Top 10 Altador Cup Players to Watch Out For

So, with no further delay...

Faerieland is without fail one of the teams on the bottom tier in the Cup, despite their loyal fans cheering them on. Somehow their players haven't become demoralised, and they finish each and every game with high fives and congratulations to each team member, knowing they all have done their best.

In the off season, though, Valtonous Rea and Delma Harrence have both been working hard on their issues with speed. They've been training for races, and practicing harder then they ever have in the off season before. Their team mates are all astounded with the progress these two have made, and the rest of them have pledged to work just as hard for the rest of the off season. Faerieland is sure to amaze this year!

Moltara has shown mostly steady improvement since they entered the games four years ago, and despite not being anything close to an outstanding team, they definitely have the makings of it. Aldric Beign, the captain and left forward, has said recently, "We've been working really hard recently, building up our team camaraderie, and trying to build on our strengths. We've never been one of the great teams, but slowly we are climbing our way to the podium!"

Personally, I like to think that after four years leading the Moltaran team, he is no longer inexperienced as a player or a captain, and will show everyone that the Moltaran team can be on fire. (I'm so sorry.)

Shenkuu has come so close to the gold in previous years, with really strong finishes in the first three years they participated in the games, but recently they have fallen and not once finished in the top 10 since. Some fans cite the problem as their lack of offence, with only a single foreword (even though no fan of Shenkuu would say a word against the abilities of Mirsha Grelinek, their forward and captain).

Timu, Shenkuu's centre defender has a well known weakness for scoring, and he has been trying to work on that for the past several years to no avail. Just recently though, he has been working more closely with Mirsha to capitalise on both of their strengths though, bringing his craftiness into play and working with her amazing scoring abilities. Their opponents will have something to watch out for, as some of their plays will be legendary, I'm sure!

After an amazing showing in AC VII where they narrowly beat out Meridell for second place, Mystery Island fell even harder than Kreludor did - and they have the Winners Curse on them. Ending up in 15th place, a lot of fans were angry and disappointed.

Fingers were quickly pointed at Lor Benneveldt the team's goalkeeper. He is amazing when he is on form, but he just can't keep during long games, and by the end of the month long competition, his saves are few and far between. Volgoth, the captain for Mystery Island has been working individually with Lor, and rumour has it that even after training sessions that last well into the night even Volgoth, with his well renowned scoring ability, can't get a goal past Lor. Let's hope they're right!

Vela Binal is clearly also coming into his own on the team. Brought on during the second Altador Cup to replace an injured team member, he's always been the least experienced. After the past seven cups though, he's learned a tonne, and will surely help bring Mystery Island back to the podium!

Brightvale is capable of so much more than their standings indicate- they're never in the top ten, but they're able to force draws and wins against the top teams of the year, but seldom win against teams that match them in standings. The team is so ready to start improving their standings, so they're working harder than I have ever seen them, but it is Gordo Gunnels that is really surprising everyone. He's been doing some amazing work fighting his innate laziness, showing up to practice ahead of the rest of the team, and leaving long after the others. His passing is improving by leaps and bounds, and the rest of the team are so pumped by his enthusiasm that their practices are more intense than any I've seen for a while. Orie Dinelle has definitely been affected by Gordo's recent hard work. An amazing goalie, and she starts out each and every day strong, but in a competition like the Altador Cup, you just can't lose your stamina half way through. The extra long training sessions have picked her up, however. I will be shocked to see if she looses steam after the athlete's lunch breaks this year!

A surprise victor of the sixth Altador Cup, no one was surprised by Virtupets fall to 13th during AC VII. What did surprise everyone was their tie for 16th with Faerieland last year. When I spoke with Keetra Deile, their captain, after the final scores were announced, she just stared past me, a look of shock etched on her face. As I peeked in on some of their practices over the past month, it was clear that she got over her stunned silence, and was shouting encouragement and plays to try at her teammates. She seemed to especially be focusing on XL Striker 3.8, her fellow forward. He is a great forward, but Keetra seems to need him to step up more readily. They have amazing defenders, one who is quick and has a tonne of energy, and the other that can block and tackle; almost nothing is getting past them. If the Striker can get on board, Virtupets will be nearly unstoppable!

Ethel Boortz joined Meridell last year, just as the Knights were celebrating with their bronze trophy. She seemed like a risky choice, clearly the oldest player to ever go professional. With her head held high, this elderly woman refused to back down, and gave it her all. Despite her (and the rest of the team's) hard work, Meridell still fell several places during last years AC, back to 6th - not far off their average placing since the Altador Cup started. Some fans have been side eyeing the roster change, blaming her for their fall from glory, many of them hoping for Meridell to finally win the Cup. Watching plays from Meridell's games last year though, it's clear to me at least that the fault lies not with Ethel though. She played well, her years of experience as an amateur Yooyuball player, and her amazing tackles show her to be an amazing asset to the team, and will hopefully gain more recognition for her hard work in a few months time, as our favourite teams once again go head to head.

That's it for this report, everyone. Remember to keep an eye out for the underdogs- after so many surprises last year, you never know who will come out on top in June!