Preparing Early For The Altador Cup!

     It's never too early to get ready for the Altador Cup! This yearly summer event is one of the most anticipated parts of playing Neopets. It comes and goes in the blink of an eye, an adrenaline fueled fever dream, and by the time it ends you'll already be wishing it was next year so you can play again!

     For those not in the know, the Altador Cup is when all the Neopian lands put aside their differences and take their squabbles to the court, playing a fierce and fast game of Yooyuball. Neopets users pick a team to side with and play their hearts out to earn points for their team, attempting to skyrocket their land to the best of the best. There are also other games for those who are not as great at Yooyuball, like Slushie Slinger where you work in the cafeteria of the stadium and attempt to give as many frozen slushies to the masses of thirsty fans as possible. There is also Make Some Noise, where you are a Techo cheering on your team from the stadiums and trying to make the most noise possible! Finally, there is Shootout Showdown, a quick game where it is just you against the goalie in a rapid Yooyuball match.

     So how exactly do you prepare for one of the biggest events in Neopian history? Well, there is a lot to do!

     First things first, you'll want to take some time to decide which team you want to join. Almost every Neopian land sends representatives, and so you have plenty of choices. You might want to spend some time visiting these places, learning about their lore and history, getting a feel for the landscape. Maybe you like the tranquil quiet of Kiko Lake, or the underwater kingdom of Maraqua, or the hustle and bustle of Roo Island. There is something out there for everyone. You may also base your decision on where your friends will be competing, so ask them! You can also take a look at past years in the Altador Cup, maybe you are just chasing a gold trophy and want to join whichever team has performed well in the past. Every year there is usually at least one land that surprises everyone and places very high, so it is hard to predict. One year Virtupets may come close to last, and the next they could win! For this reason I like to pick the team I vibe with the best, the prizes are all the same except for the trophy.

     After you've gotten a general idea of what land you'd like to play for, you can always get in some practice. The official Yooyuball game doesn't come up for practice until shortly before the tournament begins, but there are some other games you can play. Deckball is a good one as it shares the same concept of trying to score in a goal against an opponent, and it the ball changes in how it acts just like Yooyuball. This is generally my go to. Mynci Volleyball is another decent practice game.

     If you'd like to practice Make Some Noise, which is a lot of button mashing, I recommend Tug 'O' War. It requires you to hit keys on your keyboard over and over to pull your opponent into a pit. This will help you keep your fingers quick and precise.

     For Slushie Slinger I recommend games that make you move back and forth quickly to catch things, like Wocky Wobble. It requires a Wocky to catch objects falling from the sky (like how in Slushie Slinger your Tuskaninny will have to race back and forth to catch Slushies). This game requires a little more balance and finesse, so when you switch to Slushie Slinger that will seem easy!

     So now that you've got some game practice in, and maybe some trophies for those games, you have to get suited up! That is right, repping your teams swag is a great way to boost excitement! There are a lot of different wearables and collectibles available from each team, hit up the shop wizard early before the prices start going up right before the games. Dress up all your pets with backgrounds and trinkets, a jersey, and show their team spirit. You can go even further and make a user lookup with your favorite team on it, or make a gallery devoted to the team. This will also show other users where you stand and could help recruit people to your team. Speaking of, don't forget to show your pride on the Neoboards with a team signature and chat on the Games neoboard to try to recruit early. Don't spam people, but feel free to make a board supporting your team and keeping a nice chat on there with other people that also love that team! There also might be some Altador Cup guilds out there you can join so the party truly never ends.

     If you really want to cash in, stock your shop with a bunch of Altador Cup items now and they will sell like hot cakes when the tournament comes around.

     The last thing that you can do is to make sure you get all your work and schoolwork done ahead of time. The Altador Cup requires a lot of time if you want to be in the top tiers, but with careful planning and scheduling you can make a nice balance between your Neo-life and your real life. There is no reason to neglect anything in the real world just to get a bigger trophy or prize in the Altador Cup. Try to get as much of your work done ahead of time so you have more time available during the tournament.

     It may still be a while away, but it is never to early to prepare for the greatest competition in Neopia. Just remember to act with kindness and sportman-like conduct. Just because someone is on a different team than you are doesn't mean they are the enemy, this is all meant to be in fun. Some light competitive joking is great, but don't get too caught up. After all, we all live in Neopia together and are united against the evil Dr. Sloth!