Congratulations /k/! | ||
Winners of the 2024 4chan Autumn Babby Cup |
/tg/ Club History
Club History
Founding
The first 4chan cup was a resounding success, garnering immense support from all corners of the imageboard. In the lead-up to the organization's second event, the 4chan Cup Committee decided to replace some of the smaller teams from uninterested boards. /tg/, eager to be a part of such an exciting spectacle, immediately began working on a bid as a potential expansion team. Spearheaded by the combined efforts of Alpha Complex and the Imperium of Man, the /tg/ bid would be accepted by the 4chan Cup Committee, with the board replacing /s/ (/s/ would later rejoin the 4CCC). /tg/ would be joined by /co/, /jp/, and /o/ in the Second Founding of 4CCC teams. The club was officially founded on December 31, 2011, chaired by Friend Computer of Alpha Complex.
/tg/'s initial roster creation was a long and exhaustive process, as the many minds of the board attempted to come to a consensus on the squad that would represent them. The process was not helped by the strict mods of /tg/, who would delete 4chan Cup threads on sight. Thankfully, the fa/tg/uys would not give up, and /tg/'s roster was completed in time for the 2012 4chan Winter Cup. Although it has undergone many changes since then, the first roster was the birth of many of the club's defining characteristics. The attacking duo of Creed and Doomrider, Tankred the dreadnought between the posts, the big black anchor Nigramarines, and many others all found their start here.
Winter 2012
/tg/ performed surprisingly well in the lead-up to the 2012 4chan Winter Cup. They defeated a number of powerhouse clubs in friendlies, including /sp/ and /a/. These friendlies also saw the birth of the club's first rivalry. /co/ and /tg/ would duel several times before the Winter Cup, culminating in a legendary match in the Winter Cup preliminaries that /co/ would win on penalties.
Just 6 days after the formation of the club, /tg/ was ready to compete in the 2012 4chan Winter Cup. The team was seeded #12 following the preliminaries, matched against /v/ in the first round. Thanks to a well-struck Creed penalty in extra time, /tg/ won 2-1 and were through into the second round. They would go no further in the winner's bracket, however, losing 4-2 to a dominant /k/ side (who would be the eventual champions) and falling into the loser's bracket. There they faced /jp/, with elimination on the line. /tg/ came through with a thoroughly-deserved 3-1 win, saving their cup hopes and sending founding brother /jp/ to a quick exit. Next, in the third round of the loser's bracket, they faced a surprising /b/ side that had defeated defending champions /a/ in the first round. Spurred on by an early own goal from My Body is Ready, /tg/ would trounce /b/ 3-0 and advance deeper into the tournament. In the fourth round of the loser's bracket they were matched against /ck/, one of the strongest teams of the era. An explosive first half led to a scoreless second and the game would go to penalties, where /ck/ took a 4-2 win. With that loss, /tg/ was eliminated from the Winter Cup. The club finished 5th, highest of the four Second Founding teams.
Spring/Summer 2012
The Winter Cup had sparked a new e-soccer passion for the denizens of /tg/. The club had a strong spring season following their first competition, cementing their 5th rank in the 4CCC Power Rankings and winning the unofficial Easter Cup. However, worries for the team's fate in the 2012 4chan Summer Cup began to arise. Many teams were beginning to sign managers, and yet with under 24 hours before the cup kickoff /tg/'s club still had key vacancies in its coaching staff. Finally, The DM !!4ejBZS7hAn9 signed on as assistant manager to Commissar John Fuklaw, and fa/tg/uys entered the Summer Cup with championship hopes. /tg/ was drawn into Group F, alongside /v/ and newcomers /3/ and /toy/. Initial impressions were worried: the /v/ club was no pushover, and both /3/ and /toy/ had excellent showings in the 2012 4chan Spring Babby Cup. Nonetheless, a berth into the knockout rounds was the bare minimum expectation.
/tg/ was matched against /v/ for the club's first group fixture. The dynamic duo of Creed and Doomrider were off, and the side's offense struggled. /v/ would pull ahead twice, but thanks to the efforts of Doomrider, /tg/ managed to equalize both times and eked out a 2-2 draw. /tg/'s next match was against /3/. Contributions from Creed, Doomrider, and Los Tiburon led /tg/ to an easy 3-0 win over the Babby finalists, and with /toy/ drawing against /v/, /tg/ were now tied for the group lead. The last day of group play featured two pivotal match-ups: /v/ vs /3/ and /tg/ vs /toy/. Both /tg/ and /toy/ had a tenuous grasp of a knockout round spot, but a win from /v/ would force the two to duel for the right to advance. However, /3/ shocked the 4chan footballing world with a victory over /v/, sending /tg/ and /toy/ through to the knockouts and /v/ crashing down to the Babbies. With nothing but pride and a potential first-round bye on the line, the /tg/-/toy/ game lost most of its meaning. No one told the players, however, and they staged one of the best games of the cup. /tg/ leapt to an early 2-0 lead, but they could not sustain it, as Madoka Titus capped the comeback with a last-minute goal. With that, the group stage was over, and /tg/ limped into the knockouts.
The knockout stage began with controversy. In what would later become known as the Great Bracket Scandal, Germanbro overruled the random PES brackets after complaints from a number of clubs, most notably /sp/ and /m/. /tg/, who were due to face /co/ in their first competitive match since the fabled Winter Cup preliminary final, were instead drawn against Founding brothers /jp/, who they had bested in the 2012 4chan Winter Cup. Get Out of /jp/ earned the first goal of the match, but Creed equalized before half, and his club followed up with a dominant second half. /tg/ walked from the pitch with a 3-1 win and a spot in the quarterfinals against powerhouse /m/. /tg/'s fortunes reversed as they got the ice-breaking goal against the /m/en, but fell behind 2-1 and failed to equalize in the final moments. As the three whistles blew, the club watched their foes celebrate and left the tournament dejectedly. Expectations were met but not surpassed, and the players vowed to step up their training. /m/ would go on to place 3rd after losing to surprise Cinderella /int/ in the semifinals. /tg/ would once again finish 5th in the post-tournament rankings.
Autumn 2012/Winter 2013
After losing in the quarterfinals of the 2012 4chan Summer Cup, fa/tg/uys were left to wonder what could have been. The club itself, however, was not idle, undergoing tumultuous changes as the staff attempted to hone the team's tactics for a better showing in the 2013 4chan Winter Cup. Most notable of changes were the release of Transparent Orange Chainsaw, who was quickly snapped up on a free transfer by /toy/.
/tg/ entered the friendly season ranked 7th, to play 3 games before they would sit back and watch the Babbies compete in the 2012 4chan Autumn Babby Cup. They started poorly, losing 2-0 to /x/ and 2-1 to /d/, but a 3-1 upset over Summer Cup champions /sp/ salvaged some of the club's confidence. After an autumn break away from the game, /tg/ faced off against /co/ in the first-ever FLGS Cup. They took the trophy decisively, winning all three games (though each was a nail biter). The event also marked the opening of the Alpha Complex, /tg/'s new football stadium. The club would carry its new-found momentum into its friendly versus /h/, taking it 3-2. They went into the 2013 4chan Winter Cup on a five-game winning streak, as the #6 team in the rankings.
/tg/ were drawn into Group A, to do battle with veteran clubs /jp/ and /co/, as well as the fresh-faced promoted /vp/. Playing in the lead-off cup game, /tg/ faced familiar foes /jp/, and after technical difficulties caused an early restart, the Winter Cup got underway. The start was a dream one for /tg/, as they dominated the /jp/edos en route to a 3-0 victory, only surrendering one shot. Creed netted a hat trick, and the group was now /tg/'s to lose. Their next quickly sent them crashing back to reality, however. Rivals /co/ were looking to take revenge for the FLGS Cup, and they thoroughly controlled /tg/ for the 90 minutes, eventually topping the fa/tg/uys 3-1. Now, going into the final matchday of the group stages, /tg/ were faced with what essentially was a must-win scenario. They were to face /vp/, who were struggling in the top flight, but history has shown them to be more than capable of trolling teams out of the knockouts. Fans went into the game with nerves abound, and left it shaking their heads as to why they were ever nervous. Despite an early tally from Miror B, /tg/ coasted to a comfortable 3-1 win. This gave them 6 points and first place in Group A.
The third and final weekend of the 2013 4chan Winter Cup dawned, and with the sunrise came /tg/ vs /pol/ in the first fixture of the round of 16. Both teams found their offense in poor form and the game was a cagey affair, only 8 shots found between the two teams. /pol/'s finishing proved better than the Boyz as the duo of Stormfront and Doompaul both tallied, lifting the /pol/acks to a 2-0 win. /pol/ would eventually finish 3rd, losing to eventual champions /sp/in the semifinals before beating /cm/ in the third place match. It was the third cup in a row where /tg/ would be eliminated by the third place team, though it came earlier in the competition than in the previous two. Once again, the /tg/ Football Club dejectedly left the tournament before its finale. They solidified their Elite status but team members and fans alike felt they should have done better. The final tournament rankings would place them at #13, the lowest finish in club history.
Spring/Summer 2013
Doubts began to rise inside and outside the club. A pattern was beginning to form, of success mid-season only to suffer through defeat in the early knockout rounds. /tg/ had won every game they were supposed to, but stumbled when faced with a tough opponent. This would have to change if the club would ever realize its ultimate goal of a cup win.
/tg/ tweaked its roster after the 2013 Winter Cup, dropping longtime stalwart Do You Catan?, among others. Their Spring season was a tame one, seeing the club top /d/ 1-0 and draw /ic/ 1-1. Once again they watched the Babbies from the background, and at the culmination of the season focused their efforts on building momentum for their run at the 2013 Summer Cup. The club was placed in their third invitational, the Tottoric Up, and lived up to their reputation as invitational intimidators. They stormed past /d/, /c/, and /u/ en route to first place and the prize of some cosmetic surgery vouchers. /tg/ brought their newfound energy into their first Summer friendly, routing /tv/ 5-2. It would all come to a crashing halt the next weekend as the club fell 0-3 to /v/, their largest defeat in 4CC play. That dropped them to #18 on the rankings board, the club's lowest rank to date.
/tg/ went into the Summer Cup hopeful to improve their dismal rank and break back into the highest echelons of 4chan e-soccer, but right from the start it was obvious it would be their most difficult Cup yet. Squeezed into Pot 3, /tg/ was drawn into the highly competitive Group D alongside fellow Elite teams /int/ and /fit/ and recent upstarts /u/ – a group that was guaranteed to see at least one Elite team fall to Babby status. The first match against /int/ ended in a 2-2 draw after /tg/'s WAAAAAAGH! broke the fabric of reality and the match had to be restarted. Though they didn't score a win, the fa/tg/uys were still happy with a respectable performance against the second-highest ranked team at the time, not to mention a very entertaining match. But when the /u/ match also ended in a draw, the Boyz in Blue were left in a desperate position if they wished to advance, especially as /int/ and /u/'s other games were both blow-outs of /fit/. The suspicious number of draws and one-sided games throughout the group stage led to a thorough investigation by the 4CCC culminating in a major change to how matches would be run for the rest of the tournament and putting /tg/ on very uncertain ground for their final game against (up to now) group punching-bag /fit/. Ultimately, Doomrider and Muscle Wizard playing off their game, a /fit/ manager fighting to regain some bit of dignity for his team, and some good-old-fashioned bad luck all conspired to deny /tg/ the victory they so desperately needed and saw them out in the group stage. Despite high hopes for the tournament, /tg/ finished last in their group, 25th overall, and moved down to 28th place in the rankings (compared to 7th the same time last year). Worst of all /tg/ lost Elite status, although they found some solace in the fact that five other Elite teams also fell to the Babbies. Blame for the team's failure was quickly assigned to a combination of going up against the the third tallest team in a cup marred by accusations of height abuse, matches being more rigged than usual, and possible collusion between Muscle Wizard and /fit/ in the final match (though investigation by the Inquisition led to a rare acquittal on all charges of heresy). With the team in the worst position it has ever been and facing a Babby Cup for the first time, even /tg/'s normally indefatigable supporters looked to the future with a grim uncertainty as autumn loomed close on the horizon.
Autumn 2013
The start to the autumn season saw things grow even more dire for /tg/ as the team lost both of their friendlies against /toy/ and /m/. Awful performance by players, non-existent management, and (most shocking for /tg/) incredibly boring gameplay put the team on poor footing as the draw for the Babby Cup approached. The team roster saw the retirement of veteran Half-Orc adventurer Kromgol, as well as the forceful retirement of /d/ cross-boarder Whizzard and demotion of Muscle Wizard following their performance in the final match of the Summer cup. Their replacements were a mysterious and very dangerous random encounter called a "gazebo" or something, and artistic protégé Thin Your Paints.
The cup draw saw /tg/ placed alongside /sci/, /cm/, and newly formed /vr/ in what was again considered the most difficult group in the tournament. An early hard-fought draw against /vr/ brought back painful memories of last summer's disastrous group stage, but the team responded beautifully with an emphatic 4-1 victory over /sci/. /tg/ had broken their longest ever winless streak and looked a sure bet to advance.
But then it happened.
This writer tried to provide a description of the events that took place on November 24, 2013, but failed his SAN check. As such, it will only be referred to as the Match That May Not Be Named. A shellshocked /tg/ club was left in the Babbies, and for the first time since foundation they would watch an Elite Cup from the stands.
Winter/Spring 2014
The club played two games during the following season, including a 5-2 revenge against /cm/. They spent the rest of the cold months at home, watching discontentedly as their former peers competed in the 2014 4chan Winter Cup.
The players came back for the Spring season determined to climb back into the Elite Cup. Their attention was fixed on the 2014 4chan Spring Babby Cup, the 4CC's first-ever 40-team tournament. /tg/ were drawn into a 5-team group, alongside /ck/, /int/, /fit/ and /d/. A 2-1 victory over the /int/olerants got the club off on the right foot. Their next game, against early promotion favourites /ck/ went less smoothly. Although sending a number of shots on goal, /tg/ could not keep up with the Cooks' clinical finishing and lost 2-1. Two days later, they drew 1-1 with /fit/ in a scrappy affair. With one game left to play, /tg/ were fighting for their lives in the middle of the group. It was very unlikely that they could secure a promotion spot on their own, and would need favourable results from the last games in the group. Fa/tg/uys around the world were looking at a second straight cup failure coming closer and closer to reality. The pivotal match-day opened with /int/ managing to hold favourites /fit/ to a 0-0 draw, which paved the way for /tg/ to launch their deep strike. The club's offense was unleashed, led by a double brace from captain Creed, and /tg/ thrashed /d/ 6-2. The mammoth scoreline tied the club's largest-ever win and clinched second place in the group. Against the odds, /tg/ had blasted their way into the knockouts and the Summer Cup. The Spring Babbies did not end there, however, and both players and supporters were salivating at the chance to win the club's first official silverware. They were drawn against /gd/ in the Round of 16, and squeaked out of the tie, winning on penalties after giving up a 2-0 lead. /tg/'s next opponent was /u/, whom they dispatched 1-0 in a cagey, defensive affair. This earned /tg/ a spot in the semifinals, the club's first appearance in the final four of a 4CC tournament. They drew /fa/, and despite an early Doomrider goal they would fall 2-1. The glum squad picked themselves back up for the third place match against /diy/. This time, the script played out a little different. After giving up two goals, the Boyz came roaring back, scoring twice in the last ten minutes. Unable to solve the /diy/ keeper in extra time, the match then proceeded to penalties, where Nigramarines missed the final kick and /tg/ were left with fourth place. /diy/ took third, and /fa/ would lose to /pol/ in the finals. A bittersweet ending, but /tg/ had achieved their goal and qualified for the Summer Cup, not to mention a promising knockout run. The club was revitalized, and ready to take another shot at glory, in Summer 2014.
Summer 2014
/tg/, in their first Elite Cup since Summer 2013, were ready to get back to glory. Their only friendly of the season was against the struggling /adv/, a 3-1 win thanks to an early Doomrider goal and Jace managing a brace. However, things were different in the actual cup. Drawn in Group H of the 2014 4chan Summer Cup with /toy/, /gif/, and /po/, the group seemed easy for /tg/. However, they lost their first two matches, 2-1 to rival /toy/ and 2-0 to /po/, making them the second team relegated to the 2014 4chan Autumn Babby Cup. However, /tg/ managed a concession win over /gif/ despite absent management, saving some pride for the team and placing them at their highest ranking (#19) since their days as an Elite.
Autumn 2014
In this season's cup, /tg/ were drawn into Group A, which later became known as the most semen slurping groups in cup history. Fans were initially excited with teams like /pol/, /jp/, /tg/, /vr/, and newcomers /biz/, but most would be bored to tears through the first 7 matches of the group, which only had 2 (two) goals. Fortunately for /tg/, both of those goals were theirs. Doomrider was not in any mood for semen slurping and until /jp/ vs /vr/, he was the only player to score goals in this group. On the last fixture of this group, /jp/ was hoping for /tg/ to win against /vr/ in order to help them qualify for the 2015 Winter Cup, and they were not disappointed: /tg/ won 4-0 against a crumbling /vr/ team.
Just like that, /tg/ was once again back in a major 4chan Cup. Sadly, /tg/'s run in this Autumn Babby Cup was cut short by /mlp/ in the round of 16. The 2-2 draw after 120+ minutes (and >Boris forgetting to turn on extra time) forced both teams to go through penalty kicks where /mlp/ won 5-4.
Winter 2015 - AKUR AKIR AKAM
Having advanced to Winter 2015, /tg/ was placed into Group F alongside /asp/, /n/, and /an/. After an early 1-1 draw with /asp/, /tg/ went on to defeat /n/ 2-1 and /an/ 2-0 through the efforts of Doomrider and Creed respectively. While /asp/ beat them out in goal differential, they still secured their advancement to the Round of 16; this was the first time that /tg/ had reached the knockouts in an Elite cup. In the other groups, /tg/'s longtime friend /m/ was relegated by an /mlp/-[s4s] draw on the last day of Group G, with /tg/ promising to avenge them in the knockouts.
The draw of the Round of 16 placed /tg/ in the last slot, facing off against /e/. After one of the the longest bouts of semen-slurping in cup history, in part due to the excellent performance of /tg/ keeper Emprah, the game finally ended 1-0 in /tg/'s favour after a single 105' goal from Jace. The defeat of /sci/ by [s4s] left /tg/ to face the [s4s]quatches in the quarterfinals.
Hellbent on avenging /m/, the /tg/ team took the field with the second red Emprah of the knockouts, a solid-condition midfield, and orange Doomrider and Jace. While the /e/ game kept /tg/ fans nervous with the number of near-goals, the [s4s] game kept them on the edge of their seats for the entire first half: by the 20 minute mark, /tg/ had scored twice and [s4s] had scored once. One more goal would be added on either side by the end of the first half, bringing the score to 3-2. The second half saw no added goals from either side, and /tg/ defied expectations, defeating the favourite to win the cup, avenging /m/, and moving on to the semifinals.
After two close games against /e/ and [s4s], /tg/ were clearly in high spirits for the match against /lit/, scoring two goals before the ten minute mark. Another goal at 59 brought the game to 3-0. Not even a 78' goal from /lit/ mainstay Lolita Wanted It could bring back /lit/'s momentum; a scant two minutes later, /tg/ striker Doomrider restored /tg/'s lead and ended the game 4-1. In their first Elite knockout appearance, /tg/ had advanced to the final stage: the final match of the 4chan Winter Cup, against mainstay /h/.
After the white-knuckle [s4s] game and /lit/ blowout, the first half of the game was exactly what we'd expect from PES in a 4chan cup final: 0-goal semen slurping. While /h/ had 66% possession in the first half, /tg/'s defense held on strong, with /h/ only getting one off-target shot. /tg/'s offense didn't do much better, with two shots (one on-target), and the game remained 0-0 at halftime. /tg/ possession didn't improve much in the second half, but at 46 minutes a bicycle kick from Doomrider scored /tg/ a vital goal, putting them in the lead. While /h/ had several more chances to tie the game, /tg/ proved again that THE EMPEROR PROTECTS, with their keeper getting 4 saves and snatching the ball from the ground several more times. With the /h/ offense shut down by /tg/'s defense, especially newcomer Swedish Musketeer, it was a matter of time before the game ended and tankards were raised in basements everywhere, with the Emperor's Finest securing the victory and the Elite Cup title.
With their victory in Winter 2015, /tg/ became the first team to, in the course of a single cup, bring home an Elite title, The Golden Boot, The Golden Glove, and Top Assister. Sure, the Golden Glove was shared with /u/, and the Top Assister was split between two /tg/ players, two [s4s] players, and one /mlp/ player, but it still counts. They also secured Theb Elt in their victory over /h/, and broke the record against the 4CCC's rigmasters, being defeated 3-0.
Summer 2015
After /tg/'s unexpected win in the 2015 Winter Cup, the board entered the Summer Cup with high expectations and a greatly expanded fanbase. As previous cup winners and hosts of the new tournament, /tg/ kicked off the tournament against /co/, comfortably beating their opponents 4-2, thanks to Doomrider and Creed. In the next match they played /wg/, who had previously lost to /vr/. In this match, that proves somewhat more of a challenge, /tg/ secure their survival in the group stage by beating /wg/ 2-1. The last match of the group stage would be against /vr/ the group leader and top scoring team in the group. In a quite boring match, where /vr/ took the lead after a mere 22 minutes, this status quo was long maintained and the match concluded in a 1-0 loss for /tg/, losing Theb Elt to /vr/ after three matches.
However, this did not mean it was the end of the tournament for the Boyz in Blue. Playing against /g/, the winner of Group G, /tg/ sadly could not continue their succesful tournament streak. After an exciting start of the match, with two goals scored in under 10 minutes, /tg/ lost their grip of the match, going into half time behind 2-1. The tactical changes made during this pause could not turn the tide, and when in the 56th minute /g/ scored yet another goal, the match was decided, with /tg/ losing 3-1 and being knocked out of the Summer Cup. This disappointing result only one Cup after winning the Winter Cup did nothing good for the team, except securing a spot in the 2016 Winter Cup, where /tg/ will once again try to take home the Cup and add the second star to their logo.
Winter 2016
Now that /tg/ had lost its Cup magic with their anticlimactic run in Summer, the Boyz in Blue would try to regain their icy grip on the Winter Cup title they won in 2015. The odds looked good, as being placed in a group with /u/, /pol/ and /sp/ meant /tg/ were by far the highest ranked team in the group, even though /u/ performed better at the 2015 Summer Cup. It thus seemed that /u/ and /tg/ would have to battle for first place, with /pol/ as a dangerous outsider able to pick up second place.
On the first day of the tournament /u/ unsurprisingly beat /pol/ 3-1. /tg/ would face /sp/ in an important battle to not lose points early on in the stage. After an exciting first half that went back and forth the score was 1-1 at halftime. /tg/ came out of the dressing rooms a bit slow, and with only 20 minutes to go in the match were behind 1-2, but after an amazing comeback in the last 5 minutes of the match /tg/ took the three points, beating /sp/ 3-2. Two days later /tg/ would face /u/, in what seemed to be the match that would decide who got first place in the group. /tg/ fought a valient battle, equalizing the score after being behind 1-0 for half an hour, but it was not enough. In the last 15 minutes of the match /u/ pressed on and passed the /tg/ defense, eventually beating /tg/ 3-1. Meanwhile, /pol/ beat /sp/ 5-1 after an amazing performance from Donald Trump.
Because of the great result /pol/ had in the second match, their goal difference was much better than /tg/'s. This meant that in the deciding match between /pol/ and /tg/, the Boyz in Blue had to win to move on the the knock-out stage. The match started off well, after an early goal by Doomrider. The defense stood their ground for a long time, but the pressure that /pol/ put on them eventually became too much, and Donald Trump scored the equalizer in the 70th minute. No goals were scored after this event, and the match concluded in a 1-1 tie. This meant that /pol/ would advance to the next stage on basis of goal difference, while /tg/ were relegated to the 2016 4chan Spring Babby Cup.
Spring 2016
Due to /tg/'s disappointing results in the winter of 2016, the Boyz would have to compete in a Babby Cup for the first time since late 2014. Placed in group G of the 2016 4chan Spring Babby Cup alongside /g/, /sci/ and /biz/, /tg/ had a tough group to try and fight itself back to the real cups where they belong. With /g/ as their main contender for the top spot in the group, having been the finalists on the 2015 4chan Summer Cup, and the two other teams as outsiders, /tg/ kicked off the competition by playing their first match against /sci/, a team that had performed decently in the last Babby cup. Due to a goal by Doomrider /tg/ took the lead, but they lost it again after a mere two minutes as /sci/ scored the equalizer. /tg/ had not given up however, and scored the 2-1 in stoppage time of the first half. Sadly the team could not hold their lead as /sci/ once again got to equal heights as our boyz, deciding the match in a 2-2 draw.
Next up was the big rival of the group, /g/, who had suprisingly tied against /biz/. Due to an early goal, /tg/ once more took the lead. As was becoming tradition however, they conceded a goal 30 minutes further into the match, going into half time with a 1-1 score. As /g/ scored another goal ealy in the second half, /tg/ now would have to come back themselves, but sadly they didn't manage to defeat /g/'s defense, and lost 2-1. Because of the other results in the group stage, /tg/'s last match, that against /biz/, would decide which of these two teams ws going to advance to the next round of the tournament and to the next big cup.
Right at the start of the match, /biz/ displayed an excellent piece of >kickoff abuse, with Martin Shkreli scoring a goal in the second minute of the match. This time /tg/ could bring it back to a tied score quite easily though, with star player Doomrider scoring a goal for the Boyz in Blue in the 15th minute. Both strikers would score once more in the next 50 minutes of the match, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. In the last 10 minutes of the match /tg/ finally took the lead over the Businessmen, but the new curse placed upon the team this tournament struck again with /biz/ scoring the equalizer in the very last minute of the match. This 3-3 draw meant that /biz/ would advance to the next round of the tournament, while /tg/ would be stuck in the Babbies for yet another period, getting their second chance at promotion in the 2016 4chan Autumn Babby Cup.
Summer/Autumn 2016
After the horrible showing in Spring 2016 and with /tg/ falling to a new low of 40th in the cup rankings, any memories of /tg/'s cup winning form seemed long lost. Hope for the fa/tg/uys returned when the 2016 4chan Autumn Babby Cup group draw was done; /tg/ were placed in a group with /sp/, /biz/, and /vg/. Due to /biz/' uneventful relegation and /vg/'s period of struggle, /tg/ were easy favorites for advancement. Nobody could foresee what was about to come.
The first match for the Boyz in Blue was neighbors /sp/, whom /tg/ had beaten in their earlier meeting in Winter 2016. However, /sp/ were determined to get the win this time, and an amazing goal by their new center midfielder at the 32nd gave them the first goal. /tg/ had good chances, but could not do anything with them, and took a 1-0 loss. Soon after came /vg/, who had beaten /tg/ 1-0 long ago in their second match ever. Four years later, they were thought to be the worst team in the group and an easy win for /tg/ despite their surprise 3-1 victory over /biz/. Even more surprisingly, the Generals not only continued their good form, they went off. The infamous Git Gud scored two on /tg/ to take a 2-0 lead after the half. In the second half, every single /vg/ medal scored in rapid succession to make it 6-0 before the 80th minute. All the Boyz could get was a late goal from Doomrider, but it was almost no consolation and /tg/ still found themselves eliminated with a 6-1 loss. The final match was against /biz/, whom the fa/tg/uys had drawn just the previous cup. Both teams needed a win to avoid the fetus, with /tg/ having the advantage on a draw. In a similar way to the /sp/ match, however, /tg/'s opponent scored early (20th minute goal from /biz/' new gold Ethercuck) and /tg/ themselves couldn't answer as /biz/ took a 1-0 win.
Doomrider's consolation ended up being the only goal /tg/ would score this cup. The only thing preventing the Boyz in Blue from taking the infamous honor of Wooden Spoon was /i/ getting mauled by /ck/ in similar circumstances to /tg/'s final match, but even /i/ at least scored more than one goal. While /m/ and /toy/ played in the knockouts of the 2017 4chan Winter Cup, /tg/ and their FLGS brothers /co/ will be in the 2017 4chan Spring Babby Cup Qualifiers, hoping that it will be the launching pad to new glory.
Winter/Spring 2017
As /tg/ had managed to end last in their group in the previous babby cup, they would now, instead of playing in the elite cup where they belong, have to perform in the 2017 4chan Spring Babby Cup Qualifiers to even qualify for a place in the next babby cup. Placed in a group with the still new team of /his/, the traditionally weak /lgbt/ and /wsg/ who had recently fallen from grace in much the same fashion as the Boyz in Blue, it should be relatively easy for /tg/ to avoid that last place and qualify for the next babby cup. Kicking off the group against /wsg/, /tg/ took the lead but lost it later in the match, starting off with a less-than-solid 1-1 draw. In their next match playing an assorted mix of trannies, gays and other degenerates put together in /lgbt/ it proved to be another almost worthless struggle, ending in the same 1-1 draw after coming back from a disadvantage in the second half. In the last match, things seemed to be going better for /tg/, scoring early in the match and keeping the lead for more than an hour, but sadly it was not to be as no other than famous record holder >HRE scored the equalizer for /his/ right before the final whistle, resulting in yet another 1-1 draw. As /wsg/ didn't manage to perform a miracle, however, /tg/ would still be promoted to the babby cup with their third place in the group.
Now facing their next challenge in the 2017 4chan Spring Babby Cup, /tg/ would be looking to once again promote to the elite podium where they had previously been so successful. Placed in a group with /f/, /biz/ and /b/, all fairly mediocre teams who the Boyz still managed to be behind in the rankings, the group stage should not prove too hard for /tg/. Playing their first match against /f/, however, /tg/ seemed out of shape and what looked to end in a semen slurping 0-0 became even worse when /f/ scored in stoppage time deciding the match with a 1-0 scoreline. In similar fashion the next match turned out more positively, as /tg/ scored the only goal of the match against /biz/ mere minutes before the end of the match. In the final, all-deciding match of the group against /b/, /tg/ finally showed up after conceding an early goal taking back the lead late in the first half and expanding on it in the second, scoring twice more ending the match with a respectable 4-1 result and finishing atop their group based on goal difference, thus securing the promotion to the 2017 4chan Summer Cup.
Meeting /his/, their old foe from the previous fetus cup, in the round of 16 the match seemed to become another semen slurper, were it not for late goals by former goalkeeper Emprah and new addition to the team Nicol Bolas, securing a place in the round of 8. Playing against /wg/ in the quarter finals, a former cup winner just like /tg/, the Boyz started the match out very well with an early goal. However, the match proved around 80 minutes too long for /tg/ as /wg/ scored twice in the first half, with nothing else happening for the entire duration of the match, /tg/ thus losing 1-2 to /wg/. Although the Boyz didn't manage to win the cup they will finally take a spot in the elite cup again, so the tournament can be said to have been successful for /tg/.
Summer 2017
Due to /tg/'s decent run at the previous tournament the team would finally be playing in an elite cup again, making their appearance in the 2017 4chan Summer Cup after not having played on the highest level for almost eighteen months. Drawn into a group alongside the strong /vp/ and /m/, and the much weaker /sci/, the Boyz in Blue would have to crack a hard nut to get a spot in the knockout phase, and the corresponding direct qualification for the next elite cup. /tg/'s first match of the tournament was against /vp/, who had won the bronze medal in the winter of 2017. In an exciting and mostly even match, /tg/ somewhat surprisingly managed to come out on top due to a goal from Doomrider right at the cusp of halftime, deciding the match as a 0-1 victory for /tg/. Next up were the /sci/entists, who had been promoted into the elites only due to The Cull. In a match that should have secured their spot in the round of 16, /tg/ failed to deliver and conceded three goals in the first half of the match, and although the defense held strong in the second half and Emprah saved /tg/'s honour by scoring a single goal the match ended with a hopeless 1-3 scoreline.
In the last match of the group phase, /tg/ would take the field against their FLGS brothers of /m/, with both teams still having a chance at a first or second place in the group. In an exciting match that could have gone both ways, /m/ opened the score but was quickly answered by Urist, who made sure /tg/ wouldn't be behind during half time as no other goals were scored during the half. Sadly, the Boyz couldn't hang on to this result, which would have been enough to go through to the next stage as they conceded another goal in the middle of the second half. The team was unable to answer this /m/ goal and lost 2-1 in an honourable battle. After this disappointing result /tg/ were once again relegated to the babby cup, where they have to fight for promotion once again.
Autumn 2017
After their poor showing and subsequent demotion, /tg/ entered the 2017 4chan Autumn Babby Cup suitably chastened and hungry for a return to the Elite Cup. A difficult proposition, in a group with /biz/, /mu/ and always-heretical /mlp/, but the path to promotion was clear. The tournament started well, with Doomrider claiming a 1-0 victory over /biz/ in the first match of the group in an otherwise quiet game. Next followed a tense back-and-forth match against /mu/, which seemed set to finish on a draw until the Daemon Prince of Slaanesh came to /tg/'s rescue once again in the dying moments of the match, securing a 2-1 win as the clock struck 90:00, making /tg/ the first team to secure its spot in the knockouts and their return to the prestige of the Elite Cup. One group stage match still remained, however, and it would be one to remember. After a dire early game left /tg/ at a two goal deficit at 64 minutes and the /mlp/ looking dominant, the Boyz in Blue decided that the only way to salvage the match would be to show the jeering spectators how a propa orky team played. Throwing aside their shootas and bringing their biggest choppas to bear on /mlp/, /tg/ sent seven boyz forward and attempted to close in for the kill in an all-or-nothing attack. Conceding a third goal was just a momentary setback as the unprecedented assault quickly brought the game to a level state. For a moment, it seemed that the impossible had occurred - that the tactic had actually succeeded - before /mlp/ stole the game with one of >rape's signature 90+ goals. Even that 3-4 loss was not enough to dampen /tg/'s spirits - the team was through.
The knockouts arrived and with them another nailbiter of a game, as /tg/ faced off against /pol/ in the Round of 16, trailing from the start after an early goal from Hitler, but equalising in time to force extra time, where the level game of 1-1 became a level game of 2-2 and took the match to penalties, where by a combination of luck, skill and the curse of /new/remberg Field, /pol/ was eliminated from the tournament. The streak of fortune was not to last, as /tg/ played fellow FLGS team /co/ in the quarter-finals, never managing to recover from an early two goal deficit and finally leaving the tournament on a 2-1 defeat, having taken the first steps on the long journey of a return to grace.
Winter 2018
The 2018 4chan Winter Cup arrived, /tg/'s first Winter Cup in two years and the second since its historic victory in the 2015 4chan Winter Cup. Following the respectable performance that brought it back to the Elite Cup in the first place, /tg/ was placed in a group with /k/, another fallen star starting to regain a little lustre after a far longer time spent in the doldrums of ignominy, the respectable /tv/ and extraordinarily violent /wg/. Opening the group in a match against /tv/, /tg/ surged forward to a two goal lead in the first half, but lost the momentum and allowed Real Human Being to level the game, with it finally concluding a 2-2 draw. Next, /tg/ played /k/ - down 2-0 at half time, a quick pair of goals levelled the game at 85 minutes, before /k/ unleashed a fatal burst, precise and accurate, to bring the score to a decisive 2-4 loss in the dying moments of the game. At risk of demotion once again, /tg/ had to give its final group stage game everything it had, finishing with a decisive 3-1 victory over /wg/, with the latter team earning three yellow cards in the process.
The Round of 16 began with some deja vu, a rematch of their game from the 2017 4chan Autumn Babby Cup: /tg/ once again faced /pol/ in /new/remberg Field, unsure if the narrow victory of their last showdown had been mere chance or could be replicated. Chance or skill, /tg/ took control of the rematch, not allowing the match to go to extra time as it had before through a pair of first-half goals and a conclusive third from Thin Your Paints at 90+1 minutes to eliminate /pol/ once again. Unfortunately, the quarter-finals too turned out to be something of a repeat of Autumn, as /tg/ played a tense game against /n/ but was ultimately defeated 0-1, ultimately placing sixth in the tournament and guaranteeing a spot in Summer.
Summer 2018
Entering the 2018 4chan Summer Cup a returning Elite rather than a hopeful fresh from the Babby Cup for the first time in a long while, /tg/ had much to prove, placed in a group with fellow veterans of the league - /fa/ from the Original 16 and /an/ from the Founding Babbies - and newcomers /bant/, born earlier in the year and playing its first Elite Cup. Once again playing the first match of its group, /tg/ battled /fa/ to a tense 1-1 draw, leaving the rest of its group stage looking less pleasant than it could be. The tension only intensified during the game with /an/, as miniatures and animals took a level 1-1 game at the half and started scoring like their lives and possibly even careers depended on it after the 80th minute, with a total of four goals bringing the game to a final result of 3-3 at the close of play. Things looked dire leading up to the final match, as /bant/ proceeded to score comfortable victories in each of its games, until eventually the time arrived for their confrontation. Truly, the Emperor Himself smiled upon /tg/ that day. /bant/, flush with success, decided to meddle with the occult. Meeting /tg/ on /new/remberg Field, now abandoned by /pol/, /bant/ seemed poised to break the curse, but the forces beyond man's ken are fickle and don't take well to banter, as /tg/ played an unstoppable game, claiming a 4-0 lead at the half that only expanded to an eventual 6-1 victory over /bant/, firmly cementing the curse's place in history. A spectator chronicled the events more succinctly than most could hope to do:
Fresh off the new largest win in the team's history, the Boyz in Blue headed into the Round of 16. There, /d/-lite played a game against /d/, where the /tg/ offence pushed forward, with a little help from Gork in a trukk, as the rambunctious ork deity sat out the game with cunning brutality, eventually claiming a 2-0 victory and a spot in the quarter-finals. There, /tg/ played /sci/, a rematch of the game that was said to have demoted them in the 2017 4chan Summer Cup and a balanced game by all accounts: the teams' history together amounted to one win, one draw and one loss each. Ultimately, /tg/ emerged triumphant in a narrow 2-1 win, advancing to the semi-finals. It was there that /tg/ turned out to be England and not Croatia, as a level 1-1 game was decided in the 82nd minute on a free kick from TSUUUUUUUUUUUUU after the Muscle Wizard was unable to stop himself from casting fist too near to the net. The despondence from this result was carried through into the third place match, where /int/ answered a valiant pair of goals from Doomrider in kind with both Spurdo and Putin, granting /int/ the coveted Third Place Trophy as /tg/ settled into fourth place. Nonetheless, not all was lost: in some outstanding individual performances, Doomrider claimed the Golden Ball and tied for the most goals scored the Golden Boot, while Tankred stoically endured the Golden Glove award ceremony.
Winter 2019
The start of the 2019 4chan Winter Cup was a shaky affair for the now-standing Elite form of /tg/. Drawn into a group comprised of close friends in the form of /m/, hated foes in the form of /pol/, and the surprisingly strong returning /3/, /tg/ would have to play hard if they wanted to climb out of the group stages and into the knockouts, especially with their less than stellar track record with PES16, a fatal flaw of the Boyz usually impeccable defense.
Each match was an absolute nail biter, dancing across a knifes edge and cursed by three repeated 18 rolls by the management team, but the Boyz in Blue would not go down without a fight, and a fight they had. /pol/ roared into the first match /tg/ would face in brutal fashion, trading goals and the lead before /pol/ sank a cruel 90+10 goal, the latest goal ever scored by a team, cries of RIGGED and FOUL being heard across the Magical Realm. Thus emboldened, an extra shipment of Cocaine was delivered to the Magical Realm when /m/'s Colony came to engage in mech to mech combat, leading to spectacular goals from Doomrider, Orkish Laser Technology, Thin Your Paints, and even Old Man Henderson when /m/ foolishly taunted /tg/ with Protoman's Whistle.
But alas, a full 3 point group going into Grip Weekend, against /3/? With several more /3/-based curses stacked atop of that? No, this narrative was not on /tg/'s side, and the Boyz in Blue were krumped out by the soon-to-be Finalist and 2nd place takers of the Winter Cup. Together with /m/, /tg/ is returning to the 2019 4chan Spring Babby Cup, pride wounded and hungry for a return to form and a new chance to punch their ticket to Summer.
Spring 2019
The Boyz in Blue held a tenacious and tumultuous campaign in the 2019 4chan Spring Babby Cup, the babbies being their worst performance after the drag out, knockdown struggle that brought them there. Drawn into Group B with longtime friends /vr/, a re-surging /y/, and the ever roulette table of /c/, they had their work cut out for them and strode forwards to try to reclaim their place in the Elites. This was not to be, as the warp had thrown chaos upon the team and stole away aesthetics and the time needed to properly assess tactics to try to fight off these new foes.
A painfully slow match with /c/ started off the games, leading to a painful 80' goal from /c/ deciding to Do it for Her, which only showed just how poorly the tides had turned as /tg/ marched into their second match with /vr/ to suffer a 1-1 draw.
It all came down to /y/. /tg/ needed to win by 2 to advance past the /y/aoi menace, but a last minute choke from the Prince of Cocaine would deny /tg/ a slot in the knockout rounds on the pain of -winning- against the team that would supplant them, the Warp overtaking their return to Summer and sending /tg/ off course to the Autumn Babbies with barely enough to prevent them from having to re-qualify. /tg/ forges onward to the 2019 4chan Autumn Babby Cup, purging the Warp from their systems after a break through Summer to reclaim their spot. But only time will tell as the narrative presses ahead...
Autumn 2019
The Boyz in Blue charged into Autumn with rage in their hearts and a subtle push from Khorn as they escaped the Cicatrix Maledictum and finally returned to the pitch with fixed aesthetics and all of their thoughts turned towards one goal- Returning to Winter, and satisfying the Book of Grudges.
Group E was a warzone of past friends and foes alike. /vp/, /d/, and the /y/aoi menace, as the Narrative placed them down for the perfect tale of revenge for /tg/ as they could do what had been done unto them.
/tg/ opened up early, scoring the first goal of their group as Doomrider was taking great, heaping breaths of his smuggled warp dust from the Great Rift and got an early strike on /vp/, only for the WAAAAAAAAGH to be staggered and slowed by a FUGGED up dragon. A last ditch effort from /tg/'s grand Captain, Thin Your Paints, prevented a 3-1 loss at 90+0, and /tg/ were forced to wait till the next week to take on a much beloved and friendly board of the Boyz in Blue, the sister board of /d/, fellow residents of the Magical Realm.
/d/ would prove to be a fair challenge to the Boyz in Blue as they struck first, but a quick rally from Thin Your Paints turned the Momentum in /tg/'s favor as a second goal from the Captain and the Son of Slannesh kickstarting our hearts with a third would prove enough to topple /d/'s will to continue against the Narrative.
Winter was in reach, but the final test still stood in front of /tg/- the /y/aoi menace had returned, and the sting of that bitter 'loss' six months ago still burned in the minds of each and every fan and all of the team as WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH stormed the pitch. A tense first half was all the sexual tension (and time for the drugs to kick in) that Doomrider needed to take it to /y/ with a vengeance, snatching redemption for the failure of six months prior and a hat trick to strike /y/ from the Book of Grudges and to return /tg/ to the Elite Cups.
The Knockout rounds were hard fought, and /tg/ never were ones to back down from a challenge. /x/ stepped forth and finally completed the curse that they had been building their entire cup run, decimating the conditions of the /tg/ players and putting the entirety of the team off their game. Little did they expect that Old Man Henderson was about to take control of the narrative on his own and put the game into ONE FULL HENDERSON of derailment, a goal from the man himself, Gork(or Mork), Doomrider, and Thin Your Paints securing a 4-1 win over the struggling /x/ offense that couldn't keep up with /tg/'s relentless stamina into extra time.
Unfortunately, the WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH was delayed and stonewalled by the most adverse of foes- /jp/ autopilot, where not even a Doomrider goal in the opening minutes of the match was enough to turn the tides of battle. Despite the exit in the Quarterfinals, the Boyz in Blue showed their colors, a 4-5 loss showing exactly how /tg/ plays- refusing to go down quietly no matter what opposition stands in their way. They now continue onto Winter 2020, where the narrative shall continue, unfettered by a loss by the narrowest of margins as another team is entered into the Book of Groodges.
Winter 2020
The Winter Campaign started with /tg/ being drawn into Group B for the Group of Crying Wallets- Longtime FLGS club member /toy/, the horsefucker menace of /mlp/, and at this point they might as well be a rival, overlords of Hasbro, Games Workshop and many more, /biz/. The first match was a middling success, Jace making his glorious return to the offence with two solid strikes past the /mlp/ keepers but /mlp/ summoned their dark magicks yet again to push back the forces of the magical realm and allow them another score to sink a tying goal in the 90th minute. Again. A draw was not the worst result and a good step towards finally breaking the curse placed upon /tg/ by the horsefuckers, and all eyes turned towards the next match and a grander danger. /biz/ walked in looking quite dangerous and /tg/ was prepared for war, only for GW's civil suite team to strike a goal first on /tg/ and threaten to take away the expensive paints and models the Boyz in Blue strive on. Then they tried to sanction Doomrider's Cocaine shipment and that's where they made a critical mistake. Doomrider put /tg/ in off a beautiful cross delivered from Urist McDwarf and a lofted pass to a Brutally Kunnin' Gork(or Mork) sinks the game winner as the defense would hold on for the rest of the match. Up four points, /tg/ was looking at a simple path to the knockouts. However, the GM had other plans. Despite a valiant effort by Doomrider breaking open the game early on, /toy/ proved the better player of the FLGS match and claimed a victory, advancing over /tg/.
Spring 2020
After a narrow defeat in Winter, surely better times were to come in Spring. Alas, it was not to be. Rocks fell, and everyone died. In the face of a 6-0 defeat by /o/ followed by a 7-2 drubbing by /m/, it was only a 1-1 draw with /ck/ in the first game that allowed /tg/ to escape the Spoon despite a -11 GD. Things only got worse, with an abortion in the Autumn Foetus, kicking the team to a Spring that would never come.
The World Cup
With the tenth anniversary of the Cup, /tg/ was spared the ignominy of limping into the Spring Babby from its Foetus defeats, instead playing alongside everyone else in a celebration of Cup history. In retrospect, however, a smaller pool might have been better. Things started well, opening Group J with a 3-2 victory over /vp/. After that, fortune abandoned the Boyz in Blue. /p/ was able to score a narrow 2-1 win just after 90 minutes, but the greater humiliation was yet to come, as /i/ finished the job with a devastating 5-2 victory. Tabled early, it was back to the drawing board for Autumn.
Autumn 2021
With the regular flow of Cups resuming, the team found itself in a mega-Babby, having to fight four teams rather than the usual three for a spot in the knockouts and a return to the Elites. Here, /tg/ would face /h/, /fa/, Cup-newcomers /vrpg/ and, fresh off a defeat in the World Cup, /p/. This time, things went a little better for the Boyz in Blue. While Crush the Blacks was able to repeat his 90+ goal from the World Cup, this time around the WAAAAGH arrived, the green tide carrying /tg/ to a 3-2 victory despite the late concession. Elated, /tg/ faced /vrpg/, proving the superiority of tabletop RPGs in a hard-fought 3-1 victory over the new board. Things seemed to be looking up, right until the time came to play /h/, at which point the luck of the last few years returned, ending in a 5-0 defeat. Facing the possibility of relegation despite sitting on 6 points, /tg/ entered the game with /fa/ with everything on the line. In a violent, messy bout of divegrass, /tg/ fought its way to a 4-4 draw, topping the group. /adv/ ended the run in extra time in the round of 16, but by that point it hardly mattered. /tg/ had shown signs of life.
Winter 2022
Back in the Elites, /tg/ found itself face-to-face once again with /adv/, alongside /vg/ and /wg/. Despite a more decisive loss to /adv/ than in the Autumn knockouts, an initial 2-1 win over /vg/ and a decisive 4-0 blowout against /wg/ in the third game left /tg/ able to promote over the two boards of generals. It was, once again, a short run in the knockouts - despite valiant efforts by Gork - or possibly Mork - and the Complaints Department, /sp/ was able to score a 3-2 win in the round of 16.
Summer 2022
All good things must come to an end. Having managed to remain Elite, /tg/ was placed into a group with /k/, /d/ and /int/. There was very little that the team could do against any of them. A 2-1 loss to defensive powerhouse /d/ was followed by another 2-1 loss to /k/ and then a 2-3 loss to /int/, with the team playing anaemically all the way. Disheartened, the Boyz in Blue looked inward, ready for some introspection and soul-searching heading into Autumn, a Babby once more.
To Be Continued---------------->