Alliance Conquest: N0X vs SFu | The Most Important Math Ever Done

This 20th Alliance Conquest season had allowed for a strong run so far for N0X, with our only losses being against RRH. But with the 5th match upcoming, the season was officially nearing its end meaning the stakes couldn’t be higher. N0X has long had their eyes set on the goal of reaching the Ultimate Conquest bracket, and had come very close in the previous two seasons. With the upcoming matches we would see if we could finally achieve this dream or come up just short of our goal again.

When the matchups were revealed, we found ourselves facing SFu. There was relief in this pairing, as it seemed it would be a balanced battlefield, but we couldn’t take anything for granted. Having not encountered SFu recently, we didn’t know much of their playstyle, and could only assume that, like us, they’d be fighting their hardest for a chance to reach UC rankings.

On the battlefield, N0X makes a strong showing in the first wave by getting first-claim on all the buildings except for the near Outpost. The only catch is that we must swap the holders of all of them, and quickly. In rapid succession we swap Warrior, Mother, and then the Outpost, and SFu make attempts to snipe but our reinforcements are quick enough for all buildings to be secured. 

However, SFu are not here to play passively, and just as we were readying for the opening of the Ports they launch a hardy wave of rallies that knock us from the Mother. Rectifying this will have to wait as it’s time to race for the Ports, of which each alliance claims their farthest. After successfully swapping Gloriee into our Port, we take advantage of our momentum to reclaim the Mother and the near Port shortly after. It was now time to turn our focus to the opening of Casterly Rock, and it would turn out to need a great deal of our attention.

Though our racer seized it as it opened, at the moment we would usually be rushing to swap the building’s holder we realized our slow march was missing (through no fault of my own, that’s for sure….) so we would be forced to attempt a hard swap. On cue, our racer drops the building, and all rally leads try to attack as quickly as they can, but just before they reach the city it is intercepted by SFu. At the same time, we lost the far Port to the strong infantry army of Guts Black. 

This was a huge setback, but N0X members pushed forward with determination. We focused on securing the near outpost, then reclaiming the far port, until the protection on Casterly Rock drops and we ready our rallies. We hit the castle with success, putting our XSPRITZ at the helm. Thus begins SFu’s wave after wave of relentless rallies. We narrowly survived their first two attempts, and their third would have been victories had N0X leadership not deployed the 1-minute bubble strategem at the very last second. 

The match was nearing its final stretch and the pressure was on for us to defend what we held, and on both teams as they prepared to race for the all-important Mines. Arrows shot out as they opened, and we were quick enough to secure Grombold in the Targaryen Mine and a racer in the Lannister Mine. The brief 30-second protection bubble provided little time to enact our swap, but our members were quick to react and under Belore’s ceaseless calls to “speed in speed in speed in” we were able to secure him as the holder. 

Though SFu never gave up their fight, the N0X had earned a lead of 61k to 39k. But our next focus will be on something entirely unexpected: Math. While typically the goal in any Alliance Conquest match is to reach at least 80k points to receive the maximum rewards from the event. However, since this is the penultimate match of the season, N0X’s number one priority isn’t maximizing rewards from this match but maximizing our chances of making it to the playoff season: Ultimate Conquest. In previous event seasons, N0X has found themselves very close to making it into the top 16 alliance rankings, only to be matched with monster alliances for the last match which deliver major losses and knock us from the playoffs roster. This time, N0X leadership is wanting to win the match, but not with the maximum points so as to not be boosted too far up the alliance rankings, where we would be more likely to face another monster alliance for the last match. Therefore, some intensely important, on-the-spot math must be done to calculate at what point do we disband our holdings to the other team that will still ensure that we have enough points to win without going over the usually longed-for 80k points. 

With 16 minutes left and N0X at 78k points, the order comes to disband everything. First, the call is met with confusion, as it becomes clear we will not be able to reach 80k points. But once explained, the N0X members who remember the brutal final matches of the last two seasons welcome the decision and the hope it brings for our UC chances. SFu responds quickly and takes over the buildings, and though in the last few seconds we really begin to worry if our math will check out, the match finishes with a score of 79,350 to 72,470. 

After this purposefully narrow victory, only one match remains in the season. Knowing that every decision we made today brought us one step closer to the ultimate goal, we would be able to approach that final match with hope and determination. Now, all that’s left is to see if this gamble pays off…