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[Review] Analysis of SPS vs HMB in IBL in Infinity Kingdom

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Article Publish : 03/13/2026 23:52

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💠Introduction

What’s up, folks? Welcome back to my Illusion Battlefield League(IBL) series, where I take a closer look at different matches. The IBL tournament differs from regular IB in that everyone will construct marches and skill builds using a fixed set of skills. At different stages of the tournament, more immortals and skills will become available. Everyone has access to the same immortals and the same skills. Castle skins and Lord Talents do not affect the more fast-paced battles of IBL. Relocations and marching speed are also faster. The event is one of the most entertaining events in Infinity Kingdom, and players enjoy spectating, almost like a sporting event. In this article, I’m going to take a closer look at the match between Server 38’s Suicide Penguins(SPS) and Server 56’s Hakuna Matata(HMB).

💠Table of Contents

Overview
Starting Positions and Talents
SPS
HMB
Tower 1
Tower 4
Central Tower
Altars
Home Towers
Play-by-Play
Summary

💠Overview

SPS, the farm alliance of Server 38’s AoW, finished the qualifying phase with a 3–0 record before intentionally conceding to their main alliance in the first playoff round, sending them to the losers’ bracket. They rebounded with a win over ICE to reach this matchup. HMB finished the first phase at 6–1 and advanced past ICE before losing to AoW in the winners’ bracket. Both teams can field close to the maximum number of players, but SPS may have a slight advantage since many of their members are farm accounts and can afford to be more aggressive with gems, teleports, and speedups.

💠Starting Positions and Talents

SPS

Started with 27 players and ended with 29
12 Attack talents
11 Defense talents
4 Support talents

HMB

Started with 22 players and ended with 28
13 Attack talents
8 Defense talents
1 Support talent

💠Tower 1

SPS sent 12 players to Tower 1 while HMB sent 7. This differs from Server 38’s usual approach, as the top-sided team typically sacrifices Tower 1 to focus on the Central Tower and Tower 4. However, SPS likely felt comfortable contesting all three objectives due to their significant numbers advantage and HMB not being among the strongest teams. HMB would have been better off conceding one of the other towers to concentrate their forces more effectively.

💠Tower 4

SPS sent four players to Tower 4 while HMB committed eleven. If SPS intended to send only four, they should have chosen positions that could block several of HMB’s relocations, but instead they clustered on the top side of the tower and allowed HMB to spread out across the other three sides. This gave HMB far better control of the surrounding space. However, since SPS spawns closer as the top-sided team, arriving earlier could still allow them to destroy a few of HMB’s relocations before the fight fully develops.

💠Central Tower

SPS sent six players to the Central Tower while HMB committed only two. With such a small presence, HMB would have been better off fully conceding the Central Tower and reallocating those players to another objective. Alternatively, they could have sacrificed Tower 4 and concentrated their forces on Tower 1 and the Central Tower. Given the numbers advantage, SPS should be able to secure early control of the Central Tower without much resistance.

💠Altars

SPS sent one player to the Moon Altar. Neither team sent anyone to the Sun Altar.

💠Home Towers

SPS had four guards at their home tower while HMB had two at theirs.

💠Play-by-Play

At Tower 1, SPS destroyed one relocation immediately after landing and began sieging the tower while launching constant attacks on multiple HMB targets. The pressure forced one HMB player to activate a shield, and SPS quickly zeroed another shortly after. HMB managed to protect two late relocations, but SPS answered by eliminating two more defenders. SPS captured the tower a few minutes into the match, then blocked three additional relocations and fully surrounded the objective. They cleared the remaining two enemies near the tower and continued blocking or destroying incoming reinforcements before several members began rotating toward HMB’s home tower.

At Tower 4, all of HMB’s relocations completed successfully, but several of their players took heavy damage early after failing to garrison themselves. SPS arrived with three late relocations and immediately pressured the defenders, zeroing two players before HMB managed to eliminate one in return. A few HMB members attempted to relocate into open spots to better surround the tower, but they placed themselves too close to SPS positions and had their relocations destroyed. Despite these mistakes, HMB’s overwhelming numbers eventually took control of the area. They wiped out most of the SPS players, blocked incoming reinforcements, and captured the tower at the 11-minute mark while still finishing off the last remaining defenders.

At the Central Tower, HMB had only two players defending the objective, and both were immediately placed under heavy pressure. SPS repeatedly rallied them and followed up with at least four solo attacks each time, overwhelming their defenses. SPS zeroed one defender and forced the other to activate a shield, which only delayed the inevitable for about a minute. Another HMB player attempted to relocate from spawn to reinforce the area, but SPS blocked the relocation. Once the shield expired, SPS eliminated the remaining defender, surrounded the tower, and captured their third objective 11 minutes into the match.

Seven minutes into the match, SPS began relocating toward HMB’s Tower 3. HMB managed to block a couple of the incoming relocations but failed to destroy one that landed right next to the tower. As HMB scrambled to reinforce the area, SPS destroyed another relocation and quickly zeroed one of the defenders. One of the remaining guards had been inactive and took heavy damage without any garrisons, leaving him with very little health by the time he reacted. SPS finished off the remaining defenders, cleared the area around the tower, and captured Tower 3 at the 13-minute mark. From there, SPS maintained control and prevented any HMB reinforcements from returning to the area.

Meanwhile at Tower 4, HMB struggled to finish off the remaining SPS defenders. Those survivors began receiving reinforcements from spawn and nearby objectives, gradually establishing a foothold on the top side of the tower. SPS zeroed their closest targets and slowly advanced toward the objective while HMB failed to destroy several key relocations around the area. As more SPS players arrived, they began occupying all sides of the tower and tightening their control. With HMB forced to keep players back at their home tower and unable to send enough reinforcements, SPS overwhelmed the defenders and captured Tower 4 at the 29-minute mark, effectively putting the final nail in the coffin.

💠Summary

SPS defeated HMB 100,000 to 16,700, with RYUSEI earning MVP honors. HMB entered the match with poor opening attendance and their strategy did not account for the numbers deficit, as they attempted to contest all three neutral objectives instead of concentrating their forces on two. Even after committing significant manpower to Tower 4, HMB failed to properly clear the area and allowed SPS to regain control, while leaving the rest of the map under-defended. Their situation worsened as several defenders at their home tower were inactive and failed to destroy nearby relocations or maintain garrisons. SPS advances to face Mbl, while HMB is eliminated from the tournament.