Underappreciated Yooyus

Hi. My name is Ed. Some of you may remember me as the Striped Aisha author from "No Yooyu For You: A Guide To Petpets in Yooyuball" (please see issue 642 for more information). Most Altador Cup fans think that there are only seven colors of Yooyu: Normal, Fire, Snow, Mutant, Faerie, Darigan, and Clockwork. These are the colors almost every player is familiar with, as they appear in the Altador Cup each year and are cheered on by players and fans alike. But have you ever heard of a Christmas Yooyu? Or a Yellow Yooyu? If your answer is no, then you are not alone. In fact, there are five types of Yooyu that have never appeared in the Altador Cup. Since Yooyuball has been being played for around 1,000 years, and the Yooyu has been revered ever since, not including these Yooyus in the Cup seems more than a little unfair.

Every Yooyu is yoo-nique (pun intended), and since Yooyus cannot be painted, the way they are born are the way they will remain for life. Although their color gives them their special abilities, for a Yooyu that cannot participate in Yooyuball, this can be rather unfortunate. Today I am here to tell you about the seven underappreciated Yooyus in Neopia today.

Number One: The Green Yooyu

One of a set of four Yooyus that were released as prizes for Altador Cup IV, the Green Yooyu ranges in colors from a grassy emerald to a dark green olive. Its underbelly, however, has more violet, purple, and lilac tones. Matched with its metallic blue eyes and semi-bumpy skin, the green Yooyu could easily be mistaken for an alien. Because of its unique exterior, when thrown, the Green Yooyu will move in a perfect zig-zag pattern. This can be useful in confusing the opposing team and scoring goals; however, it can also be tricky to pass this Yooyu from player to player. In order for a team to perfect using the Green Yooyu, it needs to practice with it constantly.

Number Two: The Yellow Yooyu

A very brightly colored Yooyu, this is the second of the set that were released as Altador Cup IV prizes. It has a stunningly yellow body with a bright blue interior and orange eyes, almost giving it the appearance of a strange petpet from Geraptiku. Its yellow coloring can be so bright that, in fact, it can blind Yooyuball players. If a player handles the Yellow Yooyu for more than five seconds, they go blind and run in random directions as they cannot tell which end of the field they are running towards. Furthermore, after a player handles this Yooyu, they are essentially useless for the next ten seconds due to the fact that they cannot see. This petpet has no long-term side effects, however, as no Yooyuball player has ever had permanent blindness result from using the Yellow Yooyu. Some players have taken the initiative and attempted wearing "Yellow Yooyu-Proof" head gear, which include items ranging from a simple pair of sun-glasses to complex helmets costing many millions of Neopoints. Due to the inconsistency of equipment among different playing teams, however, the Yooyuball Rules Committee decided it would be best to ban any form of "Yellow Yooyu-Proof" gear.

Number Three: The Blue Yooyu

Nearly as stunning as the Yellow Yooyu, the Blue Yooyu is the third of the prize set from Altador Cup IV. Its sky-blue exterior matches its blue eyes, which contrast sharply with its orange belly. In fact, its bright coloring is meant to be a warning to predators: the Blue Yooyu is actually slightly poisonous. When touched, it exudes a very fine venom that will weaken and slow its handler; the player that has this Yooyu will run progressively slower and slower until, after a mere five to seven seconds of holding a Blue Yooyu (depending on the weight of the Neopet), the player will come to a complete stop. The effects wear off as soon as the Yooyu is out of their hands, however, and the player returns to normal. The Blue Yooyu is a known favorite of Salayne Ritad because, due to his immense size, he is nearly immune to the Blue Yooyu's venom; he can hold it for nearly the whole game without feeling its effects. Scientists have attempted harvesting the Blue Yooyu's venom for research in creating an alternate cure for the Jitters, a disease which causes a Neopet to seem to be unable to sit still. As of yet, the scientists have been unsuccessful.

Number Four: The Red Yooyu

The last, but certainly not the least, of the Yooyus handed out as prizes for Altador Cup IV, the Red Yooyu certainly gives the Fire Yooyu a run for its money as mascot for the Altador Cup. Sporting a deep red body with a golden interior, the Red Yooyu is a magnificent specimen with a bit of a twist. Half of the time, the Red Yooyu causes the player who is handling it to run as if they had wings on their feet, similar to the speed-up powerup, allowing them to avoid their opponents and shoot the Yooyu past the goalie. However, the other half of the time, the Red Yooyu is as heavy as gold (hence its golden belly), and causes the player who has it to run as slow as molasses. The Red Yooyu seems to change between its two modes at random; one moment a player could be speeding down the field, the next, even the slowest player is passing them. Due to its speed and intensity, the Red Yooyu could certainly be a mascot for the Altador Cup.

Number Five: The Tyrannian Yooyu

This Yooyu was only just released in the last Altador Cup, causing it to miss out on nine previous Altador Cups. This primitive Yooyu causes the player handling it to get a temporary case of the Ugga Ugga. While this doesn't necessarily affect their playing ability, it certainly makes any type of team communication extremely difficult. This causes simple moves such as passing to be nearly impossible. At the same time, enough practice with a Tyrannian Yooyu can cause a team to become closer together as they learn each other's non-verbal cues. Even though the Tyrannian Yooyu has not been featured in the past, some Yooyuball fans were hopeful that it would appear in the next Altador Cup. However, the head Yooyu-Ball caretaker denied this, saying, "Although, as an organization, we love and enjoy playing with the Tyrannian Yooyu, integrating it into the style of gameplay at this moment is simply not possible. Fans will have to enjoy games with the Tyrannian Yooyu on their own."

Number Six: The Christmas Yooyu

This festive Yooyu was handed out to lucky Neopians during the Advent Calender in Year 13, and is the most affordable Yooyu available, some being sold for a mere 1,000 neopoints! With the classic Christmas colors of red, green, and white, the Christmas Yooyu has a candy-cane-patterned belly and a bright sprig of holly on its ear. Known to be particularly jolly, even for a Yooyu, the Christmas Yooyu likes to give points to the player holding it as a gift; in fact, it is almost more beneficial not to score a goal with the Christmas Yooyu, since for every ten seconds a player holds it, it gives the team one goal. Run around the field for a minute with this Yooyu without sending it flying into a goal, and suddenly you have scored six goals without even trying. If you can manage to keep this Yooyu away from opposing team-members for a whole three-minute game, you can earn eighteen goals! The Christmas Yooyu can certainly be a game-changer in tough Yooyuball matches. And, as one final gift to the team which had it last when the whistle blows, the Christmas Yooyu will give them some holly berries.

Number Seven: Yooyu Trapped in a Display Box

This poor little guy is, in fact, a normal Yooyu, with all of the powers and abilities (that is, none) of a normal Yooyu. However, I had to include them because there are a significant number of Yooyus who have been trapped in display boxes. Even though these Yooyus dream of racing along on the Yooyu-Ball field, they are forever trapped in a little plastic box. They long for freedom and instead are labelled as a "toy." Because of all this, it is fitting to label them as an underappreciated Yooyu.

And there you have it: seven of the most underappreciated Yooyus in Neopia. These wonderful little petpets will not be making an appearance during this year's Altador Cup, despite their Yooyuball-geared descriptions. Will they always be neglected so? Will they one day be among the ranks of the famed Fire Yooyu or the notorious Darigan Yooyu? Who knows? Perhaps one day the arsenal of Yooyus will be upgraded to include them. In the meantime, if you see a Yooyu who is underappreciated, stop to play a game with them. After all, you need Yooyu to spell Yooyuball.