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Introducing the 2018 MLPF World Cup


Jeric

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The World Cup Returns

 

Back in 2014 a member here launched a poll tournament (here) which was inspired by the FIFA 2014 World Cup. A tournament that would pit 64 characters against each other in poll based matches until just one champion remained. The MLPF inaugural World Cup started in December 2013 and didn't concluded until July 2014 with a Final Match between Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. Twilight was crowned the ultimate winner in grand fashion. Unlike character popularity polls that happened before and since, this one felt more like an event in its own right. The team behind the event created images of flags, jerseys, and anthems for the top 32 characters. There were 'interviews with characters by characters' in each match, provided by Batbrony. What started as a normal pony popularity poll grew to a 300+ page thread of character analysis and adoration. Some members created several amusing RP centric posts describing their characters in epic stories that rival Greek Mythology. Most of my first personal interactions on this forum started in that thread, and it was around this time that I became a die hard Rarity fan. This was all championed and run solely by the membership, showcasing that fantastic events do not always come from staffers. As 2014 drew to a close, I wondered at the end of this match if we would ever see it again. Welp, looks like the answer is yes. Starting this month, The World Cup returns again, but updated to reflect the changing nature of the show. Before you go into how this works I want to thank @Batbrony, @PathfinderCS, @Randimaxis, Frostilicious*, for their advice and help with this whole shibang. Thanks for being on Team World Cup!

 

 

 

Wild Card Round FAQ and Results

Spoiler

Q: What is the Wild Card Round?

A: In the previous round, 32 groups of ten characters were voted on. The top two instantly progressed to the World Cup Tournament. The bottom four were eliminated. The third through sixth place characters now vie for the final spot in a series of matches to decide who fills each teams final spot as each team can only have three characters. 

 

 

General FAQ

 

Spoiler

 

Q: What is this?

A: This is the 2018 MLPF World Cup. It's a tournament that was originally based on the FIFA World Cup. This year it has been modified to include pony elements including Buckball team composition. It's a fun (and not completely objective) way to declare best pony in the forums. It's been inspired by other best pony competitions but this is much bigger and grander. Invariably such competitions usually wind up with one of the Mane Six as the winner, however with some modifications to the concept, such as turning into a team based tournament, it will level the playing field just a little. 

 

Q: Is this an official MLPF or Poniverse Event?

While this originally started as a user driven community event, it has been adopted as an officially MLP Forums event. 

 

Q: Cool, so whats new?

Teams! The Qualification Rounds will be pony vs pony. 32 groups of ten characters each will slowly be whittled down to 32 teams of 3 characters. With teams of three popular characters, it provides an opportunity for some characters to get passed the Mane Six bias firewall!

New Characters! With four more seasons behind us since the last tournament began, I had hundreds more characters to choose from. Not only that, but this year we will be adding G1 characters, comic characters, film characters, and even popular fandom characters. Yes, you can actually wind up with Flufflepuff or Button's Mom in the winning team. 

A RP and Story element. When the World Cup Proper has begun, there will be some fanfiction style backstory dropped. As the team matches go underway posts will be made giving color commentary on the actual action as each of you vote and post ponies. Yes, this pony popularity contest has a story mode and because you are going to determine the teams and who wins, you are actually forcing us to improvise.  

Locations! Each group has been assigned a key location from the various media of MLP, to better line up with the whole countries concept of FIFA. 

Team Managers! This part has yet to be announced, but there will be a way in which you ... yes you ... influence your team you want to root for to improve its chances. 

 

Q: Wait, how can you have Fluttershy and Flutterbat?

Let's just say that when one finds one's self accidentally mixing Chaos Magic in a Dream Realm, bad things can happen. If you notice, some characters have their 'evil' versions in the mix. It's all part of the master plan to have Boneless declared Best Pony! 

 

Q: How did you decide on the groups?

The World Cup Qualification is a way to narrow down the characters significantly. There are many characters who have strong fan bases, but I didn't want to leave anyone's favorite out. So I scraped the MLP Wiki* and added some OC characters and boom ... the characters were randomly drawn into 32 groups of 10. Random. I didn't make a single adjustment. Some teams are heavier on minor characters, but no team has two Mane Six characters. The luck of the draw.

*The data scrape resulted in some different fandom names that you may be aware of. I will try and include both (except Derpy who is just Derpy!) if I notice this. 

 

Q: Where do we vote?

A: Originally all voting was done in one thread. Due to the sheer number of matches the one thread was broken into multiple threads and an entire forum was created to house the event temporarily. 

 

Q: What's going on right now?

A: We are now finishing the Wild Card round and choosing Team Captains. 

 

Q: What will happen next?

A: We are currently in Qualification Rounds and at the end of them with only four groups remaining. When these end we will then have a series of Wild Card rounds to complete the teams that will go up against each other in the World Cup.  

 

Q: How do the Qualifying Rounds work

The characters in each group will be posted for you to vote in the poll for 24 hours. The top two characters in each group will instantly be qualified for the 2018 MLPF World Cup on the team representing the location. Once we have gone through all 32 groups, the final slot will be decided through the Wild Card Round where the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth place characters will go head to head leading to the final team member being selected. After that, a final voting round will be done to chose the Team Captain. 

 

Q. Team Captain? What sort of nonsense is that?

The best kind of nonsense! The team captain will determine the team's name, and will be have his/her/its colors featured prominently on the Team Jerseys, Team Flags, and any other visual ephemera we whip up. For example, Team Spike could have Spike, Thorax, and Starlight with Spike's colors representing the entire team. There may be an element where the Team Captain will impact the game later down the line when it comes to breaking ties and possibly altering team composition. ;)

 

Q. I think I understand. What happens after that bit of silliness? When will the 2018 MLPF World Cup start?

When this process is complete we will have all 32 teams ready for the actual World Cup to begin. The World Cup begins with some fanfare, as the teams will be randomly sorted into 8 groups of four and their groups, brackets, and matches are announced. Each group will play each other in a series of schedule matches until the Top 16 teams are decided. From there you will then enter a series of elimination rounds (The Quarterfinals - Top 8, Semifinals - Top 4, and Final. Previously, we tried to sync this up to the FIFA schedule. That ain't happening this year. This tournament will wind up taking the better part of a year to conclude. YES! That long. Trust me when we finally get deep into the tourney, you will feel invested in the outcome. It's a massive character celebration. 

 

Q. That's a lot of stuff. I think I need a roadmap through this maze. Can you go over that again?

:okiedokieloki:

 

Sure! I know that it is complicated at first glance, but trust me I'll explain as we go along, and you'll catch on! Here is a simple breakdown of the order of events and the months that they will take place. 

 

Preliminary Activities to the World Cup

Qualification Rounds - January and February

Wild Card Qualification Round - May and June 

Captain Voting - June

Team Managers (Specifics Forthcoming) - June

 

MLPF World Cup 2018 (tentative dates)

Top 32 Matches - July 

Quarterfinals - August

Semifinals - September

Championship Final Match - October

 

Closing Ceremonies (stay tuned)

 

 

Q. So I just vote and that's it?

Sweet Celestia no. Post baby post. Showcase your favorite characters art, fics, let your mane down and be goofy. Mods are asleep! POST PONIES! There will also be connected events throughout this marathon, so keep your eyes peeled. :)

 

 

Q. Wait, you are one of the biggest Rarity fans in this thing. I CALL BIAS. SHENANIGANS! RECOUNT!!!!!

Should Rarity even qualify, I will silently root for her and will not whip her fans into a voting frenzy. Honestly, in my heart of hearts, I almost hope a team that doesn't have a Mane Six character wins. Anything can happen in the World Cup. That said, the Rarity Bible style insanity might make a return at some point. :D

 

Q: Hey, I have talent. Do you need help?

Some of the originals behind the World Cup have returned to lend a hand, however .... design minded people who can help create flags, and even people who RP as characters featured can easily lend a hoof. If you have an idea, PM me! There are some fun plans coming up in the actual World Cup when that starts and I could use a creative soul or two. If you are great with Photoshop, video editing, and music ... your help would be greatly appreciated. 

 

 

Qualification Round FAQ and Final Results

Spoiler

Q: What was this round all about?

The first poll began on January 6th and was multiple choice to allow members to vote on the three member Buckball team that they wanted to go on to the next round. As a reminder, the top two voted in this round progressed to the World Cup as teammates, and the next four will entered a series on elimination matches to determine who will be the third member. 

Q: How did you decide on the groups?

The World Cup Qualification is a way to narrow down the characters significantly. There are many characters who have strong fan bases, but I didn't want to leave anyone's favorite out. So I scraped the MLP Wiki* and added some OC characters and boom ... the characters were randomly drawn into 32 groups of 10. Random. I didn't make a single adjustment. Some teams are heavier on minor characters, but no team has two Mane Six characters. The luck of the draw.

*The data scrape resulted in some different fandom names that you may be aware of. I will try and include both (except Derpy who is just Derpy!) if I notice this. 

Q: What happens in ties?

A: If it so happens that at the Qualification stages there are ponies tied in points, then the following tiebreaker rules will be used in order of priority: 

  1. Head-to-Head Matchup
  2. Coin Flip

 

Q. Who won and who lost

Below are the groups and general results. Green bolded names are characters who made their teams. A strike-through means that they were elminated, and normal font simply means that the character stays alive during the Wild Card playoff round. 

GROUPS 1-10 (January 6th - January 19th) 

Spoiler
   
Group 1 - Everfree Forest (Zecora, Octavia, TBD)
Igneous Rock Pie Sonata Dusk
Octavia Melody Royal Guard
Hondo Flanks Gummy
The Olden Pony Trenderhoof
Zecora Mulia Mild
   
Group 2 - Maretonia (Marble Pie, Chrysallis, TBD)
Marble Pie Garble
Queen Chrysallis Flash Magnus
Kyrippos II Little Strongheart
Flim Mare Do Well
Roger Silvermane Captain Celaeno
   
Group 3 - Dream Realm (Nightmare Rarity, Daybreaker, TBD)
Tantubus Daybreaker
Dr. Hooves Hoops
Snowdrop Raven Inkwell
Amira Zipporwhill
Nightmare Rarity Golden Harvest
   
Group 4 - Trottingham (Fluttershy, Fleur De Lis, TBD)
Sir Pony Moore Little Pip
Sunny Daze Zephyr Breeze
Fluttershy Lucky Clover
Fleur De Lis Commander Ironhead
Catrina Dinky Doo
   
Group 5 - Dragon Lands (Ember, Pear Butter, TBD)
Moonlight Raven Kettle Corn
Ember Button Mash
Greta Snails
Buffy Filthy Rich
Lily Lace Pear Butter
   
Group 6 - Wonderbolts Academy (Spitfire, Cloud Kicker, TBD)
Cloud Kicker Spitfire
Joe Princess Erroria
Snips Andy Warhoof
Bloomberg The Storm King
Spoiled Rich Charity Kindheart
   
Group 7 - Sweet Apple Acres (Applejack, Twilight Velvet, TBD)
Applejack Stellar Eclipse
The Headless Horse Songbird Serenade
Cheese Sandwich Junebug
Twilight Velvet Philomena
Screwball Cathy O'Mara
   
Group 8 (Sunburst, Crackle, TDB)
The Smooze Twinkleshine
Hoity Toity Grampa Gruff
Crackle Torch Song
Hard Hat Sunburst
Mayor Baltimare Mr. Shy
   
Group 9 - Canterlot (Celestia, Tank, and TBD)
Seabreeze Star Tracker
Featherweight Celestia
Ahuizotl Plaid Stripes
Tank Randolph
Mr. Stripes Open Skies
   
Group 10 - White Tail Woods (Winona, Angel Wings, TBD)
Blackthorn Angel Wings
Winona Fiddly Twang
Cherry Berry Night Light
Wind Rider Torch
Goldie Delicious Snowfall Frost

 

GROUPS 11-20 (January 23rd - February 7th)

Spoiler
Group 11 - Hollow Shades (Sombra, Tom, TBD)
King Sombra Davenport
Stardom Blossomforth
Daisy Trouble Shoes
Stygian Tom
Double Diamond Flax Seed
   
Group 12 - Manehattan (Rarity, Owlowiscious, TBD)
Grubber Rarity
Pound Cake Clear Skies
Vapor Trail "Donny" Kerabatsos
Pony of Shadows Owlowiscious
Blueblood Quarter Hearts
   
Group 13 - Ponyville (Twilight, Star Swirl, TBD)
Neon Lights Dance Fever
Hayseed Turnip Truck Shadowbolt
Bill Neigh Star Swirl the Bearded
Nyx Twilight Sparkle
Star Spur Gilda
   
Group 14 - Seaquestria (Mistmane, Novo, TBD)
Sugar Belle Juniper Montage
Queen Novo Cloudy Quartz
Suri Polomare Wheat Grass
Surprise Sheriff Silverstar
Mistmane Sweetie Bot
   
Group 15 - Tartarus - (Tirek, Meadowbrook, TBD)
Gabby Bulk Biceps
Tender Taps Mage Meadowbrook
Gustave le Grand Strawberry Sunrise
Grogar Lord Tirek
Uncle Orange Angel
   
Group 16 - Vanhoover (Moon Dancer, Coloratura, TBD)
Moon Dancer Granny Smith
Tree H. Hooffield Spearhead
Professor Fossil Princess Skystar
Big Daddy McColt Coloratura
Cloud Chaser Starstreak
   
Group 17 - Tenochtitlan Basin - (Derpy, Vinyl Scratch, TBD)
Hoofdini Derpy
Vinyl Scratch Gladmane
Professor Flintheart Photo Finish
Party Favor Shining Armor
Daring Do Amethyst Star
   
Group 18 - Cloudsdale - (Rainbow Dash, Mayor Mare, TBD)
Babs Seed Cinnamon Chai
Firefly Coco Crusoe
Pipsqueak Mayor Mare
Ma Hooffield Rainbow Dash
Quibble Pants Iron Will
   
Group 19 - Klugetown - (Lyra, Maud, TBD)
Princess Amore Maud Pie
Lyra Heartstrings Radiant Hope
Twist Verko
Steven Magnet Savoir Fare
Thunderlane Adagio Dazzle
   
Group 20 - Appleoosa - (Minuette, Capper, TBD)
Truffle Rainbow Blaze
Minuette Apple Strudel
Gloriosa Daisy Sable Spirit
Night Glider Braeburn
Capper Smarty Pants

 

GROUPS 21-32 (February 10th - February 24th)

Spoiler
Group 21 - Rainbow Falls - (Sunset, Sweetie Belle, TBD)
Svengallop Sunset Shimmer
Peewee Flutterbat
Mr. Breezy Silver Spoon
Harry the Bear Ripley
Street Rat Sweetie Belle
   
Group 22 - Somnambula - (Bon Bon, Somnambula, TBD)
Bon Bon Button's Mom
Somnambula Toe-Tapper
Lotus Blossom Inky Rose
Raspberry Beret Limestone Pie
Dr. Cabelleron Pumpkin Cake
   
Group 23 - The Moon - (Luna, Pinkie Pie, TBD)
Pinkie Pie Jeff Letrotski
Luna Dr. Fauna
Amelia Airhoof Nightmare Moon
Parish Nandermane Sky Stinger*
Cherry Jubilee Tiberius
  *substitution (removed Silver Zoom)
Group 24 - Fillydelphia - (Big Mac, Nurse Redheart, TBD)
Aunt Orange Mayor Fillydelphia
Nurse Redheart Zesty Gourmand
Upper Crust Fashion Plate
Big Mac Rose
Sunshower Raindrops Sassy Saddles
   
Group 25 - Dodge Junction - (Applebloom, Cheerilee, TBD)
March Gustysnows Grand Pear
Applebloom Cheerilee
Flitter Mrs. Cake
Gizmo Flufflepuff
Chipcutter Sapphire Shores
   
Group 26 - Our Town - (Burnt Oak, Fancy Pants, TBD)
Berryshine Feather Bangs
Burnt Oak Swan Song
Pacific Glow Flam
Stormy Flare Wrangler
Cookie Crumbles Fancy Pants
   
Group 27 - Ghastly Gorge - (Soarin, Tree Hugger, TDB)
Opalescence Twisty Pop
Dr. Horse Soarin
Mrs. Shy Batpony Guard
Tree Hugger Screwy
Horse Wife Flash Sentry
   
Group 28 - Saddle Arabia - (Scootaloo, Bright Mac, TBD)
Rumble Chief Thunderhooves
Pharynx Haakim
Matilda Flurry Heart
Toola Roola Scootaloo
Bright Mac Mr. Cake
   
Group 29 - Changeling Kingdom - (Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, TBD)
Diamond Tiara Fleetfoot
Coco Pommel Trixie
Cattail Thorax
Mane-iac Starlight Glimmer
Cranky Doodle Donkey Spike
   
Group 30 - Yakyakistan (Tempest Shadow, Windy Whistles, TBD)
Prince Rutherford Coriander Cumin
Slendermane Tempest Shadow
Windy Whistles Lemon Hearts
Aria Blaze Lightning Dust
Prim Hemline Rover
   
Group 31 - Crystal Empire - (Cadence, Discord, TBD)
Bow Hothoof Princess Cadence
Beauty Brass Ms. Harshwhinny
Prince Hissan Whiplash
Sphinx Caramel
Discord Scorpan
   
Group 32 - Las Pegasus - February 24
Noteworthy Trapeze Star
Midnight Blossom Rockhoof
Saffron Masala Aloe
Midnight Sparkle Sea Swirl
Sci-Twi Silver Shill

 

 

WORLD CUP POSTING RULES

All Forum Rules apply here! I'm not staff, but that guy over there watching you ... he is!

That said, remember to heed this general wisdom: Try not to walk in here motivated to antagonize fans of a specific character. This isn't generally the best platform for debates on how Starlight Glimmer ruined your childhood, or how anyone who is a fan of Diamond Tiara is bad and should feel bad. Basically, don't be a jerk and overdo it. It is one thing to poke fun at a character's tendency to react a certain way. That can be great fun and is in line with the gentle ribbing one should expect. It's another to be all, "Ermahgerd, Twilight is werst pon1 5ever!" Now, on the flip side, please don't get all hot and bothered if someone cracks a joke about a character. Don't be oversensitive. We all love our favorites, but sportsman like ribbing is not a personal attack.  Great. Now I want ribs. Mmmm. Barbecue. Bacon. 

 

 

 

 

THIS IS OUR MASCOT. THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS OURS! PYRALIS, PHOENIX MASCOT OF THE MLPF WORLD CUP. 

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  • Brohoof 20
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  • The topic was pinned
Just now, Jeric said:

I'm not staff, but that guy over there watching you ... he is!

Hai me. :maud:

I remember this thing from back in 2014, and it was fun... But also very chaotic. Mostly fun though. Just don't go too dumb with it, he said pretty much all there is to say :P

Also, pinned because come on, it deserves it. Now, have fun everyone~!

  • Brohoof 9
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Thank you so much for all your hard work!!! Everyone let's make this the best event ever :grin:

23 minutes ago, Jeric said:

*Why can't I at mention you?

There's no "i" between Frost and Licious :please: name trend shenanigans hehe

  • Brohoof 5
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6 minutes ago, Totally Lyra said:

What's this? Luna and Nightmare Moon are on the same team? :pinkie: GO GROUP 23!!!!! (after 19 of course post-25189-0-33094200-1412626540.png)

That caught me off guard. That alone is dripping with potential. Of course if you check out some of the other groups there are some amusing pairings (and a goofy addition here and there). :P

 

11 minutes ago, ChB said:

Sweet! I’ve been waiting for something like this, since the 2016 Magic Bowl. This is going to be awesome! :D 

You ain't seen nothing yet. :)

 

10 minutes ago, Frostlicious said:

There's no "i" between Frost and Licious :please: name trend shenanigans

Aw shoot. Well you could always  give the additional 'I' to @PiratePony. He only has one!

 

  • Brohoof 6
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This should be done in a round robin/ Swiss rules style. Every team fights every other team, and the team with the most victories wins. That way a team that's lost a round can still come back. 

I've watched a crap ton of tournaments this past year, from the NJPW cup, to the WCPW world cup, to the BoTSJ tournament, to the 27th G1 Climax, to the Super Junior tag league, to the World Tag League. I'm ready for this. Winners should get trophies and trios tag team title belts. 

Also I offer my services to be the official play by play color commentator. Heck, I may even design some good lookign title belts (or as good looking as MS-Paint will allow)

 

 

  • Brohoof 1
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Before the competition even starts we can highlight several of the more intriguing groups:

  • Twilight faces off against her idol Star Swirl in group 13, setting up a potential alliance mirroring the season 7 finale.
  • In group 17 we find Daring Do, Derpy, Shining Armor and Vinyl Scratch, all of whom qualified for the 2014 World Cup. With only three spots up for grabs, at least one of these ponies will miss out on the 2018 edition.
  • As has been noted, Luna and Nightmare Moon go head-to-head in group 23, which makes for an undoubtedly entertaining spectacle. With Pinkie Pie competing in the group as well, there is early potential for a very strong squad.
  • In addition to the aforementioned groups, 29 could be the overall strongest of them all, including Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Thorax and Trixie in addition to other popular characters. We've already seen the latter three unite in the season 6 finale, and Spike possesses noted friendships with Starlight and Thorax as well.
  • Brohoof 2
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Oh, and look at that group 3 there. What an interesting combo with Daybreaker, Nightmare Rarity, and the Tantabus, though let's not count the good Doctor out of the running there just yet. ;).

Woops, I overlooked Snowdrop there too. That'll be a group to keep an eye on indeed.

  • Brohoof 3
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9 minutes ago, Frostlicious said:
  • In addition to the aforementioned groups, 29 could be the overall strongest of them all, including Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Thorax and Trixie in addition to other popular characters. We've already seen the latter three unite in the season 6 finale, and Spike possesses noted friendships with Starlight and Thorax as well.

Another group that made me do a double take. Came close to running the script again to randomize, but I wanted to preserve the integrity of the pull. This one should be an early fav. 

  • Brohoof 2
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hmm well, I love a good tournament so I will have to keep a lookout for this :).Also, I'm on team Svengallop....which I bet is quite surprising and no one saw coming.so go team 21

Edited by Larrydog
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GAH, MUFFIN MOUNTAIN!  Wait... this isn't the majestic peaks of the Muffin Mountain.  But... this isn't Ponyville either. :wau:

What the hay... MOM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???

Oh, Amethyst, there you are!  And what am I doing here, we live together you silly filly.

Well, yeah, but... nevermind, what are you doing HERE!  In case you haven't noticed, this isn't our house.

Yeah, looks kinda more like a creepy old temple of some kind.  Oh, and it's in the middle of the jungle.  Oh and there's eight other ponies with us.

Wh- AH!!!  Where the buck did you all come from?

Amethyst Star, watch your language!

Oh geeze, sorry, it's just... who the hay is all here?  Vinyl, the prince of the Crystal Empire, Photo Finish, a whole bunch of ponies I don't even know and, *gasp* OH MY GOSH, IT'S DARING DO!

Oh yeah, it is Daring Do.

Mom, how the hay do you know who Daring Do is?  You don't read those books!

Oh horsefeathers... uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, let's just say your father's Hearts and Hooves Day present last year was me dressing up as her for... reasons that will remain unspoken, and I will leave it at that.

:okiedokieloki:...

:lie:...

Well great, now I can't ever enjoy Daring Do ever again, thank you sooooooooooooooooo much!

Yeah to be honest, I didn't need to know that either.  The body pillows with me on them have been bad enough.

Oh sweet Celestia, it's really you, THE Daring Do!  But wait, you're not real... you're a fictional character.

Uhhhhhhhh... yup, that's right, totally a fictional character! :lie: Who the hay are all you ponies anyway and what the hay is going on here?

It appears we've all gone and stumbled somehow into a strange pocket dimension of some kind with hundreds of other ponies scattered across dozens of different regions, yet we're all still capable of hearing, seeing, and interacting with one another.  It's really fascinating stuff!

Oh my goodness, Doctor, sweetie, is that you?

It sure is, Derpy!  You doing alright, honey?

Yeah!  Well, as well as I can in the middle of the jungle with our daughter, Vinyl, and a bunch of other ponies I don't know, including a fictional character.  Where are you?

I'm... how do I put this?  I appear to be in the Dream Realm.

But how's that possible?  I thought we'd just determined that this is a dream.

I'm not sure that's what it is.  Not entirely at least.  There's definitely dream magic at work here, but something else as well.

Is Dinky with you?

No, she's... right below me somehow, but in Trottingham.

Trottingham's beneath the Dream Realm?

No, it's... nevermind, this is all very confusing even for me.  Dinky dear, you alright?

Oh yeah daddy, I'm great!

Dinky, there you are!

Hi mommy!  

Are you OK, muffin?

Oh yeah!  Miss Fluttershy's here, and my friend Sunny, and a really pretty pony who's really nice, and a super lucky pony, and a pony who talks like dad but a lot more seriously, and a really big and old pony with a beard, and a hipster that keeps annoying Miss Fluttershy, and a pony that keeps talking about killing zombies, raiders, and nuclear apocalypse, and for some reason a really mean cat lady.

Well... she certainly seems to be making friends.

Sorry sweetie, I missed most of that.  There's this poor little blind filly I'm trying to help direct, and the presence of a monstrous living nightmare and what I'm pretty sure are evil versions of Celestia and Rarity... for some reason... is not making that easy!  Carrot's here though, so that... kinda makes it better.

Oooooo, Carrot's there!  HI CARROT!

Derpy, is that you?  What the hay is going on?  One minute I'm in the middle of a great dream about getting the best shiatsu massage from Aloe and Lotus, the next minute I'm surrounded by my neighbors, some ponies I don't know, a Saddle Arabian, and a bunch of nightmarish entities, AND FOR SOME REASON EVERYPONY IS CALLING ME GOLDEN!?!?! 

Well that was your first given name at birth.

YES!  But nopony is supposed to know that!  IT WAS MY NAME FOR ALL OF FIVE MINUTES BEFORE MY PARENTS CHANGED IT TO CARROT TOP, GAH!!!

Don't worry everypony, we'll figure out what's going on.  We just need to get a handle on things.

Oh, I already know what's going on.

Everyone: YOU DO?!?????!?!?!?!?!?

Mhm!  Mister Discord was here earlier apologizing to Miss Fluttershy.  Said something about somehow having more cider than even he could handle and crossing over the Dream Realm with his Chaos Realm and the only way everypony was gonna be able to get out is if we all set buckball teams and play each other for some reason, which is all going to be determined by voting from these weird things he call 'moo-hams' in another dimension entirely that have little sausages where their hooves should be, and they all somehow know about all of this going on and are dictating these events as we speak.  At least I think that's what he said.

Everyone: :blink: 

Hey mommy, can I go play with the nice nuclear apocalypse pony?  She said she could teach me how to blow a raider's head clean off from 200 yards away!

Go ahead, muffin.

Yay!!!

Well, this is certainly a pickle we're in, isn't it?

A pickle, dad?  Try more like an existential crisis from Tartarus!!!

Now calm down, everypony.  It seems pretty straightforward to me.  All we have to do is help the moo-hams determine who the best ponies are for representing us in the buckball tournament, and as soon as everything's over with, we'll be out of here.  Piece of cake.

Huh... ya know when you put it like that, this almost starts to make some kind of sense.  Almost.

Thanks Miss Daring Do.  For a fictional character, you sure are nice!  I'm gonna have to start reading your books!

I agree with the pathetically puny pegasus!!!  This tournament is our best chance to escape to the real world! 

That sounds positively fabulous, darling (not to mention, deliciously wicked).  With that said, I think it's obvious who should represent our little group.

Oh, so you're talking now, huh ladies?  And who just might that be?

Heheheheheh, simple, the three godlike beings standing before you, of course!  I, the great Daybreaker, this lovely creature called Nightmare Rarity, and the almighty Tantabus will easily crush any competition standing in our way!!!  Even mere mortals such as yourselves should be able to understand that!

Yeah, I think I'll take a hard pass on that.

Same.

No kidding.

Y-y-yeah, what... what they said.  Big... giant... scary ponies and nightmare monster thingy. :sealed:

OK everypony, you know what to do!  We gotta look out for each other and somehow find a way to get the best ponies possible as deep into this tournament as we can!  And uh, hey, moo-hams?  If you're actually real and are listening, we could really use your help getting the, ya know, good ponies further along in this thing.  So if it's not too much trouble, we'd really appreciate if you gave us as many votes as possible and not, ya know, some of these terrifying monsters and villains and... weird cat ladies that seem to be stuck with us.  LET'S DO THIS!

Seriously?  This is really our plan?  We're really going through with this, mom?

Yup!  We sure are sweeti- oh wait, hang on, I knew I was forgetting something!  If this is a dream and chaos realm, then I should be able to- AHA, GOT IT!

Got what?

My suit of course!  Now I'm ready for anything.  C'mon Amethyst, into the fray, FOR EQUESTRIA AND THE MUFFINS!!!  HYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

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WHERE IN THE HAY DID YOU FIND YOUR BATSUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF A JUNGLE, AND WHERE THE BUCK DID BANE COME FROM??????

Your mom's the Batmare?

Um... noooooooooooooo- wait, how has a fictional character heard of the Batmare?

Ummmmmmmmmmm... dream magic and chaos magic, I don't make the rules!

This is going to be the most surreal experience of my life, isn't it?

COME AT ME EVERYPONY!  HAVE A TASTE OF JUSTICE, I GOT PLENTY FOR ALL OF YA!

GO GET 'EM HONEY, YOU GOT THIS!  ALLONS Y!!!

Yes, yes it is...

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Stay tuned for the ongoing adventures of the Hooves Family - Derpy Hooves, Doctor Whooves, Amethyst Star, and of course Dinky Doo, + Carrot Top... and a shitload of other ponies along with them, as they make their way through the whacky, wild, wonderful ride that will be the 2018 MLP Forums World Cup!!! :muffins:  Until next time, everypony, this is Batbrony signing off.  I'M OFF!!! *cue dramatic exit*

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I'm liking the concept behind this and think it will make for an interesting experience. I'm glad that Sunset was included as I was thinking of asking if characters from Equestria Girls were eligible but I combed through the brackets to find my own answer first.

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Oh man. Group 13, group 15 and group 31 have probably my vote, but I don't know which one of the three. Probably group 31. :dashcutehat:

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited by Hierok
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2 hours ago, MontagnaMagica said:

I'm definitely NOT a fan of the team format. It makes sense for the qualifiers, but once we're past that, I believe individual matchups are the only fair format.

 

Hm. While I did the team concept to try and level the playing field, we have several months to do through the groups to select the top 2 in each group. I almost did the Qualifiers head to head with each playing a round of several matches before the top 2 were shown, but with the sheer amount of new characters that we have it would be sometime in the summer before we got out of the Qualifiers. 

That said ... after the Qualifiers, I could put it to a vote and see if you all want to keep the team concept, or go to the complete head to head version of the previous World Cup. The biggest complaint about the last one, no matter how much fun we all had, was that it felt preordained that a Mane Six character would win. In this case the strength of a team with two of three mildly popular characters could offset that and make the outcomes less predictable. 

But yeah, I have no issues with putting it to a vote. This is all about us having some lols as a community, so if that is the general consensus I have no issues altering it since we wouldn't be that far in. 

3 hours ago, Ganondorf8 said:

I'm liking the concept behind this and think it will make for an interesting experience. I'm glad that Sunset was included as I was thinking of asking if characters from Equestria Girls were eligible but I combed through the brackets to find my own answer first.

Yeah, no way was I going to exclude Bacon Mane! I did add the Sirens to the master list as well. 

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5 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

Oh, is this why you were going around posting sports fan art in all the fan clubs? I had no idea what you were talking about.

Maybeeeee

:please:

 

I'm going to toss up a team vs head to head poll here to get the temperature of everyone. 

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Alright people, I know there are a lot of you out there whose childhoods were ruined by Starlight, so join me and let us claim this victory for the Realm of Darkness. Let us show them that irredeemable villains are not just some broken fools. Do not vote for your waifus. Every vote for darkness is a vote for a brighter future!

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16 minutes ago, Goat-kun said:

Alright people, I know there are a lot of you out there whose childhoods were ruined by Starlight, so join me and let us claim this victory for the Realm of Darkness. Let us show them that irredeemable villains are not just some broken fools. Do not vote for your waifus. Every vote for darkness is a vote for a brighter future!

 

 

Starlight Glimmer? Pfft!

If you’re going to vote for darkness, why not vote for a real villain, not some foal unable to move on from her past.

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The only recurring villain so clever she had to be defeated by a deus ex machina. TWICE! 

VOTE CHRYSALIS!

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10 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

 

Starlight Glimmer? Pfft!

If you’re going to vote for darkness, why not vote for a real villain, not some foal unable to move on from her past.

[HAS-BEEN]

 

The only recurring villain so clever she had to be defeated by a deus ex machina. TWICE! 

VOTE CHRYSALIS!

Read again, slowly: R-e-a-l-m o-f D-a-r-k-n-e-s-s. I'm not running this campaign for some run-of-the-mill unicorn or has-been villainess. Lord Grogar is the one true dark overlord of the entire MLP franchise.

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This ought to be fun.

I haven't really been involved with any of the world cup events before, however I was involved with a few other tournaments before, so I am looking forward to engaging with this one as well.

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This looks pretty fun. I'll be following the action all the way!

Obviously Best Pony :twi: from Group 13 will defend her title and take home her second MLPF World Cup. There's no way around that.

And Nyx better survive Group 13 as well, because YOU. DO. NOT. SEPARATE. HER. FROM. HER. MOM!

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#TeamTwilight #TeamNyx

Spoiler

Oh, and I'm rooting for Bloomberg in Group 6, too. :nom:

 

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