I think that to me, the most striking and also the most promising development from the past ten seasons is that we’ve seen three teams hoist their first Ultimus trophy, and two more lift just their second. The first twenty seasons of this league’s existence, the Orange County Otters found their way to nine Ultimus appearances and won eight of those games, and the Arizona Outlaws appearing in and winning four others, meaning that more than half of the Ultimus titles through season twenty were won by just two of the leagues ten teams. The Austin Copperheads’ victory in season twenty really marked a turning point for this league; no longer is this a league dominated by the ancient powerhouses of the ASFC. The Orange County Otters and Arizona Outlaws have each appeared in just one Ultimus since that turn, opening the door for a team like the Colorado Yeti to finally reach the summit, for teams like the San Jose Sabercats and Yellowknife Wraiths to build upon their respective legacies, and for expansion teams like the Sarasota Sailfish and New York Silverbacks to show that they built the foundations necessary for the highest levels of success. That said, there are still (the Berlin Fire Salamanders, the Chicago Butchers, and the Honolulu Hahalua) who have yet to claim the trophy, and although it is never certain, expansion always seems to be looming; maybe the next decade will bring more new faces to the table, or return some who have not visited for a while.

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