The best thing about FUMBBL is the ability to leave the cherry picking filled Ranked division and play tough Div-U tourneys where you have no choice with who you get stuck playing. You play who you are told to play, and anything can happen. I have been lucky enough to be involved with one long standing KO Tourney: Blutballas Cup.

Although I have no idea the history of what “Blutballas” stands for, I do know that the group was formed by Anchorhead and started play in August, 2003. Grobmotoriker BC coached by Heuschreckenmann (Old World) beat a Lustrian team for the 1st cup back when the Allied teams were still allowed.

After Anchorhead disappeared from FUMBBL, Barash took over the group around Blutballas V and asked me to help out. Barash then disappeared before Blutballas X and I was left in control. I have held onto the original concepts of keeping this a mid-TR tourney (175-200TR) and ensuring a good mixture of races (max 3 per race). I also added my own personal stamp with the max 1 DP, max 1 Claw/RSC rules to encourage the elves of the world to join. Still, we have only had 1 elf team win in the 1st 12 cups.

Through 11 cups the race winners have been Dwarf (x3), Human (x2), Old World, Orc, CD, Necro, Norse, and High Elf. TinkyWinky has been the best coach in the tourney history with 3 championships, 2 with humans and 1 with High Elf. Zweiblumen has done well with a win and a runner up, and Tricktickler has 2 runner ups.

Blutballas XII has just started with a good mixture of core veterans and new teams. It’s great to see some coaches stick with their teams throughout the 12 cups, as rivalries build and on-field grudges become legend. I look forward to running this for years to come as it becomes one of the longest standing KO tournies on FUMBBL.

In with the NEW: Champions Cup Challenge

Inspired by the Orca Cola Classic group (BB-Pad), I decided to start a similar group for North American time zones. I love Orca CC, but trying to play all those Swedes in my time zone was killing me. Thus, a North American time zone group was created.

The basic concepts are the same as Orca CC, multiple KO tournies throughout the year offered at various TR levels, culminating in a year-end all inclusive tourney to help declare the annual Cup winner. The pros are you can play with any TR team, and because there are tournies every month, you can take a month off, and return to play in the next tourney. As with all my tournies, limits are in place for DPs and Claw/RSC.

The group currently has 61 teams and will start play January 1st, 2006. Signups for the January tournies will begin in December. I’m sure once the group gets underway, we will have additional teams joining throughout the year. We are way short on undead type teams. So if you have any spare Undead, Necro, Vamp, Khemri teams lying around feel free to sign them up.

Editor's Note: The Champion's Challenge has started and is still continuing with monthly tourneys. It currently contains no less than 120 teams!