The most festive season of the year is slowly fading away, as the Grand Finals of Christmas Chaos XIII are on the way. Even though several armies attempted to secure a place in the final round, only two successfully made their way. Today, let us meet the leaders of both armies and learn more about their preparations.
Designed by Wynn
Belga, Fitsuki, and Lass are the current triumvirate in charge of the Elite Guardians of Club Penguin. The first two joined the army community through EGCP in November 2017 and June 2018, respectively. Additionally, the Elite Guardians have been Belga’s only army so far. Meanwhile, Fitsuki had experiences in several other armies during EGCP’s three-year hiatus. He is a former leader and legend at Os Mascarados, served as a leader at Water Force, and as an HCOM at Special Weapons and Tactics. On the other hand, Lass first came across the community through the Rebel Penguin Federation in 2017. However, it was only in February 2018 that he moved to the Super Strikers of Club Penguin, a former EGCP colony. In June, Lass saw himself enlisted with the Guardians after a colony merge.
Since the army’s return on May 2023, the trio has been acquiring valuable experience, as this is their very first time leading a Major Army. Even amidst a turmoil of controversies surrounding the army’s name, the trio has undoubtedly managed to mark the Elite Guardians’ name as a dominant force within the community. After losing to the Army of Club Penguin in the extremely close Semi-Finals of Legends Cup XIII, the leaders spent months preparing for this moment. The SWAT no-show in the Quarter-Finals only nurtured their will to defeat the Rebels in the Semi-Finals. Therefore, exceeding the community’s expectations, they managed to 3-0 the RPF, ending their Christmas Chaos winning streak. Now, ready to achieve their third CC victory, the Guardians are preparing for the Grand Finals of Christmas Chaos XIII.
EGCP vs. RPF – Room 2
The Water Vikings are currently led by Cabin, Claire, Dino, and Mabel. Cabin is a well-known figure in the community. He has been a part of it since 2014 when he joined the Golden Troops. Nonetheless, he is most known for his work in Templars, People’s Imperial Confederation, and Napalm Corps, being a legend in the first two. It was only on December 2nd that Cabin was inducted Viking Commander in WV, after spending almost two months as a second-in-command in the army. As for Claire and Mabel, both joined WV in 2020, with the former only joining the leadership in July 2023, and the latter in September 2022. The female duo has undoubtedly showcased their fidelity to their army, working tirelessly to maintain its good status.
Meanwhile, Dino is the most experienced leader of the four, rising to the leadership at the same time as Mabel. He joined the community in 2015, being a part of RPF, Dark Warriors, and the Underground Mafias Army. Furthermore, he also served as a leader at the Romans, Lime Green Army, and the Doritos. Undoubtedly, the collected experience of the ‘fantastic-four’ quartet that leads the Water Vikings has contributed to its recent successes. Against all the tides, the Vikings sailed to 3-0 against the Help Force in the Quarter-Finals round, as well as eliminating the favorite ACP in the Semi-Finals. The Vikings are indeed hungry for the holiday trophy, and will not put up an easy fight against their opponents.
ACP vs. WV – Room 3
Club Penguin Armies reached out to the leaders in question to understand how their preparations are going so far, and what are their expectations.
What is being done differently to prepare for the Grand Finals? On which aspect are you focusing more?
Belga: EGCP has always had a significant number of active soldiers but also boasts a large base of veterans. Additionally, we have a considerable amount of less active soldiers who are always eager to contribute to the army’s achievements. We focus on reaching out to these individuals, and I believe we have done an excellent job. Obviously, we are still committed to attracting new members to the army, as I believe no army should rely exclusively on its veterans. We are preparing and training not only our soldiers but also enhancing our leadership skills.
Fitsuki: Many things are and were done in preparation for the tournament, it would be impossible to mention everything. However, I’m focusing more on recruiting and keeping the EGCP server active for now.
Lass: The only difference of the preparation is the intensity, to achieve great results, you must display great efforts. I believe that the biggest focus of any tournament is the assurance of attendance, so that is my pick.
Cabin: We are focusing very heavily on hyping our troops for one of the biggest battles they will ever participate in. If we want to win tomorrow, we must want to win!
Claire: Hyping has been our main weapon, reminding people about the battle, keeping chat active and making CC Finals the main topic. Training a lot, we’ve been making training camps for formations and speed and making some good tactics in order to be more technical.
Dino: Nothing really. We are confident that what we’ve done this whole tournament can prepare us.
Mabel: We are just focusing more on formations. We’ve been hosting a lot of events such called as “operations” where we focus on a more specific topic of that event (forms, bombs, etc.) to focus on them for 30 minutes individually instead of throwing all of them out at once especially on newer troops.
In your perspective, what is the most important attribute for a leader to bear?
Belga: I believe that a leader should possess a series of characteristics. While it’s challenging to have them all, a good leader should have at least some of them. This includes the ability to understand their soldiers, comprehend their needs, and know what is essential to enhance the army’s experience. Furthermore, a leader must have a firm hand when necessary, and know when to speak and when to act. Possessing a strategic vision and the ability to understand and communicate effectively with others is crucial. To reiterate a bit, these are skills that very few people naturally have. Above all, a leader must learn from their mistakes and always look ahead to the future of the army. These are the essential characteristics of becoming a great leader of a penguin army.
Fitsuki: Above all, a leader must be well prepared and focused. A real leader must be prepared for all kinds of things and have focus so that their plans work.
Lass: The most important attribute in a leader is perseverance. Your skills will be only truly tested when adversity is thrown at you, that is when you have to display resilience to your troops. Showing hesitance and demotivation is something that not only weakens your image but your troops’ morale as well.
Cabin: The most important attribute a leader should have is patience. Good results can take a minute to achieve, but great results may take a day. Leaders who desire results ought to understand this and treat their troops, staff, and army with their due patience.
Claire: To hold their armies community together, i don’t think it’s a burden but i do think is a hard task and sometimes can be overwhelming, it’s very rewarding tho and for me there’s no better feeling that seeing a healthy, functional and happy community inside the army.
Dino: The ability to adapt the situation to whatever the circumstance of the battle. I feel like nowadays we lost what “battling” actually means. We’ve greatly innovated this year in terms of formations with the H form by EGCP, Double V by ACP, N by RPF, and Sideways K/Acute Angle by WV this year but everything feels too strategic. Again, you need strategy to win battles, but you also need to be a tactician in the moment and be ready to handle whatever’s thrown at you (whether it be responding to tactics or countering forms).
Mabel: Patience. Things aren’t always going to go as plan the first few times you try out a new bomb or form. In our own trainings, we’ve definitely gotten things right after multiple times of trying and having patience for people who are just joining us.
Which army would have you liked to face if not the Elite Guardians/Water Vikings?
Belga: I think most of us expected to face ACP in the final. It would certainly have been a historic battle. Although we had hope and were rooting for Water Vikings to emerge victorious, we cannot overlook the entire history and rivalry we built with ACP throughout the year. There’s no need to go into details about World War IX, our war against them, or the Legends Cup. It would have undoubtedly been an incredible battle to close out the year.
Fitsuki: It would’ve been interesting to face the Army of Club Penguin once again, but apparently they didn’t make it this far.
Lass: I think the Templars or the Help Force because we have never faced them yet in a tournament, not in this generation that is.
Cabin: If we were not facing the Elite Guardians, it would have been enjoyable to battle the Rebel Penguin Federation or the Army of Club Penguin as they were very formidable in the tournament leading up to this point.
Claire: ACP would be a good match since we have our quarrels, but i think being in the finals with EGCP it will be a good battle and will push both armies to do their best which is great.
Dino: In the finals? The RPF for historical purposes. For too long we lost to RPF in tournaments including the heart-breaking 2015 Legends Cup finals. It would be fitting to face the Christmas Chaos kings themselves on their own turf.
Mabel: Honestly, if we hadn’t went up with them already and if they had a chance to advance, it would be Help Force. I am really curious if things have changed what they would have brought for the finals.
If you manage to win Christmas Chaos, what are your plans for your army after that?
Belga: We will go through a period of preparation, particularly strengthening our Ausia division, and prepare ourselves to win the tournaments that the next year will bring. Additionally, we will continue our constant expansion. Certainly, we will seek domination when the new map of the CPA is revealed. The ultimate goal will be to paint the map in gray.
Fitsuki: I have a lot of plans for Elite Guardians for next year, which will be announced soon. The combination of all these plans should guarantee EGCP’s dominance in the top ten, on the map and, possibly, in the next tournaments.
Lass: Pretty simple, keep the engine running.
Cabin: If we win Christmas Chaos, it will be a cause for celebration within our army. After that, we will look forward to preparing for future conflicts and tournaments.
Claire: To be honest i feel like everyone is needing some rest, so my plans are to cool down a bit, increase our bound, do some fun events and activities and when it’s needed we will be ready for the next challenge.
Dino: Work on keeping at least a partial part of that momentum for the long term.
Mabel: We have not discussed any plans, but probably just a celebration overall as any army would.
What is your message to the future leaders who take on the dream of winning a tournament final?
Belga: A leader is no more than his soldiers. A leader cannot win a battle alone, just as his soldiers will never win without coordination. You MUST always analyze yourself and your army, realizing what needs improvement. Each battle is unique, and you should always strive to make each one better than the last. If you can do that, I believe there is nothing in this world of penguins that can stop you.
Fitsuki: Victory in a tournament must be guaranteed long before entering the battlefield, through preparations that precede the first battle that will take place. If you want to win a tournament, prepare every detail beforehand.
Lass: At the end of the day, this is just a PNG image of a trophy that you are fighting for the right to display on your army’s website. What truly matters in a tournament is the journey undertaken, the beauty is not solely in conquering it, it is in the path that you crossed to conquer.
Cabin: If you work hard enough and lead with passion, patience, and respect, you can win tournaments, wars, and honors. There may be moments where you feel helpless and stressed, but push through it. There is probably no greater feeling within this community than leading an army to victory in a tournament final.
Claire: Know what you want, work hard for it and you’ll see the results, do it with cherish. Getting here was not a easy path and victory won’t be easy too but we are mighty, we want it and we make it happen together.
Dino: This goes not just for the finals but in general: never write yourself off or let people convince your army you can’t win this. WV used to have a great AUSIA but by AA came around we had no AUSIA to speak of. But we had the drive and made a Cinderella run. Even now, no one (including some of us) saw us beating HF and ACP given WV was doing the worst of the majors arguably. But that’s why you never give up. If you have the drive, everything else can come easier.
Even small-medium armies like PIC or POM can win it all, just requires that drive. WV may have some legacy but compared to our opponents (even EGCP I’d argue) it doesn’t hold up. We still have a battle and I’ll keep the energy for the battlefield, but if WV does win I hope that serves as an example for others who may think they shouldn’t care about a tournament due to the present (keyword: present, not thinking about the future) state of the army.Mabel: Don’t have a big ego. You can be in the finals, but having a big ego is just going to spread a lot of negativity around yourself and your army, and can really worsen your chances of winning, especially if you end up losing some staff or even respectable vets because of it.
Certainly, the qualifications and capabilities of the leaders are unquestionable. Now that we know a bit about their plans and expectations, we can only wait for tomorrow. Only then shall we know how this battle will find its resolution. We, at Club Penguin Armies, wish both armies the very best of luck. Which advice did you like the most? Which leadership attributes do you think play a major role on the battlefield?
More Information
Mchappy is interning at Club Penguin Armies as the Chief Executive Producer. Max held him at gunpoint to finish his biography.