[the phantom]

Looking Back: Commenting on Arda Cup 2013
by Philip McPhantom, MESPN News

Another Arda Cup come and gone. There were teams and players that excelled and some that let their supporters down. Here are a few brief notes on what made up Arda Cup 2013 and in some cases what it means in the future.

1) The Blessed Realm did a fine job of hosting overall. They were given a tough task when the miscreants from The Barrow-Downs arrived, but they did as well as could be expected. They did particularly well with the post-game celebration in the finals, and the cup ceremony was seamless.

2) Amon Hen Coliseum continues to get better every year, both the stadium itself and the surrounding accommodations. Arda Cup cannot have a tournament without sending at least a game or two there. And as a nice bonus this year, the home team Anduin got to win the group in their own arena.

3) Morgoth and Angband aren't dead, they just got a bad draw. They couldn't win their group because the champs were there, and TIG is frankly a matchup problem for Angband. So, since Angband finished second they had to travel for their first playoff match, and who should be waiting but Feanor and 2nd place AC Beleriand. So Angband was knocked out of the tournament by the top two squads, and remember that ACBel needed overtime to pull out the win. If things had gone the other way who knows?

4) Angfauglith is very unhappy with the way Morgoth has been running the operation, and shortly after being eliminated some of the other investors managed to force Morgoth into shrinking his percentage holding down below 50%. As a first symbolic order of business they changed their name from the Morgoth-given "Angfauglith" to the proper "Anfauglith". No one knows what their roster strategy will be for next season, but rest assured that Morgoth won't be making all the decisions.

5) Ar-Pharazon continues to score goals when no one is looking. The golden-boy put up four more this year, and with Elros organizing things from the midfield Ar Phar will likely continue to add to his totals.

6) Sauron is making cash, but not a lot of fans these days. He's been aggressively focused on gaining and maintaining ownership of various squads and keeping a healthy profit margin, but his teams have not been the most competitive. This year Barad-Dur seemed to take a little step forward, but it remains to be seen if that will turn into a trend.

7) Inter Beleriand continues to play second fiddle to AC Beleriand. While both FC and Real Valinor have made names for themselves Inter just hasn't stepped out of the shadow of AC. They have a few Arda-class talents, but somehow they can't break out.

8) Several high-price squads are going to have trouble keeping their rosters intact. Teams like AC and FC have no room to grow before hitting the luxury tax, and some of their players have probably earned pay bumps. There might be other organizations out there more willing to offer them the pay they want, or the player may simply want a change of scene or a more favorable position and their current squad would have to offer greater incentive to keep them. And after a season like this one, you can't expect Feanor to give up any pay.

9) Eriador is still really tough to score on, but their scorers didn't hold up their end of the bargain. Doubtless Elrond will be shopping around for a way to return to last year's success, but will he have to sacrifice some defense?

10) Gondolin continues to hover in the middle of Arda squads, despite strong financial backing. They have solid role players and Maeglin continues to earn his pay as a creator and a scorer, but they need another elite player, preferably at the rear, to rise up and challenge the heavy-weights.

11) The southern kingdoms definitely took a step back this year. Gondor, Minas Tirith and Rohan all made the playoffs last year, with MT and Rohan advancing to the quarters, but all three teams were left in groups this season. They cannot afford to lose some of their best talent to other squads- there is a lot of talent out there that could play for them but didn't (Gandalf & Shadowfax, Eorl & Felarof, Elendil, Isildur, Aragorn, Arwen, etc.).

12) The Misty Mts is probably the most interesting and diverse team out there, with Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls, Eagles, Wolves, Balrogs, and even mountains represented. It was nice to see them make the playoffs this year, and with a large group of backers it will be interesting to see if they can continue getting better.

13) Nargothrond's defense needs fixing. While they managed to restrain solid attacks from Tirion and The Sea this year to an extent, they were reminded yet again that possession alone isn't a defense. Two years in a row they've had a squad dump 5 goals on them. Admittedly the scoring binges were by Feanor-led and Turin-led offenses, but still- that isn't the way for a strong squad to exit a tournament.

14) The Sea lacks a killer instinct. Despite solid players at every position and a very enviable defense they were left in the group stage. Draws aren't good enough sometimes and The Sea could really use a clutch scorer to turn some draws into wins.

15) FC Valinor was the complete package this year, but got edged out by AC Beleriand in the semis. FC doesn't need to gain any pieces, but the question is can they keep their team intact? Their payroll can't really go any higher, while Curufin, Yavanna, Eonwe, Argon, and Maglor could all justifiably ask for more money. Will other squads try to poach them?

16) The Barrow-Downs is headed in the right direction, adding some respectable Middle-Earth talent and still staying cheap. They're no longer the doormat they once were and they still have ample room to grow. The Barrow-Downs management group obviously knows how to do it. (Their other squad, TIG, took the title after all!)