AAO AC S22 – Match 3: The Mines of Endless Possibilities

Going into our 3rd match in the alt alliance, it looks like we’ll be facing NGU. Now here’s an interesting twist. Unlike the usual “I don’t know this alliance” remark I make, I actually remember these guys from a past season. I think we beat them then too.😀Discord confirms the memory, and also that they’ve grown stronger since. But power alone doesn’t guarantee a win, so all I can say is this match should be interesting.

We’re going in this 3rd match with one win and one loss, a decent start to the season. But if I want my alt to earn enough Valor Points for that sweet Cav weapon, the Arakhs, we’ll need at least four wins out of six games this season.

Preparation looks smooth, though having a hunter active on our kingdom and people getting zeroed before AC isn’t ideal. Still, AAO is a casual alt alliance, so these things happen.

As start time approaches, it’s clear they outnumber us by a good margin (66 vs 49), and their Starting Points are higher too. So this might just be the challenge we’ve been missing.

When the match begins, our racers do great and we grab 3 out of the 4 opening buildings.

Then, as Ports open, we secure the close one but lose the far one. Somewhat expected, but with 5 of the 6 early buildings under our banner, including the Outpost we just got "back", things are looking very good. Let’s just hope we can hold it for another 50 minutes.😅

When the Strongholds unlock, I pull off a beautiful snipe and take the far one myself. Co-shotcaller and racer, thank you very much! I even have the nerve to ask for reinforcements this time. Not only do I take it, but I want to hold it too. Considering I’m the only cav player holding anything at that moment, it’s a fair ask to get everyone's free Cavs.😏

Before Casterly Rock opens, we also reclaim the far Port. At this point, it feels like we’re dominating the entire map. I don’t even understand how, since they have several high power accounts, but their coordination is awful.

When CR opens, we win the race but can’t get the right account inside. Still, the one that got in can hold, so we stick with it. I’m starting to understand why I got left inside that far Stronghold, apparently every other holder on our side is infantry. Guess I’m the honorary cavalry mascot this round.

As personal bubbles drop and the hive wars start, there’s not much real pressure. The map feels quiet. I take a moment to fix my marches, heal, and send proper troop types to the right holders. Controlling the entire map isn’t easy, you know.😅

The midgame is mostly dead time until the mines open, so we turn to hive raiding. Their hive looks like a buffet of unclaimed points, so we go farming. For honor, glory, and leaderboard padding, obviously!

We’re still in full control. They’ve been chaotic all match, launching random rallies with no timing, no plan. But we can’t relax. The mines can change everything. If they win both and stack their big accounts inside, we could actually lose the game.

And as the mines open... disaster. Well, half a disaster. We only win one race and claim the closer mine. We scramble to reinforce and bleed the other, but without our top accounts ready, it’s tough and we don't seem to be able to do much.

Then, somehow, luck comes our way. A few random but lucky hits later, we capture the far mine. The holder is a bow account, which isn’t ideal for reinforcing, but we send everything, or as my alliance lead says, the “kitchen sink”, and manage to hold. Who said bows are bad?

But guess what, while we were busy reinforcing the far mine... we forgot to defend the one we originally took. They snatch it from right under our noses. Did we just trade mines? Yep, seems so.😒

We try to hit it, but their defense doesn’t budge. We’re short on big rally leads and even shorter on troops. Then comes the plot twist. One of our best accounts, currently holding Mother, has been asking to be swapped out for some time now. Tired of waiting, he just drops Mother and solos the enemy mine instead. And guess what? Through sheer randomness and lucky timing, it works. We capture the mine. Total madness. We’ve literally traded Mother for the mine.

And if that wasn’t enough comedy, after we settle comfortably in both mines, we get bored and start hitting Mother again... and take it back too. Not that we needed it, healing for this game was mostly already done, but still, we just pulled off a full map sweep... for fun.

Now it’s time to count the points. With 6 minutes left, 100k looks possible, but the mines are drying up. The only way to reach the mark is to raid what’s left of their hive.

And in the final minute, we mange to pull it off. We burn their last castle and cross 100k total points for a perfect photo finish.

When the results screen rolls in, we’ve secured a win with that big 100k trophy. Another win against a stronger opponent, achieved through teamwork and smart calls rather than raw power. AC isn’t a YOLO solo event. It’s a game of teamplay, strategy and, coordination. And that’s exactly why it’s one of the best events in the entire game.

There’s barely time to celebrate. I check my Arakhs points, and jump straight into preparations for the main event with N0X. That matchup looks promising too, and if it’s even half as fun as this one, it’s going to be a good day in Westeros.