GoTWiC [AoH] S5R9 "Last chance"

Urli once again led the group they had formed for the Arena of Honor. When they entered the arena, they were placed in House Lannister.

Before entering, the atmosphere was tense; everyone knew that something had to change.

In the house were also two players who had recently played for other teams. Urli knew they had to play this game with a perfect strategy. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, as well as the pressure of this match; it wasn't just a game, but a battle to regain lost trust. The new players were also new to the alliance, and this added pressure to prove to them that they had joined the right alliance. As before, they expected tough opponents, and it would be really difficult to achieve a good result, but Urli believed in his team and knew they also had several very strong players. 

House Stark was the 7FD alliance.

A few strong players, but Urli knew they were stronger; however, their opponents had been playing together for a long time and were probably very well-coordinated. On the other side was House Targeryan, which was made up of very strong players from the strongest alliances.

There was no doubt they would be the main favorites; the only advantage would be if the players didn't know each other, and that's what Urli was hoping for. “We don't have any room for mistakes anymore, we have to win this one with everything we've got!” Urli said to his teammates.

The match began. Urli ordered a coordinated reinforcement of the stronghold. All three houses built spearman camps. “Hmm, this will be interesting. We all play the same way,” he thought. His mind worked quickly, analyzing every move of his opponent. The first Altars arrived, and the attack on the Strangers was fierce. The goal was to try and capture two, so Mace, as the strongest infantryman, attacked us while Urli attacked the neighboring one. Attacks on the Altars began immediately, but we had the support of our teammates and managed to defend ourselves and capture both Strangers we wanted.

However, the Strangers weren't that important. It would have been very important and a huge advantage if we had captured both neighboring clans, but each of the three dogs took one. This just showed how uncertain this match would be and that everyone knows how to play.

Urli ordered the first line to focus on trading posts so we could boost our points a bit, while the second line would be as in our clan to strengthen our attack as much as possible. At that moment, the Starks were ahead of us, but that didn't worry Urli, who knew there was still a lot ahead of us.

The Dragon Pits were coming, and Urli saw it as a chance to boost our points by using the same strategy as last time. Mace attacked the one closer to the Starks, while Urli attacked ours. Maverik, as the second-strongest lance rider, managed to capture the third Dragonpit, which angered Urli because some teammates had sent their lance riders to him instead of to Urli. However, the opponents began to attack Maverik. He immediately requested reinforcements, but the enemies started launching solo attacks. These were solo attacks by very strong players who managed to inflict heavy losses.

Too focused on that Dragonpit, the other two went without any attacks and were easily captured. Urli, although he was against it and initially complained that we attacked the third Dragonpit as well, realized he was wrong and that it was an excellent tactic to draw attention away from the other two. 

We slowly began to gain an advantage over the Starks, but Glory was still to come. And that was Urli's task. He had to take it as soon as possible while the others sent spearmen to secure it.

As soon as the Glory opened, Urli immediately sent his spearmen. There wasn't much time, so the additional spears had to be sent immediately, as the opponents were expected to attack with both solo strikes and retreats.

The pressure continued. “Quick, everyone send the spearmen! Don't spare them!” Urli yelled at his teammates, demanding constant support. There were several strong opponents, and we needed as many troops as possible to succeed in capturing it.

Time was passing. Urli was facing relentless attacks, but he was successfully defending himself. The final minute arrived. The strongest players launched their attacks.

Mace saw that he had enough time to pull back his troops and send in fresh, reinforced forces to bolster the castle and prepare for the final clashes. He didn't want to tell anyone his plan, so as to avoid any mistakes or simultaneous withdrawals that could jeopardize the defense. He sent all the spearmen he had toward the center. It was all or nothing. Capturing Glory would mean almost certain victory, and all previous failures would quickly be forgotten. But only a few seconds stood between them and that.

Three attacks were approaching. With the first blow, they held the castle. With the second, they still hold it. We didn't have enough time to send fresh troops. 

“Now comes the decisive strike. Everything I've worked for all season could come down to these last few seconds,” Urli thought to himself.

The third blow... silence. And then, victory. Urli held the line, and Glory was theirs.

And then, after what seemed like hours of battle, the confirmation came: “Victory! We've captured the castle!”

“I knew it! I knew we could do it!” Urli exclaimed joyfully, and now he could breathe a little easier, even though the Mine Shafts were coming up, where a lot of points could be scored. His teammates' celebration was just interrupted by Urli, “The game isn't over! Fight to get as many points as possible so we can get better rewards. Let's win in style. Let's attack the Mine Shafts!”

Everyone chose which one to attack, and Urli would try to attack another with random troops. All the troops we had were to be sent as support. It began, and everyone attacked the one they had been assigned.

Urli failed to capture the Mine with the random troops because the Targaryens got there before him. But they took five, and that was more than enough. However, attacks began on some of them.

They were aimed directly at Urli and Mace. Urli didn't want to sacrifice many teammates when the battle was already decided, but he asked who wanted to keep fighting and send troops. Mace's second army fell, but the main one remained.

Urli saw his team fighting even though he wasn't asking them to, but they listened to him, and that was what he appreciated most about the team. They saw him as a leader, both in defeat and in victory. 

The battle was finally over. The last minutes of the match had exhausted everyone; there was no more energy or voices left for the constant calls and commands that had echoed throughout the entire game. The confirmation of victory was still on the screen, but only now did Urli truly realize what they had managed to do.

At the start of the match, there was fear. Fear of another disappointment, of another loss that would further undermine the confidence in the team and the leadership he was trying to maintain. The new players were watching their every move, the opponents were among the strongest they could get for their tier, and the pressure was greater than ever. Yet, despite everything, the team didn't crack when it was at its toughest.

Urli looked at the results and smiled slightly. This wasn't just an ordinary victory in the Arena.

This was proof that they could still play against the best. Proof that the team could stay together under pressure, follow commands, and fight until the very last second. That was what he appreciated most. They didn't win because of one player or one play, but because they all trusted each other when it mattered most.

The points they managed to defend weren't just a large number. They represented the moment the entire game turned. A moment in which they showed character.

Now it was easier for Urli; this victory also meant a lot because of the new players, as it represented the alliance and its leader. Next time the opponents would be much tougher, but Urli wasn't worried about that for now. He wanted to enjoy this victory, which he had been waiting for a long time.