Welcome to Picture Perfect, a column analyzing army history. In this week’s edition, we will discuss the March Madness III tournament that Club Penguin Army Central held in 2015.

Announcement of March Madness & format

Club Penguin Army Central announced the third iteration of the March Madness tournament on February 22, 2015. Unlike previous versions, the administration made small changes to the seeding of armies and who the participants faced throughout the competition to make the tournament more interesting. Each Sweet Sixteen battle was set to last 20 minutes, while battles in later rounds took longer. Consequently, the final battle turned into a 45-minute experience. Additionally, the implementation of a 10-minute overtime period occurred if the judges failed to come to a decision. Moving on, the organization’s invitees included Light Troops, Ice Warriors, Doritos of Club Penguin, Water Vikings, Dark Warriors, Golds, Army of Club Penguin, Redemption Force, Chaos, Fire Warriors, Silver Surfers, Nachos, Dark Bandits, Rebel Penguin Federation, Matricz of CP, and Shadow Reacon.

Sweet Sixteen Round Battles

Light Troops vs. Shadow Reacon

In the first battle, Light Troops came out as the favorites due to their Top Ten ranking. On the other hand, Shadow Reacon’s small/medium army classification made their chances of victory low. Consequently, the Light Troops easily defeated Shadow Reacon with 32 troops. With their win, they moved onto the Elite Eight round of the tournament.

Dark Warriors vs. Nachos 

Following the first battle, DW and Nachos competed for an Elite Eight spot. Given Nachos’ previous success, the army became the clear favorite to advance. Comparatively, DW took 10th place on the Top Ten, while Nachos landed at 2nd place on the Small-Medium Army Central Top Ten. Despite both armies’ troubles, Nachos did not disappoint with their significant size advantage. Subsequently, Nachos continued their undefeated streak in the tournament, winning handily.

Doritos of Club Penguin vs. Rebel Penguin Federation

Unlike the previous two battles, the DCP-RPF battle had no clear victor. Both armies maxed similar sizes, which made the declaration of a winner difficult. Furthermore, DW and RPF both participated in wars not long before the tournament started. Their experience in war added to each army’s display of tactical prowess. Regardless, DCP ultimately received the most votes from the judges and advanced to the next round.

Fire Warriors vs. Army of Club Penguin

Similarly, the FW vs. ACP battle played out like the battle earlier in the day. With close sizes, no army had a decisive shot at winning. Nonetheless, the judges awarded the Clover Defenders the win in a close vote. Despite FW’s loss, the army showed its potential, given that the army was revived shortly before. Finally, the ACP-FW battle concluded the first day of battles.

Ice Warriors vs. Matricz of CP

While IW was one of the most successful armies, Matricz of CP maxed much lower and merged before the battle. Given the merger, the latter forfeited the battle to the Ice Warriors. Even without the merger, IW’s max of 61 penguins would have made a win for the Matricz extremely difficult. Nevertheless, IW earned a spot in the next round of the tournament.

Golds vs. Silver Surfers

Like the Nachos and Dark Warriors, both Golds and Silver Surfers witnessed a decline in size. However, Golds’ downfall did not keep them from success in the tournament. With a size advantage of 9 penguins, the army easily defeated their opponent. Consequently, Golds continued to the next round.

Water Vikings vs. Dark Bandits

In the next battle, WV became the second army to win through the other army’s non-appearance. While the army did not max as much as other armies, WV still put up a notable size of 28 penguins. Simultaneously, Dark Bandits shut down for the time being. Nevertheless, WV acquired one of the last victories of the Sweet Sixteen round.

Redemption Force vs. Chaos

During the final battle, the similar sizes of the armies made the ultimate result not obvious. While RF finished higher on the Top Ten, Chaos achieved a higher maximum in the battle. Due to accusations related to using allies, the administration deducted points from Chaos. However, Chaos still won and claimed the final spot in the Elite Eight. Finally, the Sweet Sixteen round came to an end.

ELITE EIGHT ROUND BATTLES

Light Troops vs. Nachos

With an easy win in the previous round, Light Troops faced an enormous challenge in the form of Nachos. Unfortunately, the matchup never saw the light of day due to LT’s refusal to enter the battle room. As a result, Nachos remained undefeated in the tournament.

Doritos of Club Penguin vs. Army of Club Penguin

After both armies’ earlier wins, DCP and ACP fought to become one of the four armies left standing. However, their task became difficult as bots raided the battle. Despite the interruption, the judges declared DCP victorious. Given their victory, DCP advanced to the Final Four.

Ice Warriors vs. Golds

As the favorites, IW had significant pressure to live up to the expectations set for them. In the previous week, IW accomplished the highest max with over 60 penguins online. Although another bot raid took place, it did not change the result as IW achieved victory. Ultimately, IW established itself as a major threat to Nachos’ chances of a third win.

Water Vikings vs. Chaos

In the next match, Chaos battled against WV, an army expected to win easily. With a size advantage, WV lived up to expectations and eliminated Chaos from the tournament. Consequently, WV received one of the only unanimous votes from the judges. Finally, the Elite Eight round came to an end.

Final Four Battles

Nachos vs. Doritos of Club Penguin

In the first semi-final battle, Nachos and DCP faced off not long after a contentious war with one another. As a result, both armies had an opportunity to determine which army was the best. Given their tension, the battle became a very close conflict where DCP barely came out on top. Finally, Nachos lost their first March Madness battle and any chance of a third win in a row. All in all, Doritos sent Nachos to the third-place battle with their win.

Ice Warriors vs. Water Vikings

After DCP’s victory, IW and WV competed for the last spot in the final battle. Meanwhile, another bot raid caused several issues during the contest. Given these issues, WV struggled to repel IW’s attacks. The appearance of bots benefited IW massively as their relatively equal sizes became moot. Ultimately, IW claimed a finals spot after a unanimous vote by the judges.

Third Place Battle & Grand Finals

Water Vikings vs. Nachos

Following the losses by both armies, WV and Nachos gained another opportunity for third-place bragging rights. During the battle, the armies had similar sizes after a room change prompted by room-sniping. Nonetheless, Nachos finished in third place in the tournament due to their defeat of WV.

Ice Warriors vs. Doritos of Club Penguin

Given Nachos’ earlier loss, the finals allowed the winner to claim their first March Madness title. Moreover, the strength of both armies created an exciting environment for them to show their battle prowess. At the battle’s end, IW triumphed over DCP as a great end to a weeks-long tournament.

Conclusion

Throughout the tournament, the army community witnessed many impressive performances from several armies. Furthermore, a changing of the guard took place as Nachos lost their first March Madness battle. With IW’s victory, it marked the start of their consistent success in tournaments. Over the years, Nachos and IW both achieved many victories and established their dominance over other armies. While other armies experienced success, IW’s win altered the power dynamic of the community forever. Ultimately, the tournament displayed how March Madness is still one of the most important tournaments today. What do YOU think of this iteration of the tournament? Do YOU wish the tournament’s format would change? What do YOU think of the dynamic between Ice Warriors and Nachos? Are there any other tournaments YOU would like to see?

Aurora
Senior Reporter

More Information