Siege Of Winterfell - S15 R4 - HOH Vs FFS

Winter is coming…. It’s the most recognized fraise of the starks. the warden of the north. based in Winterfell, they ruled the north, with honor and dignity. Back in the old days, they were known as kings of winter. but after Aegon’s conquest, They became Warden of the North and ruled as Lords of Winterfell. Their home was Winterfell, an ancient castle, such a sight to behold with the white snow covering the ground and the trees and structures, giving it that pure white look. It had a strategic advantage of being located far up north, where the weather was so freezing it made enemies think twice about going into war with the north. After Ned Stark's unfortunate death, the burden fell on his eldest son Robb Stark, the title of lord of Winterfell was now his cross to bear. He led his troops south of the fight against the Iron Throne, and Winterfell was left with only a few defenders. In order to gain control of the North, House Greyjoy has turned against House Stark and the Siege of Winterfell is upon us. Theon, Who grew up with the Starks, they took him in after his father gave him to Ned Stark as a ward(initially as a hostage) after his failed rebellion. He returned to his "family" and has turned on those who gave him a home and treated him as one of their own. It makes you wonder about loyalty and what family means…doesn’t it?   

The Siege of Winterfell is on and the battle is intense, it's a battle between the Starks, represented by HOH, and the Greyjoy, represented by FFS. HOH is coming to this match after 3 successful matches, the team worked together well and they prevailed. But they didn’t have to face a much stronger foe like they do this time. FFS, is coming to this match after 2 successful matches(They lost one against RoD( former N3O)), where they showed great teamwork and strength. In FFS, HOH might find a familiar face, Their former member Oni Fae( now known as Makima). She left recently, after a long time with HOH, there were many reasons why she left, but what i will share with you is that she wanted a change and FFS were the place she found it in. Do you think HOH has what it takes to defeat a strong alliance, with a lot of strong accounts or will FFS show their dominance like they have so far in this SOW season?

Urielki, alongside his team leaders, Spimmer, SiNa and AK were making last preparations for the upcoming match. They know how hard this match is going to be and that they will need their all alliance to give it their all. Some had their doubts about this match and about HOH’s ability to win this. If you look at the stats and the roster of both sides, you would come to the same conclusion that the odds are not in favor of HOH. So their concerns were just, Uri wanted to do right by his team, to prepare them for what is to be expected from this match. He wanted to make sure his team knows that he and the leadership team will give their all and they will push as far and hard as possible, until it is no longer possible. 

" Tonight, in our 4th match of SOW, We are coming here once more as a united team, a team that knows no fear and is not backing out of a fight. We have a battle tonight against the Greyjoy’s and their FFS troops. Now, I know that they are stronger than us and have the ability to win this match. But we are coming today to fight, we will try our best and see how it goes. Our focus at first will be to try and capture the buildings on the map, we will see how that goes and then maybe even challenge them for the package…who knows? So, make sure you are ready for a fight and please pay attention and follow our commands as they are given and please DON'T go rogue " 

Uri finished his speech and everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to do and where on the map they were going to go. It is not going to be easy, but Uri knows his team will do what they can and that all he can expect from them.

 Just like I do in every SOW story, I will give u a quick guide on how SOW goes- In every match two alliances face each other on the battlefield, their purpose is to earn as many points as they possibly can, they do that by capturing a location for the first time, occupying them (the more troops u have in, the better chances you have of defeating your enemy) and also by escorting the transport of Winterfell resource (aka THE BOX). The match lasts for 1h and the alliance with the most points will claim victory, this event is carried out as a tournament and for the first time ever in SOW there will also be playoffs and we join its 5th round, let's dive into the battle.

5…4…3…2…1…let's Race!!

Race had begun, and the teams were racing on both sides of the map, Uri split the team and on both sides teams were racing to capture the buildings. Hot Springs give a boost of 100% to healing speed. Healing is an important part of this event (in every event if you think about it, some are costlier than other events). The Armory gives a 50% boost in total attack, defense and health. Once the team arrives at a building, their goal is to capture and hold it, which gives first capture points, so being first is important, but it's not a game changer. The way to occupy a location(building) is to fight inside the circle and have more troops than your enemy. It is a known fact that both leaders remind their team every time they fight. The number of deployments (fighters) appear on the bar above the building. You know how the old saying goes? There is strength in numbers, so the more troops you place in, the better chances you have of defeating your enemies and claiming the buildings and the points they give. But sometimes having more numbers isn’t enough, when your enemy is stronger than you. 

The fight was quite intense, both teams were engaging in battle. Uri and Armory team were giving it all they had, they were attacking FFS troops, and it wasn’t easy at all. A lot of injured troops were sent back to get treated and there were a lot of troops that didn’t make it. They will be mourned later, it wasn’t that time yet. Uri wasn’t the kind of leader that would back down from a fight, it was still early to call it, he shouted at his men to keep on fighting and not to give up. Do you think they can really carry it till the end of this battle? Uri was fighting alongside his soldiers… he was the kind of hands-on leader. If his men fight and risk their lives, then so will he, lead by example was his motto. How can he ask his men to fight and risk it all, if he wasn’t ready to do that as well.  

As the fight at Armory continued, HOH's numbers went down, while FFS's numbers went up, and it appeared that FFS was turning things around to its advantage. FFS troops were outnumbering HOH’s deployments, and if you took a look at the map, it would tell you that almost all the buildings on the map were colored red, which means they were under FFS control. That fact didn't escape Uri and Spimmer, they took a second to pause this crazy intense fight and consider the next steps, Spimmer(the Winterfell team leader)  knew exactly what Uri was thinking, they had been fighting together for a long time and they understood each other without words. Things weren't going in HOH's favor at HS( Hot Spring) as well, AK and his team fought bravely with their swords and dragons, they charged their troops and engaged any FFS troops they encountered, they managed to inflict some damage to their foe and they weren't afraid to raise their sword and aim their bow at the enemy. They were outnumbered and outpowered, but it didn't stop them from trying.

After the battle at Armory was lost, Uri directed his team to redeploy to Stark Stronghold(located above Armory). There was no point in trying to take Armory, FFS forces were too strong and it would be a waste of troops. He wasn’t sure they had a chance to capture Stronghold, but as I mentioned earlier, Uri wasn’t the one to back down from a fight, not before trying first. This battle at Stronghold was tight at times and at times it was FFS that was in the lead, they had more troops than HOH. And as the fight progressed HOH troops were bruised and their numbers were decreasing. FFS leaders were satisfied with their performance so far, they were leading and things were going as they planned. They came to this fight knowing they were stronger than HOH, but they made preparations for this fight as they would any match. They didn’t want to underestimate their opponents, that could lead to an unwanted outcome. 

At Winterfell, the package was about to drop and FFS forces were already lined up there ready to carry it and protect it until it arrived at one of their bases. Will they have to fight for it with HOH or would it be a smooth sail? FFS event leader looked at the land surrounding WF and he couldn’t find any enemy troops near or at WF. He appointed one of his soldiers to keep an eye and let him know if he sees anyone marching towards the package. Uri and Spimm decided not to contest the package, they gave the order to their troops to remain in the buildings and to let FFS deliver it and not go after it. They knew it would be pointless and they made the smart decision to cut their losses and just focus on fighting over the buildings and try and get points from that.

A good leader needs to be able to adapt and change the strategy he uses and make adjustments as the battle evolves and know when to push forward and go all in with full force and when to realize it is a lost cause and cut the losses before the damage caused to your team is something they can’t handle and to think of what is best for the team. After the 3rd  package was delivered again smoothly by FFS and the gap in points was already too much for HOH to even consider trying to close it, both Uri and Spimm decided to call it and not try anymore, they gave their troops the chance to go back to base or stay and fight at the buildings if that is what they want. The choices were theirs, but they asked them not to waste any more healing days, and to use only the troops they had left. They had more events moving forward, so better to save them for that.

If I'm being honest with you, this battle wasn’t going to go in HOH's favor from the beginning. They have much stronger accounts and they have better weapons and commanders. I think HOH gave a good fight and they did all they could but in the end, FFS showed dominance throughout the match. This match ended as you must have realized by now with FFS as the winners, this was their 3rd win so far, so that goal was met. their next goal is to make it to the playoffs… will they? HOH already had 3 wins so far this season, and their next goal was the same as FFS, to make it to the playoffs, they were ranked lower than FFS so nothing is assured for them and they will have to bring their A game in the next 2 matches left in the regular season. They can’t afford to lose or they risk not making it, and that wasn't something they could accept. They weren't aiming to win the playoffs, they knew the chances were slim, there are stronger alliances with big accounts that have more chance to take the season, but they were hoping to get as far as they can in the playoffs. It's all they could hope for and they were ok with that.

Will HOH make it to the playoffs? How far do you think they can reach in the playoffs? And FFS, their chances to make it are higher, the question is how far will they go? What rank will they end up at the of the season? Both teams went back to base, some happy with their great win and some were just glad this battle was over. HOH team members weren't disappointed with this loss, they were realistic and didn't expect to win this match, they knew who they were facing and they did what they could. Uri made sure to tell them what a great job they did and how proud he was of them, he told them to not let this loss bring them down and that there are more matches to be played and not all is lost. The dust settled down and the camp was all quiet now, tomorrow is a new day and brings more challenges with it.