Kreludor: Win Or Else (22 May 2014)
After winning Altador Cup VII, Kreludor became the latest champion to slump the following year, tying Terror Mountain for 7th place at last year’s tourney. Though the decline was expected, the club has sent the message that it’s not accepted, as reports indicate the team has made a swap. Details as to who has been dealt and where they’ll be going have yet to be made public. When asked to comment, captain Derlyn Fonnet (who’s thought to not be involved), said simply, “Message received, loud and clear.”
Lost Desert Looks Toward Future (22 May 2014)
For years, stories of behind-the-scenes friction between Team Lost Desert’s players have been plentiful. This past offseason, in an attempt to rehabilitate the squad’s camaraderie, the team’s players decided to go on a weeklong camping trip. By all accounts, the retreat went surprisingly well. “We’ve got a lot of history together, for better or worse, but we’ve hashed all that stuff out and put it behind us,” forward Derbi Azar said. “We’re ready to move forward as one and win another championship.”
Hughlis Blames Defence For Slide (22 May 2014)
After a trio of top five finishes spanning Altador Cups IV through VI, Team Maraqua has fallen back a few spots and is now considered a 2nd or 3rd tier club. As a result, there’s been recent talk of shoring up the club’s offense by adding another scorer to supplement team captain Elon “The Black Hole” Hughlis. Hughlis, however, will not hear of it. “We tried that before and it didn’t work,” the forward said. “We’re fine offensively. We just need to be more creative with our defensive schemes.”
Meridell Content To Stand Pat (22 May 2014)
After a couple of top five finishes, Meridell slipped to 6th in last year’s tourney. Team Meridell’s not panicking, though. “A lot of times, teams overreact in an attempt to reach that next level,” defender Ilsa Ellits explained. “They make risky moves for short term gain that not only fail to put them over the top, but also do long term harm. That’s not going to be us -- we’ve got the right scheme and personnel. All we need to do is maintain our focus and keep working to improve our execution. We’ll get there.”
Moltara Poised For A Rebound? (22 May 2014)
Entering last year’s Altador Cup tourney, there was genuine cause for optimism among the Moltara faithful: their squad had placed 15th -- its best showing yet -- and they’d worked out a deal to bring in Tyrannian netminder Harlis Neyhbol. Their hopes were dashed, however, as Team Moltara tumbled back into 18th place for Altador Cup VIII. Perhaps they could ask Dr Landelbrot for advice about managing the chaos that is their team’s play?
Your Move, Mystery Island… (22 May 2014)
After disappointing 14th place finishes in Altador Cup V and VI, Mystery Island shifted to a more conventional 2-2-1 look and replaced forward Bertie Shurtz with defender Selmon Woulf. The move paid off immediately, as the squad vaulted to 2nd place the next year. However, with an entire offseason to study Mystery Island’s play, the other teams adjusted and the islanders dropped to 15th in Altador Cup VIII. Have they been able to successfully return to the drawing board for some new tactical wrinkles?
Roo Island: Nothing’s Bugging Us (22 May 2014)
After a disappointing 14th place finish the previous year, Team Roo Island roared back into contention at Altador Cup VIII, finishing 3rd overall. “I don’t want to make excuses,” team captain Lilo Blumario said, “but I’d be lying if I claimed that that business with the bug infestation had nothing to do with our preparation prior to Altador Cup VII. Our play last year showed what we were capable of, and barring any unforeseen issues, we expect to be in the hunt yet again.”