/r9k/ History

This is the full history of  /r9k/ in the 4chan cup.

Early managerless era

In 2012, /r9k/ had the honor of facing the debuting >gold defender in /hr/.

Due to not having a manager, /r9k/'s players could not do much to prove that they are not as beta as the board they represent. Despite not having any momentum going into the 2012 4chan Spring Babby Cup, The Robots managed to find their first win ever, and it was against /mlp/. Sadly, this was not enough to qualify for the Summer Cup. While trying to recover from this heartbreak, /r9k/ finished the Summer season with a 6-0 loss to /co/, the biggest defeat in the team's history.

A rise (of hatred from others) to the finals

In the 2012 4chan Autumn Babby Cup, Tr4pD00r !!Riz8Z+kuSO7 took /r9k/ to new heights, but like many other events in the cup, it did not happen without controversy. The group stage saw /r9k/ get 9 points after beating some questionable competition: /u/, a team copying /sp/'s Summer Cup tactics, /vg/, a team that was using tactics given to them by /u/'s manager at the time, and /b/, a team that was rigged.

At the Round of 16, /cm/ quickly crumbled against /r9k/ in a 5-0 loss where The Neckbears had a 4-0 lead at half time. Fans went from being simply shocked with /r9k/'s winning streak to hating the team after the Beta Bowl in the quarterfinals. Despite /adv/'s defense having three purple defenders, /r9k/ couldn't break through that weak defense and only had one shot on target. /adv/'s offense was not better and after over 120 minutes of dull football, and whiny commentary, it was time for penalty kicks. In the end, it came down to who could spill less spaghetti in their shots, and /r9k/ won 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out after /adv/ missed three shots. Numerous people have gone on to call this the worst match in cup history.

Up next in the semifinals, /tv/ was hoping for an easy win against a tired /r9k/ side, but Japanese Lettuce Hardcore and Sadfrog's doubles took /r9k/ to the finals. The viewers were upset at a cup favorite being eliminated by a hated team, but would get some pleasure out of the final. /wg/'s attack easily breached /r9k/'s tired defense as their fatigue finally caught up with them. A great run came to a pitiful end with a 5-1 loss.

Winter 2013: The losing streak gets rolling

A miserable run summed up in one image.

After a failed friendly rematch against /wg/, Tr4d00r surprisingly quit his job as /r9k/'s manager. He would go on to make an autistic confession about being Lo/lit/a some time later, and so his return to /r9k/ management was (and still is) unlikely at best.

Moose !ct1wZnSHeM took over the team for the 2013 4chan Winter Cup, and proceeded to go missing for two of the three group stage matches. Despite this, /sp/ surprisingly struggled against them, but managed to win 2-1 against the Autumn Babby Cup finalists. In the following match, /cm/ got their revenge on /r9k/ with a 4-0 blowout win. Since /x/ had also lost to /sp/ on the same match day, /cm/ and /sp/ both had 6 points, thus sending /r9k/ back to a Babby Cup before the group stage was over.

Both relegated teams had a mediocre match where /x/ got a consolation win over an /r9k/ side that went from being a cup finalist to being a punching bag for everyone. After the Winter Cup was over, it was pointed out on a /vg/ thread that Moose was a /sp/artan and he would be accused of sabotaging the team. Not much came from this because he already wanted to quit after such a bad run in the Winter Cup.

Another failed manager and Arab money

>tfw !!fjYpRE2R+u2 became /r9k/'s manager for the Spring season. After losing 4-2 to /diy/ in a game where /r9k/'s early 2-0 lead meant nothing, and becoming the first team to ever lose to /c/, some wondered if /r9k/ would ever break the losing streak. After /o/ won 3-2 against /r9k/, a single fan finally lost patience with the team. He would go around on Skype offering money to 4chan Cup managers so that they would manage /r9k/, and would name himself Muzzy !vceFUCKYOU on the /vg/ threads. This man would go on to explain that the money being paid would be a "microscopic portion" of inheritance money, and that despite not being from Saudi Arabia, he is, in fact, Arabic.

No one took him up on the offer, and /r9k/ continued to lose until the group stage was over.

Dual management for Autumn

The team's manager for the 2013 Spring Babby Cup misteriously disappeared after Dragongate, and because no one felt like challenging /r9k/, the team became inactive in the Summer. Eventually, /fit/zlsperger !!PUUQhs84Yb3 took over the team and changed his name to Ronery Robot after a failed run in the 2013 4chan Summer Cup. El Negrito !!0FiEhZGyS/D joined him to help out with tactical decisions, and at first, it seemed like success was in /r9k/'s future. In the Autumn Babby Cup friendlies, /r9k/ finally broke the losing streak and started a winning streak with wins against /g/ and /3/.

This run of good form did not continue in the actual 2013 4chan Autumn Babby Cup. On the first match for The Robots, /r9k/ could only get a 1-0 win over a managerless /cgl/. Next, /pol/ continued their resurrection with a 4-2 win over /r9k/ where /pol/ scored three goals in under twenty minutes. The spaghetti would continue to flow in the match against /s4s/. At one point, /s4s/ was up 4-2, but /r9k/ came back to draw 4-4. This memorable comeback would only be turned into a heartbreaking end for /r9k/: /cgl/ won the match that followed against /pol/ 4-3 when the Seagulls only needed to win by one goal to take second place and crush /r9k/'s dreams. Upon the culmination of the group, Ronery Robot officially announced his retirement, saddened at not being able to take The Robots to the Winter Cup, but nonetheless glad at helping turn around what was once the laughingstock of the 4chan Cup. This will leave El Negrito in charge of /r9k/ for the future.

Spring Babby Cup Preparations

Players sport the new /r9k/ home and away kit, respectively.

Upon the resignation of his co-manager, El Negrito !!0FiEhZGyS/D signed a 6 (six) season deal to remain as manager of /r9k/ after outperforming expectations (aka not fall to fetus.) This coincided with the implementation of PES 2014, giving him the chance to recreate the team that he envisioned for the future. Being the tactical mastermind he is, his first order of business was to keep all players that were called up in the Autumn babbies and reuse the standard /r9k/ formation that brought them success. The team was embroiled in an early scandal after El Negrito allowed the players access to the team credit card and a popular camwhore site. With no money on hand for required new kits, the owner was forced to infuse capital or else the team would play with old kits from San Lorenzo, a small team a few miles south. Ongoing restrictions were still in place since Arab-gate that did not allow the team a sponsor, but the manager finally scrounged up the funds to purchase basic kits for the team’s two winter friendlies against /hr/ and /sp/, a win and a draw respectively.

Hope and Despair: 2014 Spring Babby Cup

A successful set of friendlies before the 2014 Spring Babby Cup gave the team high hopes that El Negrito could lead them to victory. In fact, many fans placed /r9k/ on their lists as the team to succeed from the group and finally be able to escape the tight grip the Babby Cup has held on them for more than a year. The first two matches, against /gd/ and /g/, /r9k/ was able to scramble for nil-nil draws to the disappointment and boredom of the fans, and even caused one manager to lose his cool at the press conference, insinuating that the team's tactics were broken and boring.

The defense finally wavered and allowed a goal against /ic/ in the third match, the offensive side simply unable to connect with anything. This match also forced /r9k/ into a tough spot of hoping other matches would go their way, allowing the team to remain viable to escape. The final match saw /r9k/'s offense finally show power, winning against /3/ by 2-1, but other matches did not go their way, effectively dooming the team to another season of pain and feel threads in the Babby Cups

Tumbling Down and Down: 2014 Autumn Babby Cup

Sadfrog celebrates his goal in /r9k/'s only win of this cup.

What should have been a quiet offseason for /r9k/ as they got ready for the next cup instead turned into a race to find replacements for seven players who suddenly retired, the most unexpected being the face of the team, Robot9001. After giving a speech to his teammates that no one had ever heard before, the board instantly brought in new faces, most notable of which was new striker Elliot Rodger. The Chairman, hoping to finally end the closely approaching two-year drought of a major competition, also brought on board Shuckle !!QKW7kiLRIvE as co-manager.

There was an air of excitement within the Robots and the fans, sensing a Kodak moment approaching with new blood, new tactics, and new management. Landing in Group E of the Autumn Babby Cup, the team felt like they had a high chance of making it out of the group stage if they could grab at least one win against the first two teams it faced, /a/ and /ck/. Instead, what could go wrong had gone wrong, dropping the game against /a/ 4-2, and not faring any better against /ck/, collapsing an early lead to lose 2-1. Third time was the charm for the Robots, landing a 1-0 win against /out/, but the team was once again trapped in a deep hole in the bottom half of the five-team table. Unable to stall memories of previous cups, the team had no morale as they gave up against /n/ with a 0-2 loss and cementing themselves to a single win record, and eventually last place in the Group. As of the time of this writing, no one in management has gotten in contact with any players after management allowed Elliot Rodger the privacy to speak to the players in the locker room after the last match.

During the lead up to the next Babby Cup, it was discovered that El Negrito !!0FiEhZGyS/D had a normalfag side job and didn't even need GBPs to get food. Upon finding out about the scandal, the players and fans pressured his co-manager to recommend his sacking to the Board, with screams of "Normie! Get out of my board!". This resulted in El Negrito resigning, and giving the reigns of the team to Shuckle !!QKW7kiLRIvE for the upcoming 2015 Spring Babby Cup. Walking out of El Monumental, he confirmed his normalfag status by buying chicken tenders with his own money.

REEEEEEEEEEEEE: 2015 Spring Babby Cup

In this Babby Cup, /r9k/ got drawn with none other than /fit/ in the group stage. For the first time, the betas could face the supposed alphas of 4chan.

Before that, however, /x/ tried to spook /r9k/ and failed, losing 2-1 to the Robots. Kissless Virgin played his heart out for the team in this match, and kept doing so throughout /r9k/'s matches, scoring in every match /r9k/ played. His efforts were not enough against /fit/, who defeated /r9k/ 2-1. Fans were not pleased with this loss.

Kissless Virgin and Sadfrog looked like a deadly duo once again as /r9k/ beat /out/ 2-1. Unlike the last Babby Cup where the Arcanines started with two losses and lost hope early, there was actually some faith in the team as the fourth group stage match was approaching. Unfortunately, the Robots spilled their spaghetti against /vp/, with Miror B scoring 5 (five) goals. Fans hadn't seen spaghetti being spilled like this since /r9k/ lost to /wg/ in the 2012 Autumn Babby Cup final.

The Beta Uprising Finally Begins: 2015 Autumn Babby Cup

The punch to the face that ended a 3 year wait for another elite cup.

After getting some heat from fans due to poor handling of the team roster poll and the bad use of fluid formations, Shuckle was on thin ice going into this cup. It was time for the Robots to either get promoted or find another manager, and the group stage draw didn't seem to be kind for them. Group B put /r9k/ with only one apparently easy side (/y/) and the others all seemed to be around /r9k/'s level or above them.

In a slow match where the Arcanines practiced their usual possession game, /m/ was very shy and only took 1 shot in each half, so /r9k/ had little trouble as they won 1-0 against the once mighty /m/. The Robots once again slowed the match down when facing /i/, but this backfired since /i/ hit them with great efficiency on counter attacks and got a 2-2 draw in the end. Following that disappointment, /y/ got desperate after going down 3-0 and tried some wacky tactics. This didn't help them at all and /r9k/ calmly won 3-0. After these results, /r9k/ was already on top of the group, but had to avoid losing to /an/ in order to qualify for the 2016 Winter Cup. Initially, the match was looking like a 0-0 thriller, but Elliot Rodger proved that you can't dodge the Rodge with a header that won /r9k/ the match 1-0. Rodger also took a punch to the face from the keeper as he got his head on the ball, but was fortunately able to finish the game.

With 10 points in 4 matches, the Robots qualified for a major 4chan Cup for the first time since the 2013 Winter Cup. /pol/ would go on to eliminate /r9k/ from this Babby Cup in the Round of 16.

As a side note, the Robot that filtered unoriginal posts on /r9k/ was activated a day after this cup started. By that point, it was too late to bring Robot9001 back into the team for this season.

2016 4chan Winter Cup

The robots got drawn into what was a rather tough group on paper - /gd/ and /s4s/ were, at this point, established teams in the major cups, and /g/ was the runner-up of the previous year's Summer Cup. On their first Winter Cup match since 2013, /r9k/ stayed competitive against /gd/ for all of the match, but a late blooter from >bumping /gd/ got his team the 3 points. That first win in a major cup was still eluding the robots, and the 1-1 draw against /s4s/ that followed only gave the Arcanines a small chance of success. At the final fixture, the PES Gods seemed to smile upon /r9k/ for once. /gd/ beat /s4s/ 4-0, meaning that with a strong win over the disappointing /g/ side of this cup, /r9k/ could steal second place...but they blew it. The /g/entoomen woke up in an exciting match where they would end up winning 4-3. This left the robots with only 1 point in the group and sent them back to the babbies.

2016 4chan Spring Babby Cup

This season's babby cup had a format change that made it so that there were groups of 4 teams again, leaving everyone with very little room for error. Additionally, teams could now be relegated to the babby cup qualifiers. MarcoZ joined /r9k/ management during this season, and with the context of this cup in mind, the team was able to be more aggressive with their tactics. The first match for the Robots in this cup was against none other than /adv/, and a Sadfrog double got /r9k/ the 2-1 win. Sadfrog wasn't done scoring yet - /vr/ was the victim of his hat trick in a 5-3 win for the Arcanines. Following those two wins, /r9k/ was already qualified for the 2016 Summer Cup.

Their work wasn't done yet, though. /c/ was /r9k/'s last opponent in the group stage and they got destroyed in a 5-2 goalfest that sent the cute anime girls to the babby cup qualifiers. Elliot Rodger scored 4 of his teams' 5 goals in this match. This was the first time /r9k/ got 9 points in a 4-team group since the 2012 4chan Autumn Babby Cup. In the round of 16, /r9k/ had to face >/p/ and won 6-3, no one cared. Speaking of no one caring, /w/ was the next opponent for the Robots and initially, it looked like /w/ might just have a nightmare run to the top like /wg/ did in the past. However, a great comeback from the Arcanines began in the first half, with Robot9001 scoring a goal that kept /r9k/'s hopes alive. The seconld half saw /w/ collapse as their 2-1 lead turned into a 2-4 loss that sent /r9k/ to the semifinals.

At the semifinals, the Robots had a rematch with /vr/ which surprisingly ended in complete disaster. As if the 5-1 loss at this stage wasn't enough, the match itself was unwatchable due to commentary that was "meme-free" (or at least, that was the idea - instead, it ended up being intentionally dull commentary to make a point that could have been conveyed without ruining a match).

Fortunately, there was a light at the end of this tunnel for /r9k/. The third place playoff placed the Robots against /u/ /v/. This was another goalfest, and it ended with /r9k/ winning the coveted third place trophy. On top of that, Elliot Rodger ended up being the top goalscorer of the cup with 13 goals, and >tfw no gf was the top assister of the cup with 7 assists.

2016 4chan Summer Cup

This season, /r9k/ kept making history. The group stage got them off to an incredibly good start as they comfortably won 3-0 against /s/. Afterwards, the Arcanines took part in one of the most bizarre, fucked up matches in the history of this cup. They went on to win 8-5 against /p/ in a match filled with AI spaghetti, bad goalkeeping, bad defending, and kickoff abuse. The flaws in the PES 16 system became obvious after this match. Following that mess, the robots were almost safely in the round of 16, but could have gone out with a combination of results. /f/ was /r9k/'s last opponent, and though they wanted a win to be safe from relegation, /f/ had to settle with a 4-4 draw. From /r9k/'s perspective, the draw was a fine result since it was just enough to keep them safe at the top of the group, in the 2017 Winter Cup, and it got them into the round of 16 of this cup.

At the knockout stage, the robots were put in a match against none other than /mlp/. Though the robots tried to get rid of the ponies, a 90+ goal from >Rape eliminated them, bringing this historic run to a bitter end.