Altador Cup Predictions

Disclaimer: The opinions written here are exclusively the staff members' opinions and do not reflect the views of The Daily Neopets or its affiliates.

We have tried to keep these opinions as impartial as possible.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Altador Cup! This exciting event is now in its fourth year! This article will make a general balance of all teams, taking in account their performance in the previous ACs, and their predictions to win this year's Cup.

Quick Tip: Click below on a team's name and you'll be directed immediately to its prediction!

Altador (AL) - Playing on home ground, one must believe the hosts to have won, or at the very least, be a strong contender to the title. However, it is the opposite, as Altador hasn't managed to do much over the past three years. Although they fall behind in the main staple, YYB (Yooyuball), they're decent contenders in SS (Slushie Slinger) and MSN (Make Some Noise), which make up for their less than desirable rankings. Let's hope they focus more on Yooyuball this year and try to rank higher, albeit their low popularity.

Brightvale (BV) - WILL NOT BE PARTICIPATING THIS YEAR.

Darigan Citadel (DC) - The champions of AC II certainly had a rough time last year, scoring an unappealing 7th place in the standings, as did their counterparts, Haunted Woods, two years back. The "Cursed Cup" is no longer lingering over Darigan, so this year they will try and knock out the competition to return to former glory. Featuring a tremendous fan base and dedicated players, Darigan is deserved to be recognized as a powerhouse seeking triumph. The real question is if DC can return to their AC II state, what with many freeloaders still swamping the team.

Faerieland (FL) - 2008 was not a happy year for this team - but then again, which was? They seem to be all over the place, and their small fan-base is highly criticized and mocked upon. Despite the harsh reality, Faerieland want to prove themselves, once again, this year. Their morale skyrocketed after not becoming dead last the past year, but with such a wobbly front, and Brightvale out of the picture this time around, can they avoid claiming an unfortunate last place? Hopefully.

Haunted Woods (HW) - The shades of bad luck have been tormenting this team for the past couple of years. Despite this, their Yoouball front is contender-worthy, and their side games' results are quite impressive. Can they take the Cup back home to the depths of the Woods? We see them as a worthy contender for the title, but they need a stronger and more organized support base to try and reach up to the current powerhouses.

Kiko Lake (KL) - After being victims of an unfortunate road block that made it impossible for them to participate, Kiko Lake return this year in hopes of doing better than Brightvale. Judging by the early support, it seems KL is quite the contender for the top 8 places. Hopefully this team can attract good, hard-working players which can take this underdog to a respectful position, and maybe even be a decent contender for the title! We'll see...

Krawk Island (KI) - Falling short of the title last year with a frustrating 2nd place, Krawk Island are deemed as the main contenders for the Cup this year. With Dasher back for another year, the pirates will attempt to finally take home the Altador Cup. They performed best overall, despite losing to Roo Island both in the DRR (Double Round Robin) and final stages, which cost them the title.

Kreludor (KR) - This team really deserves the Cup - if it were based on sportsmanship. Kreludor came back to the third edition of the AC scoring an excellent performance in all three sports, which saw them second of Group 2. As such, we can surely say they are secondary contenders.

Lost Desert (LD) - Third place for what had been a very good year. They fell short last year to Roo Island in their quest for the Cup, which scored them a neat place of honor. This year, they certainly want to try and figure in the finals, and we predict them an easy season with many clean sweeps. They are terribly tenacious in all games.

Maraqua (MQ) - Contending with arguably one of the most loyal supporter basis, Maraqua could have done better last year. They were predicted to be amongst the top 8, but this was not verified as they accomplished only 10th. We hope they can stand a chance amongst the higher ranked team, at least in the side games. Unpredictability is one of Maraqua's traits, which account for some (in)glorious results. Sportmanship, along with Kreludor, smiles upon them, however.

Meridell (MD) - No one, before last season kicked off, had predicted that Meridell would have gotten such a good result (except for the Meridellians themselves)! Fifth place for a team that never got near the spotlight certainly converted in their 15 minutes of fame when they took it by storm. Their Yooyuball front is solid, having held up against powerhouses last year, and their side game ability is not to be mocked at. If they can play even better than last year, we can surely say the finals are within their reach.

Mystery Island (MI) - Their funds seem to have hit rock-bottom last year, with an very disappointing 9th place. They attempted to dominate the competition, and even fell a bit short with teams such as Maraqua and Tyrannia. This year, they want to wipe the slate clean and start on the victory roll. Despite the wobbly state of the previous year, we can welcome any team that plays against them, regardless of status, to the jungle.

Roo Island (RI) - The feats this team has accomplished since the first Cup are astounding! Underdog of the year in 2006, 2nd place in 2007, and finally Cup glory last year - impressive, to say the least. However, Roo must now face a rough patch which we predict to be the aftermath of the glory - "Cursed Cup" status. Can they dissipate all doubts and conquer the Cup again? It would be a miracle after the former champions all fell victim to the curse.

Shenkuu (SK) - The "Karma Chameleon" team. When luck is on their side, they are able to adapt to any challenge and beat it with ease. However, if luck is elsewhere, all they seem to muster is unappealing draws and sometimes a loss. They made another comeback in the 2nd round last year, which just shows their dedication to results is not consistent. They were able to crush Tyrannia's proud and undefeated SS streak, but the finals were not very favorable to them, at they got two losses to rank 4th. Still, will this year be theirs?

Terror Mountain (TM) - This is one of the least popular teams of the AC. They just managed to get into Group 3 last year, but naturally fell to the pressure, ranking 12th. The heat of the sun seems to melt all their prospects, but they have quite a decent supporter base, so we wouldn't put it past them that better than 10th isn't achievable.

Tyrannia (TY) - They took the whole competition by storm last year, being declared the champions of SS. Never has a team been so dominant at one sport. They managed even to beat or tie with most powerhouses, and only lost to Shenkuu because of their comeback karma in the 2nd round. All we can say is to continue the good results, improve YYB and MSN, and a good position will be waiting at the end.

Virtupets (VP) - Graced by the Sloth followers last year, Virtupets managed to shrug off the last place, and manage a better 14th place. Still, they are still very lacking in all sports, and we really can't see them ranking higher than 10th. We only hope for a better performance than last, since it's possible.

Well, that concludes my global predictions for the Altador Cup. I'll be also covering each game in detail once the Cup starts, so stay tuned. For now, start thinking seriously where your loyalties lie, and go for the team your heart tells you, because, make no mistake, you will be playing for the team you select all summer, and you won't be able to change (provided TNT's rules don't change). So think hard, choose wisely, and give it all you can this year.

Despite the Cup being every year, you have the chance to make it your team's. Never give up, and play to win, no matter the opponent. Impossible is nothing, never forget that.

Good luck out there to all teams. I'll be seeing you very soon.