Few armies manage to attain such significant internal fulfillment to the extent of acquiring an idiosyncratic nature. Similar to cautiously planted mustard seeds in fertile soil, it was on October 19th, 2017, that the first Brazilian Club Penguin army came into existence. What was previously conceived as a mere project has, without a doubt, matured into a powerhouse within the army landscape. With conviction, it can be stated that the Elite Guardians of CP have achieved a level of cultural fulfillment that extends their influence generously within the community.
Designed by Master DS
I. The Backstory
The Elite Guardians were never meant to be an army per se. It all began in 2016 when Cookky2 was a staff member in the Nachos Army. Once, he had an idea to create a lusophone colony for Nachos. As the responsible and hardworking troop he was, he frequently recruited Portuguese-speaking penguins. After coming up with the name “Elite Guardians of Club Penguin” Cookky instantly messaged me. While the former worked with the website template and design, I designed the colony shield and set up its XAT chatroom. By that time, armies had used XAT rather than Discord.
Cookky2 First Announcing the Elite Guardians of CP Project
Even though the preparations for the colony were completed, the Nachos’ leadership feared a rebellion and did not authorize its creation. By the end of January 2017, Cookky finally achieved a leadership position within the army, becoming able to execute the project. However, minutes after his induction as a leader, Club Penguin officially announced its shutdown. The Elite Guardians of CP project was therefore discarded, at least until late 2017.
Throughout 2017, many Club Penguin Private Servers (CPPS) were created, and, amidst this scenario, Club Penguin Brasil became the new home for Portuguese-speaking players. As I was hired to be a CPPS moderator and promoter, Cookky and I reunited after a long time and could finally make our dream come true. Now, not as a mere colony, but as an army. The first lusophone army to ever be created. On October 19th, 2017, the Elite Guardians of Club Penguin had their opening event and, at last, began their operations in the army community.
The Elite Guardians’ Opening Event
II. The Elite Guardians Rise
The following months would be the stage for a surprising and outstanding ascension. The Guardians faced their brother allies, the Wild Ninjas, in their first practice battle, which was agreed upon as a tie; the size average was consistently increasing to 15+ per event; more servers were annexed to the Empire. To top it all, the vacations were near. It was the perfect time to achieve significant growth and place the army at the top. Intensive recruitment and training led the Brazilians to their peak size then. A total of 30 penguins were online during Operation: Igloo. That event certainly was a great incentive to everyone and showcased EGCP’s significant potential. Just two months after its foundation, the army was already achieving greater numbers than practically the entire community, trailing only behind the Rebel Penguin Federation.
Operation: Igloo, December 4th, 2017
The Elite Guardians had to deal with their first internal crisis in December. One of their high command members decided to leave the army to create their own. From there, one of the central policies of the Elite Guardians would soon emerge: zero tolerance for betrayals, along with the destruction of armies that dared attempt to usurp EGCP’s monopoly among the Brazilian community. As a result, the traitor was permanently banned from EGCP, their army was utterly obliterated, and their remaining troops moved to the Elite Guardians. This has become their modus operandi every time this scenario happens.
All the effort would be rewarded, as EGCP would achieve their first tournament win with an undisputed victory. There, their spirit of unity and determination was highlighted, which would accompany them in the great days of glory that they would have ahead.
Christmas Chaos 2017: EGCP vs. CP Crew vs. Romans vs. Wild Ninjas
III. The Empire Advances
Just as a new year began, the Empire of the Elite Guardians was also drawing new plans. Right in the first event of the year, the army had impressively achieved a size of 35+ penguins online, breaking their records. Nevertheless, they were not expecting a war to happen so early in the year. This expectation was shattered as the Underground Mafias Army declared war on EGCP. The reasoning behind their declaration was mere frustration over the imperialism EGCP exuded. In this perspective, it is essential to emphasize that this is the most noticeable trait of the Guardians’ external policies. They crave domination. “The Empire Must Expand” was one of their mottos.
Now allied with the Wild Ninjas, the famous New Viking Alliance was built. As a result, the NVA successfully captured all the UMA’s nation in just two days. Mason Cooper, one of the UMA co-leaders, officially surrendered and accepted to coup Ehroyals after talks with the NVA heads. This would start a major internal crisis, culminating in the creation of NUMA and EHUMA, led by Mason and Ehroyals respectively. The NVA would then serve as a resource for the Elite Guardians to protect small/medium armies.
The NVA invasion of Walrus, UMA Capital
This humiliation was not enough. EHUMA was seeking revenge, once again claiming that it was unfair for EGCP to colonize the entire map. This time, EHUMA brought 3 allies: JPCP, Club Penguin Crew, and the Romans. Despite all odds, the 15 battles of this new war were deemed an NVA victory. Consequently, the EHUMA had finally closed. On the same day the war ended, the Elite Guardians won their second tournament, beating their brother allies, the Wild Ninjas, in the Sound of Soldiers 2018 finals.
War Propaganda, an EGCP essential
IV. The Elite Guardians’ Golden Age
IV.1. EGCP’s Ascension to a Major Powerhouse
The following months would become largely significant for the Guardians. A particular individual, namely Xing, who had just created a certain army, namely Templars, had allegedly acted maliciously. This included an attempt of troop-steal, the creation of almost six armies in a week, a failed invasion of Oasis, and the attempt of recruitment in the said territory. As retaliation, EGCP started raiding some Templars events, and, on April 9th, 2018, declared war on them. The Guardians conquered all of their territories, as expected. However, even with all their territories lost, the Templars continued to hold events in vain. So, EGCP raided all of them until they openly admitted defeat. It was the first of many such wars against TCP.
The “Log off Xing meme”, extracted from EGCP’s mockery panel
It was in July that the Golden Age seemingly rose. Most of the Elite Guardians’ events at that time had a 45-50+ troops average. It is worth mentioning another cultural trait of the Guardians, before the next topic. The Elite does not, and never will, bow to the establishment, or the dominant force. That said, it is now safe to say that the Rebel Penguin Federation was the only obstacle hindering the EGCP road to progress. As the most powerful army in those days, they were a force to be tackled down. The Empire was to be expanded, after all. And as of July 18th, the Guardians’ rivalry with the Rebels had begun with an intense practice battle. With both sides reaching astonishing sizes of 50+ penguins, the battle course was completely in favor of the Guardians, although there was no official winner.
EGCP vs. RPF Practice Battle: an unofficial EGCP victory recognized by spectators and admins
IV.2. Legends Cup IX and World War VII Arc
With the hype surrounding all of EGCP’s troops, the army had begun their preparations for Legends Cup IX. Commitment, partnership, and hard work are just some of the characteristics of EGCP’s faithful and loyal troops that manifested and continue to manifest among the army. Together as a single body, the fellow troops and leaders worked hard to show the community that the Elite Guardians were a force to be reckoned with. After beating the Help Force in the quarter-finals, the Guardians had successfully moved to the semi-finals where they, once again, faced the Rebels. With only eight months of existence, the Elite Guardians maxed out an impressive amount of 60 troops, prepared to face the RPF. The results surprised both sides: the battle was going to overtime.
Legends Cup IX Semifinals – EGCP vs. RPF
Unfortunately for EGCP, the judges awarded the Rebels as the victors after picking the Iceberg as the OT room – the same room RPF had won in the battle. Although it was a blow to EGCP’s morale, it was not a fatal one. They happily moved on, held their heads high, and saw the greatness they had achieved in the community as something historic. However, their relationship had only soured since then. Under allegations of xenophobia, bad-mouthing, and event raids, the Elite Guardians declared war on the Rebel Penguin Federation. From July 30th until August 14th, the Guardians officially joined the Red Dawn Alliance against RPF’s United Armies of CPO. Quickly becoming the alliance’s heads, the EGCP leaders massively contributed to the first RPF defeat in the CPPS era. The thought-to-be unbeatable army had fallen. After several battles and raids, achieving maxes of 80+, the RDA emerged victorious.
IV.3. The Fight Against the Establishment: Christmas Chaos 2018
After three months of relative tranquillity and stability, it was about time for another dramatic situation to take place. The Army League had announced the Christmas Chaos 2018 tournament. This was the second time that EGCP participated in CC, accompanied by ‘military training’ and intensive training sessions. The army efficiently managed to reach the semi-finals, where they would meet the Templars. With the judges deeming the latter battle a tie, the tournament finals were set to be a three-way battle between EGCP, TCP, and the Pirates, an army run by the AL Admin, Epic101, who also happened to be CPO’s staff.
EGCP minutes before CC2018 Finals, with a max of 65+
Even though the Guardians were disheartened by the last battle’s result and had little hope of fairness coming from the league, they didn’t give up. They raised their hype to the maximum and spent the week recruiting as many as possible. The community witnessed the Elite Guardians’ peak: a significant size of 65+ achieved through determination. However, the battle would soon meet a different course of events. The following account, written by Erizy, the Elite Guardians’ 8th Leader, covers it all:
So, we quickly moved to the Stadium. But, curiously, something we noticed while making tactics (which, by the way, were faster than the Pirates’) was the extreme speed of the Pirates’ troops entering in the rooms before us, a physically impossible speed for an army.
It’s okay that they are from a country with a much better and superior internet connection than ours. But their computers must have surely had some lag due to the high sizes of the three armies, which would make it impossible for some troops to casually chat in the battle room, as shown in the example below:
It was then, in a moment of clarity, after realizing that most of the Templars had been practically sidelined, that we came to the conclusion that it was with them that we had scores to settle, and that it was more worthwhile to battle against them than with an army led by an individual of questionable nature.
So, we went to the Town, ignoring the rooms announced by the judges. After all, the real battle was about to happen there. We weren’t going to let our upcoming biased defeat serve to boost the ego of an Admin who had already lost in another tournament of this magnitude. Our performance in the Town, the Snow Forts, and the Stadium was truly exemplary and splendid. I don’t say this just because our opponent was smaller and less agile than us, but because it was evident the mutual effort of the soldiers to show not only the capability of our strength but also to show that we wouldn’t be used to glorify an army promoted by the CPPS’s infamous staff.
And so it was that the decision of the corrupt and machiavellian judges and leaders, who dared to cheat in a penguins game, forcing a tie to have three-way finals, turned out to be their own downfall. It was this decision that gave us the opportunity to rebel and duel fairly, even against our enemies, the Templars, who had agreed to boycott the tournament. And it was on that day that we made history and, even though not officially, won the tournament and created our own trophy.
CC2018 First Place Trophy
V. A New Chapter Unfolds
Even though 2019 marked the end of the Guardians’ Golden Age, they still maintained good size numbers per event. However, their motivation during that time was no longer the same after their banishment from Club Penguin Online. The almighty empire was seemingly losing steam throughout the months of 2019. Nevertheless, that year would mark the peak of the army’s geopolitical dominance. Following another defeat, the Templars found themselves bound by a treaty until March 1st, with the army under the Guardians’ surveillance. In essence, TCP would serve as EGCP’s colony until the treaty’s formal expiration, with the Guardians’ leadership holding the Templars’ Discord server ownership. It was also in 2019 when the EGCP founders, Cookky2 and I, and the Acting Leader SavageCobra were inducted as Army Legends.
Elite Guardians vs. Templars Treaty, 2019
Nonetheless, a few weeks later, Xing rebelled against the Guardians’ control over his army. This time, EGCP would ally with the Winged Hussars, a rebellion of high command from the Templars, united in their quest for the Emperor’s removal. Including the WH in the New Viking Alliance, the Guardians once again claimed victory. As an outcome, the Templars would leave the army community and, finally, the Hussars saw their rightful liberation.
When it comes to map domination, the Guardians had launched their Operation: Reconquest, in which they, once again, imposed their imperialism over the the community and colonized almost every available CPPS. As a strategic asset, they established a specialized division known as the Elite Expeditionary Force (FEE in Portuguese). The FEE’s primary duty was to carry out invasions and defenses during AUSIA and late US times. The Guardians then fought against formidable adversaries such as the Shadow Troops, Mopia, and ultimately the RPF. They not only successfully seized control of some of these adversaries’ servers but also effectively defended a few. This marked a significant milestone during the CPPS Era as, for the first time, the RPF found themselves displaced from the top position in the Top Ten rankings.
VI. The Guardians’ “Final” Breath
Unfortunately for the Guardians, their time in the community was “coming to an end”. With their sizes dropping because of some internal issues and rising instability, they faced their last wars against the Lime Green Army and, later, the RPF. The Rebels then managed to give the Guardians their first war loss. After an internal deliberation, the leaders had agreed that the fedoras should be put to rest. Due to their diminished size, lack of interest, and overall activity in the army community, the Guardians closed on January 27th, 2020. It was the end of an era and the beginning of a legacy. We thought this until the community witnessed their return after three years of closure.
Elite Guardians closure event, January 2020
Understanding the key points of an army’s history is the best way to analyze the external aspects of its culture. The Elite Guardians proved themselves to be imperialistic, dominant, and warmongers. This was not an army to be messed with. On the other hand, they also proved to be cordial friends and outstanding allies to the armies who stood at their side. It was truly a never-surrendering empire.
VII. The Internal Culture of the Elite Guardians
VII.1. The Ping Flood
The Elite Guardians are undoubtedly the most distinctive and unique army regarding internal customs and culture. As a heart-warming and welcoming family, it is very common to see new troops complimenting the welcoming team the Guardians have. After receiving proper guidance, the now enlisted troop is ready to start their career in the army. It is also worth mentioning that there is a unique watershed in EGCP, the infamous pings. They separate the loyal troops from the inactive/uninterested ones. On average, a person gets 500+ pings a day. One could say that this is a lot, however, it is not. When there is an important event, don’t expect less than 1,000 pings. That’s the most reliable method to test the troops’ loyalty. If they manage to resist this test, they are worthy of being an Elite Guardians’ soldier.
Amount of pings after a day off
VII.2. Late Night Talks and VC
Only a careless visitor would dare to enter the main chat during late night hours. They would come across weird topics being discussed, or even some abominations taking place, including staff and leaders imitating chickens and cars in voice chat (the recorded video will not be shared to preserve the reader’s mental health). When troops are not insane enough to do such things, it is possible to take part in Karaoke sessions, where everyone is free to release their beautiful (or not) voices and sing Brazilian classics, such as Onda Onda and OI, and international music. Even the International Division troops are included. Meanwhile, it is also possible to watch someone driving at high speed on a highway while listening to someone playing the guitar. The game nights are also frequent, consisting of meme-making, or games such as Gartic Phone or Stopots. There are no limits to what happens after the events.
The Elite Guardians’ Late Hours Chat
VII.3. The Myth of Sorte Vivve
If you are active in Club Penguin Armies, you might have already seen someone casually shouting “SORTE VIVVE” somewhere. Sorte Vivve does not mean anything in any language. So, what is behind these words? It all began when the Elite Guardians’ third leader, BOBS, watched a video of a drunk man who spelled something like “Sorte Vivve”. Then, he started spamming these words in the main chat until it became a meme. To this day, some troops do not know what this is all about. Later, a full mythological legend was written by the HCOM to depict Sorte Vivve as the primordial Elite Guardians’ Founder and deity. The seventh leader, Dollynhoxdd, generated the words “W Tarek” and “Olja Menae” by randomly hitting his keyboard. These two would represent Sorte Vivve’s parental figures. Even a troop in 2019 started to act like Sorte Vivve’s descendant, Pardo Vivve, High Priest of EGCP.
Opening of Pardo Vivve’s Holy Guard
VII.4. Loyalty and hard work
It is not possible to stress how loyal and committed the Guardians are. It does not matter what a troop’s talent is, it can always be used to make the army grow. One could work as a teacher at the University of EGCP, where assistance in school homework is offered, or as a reporter at the Guardians’ Gazzette. If their talent is more focused on the arts, the Media Committee of the Ministry of Propaganda is their place. If they aspire to political occupations, the Troop Senate of the High Summit is where they can learn more about diplomatic relations and internal affairs. In any situation, there is a ministry open for the troops to develop their talents and aspirations. The army’s success is the result of the troops’ loyalty and commendable hard work. They even – voluntarily – call their friends at school and distribute QR codes on the streets.
The Elite Guardians of Club Penguin are indeed a unique army, full of curious internal customs and with a dominant demeanor on the outside. Despite their fierce and protagonist stance on the international scenario, the Guardians’ community reveals itself to be friendly, supportive, and pleasant. Together as one body, the community works to keep the army’s culture and dominance flowing throughout its generations. What do you think of the Guardians’ culture?
More Information
Mchappy is interning at Club Penguin Armies as the Chief Executive Producer. Max held him at gunpoint to finish his biography.