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[Review] Analysis of MDS vs CD in IBL in Infinity Kingdom

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Article Publish : 03/29/2026 15:12

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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 159’s MANDALORIAN’S(MDS) and Server 336’s Citadel of Dragons(CD).

💠Table of Contents

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

💠Overview

MDS finished the first phase with a 4–1 record, their only loss coming against RiP, but dropped their opening playoff match to KoL before making a strong lower-bracket run by defeating ADY, KoL, and BAD to reach the finals. They typically field around 20–30 players, though their early attendance tends to be on the lower end, which can put them at a disadvantage in the opening minutes. CD, on the other hand, went 6–2 in the first phase with losses to ARC and HOT, and advanced through the playoffs by beating ADY and KoL before falling to RiP in the winners’ finals. While both teams have similar attendance ranges, CD is the more consistent and polished team overall, making them the favorite heading into this matchup.

💠Starting Positions and Talents

Started with 26 players and ended with 31
18 Attack talents
7 Defense talents
1 Support talents

MDS

Started with 22 players and ended with 27
10 Attack talents
12 Defense talents
2 Support talent

💠Tower 1

DS sent nine players to Tower 1 with one overlap, while CD committed only five, including one attempting to block a relocation. As the top-sided team, MDS would typically benefit from conceding Tower 1 to focus on Tower 4 and the Central Tower, but instead chose to contest it with a larger group. Their execution, however, was inefficient—many players were positioned too far from the tower with noticeable gaps between teammates, which slows garrisons, rallies, and overall response time. Using markers would help tighten their formation and improve coordination. CD’s positioning was slightly more compact, but with fewer players, they are at a clear disadvantage and likely needed to commit more resources to properly contest the objective.

💠Tower 4

MDS sent six players to Tower 4 with one overlap, while CD also sent six, including one player attempting to block a relocation on the right side—an approach that is unlikely to succeed given MDS’s positional advantage. Only one MDS player effectively used their relocation to block two enemy placements, but overall both teams showed inefficient positioning, with too many players sitting too far from the tower instead of occupying key frontline spots. As the top-sided team, MDS should be leveraging their spawn advantage more aggressively, and if they can successfully block multiple CD relocations early, they should have the edge in controlling Tower 4.

💠Central Tower

MDS sent five players to the Central Tower, but one was positioned far from both the objective and his teammates, effectively reducing their active presence. In contrast, CD committed nine players with one overlap and established a full surround around the tower. With a strong numerical advantage and better positioning, CD should be able to control the Central Tower with little difficulty, as MDS lacks both the numbers and cohesion to contest the area effectively.

💠Altars

MDS didn’t send anyone to either altar. CD sent two players to the Sun Altar.

💠Home Towers

MDS had one guard stationed at their home tower while CD had two at theirs.

💠Play-by-Play

At Tower 1, CD opened by blocking a relocation, but MDS quickly responded by rallying and zeroing the exposed player. CD answered back with a kill of their own, keeping the early exchange even. Two late CD reinforcements arrived and grouped on the right side of the tower, but several MDS players remained positioned a few tiles back instead of immediately moving up to take key spaces. Despite that, MDS leveraged their numbers advantage, zeroing two more CD players and gradually pushing forward. With control of the area secured, MDS captured the tower 11 minutes into the match.

At Tower 4, MDS opened well by blocking three relocations and gaining an early positional advantage. However, instead of capitalizing by focusing attacks on exposed targets, they shifted attention toward sieging the tower too early. This allowed three CD reinforcements to successfully relocate and stabilize the area, effectively nullifying MDS’ early momentum. MDS managed to zero one player, but several of their members had already taken heavy damage, and CD answered with a kill of their own. Rather than stepping forward to secure space and maintain pressure, MDS repositioned backward, conceding key ground around the tower. CD immediately took advantage of the open space, moved in, and with no MDS players close enough to contest, captured the objective.

At the Central Tower, MDS struck first and gained early momentum, zeroing two enemies despite being outnumbered. Reinforcements began arriving on the right side of the tower, where MDS started to build pressure and take space. However, CD responded quickly by zeroing two players of their own, and additional reinforcements flowed back into the area. MDS held their ground impressively with just a few players, but the sustained pressure and numbers advantage from CD eventually overwhelmed them. CD took control of the area, captured the tower 13 minutes into the match, eliminated the remaining defenders, and fully surrounded the objective.

At Tower 4, MDS continuously sent reinforcements back to the objective, maintaining constant pressure despite being out of position. CD initially had five players adjacent to the tower while most of MDS were positioned further back with only one player close enough to contest. However, MDS kept committing troops to the objective, and CD’s lack of urgency in clearing the tower allowed MDS to slip in and capture it about five minutes after CD had taken control. Later in the match, CD redirected reinforcements from the Central Tower, pushed MDS away from the area, and eventually reclaimed Tower 4 at the 28-minute mark with the score tied.

At the 33-minute mark, a CD player teleported to Tower 1, where three MDS guards were stationed, and quickly zeroed one of them. The remaining two defenders relied on rallies, but they were too slow and ineffective against CD’s consistent solo pressure. One MDS player teleported back to reinforce, but CD answered by relocating two more players to the area. With the added support, CD focused down isolated targets, zeroing multiple MDS members who failed to reposition closer to the tower. CD secured full control of the area and captured Tower 1 at the 46-minute mark, claiming their fourth objective and putting the final nail in the coffin.

💠Summary

CD defeated MDS 100,000 to 59,900, with Phonix earning MVP honors. MDS played at a numbers disadvantage throughout the match and would have been better off conceding Tower 1 to concentrate their forces on the Central Tower and Tower 4, though they still performed well at Tower 1. Their overall positioning needed improvement, as too many players stayed in the back or retreated instead of stepping forward to control key spaces, and better use of markers would have helped clean up their formations. Both teams relied too heavily on rallies, which slowed the tempo, but this particularly hurt MDS at Tower 4 where they should have used more solo attacks to capitalize before CD reinforcements arrived. CD advances to the Top 16, while MDS is eliminated from the tournament.