Curated Excerpt of Top Flight's Stadium Rankings
1. Dätsalöl DragonGoal Ground
Dätsalöl - Dätsalöl Dancers
I shall swing for the hornet's nest in the first. Yes, you who know so much, there is a stadium grander than the home of DragonGoal itself.
The DDGG is, it must be said, a blatant effort to wash away the totalitarian reputation of its bank rollers, and truly it is an admirable effort. When sitting in its luxurious stands, eating some of the best food Lake Strelish has to offer, and watching some damned good Goal, it is easy to forget. It maybe loses points for its distance from that very lake, but there again the king has outdone himself - there are carriages galore for the eager sports fan.
2. Ovük DragonGoal Ground
Ovük - Ovük Shields & Xautsoivar Suns
I am required to eventually bow to orthodoxy. Ovük are the source of our great game, and they've learnt how to build a stadium. It's in a premium location within the duchy, the view of the Sholaraxia Mountains overhead is spectacular, the food is exceptional for how far from the river they are.
Points must be docked for atmosphere. Home pitch of the insufferable Ovük Shields, their fans do them no favours, and there is an air of egotism in the duchy when it comes to their sport. My advice - attend Xautsoivar Suns home games here instead.
3. Yodärraxen Waters
Üükabwi-adh - Üükabwi-adh Enchanters
"By the divines," you'll say when you enter the stadium. "These magicians know their stuff." One of the standout non-standard stadiums in the CDGL, defending itself from the frost of the Xaqulbijwa with towering walls and roaring flames. Winter games are still a struggle here, even more so than games in the mountains, but they fight on with gusto.
What truly makes Yodärraxen special is the stadium is tailored to play the Magical form of DragonGoal, which their Enchanters were playing during their exile from the league. The planar iron used in the posts might be hard to see in normal play, but it glitters under spell light. Do not miss an exhibition match if you're up north.
4. Itsäzosh DragonGoal Ground
Trust Ozäxa-Lavüdh to commit to a lavish lifestyle, for here is a carbon copy of the Ovükayo ground, with the benefit of riverside access. Why have I ranked it lower, then, you ask? Well, despite the condominium of the river and the free trade thus enabled, Ozäxa-Lavüdh's choke hold can be felt this far up its banks. The food is exorbitantly pricey, I find. Luckily, the local Cutters are a damned fine team, so you can almost blame the coldness of your food on your own forgetting to eat it during the chaos.
5. Rnelyo Üreogla
Shern Üreogla - Shern Üreogla Gliders
What can you really say about this home under the beautiful sky? A good stadium, good sized stands, and a good mix of cultural foods as they blend traditional Tsädhayo cuisine with elvish reimaginings. It loses far too many points for its location, my friends - middle of damned near nowhere. I dare say if I gave you an unmarked map and told you to locate it you would be far far off, perhaps as far as Chäladom!
6. Astäfülo Field
Doifanyäl - Astäfülo Trackers
I'll tell you what - you will not lack for sport in
Astäfülo. For a mere city state within the sprawling republic of Doifanyäl, you can find all manner of games played here, and all in one simple locale! Mere steps from the stadium, you will find their vaunted race course for horses, swimming events held regularly in the river, various types of football venue underfoot. It's a dizzying atmosphere of athletic prowess, and I find that each venue suffers for being lumped in with another.
The horse racing fans are too damned loud, to boot.
7. Rnelyo Feorton
Kse Feorton - Kse Feorton Diviners
I'll confess to bias, erstwhile friend - I am a Diviners fan born and raised, and would give nothing less than my own soul to see a grand final played in our fair city with the trophy in our hands. So perhaps this bids me look on our ground more favourably than I ought, for it is simply adequate. An acceptable venue for sport, a touch far from the lakeside for true convenience, but the seafood is worth the trip alone. If you happen to be in town around the time of our Independence festivities, the atmosphere is unmatched, and you will assuredly find fast friends on a carriage ride to the grounds. An unmissable rush.
8. Saxayodh Waters
We reach the stadiums whose flaws begin to colour their favour. Saxayodh is a beautiful town of immense history, and with such a commanding location at the start of the Tsädh river it is worth a visit alone. It is that very river that causes grief, as the waterfall's mist
will see you soaked clean through before the second quarter's end. Perhaps this pervasive drizzle is what prompted them to build the stands askew, meaning the driest stands have the worst view. Baffling.
9. Tsalüsma Rise
Na-ochiixid - Na-ochiixid Knights
And you believed the stand angles of Saxayodh were dire! My friends, the fair Rise sits not atop a hill, but along its dearest diagonal, and you will find the stadium feels entirely at odds with gravity. Your best view will be in the north stands, standing several meters higher than those to the south, but I doubt you should have good luck getting such seats - they are oft reserved for dignitaries, officials, and the exorbitantly wealthy!
10. Mä-isma Court Stadium
Varrzaxadh - Varrzaxadh Judges
I understand that the city has a
curious symbolic history with beheaded statues and the iconography of Justice. Why are these ghastly things taking pride of place at this sports facility?
11. Bayside Stadium
Glinzüchöl - Glinzüchöl Sailors
One must give Glinzüchöl props for taking advantage of their coastal location to bring us right to the beach. The sandy floor presents a visual not present at any other stadium, and gives the entire game a tropical feel. Unfortunately, this great strength is their worst weakness, as the stands must be far squatter to ensure they do not teeter and tip us into the ocean, and the game is played at a lower elevation than the standard to compensate. The tropical languidness transfers to play as a result, I fear.
12. Oibäsma Field
Doifanyäl - Oibäsma Treebacks
If Rnelyo Üreogla was the middle of nowhere, Oibäsma must be another world entirely. Plains as far as the eye can see, and with all the struggle therein - grass rash, difficult travel, expensive goods. Their one benefit is that, as the nexus of sprawling Doifanyäl, the cuisine is worth the price of admission alone. There is no stranger feeling than partaking in merfolk-inspired freshwater salmon dishes while watching dragons and their riders duel for the skies.
13. Storm's Landing
Lithuziiy is a lovely country for a tropical getaway, but a sporting capital it is not. No clearer is this shown than the aptly named Storm's Landing, buffeted by seafront gales and humidity. You shall sweat through your shoes, and not even witness good Goal, as the ball is whisked away into the catchment nets with frustrating frequency.
I'll grant the Lithuziiyamii ground this - I have heard Magical DragonGoal performs admirably here, since the players can actually catch the damned ball.
14. Shixiiwul Qilin Lake
Shixiiwul - Shixiiwul Divers
"Arnsheu!" I hear you clamour. "You cannot be serious!" I assure you, reader, that I have never been more confident of a ranking in my life. Certainly the stadium is adequate at best, with some grounded concerns about the structural integrity of the west grandstand and the smaller-than-average safety boundary. The transport is awkward. The food is inexpensive, but only alright. Where Qilin Lake defeats its unenviable peers is location (for the titular lake is beautiful, like a magic mirror), and the atmosphere. Shixiiwul may not have much, but their passion for the game is unrivalled.
Just don't attend an Ovük Shields game here. I shall not have your head on my conscience.
15. Biiyai Memorial Field
Ovük - Xautsoiver Suns (formerly)
Maybe it is not fair to include the only CDGL ground sunsetted from regular season play. If you are attending an actual League game here, you have far greater problems than the obstructed views, the cramped dimensions, and the awkward location. Check out the attached museum if you must visit at all - the story of Biiyai as a player is worth knowing, but not travelling afield for.
16. Hidzma Heights
Only die-hard Lauvüdh Renegades fans should make this dire pilgrimage. Despite a strong showing in Itsäzosh, Ozäxa-Lavüdh has dropped the bag here cataclysmically. It's the highest elevation stadium in the league, and you'll know it. You'll struggle, the players will struggle, and the food is still too damned expensive. The sole reason this stadium remains in use is its historical role in supporting DragonGoal in Ozäxa-Lavüdh, with the dragon's nest nearby.
Build a museum and dash the lot. Share with the Itsäzosh Cutters and save us all the lung strain.
This is an amazing guide that makes me want to travel to every one of the stadiums of DragonGoal and see the circuit - it is also a very creative idea to do a sports book travel guide. Love it all, the tone and vibe of the whole thing! A+