AAO SoW S16 – Match 3: Bitter-Sweet Triumph, Win but Short of the 80k Mark

It’s the 3rd match of the AAO season, and our little Super League alliance has done remarkably well so far with two straight wins on the board.

Next up, we’re facing NGU. I don’t know much about them, but one thing stands out: their alliance avatar frame. It’s the same fancy one we use in AAO and the same one TGB used. And since we crushed TGB last time, I can’t help but hope it’s a good omen. Let’s see if the pattern holds.😀

After searching for the right lord and gear... I seriously think, this account is screaming for upgrades. A bit in disbelief about my real strength compared to my imagined strength... I jump onto the battlefield.

I’m assigned to patrol duty, so my job is simple: track enemy movements and respond fast. The first scout shows most of NGU heading for the Hot Springs. Alright then… if that’s where they’re going, I’ll lead my team there too. Time to test our adversary!

When I reach the Hot Springs, the fight is already going. We’ve got the numbers, they are outnumbered at least two to one, but somehow we’re not cutting them down nearly as fast as I’d like.😱

Most of our team here must be alts or farms, not battle hardened accounts, and it shows.😱

Despite holding the Springs (and enjoying cheaper heals), we can’t push NGU back. Instead, the fight drags on… and on. Ten minutes later, we’re still locked in combat, and the numbers aren’t looking so good anymore. Our 2:1 advantage is gone, and things are starting to look even. My worry turns into reality: dominance is slipping through our fingers.

Sure enough, they flip the scales shortly after. We’re forced to retreat. We enjoy one last round of healing while we still hold the Springs, and prepare for a counteroffensive. But on my way back, the first statue of the match appears.

At first, I’m ready to march straight past, it’s obvious Hot Springs is the higher priority. But then I spot a lone enemy camping the statue, right on our side of the map. Do I let it slide? Or do I make a counter play?

As part of the “where needed” patrol team, the call is mine. On one hand, the Springs are critical; on the other, ignoring statues means giving NGU free buffs that could snowball the fight. After a moment’s hesitation, I decide to strike. I wipe the enemy army and plant myself on the statue. If I’m not directly swinging the tide at Hot Springs, at least I can help with a buff for the team.

I can’t help but laugh when our package runner strolls right past my statue just as I finish claiming it. Some teammates peel off to pick up bags while others shield the runner, and suddenly my decision makes perfect sense. Not only do we land a buff, but we also deliver a package. With escort troops freed up, we’ve got more forces available for the main fight at Hot Springs and the timing couldn’t be better.

But before we can march “up” toward the Hot Springs again, there’s work to do. Several of our bases have fallen into enemy hands, and pushing straight through would only leave them at our backs. First stop: Greyjoy Stronghold 2. The fight is tough and drags longer than I’d like, but eventually we wrest it back under our banner.

From there, we split forces. The bulk of our team pushes north to retake the Hot Springs, while my smaller “where needed” contingent swings south to Greyjoy Outpost 2.

Reinforcements start coming in from base, a bit shy on numbers, but together we clean up the flank. Soon the entire right side of the map is ours again, and at last we’ve cleared out a direct path back toward the Springs.

But before I can even reach Hot Springs, the same strategic dilemma strikes again. Another pair of statues is about to spawn, and the enemy is already moving to claim both. Grr… that means I won’t make it to the Springs yet. Someone has to contest at least the statue closest to us, and since I’m the “where needed” guy, that job falls to me. I call in some backup and stall out the timer until the bubble drops, determined to grab the buff once more.

And what a coincidence, our package runner passes by at the exact same moment, just like last time. Only now, with stronger accounts fighting at my side, we’re able to both protect the runner and secure the statue.

Another buff, another delivery, and a clean win for the team. For the first time this game, it feels like we’re starting to slip ahead.

With that secured, the match moves into its second half, and momentum finally shifts our way. We strike back at the two biggest objectives on the map: Hot Springs and Armory. Up to this point, neither side has truly controlled them, just a constant back-and-forth as both alliances heal whenever they hold Springs. But now it’s our chance to flip the map, secure them once and for all, and deny the enemy their cheap heals and offensive bonuses.

And I’ll admit, I’m actually pleased about our progress now and more confident than before. Up until now, my game has been reactive, limited to small fights on the lower half of the map. But with Hot Springs and Armory secured, I can finally cross the halfway line and push into enemy territory. For the first time today, I’m not retreating to heal, I’m advancing to fight and I know I’ve got big objectives with lots of allies behind me if things go wrong.

Perfect timing to take control of the map, just as we’re heading into the endgame and we get another statue buff on our side.

Now with the final statue spawning near Winterfell, my mobile squad is already on it. For the third time in a row, I get to contest the statue and back up the package team. Look at my little account, all over the place today.

After a brief skirmish, we secure yet another buff for the blue team and settle into position at Winterfell, waiting for the package drop. The moment it appears, we grab it and start the run. Between the dedicated package team and my roaming support, we’ve got more than enough muscle to peel off any attackers. Another clean delivery. By now, the game feels firmly in our hands!

The only real question left is… can we break 80k points? That’s ambitious. Two-thirds of the match is already gone and we’ve only just crossed 46k😳barely halfway there. Still, with control of more territory, stronger point-per-minute gains, and steady package deliveries, there’s a chance. If we can grab a few more buildings before the end, maybe, just maybe, we can do it.

But before we push deeper into enemy lines, first things first: secure our own bases. I start with Greyjoy Outpost 2, and wow… reality check strikes again. I really need to put work into this account. I’m struggling to beat a single Bow march, which says it all.

Lucky for me, another teammate shows up to help, because that single Bow march nearly wrecked my three marches. It wiped out the two AFK armies in the Outpost and still managed to deal heavy casualties to all three of my marches. Only with another three marches joining in were we finally able to bring it down. One enemy march against six-eight of ours… that’s humbling. It felt like déjà vu from the opening fight at Hot Springs, where just a handful of their accounts held back our entire Hot Springs & Roaming squads.

With my troops limping but still standing, I march north to reinforce Hot Springs. If we’re serious about hitting 80k, we can’t afford to show weakness here, and NGU is still pressing hard.

For a moment, I worry we’re about to relive that early disaster, with our defense collapsing under a smaller NGU force. But then, shockingly, they just… leave.😅Instead of pushing Hot Springs, they run off to chase the package about to spawn at Winterfell. What a throw. They had a real chance to flip Hot Springs, but instead they chase a delivery they had no shot at stealing. Big mistake, N00bs!

Once again, I spend the closing minutes cleaning up enemy stragglers in our territory. No point pushing deep if we can’t even keep our own bases safe. This time it’s a Spear account, and after what that Bow march did to me earlier, I already know how this story goes. Fighting straight into my counter… yeah, can't wait. Still, with three or more marches backing me up, we eventually bring it down, one stubborn enemy at a time, but this costs us precious time. Time that we no longer have if we want to get that 80k

And time is slipping away, and we’ve barely made progress into enemy ground. Instead of grabbing their buildings for bonus points, we’ve been locked in a tug-of-war just to hold our own objectives. With the final package delivered, the math becomes painfully clear: we’re not breaking 80k. NGU, on the other hand, hit their 30k target before the end. Honestly, it seems like that was their main goal all along, they wanted 30k more than we wanted 80k😭

As the final seconds tick down, we’re still clashing over Hot Springs, Armory, even our Outposts.

The scoreboard freezes just shy of the mark, leaving us with a bittersweet conclusion. We pulled the game back from a rocky start, secured the win, but fell short of the milestone we’d set our sights on.

Still, a win is a win, and this one makes it 3/3 for the season. That’s likely enough to put us somewhere around top 20 once all the matches wrap up, which also means… next weekend we’re probably staring down an impossible matchup.

No time to dwell, though. The main event with N0X is coming up tonight, and that’s the real test. Last time was a crushing defeat, but this round should be against someone closer to our level. Time to regroup, refocus, and see what’s waiting on the battlefield.