Welcome to Picture Perfect, a column where we address army history’s most notable moments. In this edition, we will discuss the Spring Smackdown tournament that took place in 2014.

FORMAT OF TOURNAMENT

Divisional Format of Tournament

Zakster, a CP Army Legend, announced the Spring Smackdown tournament on April 8, 2014, for Club Penguin Army Central. Unlike other tournaments, the format included 20 armies split across 4 divisions. Based on past Top Tens, armies received a higher or lower seed. Moving on, the top four armies then received a bye onto the next round. Next, the lower sixteen armies advanced through a qualifier round for a place in the top 12. From the qualifier round, the top 12 earned a spot in the divisional rounds. These divisions each consisted of 3 armies the 4 divisions previously mentioned. Each army in each division fought the other armies in their division once.

Advancement from Divisional Rounds

The winners of each division then moved on along with the second-place finishers. The remaining army in each division ended their run in the tournament at the divisional round. With these armies eliminated, the quarter-finals began with 8 armies left. Following the divisional round, armies received a different seeding for the later rounds. Lastly, the rest of the tournament proceeded as usual.

QUALIFIER ROUNDS

The top four armies that were automatically in the next round were Army of Club Penguin, Nachos, Rebel Penguin Federation, and Dark Warriors. The sixteen armies in the qualifier round were the Striking Raiders, Special Weapons and Tactics, Redemption Force, Chaos, Guardian Penguins, Pizza Republic, Shock Warriors, Doritos, Metal Warriors, Smart Penguins, Light Troops, Ice Warriors, Water Vikings, Global Defenders, Underground Mafias Army, and Golds.

Day 1 Battles

UMA vs. Striking Raiders & Redemption Force vs. Chaos

Firstly, the Striking Raiders defeated UMA after UMA forfeited due to low maxes. The next battle between Redemption Force and Chaos had a much closer result as Redemption Force achieved victory.

Guardian Penguins vs. Puffle Troops & Doritos vs. Shock Warriors

Thirdly, a relatively close battle between Guardian Penguins and Puffle Troops took place before the Penguins surrendered 16 minutes into the battle. Lastly, the Doritos successfully defeated Shock Warriors with maxes of 26 penguins.

Day 2 Battles

Metal Warriors vs. Smart Penguins & Light Troops vs. Ice Warriors

The first battle of the second day between Metal Warriors and Smart Penguins. The battle resulted in a sweep by the Metal Warriors. Later on, the Light Troops defeated Ice Warriors in the closest battle yet of the tournament.

Water Vikings vs. Global Defenders & Golds vs. UMA

After the Light Troops’ victory, the Water Vikings took down the Global Defenders in a closer battle than expected. Lastly, Golds defeated UMA as the former army missed the cut for a bye for the qualifier round by one place. These battles concluded the qualifier round battles.

DIVISIONAL ROUNDS

Given their victories in the qualifier round, the remaining 12 armies were split across four divisions. The first division included Nachos, Water Vikings, and Puffle Troops. Next, the second division consisted of RPF, DCP, and Striking Raiders. Thirdly, the second to last group included ACP, Golds, and Metal Warriors. Lastly, the final group contained DW, LT, and Redemption Force.

Day 1 Battles

Nachos vs. Puffle Troops & RPF vs. Striking Raiders & Water Vikings vs. Nachos

The day kicked off with the Nachos’ easy win as Puffle Troops did not attend the battle. Similarly, RPF defeated Striking Raiders via forfeit by the Raiders after a victory seemed unattainable as the Rebels had a higher max. Moreover, Water Vikings were victorious over Nachos in the first overtime battle of the tournament.

RPF vs. Doritos & Water Vikings vs. Puffle Troops & Doritos vs. Striking Raiders

Likewise, the Rebels achieved victory over Doritos in a close battle between the two. Comparatively, Water Vikings won their next battle easily with another no-show from Puffle Troops. Last of all, Doritos finished off the day with an easy victory with a non-appearance from Striking Raiders. Based on these results, Puffle Troops and Striking Raiders were eliminated after they finished last in their group.

Day 2 Battles

ACP vs. Metal Warriors & Dark Warriors vs. Redemption Force

In their first battle of the tournament, ACP accomplished an easy victory after Metal Warriors did not appear. Following ACP’s battle, Dark Warriors won their battle easily with another no-show from Redemption Force.

ACP vs. Golds & Dark Warriors vs. Light Troops

However, the next battle was close between ACP and Golds as the latter defeated one of the favorites to win the tournament. Unlike the ACP battle, Dark Warriors’ next battle ended with a surrender from Light Troops.

Golds vs. Metal Warriors & Redemption Force vs. Light Troops

Moving on, Golds finished their division undefeated as they defeated Metal Warriors with a higher max. As an end to the day, Redemption Force upset Light Troops despite the armies having similar maxes. At the conclusion of Day two, Metal Warriors and Light Troops were eliminated from the tournament.

QUARTER-FINALS

In the quarter-finals, the tournament reverted back to the typical format. Based on the divisional round, the winner of Division 1 faced the army that placed second in Division 2. The 2nd place finisher in Division 1 then fought the first place finisher in Division 2. For Divisions 3 and 4, the pattern was repeated to determine what armies battled each other in the quarter-finals.

Nachos vs. RPF & Doritos vs. Water Vikings

Given the format, Nachos fought RPF in the first battle of the quarter-finals. The battle was closer than expected as RPF defeated the Nachos to advance. As for the next battle, DCP were successful in their quest to move on with their victory over Water Vikings.

ACP vs. Dark Warriors & Redemption Force vs. Golds

Following the first two quarter-final battles, ACP defeated Dark Warriors in a close battle. Finally, Golds automatically advanced as Redemption Force failed to appear. These battles concluded the quarter-finals stage of the tournament.

SEMI-FINALS

RPF vs. Doritos vs. ACP vs. Golds

The Rebels emerged as one of the community’s top armies. However, despite the odds, the Doritos secured a surprising victory by defeating RPF in a close battle. The other semi-finals battle was not as close as ACP prevailed over the opponents that defeated them previously. These results secured a final battle between ACP and DCP.

GRAND-FINALS

ACP experienced a surge towards the top during early 2014 that allowed them to reach another tournament final. On the other hand, Doritos exceeded expectations with their upset victories along the way to the final. At the start of the battle, ACP held a sizable advantage with a higher max that continued throughout the battle. In the second room, the Clovers’ size advantage lessened as Doritos kept up with the Clover Defenders in their tactics. After 45 minutes, the judges declared ACP the winners and the Clovers won their first tournament in years.

Conclusion

The tournament saw many exciting battles over the course of a month. ACP, Doritos, and the other finalists displayed their prowess in several close battles throughout the tournament. These armies all had much to be proud of even if they weren’t the winners. What do YOU think of the Spring Smackdown tournament? Do YOU think a similar tournament should be held in Club Penguin Armies in the future?

Aurora

Reporter

 

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