Welcome to Picture Perfect, a column that examines important moments in Club Penguin Armies’ history. In this week’s edition, we will discuss the 2020 Fright or Fight tournament.

BACKGROUND

In 2020, Club Penguin Army Hub (CPAH)’s creation followed the closure of Club Penguin Online (CPO) in June 2020. The merger of Club Penguin Army Media (CPAM) and Club Penguin Army League (CPAL) established an extremely competitive environment for a previously divided community. On one side, Rebel Penguin Federation (RPF) and Army of Club Penguin dominated on Club Penguin Rewritten (CPR). Comparatively, several armies such as Pirates, Dark Warriors, Ice Warriors, and Doritos saw amazing sizes on CPO. The COVID pandemic also contributed to an extended Golden Age period. As such, tournaments were anyone’s game for the foreseeable future. In the first unified tournament, RPF won Legends Cup X after a sweep of Help Force in the finals in June 2020.

TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT & RULES

Firstly, CPAH announced the Fright or Fight tournament in October 2020 to celebrate Halloween. Accordingly, the administration invited 16 armies in the Major and Small/Medium army classifications to participate. Consequently, these major armies included ACP, IW, RPF, Help Force (HF), Water Vikings (WV), Army of Orient Seas (AOS), and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT). On the other hand, the S/M armies consisted of Silver Empire (SE), Most Wanted, Red Ravagers (RR), Golden Troops, Pizza Federation (PZF), Crimson Guardians, and Tree Cult. Both classifications operated in separate brackets with one mystery participant in each bracket. Subsequently, the typical rules applied such as no multilogging, no allies, and no dual enlistment allowed. Finally, the tournament had a set starting date of October 17.

Fright or fight Round One Battles

Round One: Day 1

HF vs. WV & Pizza Federation vs. Golden Troops

Secondly, the tournament commenced with a battle between HF and WV. Both armies excelled which resulted in a 2-1-1 HF victory in overtime as they narrowly beat out WV. Next, PZF swept the Golden Troops with a 3-0-0 victory.

ACP vs. AOS & Red Ravagers vs. Crimson Guardians

Thirdly, ACP defeated AOS in another sweep with 57 penguins. Likewise, the Ravagers achieved a quick sweep of the Crimson Guardians thanks to higher sizes. These two battles concluded the first day of battles.

Round One: Day 2

IW vs. SWAT & Silver Empire vs. Mystery Army

Fourthly, IW’s significantly higher max than SWAT contributed to their 3-0 victory. Next, Silver Empire defeated the mystery army of All Four CPAH Admins Wearing Funny Shoes. As such, both IW and SE advanced to the next round. 

RPF vs. Mystery Army & Most Wanted vs. Tree Cult

Furthermore, RPF moved onto the next round after they defeated All Four CPAH Admins Wearing Funny Hats. In the last first round battle, Most Wanted achieved victory over Tree Cult with a 3-0 victory.

Fright or Fight semi-finals (round 2)

Semi-Finals: Day 1

Most Wanted vs. Red Ravagers & RPF vs. HF 

After their first round victory, Red Ravagers claimed their second win against Most Wanted. Shortly after, RPF eliminated HF with a 2-1-0 victory over the Helpers. With their victories, both armies advanced to the finals.

Semi-finals: Day 2

Pizza Federation vs. SE & ACP vs. IW 

During the next day, PZF gained a spot in the finals after they defeated SE in overtime. Finally, ACP triumphed over IW in a very close battle for a sem-finals spot. Their max of 113+ penguins broke the record for the army’s highest max in the Club Penguin Private Server (CPPS) era.

Fright or Fight Grand Finals

Pizza Federation vs. Red Ravagers

After several battles, the grand finals finally arrived with two titles available. Firstly, PZF faced Red Ravagers as one of the top S/M armies. The army’s victories in Beach Brawl and Challengers Cup I made them the favorites for the title. On the other hand, Red Ravagers was a respectable S/M army in its own right based on their Top Ten placings. Finally, Pizza Federation claimed the S/M title with a victory over the Ravagers.

RPF vs. ACP

Subsequently, RPF and ACP encountered one another in their third tournament final of the year. Earlier in the year, ACP defeated RPF in the Holiday Championships with 60 penguins.Moreover, the two armies competed against each other in World War Rewritten (WWR) months before. On the other hand, RPF swept ACP in CPAM’s Premier League Tournament (PLT) finals in April 2020. While RPF won Legends Cup X, ACP exited early after a loss to IW in the quarter-finals.

Furthermore, both armies reached similar sizes in the leadup to the final with maxes of 110+ penguins. These interactions set up a very interesting competition as ACP was at its peak. Finally, ACP and RPF faced off in the finals with sizes of 110+ penguins. ACP’s max of 116 penguins broke their earlier record of 113 penguins online. However, RPF repeated their prior tournament success with a sweep over the Clover Defenders. Following their victory, they received their second trophy of the year.

Conclusion

Typically, armies slowed down during the later part of the year due to the start of school. However, many armies achieved excellence in October 2020 partly due to the COVID pandemic. Consequently, armies such as ACP and HF hit sizes they did not see earlier in the year. Comparatively, IW and HF continued their success in tournaments even if they did not reach the final. Additionally, RPF and PZF’s dominance in their respective divisions shined throughout the tournament. In conclusion, Fright or Fight highlighted how well armies could perform even in a less favorable time. What do YOU think of the Fright or Fight tournament? Would YOU like a similar tournament to be held in October again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Aurora
Senior Reporter

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