Welcome to Picture Perfect, a column that features the most important moments from throughout army history. In this edition, we’ll be discussing Legends Cup and how the tournament developed into the prestigious community-wide event it is today.
Designed by Cassie
FORMAT OF TOURNAMENT
The Legends Cup Tournament was first announced by Army of Club Penguin‘s Creator and Army Legend, Oagalthorp, in July 2010. With most of the community out of school, it was the perfect time to start a new summer holiday tournament. Club Penguin Army Central (CPAC] hosted the event at ACP’s request.
The 40 participating armies were chosen from a variety of rankings to determine seeding. These armies were then split between two brackets: the Alpha and the Bravo bracket which competed over 12 days. The Alpha bracket featured ACP, Doritos of Club Penguin, Nachos, and Dark Warriors to name a few. On the other hand, the Bravo bracket consisted of Ice Warriors, the Underground Mafias Army, and the Rebel Penguin Federation. The largest of these armies automatically moved onto the 2nd round to face the Round 1 winners.
Alpha Bracket
Bravo Bracket
TOURNAMENT ROUNDS 1 AND 2
Beginning on August 2nd, the 16 smaller armies fought each other for a spot in the next round. It allowed them to participate even if they were at a size disadvantage. Each battle was 30 minutes long requiring endurance from participants. The first battle in the tournament was CP Spy School against Elite Romans where CP Spy School emerged victorious. Of the Round 1 armies, 8 of them moved onto the 2nd round with CP Spy School losing to ACP in the 2nd round. Additionally, IW achieved a dominant victory over the Builders Army which secured their place in the next round. Most of the other small armies experienced similar results besides the CP Clones defeating DCP in a major upset.
ROUND 3
Moving on, the 3rd round of Legends Cup I saw the Clovers continue their success with their victory over the smaller Snow Fighters. Next, the Clones were eliminated with their loss to the Night Warriors. Despite facing tough opposition, the Chips defeated the Black Bandits with a decisive victory. Moreover, Watex Warriors‘ victory over the Icy Troops secured them a spot in the next round. These battles concluded the third round for the Alpha Bracket.
In the Bravo Bracket, IW crushed the new army, Orange Republic, to continue. Next, UMA took care of Team Gold in the closest battle yet so far. It turned out to be one of the most controversial battles of the round. While Snow Warriors had defeated MFW, they were unable to overcome the might of the Golden Troops. Last of all, RPF defeated RFW in a close battle to face GT in the next round. With these battles, the third round came to a close.
QUARTERFINALS
ACP vs. Night Warriors
Thereafter, the next round began with many close battles taking place among the largest armies remaining. ACP had a tough battle in the form of Night Warriors who proved their prowess previously. The Warriors had a good shot to win as they dominated their past opponents just like the Clover Defenders. Thus, it was a very competitive battle in which no army was able to take home the crown. Given there was no victor, both armies moved on to the semi-finals.
ACP vs. Night Warriors – Quarterfinals
Nachos vs. Watex Warriors
Next, the Nachos competed against the Watex to determine who would face the Clovers in the next round. With close sizes, the battle turned out to be a nailbiter much like the previous one. Furthermore, WW achieved a record max while the Nachos had their typical high sizes. As there were lockouts, the winner was settled by how many of each army made it into the rooms. Consequently, Nachos reigned supreme with a superior performance and advanced to take on NW and ACP.
Nachos vs. WW – Quarterfinals
Ice Warriors vs. Underground Mafias Army
Thirdly, IW faced the Mafias in the most lopsided battle of the round. UMA was not able to continue the success that they had in their previous battles. They were not helped by their lower maxes than usual. Combined with IW’s higher max, the Warriors easily completed their quest to advance with 50+ penguins showing up at the battle. Therefore, IW secured a spot in the semi-finals.
IW troops gathering on the Beach
Rebel Penguin Federation vs. Golden Troops
Last of all, GT and RPF engaged in a fierce battle for a semi-finals spot. GT dominated their previous opponents which made RPF their first real challenge of the tournament. RPF narrowly got past RFW in one of the most contentious battles of the tournament. Both of these armies had a lot to prove to the community at large. With these motivations in mind, RPF had one of the highest turnouts for an army not in the Top Ten. On the other hand, GT had a subpar turnout for what was expected of them and played a major factor in their loss to the Federation. As such, RPF moved on to the next round even with the odds stacked against them. This battle concluded the quarter-final round.
RPF fighting GT in the Snow Forts
SEMI-FINALS
ACP vs. NW vs. Nachos
Unlike the previous battles of this Legends Cup, the first battle of the semi-finals was a three-way battle between ACP, NW, and Nachos. Given their massive sizes, the community expected it to be one of the biggest battles of the year and possibly of all time. The battle did not disappoint with several lockouts in each room for all three armies. ACP and Nachos also took up multiple rooms while the Night Warriors only filled one room. Additionally, the battle format was changed to have one army eliminated 15 minutes into the battle. The last 15 minutes determined the winner with the two remaining armies facing off for a finals spot. The first eliminated army was NW as their tactical ability was subpar was to their remarkable sizes. Afterwards, ACP and Nachos fought for one of 2 spots in the final.
Throughout the last 15 minutes, the huge sizes resulted in many lockouts with the Docks and Town being full. Snow Forts also filled up as more troops tried to get into the battle room. At the end of the 15 minutes, the Nachos were victorious over the Clovers as they defeated one of their biggest rivals. ACP was the favorite due to being the most dominant army at the time. These circumstances only made their loss that much more surprising. Despite the loss, they moved on to the third-place battle against the loser of IW vs. RPF. Although NW had lost, they gained a reputation as one of the strongest armies in the community. With their win, the Chips prepared for their final battle against the winner of IW vs. RPF.
ACP fighting Nachos in the Docks
RPF vs. IW
Continuing, the Warriors faced the Federation in the second semi-final battle. IW was favored to win as they had little trouble defeating their previous opponents even with a more difficult bracket. While RPF had done well, IW was the superior army based on their past performances. During the battle, RPF turned out to be an impressive performance but it was not enough to defeat IW who moved on to the final. Even with their loss, the Rebels still proceeded onto the Third Place battle against the Clovers.
RPF vs. ACP – Third Place Battle
The winner and loser of the 3rd place battle of Legends Cup I finished 3rd and 4th, respectively. ACP aimed to not repeat their loss in the previous round and came into the battle as the favorites. On the other hand, the Rebels wanted to prove their strength as the underdogs still left in the tournament. With a large size advantage, ACP handled ACP with ease and was chosen as the winner by the judges. As such, ACP achieved a higher place finish than RPF in the tournament.
Nachos vs. iw – Finals
After most armies were eliminated, the two armies remaining were the Warriors and the Chips. Most people had expected the final to be between IW and ACP before the Clovers lost to the Nachos in the semi-finals. With the most dominant army out, the title was anyone’s to win with both armies having equal chances. Unlike the previous battles, the finals were a one-hour battle with abundant lockouts due to the massive size of both armies. At the end of the battle, the winner was found to be the Nachos with their superior tactics. The Warriors were unhappy with the result of the work they had put in throughout the tournament. However, the Nachos were ecstatic, especially with their upset over ACP. Their win marked the start of the army’s dominance in tournaments that lasted throughout the CPAC era.
Nachos vs. IW – Docks
Conclusion
It is important to look back at our history to see how the community has progressed over the years. For example, tactics and formations became much more complex as the years passed by. Additionally, the Nachos’ impact on the community is still felt today even with their shutdown in 2017. Despite their loss in the tournament, ACP became one of the long-lasting armies that are still active today. Moreover, IW established itself as one of the most dominant armies in army history. What are your army’s plans in preparation for this year‘s edition of the Legends Cup?
Aurora
Reporter-in-Training