/po/ History
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The Dark Ages
In its infancy, /po/ had to endure humiliation and criticism from fans who found the team to be boring, bad, or those who just flat out wondered why they were allowed to play at all. After all, /po/ had been embarrassed by /an/ in the preliminary round of the 2012 4chan Spring Babby Cup: with /an/'s 5-2 win in the first leg, /po/ was already hopeless and could only muster a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
For a long time, /po/ had a defensive 5-4-1 tactic which led to numerous 1-1 draws. It wouldn't be until September 22, just over 6 months after the team's creation, that /po/ finally got its first win. Said victory came against /wg/ with the score being 3-2. The win couldn't have come at a better time: in just a few weeks after that, the 2012 4chan Autumn Babby Cup was starting.
From the beginning, /po/ were not anyone's favorites in said cup, and the opening 1-1 draw against the underachieving /vp/ didn't change that. Despite getting their first win against /wg/, /po/ could not repeat the same performance as they fell 2-1 to /wg/. Suddenly, a window of opportunity opened: /fa/ was their next opponent, and their manager had rested the medal players. The reason for this? "I thought resting our great players would be a good idea since /vp/ would never advance."
/po/ proceeded to win 1-0 against /fa/ while the manager had supposedly gone out on a date and left those silly instructions behind. This win was unfortunately not enough for /po/ to qualify for the upcoming Winter Cup, and the team would continue to be managerless until next year in the spring season.
2013 4chan Spring Babby Cup
The paperfolding team /po/ went into this Cup as something like underdogs that no one would pay attention to. An obscure team. Then manager, Crafty/po/ster !!LbVTjNXXan6 led the team headfirst into the 2013 4chan Spring Babby Cup, where they were drawn into a group of /tv/, /vp/ and /gif/. /po/ would face a stern test against /vp/ in their first match of the Spring Babbies. At half-time, /po/ would be 1-0 up against /vp/, courtesy of a Paper Goat goal. However, after the break, the /po/lice would come back to an angry and rampant /vp/ team, who scored two goals in five minutes to make it 1-2. However, /po/ would not give up here and hit back in the 67th minute, with a paper equaliser from Paper Goat. Chapsy finished the comeback in the 79th minute and made it a glorious 2-3 victory to /po/. Their next match, against /gif/ ended in a stalemate with goals from Chapsy and Paper Cut. Despite the stalemate, /po/ was in a very good situation to advance to the 2013 4chan Summer Cup. Their next match was up against a team in good form, /tv/, who had just crushed /vp/ 3-0 earlier. Moneygami gave /po/ the lead at the 16th minute, and things were looking good. L O S T thought he could crash this paper plane and equalised the game in the 32nd minute. This match stayed 1-1 the entire game, until the 81th minute, with a goal from Paper Plane, giving /tv/ a cheeky paper cut. The match would end 2-1 to /po/ and they were through to the 2013 Summer Cup and the knockout stages of this cup. /po/ drew /x/, but was quickly dismissed 1-3, sending /po/'s hopes and dreams of winning the Spring Babbies into the dumpster. However, they still had the dream of winning the Summer Cup.
2013 4chan Summer Cup
Over the break, Crafty/po/ster !!LbVTjNXXan6 had recruited a co-manager by the name of PaperPlane !!g7i5VWxBJeX, who would help out with his tactics. In the same situation as they were in the Spring Babbies, they were expected to be BTFO out of the tournament. They were drawn into a group that consisted of the behemoths /a/, the strong /h/, and their old friend /tv/. No one expected much out of /po/ No one cared who they were... until they drubbed /tv/ 5-0 in their very first match of the tournament. A Paper Cut hat trick and goals from Moneygami and Paper Plane smashed the television screen, and threw it out the window. All was well and everyone was singing the songs of PAYPUH PAYPUH PAYPUH. Up next... they were up against /h/, a very strong team. A draw would put /po/ in the same situation they were in in the Spring Babbies, still a good position to be in to progress to the knockout stages. The match, indeed, ended in a /po/ dominant stalemate. They were seriously unlucky not to have scored. The next match, against /a/, was a complete 5-0 drubbing by /a/ on /po/. It was 3-0 at half-time, which showed the dominance that /a/ had asserted upon /po/. /h/ had defeated /tv/ 2-3 before this match, so this loss meant that /po/ would be relegated back to the Babbies. Worse, Crafty/po/ster had disappeared after the /tv/ match leaving Paper Plane who was already busy, to manage the team. He just did not have the time for /po/, and /po/ went basically managerless.
2013 4chan Autumn Cup
New regulations were put out to enhance the 4chan Cup experience, and /po/ could not meet those regulations, leading them to be nerfed and rigged really hard by the 4CCC. /po/ was drawn into a group of /c/, /asp/ and /adv/. /c/ drubbed /po/ 4-1, with a goal from Chapsy, /asp/ inflicted the same punishment, but with a 3-0 scoreline. /adv/ would top it off with a 1-0 scoreline, sending /po/ to 31st place with a -7 GD, and finishing only above /k/. One of the most forgettable campaigns for /po/. Was this the end for them...?
2014 4chan Spring Babby Cup
For four whole months, /po/ was completely managerless. The 2014 Winter Cup came and went, and the 2014 Spring Babbies were looming. /po/ was supposed to compete, but the 4CCC had moved over the competition into PES14, meaning /po/ had neither an export or a manager. A new format had also arisen, the Mega Babby, which removed the playoff rounds that /po/ was supposed to play in, and put them straight into the competition with 39 other teams, in eight groups of five teams. Many new regulations were implemented as well.
A full two and a half weeks before the export deadline, Soryuu !!o16SVJJscF1 popped out of nowhere and decided to take on the managerial post of /po/, whilst recruiting SirBaconson !!UMasemWL9wQ as his co-manager. An export was completed within four days and a kit hastily folded together within a week. Soryuu and SirBaconson had agreed to field a 3-3-4 formation and anything with four forwards, an action that called them crazy. /po/ was in the same situation as they were in the cups a year ago, but this time with that underdog expectation, and a strange small following. They were drawn into a group that consisted of /y/, /cm/, /diy/ and /n/. /y/ was the team everyone expected to roll over the group, and they were /po/'s first match. /y/ pushed forward for a goal, with /po/'s paper thin defence vulnerable. Ramen Yaoi slotted in a goal in the 8th minute, as almost everyone expected. However, /po/'s attack was bound to break something, as Template took advantage of a goalkeeper botch in the 20th minute to equalise. Both teams went into half-time all square. After the half-time break, /po/ pushed forward for their own goal. Template threw in a beautiful cross to Chapsy, whose header hit the post and almost recreated The Flash's mistake... however, the ball rebounded to himself so he fixed his mistake by making it 1-2. /po/ held on for a 1-2 scoreline, a fantastic start to the campaign.
/po/'s next match was against a very murky team, /diy/. Soryuu was concerned for this match, considering he does not know anything about /diy/. His concerns were right, and /po/ was drubbed 3-0 by /diy/. /po/ was still in an okay situation. By the time the next match came along, /po/ was in a situation where either they or /n/ would go through to the 2014 4chan Summer Cup with /diy/, who had crushed everyone in its path since then. A very intense and important match, /po/ was up against /n/ who had destroyed /cm/ 1-4, but lost to /diy/ 3-0. It was a fight for the second place slot, and a fight to the death. /n/ almost scored many times in the first half, and /po/'s Big Head Mode inspired defensive performance prevented them. It was a 0-0 scoreline at half-time. After the break, the /n/iggers had awakened the paper monster. /po/'s devastating attack hit /n/ at the 55th minute, where a great cross by Template to Chapsy resulted in a vital goal. It would only get worse for /n/. The pressing football paid off as Moneygami bullied a /n/ player into a corner, out of which he scored a monstrous header to make it 2-0 at the 58th minute. Another great cross by Template to Paper Cut's boots this time, made it 3-0 to the /po/lice. /n/ kept pressing for a goal, and /po/ hit one back at them before the match ended, due to a great through ball to Paper Cut. /po/ was through to the 2014 4chan Summer Cup.
Soryuu let SirBaconson manage the /cm/ game, which ended 1-2 in favour of /cm/ in a /h/-like game, where /po/ was dominant but they could not finish. /po/ was still through to the knockout stages of the 2014 4chan Spring Babby Cup and into the 2014 4chan Summer Cup. In the knockout stages, Soryuu wished for /pol/, and /po/ drew /pol/. After a week of preparation... /po/ fought against the /pol/and in a great match up for the Round of 16. /pol/ hit two goals in the first half at /po/, but /po/ would just absolutely not give up. They made a comeback courtesy of Paper Plane and Paper Goat. At the end of the day, the match had to go to Extra Time to settle things. Both teams were threatening each other, but could not find a goal. Penalties were looming. However, as they were about to go to penalties, Hitler sent a heartbreaking goal towards /po/ at the 116th minute. /po/, not giving up again, tried to get one back immediately after, but they failed to and they were knocked out of the Cup. However, they were still through to Summer, and they have the same hopes and dreams as they had the year before.
2014 4chan Summer Cup
/po/'s promotion into the Summer Cup was reminiscent of their last promotion in 2013. They were drawn into a group that consisted of /tg/, /gif/, and /toy/. Hours of testing had gone into testing against /gif/, their first opponent. /po/ took the lead after 22 minutes courtesy of a Paper Plane goal, assisted by Moneygami. Overall, the game was very held up in the midfield, producing a very boring game. /gif/ would strike back with a Sauce blooter in the second half, putting the score at 1-1. The game would end this way, a draw. Their next game was against a fan favourite, /tg/. /tg/ was completely dominant in the first half, having all the possessions and shots at goal. Crazy Hassan was having a field day with the defence, but Cutting Mat would deny him each and every time he would try a shot at goal. In the dying minutes of the first half, Template would put a pass towards Paper Cut which sliced open /tg/'s defence resulting in an easy goal for /po/. /tg/ would try to equalise all the second half, but Cutting Mat would absolutely not have it and blocked every shot. Literally as the game would end, /tg/ would concede a free kick in the middle of the pitch, and Paper Plane would send a ball flying through the air towards a wide open Template. In probably what was the rudest goal of all time, Template would score another easy goal, which made the score 2-0 to /po/. /po/ were almost through to the knockout rounds, they just needed a point or for /gif/ to draw or lose to /tg/.
/gif/ had indeed lost to /tg/ by a 1-0 margin. This meant that no matter the result in the /toy/ match, /po/ would be through to the Summer Cup Round of 16. SirBaconson was handed the reins in this match and it resulted in a 0-0 draw, albeit with both teams having chances. The Round of 16 Draw spewed out a /po/ vs. /mu/ match up, the last standing Elite team. Just the draw the suited /po/ the most. The match itself was a disaster for /po/ with Talentless Hack and MC Ride hitting two at /po/ within the first 20 minutes. /po/ with their heart would not give up. Both teams had shots towards goal, and a very unlikely goal was scored by Moneygami in the 34th minute. /po/ would get chances all game but was quickly shut down by a MC Ride goal in the 82nd minute, sending /po/ out of the Cup with the final score at 1-3 to /mu/. On the bright side, /po/ would make it through to the 2015 Winter Cup, making their debut in a Winter Cup, therein which the managers vowed to do better than a Round of 16 finish.
2015 4chan Winter Cup
This time around, /po/ had very tough competition in the group stage: They were drawn in Group C which had /ck/, /hr/ (who was the runner-up of the previous year's Summer Cup) and /b/ (the 2014 Autumn Babby Cup champions). After being outplayed for two matches in a row in said group stage, /po/ was already packing their bags to get back to the next season's Babby Cup, with no points or goals after 3-0 and 2-0 losses to /ck/ and /hr/ respectively. In one last ditch effort, /po/ got a 2-1 upset win over /b/, with Cutting Mat having 5 saves against the /b/tards who choked hard. This didn't matter much for /po/ in the end since this result sent both teams down to the 2015 Spring Babby Cup.
The Dark Ages Part 2
Group E of the 2015 Spring Babby Cup had very familiar teams for /po/ to face. Two of them were the same opponents from last year's Spring Babby Cup (/y/ and /cm/), but this cup was the first to use PES 2015, so everyone was in for a new challenge. /po/ got off on the wrong foot with a 4-2 loss to /o/ and a 1-1 draw against /y/. Clearly, this was a very different cup than when PES 2014 was used, and /po/ really needed to adapt after the 1-1 draw. They seemed to be on track to accomplishing that with a 2-1 win over /adv/, but the managerless /cm/ shocked /po/ and advanced with a 2-1 win, while /po/ stayed down in the Babbies.
After months of waiting for the next Babby, /po/ was drawn in the 2015 4chan Autumn Babby Cup against /h/, /wg/, /trv/ and /vg/, all teams /po/ has not faced in a very, very long time if at all. /po/'s run started with an insulting 0-0 draw to /h/, with /po/ getting many chances to take a win and most of them being saved by /h/ goalkeeper Garterbelt. The next /po/ match was a 2-1 loss to /vg/ due to a strong second half from /vg/; due to other results, a clear path to advancement was cleared for /po/ despite them being on one point after two matches; two wins would be enough to send them into Winter. A 2-0 win over /trv/ seemed to get /po/'s cup run back on track, but terrible tactical spaghetti spelled the end of /po/'s cup run after a 6-1 drubbing by /wg/.
After more months of waiting for the next Babby Cup, rule changes were made and /po/ was put into the 2016 Spring Babby Cup Qualifiers and was drawn against /i/, their mortal rivals, /vg/ and /o/. Their campaign did not end well as they drew the match against /i/ with the scoreline at 3-3, receiving an undeserved loss at the last minute against /vg/ with the scoreline at 3-4 and losing at the hands of /o/ due to a nightly export spaghetti drop with the scoreline at 1-2. The team will be waiting yet another few months for another chance to get back into the Elite Cup.
1,000 Paper Cranes Later...
Coming undone from an abysmal performance in the previous qualifier, /po/ was looking to fold their way back into form in the 2016 4chan Autumn Babby Cup Qualifiers, only this time there was no elite level team that botched an export to turn the team into a sloppy paper-mâché abomination. This time, 2 new opponents, /t/ and /co/, as well as /y/ were the only teams standing in the way of /po/'s chance to qualify.
The first match of the day was /y/-/po/, and for once, the /y/ defense led by >gold defender Yaranaika held strong against the sneaky setup offense of /po/. A goal at 37' by Ramen Yaoi put the pressure on for /po/ coming into the second half. All seemed lost as the minutes dwindled down to a precious few. But the change to /po/'s offense while making subs began to pay off, and in the 88th minute, 1,000 Cranes recieved the wishes of X-Acto and cut through the defense like a scalpel through butter, and just like that the game was tied. But the game wasn't over for the one man crane army. A crucial steal by >>>/pol/ lead to a miraculous 90+2' blooter by 1,000 Cranes. Suddenly, /po/ found themselves with 3 points instead of 1 to begin the qualifier.
Their second match was against the seemingly permafetus /t/. As /co/ defeated /t/ 3-1, the majority of the chat constantly drew out >/t/ to insult the pira/t/es, and it worked rather well in /po/'s favor. A 42nd minute goal by the trusty scalpel X-Acto gave the first blood to /po/. This would soon be followed by a second /po/ goal just before halftime, after a wild pass was caught by the cranes. The second half started with a /t/ goal by μTorrent, followed by another by Limewire after a /t/ sub came in, and the game became even after a dominant first half. It got even worse when Mixtapes! got into the fray and took the lead away from /po/ to make the game 3-2 for /t/. It looked like /t/ would get their first win in nearly 2 years. That reality would be denied during the 82nd minute. 1,000 Cranes came swooping in again to claim /po/'s 3rd goal of the game, and it would end 3-3.
The fifth match of the day, and /po/'s last, pitted papercrafts against paperbacks, /po/ vs /co/ was supposed to be the match that decided the safety of either team. A draw would have let both of them qualify strangely enough, but it was clear both teams wanted to make a statement by placing the other in danger of missing the Babby. However, the match was stopped while scoreless twice due to problems with rigging the game, but the match started with no problems on the third try. With Kregg on commentary, literally anything could happen, including a hat trick before the half by 1,000 Cranes. It was a piece of incredible offense from the crane army, as shot after shot either came close or went straight through the net behind Bueno, while Doom made a goal as well to make the game 3-1 at the half. The /po/ offense slowed down considerably in the second half, but a 4th goal by 1,000 Cranes, and a 2nd by Doom set the game 4-2 at the end.
With 7 points in the group, /po/ had easily qualified. /po/ even controlled who qualified with them as well, as the draw against /t/ wasn't entirely irrelevant to them. Now /po/ can rest easy, make some preparations and fly into the 2016 4chan Autumn Babby Cup in style.
The Return to the Babbies
Having proven their worth in the Qualifier, /po/ was drawn in with 3 fan-driven teams: /a/, /out/, and /jp/. Considering the tension between /a/ and /jp/, and /out/ expecting to return to the elites after a Summer wake-up call, the PAYPUH was set in place to be the carefree spoiler of the group. That resolve as such would be tested in /po/'s first match of the Babbies since the previous Autumn against /out/.
Both teams came firing on all cylinders, despite strange errors and cheeky clearing from both teams. Want Some Chips? would be the first scorer of the match, dumping his entire bag over the Cutting Mat, but after a rare fit of reverse pause abuse, 1,000 Cranes blew past two defenders, shiftng the ball into the goal behind Goretex. A 45+er from Smokey before the half would force /po/ to play on the back foot for the second half of the match. Little did anyone know that there would be more happening than just the subs. Though another shot from Want Some Chips? went in to make the game 3-1, the nonmedal CMF Crease Pattern broke through every /out/ defender and blasted a goal behind Goretex to keep the game close, at 3-2. While the /po/ offense was struggling to tie the game up, all hope seemed lost as Smokey managed to hit blooter into Cutting Mat, who failed to grab the ball and could only watch as the ball rolled slowly towards the goal, but a sudden and incredible header clear by ._._._._._._. would save /po/'s chances at 79'. A late goal by 1,000 Cranes would hopefully have started /po/'s Babby campaign with a draw. Unfortunately an even later 90+3' goal by Want Some Chips? would be the deciding factor in the matchup, and /po/ would take a bitter loss despite an impressive effort.
The next match would be against the otakus of /jp/. While this match had no real highlights during the first half, the tension in the air before kickoff was so immense that it couldn't even be cut with an X-Acto knife. /out/ had defeated /a/ in the match before this, and should /jp/ win, the group would be decided before the third pair of matches. Fans of /a/ were backing the /po/ team here, as a win would keep them alive as well. Just before subs would take place, however, a great pass from Crease Pattern into the army of 1,000 Cranes would set up the only goal of the match. After subs took place, /po/ did all that they could to keep /jp/ scoreless, while /jp/ tried to look for the perfect opportunity to equalize. It wouldn't happen for the otaku clan /jp/, and a 1-0 victory for /po/ confirmed 3 things: /out/ would not be safe, /jp/ would be in a state of despair, though not quite as bad as where /a/ stood, and /a/ were relieved to still remain in the running for the cup. Though /jp/ would go on to greater moments after this match, /po/ would be the only team to defeat the new Babby Cup champs.
After /out/ and /jp/ drew their last match, it put /po/ in a tough spot for the final match of Group B against /a/. The pressure was on for the paper brigade, as the only way to advance for /po/ was to win. As the /a/ council were actually trying to win this game and salvage their reputations after being mathematically eliminated, their offense was producing some convincing attacks, and Cowboy Bebop would get one past the Cutting Mat for the first goal of the match. After halftime changes, Inferno Cop made the most of kekoff abuse and the game was set at 2-0. /po/ were in dire straits afterward, needing to prevent another goal from going past them to finish better than their 3 previous Babby cups. They ended up doing one better in dramatic fashion. Paper Plane made an amazing long pass into 1,000 Cranes, who lobbed the ball around the /a/ goalkeeper in 90+3'. Though /po/ were sent to another round of Babby competition, /po/ held onto a third place result in Group B and 19th overall, removing any need to qualify for the 2017 4chan Spring Babby Cup.
PAPER ALL THE WAY (to the Elites)
After viewing the action of the 2017 4chan Spring Babby Cup Qualifiers as its host, the group draw sent /po/ to Group A, with the most (or possibly the least) interesting teams to face off against. Group A reunited the paper brigade with /t/, their last match occuring in the 2016 4chan Autumn Babby Cup Qualifiers in which they both qualified. Their second opponent, /adv/, is a more familiar face, both teams winning a game against each other. Finally, a new opponent returns after a dismal showing in the 2017 4chan Winter Cup in the form of /p/.
With the very first match of the 2017 4chan Spring Babby Cup, /po/ would begin their year against a team that placed a curse on their "older brother" /pol/. Though the manager of /adv/ was not present, this match wasn't going to be an easy win for /po/, either. The match began, and just like that, Paper Plane immediately flew into Relationshit, and would recieve a yellow card in less than 30 seconds of game time. A strange blunder by Pepakura at the 24th minute caused the ball to be popped straight up. Suicide managed to head the ball towards Relationshit as it dropped, and /po/ would concede the first goal. Graphig would land a mid-range shot past the keeper before being subbed off at 77', tying the game. Paper Plane would cement the comeback with a flying shot late in the game, and it would end in a 2-1 victory, their first win in 2017.
/po/'s second match would be against their friend from the 2016 Autumn Qualifiers, /t/. These two teams shared much more in common than many would think of: Neither have been to an elite cup since the 2015 4chan Winter Cup, both have been stuck in disarray from being laughingstock teams in the babbies, both being run on autopilot for a time, and both failing to even qualify into the Babbies. It'd be a long time coming for either team to advance to the Round of 16 and an Elite Cup, and the winner of this match would do just that. /po/ set the offensive tempo early, and after two corner kicks and 11 minutes of game time, Paper Plane snuck a shot and let it bounce off the trollpost and into the net for a 1-0 lead. Several teanse moments of back-and-forth offense from both teams would happen after. /t/ would get several chances to score, but the /po/ defense, led by Cutting Mat, stopped them every chance they could get. At the 81st minute, Broken Printer stole the ball deep in /t/ territory and ran like hell to try and score. Sadly, the shot was blocked by Shemales, but Diagram Request was behind the play and sent a shot from deep in the penalty box to confirm /po/'s destiny, as they advanced to the Round of 16 on a 2-0 win.
/po/ were able to relax and mess around in their last match vs /p/. Though two goals would get past the Cutting Mat, /po/ would start to play seriously after that. No more goals would get by the PAYPUH defense and the game would stay at a 2-0 win for /p/. After watching /t/ claim the top of possibly the most lethargic group in 4chan Cup history, /po/ were instead drawn into the Round of 16 against counter-offensive titan /g/, who had topped their group despite some stiff competition. Paper Plane set the tempo early at the 8 minute mark with a breakaway goal after a contested header between X-Acto and /g/ defender Housefires landed at his wings, but it would be met with kekoff abuse from Install Gentoo, the game tied at 1-1 in just 10 minutes of game time. Broken Printer would have a chance at a goal from a well-timed pass from Stallman, but the shot was deflected away. It was picked up by the cranes, who lobbed it up to X-Acto. The trusty scalpel with the perfect cut took a stab, knocking the ball past Stallman and into the net to retake the lead on minute 33, and the half would conclude on a 2-1 lead for the papermen. At the beginning of the second half, the /g/ offense would make the most of kekoff abuse for the second time, and Thinkpad would score a goal past Pepakura to make the game 2-2. But the goals wouldn't stop there. In just 6 minutes after the second half began, /g/ would gain a second goal by Install Gentoo, pushing them ahead. Several chances were gained as the game went on, but Stallman would not yield a third goal and the game would end as a tough 3-2 loss. The /po/ team would end a successful Babby Cup with 9th place outright, tying their best Babby Cup position, as they look forward to Summer.
Summer 2017 - A Few Folds Short
The dawn of a new Elite Cup would usher in a more confident /po/ team, brought in from their Top 16 finish in the 2017 4chan Spring Babby Cup. Since their last outing in the Elites in Winter 2015, this Cup would be a deciding factor in whether /po/ could cut it at the Elite level. The group draw sent /po/ into Group D, against three opponents that would be a proper challenge to the papermen. First of which was, quite possibly, the second strongest team from the previous Babby Cup, /trv/, a team that's improved since the last time they lost to /po/. Their second opponent were the 2016 Autumn Babby champs, /jp/. A more recent match proved /po/ can stand on even ground with them, but /jp/ had since claimed a Top 8 finish in the face of more serious competition during the Winter Cup. The third and last opponent would be /vr/, a new opponent that had barely squeaked their way into this cup, and also, /po/'s first opponent in this Cup.
With high hopes for their Elite campaign to begin, not a single soul within the entire 4chan Cup, let alone the /po/ management and its players and dedicated fanbase, would expect the first goal of the match by /vr/'s Doomguy to be the new fastest goal in 4CC history, friendlies or otherwise. However, /po/ wouldn't let a 65 second goal concern them, and in minute 5 of the match, 1,000 Cranes, off the lob pass of Moneygami, swooped forward and scored back to even it up, 1-1. That tied score would prove to be short-lived, as Doomguy would come back in yet another example of severe kekoff abuse, ripping and tearing through the paper brigade once more, the game set at 2-1 in the 8th minute of play. After those 3 goals were scored, it was up to /po/ to fight back and slow the tempo down, as they're fully capable of doing. After some rough back-and forth, /vr/'s Bubsy would get another goal past Cutting Mat, and /po/ were put into dire straits, 3-1, and halftime would be called with that same score. In the second half, it would be up to /po/ to throw some newspapers through /vr/'s window like Paperboy used to do. Broken Printer would steal the ball away, and drice a long pass to the Cranes, who aired the ball up to Moneygami. The most expensive player in the /po/ roster lined the shot and drove it into the goal from the other end of the penalty box, and the game would get a little more interesting on a 3-2 score at the 56th minute of game time. Both teams issued their subs a little while later, however, the /po/ management went into a full overhaul of the team's formation, quite possibly the longest amount of time taken on a timeout. Whether it would work or not, a 6 man attack squad with 2 defenders would be a very risky move by the /po/ management during this game. However, that extended timeout proved very effective for /po/. In minute 87, 1,000 Cranes found a way and swooped in in dramatic fashion for /po/'s third and final goal of the game, and after a chance for /vr/ to get cheeky getting snuffed out by the /po/ defense, ending the game on a 3-3 draw. Truly a historic match in the annals of /po/'s history despite the draw.
Their next opponent, /trv/, momentarily on the top of the group despite not scoring a single goal, were prepared to play yet another defensive game vs /po/ and squeeze in just one goal to advance themselves to the Round of 16. /po/ on the other hand, wanted the win to move themselves up to the top next to /trv/. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of Moneygami, /trv/'s keeper was able to scoop up and stop every attempt. Conversely, Cutting Mat didn't even need to make an effort on the only shot /trv/ attempted, and the game ended on a nil-nil slurpfest. Getting two draws in two matches left /po/ in third place in the group, and it set up /po/ in a similar position to where they were last Autumn: Beat /jp/.
The stage was set for the deciding match of Group D. /vr/ had already claimed their spot in the Round of 16, and it would be up to /po/ to win and join them. This final opponent in the group stage, /jp/, fresh off of a victory over /vr/, held a one-point lead over /po/, forcing the papercrafters to either win and move on, or get sent back to the babbies. Near the beginning of the match, Thick Card Stock would redirect a pass from Paper Plane into the direction of 1,000 Cranes, who would then dive in and shoot the ball past /jp/'s keeper Slut Sanae for a quick 1-0 lead. Not long after, a series of quick, short passes led /jp/'s Autism to score for /jp/, 1-1. A through ball to /jp/'s sage led to an interesting clearance by a hard charging Pepakura, who cleared the ball, only for a laser beam shot by /jp/'s Flanfly to come flying back the other way towards the goal. Luckily, the shot went wide. A backpass to Valley Fold was mishandled, and Get Out of /jp/ made the most of the defense's mistake, running it all the way back and scoring past Pepakura to make the score at halftime 2-1. Another score wouldn't happen until subs were completed, but the /jp/ goals kept coming, first from Autism at 71', and then sage followed up with reverse kickoff abuse at 73'. /po/ were immediately forced into the corner, but a goal from Moneygami at the 78th minute proved to be just a consolation goal in the end, the game ending with a 4-2 loss for /po/. Though /po/ were unable to come up with a win in the Elite level, two points on two draws would be enough to make them 25th place in the cup, as the team looks to fold more origami cranes and paper aircraft in preparation for their upcoming 10th Babby Cup in Autumn.
Autumn 2017: Wastebin Bound
The 2017 4chan Autumn Babby Cup would be /po/'s tenth Babby Cup, more than any other team in the 4chan Cup, with exception to one /r9k/. Always the Babby Cup veterans, /po/'s resolve would be tested once more in Group C, where they were drawn in alongside a returning team /x/, the formerly culled team /c/, and a fallen and punished /gd/. After watching a draw from /gd/ and /c/, /po/ looked to gain the crucial win they needed to top the group on Day 1 vs the spooktacular /x/, a team that were celebrating Halloween this very weekend. The match would begin with solid defense from both teams up to the 30th minute. For the moment, /x/'s Goatman would try to break through the defense of /po/, but would be stolen away by Mountain Fold, leading off the charge that resulted in a lob pass from 1000 Cranes to Moneygami, showing to the 4chan Cup faithful in the 36th minute why money is the best form of paper. Before the half, however, Goatman and Chthulu would collaborate to spook /po/ out of their lead, the score 1-1 going into halftime. If would get scarier from there. /x/-tan would score a goal on 70', and then The Gray would make a frighteningly accurate shot off the corner post into the net, the score 3-1 at 88'. If /po/ were to comeback, they would need a miracle to do it. Although a goal from 1,000 Cranes at 90+5' would help the cause, it would only be a goal that made the goal differential better, and the match would end on a 2-3 loss for /po/.
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| A dramatization of /gd/ vs. /po/ |
After a disastrous turn of events that eliminated /po/ early, all /po/ could do was to salvage the remains of what they had left vs /c/. If /po/ did so much as to draw against /c/, they would at least play spoiler in a group that had plagued them with two hard losses. The formation for /po/'s defense was paper thin. With only two men back to defend with Cutting Mat, /po/ was intent on controlling the ball further up the pitch vs /c/. The pressure would take its toll on both teams, each one wanting the win. /c/ would have nearly every opportunity to score, but between Sticky When?, No Progress, Cutting Mat and even the revered trollpost KAPOWing shots away from the net, /c/ repeatedly could not make their attacks count. It was as if RNG itself was rigging this game to /po/'s favor. But finally, the sharpened scalpel X-Acto would cut through the cuteness of /c/'s defense and score, putting /c/ on the back foot. After halftime, a squandered opportunity for /c/ would turn out not to be, and Yui would head the ball in off a deflection by the Cutting Mat.
Little did anyone know however, that kekoff abuse from a corner kick would be the place where the stalwart hero, /po/'s affable striker Broken Printer would FINALLY get his first ever goal in an official 4chan Cup match at 53'. No one would see it coming, not even the /po/ management or the commentators, let alone those watching the match from their seats. More and more opportunities for both teams to score would fall apart, and the game would end in a 2-1 victory for /po/. From despair, a small beacon of hope would signal the end of 2017 for /po/, and the team looks to improve upon their 24th place finish with a very high chance of avoiding the qualifiers of the 2018 4chan Spring Babby Cup.