ARDA CUP Football 2012

[Boromir88]

Matchday 1 - @ Minas Morgul

The Stadium:

Formerly called Moonlight Stadium in the days when Gondor owned the deeds to the stadium, it has since been renamed The Vale of Necromancy. It is the grandest stadium in the land of Mordor, seating 70,000 and VIP seats are in a tall tower, with a skull-turret, overlooking the pitch. Gondorians contest the lease should still belong to Gondor since it was illegally purchased, but Sauron has squashed those rumors and the Witch-King made it his personal abode ever since.

Outside the walls circle dozens of Silent Watchers which are enough to keep even the most stout hearted Men from trying to thieve and vandalize Minas Morgul property. The biggest concern before the opening matches will be the security situation. We have two passionate fanbases, whom have often been bitter enemies. Sauron maintains it won't be his base that causes the problems, citing his experience in hosting games and how the minions will follow his lead. Therefor any fights will likely be brought in by the Gondorians. But everyone must wonder how will Mordor react if the Gondor teams actually do advance, and how will Gondor react if the Mordor teams go through to the playoffs?

Game 1: Barad-dur v. Minas Tirith (2:30 start time)

The young captain of Minas Tirith, Faramir, contends every player on his team has withstood Sauron before and they will do so again. However, Minas Tirith will have to rise to the challenge facing Sauron, Castamir, and Beruthiel (plus Sangahyando and Angamaite like being involved in the attack, and White City defenders may simply get overwhelmed). With that said the White City has some dangerous boots as well, with Boromir I, Mardil, and Earnur, plus Faramir to lead smart counters. Barad-dur's defense will have to always be on guard, and they performed quite poorly throughout the friendlies.

Game 2: Gondor v. Mordor (8:00pm start time)

This will likely be more of a defensive game than the first one, since both teams are extremely well organized. The squad of Nazgul are exemplary teammates in complete sync with each other, so besides the home-field advantage, Mordor gets an edge in organization. Although, Gondor has a bit more of an offensive bite, especially when Eldacar decides it's time to play for real. Grishnakh (who seemed to be the only player of Mordor capable of communicating in ways that weren't hisses, screeches, or black speech) said: "The Great Eye is upon Gondor. Shelob is too monstrous for these weak Men to contain, the Nazgul will dominate in the mid-field and no one has the strength to get the ball past our Silent Watcher's will."