Siege of Winterfell: N0X vs TIS

An all new event season was on the brink in Westeros, and our N0X team was gearing up to face the familiar Siege of Winterfell battlefield again. However, the ravens had brought news that for this season the battlefield may not be so familiar after all. Some major changes were coming for the event, which made everyone’s anticipation grow stronger. Instead of the traditional race for the package from Winterfell, we would fight for the rewards of two dragons on each side of the map throughout the battle. This would be sure to shake up how teams approach the fight, and being able to adapt to the change would be crucial.

Along with our eagerness to test out the changes, a new goal has been on our minds as an alliance. Having now made it to the Ultimate Conquest bracket for two seasons of Alliance Conquest, we had high hopes to finally achieve the playoffs for the Siege of Winterfell event. The first match of the season would give us our first clue at measuring our status as a team, and if we would be able to fight well enough to make our hopes a reality.

Our first opponent of the season was revealed to be TIS, an alliance that looked to be evenly enough matched with us in overall power, and would be bringing a few very strong fighters to look out for. This pairing promised us a competitive start to the season. We lined up along the Greyjoy side’s southern border and looked across as TIS did the same on the Stark side in the north. One of us would end this match as the victors, and everything until then was a great unknown.

Off to the Races

Within moments the field filled with armies from both sides, all rushing full speed to clash together at the Hot Springs and the Amory. Leadership from both teams moved quickly to gain control of the map. I was happy to have been assigned to fight on the Hot Springs team, alongside my oldest friend The Farmer. No matter what battle we faced it would be fun to fight alongside each other. As we raced for the Hot Springs, we found ourselves facing much heavier resistance than anticipated. I quickly mentioned to Farmer, “Does it look like we might be doomed here?” The Farmer laughed dryly. “Yeah, I think we found where their whole alliance went.” TIS had allotted such a large portion of their armies to that side, we soon were outnumbered by nearly two to one. We held up a determined fight, but the disadvantage in our numbers eventually forced us to retreat back from the Hot Springs to defend our Greyjoy Stronghold 2. For the moment, TIS held the right side of the battlefield.

The First Big Fight

Fortunately, the situation on the left side of the map allowed us to balance things out. Our fighters had secured control of the Armory and forced TIS back to fight for their Stark Stronghold 1. Maintaining these Strongholds was imperative for each team to be able to teleport directly into the battle, saving valuable time. With both sides of the map now mirroring each other, our teams were only a breath away from each other on the scoreboard. The first dragons would appear soon, and everyone was aware of how key these new elements would be in toppling the balance of the match.

The First Dragons

A quarter into the battle, the first pair of dragons spawned and both alliances immediately moved to capture them. As I watched them appear, I wondered to myself just how much these new creatures would change the flow of the game. Surprisingly, the dragon on the left side of the map proved to be the harder fight for us. The right side dragon made its way smoothly to our base, but on the Armory side the dragon went through a lengthier tug of war that almost threatened our map control on that side. But thankfully a few extra minutes of fighting was all it took for the second dragon to make it to our base as well. 

Now the flow of the battle had become something entirely new. Instead of the steady and timely drops of Winterfell packages, we had dragons on each side of the map appearing at different intervals. Meanwhile, our fighters continued battling across the map. After regrouping at our Greyjoy Stronghold 2, we gradually built up enough numbers to push our way back to the Hot Springs. “This is way better than last time,” Farmer called as we entered the circle to find that we had the numbers on our side now, and the Hot Springs was ours just in time for the next dragons to appear. 

More Dragons

Despite our gains on the map, this time TIS brought a stronger fight for the right side dragon, and both teams brought home one dragon each. Armies continued to clash across the map, with players continuously respawning and rushing back towards the fight. N0X was able to maintain most of the map control, but there was a growing sense that the alliance that could escort the dragons most successfully would ultimately control the scoreboard.

On that front, N0X began to gain the upper hand. Through coordination and purposeful timing, we managed to guide both of the next dragons back to our base. Throughout the fight we were still managing to keep TIS held up fighting for their Stark Stronghold on the left and the Hot Springs on the right. By now, we were finally seeing a more comfortable distance on the scoreboard that let us know that the battle was moving in our favor. 

But the clashes with TIS were endless, forcing us to maintain constant focus and giving us no time to relax even as the distance between our scores grew. Through round after round of dragons, and wave after wave of fresh armies flooding the map we continued to fight. While TIS never managed to take back key areas of the map, they did fight to secure a few more dragons for themselves. But as the scoreboard climbed steadily higher, it became clear that their fight was only to secure as many rewards as they could manage, and the first win of the season would go to N0X!

Considering the significant changes to the event mechanics, we were more than happy with how the fight had gone. The new dragon system had quickly proven to be the defining feature of the battlefield, and adapting to it quickly in our very first match was an encouraging sign. “Not a bad start for the season,” I said to Farmer as the rest of the team celebrated around us. He replied, “Let’s just hope the dragons keep liking us.”