Who do we face this time?

The ashes after the battle between DracaRYS and NBe have not yet disappeared yet we have been asked to step in to yet another fight, which was planned for Saturday the 3.10.2024, and our opponent was N2D.

N2D was well known for me as during my various journeys with my alts to improve merit score which was required to advance to next level of buffs. I have visited their kingdom and managed to introduce them with my spears.

I must say I was quite surprised of the progress they have done since last time I have visited them; I have not expected us to be able to match in the super league of alliance conquest. Don’t get me wrong, they have couple of big players, like for example Lady Nikki which never hides from a fight. The only reason causing my thoughts is due to the fact that I have been not having anything to do with them for quite a long time and it seems that they did not waste it, which is a really good thing, and it has impressed me.

As much as our team doesn’t need to be introduced much more, for those who are new in reading my stories, DracaRYS (also called WTF) have been successful to claim a position of a champion in the last season of AC(Alliance Conquest). Since then there was only new season of SoW(Siege of Winterfell) where we have managed to get to the playoffs and lost to WxC after successfully beating KAC round before. In the new AC season there has been one game so far and we have lost it. Players you should be looking after in this match are xTheMadQueen, Highstakes and obviously our mighty Queeny. While Queeny is our leader, those 2 players are one of our top warriors in the team, and never fail to deliver astonishing damage to the enemies.

The Struggles this season  - Face your weakness

So far this season we have been struggling mainly because of two reasons:

-Attendance

-Cooperation

As much as low attendance is something unacceptable, and measures have been put in place by Queeny already, to improve it, the cooperation part, was caused mainly because of the dynamic recruitment and change of players. New players come to replace the old ones, and as much they might be super powerful, especially in events like AC, timing, understanding of the game and each other, and also, bravery to not back down when heals / speeds are running low, is something that has to be implemented each other to maximize the effort given to the team. We had some great additions in to the team, such as Baba Jaga, which I believe is very strong, but obviously it will take time for each one of them, to be giving 120%, as commitment is not everything.

 This might cause couple of games to be on a lower level than expected, to finally step in for playoffs and show the true power of DracaRYS. It is then important that any game such as the one with NBe, we try to change in to a practice ground, while we are able to do it, as those games would not affect us too much.

Roles within AC – Bit of information

As usual, in AC, there are couple of buildings which everyone do their best to occupy. The teams are separated on critical roles such as Racer, Rally Leader, Shot Caller and obviously Slow Marchers.

Racers – their job is to fight for first occupying each castle, which means they will attempt to hit the castle as the first ones, and then drop it for a slow marcher.

Slow Marchers – their job is to set a damage march to the correct castle, and not speed it up, this is meant to keep walking while racers will be fighting each other to occupy the castle. If the racer from your team wins the battle, and occupy the castle, at certain point a shot caller would ask to disband the castle, and this is when slow marcher would speed up to re-occupy it. This allows to have strongest possible option for defending the castle.

Rally leader – their task are to fight enemy that are defending occupied castles. Rally leaders must raise opportunity for warriors to gather under command of theirs to run towards unknown, also, not knowing if will return alive or not. It is essential that rally leader has a good timing, as most dangerous attacks are performed when couple of rally leaders are hitting the enemy castle at the same time, disallowing enemy team to reinforce the empty walls following the death of their comrades.

Shot caller – I believe this is the most stressful position within the whole team, as is usually performed by the leader itself. This means, at the same time, shot caller has to keep the structure of whole team together for entire match, and, make sure that keeps informing everyone of their next moves, according to the time.

Game on

Evening has approached quickly and we have gathered together both in game and on the voice. People kept coming and obviously we have been also observing what is happening on the enemy side. It was not too impressive, yet it could’ve been expected as the power level was presenting quite a big gap, so sometimes enemies decide to not participate fully in order to not waste their heals/speedups and save them for more important games, which they can actually challenge the enemies. I wasn’t too sure who was meant to be their biggest threat to us, yet I knew that this match will probably be used as another practice match, unless I get surprised, and that would be the second time this evening following to see N2D so high in ranks.

Start of the battle! Outposts, Mother and Warrior

The counting has been done by our Queeny and racers have suddenly rushed to take over the castles. Without a fear in their eyes, they were galloping as fast as their horses could move.

As you can see most of castles were occupied by us, except the enemy outpost. This has lightened fire in eyes of some of us, thinking about soloing the place, as soon the protection drops, but Queeny quickly has put those plans in to trash, saying that nobody should be soloing, as rallies will be practiced. This was understandable request, and we have followed shortly after.

At this point we were all waiting for protection status to drop on all 4 castles, and as sooner it was approaching conversation was going towards the rallies on the outpost. I can surely think that nobody thought N2D will attempt to fight back for any of the castles, yet I once again I have been surprised. Just before the end of protection status we tried to swap Mother leader, and it did not work as we planned. Like I said we were at the practicing stage and games like those, are perfect for the training we required so badly. When racer left Mother without any troops inside, and a slow marcher was meant to take over the castle, suddenly in between sneaky Lady Nikki has appeared from the wild, and took it away.

Soon after the protection status has dropped from Outpost and rallies were assembled within less than a minute. The rally leaders did not hesitate and sent their armies towards enemy outpost as soon as the command has been given by Queeny. Once they have reached the destination, no surprise was noted over there, Baba JaGa, was the new occupier of the castle.

Mother and both Ports

Since we have occupied all the castles possible, except the Mother which was sneakily stolen from us, our next steps would be to take mother back, while our racers were focusing on taking the ports, that should be very soon opened. Ports are one of the most important buildings in the AC as they give a lot of points for the occupying team.

I think it is valid to say that we have attacked all three within about the same time. Mother was not too much of a problem for us to take back, as not many troops were inside, and soon after Vangark was the occupying lord.

Following that the ports have opened and racers rushed to take them. Once again, our racers have shown great timing and determination, which resolved in being faster on the way to both of the buildings.

Swaps, mistakes, slow marchers

As it was practice match, during practicing, a lot of mistakes are happening, and i believe some of them we had to improve immediately as if we would face anyone from top6 of AC, we could’ve lost the match because of such situations. As you might predict, we tried to change occupier in enemy outpost, and… once again it didn’t work out as we planned. This has been hi-jacked by enemy and once again we had a bit of action that was waiting for our waiting souls.

While we have started the rallies on outpost, Queeny has been waiting for CR to open, which is the main building situated in the center of the map, that gives more points than any other. It is very important to grab this castle and hold it for as long as possible.

The rallies have been set up, to steal the outpost back under our flag.

This time enemy has filled the castle and looked like is ready to fight back, so the rallies have been sent, only 4 of them, to check how strong the opponent is.

Unfortunately, just before we hit it, the enemy has recalled, like did not want to fight with us.

At about the same time, our racers rushed towards the Casterly Rock (CR) and… once again were faster than the enemy.

But hey, since we had all the castles except enemy Outpost at this moment, what could go wrong you could ask yourself a question? Well guess what, we tried to change the occupying person in the CR…. and once again, it has been hi-jacked by enemy!

As you might have thought, once again, enemy has filled the castle, and to be honest, I was expecting it to be recalled as it happened in the previous occasions. What did enemy do when the rallies have been sent towards it? Well for my surprise, did try to fight back, so finally there was some entertainment!

Unfortunately for the enemy, we were too strong, and immediately after the CR has been under our control. I must say I do appreciate that they were trying to re-capture cities, even it has been a fight of a David and a Goliath, this time David did not seem to be victorious. The problems seemed to end, and the only excitement about the great castles that could’ve been spotted was around strongholds, which are I would say the least important castles to capture, as they don’t give many points. Their purpose is purely to keep hitting other GC’s with NPC troops sent from them every now and then.

You would be surprised but once again it was Lady Nikki which has managed to take one of the strongholds and then lose it once our armies have hit it.

I must say few words of appreciation to this warrior, as while rest of N2D did not seem eager to fight, Lady Nikki had something to prove against us, and constantly tried to be annoying in our way to an easy victory. Sometimes It takes only one player like this, to make a change and flame the fire inside of souls of rest of the clanmates, which then pushes them once again to their limits, while few minutes before, thought that there is no point to fight. It is important to have players like Lady Nikki within the team, well done to you, if you are reading this!

The map was ours so far.

Protection dropped from individual castles

The time was passing, and with it the next opportunities have arisen. This time it was moment of protection status drop from individual castles of each participant. It was my only opportunity to gain some elimination and healing points, as so far there were not many battles to fight, and even less I managed to join.

My clanmates have rushed to burn the enemy villages but they were cheeky enough to hide their troops in ‘fake rallies’ which is a rally that is never sent towards the destination.

I managed to find a small castle with few troops in, yet it was not something that could give me any type of challenge.

The game was about to finish, all enemy villages were burned, and the GC’s were under our control. It was time to continue practicing. Queeny has decided of the target, and all the rally leaders have started to make rallies on that target. I bet Dragon Tamer has been thinking ‘why me?’ and ‘what have I done to WTF?’ well you were just the lucky person to be our practice point this time!

Game Over

Shortly after the mines were also taken by us, and there were no points that enemy could gather, nor any troops that enemy could send against us, the game has finished shortly after. I must say it was one of the easier games this season, and a good ‘back on the track’ game following NBe defeat.

Even there has not been much of an action here are the scoreboards, to glorify those, which managed to have some fun.

On the end few words from me, I would like to encourage teams to take a bit of a lesson from this game, as both teams have shown unique way of approaching games such as this one.

Firstly, I would like to appreciate effort of N2D which were kind of a bad match with us, and would need to go over and beyond, to try to beat us, yet players like Lady Nikki, were not impressed and kept fighting like equal. It is very important to not get demotivated early, even if things don’t go your way, as it might be a matter of a moment, where things will change in to our favor, and suddenly, we are the winners!

Secondly, for all the teams, that think about improving their timing, reinforcement speed, communication and all the other unique abilities that are required to perform on the maximum of your abilities during the events. Keep using every occasion, every moment, to practice, as even if you get game that is not too entertaining, such as this one, that doesn’t mean, that it doesn’t add it’s brick in to a whole bridge, that is leading you to the playoffs.