The "Almost" Comeback in AoH, the Coins Were the Real Win

With the 7y anniversary quests updating every week, I noticed they’re also tied to the weekend events. Last week we had a KvK inspired quests and this weekend it was no surprise to see an Arena of Honor quest. Unfortunately, I had the brilliant idea of doing these anniversary quests on one of the newly opened kingdoms... just like everyone else. That means I now have to prioritize it before the kingdom hits 500k points and locks progression. And it's climbing fast!

To make things worse, I didn’t have many Honor Coins saved since I usually spend them right after each match. So this weekend I had to play AoH and hopefully land decent rankings for the coins.

Alas, I could only make my usual match in the 4th slot. I would have liked to play more, but I didn’t have the time and I also didn’t have extra tickets, so in the end it worked out perfectly. Our usual friendly roster was there, which is always a good environment to farm some coins.

Not everyone was available right when registration opened, so we had to make a few last minute adjustments, but overall the team looked solid. We had good coverage for every troop type and on paper it felt like a setup that could easily fight for first place. Minity was the only scary presence on the map.

https://youtu.be/9mhwbuBBK3g

As the match begins, I rush for two Strongholds knowing I won’t need to be in the first NPC house we capture. Last time I couldn’t hold it anyway, so I wasn't exacting to be sent in again. Our timing still feels a bit slow, but it’s slowly improving. We manage to raise a few camps before our house attacks the counterclockwise NPC house and we get it.

https://youtu.be/58AGUU13Zd0

Then I suddenly hear my name being called to send my lord march into the house. Woopsy! That means abandoning my Stronghold and marching to the new House. I guess that’s my role now, even though I’m not exactly good at it. Next time I should probably adjust my opening and only capture one Stronghold with my Cav off march because I don’t need it at the start.

Fun fact: after we capture the house on our right, our NPC attacks clockwise and ends up taking the house next to House Stark. For some reason Stark never captured it themselves, which leaves us holding two houses about fifteen minutes into the game.

We soon find ourselves in a strong position, but also a risky one. The match has barely started and we’re already low on troops. Holding two houses spreads us thin, so we take the gamble and reduce reinforcements in both houses to expand our map presence instead.

Not long after, I get kicked out of the house anyway. I tank a few waves of attacks but the Wind clone is just insane. Even with a strange lineup and an Inf/Cav formation I can’t hold. That clone hits like a truck. Not cool Wind clone, not cool at all. You made me look bad in front of my friends.

Now we need the real Wind to remove the clone and Zsocee steps in to take the house. He’s not much stronger than I am though, so we all expect the next replacement call to come soon.

Despite that setback, the decision to spread across the map seems to pay off. We still hold both houses and our presence across the other objectives is starting to look good. Going into the second half we’re in a very good position on the scoreboard.

Since I’m not really needed anywhere, I start picking up Altars and even both Septs of the Seven. Our Sept is "safe" to take with a few troops, so I don’t even need to lock a full march there. The NPC Sept is trickier though, because those cheeky clones sometimes wonder off in that direction and someone has to sit there with an actual lord march to defend it.

Around this time our teammates start capturing Dragonpits to strengthen our house troops. The setup looks good and everything feels under control.

Then the City of Glory opens. And that’s where our trouble start.

We simply can’t take it. There’s too much happening across the map and we’re stretched thin defending everything we’ve captured. Meanwhile House Stark focuses almost entirely on center. Minity moves in and we fail to coordinate a clean counter to remove them.

At this point the map is pure chaos. We’re all over the place, trying to stabilize our positions while giving up the center.

https://youtu.be/R8Je9qMU6IE

Soon enough Stark overtakes us in points, mostly thanks to the steady income from City of Glory.

While we’re trying to stabilize, I notice something interesting. Somehow center changes hands from Stark to House Lannister. Maverick is now holding it. I call it out on Discord because I’m pretty sure Wind could kick him.

But the timing is terrible. We’re fighting on multiple fronts and if we launch a rally and then fail to reinforce center properly, we’d lose the rest of the map. After a quick discussion we decide not to risk the entire match on this gamble. It's not ideal but we let the opportunity slip.

The mines open shortly after, forcing us to delay the center play once more. Even if we captured it, a weak mines phase could still leave us in second place.

Surprisingly, we perform really well on the mines. I think we end up holding and nearly depleting eight of them? With me personally taking two! I’m honestly amazed nobody contested them.

But as the match moves into the final stage, the situation becomes clear. None of it matters unless we take the City of Glory.

Without center, Stark is only slightly ahead of us. Whoever holds it at the end wins the match.

So in the final minutes we abandon the entire map and commit everything to taking center.

Two rallies are launched. This is our last chance.

The first rally lands but barely scratches the defenders. It's Cav into Spear so we weren't expecting much.

The second rally is our real hope, but it’s slow. Even with speedups it lands one second after the four minute mark.

At that point, even if we captured center we wouldn’t have enough time left to secure the victory.

The rally wins and kicks several defenders out, but not all of them. So it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

https://youtu.be/z2QRNolzxrw

After a chaotic match full of ever chancing priorities, we end up finishing in second place. So strong, yet so fragile.

We may have "lost" the match, but the coins were still a win for me and my anniversary progress. And despite the result, the team played a great game. There are still a few quirks to iron out, but we're sitting on a solid foundation to improve.

Who knows. Maybe in a couple more games I’ll even manage to hold that house against those Wind clones. #WhaleForeshadowing!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.