Ever since the dawn of Club Penguin Armies, there has been one crucial and entertaining element of the community: Tournaments. Thus, we will analyze them and their history.
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Since the grand beginning of Club Penguin and the infancy of armies, tournaments have played a vital role. The creator of the first-ever Club Penguin tournament is unfortunately unknown. This is also the case with the tournaments that were held in the early days. We can only assume how the humble beginnings of tournaments went. Nonetheless, there is vast evidence that tournaments occurred for many years before 2010.
The legendary Decades End Club Penguin Army Tournament is one of the more well-known pre-2010 tournaments. The Decades End Tournament marked the end of the old style of warfare and gave way to the modern warfare we know today. Throughout the tournament, many armies fiercely fought to win the trophy. However, three giants made their way into the finals. The remaining armies were the Army of Club Penguin, Ice Warriors, and Nachos. Over 200 people fought in the finals, across four rooms, for an hour and a half until ACP finally emerged as the victor.
The Decades End Tournament wasn’t the only example of a pre-modern tournament. Nonetheless, it was one of the most significant and sizeable contests of its time. Despite its significance, it still was just one brick in the foundation of modern Club Penguin armies, just like the dozens of tournaments/contests before it.
A picture from the Decades End
As the decade concluded, tournaments rose in popularity more than ever before. Three major tournaments which are still around today emerged during this new age. The new age saw the birth of March Madness, Legends Cup, and Christmas Chaos. Before these tournaments, similar tournaments were held like the Christmas Tournament or the SMAC-Down Tournament. However, it is important to note that these tournaments are indeed different.
One major tournament that was hosted was the CPAC tournament which was held by Club Penguin Army Central (a media organisation). It could have been seen as the start of something much bigger as many more tournaments followed it. Another competition of significance was one SMAC (an organization centred around S/M news) hosted, the SMAC-Down. With all of this in mind, the first half of the new decade was a good time for tournaments and community. 2014 had the most documented tournaments, followed by 2012 and 2015. However, many of those tournaments were small compared to today’s tournaments.
As the first half of the decade ended, problems arose. At first, the only major problem was a recession in tournament numbers. However, several tournaments were still being held such as the SMAC AUSIA Bash. Many of these have been influential and perhaps inspirational for modern tournaments. This didn’t solve the problem though as it got much worse when Club Penguin announced its closure on the 30th of January, 2017, The game went on to close on March 30th. Despite this, that was not the end of the story.
Graph of documented tournaments per year
Club Penguin Private Servers, contradictory to popular belief, existed long before the closure of Club Penguin. ICPV2 is one example of a private server which was around in 2010. This was long before Club Penguin shut down. CPPS’ slowly grew in popularity, with the CPPS.me being the first to gain 200 thousand users. This popularity grew at a much faster rate when Club Penguin shut down. The most popular ones after this event were Club Penguin Rewritten and Club Penguin Online. These CPPS’ allowed people to keep playing and thus allowed armies to continue to exist.
Over the following years, the army community slowly became more active. The process was relatively gradual even with tournaments occurring even during the year of CP’s closure, such as the Legends Cup VII. Despite this, it was a dark time for tournaments. Some tournaments from the past were held, but many were not. The small/medium army scene was alive, however, thanks to the Small Medium Army News Headquarters. The wider community certainly wasn’t stagnant either. Many wars happened and many alliances were made and broken. Many armies also rose and fell. Then something unexpected happened, something that stunned the whole world. The Covid 19 Pandemic began.
Legends Cup in 2018
The panic brought mass lockdowns and forced millions to stay home. As such, many decided to play CPPS’ for nostalgia due to the amount of free time they had. Thanks to this influx of people, armies saw a massive rise in numbers. Tournaments and wars became more regular, similar to the 2010s; however, 2020 was also a year of innovation. It was the year in which several tournaments which are famous today were created. Some examples are the Beach Brawl and AUSIA Arena. It was arguably the golden year of Club Penguin armies.
After 2020, the tournament number gradually lowered. It became a time of conflict. This conflict was not only between armies but between leagues too. There was a divide between the Club Penguin Army Headquarters and the Club Penguin Network. The division was the cause of many issues as armies were split between the two. Fortunately, after some time, they resolved their issues and the two merged.
All of this brings us to the present day. The community united under the banner of one organization, Club Penguin Armies. Armies continue to fight for the first spot in the Top Tens and old tournaments continue to take place. Wars happen less often than they used to, however, there has been an increase in comparison to 2022. The number of tournaments has essentially reached that of 2016. Nonetheless, this brings up many questions.
Legends Cup 2020
Is the community doing well? Are we ever going to reach the tournament numbers we once had? Is the community stagnant? Are tournaments as fun as they once used to be? Are there any other tournaments that could take place once again? Is the number of tournaments impactful? These are the questions you might have thought while reading this article. As is the nature of human understanding, it is difficult to be objective, especially about things as unclear as this. Nonetheless, let us attempt to answer these questions.
Is the community doing well? The answer to this question is subjective. Nonetheless, according to the troop sizes, creativity, competition, and tournament numbers, it is possible to say that the community is thriving and growing despite the setbacks.
Are we going to reach the tournament numbers we once had? That is a possibility. If the trend of this year continues, then there will be many tournaments happening once again. However, this decision is up to the army leaders and the Club Penguin Armies.
Is the community stagnant? Yes and no. It could be argued that it is, however, the recent consideration of using new CPPS’, changing the server map, and new recruiting tactics ensures innovation. This will surely give the community a new lease of life.
Are tournaments as fun as they used to be? That is different for every individual. What one might consider fun might be dull to others.
Are there any tournaments from the past that could be held again? Well, of course, examples of tournaments that could be held again are the Challengers Cup, Color Wars, SMAC-Down, and perhaps an adaptation of the Decade’s End Tourney.
Is the number of tournaments impactful? Tournaments play a vital role in the army experience. Without tournaments, there would be less competition amongst the community. If there were not enough tournaments would grow complacent. Tournments help armies strive for much more so without them, stagnation could occur. Thus, the amount held is impactful for all armies.
Legends Cup 2023
What is the takeaway from all of this? Tournaments are an essential part of armies. We are in a time in which innovation is desired. It has become a key to the survival of armies. Whether the trend of innovation continues remains unclear. Thus, we would like to ask you, the reader, your opinions on the questions asked. Do you agree or disagree? Are there more questions on your mind? If so, make sure to comment below.
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Mchappy is interning at Club Penguin Armies as the Chief Executive Producer. Max held him at gunpoint to finish his biography.