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Hydra Cup Season 1 Results: N/A

Projected Best Shot for Hydra Cup Season 1 MVP: N/A
Hydra Cup Season 1 Team MVP: N/A

Projected Hydra Cup Season 2 Team Placement: 2nd
Best Shot for Season 2 Team & Overall MVP: Captain Futility

Roster Additions: N/A
Roster Purges: N/A

Sylus Kurgen, founder of the Hydra Cup tournament, put his own team together for Season 2 after dueling a bit on his own in Season 1. Sylus' gathered up quite an experienced and diverse roster (Fairie being the lone exception) and even Captain Futility managed to talk his way onboard. This team boasts 3 Barons, 1 Opal, 1 Keeper and arguably the most team-dueling experience in comparison to the remaining 7 teams. The best strategy for this team is for Kalamere to focus on the Arena, Captain Futility to focus on the Outback and Kheldar to float between the two for support while Kasimira grabs herself some rank and Sylus stays out of everyone's way. With existing titles to defend in every sport, the ability to challenge in every sport and an established presence within all 3 dueling venues, this bunch still won't catch Beat Down but they may make Season 2 an actual competition, at least for a week or two.

Sylus Kurgen (DoF: 1 WoL; DoM: N/A; DoS: 29 WoL) -- Aside from a potential challenge for a Barony or Overlord, Sylus isn't contributing much to this team outside of captaining. Unfortunately as far as captaining goes, he doesn't have a whole lot of prior experience. It's a good thing for his sake that his roster of vets shouldn't need too much guidance. Outside of training Kasimira, Sylus' entire captaining effort should consist of little more than his pointing at various dueling rings and watching his little troupe march forward and win fight after fight.

Kalamere Ar'Din (DoF: 28 WoL; DoM: N/A; DoS: 83 WoL, Baron) -- The last we saw Kalamere in a team oriented event, he'd inexplicably tied himself to Captain Futility's Team Fist in the 2011 DoS Team Tournament. Now the two are paired together again, albeit on a new team under new leadership. My big question: where's Teagan? Aren't those two a bring-one-get-the-other set?

Anyway, Kalamere's got himself a Barony to defend in the Arena and he'll likely have to do so a couple of times during Hydra. He could go after an Opal in the Outback, too. Don't look for Kal to do much on the Isle though. If things go well enough for this team, he shouldn't have to anyway.

Kasimira (DoF: N/A; DoM: N/A; DoS: N/A) -- Creepy. This chick's creepy. It seems like a gentle breeze might snap her in half, her hair's unnaturally silver and she constantly looks like she wants to eat whoever's under her gaze. To top it all off, there's a guy who follows her everywhere. Anybody else a bit worried about this pennyboy? No? Well, I am. I'm telling you: creepy.

As a dueler, we know nothing about Kasimira other than she might break a bone just by walking into a ring. That's about as much as Sylus knows, too, given that she's not ranked on the standings of any sport. Captain's decisions like this are the exact reason Beat Down's starting this competition with a leg up. Don't see them putting rookies on that roster, do you? That being said, if Kasimira can go on a run of beginner's luck, gain some rank (maybe lose it and gain it back again), she can give this team a bunch of unexpected and much needed points. Go, FrailGirl Power, Go!

Matthew Algiers Simon (DoF: 506 WoL, Opal; DoM: 21 WoL, Keeper; DoS: 26 WoL, Baron) -- Team Fist Nation weeps and consoles one another with group hugs. Crushbob fans sob and blubber, shaking their fists at the injustice of it all, conveniently forgetting all about that amazing -45 point display in the first 2 days of Hydra Season 1. Hydra Season 2 has no CB and no TMF. Whatever will become of all those fans? I know! They can find a good team to root for!

Now it's a well-established fact that I give little slack to Captain Futility. Despite all his personal accolades and records (and yes, I highly respect the fact he's been able to defend that opal of his 12 times in a row and held onto his titles for years and has loads of WoL and blah blah blah) he's absolute rubbish in the team environment. One clutch win (or, excuse me, clutch tie) in the 2011 DoS Team Tournament to give Team Fist the overall win by a half-point does not erase years of ineptitude before or since that single point in time. In the first Hydra Season, Captain Futility predictably buggered the captaining and futilely guided his team to a 4th place finish. He lead that sad-sack team with 226 personal points and wound up 4th on the overall team points list with 131. Small consolation for losing to everyone except the Forces of Nature powerhouse.

This year, Captain Futility holds 3 current titles and is already under challenge for his Barony, will probably be under challenge for his Tower as soon as Hydra kicks off and also likely need to defend IceDancer at some point during the tournament. Will he choke under pressure? I'm betting he will. Can't argue with historical precedence.

Kheldar Drasinia (DoF: 63 WoL; DoM: 8 WoL; DoS: 37 WoL, Baron) -- With Wrecking Crew declining to grace Season 2 with their standard we'll-tell-you-all-how-we'll-kick-your-arse-but-only-wind-up-mid-pack bluster, various Crew members have latched onto other teams. One pressing question: will Wrecking Crew loyalties outweigh his commitment to this team? If so, look for Myria Graziano to be the latest Squire of Dockside. If not, look for more public WRC drama of which there's been quite a bit of late.

Kheldar's a solid veteran signing for Sylus and ought to make life difficult for other teams both in the Outback and Arena. At least, that's the hope. Since Season 1 ended, Kheld's actually lost WoL in the Outback and gained only 2 in the Arena. On the Isle, he has the exact same WoL as last year meaning he can initiate a Tower challenge at some point. To keep this team competitive with Beat Down, Kheldar needs to stop resting on his veteran laurels and start winning some duels.

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