Welcome back to Lost Legends, a column dedicated to celebrating the unsung heroes of the community. In each edition, we will shine a spotlight on army leaders who made significant contributions but haven’t received the recognition they deserve. We will also connect with army legends who feel forgotten, listen to their stories, and acknowledge their impact. Every army leader who had a noteworthy impact should be remembered and celebrated.
Designed by Legoman
Once again, we will be diving into the mysterious depths of army history for this post. The person we will be stalking focusing on is Etac14. Most of the people in the community nowadays are from the private server era, so it is necessary for me to write an explanation of the era we are talking about. Etac14’s career spanned the years 2009 to 2014. These years are often referred to as a return to the golden ages. Talking about 2012 in particular, several armies saw a huge rise during this time, while at the same time a gap was forming between major and smaller armies.
The Beginning
As highlighted in previous columns, the era often saw troops participating in multiple armies. Single enlistment often turned out to be a much rarer occurrence than you might expect. At the same time, leadership durations were often not as long as they currently are. New armies were popping up every single day.
Etac14 got her start in the community in armies like the Nachos and Night Warriors. The first army she would create would be the Tiger Warriors on June 25, 2009. Her goal was for it to the “as big as the Nachos someday,” unfortunately the army quickly became inactive and died out. With her first leading attempt under her belt, she was ready to tackle the challenge again.
The founding of the Tigers
Becoming A Leader
There are three armies where Etac14’s capabilities as a leader really shined bright. The first is the Impossible Mission Army Force. Club Penguin Army Legend Flipmoo created the Impossible Mission Army Force in December 2007. It is considered to be one of the most powerful armies to be formed in the early days. Their sizes peaked at around 25. The army fought against several other armies, such as the Purple Heads, Shadow Troops and the Underground Mafias Army.
Additionally, Etac14 would go on to have a stint as a leader in the Fire Warriors who were being led by her good friends from the Night Warriors, Pochoma123 and Pringle64. While she was already dabbling in the art of graphics making, she was able to learn more from Pringle64. Eventually, Etac14 would open her own graphics shop and go on to be revered as one of the best in the business.
However, her strongest display turned out to be with the Arctic Warriors. Etac14 created the Arctic Warriors on January 31, 2011. At first, the army was unable to escape the “noob effect.” Despite a few successful invasions, the growth of their small-medium army was not enough to carry them into success. Ultimately, the shut the army down and moved on to other things.
Swan Song
There were several revivals during this dark period, with none of them working out. More than a year later, on March 20, 2012, Etac14 finally reopened the army with stronger determination than ever. The first event kicked off with a max of ten penguins, and from there, the army once again started growing. The army began getting featured on the small-medium army ranks. Eventually, the Warriors edged their way into the Top Ten ranks by hitting the tenth spot in their first feature. The hard work of Etac14 and her Higher Command team finally paid off. The army gained recognition for their active chat, effective tactics and solid tactics.
Etac14 was a leader that seized the moment. It was rare in 2012 for newer armies to rise as quickly as the Arctic Warriors did. She would spearhead the United Warriors Alliance including armies such as: Arctic Warriors; Puffle Warriors; and Watex Warriors. With the Arctic Warriors as the only major army in the alliance, the United Warriors started invading servers for the armies to use in a major-army dominated map.
May 5, 2012: Invasion of Ice Cold
However, these conflicts were short-lived. Nevertheless, Etac14’s army continued to grow enough to where the Arctic Warriors were fourth on the Top Ten posted on May 8, 2012. Etac14’s army was now considered bigger than the Nachos, something she initially dreamed about when opening up her first army, the Tiger Warriors. It is important to note that in the early half of 2012, it was unfounded for a non-legacy army to have such a steady climb near the top of the rankings.
On the other hand, the Shadow Troops noticed this climb and quickly posted a declaration of war. Under the leadership of Saw, the Shadow Troops were able to rally a staggering amount of allies to attend their invasions of Arctic Warrior land. This setback had a significant impact on the Arctic Warriors’ performance in the following weeks. They struggled to maintain their position in the Top Ten as their sizes dwindled drastically. They worked tirelessly to revive the army and restore its former glory. Although their journey was arduous, they managed to make a remarkable comeback. The Arctic Warriors regained their strength and even earned a surprising fifth place in the rankings, with Etac14 earning Leader of the Week on the community news site.
Throughout this period, the Arctic Warriors experienced a decline in size, going from averaging 20-25 troops back down to small-medium army status. Unfortunately, fate had something else planned as Etac14 soon went on a series of breaks. While the army held its own initially, the sizes soon crumbled. Thus, on July 12, 2012, the Arctic Warriors shut down forever.
May 7, 2023: Defense of Frosty
Club Penguin Armies reached out to Etac14 to learn more about her personal experience and nostalgia within the army community.
What was the thing that attracted you to armies?
I stayed in armies for the community and all of the good friends I made. Even though the people that I met lived all over the country/world and I only knew most of them by their screen name, the support and friendship meant a lot to me when I was growing up.
How would you describe yourself as a leader? What makes a good leader?
I think that a good leader is someone that is able to command respect but also shows respect to the people that they’re leading. As a leader, I tried my best to be honest, to not get involved in insincere army business, and to be caring to the people in my armies. I did my best to remember that my army wasn’t just about me, and every single person in the army was what made it what it was.
What are you favorite memories? Tell us a story.
I don’t remember very many specifics from the army days, but my favorite memories were of Mchappy and Monsoon, playing Transformice and video chatting together. I met them when I was in middle school, kept in touch even after we moved on from armies, and eventually started visiting each other and going on trips together. They went from screen names on a game to my very best childhood friends.
Would you consider yourself a lost legend?
No comment.
Throughout her leadership, Etac14 displayed traits such as adaptability, determination and resilience. Despite setbacks and challenges, she persisted in her efforts to build and maintain a strong army. Etac14’s strategic decision-making, ability to attract talented individuals, and commitment to the Arctic Warriors contributed to their achievements and recognition within the Club Penguin community. Additionally, in a time where armies were dominated by male presence, she was one of the first female voices to create and lead a non-legacy army to major army status. Is Etac14 a lost legend?
More Information
Mchappy is interning at Club Penguin Armies as the Chief Executive Producer. Max held him at gunpoint to finish his biography.