HOH vs NBe - Siege of Winterfell - Season 13 Round 1

And here we are for another big battle...

The long-awaited new season of Siege of Winterfell, one of the biggest cross-server events in the game, has finally arrived and it kicks off with a banger! Two powerhouses, HOH and NBe, will collide in the fierce battle of the opening game of Season 13! This is an important match as it promises to set the tone for the entire season, with both alliances bringing their A-game in a bid to establish early dominance in the rankings.

In previous seasons, not all alliances took the SoW matches seriously, but this year should be different. The introduction of two new research trees meant that everyone needed combat manuals, which could be collected in bulk during a SoW season. The stakes were higher, and so was the determination of the alliances.

The N3O-BDR merger had sent shockwaves through Westeros, and everyone was eager to see what would happen next. Which teams would qualify for the play-offs? Which alliances would surprise everyone? And most importantly, who could possibly stand in the way of BaN's march towards victory?

HOH, however, remained unchanged. They continued to play the game with quiet determination, avoiding unnecessary drama and focusing on their goals. Their first challenge of the season was against NBe, a team they had faced many times before. Their battles were always intense and exciting, filled with twists and turns. Hopefully today’s game will be no different!

Let's get started and see what happened between those two noble houses!

Part I: The Battle Begins

The armies of HOH and NBe, each 95-strong, lined up on the north and south sides of Winterfell. The tension in the air was rising as they awaited for the signal to start the fight. When the gong sounded, both sides charged forward furiously.

My team, the Winterfell group led by Depra, was responsible for securing and delivering the packages. Our initial plan was to join forces with the Armory team and hold off NBe there. Meanwhile, our other two teams targeted the Hotsprings.

As we approached the Armory, we saw NBe's massive army moving rapidly toward us. The clash was immediate and fierce, with swords clashing and bodies straining. Initially, we managed well, concentrating our attacks on the same targets. But as the battle raged on, chaos ensued. NBe gradually gained the upper hand, especially after half of our team had to march to Winterfell for the first package drop.

NBe chose to ignore the package, rendering our journey fruitless. Depra decided we should focus on fighting and accumulating as many passive points as possible. I returned to the Armory, where the battle continued, but NBe overpowered us again which led to a quick death of my marches. After refreshing my troops, I headed to Base 3, while HOH delivered the first package without any opposition.

Next, NBe sent massive forces to Winterfell, leading to a fierce struggle for the package. They were carrying and protecting it very well, moving towards south fast with the goal to deliver it to Base 3! We heard Depra and Grom voices echoing through the battlefield – “RUN PASS THE PACKAGE, TRY TO FLIP THE BASE” Despite our efforts to intercept and flip Base 3, NBe successfully delivered the package, narrowing the score gap.

Part II: Establishing Dominance

The second half of the match began with another resource drop at Winterfell, which we picked up quickly and delivered unopposed as NBe focused on defending Base 3. This seemed like a last-ditch effort by NBe, whose forces dwindled as they struggled with healing getting expensive! They were sending less and less marches from their base and started to get overwhelmed by HOH forces pushing them back to their spawn area.

Our Hotsprings team performed admirably, consistently holding it and blocking any sneaky attacks from NBe on it, preventing them from getting the healing buff which gave HOH a big advantage during the battle as it reduced their healing expenses. With NBe's forces shrinking, we took control of the whole map and finally locking NBe in their base area for the last minutes of the game!

In the final 15 minutes, our goal was to keep all buildings to maximize passive points and deliver the last package quickly to pass 80k score mark for more rewards. HOH completely dominated the map, and NBe appeared to give up, ceasing healing efforts as it wouldn't change anything anymore.

With 4 seconds (!!!) remaining, we delivered the last package, securing our 80k+ points win over NBe and getting max rewards from the game that supposed to be harder than it looked like!

Despite the loss, NBe showed a great effort, giving us a hard time several times during the game! GG NBE and we hope for a rematch later in the season!😜

Thanks for your attention and till the next time!😊