Welcome to Penguin Puzzlers, a column dedicated to checking the knowledge of community members. In this edition, we will be quizzing the community’s best minds on March Madness X.

March Madness X marked the tenth installment of the historic March Madness tournament, which has a history beginning in 2013. Generally, it is considered to be one of the most prestigious events in the community, and much of its status can be derived from its real-world version. Specifically, the tournament allows armies to show their performance, game plan, and endurance to the rest of the community. This tournament had a notable range of participants, unforgettable moments, and unpredictable moments. With the stage set, let us look at the battles in March Madness X. There were eight battles that took place, and they were as follows:

Qualifiers

March 8

The Bastille Vanguard versus People’s Imperial Confederation

The tournament’s opening battle was The Bastille Vanguard vs. the People’s Imperial Confederation. TBV hit the field with 13 troops, while PIC started with only 4, then raised that up to 5 during the engagement. While there were noted lethargies and a lack of enthusiasm coming from TBV’s side, the sheer size difference reigned supreme in the end. The Bastille Vanguard handily won while the People’s Imperial Confederation packed their bags and headed for home. It is safe to say that The Bastille Vanguard advanced to the next round.

Aliens versus Smart Penguins

The second battle started fairly poorly for the Scarlet Republic, which entered the room with only 3 troops and ended with them having a total of 8. The Aliens had a significant advantage, starting with 15 troops on the board. Given the overwhelming disadvantage, the Scarlet Republic showed great heart, did not give up, and fought through the battle. However, they simply did not have enough size to fight back. Both sides played well, but the Aliens deservedly won the round due to their size advantage.

Help Force versus Scarlet Republic

Help Force started the fight with 21 troops and the Scarlet Republic had 7, which had not changed symptoms in the battle. Both armies struggled with formation cleanliness, but both sides put up spirited fights. Finally, Help Force was in a better position, which was too much for the Scarlet Republic to overcome.

March 9

Templars versus Elite Guardians of Club Penguin

The first fight of the second day of the tournament was the most competitive battle we have seen so far. The Templars had 19 troops and were matched by the Elite Guardians of Club Penguin, who had 17. In the first room, the Templars were off to a faster start, but EGCP adapted quickly and matched up in the subsequent rooms. While both armies charged vigorously, EGCP had trouble with their movement discipline and clarity of form, which led to them being covered more frequently compared to their opponent. The battle continued into overtime, and in the end, the decision was made to award the win to the Templars, with the explanation that EGCP’s overall messiness and inconsistent formations ultimately cost them the win.

Water Vikings versus Special Weapons and Tactics

This battle had the largest maximum attendance of the tournament to this point, as the Water Vikings were able to reach 42 troops, which SWAT could not match. Despite the troop difference, each army fought equipped with determination and the intent to win, although the Water Vikings kept the pressure on and covered the map better than SWAT could establish. SWAT was unable to regain control and adapt to change. With superior numbers, the Water Vikings were awarded the victory with continued determination going into the semifinals to face the Rebel Penguin Federation.

Quarter Finals (Elite Eight)

March 15

The Bastille Vanguard versus Doritos of Club Penguin

The first battle of the quarterfinals was the Doritos of Club Penguin versus The Bastille Vanguard. The Doritos had a commanding force of 44 troops, while TBV had a measly 13. Even with the staggering size difference, TBV displayed notable quality of determination and perseverance. Regardless, the quantity with continued success allowed the Doritos to take a win and advance to the semifinals.

Aliens versus Help Force

Of the quarterfinals, this battle was the closest, even closer than the EGCP versus TCP battle. Sizes were almost the exact same between the armies. Aliens had 34, and Help Force had 34. The battle was extremely close as each side fought ruthlessly. However, Help Force gained an edge by having neater forms. This, combined with slight advantages elsewhere, got them the victory.

March 16
Templars versus Army of Club Penguin

Getting back to a more traditional matchup, the Army of Club Penguin entered the battle with 44 troops, while the Templars had 22. Thus, ACP had a very large size advantage and controlled the fight for most of the battle, while the Templars had some strong moments but were ultimately hurt by inactivity from their members and inconsistency throughout the battle. On the other hand, ACP had a lot of consistent pressure and control throughout the battle, allowing them to pull off a definite win.

Water Vikings versus Rebel Penguin Federation

The last battle of the quarter-finals featured the Rebel Penguin Federation deploying 52 troops, while the Water Vikings deployed 36 troops to the server. There were solid tactics and consistent efforts from both armies throughout the battle. Despite these points, RPF’s larger numbers and more useful coordination gave them a slight edge to earn their victory. With this win, RPF has advanced to the semifinals and met with the Army of Club Penguin in a highly anticipated battle.

Semifinals (Final Four)

March 22
Rebel Penguin Federation versus Army of Club Penguin

As the tournament approached its exciting conclusion, the first semi-final match was between the Rebel Penguin Federation and the Army of Club Penguin. RPF brought in a comfortable number of 75 troops, while ACP followed closely with 57. The armies gave solid tactics, but sometimes the armies had problems with inactivity and liquidity within their ranks. The ACP force was able to cover RPF a few times, but RPF had the better size, activity, and consistency. Ultimately, the Rebels had greater coordination and reacted to the scenario, allowing for this favorable outcome and victory for round 1 of the semi-finals.

March 23
Doritos of Club Penguin versus Help Force

The second semifinal was a battle that proved to be the closest and most intense of the round. The Doritos from Club Penguin came in with a very strong 62 troops, and the Help Force with 45. Throughout the battle, the momentum shifted back and forth between both armies, with neither side holding an advantage for very long. As time went on, there was an unmistakable dip in DCP’s size, which allowed HF to gain and press an advantage. The match entered overtime, and Help Force’s speed of their strategies and swift bombing formations ultimately brought them victory and a well-deserved place in the Grand Finals.

Third-Place Match

Doritos of Club Penguin versus Army of Club Penguin

Before the community could look forward to the Grand Finals, the next battle would decide the absolute third place in the tournament between two top competitors. The Doritos of Club Penguin battled with 51 troops, while the Army of Club Penguin fielded 44 troops. Despite being less intense, both armies were generally disciplined and fought as hard as they could. The battle remained close throughout with a continuous exchange of flowers and successful plans. In the end, it was the Doritos’ routes of movement and less ambiguous tactics that resulted in them winning a close but clear victory and earning the honors of taking home the third prize cup of the tournament.

Grand Finals

Help Force versus Rebel Penguin Federation

After a long wait, the Grand Finals were finally here, marking the end of March Madness X. Both armies entered the battlefield, eager to leave their mark with a championship on the line. The Rebel Penguin Federation came with a hefty 80 troops, while Help Force had 30. With judging guidelines, this large size differential automatically tilted the balance in favour of RPF. Still, RPF ruled the day with superior tactics, formations, and overall consistency of coverage throughout the battle. In the end, the Rebels won and can thus call themselves March Madness X Champions.

Club Penguin Armies reached out to a few community members to test their knowledge of March Madness X.

1. What does the X in March Madness X translate to in Hindu-Arabic numerals?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: I assume the X translates to a 10
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: 10
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: 10
Zooy, Community Committee head: 10
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: 10 for X
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: 10
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: X = 10
Echo, Templars leader: I’d say 10
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: It translate to 10

CORRECT ANSWER: 10

2. How many armies participated in/registered for the tournament? (Counting DQs)

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: I dont recall. Gonna guess 11
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: 10
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: Pretty sure dcp got dq, 14
Zooy, Community Committee head: 14
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: Atleast 12 armies participated
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: I think about 9 armies
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: around 12-14
Echo, Templars leader: Dang idk about 15 armies probably
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: I’d say 11

CORRECT ANSWER: 14

3. During the semi-finals battle between ACP and RPF, who maxed the most, and what did they max?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: RPF I believe but I have no idea what maxes were. I feel like it was huge. Like in the 70s […] Probably around 60 [ACP max]
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: rpf maxed the most, and my guess is 32 […] 28 [ACP max]
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: Oof, rpf? My guess would be 40+ […] 39 [ACP max]
Zooy, Community Committee head: i would say RPF maxed the most with like 40-50? ]forgot to ask ACP max, granted point due to it being my mistake]
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: […] But my guess would be RPF 56 vs ACP 58
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: Just going to take a shot in the dark, RPF maxed the most. RPF probably about 50ish and ACP probably in the 30s – 40s. can’t give specific numbers
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: RPF maxed the most. Around 60 (?) […] ACP 40
Echo, Templars leader: Must’ve been RPF and I’d say around 60-70 (I don’t remember how long ago was MM)
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: ACP maxed more but idk the exact amount and idk how I am supposed to know that 😭 […] 47-44 acp

CORRECT ANSWER: RPF had the most with 75. ACP had 57

4. Which army was the defending champion entering March Madness X?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: Was it WV? [Selected as final answer]
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: […] rpf
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: […] WV
Zooy, Community Committee head: ACP?
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: ACP
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: Water Vikings won the last March Madness so WV
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: WV
Echo, Templars leader: RPF
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: I’d say rpf tho

CORRECT ANSWER: Water Vikings

5. What army got unregistered from CPA (and thus removed from the tournament) by admins for not getting permission from the creators of the original iteration, sparking slight controversy?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: Was it space force or whatever it was called [Selected as final answer]
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: space force
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: I really can’t remember, I’m gonna go with help force
Zooy, Community Committee head: […] so star force?
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: space force by Lukey/Ryken, original creator ninja leader
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: Takis
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: Star Force
Echo, Templars leader: TCP? lmaooo
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: space force

CORRECT ANSWER: Space Force. Controversy was the original had only one event held by Ninja Leader that maxed seven, where they multilogged. CPA ruled the first Space Force counted, and thus the second needed permission from the creator of the first. Which they didn’t have.

6. What was the max size recorded by ACP in their Third Place Match?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: […] I dont know the exact number but it was probably around 55-60 ish again
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: 43
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: Random guess, 44
Zooy, Community Committee head: 60
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: 55+
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: in the 40s
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: Around 50 (?)
Echo, Templars leader: 60+
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: I’d say 42

CORRECT ANSWER: 49

7. How many tactics did RPF send in their March Madness X Finals battle? (As reported by RPF)

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: I dont know much about major army tactics rates but I would guess based on my own experience that it was probably around 200 maybe more
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: [..] 102
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: […] 220
Zooy, Community Committee head: 1200
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: so i dont know
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: 300 – 450
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: No idea so i will say 250
Echo, Templars leader: Well assuming it was a 30 minute match you average leader sends about 1 tactic per every 5-10 seconds so doing basic math plus a bit more since its RPF I’d say 240
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: 100-150

CORRECT ANSWER: 211, they counted.

8. On which date were the grand finals held?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: Ahhhh I don’t remember but it was end of the month. Like the 27th maybe
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: may 29th
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: I’m guessing 5th of April
Zooy, Community Committee head: no clue, march 30th?
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: march 31st
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: maybe April 5th
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: April 6
Echo, Templars leader, Templars leader: March 26th
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: April 1st

CORRECT ANSWER: 6 April 2025

9. Who designed the graphics for the tournament info pages?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: I dont remember that honestly so I am just guessing the only person I recall being a designer. Master DS I think [Selected as final answer]
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: master ds
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: Seeing as vesta is in dw im gonna just say vesta, big up vesta
Zooy, Community Committee head: master ds
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: Dino
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: I’ll assume Master DS and Dino had a hand on it [Master DS chosen as final answer]
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: MasterDS
Echo, Templars leader, Templars leader: Shit maybe Dino😭
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: Master DS I think

CORRECT ANSWER: Master DS (He makes the illustrations of mostly the brackets here, to be more specific.)

10. Which army lost in the third-place match between ACP and DCP?

Ghostt, Scarlet Republic leader: Acp
Sirluck, leader of The Bastille Vanguard: acp
Subzero, Dark Warriors leader: Acp ? [Selected as final answer]
Zooy, Community Committee head: acp
Thunder, Shadow Legionaires leader: DCP
Cobra, Water Vikings leader: […] well, since I said DCP won in my answer then ACP lost
Jojo Teri, Club Penguin Armies Executive Producer: DCP
Echo, Templars leader: Had to have been ACP since DCP was pretty dominant at the time
Yellow Typer, Fire Vikings leader: acp lost

CORRECT ANSWER: It was a trick question. I asked who lost and not who won, so ACP 

Conclusion:

The results are in, and the points have been counted. No participant scored a perfect score of 12 out of 12, but we had a tie for first place. Ghostt and Zooy both got 8 points and shared first place. Simply put, each correct answer and subquestion was worth one point; for questions with numerical answers, the participant with the closest answer received the point. For questions with more than one participant who provided an answer equally close to the right answer, they both received one point.

• 9/9 participants could determine the value of X
• 3/9 participants could determine the number of attending armies
• 6/9 participants could determine who maxed the most during the semifinals between RPF and ACP. The closest anyone got to the RPF max was Ghostt at 70.
• The closest to ACP’s max was Thunder’s guess of 58.
• 3/9 participants could determine the defending champion.
• 2/9 participants could identify the army that opened on grounds considered invalid by CPA.
• Subzero got the closest to RPF’s tactic count, being 9 away.
• 1/9 participants hit right on the target about the Grand Finals date.
• 4/9 participants managed to identify the person who made the graphics
• 5/9 participants managed to identify the loser of the third-place match.

Overall, the participants managed a cumulative score of 43 out of 96, or about a 44.79% accuracy rate.

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To summarize, the results have shown a different level of understanding for army leaders about recent tournaments, such as MMX. This article has highlighted several points, including the Rebel Penguin Federation’s strategies. While the total accuracy of responses was under 50%, most participants were at least able to separate the Help Force, Space Troopers, and Star Force outfits. Should Star Force have been unregistered? What do you think about RPF’s win? Finally, how did you do on this task?

WilliamW2010
Reporter-in-Training

Zenishira
Associate Editor

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