATION BRACKET

Moltara vs Altador > Moltara has already beaten altador twice, Altador would have to win both of these next two days, and I don’t see it happening.

Good luck to all teams.

~Tanner