Alliance Conquest: Match 4 | RRH Revisited

For our fourth match of Alliance Conquest, the game decided to pair us with an alliance that was becoming all too familiar to our dear N0Xies: RRH. We had initially faced them in the first match in which they solidly defeated us, earning 115k to our 44k. With it being just the beginning of the season, our team was a bit out of practice and still testing some new strategies, so finding ourselves very outmatched against RRH’s rally leads did lower morale for the matches to come. 

But in the time since then, N0X followed up with two great matches against SKR and MBL, which allowed us to climb the rankings as well as get into a better groove and build up our confidence. Only for the fourth match to reveal a pairing that was all too familiar for us: RRH again. This time, though, the reaction among N0X members was one of determination. Maybe it was the lifted spirits from the last two fights, or that we all still desperately wanted to impress Grombold in hopes that he wouldn’t leave us when the cookies ran out, but I think it was just that we could sense how well we had improved as a team since that first match and we were eager to prove it. Knowing it would be very unlikely for us to pull out a win against RRH, we still planned to put up as hard of a fight as we could.

Our improvement was already evident before the battle timer even started, as we were porting 94 members onto the field compared to our previous 87. Peering across the field, we could spot the familiar faces who made our last match so difficult, such as Andir1981 and Covya, as well as their new addition Barlab. Leadership took the time to walk our team through the final plans, ensuring everyone understood their role. Red Pandy chimed in to offer encouragement and remind us, “This is our rematch, and we are going all in. No holding back.” Scythe followed up with “We will scratch for every point we can.” With that, the battle began.

In the first wave, our racers grab first claims on Lannister Outpost and most importantly we place Grombold in Tower of the Warrior. The strength boost acquired from holding this building will be integral for us in this fight, and having Grombold almost guarantees its safety. For the Outpost, we have to pull off a swap in enemy territory, and it’s tense but we manage to get Vergo in with some speedy reinforcements. To add to our growing excitement, we also pull of a successful string of rallies to capture the Temple of the Mother under Mablung974’s hold. As we’re rallying, RRH swipe the far Outpost, but in reaction we deploy a successful string of rallies and claim our nearest Outpost instead. 

The match has begun with a great momentum for us, but with the next wave of buildings our struggles truly begin. RRH wins both races for the Ports, and almost simultaneously reclaim Mother from us. Soon after, our Outpost is lost to Barlab, but we move our focus to claiming our near Port for the points boost. It takes two waves of rallies, but finally LadyKnight secures it for us. 

Our next break comes at the speedy heels of subarushi, who gets the first capture on Casterly Rock, allowing us to swap in DYW’s mighty forces. Unfortunately, our focus on the swap left us vulnerable in our Port and it’s lost. Before we can give our next move too much thought, it’s all hands on deck to defend CR from a slew of RRH rallies. Their forces overwhelm us, and Arcmire overtakes the castle. The match from here was a fierce struggle for us as we claimed whatever we could, and scratched for every point just as Scythe had instructed us. For every time we claim a Port, Outpost, or Stronghold, we are overtaken not long after. We successfully rallied for CR, and Glorie briefly regained our Port, but we couldn’t hold against RRH’s relentless pressure.

Despite the widening scoreboard gap, we never gave up. Belore seized one crucial moment, as we were rallying CR and RRH attempted a swap, to speed his rally in and claim the castle as it was empty. Though our defenses didn’t hold as long as we wished, our persistence and small victories defined this battle for us. 

The Mines presented our final opportunity to claim points, and luckily we managed to win both races. Unluckily, however, our slow march for the far Mine is missing leaving our racer Atyaa to defend. With quick thinking Belore deploys the rally strategem to bubble the Mine for one crucial minute, allowing us to glean some final points until our inevitable kick from the building. 

We finished the match with a score of 57k to 98k, a bit of an improvement from our first fight with RRH this season. But the biggest improvement was in our spirits. We walked away from this battlefield with pride, knowing we had given it everything and grown as a team.