Let the AC IX Games Begin!

It's that time of year again! The time when the Lands of Neopia along with their faithful, dedicated and somewhat crazy supporters come together to compete in Yooyuball and other various games to win the one and only Altador Cup. We are now in our ninth year of the Cup, yes that's right, it has been NINE years since this summer sport and its homeland of Altador returned from its hiatus. Not surprisingly, the Altador Cup has had a rich history. The following are FIFTEEN trivia questions to see how much you know about the Altador Cup and its history.

So without further ado... LET THE AC IX GAMES BEGIN!!!

1. Which game was the MOST recent addition to the Altador Cup?

a. Yooyuball

b. Shootout Showdown

c. Slushie Slinger

d. Make Some Noise

e. All of these games were added at the same time

2. This team was the winner of Altador Cup II:

a. Haunted Woods

b. Darigan Citadel

c. Krawk Island

d. Roo Island

e. None of the above

3. From Altador I to IV, a trend was observed. Which team broke this trend?

a. Darigan Citadel

b. Krawk Island

c. Roo Island

d. Lost Desert

e. Kreludor

4. This team did NOT participate in Altador Cup IV:

a. Shenkuu

b. Kiko Lake

c. Brightvale

d. Kreludor

e. Every team participated

5. This team placed last in a previous Cup tournament but later won the Cup:

a. Lost Desert

b. Darigan Citadel

c. Krawk Island

d. Roo Island

e. Virtupets

6. How many teams are participating this year (AC IX)?

a. 18

b. 16

c. 20

d. 14

e. None of the above

7. Which species has NOT been represented by at least one Yooyuball player?

a. Hissi

b. Lutari

c. Bruce

d. Xweetok

e. All 54 species have been represented

8. Which team has been forcibly collecting donations to return to the Altador Cup?

a. Moltara

b. Terror Mountain

c. Meridell

d. Kiko Lake

e. Faerieland

9. The team that missed AC III could not participate because:

a. They were just a bunch of no good thieves...

b. They experienced a rockslide while travelling

c. The only business they had in their Land was carpentry.

d. Their Land was lacking treats.

e. Who cares. (This is not the right attitude!)

10. In Slushie Slinger, you play as a:

a. Red Nimmo

b. Yellow Ogrin

c. Red Tuskaninny

d. Pink Hissi

e. Blue Peophin

11. In Shootout Showdown, you must score:

a. 5 goals within 30 seconds

b. 10 goals within 30 seconds

c. 5 goals within 60 seconds

d. 10 goals within 60 seconds

e. As much as you can within 60 seconds

12. Double round-robin format for the tournament was introduced in which Altador Cup?

a. AC I

b. AC II

c. AC III

d. AC IV

e. AC V

13. The tournament format was changed in AC VII. Which of the following was different in that year?

a. Triple round-robin was added

b. The length of the tournament was increased

c. There were five rounds of play instead of four

d. There were no final brackets

e. Nonsense, nothing was changed!

14. Of the teams participating in AC IX, how many have female captains?

a. 4

b. 5

c. 6

d. 7

e. 8

15. Which of the following is a new addition to AC IX?

a. New caps on the number of times scores can be submitted

b. An Altador Cup Staff tournament

c. A wraith Draik has joined as a Yooyuball player

d. There will be no final brackets

e. Two of the above

-x-

Answers:

Question 1 – The answer is b. Shootout Showdown.

AC I featured Yooyuball for the first time, and a year later, Slushie Slinger and Make Some Noise was added to AC II. Shootout Showdown was added in AC IV.

Question 2 – The answer is b. Darigan Citadel.

All of these options feature past winners. Haunted Woods won AC I. Darigan Citadel won AC II. Roo Island won AC III. Krawk Island won AC IV

Question 3 – The answer is d. Lost Desert.

This is sort of a follow up to question 2. The winners of AC I to IV were all runner ups (second place) the previous year. For example, Haunted Woods won while Darigan Citadel was second in AC I and so on. Shenkuu placed second in AC IV, but unfortunately, dropped to 11th place with Lost Desert winning the Cup in AC V.

Question 4 – The answer is c. Brightvale.

From AC II to IV, one team did not participate. In AC IV, King Hagan issued a statement that Brightvale would not participate until his subjects learned to balance work and play (I'm sure their embarrassing loss to Meridell had nothing to do with it!)

Question 5 – The answer is e. Virtupets.

Virtupets finished last in AC II, but won in AC VI.

Question 6 – The answer is a. 18

This year, the same teams are back to compete once again for pride and honour: Shenkuu, Lost Desert, Darigan Citadel, Faerieland, Krawk Island, Roo Island, Virtupets, Haunted Woods, Moltara, Kreludor, Maraqua, Brightvale, Meridell, Terror Mountain, Mystery Island, Kiko Lake, Tyrannia, and of course, Altador.

Question 7 – The answer is e. All 54 species have been represented.

Question 8 – The answer is d. Kiko Lake

You may have stumbled upon this random event: "The Kiko Lake team is collecting donations so they can go to the Altador Cup this year. You donate –insert item here-. How nice!" Yes, how very generous of you! :)

Question 9 – The answer is b. They experienced a rockslide while travelling

Well, what do you know? The team that missed AC III was Kiko Lake! Surprise surprise. Every team had arrived at the Altador Colosseum for pre-tournament practice sessions except for Kiko Lake. A search party was sent out for them, and it was eventually discovered that the players had been trapped by a rockslide while travelling. Do you feel better about donating to them now?

Question 10 – The answer is c. Red Tuskaninny

In SS, you play as a red Tuskaninny waitress. The other options are some of the angry fans you must serve....*gulp*

Question 11 – The answer is c. 5 goals within 60 seconds

Question 12 – The answer is b. AC II

Question 13 – The answer is d. There were no final brackets.

AC VII was the first year where the round robin system was changed. Eighteen teams were randomly assigned into 3 brackets (6 teams each). There were four rounds of play (each lasting 6 days) with no finals. This change also decreased the length of the tournament. Five rounds of play was introduced in AC VIII.

Question 14 – The answer is b. 5

Interestingly, and most likely coincidently, all 5 female captains are from teams in the north of Neopia: Kreludor (Derlyn Fonnet), Virtupets (Keetra Deile), Terror Mountain (Prytariel), Tyrannia (Loryche), and Shenkuu (Mirsha Grelinek).

Question 15 – The answer is e. Two of the above

Options a. and d. are new additions to AC IX. According to the AC FAQ, there will be new caps on how many times a score can be submitted. Also, a wraith Draik (Crade Talvos) has joined Haunted Woods this year in replacement of Wan Dirx, the right defender! There have been staff tournaments in the past, and there last time there was a final brackets was in AC VI.