ALLIANCE CONQUEST | SEASON 20 ROUND 4 | TFI vs PLF.

Welcome Lord and Ladies to the fourth round of Alliance Conquest and today we will have the battle of the ages. A David vs Goliath match up with TFI being the clear favourites but don’t count out our challenger for today, PLF are known for their never die attitude. TFI is led by the cunning Joel1101 and he will not allow his team to lose another match this season. On the other side, PLF is led by DRUGI, who believes his team can make the play-offs this season. The stakes are high and the stage is set, which of these two titans will take the win today, well that is up to them, let the games begin!

Joel1101 feels the sting of a previous loss in the season at the hands of BAIZIMING and believes his team must prepare for the rematch. “This match shouldn’t be much trouble for us, this is our chance to practice some new strategies,” Joel1101 may feel confident facing his opponents today but this could lead to the opening PLF are looking for. Alliance Conquest comes down to racing for structures on the map and holding them for points, most teams will swap in a stronger warrior to make it harder for their opponent to recapture the structure. Furthermore, the additional buildings you hold the more buffs you will receive and subsequently the harder it will be for the enemy to take the buildings back. “I don’t expect PLF to retake any buildings from us today, we should have all the buffs for most of the match, we will practice our racing and making sure our swaps are on points today,” Joel1101 could sense the echo of BAIZIMING taunting him in the air but now was not the time to focus on past mistakes. 

DiEhArD a trusted partner and friend will be doing much of the shot-calling as per usual, “open your ears, when I speak, nothing else matters, if I say jump, you will do so immediately, “DiEhArD was a strict and direct leader but could sense something was wrong with his good friend Joel1101. “I will be saving myself for solo attacks, if I get stuck in a building, be prepared to hard swap it,” DiEhArD looked at Joel1101 as he spoke but all he could see was empty eyes looking back at him. The bond between Joel1101 and DiEhArD has been the backbone of TFI’s strength but in this crucial moment, it seems cracks are beginning to show. 

On the other hand, the underdogs led by their pragmatic leader DRUGI had a plan of his own,” they will believe they have already won, we will use that to our advantage,” DRUGI believed TFIs overconfidence would lead them to make mistakes, ones which they could pounce on. As the battle loomed closer, there was a direct contrast between the two teams, TFI with their overconfidence and PFL with their determination, one of these teams will win today, as our David vs Goliath matchup begins now!

As both teams finally enter the battlefield, they can see each other’s positioning and targets that need to be focused,” we will blockade any rally leader’s that becomes a problem, make them pay,” Joel1101 wasn’t playing around, he wanted to win this fast. As the match began, the racers of each team would be tested and just like that all four buildings were taken by TFI, “great job by our racers as always, now fill those buildings, you all should know the troop type of each rally leader,” DiEhArD pushing out positive reinforcement during the match, TFIs team cohesion was on full display. On the other side DRUGI remained resolute, “we knew this would be tough, our time will come, we need to be patient, when the bubble drops on The Temple of the Mother, start your rallies,” DRUGI was precise and calm with his calls, not showing any sign of panic. 

Although things were going well for TFI, Joel1101 wasn’t quite himself, “fill those buildings, I don’t want to lose them like last time,” Joel1101 was still living in a past match. “They have no warrior that can solo us out of those buildings, we don’t need to fill, the only time we fill is when they start rallies,” DiEhArD tried to explain to his good friend but Joel1101 was having none of it and was adamant that they must be filled.

Once again, the racers prepared themselves for the ports, “don’t forget to fill them if we get both,” Joel1101 seemed to be sweating, like he had seen a ghost. TFI won both races for the ports and began filling them, listening to their trusted leader. “We can’t fill all the buildings, what will we reinforce with, when they rally us?” DiEhArD was having no luck getting through to Joel1101, had they been facing a team closer in strength, these tactics could have played a role in their demise. On the other side DRUGI was biding his time, knowing they didn’t have the luxury of wasting troops with rallies but he did notice that all the buildings were full, “why are they filling these buildings, “DRUGI knew he had to pounce when the time was right. The ten-minute mark had hit and TFI had grown a huge lead but things were not all grand in the TFI camp, something had to give.

The time had come for the main event, Casterly Rock would soon open its doors to the winner of the race. “We haven’t won any races today but this one could help us achieve our goal of reaching 40k points,” DRUGI at this point knew the win was out of the question, nevertheless 40k points could be achievable with the right circumstances. As both sides sent their racers, there was an inevitability about the result as TFI once again won the race and seamlessly swapped in their leader Joel1101, “great job with the racers again, the swap was amazing, fill it up like the other ones,” Joel1101 seemed alright on the surface but the cracks were beginning to show and it would start with the Targaryen Port. 

PLF could see seven buildings full of troops, now was the time to act,” they won’t have enough troops to reinforce, start rallies on the Targaryen Port, “DRUGI could sense something in the air, their opponents tactics made no sense, they even have themselves an advantage. This was the moment DRUGI had been waiting for, the rallies were full and he gave the order to send, “they have no reinforcements heading towards the Targaryen Port, this should be ours,” DRUGI could see the light at the end of the tunnel. PLF waited with bated breath as the rallies hit their target, they saw something they hadn’t seen the whole match, a bubble had formed around the building as they took the Targaryen Port. “We didn’t have any troops left to reinforce, this is what happens when you order us to fill seven buildings,” DiEhArD was livid with Joel1101. “No matter, start rallies when the bubble lifts off Targaryen Port, we will take it back,” Joel1101 seemed sheepish with his words but didn’t acknowledge the error. 

As soon as the bubble lifted off the Targaryen Port, the rallies began,” we will not be able to keep Targaryen Port but maybe we can take another building that is close to us, Targaryen Outpost should be our next target, start the rallies,” DRUGI knew it would be important to use his team’s troops wisely and keep the target close to their hive. Both sides got what they wanted with TFI retaking the port and PLF taking the Targaryen Outpost but that wouldn’t come without consequences,” burn their hive, leave nothing alive,” Joel1101 could see red, his team had lost two building consecutively without any resistance and it was time to let the gloves off. With half the match now left, it was seeming more and more likely PLF would not reach their goal of 40k points but they had shown their spirit was unbreakable. It looks like David will fall at the final hurdle but thirty minutes is a long time on the battlefield, funnier things have happened.

The mines finally came into play, with twenty minutes remaining, the lead for TFI had ballooned to 50k points. “Our opponents have run out of troops, they didn’t have the Temple of the Mother for the entire match so far,” Joel1101 was confident his team would win the races for both mines. His confidence was rewarded with both mines landing in the hands of TFI, “fill those mines up, I need to talk with Joel1101 in private,” DiEhArD took his good friend to a corner and gave him a stern look. “You could have cost us this match with your antics today, BAIZIMING is not in this match, we are facing PLF, get a hold of yourself brother,” DiEhArD had only love in his eyes for his brother but had to say the truth. “It won’t happen again, I promise you, today was just a bad day for me,” Joel1101 gave DiEhArD a hug as they both laughed it off as they re-joined their team and ordered they disband the buildings once they reach 80k points. “ PLF played like warriors, they deserve something from this match, I however, owe you guys an apology, “ before Joel1101 could continue, one of the seasoned warriors of TFI shouted, “ seems a bit dramatic, everyone makes mistakes and I agree PLF deserve something, so lets give them what they deserve and learn from our mistakes,” Joel1101 looked at him and laughed, “ this is why we will win the whole tournament because of warriors like you.” 

As TFI reached their goal of 80k points, they slowly disbanded the buildings, “they have left the buildings, grab them and let’s get those 40k points, the mines still have plenty of points for us,” DRUGI seemed happy to accept the offering. PLF would have control of most of the buildings till the end of the match, both sides reaching their goals.

The final minutes ticked away and TFI looked happy but knew the match was more of an experience for their leader, the pressure of leadership comes with a price, “what happened today, won’t happen again but a win is still a win,” Joel1101 had to forget about his demons and work on the future of TFI. “Excellent work today everyone, every match is a learning experience, even easy ones like today,” DiEhArD still couldn’t believe what happened but was willing to let it go without any further action.

The celebrations were mostly coming from the PLF camp, they had reached their goals of 40k points, “our opponents were way above our weight limit but we got there in the end, we never gave up, that’s why I’m proud to be your leader, “DRUGI and PLF had learnt even though their opponent far exceed their limits, determination and competence go far in Westeros. With lessons learned and goals achieved, both teams now look to the future as greater glory awaits.