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Altador Cup News

Traditional Side Game Teams New Powerhouses?

June 4, 2011

We are now on the fourth day of Altador Cup VI and emerging as early leaders are...Terror Mountain and Tyrannia? That's right, the two neighboring lands and teams that traditionally perform far better in side games than in yooyuball are currently ranked first and third in the standings, starting out strong. While many expected a rise in the standings by these two teams, none predicted one so great. Both are currently ranked higher than teams thought to be front runners in the cup: Darigan Citadel, Roo Island, Maraqua, and Kreludor. While the first days of the Altador Cup are known to hold surprises, this is among the most shocking; each team has beaten teams once thought to be powerhouses.

Terror Mountain, which is ranked first, has only two draws and one loss throughout each game and an overall record of (2,1,0). The team exploded out of the gate on the first day, sweeping an unsuspecting Shenkuu team. They didn't fare quite as well on the second day, but still managed to pull away with the overall win in their match against Maraqua, whom many have speculated to win the cup. The two teams drew in yooyuball and Maraqua won shootout showdown, with Terror Mountain coming winning the remaining two side games. On the third day, Terror Mountain nearly came away with another sweep when they faced of against the former champions, Lost Desert. Affected by the winner's curse, Lost Desert managed only a draw in slushie slinger, Terror Mountain winning everything else.

Tyrannia is ranked third, with a record of (2,0,1). They have, overall, two draws and two losses. On the first day, they defeated a surprised Meridell team, who, again, many speculated would win the cup. Tyrannia came away with the yooyuball and Shootout Showdown wins, losing make some noise and drawing in slushie slinger, the team's usual specialty. The next day Tyrannia swept Kiko Lake, who had no idea what had hit them. The third day, though an overall loss against Virtupets, showed that Tyrannia had maintained it's side game prowess. Though losing yooyuball, the team won slushie slinger and shootout showdown, drawing in make some noise.

As the cup continues, one must wonder how these upstart teams will fare. Will they be able to maintain their positions in the first tier, or even win the cup, or will they drop down to their usual third tier position? And how will traditional powerhouses fare against these two teams? Only time will tell the fates of these two much-refined teams.

Daily Predictions

July 8th & 9th

Accuracy: 180/224 | 80%

Mid-Cup Predictions

First Tier

First Place: Kreludor (+1)
Since the first Altador Cup, Kreludor has steadily been rising, and this year, they have nowhere left to rise but to first place. And I think they will do exactly this, capturing the title this year. They remain unbeaten in yooyuball, and their side games are nearly that solid, earning them a comfortable position in first place. In the finals this year, Kreludor will perform much better than in previous years, allowing for a first place finish.

Second Place: Virtupets (+7)
This year, Virtupets has shown themselves to be major contenders, having the best yooyuball record in the cup. They have also shown that their small size can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. It will be nothing but an advantage in the finals, however, and Virtupets will finish in second place.

Third Place: Krawk Island (+1)
Another yooyuball giant, Krawk Island is looking much more like the team they once were, roaring through powerhouses and weaker teams alike. Yooyuball alone, however, does not win the cup, and Krawk Island's lackluster side game play will limit them, with little side game strength to convert in the finals. What Krawk Island lacks in all-around power, they make up for with their consistency, nearly always performing well. For these reasons, I predict a third place finish for the pirates this year.

Fourth Place: Maraqua (+2)
Maraqua has shown that they have the power of top tier team, but they continue to lack somewhat in consistency, a key ingredient for a first place finish. Maraqua has always relied heavily upon their outstanding organization, and I see that collapsing later in the cup with their much larger fanbase, providing another detriment to them. In the finals, I just see them choking a bit, making for a fourth place finish.

Second Tier

Fifth Place: Meridell (0)
Though Meridell is a dangerously strong yooyuball team, they lack the overall raw power of a first tier team. They remain too inconsistent in their performance, and their side game play leaves some to be desired. They will make a run for the top tier this year, but will fall short. As long as they stay positive this year, they should dominate the second tier for a fifth place finish.

Sixth Place: Haunted Woods (+4)
This year, I think Haunted Woods will finally reach the second tier. They have demonstrated their ability to match the play of powerhouses, and are an all-around good team. They are also fairly consistent in their results, allowing them a sixth place finish this year.

Seventh Place: Darigan Citadel (-6)
There's no doubt that Darigan Citadel is a strong team, but they've yet to outright beat a powerhouse in yooyuball, showing they lack the strength for another placing in the first tier. Their decent performance in sidegames and overall consistency will keep them afloat in the second tier. When finals come around, I think they'll perform similarly to last year, though in the second tier, for a seventh place finish.

Eighth Place: Tyrannia (+5)
Tyrannia has always been a well-balanced team, and even more so this year, after discovering their talent for yooyuball. They surprised everyone this year by clinging to the first tier for much of the first round, but I think they'll drop. Their yooyuball just isn't quite at the level of a first tier team. In addition, Tyrannia is inexperienced in this level of competition, and seem to lack vitality, already slipping. Nevertheless, this team will finish solidly in eighth place.

Third Tier

Ninth Place: Terror Mountain (+3)
Terror Mountain's description is very similar to Tyrannia's--a well-balanced, upstart team that surprised everyone but lacks both the yooyuball power and vitality of a top tier team. However, Terror Mountain is somewhat smaller than Tyrannia, and fall harder when even a small amount of their members fail to play hard. For this reason, Terror Mountain will finish just short of the second tier. They will dominate the third tier, though, and their performance in the finals will be just as stellar as last year, garnering them another ninth place finish.

Tenth Place: Roo Island (-7)
With a sharp drop-off after the top nine, Roo Island has little hope of achieving a position in the second tier. The team has been consistently decent in both yooyuball and shootout showdown but simply lacks the power to beat powerhouses. They have been further limited by their terrible play in the other two games. They are essentially isolated at tenth place, and will stay there, though I expect them to improve upon the last round.

Eleventh Place: Kiko Lake (+6)
Kiko Lake has emerged from the bottom tier this year to take Tyrannia's place, becoming a side game power in addition to producing their usual shocks. This team will have to fight hard to maintain their position in the third tier, but I think they can do it; being small, they are extremely organized and able to plan and focus in a way that's dangerous. Kiko Lake causes concern even among powerhouses, and will place in their highest position yet, eleventh.

Twelfth Place: Shenkuu (-4)
Shenkuu is an interesting and unpredictable team this year. They have, in a way, taken the role of Mystery Island, able to upset powerhouses one day and lose to a bottom tier team the next. This inconsistency is largely due to their failure to organize themselves, and I have them in twelfth place as a result

Fourth Tier

Thirteenth Place: Lost Desert (-6)
The winner's curse clobbered Lost Desert this year, sending them to a position into the last tier. While the winner's curse was definitely a big factor in their tumble, I also think the level of competition has increased greatly this year (just look at how close the top nine is), and is simply too much for Lost Desert to handle. As for the second round, Lost Desert will perform largely the same and use their experience in the finals to capture thirteenth place.

Fourteenth Place: Brightvale (0)
I have trouble describing Brightvale...they're sort of the "plain" team in the Altador Cup, and they hover between the strong and weak teams. Anyway, they've shown that they have the potential to be a middle placing team, but I think they're blighted by their inability to get organized. As a smaller team, they cannot get favorable results without organization. For this reason, I see them placing fourteenth.

Fifteenth Place: Mystery Island (-4)
Mystery Island finally showed some consistency this year, but at the cost of their wild card status: no more do they produce huge, shocking upsets. In fact, they are much like Brightvale, hovering in between the strong and the weak and showing potential, but hindered by their lack of organization despite being a smaller team. They certainly are consistent this year, but their consistent level is not good enough to pull them out of the fourth tier and a fifteenth place finish.

Sixteenth Place: Faerieland (0)
Though in a very similar place in the standings, Faerieland has definitely improved this year. Instead of being a team where a sweep is almost a given, they have proved nearly impossible to sweep, and it's only happened once, something even stronger teams can't say. Unfortunately for them, however, other teams have shown even more improvement, and they still can't contend, giving them a sixteenth finish.

Consolation

Seventeenth Place: Altador (-2)
Finding themselves falling behind the improving teams this year, Altador turned to slushie slinger. They found refuge in the game, and have one of the best records. This is, however, the only game Altador actually manages to win, and seems to often be the only game they play. As long as this lack of strategy continues, Altador will remain where they are, in seventeenth place; a team cannot be successful unless they branch out. As there is a sharp drop-off after Faerieland, Altador has little hope of climbing the standings this year, and may even drop to a last place position. They have never done so, however, and this year won't be they year that they do. If they can shift the focus they muster in slushie slinger to yooyuball in the finals, then they will no doubt beat Moltara.

Eighteenth Place: Moltara (0)
There's no doubt that Moltara has improved this year, and they've even managed to win a yooyuball game. Once again, however, Moltara is stuck at the bottom of the standings, being the team most frequently swept. Though they managed to beat Altador in the first round, I think Altador has strength in the form of slushie slinger to convert to yooyuball in the finals, while Moltara has next to none. For this reason, they will again finish in eighteenth place.

Altador Cup Graphics

If you're looking for graphics to show support for your favorite Altador Cup team, then you're at the right place. This section contains a variety of graphics, from buttons to icons, for each team. First, however, a few rules must be covered.

Although I'm not requiring that you credit me for the use of these graphics, it would be greatly appreciated if you did so.
Do not claim any of the graphics as your own, or redistribute them in any way. In other words, no stealing my content.
Finally, do not edit these graphics.

Simple right? Now, feel free to enjoy the graphics!

(Graphic here) from <a href="/~dryces">Fundamental Cup</a>.
(Graphic here) from Fundamental Cup.

Icons

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/AltadorIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/BrightvaleIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/DCIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/FLIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/HWIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/KLIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/KrawIslandIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/KreludorIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/LostdesertIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/MaraquaIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/MeridellIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/MIIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/MoltaraIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/RIIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/ShenkuuIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/TMIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/TyranniaIcon.png" border="0">

<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/K_M_Hockey/VirtupetsIcon.png" border="0">

More to come!

Altador Cup Guides

Shield Rankings

More to come!

Shield Rankings Guide

Ever wondered what the shields by your stats mean, or how many games of shootout showdown you need to play to reach the next rank? Then this is the section for you!
There are a total of 21 ranks running from beginner to all-star. To rank up, a certain point total needs to be reached. The number of plays needed for one point for each game are as follows:
1 Yooyuball Win
2 Yooyuball Draws
2 Slushie Slinger games with a score of at least 300
12 Make Some Noise games with a score of at least 3000
12 Shootout Showdown games with a score of at least 650
Below is a chart which shows the points required to achieve each rank.

Beginner Default Rank

Rank One 50 points

Rank Two 100 points

Rank Three 150 points

Rank Four 200 points

Rank Five 275 points

Rank Six 350 points

Rank Seven 425 points

Rank Eight 500 points

Rank Nine 600 points

Rank Ten 700 points

Rank Eleven 800 points

Rank Twelve 900 points

Rank Thirteen 1025 points

Rank Fourteen 1150 points

Rank Fifteen 1275 points

Rank Sixteen 1400 points

Rank Seventeen 1550 points

Rank Eighteen 1700 points

Rank Nineteen 1850 points

All-Star 2000 points

The way to play games that is most efficient in ranking up is to only reach the minimum score for the side games before sending your score, as the amount of points you receive in the game does not affect the rank points you will receive, but does reduce the time spent playing each game. Also, of all the games that you can play for points, yooyuball and Shootout Showdown are widely considered the most efficient, as they provide the most points for the amount of time spent playing. But ultimately the choice lies with you and what you are most comfortable with.
What's the point of ranking, you might ask? Well, besides helping your team and showing increased support, ranks also indicate the number of prize shop points that will be received at the end of the Altador Cup. That is, the higher your ranking, the more points you will receive to spend at the Altador Cup prize shop.
Now that you have a thorough understanding of the Altador Cup ranking system, you can decide on a rank for which to aim, if you so choose. Whatever rank you choose to go after and games you play to get there, good luck!

Rankings goes here

Archives goes here.

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