GoTWiC [AoH] S5R7 "Proving"

An excellent winning streak was broken by a “loss” in the last game. When I say loss, I don't really mean it that way, because we took third place out of the three real contenders. Still, team spirit was high. They knew it was going to be a bad day and that tough opponents would have to come sooner or later, so they didn't let it discourage them. They focused on learning from that game and preparing for the next one. However, in the background, there was a little pressure; no one wanted a result like that to happen again.  

However, this time it would be very difficult too because Stanko wouldn't be playing. This was a big blow to the whole team and especially to Joker, who, along with Stanko, was the main leader.

Now he had to do everything by himself. All eyes were on him. He wasn't sure how he would do it, but he had no choice. “Maybe I should skip the game, or should we try to find another strong player?” he asked his teammates, but no one agreed. He had to prove to himself and others that he could do it.

With all that excitement, he waited for the schedule to see who he would face this time, but that excitement faded pretty quickly when they saw their opponents. "Oh, no! Not again! How are we this unlucky?" said JOKER. The opponents were very strong, and several of them were even stronger than him. This time they didn't form House Stark.

Starks were led by the NOX alliance, with two very strong players, DYW and Belore.

Meanwhile, House Lannister was formed by the TQL alliance.

“TQL again?! We beat them last time, but Stanko was there then, now it's going to be very tough.” Joker thought to himself, but he had no choice.

The match started off energetically. Since the Towers were based on spearmen, Mayhem advised the team to take the camps for war reinforcements and attack the Towers and Catapults when they opened. The team built infantry camps, but the other two houses did the same.

“Hmm, if we leave it like this, we'll spend all our time focusing on the camps and who's countering whom,” she suggested, proposing they move on to the Trading Posts and focus on the 3 Maidens, because they bring in a lot of points.

Joker planned to capture both clans first if they could, and then move on to the trading posts, when another shock came...

“AGAIN?! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE WE DIDN'T TAKE THE NEIGHBORING CLAN AGAIN? WHERE ARE WE GOING WRONG?” Joker yelled loudly and very confused. Up until now, they had been solving the easiest and most important part very easily, but for the last two matches, they hadn't been able to capture the neighboring clan and score points. Now it was very important for them to capture at least one Tower to get some points. However, once again, nothing. Switching to trading posts with one clan won't help much; they will try to counter their opponents and thus capture the towers. 

The other altars opened, and the situation became more complicated than they had expected. Both houses were unsettling them. They were seen as a weak team and considered the weakest house. Joker knew he shouldn't have played this match, but it was too late now and he would try to get as much as he could out of it, just like Stanko did in the last round. The focus would be on winning Glory to soften the already obvious defeat.

Before Glory, Dragonpit came, and it was another chance to get solid points; however, he was late in taking his position. He immediately launched a rally attack, but there was a very strong knight inside, whom Joker still managed to defeat, thus securing the points that would be crucial for the match's final outcome.

Glory was approaching soon, and JOKER was ready to strike first. “Get ready to send the spearmen as fast as you can. The opponents will definitely attack immediately.” However, he forgot that there were many opponents faster and stronger than him. As soon as Glory opened, Belore was already inside. “He's faster than I thought…” he said quietly. “Alright, it doesn't matter. Quick, let's try two rallies!” However, even though he countered his opponent, JOKER didn't win Glory.

“This is unbelievable. Let's go again, no giving up, it's our only choice!” he told his teammates. This time, JOKER would attack second. This time it was better; Joker found himself in Glory. A glimmer of hope appeared, but now came the hardest part. He had to defend himself. It would be difficult, but if he could lose to a spearman, he could also defeat a horseman. He just needed to get the best support possible. 

However, this time too, Belore, as a spearman, managed to defeat the JOKER.

Time passed, and the points in the Lannister house remained stagnant. Joker wondered where he was going wrong, how it was possible that he kept losing so easily to a spearman. “Nothing is going our way. How are we so bad?” he wondered. Was Stanko's presence that important to the team, or was this just a coincidence?

But he had to launch a new attack. Finally, luck smiled on them, and before his attack, Belore was attacked by Targeryan's, leaving him in the castle with a small number of troops, which Joker took advantage of to defeat him.

Immediately, rallies were launched against him by TQL players. In the last match, JOKER was easily defeated by them, but now he has improved a bit and will see the difference. They arrived at a similar time, and those teammates couldn't send new troops between attacks. 

“It's a good thing there are only two attacks. If we can hold them off, we'll probably win Glory.” JOKER was talking excitedly with his teammates as he watched the troops approach Glory. First a spearman struck, then a horseman.

There was about a minute left. Joker had already slowly started to celebrate, and then another shock. A solo attack from the north, and Joker was eliminated...

For a moment, he didn't understand what had happened, and when the dust settled, he saw there had been two solo attacks. First DYW, and then Belore, who had taken the Glory again. He was so close to his goal, but he failed. Belore had defeated him again. 

He tried once more after his rally filled up, but this time he failed again.

Joker had to admit that his opponent was simply better. And the last hope of softening the defeat collapsed; this time they left empty-handed. For the rest of the match they tried to score as many points as possible through Mine Shafts, but they were quickly knocked out there too.

Joker could hardly wait for the match to end and to leave the Arena. 

In the end, it was a more than convincing defeat, but the worst part was that he felt helpless for almost the entire match. They didn't take down the neighboring Clan; their opponents were too strong for them, but Joker felt that he could have single-handedly pulled the team through, just like Stanko did in the last match. In the end, he thanked the team and realized that next time he wouldn't play without Stanko, because the role of second-in-command was easier for him than being the leader.