Welcome to This Day in History, a column that examines historical events. In this week’s edition, we will look at the Champions Cup II tournament.
Designed by Master DS
Champions Cup II Finale – November 9, 2013
Announcement of Champions Cup II & Rules
In September 2013, Club Penguin Army Central announced the second iteration of the Champions Cup tournament after the Ninjas‘ victory the previous year. However, the previous winner’s absence from the competition created the circumstances for a new victor. Additionally, sixteen armies were invited to participate. These participants included Nachos, Rebel Penguin Federation, Army of Club Penguin, Dark Warriors, Ice Warriors, Army Republic, Wizards, and Light Troops as the highest seeds. Regardless of an army’s position, they were randomly placed into groups with 3 other armies. For instance, ACP, AR, Doritos of Club Penguin, and the Underground Mafias Army made up one group. The top two armies that had the most wins advanced to the quarter-finals round. From then on, the tournament had a single-elimination format like other tournaments. Finally, the tournament began on October 5, 2013, with the first group stage battles.
Champions Cup Groups
First Round Battles
First Weekend
In the first group stage battle, ACP defeated UMA with a size advantage of 12 penguins. Next, DCP won against AR despite there not being a large size difference between the two armies. Following DCP’s win, DW won its first battle against the Imperial Argonauts Empire with its max of 30 penguins. With IAE’s max of 4, the battle was the least competitive thus far. Accordingly, IW achieved its first victory in its group with 20 penguins online against the Lightning Strikers. Furthermore, Nachos and Redemption Force tied after technical issues prevented the occurrence of a decisive battle. Comparatively, the Golds had an easy win over the Wizards. Afterward, RPF used their size advantage to win against the Water Ninjas. Lastly, LT outperformed Watex Warriors with 27 troops. These last battles concluded the first week of the tournament.
IW vs. Lightning Strikers
RPF vs. Water NInjas
Second Weekend
Moving on, the tournament continued with another Nachos victory due to a no-show from the Wizards. Consequently, Wizards ended their run in the tournament with two losses. Unlike the previous battle, Golds came out on top over RF with a minimal size advantage. Given their victory, they advanced to the quarter-finals as the first qualifier. On the other hand, RPF and LT tied, while WN and WW also resulted in a stalemate.
Golds vs. Watex Warriors
RPF vs. LT
Third Weekend
After these ties, ACP had their second tournament victory over AR. At the same time, DCP had a landslide victory over UMA. With these two armies’ victories, they both advanced to the quarter-finals. Given AR and UMA’s losses, it became mathematically impossible for them to continue through the tournament. After the two armies’ elimination, DW tied IW, while Lightning Strikers eliminated Argonauts Empire. After ACP’s several victories, DCP defeated the former to take the lead in their group. Similarly, UMA, IW, and DW all won their battles as IW and DW advanced. With two losses, LS completed its time in the tournament.
ACP vs. AR
DW vs. IW
Fourth Weekend & Final Group Stage Battles
After four armies had previously advanced, four spots were left to be claimed in the quarter-finals. Firstly, Nachos defeated Golds in a close battle. Next, Wizards claimed their first win over RF. In the second-to-last battle, RPF beat WW for their second win. Finally, LT outperformed WN for second place in their group. Thus, DCP, ACP, IW, DW, Nachos, Golds, RPF, and LT moved on to the quarter-finals.
RPF vs. WW
Quarter-Finals Battles
In the first quarter-finals battle, DCP defeated LT automatically with 40+ penguins. Simultaneously, ACP stayed in the tournament with a victory over Nachos. Following ACP’s win, IW eliminated RPF thanks to stronger tactics. For the last semi-finals spot, DW took out Golds with an unanimous vote in their favor. These victories left only four armies in the tournament.
DCP vs. LT
ACP vs. Nachos
IW vs. RPF
Semi-Finals Battles
By the semi-finals, DCP had been the strongest army with relatively easy wins over their opponents. At the same time, IW were the underdogs as they upset RPF in the previous round. Despite these factors, DCP defeated IW in a close battle where the two armies traded room wins. On the other hand, ACP faced greater obstacles on its way to the semi-finals. Their victory over Nachos was one of the closest battles of the competition. Likewise, ACP narrowly advanced to the finals over DW after the latter’s victory was overturned. In response, DW dropped out of the tournament instead of opting for a three-way final. In short, the finals match-up became DCP and ACP.
DCP vs. IW
ACP vs. DW
Grand Finals
After several weeks of battles, DCP and ACP faced off in the final battle of the tournament. While DCP had a relatively easy road, ACP squeaked by to the finals after their loss to DCP in the group stage. However, the finals provided ACP with an opportunity to avenge their loss. Therefore, both armies showed up with large maxes after DCP originally had a size advantage. At the end of the battle, ACP won their first tournament since 2011. In response, DCP declared war on ACP with allegations of ACP cheating. In the aftermath, no war truly resulted from the tournament loss as DCP changed their minds about it.
Grand Finals Battle – Iceberg
Grand Finals – Snow Forts
Conclusion
Over the years, tournaments have resulted in many upsets and inspiring performances. Additionally, innovative tournaments changed how armies fought and how they tried to best other armies. In the case of the Champions Cup, ACP overcame struggles early on to take out the best-performing army in the tournament. The tournament also saw controversial judging decisions that come with every tournament. Lastly, DCP’s performances showed consistency in an era when other armies, like Nachos, seemed stronger. Overall, the second Champions Cup tournament had many exciting moments.
Aurora
Senior Reporter