For as long as Club Penguin Armies have existed, so have arguably one of their most crucial and entertaining feature: tournaments. During the year’s “dry periods,” a debate often emerges regarding the state of tournaments. Some mention their decline and others express concern about an over-reliance on them to drive activity. To truly decide what’s true and what’s not, its imperative to trace tournaments back to their beginnings, and observe how tournaments have adapted, changed, and ultimately survived.

Designed by MasterDS

The origin of tournaments

Unfortunately, the creator of the first ever tournament is unknown, as is the tournament. This is also the case with the tournaments that were held during the infancy of Club Penguin Armies, thus we can only assume how the beginnings of tournaments went. Nonetheless, one of the earliest, sizable, recorded tournaments was the Decades End Club Penguin Army Tournament hosted by Club Penguin Armies Central.

A total of eight armies participated in the tournament, which took place between December 28th, 2009, and December 30th, 2009. Ultimately, the finals boiled down to three largest giants of the time, the Army of Club Penguin, the Nachos, and the Ice Warriors. The finals saw total sizes above 200, with Woton, founder of CPAC, declaring ACP victorious after an hour and half long fight.

The Army of Club Penguin battling the Ice Warriors

The Decades End Tournament marked an end to the old-style of warfare, and gave way to the modern army warfare we know today. A new age of competition dawned as the decade ended, with tournaments surging in popularity.  This era marked the emergence of three legendary annual tournaments: Legends Cup, March Madness, and Christmas Chaos.

A new era

The early 2010s saw multiple tournaments occurring left and right. However, the majority of these tournaments were small, especially when compared to today’s recent Legends Cup and March Madness. Nonetheless, 2010 saw the first ever Legends Cup, which saw an astonishing total of forty participating armies. 

Legends Cup I was split into two brackets, Alpha and Bravo, similar to how tournaments are organized today. Amidst fierce competition, ACP claimed third place, following the Ice Warriors who finished second. The Nachos emerged victorious after an hour long battle, notably for having a larger variety of tactics.

Modern Club Penguin Army Judges continue the tradition of valuing tactical variety, mirroring the judging criteria that led to the Nachos’ victory in the first Legends Cup. This emphasis on tactical prowess has shaped Club Penguin warfare and modern judging, since battles were no longer just about which army stayed online longer and bought more troops.

Nachos vs. Ice Warriors at the Legends Cup I Finals

The first half of the decade was considered the golden age of tournaments. The birth of some of the biggest tournaments today, Christmas Chaos and March Madness, occurred in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Furthermore, 2014 saw the largest number of recorded tournaments to date. However, many of these tournaments were dwarfed upon comparison to the beforementioned major seasonal tournaments.

The FALL of tournaments

They say nothing good ever lasts forever, and true be it. Tournaments eventually began to decline in popularity, with lessened community engagement in the second half of the decade. This was largely a consequence of Club Penguin servers officially shutting down on March 30, 2017.

Disney Club Penguin final moments

2017 was marked by high inactivity in the army community, corruption in news sites, defacement of servers and websites. The year also marked the end of Xat as the primary service for army chats, being replaced by Discord. Christmas Chaos: Hunt and Kill, hosted in 2017, saw sizes in the low twenties, a drastic decrease from its previous counterparts.

However, armies didn’t fall here. Despite a smaller community, armies continued to fall and rise, wars still broke out, and tournaments, while much smaller, were still hosted. Over the following years, the army community slowly began to rebuild and develop activity. Club Penguin Rewritten and Club Penguin Online emerged as the two dominant platforms. Private servers were keeping the spirit of the game alive, yet the army community had undoubtedly taken a hit which would be hard to recover from. However, something unexpected happened in the following years. This didn’t just revolutionize CPA, but also the whole world. The Covid 19 Pandemic began.

Rebirth

The pandemic bought an influx of thousands of people playing Club Penguin, and the community was reaching unprecedented heights in terms of activity. Given this, tournaments once again began to rise in popularity, similar to the 2010s. 2020 is arguably one of the best years for tournaments in the past decade. 

2020 and 2021 saw the major annual tournaments return to their former glory, with battles featuring massive sizes reminiscent of the the early 2010s. The Legends Cup X, March Madness, and Christmas Chaos X all took place, showcasing intense rivalries and remarkable participation. Notably, the Rebel Penguin Federation were dominating, winning several tournaments,  including the Christmas Chaos X and Legends Cup XI.

2020 Christmas Chaos X Finals between the Ice Warriors and RPF

Present Day

Fast forward to present day, armies continue to fight for the first spot in the Top Tens,  wars still continue to break out, and both old and new tournaments continue to take place. The Rebel Penguin Federation recently claimed victory over Legends Cup XV against the Aliens, with both armies bringing sizes upwards of 80 penguins. Whether or not tournaments are as good as they used to be is completely subjective, since what is fun to some may be dull to others. Not everyone would enjoy hour long snowball fights, yet some argue that the current battle system is boring.

Another point of conflict is whether the frequency of tournaments is effective. Some say there’s a lack of tournaments, which gives way to dry periods through the year. Others argue that CPA should sustain itself through wars, and the seasonal tournament frequency is just right as it is. Once again, opinions vary for this scenario, but at the end of the day it’s the undeniable truth that tournaments in moderated frequency help armies strive for much more, and without them, community stagnation would be imminent.

Aliens vs. RPF at the Legends Cup XV Grand Finals

Over the course of over a decade, tournaments have not just survived, but rather influenced and shaped the change that has swept through the Club Penguin Army community. They have endured multiple league administrations and outlasted entire generations of armies. It would be a mistake to say the community kept them alive; in reality, these tournaments have played a pivotal role in keeping the community itself alive. Do you think tournaments bring a positive impact to the community today? What do you think the future of tournaments holds?

xdemon
Reporter in Training

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xdemon

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