Swimming with the whales and sharks, rookie accounts PoV in LoL (Part 1)

Some time has passed since my last adventures on the baby accounts, and as I check their calendars, I notice that Lord of Lords is starting today. Alongside Commissions and Best Effort (Gathering and Speed Ups), it’s the perfect incentive to play for a full week.

Sadly, I didn’t catch LoL early like I usually do, but two hours before it starts is still decent time to prepare a plan.

As always, I send out gathering runs before the event starts to squeeze in a few points before most people.

I'm curious about my last performance so I check the rankings. At first, I’m surprised not to see my accounts in the top 10. But then I remember the whale and their friends are now running this kingdom. I scroll down a bit and remember that I did manage to sneak into the top 10 after all. Yeah, I remember now. Not bad! Good result under the circumstances. That should be my goal again for this round of LoL as well. I might even try for top 3. It's probably impossible, but hey, I’ll give it my best effort 😉 #InsertDadJokesHere

Both my accounts are closing in on that 100 million power milestone, and they’ll likely get it during this event. So, from this day forward, I shall no longer refer to them as baby accounts. They are now my little accounts.😂

While planning the week for my baby little accounts, I spot two more goals to aim for.

First, their ViP level. Both accounts are very close to hitting ViP 12, and with Alliance Mobilization also starting, it might be worth spending a few blues to push them over the edge. I should be able to get the blue diamond quest(s) in AM since I can reroll the cards😜The points from the ViP level help in LoL P5, and with the whales and their shark friends swimming nearby, I’ll need all the points I can get.

Second, the account Total Score. Since I’ll be playing these accounts as part of my one year challenge, I linked them to my main as apprentices. That helped them early on thanks to the Apprentice Shop (which I cleaned up long ago), but now it’s time for my main to benefit as well. Once the little accounts reach 40k Total Score, my main should get the <Dance of Crows> album. This is one of the few I'm still missing on my main and I'd feel great for getting it after spending so much time on these rookie accounts.

With these three goals and a week packed of events, let’s see how this all plays out and just how much I'm able to accomplish!

After the first wave of gatherers returned, I find myself exactly where I wanted to be: 2nd and 3rd place. I know it won’t last, but it’s still a nice feeling to see this score, so I snap a picture to immortalize my podium ranking and maybe project on the final picture.

While admiring my placement in the top rankings, another sneaky idea pops into my head. I remember how the new Adventure Gathering quests gave points during KvK. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but it definitely helped a lot, especially on my small accounts. So I decide to test whether this ultra speed gathering grants points in LoL Phase 1. I know that instant collection using the Dragon Skill doesn’t work… but maybe this could sneak in some “free” points?

Apparently not. After clearing a full level 5 grain node in under 10 minutes, my score stays exactly the same.

Honestly, I think I’m more relieved than disappointed. These kinds of "instant" mechanics really shouldn’t influence big events.

If ranking was impacted this much by other effects, it wouldn’t be a healthy competition.

In the end it turns out Phase 1 was a huge flop.😭

I slept like a baby so no new gathering sent out overnight. On top of that I even overslept the next day, since it was the weekend. Good for me actually, no regrets, I’m glad I got the rest. But on the flip side, it definitely didn’t help my LoL ranking for Phase 1. When I finally woke up, my accounts were still sitting in the top 5. Honestly, I was surprised no one else had jumped on the gathering score, especially since there weren’t enough level 5 Farmlands available last night when I was sending out my troops before bed.

Looking at the time left in the phase, I realized I wouldn’t be able to fully deplete level 5 grain nodes. Level 4 would leave too much time at the end. So, I sent out a fresh wave to level 5 nodes and told myself: "just remember to recall them before the phase ends."👍

Then I got on with weekend stuff and probably 2 minutes later I forgot everything about the game. I went out, got busy… and completely forgot to recall my farmers. I actually remembered the game about an hour after Phase 1 ended. Or was it 2 hours?

I also remembered I could’ve timed their return by adjusting the number of troops in the march. Perfect timing... for the next LoL😅

When I got home, I finished some more chores, and finally logged back in, I was just in time to watch my last gatherers stroll back, almost 3 hours late. At least now I have a nice bank of resources for Phase 2.

Even with all that, both my accounts still landed in the top 10. So it wasn’t all bad. Let’s see if I can hold that placement going into Phase 2.

Phase 2 didn't start all that great either.😱

Turns out, several lords were clearly waiting for this phase and came in strong. Despite finishing some good building upgrades and quite a few researches, I haven’t been able to get back in the top 10.

But on the bright side, I haven’t used up all my resources or speed-ups. I can still decide to go all in during Phase 5. At this point, top 3 or even top 5 is starting to feel very unlikely. Given how things are going, even finishing in the top 10 is starting to feel a bit optimistic.

Shortly after Phase 3 starts, I find myself back on the first page in this Training phase rankings. Top 5 with both accounts? You could say I’m the whale now😂

Getting these many points from training troops like it’s my only source, lol. But despite this good start and effort I'm still just out of reach of the top 10 overall ranks with both accounts.

To make things even worse, after only one day of Phase 3, I’m completely out of resources. My gathering teams are out and working hard to provide for my empire and both cities have nearing max resource production in terms of resource buildings and research. Still, my overall production feels low. Maybe it’s time I finally looked up a good hyper farm guide? I’m sure I’m missing out on some... probably a lot of... details; like hidden commander abilities that boost resource generation way more than what I currently have going?

Amazingly though, I manage to push my score even higher during this phase, and in the end, both accounts finish in the top 3, right behind the biggest whale. I have to admit... I’m quite impressed. That’s a huge win for both my little accounts… but still not enough to get into the top 10 overall.

Next we head into Phase 4, a place where I’ve never really shined on any of my accounts across the years. I'm building both my little accounts to act as pre-hitters for my main. So I've purchased the Last Hearth castle skin and finished all the research I can manage without Masters Tower level 25. But with just blue gear and a level 59 Lord... plus zero awakened commanders across any of my commanders... yeah, it’s not exactly a recipe for LR domination.

But I'm not expecting much from this phase anyway. By this time tomorrow, I’ll should know where I stand in this Lord of Lords. Phase 5 has always been my bread and butter. If I don't break the ranks there, there is little I can do in Phase 6... or is there?🙃

I find myself ending Phase 4 in… 29th place? I wasn't expecting much but this is actually disappointing.

I don't believe many lords in this kingdom have high motivation recovery so they must be using items. But why burn items here? Phase 4 isn’t even that meaningful. The points are low in comparison to what we can earn in the other phases.

I honestly don’t get it… but hey, if everyone else is doing it, I jump on the crazy train too. So, five minutes before the phase ends, I pop a few items myself and try to jump a few spots, just enough to save a bit of face and not end so far from the top 10😅

I actually have to speed in my last hit to make the phase cutoff but despite my last minute effort I don't jump as many ranks as I would have hoped for so I declare this a lost cause and move into Phase 5 with high hopes.

Alliance Mobilization is also up right now, so before I burn through a ton of speed-ups and bump my account power, I make sure to pick up a few quests in AM first. What’s that saying? Two birds with one stone? Yeah, I think that's it😀

Luckily, I can flip the board myself. Without that, this would take way longer.

I quickly get another 2.4 mil power quest for 200 points on my 2nd account so it's time to start the race. Just look at how perfect my current research barely exceeds the current Elite quest? Now that's something I'd like to see all day, maybe even 2 days since Phase 5 runs over 2 days😜

Pretty soon I get another perfect fit Elite quest. I love it when the research I start aligns so well with the quest stages.

And another after that... I'm getting lucky with Building and Research Elite quests today😱

In a few hours I finish the 2.4 mil quests on both accounts and while I wait for another good quest to drop I might as well focus on my other objectives. The daily was also around 2.5 Mil for research, nice coincidence, thank you very much😏

With that out of my way, let's see how the ViP upgrades are looking. Hmm, I still need to spend quite a bit of Blue Diamonds here so i might as well start looking for a nice "spend 50k blues to get 200 points" quest in AM. 29k blues for the ViP and another 11k for the Day of Plunder wagon reroll should do the trick nicely. However getting that elusive Blue Diamonds quest seems to be harder than expected.

I do get one eventually. Was hoping for one on each account but I'll take what I can get and call it a great success.

With all the upgrades I'm pushing out during Phase 5 I hit a real important milestone in my little accounts progression.

They both get score 40k allowing my main to claim one of the few missing albums.

The second day of Phase 5 is looking pretty promising as well. After a couple of dragon upgrades I ended up with a Shadowmoon level-up.

Look how fierce it's gotten now! Just kidding, it's as cute as it's ever been😘

I also got some mostly wasted Wheel upgrades (but, at least they give points😅so not 100% wasted). Just look at that points machinegun going even after I've finished spinning the wheel.

The day ends with a few gear pieces upgraded on top of all the research, like the sprinkles on top, for good measure.

Next and final day I check the daily event... Wouldn’t you know it? Daily is Research again. How opportunistic for me😜The target’s a bit high this time, but I’m also behind on points, by a large margin. Despite the great day I just had, I’m still sitting just outside the top 10. So it’s time for another great effort.

I’m stacking this with some Alliance Mobilization quests, again. Might as well double dip and help my alliance who is on a different kingdom and unaware of the struggles I'm going through. Looks like it’s going to be another day of burning through resources and speed-ups.

Second day in a row, I love it when the plan comes together and I'm able to finish research to get just enough points for the thresholds.

Sometimes I even get lucky. I didn't even think this last building upgrade would be enough. Thought I'd need another few thousand after it. Well, I never said I was good at math. But this has to be my best one yet, only 6 points over.👍

Shortly after this I also finish the daily quest on my 2nd account. This is bananas for my little accounts. They haven't grown this much in such a short time span since... probably ever. I'm very curious to see the power difference tomorrow when the Phase 5 ends.

After a second day of going full throttle, I manage to close slightly ahead of my competition. This shows dedication… and, well, a lot of resources and speed-ups, obviously. Honestly, this kind of progress wouldn’t have been possible if I’d stayed with the original alliance from this new kingdom. Now let’s see when I wake up tomorrow if I'm on the same spot on the total rankings.

Phase 5, Day 3 looks like another Research daily! That’s three in a row! Kind of overkill and probably out of my league to do the daily again. I’ve already secured the nr 1 spot in Phase 5 and nobody contested it so far. Plus, I’m basically out of speed-ups, so I decide to sit this one out. The daily I mean, this doesn't mean I can't snipe a few Elite if they have Tyrion medals or Motivation😅No sense draining what little Speeds I have left for anything less.

As Phase 5 ends, both of my accounts are on the podium, but I’m still not where I want to be in the overall rankings.

So now the big question... How will this end?

Can I pull off a surprise move in Phase 6? I've never managed one before, but maybe this is the time I pull a miracle out of my hat.

Even if I don't do anything spectacular in Phase 6, so far I've managed to get both my accounts in the top 10 overall. And while this was not my best case scenario ending, it's a result I'm happy with. Considering I spent almost all my speeds to get here, it's safe to say doing more with these accounts was out of the question. Or is it?😶

Only one phase remains! Will I stay in the top 10? Will I get knocked out of the top 10 in Phase 6? Or will I jump on the podium like in the good old days when the kingdom was fresh? Stay tuned for Part 2 of the journey and let’s see how this story plays out until the end.