Every Club Penguin Armies era has been defined by certain decisions that changed the course of an army or organisation. Many of these decisions strengthened armies, meanwhile, others exposed major rifts within leadership. The CPA’s Biggest Blunders column dives into the choices different community members have made — the misjudgements, power struggles and structural issues that left scars on the armies involved. One of the clearest examples in recent history came in 2017, when Elmikey was overthrown in the Rebel Penguin Federation’s leadership through a coup d’état — a decision that would quickly escalate into many regretting their actions.
History
Elmikey is a retired major army legend, best known for his controversial but influential involvement with the Rebel Penguin Federation. After first entering the army scene in 2017, he quickly rose through the ranks due to his recruiting skills, becoming second-in-command shortly after joining. Across the years, he helped lead many armies, being most influential within RPF. Under his leadership, he rejuvenated the army — pushing the army back into the picture and spearheading many major conflicts across the community, creating something others armies failed to match. This however, would not last, as his leadership would come to an abrupt end on December 7, 2017, when he was removed as leader. Claims of abuse of power and dictatorial conduct let to his coup, triggering the creation of a rebel faction named the Rebel Penguin Marines — a creation that would later cause a world war amongst armies, shattering lance and reshaping the power landscape.
The RPF leadership expected this to be a clean removal but instead, became an explosive political split. Many veterans, loyalists and long-term supporters of the army began to leave. An army that was once unified and threatening, had found itself fighting someone they considered a legend of their community — a member built from its own DNA. With Elmikey’s rebel faction growing, tensions rising and an expose claiming RPF’s leader Left was actually army veteran XxToysoldier, conflict broke out between the two armies. This wasn’t a standard war, it was personal — a message was there to be made. It represented two different visions of what people felt RPF should stand for. The coup ended up being more damaging than helpful and other armies were keeping close eyes — ready to pounce on the opportunity.
World War VII
With tensions at an all-time high, armies began to pick sides. It wasn’t because they cared about the coup, bur rather, it presented them with an opportunity. War was on the horizon and Elmikey was presented with a vital opportunity to make his mark against his former army — merge his rebellion into the Templars and lead alongside Xing. After accepting the opportunity, Xing and Elmikey formed the modern-day instalment of the Templars and grew the army to new heights. The RPF didn’t wait around and on July 6, 2018, they raided the Templars’ first event on Club Penguin Online. This raid was key to Elmikey’s success as the next day, the RPF had declared war on the Templars. Citing multilogging as the reason for the declaration, many would begin to guess this was a personal attack on Elmikey, rather than on Templars. World War VII had begun, and the community was about to turn into an active war zone.
With the war growing stronger and Templars on the losing end, a new alliance emerged from the shadows — the Red Dawn Alliance. Templars and Elmikey now had growing support from many armies across the community, all filled with one purpose — win the war and defeat RPF. Templars expanded rapidly in size and organisation and, with the RDA on their side, pressured was piled onto the RPF. Struggling with the internal fractures caused by the coup, Elmikey capitalised on the opportunity and ultimately, the unthinkable happened — the Rebel Penguin Federation had been defeated. Following the shutdown of the RPF, the RDA and Templars claimed victory, marking this is a major achievement.
Why Elmikey’s Coup Was A Blunder
Had Elmikey never been removed from the RPF leadership, this World War would never had occurred. What Elmikey had built within the army was unmatched. After his removal, it was clear everything went backwards instead of forwards, with many long time supporters following him wherever he went. The army that removed him, lost to the army that became stronger due to his removal. Thanks to the coup, the Templars surged in power, and, they achieved what no one had managed in the CPPS era — defeating the Rebel Penguin Federation for the first time.
The coup remains as one of the biggest blunders of the CPPS era of armies for many reasons. It strengthened an external army — a soon-to-be enemy, it went from a rebellion to a World War and it ended with the RPF being defeated by their own former commander. What many hoped would be a stabilising decision, instead, turned into one of the biggest losses for the army in recent times.
Conclusion
The coup of Elmikey can be seen as one of the most avoidable strategic failures in Club Penguin Armies history. The RPF unintentionally laid the ground for so many things; strengthening the Templars, the formation of the Red Dawn Alliance, a World War, and their own defeat. One decision changed the course of armies — reshaping alliances, fuelling a war and empowering a leader to prove everyone wrong. With all things considered, it stands as one of CPA’s biggest blunders.
What do you think, though? Was RPF’s decision justified or could it have gone another way? What do you think would have happened if Elmikey was not couped?
