The final OG tournament in 2017 sparked controversy and, more importantly, created a defining moment in army history. In this week’s edition of Picture Perfect, we will be examining the tournament that most people believed to be the last.
Designed by Cassie
The last ever OG tournament was none other than Legends Cup VIII. This historic tournament, organized by Club Penguin Army Central, was known to be the last rendition of its kind. Being hosted in March 2017 as opposed to June or July due to the closure of Club Penguin on March 30. A total of 12 armies participated in this tournament, hoping to score their last goal before the inevitable. This tournament saw a lot of mixed emotions, some bittersweet and some contentious, as although it was the last of its era, turmoil between armies quickly arose.
Background
On January 30th, 2017, Club Penguin announced it will discontinue on March 29th. This news left many people heartbroken, with armies most affected. This tragedy was better known in army terms as the ‘Emergency Period’, in regards to a lot of confusion and havoc arising in the community. Many if not all armies and organizations gave their statements regarding these final days, seeing as it would be the end of the community. Armies such as the Rebel Penguin Federation began migrating to private servers, which at the time was deemed controversial.
During these times, a plethora of armies was either being created or revived, such as Special Weapons and Tactics and Underground Mafia Army. These revivals were seen in a bad light, being interpreted as dead armies seeking “last minute fame”. Each army was undoubtedly aiming to be regarded as #1 before the game shuts down, and the biggest tournament of the year couldn’t wait until July anymore.
Race For The Finish Line
Preliminary Round
The Legends Cup VIII, also known as the End Of An Era tournament, officially began on February 26, 2017. Round one consisted of a three-way battle with only two armies advancing to the Quarter Finals. The Ice Warriors, Doritos of Club Penguin, Army Republic, Nachos, RPF, Thugs, Shadow Troops, and Light Troops all advanced to the Quarters. This round was very intense, as many battles were contested and many conflicts raised. With all taken into consideration, the Quarter Finals were certainly heated with much bad blood.
Shadow Troops during the Preliminary Round.
Quarter Finals
During these rounds, conflicts between the still-standing armies grew bigger. One of the most notable was the conflict between Nachos and the Rebel Penguin Federation. Whilst tensions were rising to see the two clash in the finals, this would not be the case. The Rebels were knocked out by the Thugs, with the Light Troops winning against the Shadow Troops. The Doritos and Army Republic were eliminated by the Ice Warriors and Nachos, respectively. This only left four armies at the podium contending for the prestigious trophy.
Nachos in the Quarter Finals vs. Army Republic.
Semi Finals
The stakes grew bigger, with each army being one step away from the final showdown. The most important out of these two battles was between Nachos and the Ice Warriors. The two were favorites before the tournament began, making it a legendary battle. The Nachos were able to make quick work of the Warriors, making them advance to the Grand Finals. The Light Troops tied in their semi-finals battle against the Thugs, having to re-do their battle on March 18th, as the Light Troops were able to advance.
Grand Finals
Pre-Battle Controversy
There have been many disputes over Light Troops’ legitimacy in their spot in the Grand Finals. The Thugs issued many multi logging accusations against the former during their Semi Finals battles. These accusations were responded to by the Light Troops, who denied these claims on a website post. The allegations came right after Light Troops accused Thugs of the same case in a previous website post by LT. These back-and-forth attacks grew even larger, with the two having to battle two times on different occasions, bringing a more heated final.
Snippet from Nacho’s website post about the semifinals.
The Nachos, on the other hand, also criticized the results of the Semi Finals battles, stating ‘it was decided hours before the battle‘ and many other claims. Many issues were also raised about the use of biased judges for the grand finals battle, making the Light Troops even more furious. This issue would not be as severe until the aftermath of the battle between the Nachos and Light Troops took place.
Battle Results
Unlike all the previous rounds, this final battle was extremely close between the two. Many troops were locked out of the rooms, with Light Troops having an advantage for the first half of the battle. Amid the battle, it was revealed that rooms were being leaked to the Light Troops before entering the room. Moments of chaos ensued, bringing a lot of confusion. Although, it was quickly resolved by moving the room announcements to CPAC’s chat instead of the respective army chats.
The battle by this point was equal, with the Nachos having the edge through the last rooms. Tactically, the Nachos were superior against LT, making them appear better and faster. Ultimately, the Nachos were declared the victors of this battle, but as tales as old as time, more issues were raised.
Sammie announcing the winner of the Legends Cup VIII.
Post-Battle Disputes
The issue regarding the use of biased judges was raised even higher now. Light Troops contested this win in a series of posts on their website, insinuating they are the real winners. The judges whose impartiality was questioned were Badboy and Sammie. Besides contesting the battle results, controversy was around the fact that one of the rooms was not counted at all. The reason behind this was due to bot raids. At the time, bot raid was common around the final days of Club Penguin, making them change the room. This room in question was heavily dominated by Light Troops, making them even more furious.
The Nachos also spoke up about the use of biased judges beforehand, more specifically, Flen. Despite previously being banned from judging Light Troops battles, Sammie overruled this rule. This made the finals filled with more issues, as Flen was the only judge that challenged the room change decision. Badboy accused Flen of leaking rooms to the Light Troops, making Sammie remove Flen, decreasing the amount of total judges.
Badboy requesting the removal of Flen.
Due to all these issues and many more, Light Troops contested this win by proclaiming they were the Legends Cup VIII winners. This was met with a lot of backlash, as LT exposed CPAC’s private chats and Badboy’s say in many matters. All this left a bitter taste in the ending of this tournament, and most importantly, the end of this era of Club Penguin Armies.
Conclusion
Through all the conflicts, back-and-forths, and exposes against each other, this was considered a very vital point in the trajectory of armies. Despite the tournament facing negative views, it served as the ever-lasting turning point of an entire era in history. A positive light was also shining on this tournament, thanks to the many entertaining battles and drama. While many fallouts happened, this event in history still serves as an important reminder that all good things come to an end.
Many armies announced their shutdown right after this tournament, with hundreds of individuals declaring retirement. The scenic nature of witnessing the complete end of the community left a lasting taste in many. It was known not only as the end of armies but the end of people’s childhoods and communities built through years. Despite what many would say, it was a time you would want to witness.
The Legends Cup VIII is a historical tournament that left many in shock and anger, but also left an entire community after it. While people at the time believed it to be the last, it was most definitely the last of its kind. Without a doubt, if the community at the time knew how armies would live until the present day, a smile would’ve surely been left in many people’s faces. What do you think? Was the last OG tournament up to its hype? Which tournament do you think will be the last of this era, and when?
Ugly
Senior Reporter