[KIK] taking the Lannister banners, are fighting with the army of [N0X] under Targaryen banners, for control of Casterly Rock and the region around it. Will the Warden of the West prevail, or the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms will end her reign?

===================== Matchmaking =====================

Season 23 had been a total rollercoaster for [N0X] so far. After taking a heavy lose to [RRH] in second round of AC, [N0X] finds itself slightly shattered. Alex was expecting that loss to happen due to multiple reasons, yet facing the expectations can be tough for others. It was the time when Noxians needed a small yet fast victory to boost a morale and this third round felt just like it.

Looking at the rankings, there didn't seem to be many alliances nearby that could be of any threat to Noxians. And yet Alliance Conquest is rarely predictable. Alliances switch time slots, unexpected opponents appear, and what seemed to be an easy matchup - can quickly become a difficult one.

Once the plan was finished, it was shared across the Noxian Lords. After that for Alex, there was nothing left to do but polish armor and swords with his commanders. Duchess Scy registered an alliance for a usual time slot of 19.00 GMT and everyone kept an eye on the clock, eager to see who fate would place in their path.

When the matchup was finally revealed and ravens flew further delivering the news across Westeros, it seemed like the Old Gods themselves were favoring [N0X]. Their opponent [KIK] didn't look like anything strong so it should be a quick and a complete win.

Still not like someone would underestimate them. [N0X] is an experienced alliance and been through many miscalculations, they learned every time. [KIK] roster contained several beefy Lords and by now they had already won against stronger opponents twice! Noxians prepared as if they were facing an equal rival.

In a few blinks, filled with last-minute preparations and coordination. Before long night of terrors had fallen, it was time to get going towards the Alliance Conquest battlefield. Alex intuition told him that nit should be an easy match, yet every match is an opportunity for something, he needed to have a closer look at this "something".

From the very beginning, one thing stood out louder than a dragons roar: [N0X] held a huge advantage in all the possible numbers, giving them an early boost of confidence as the battle was about to begin.

----------------------------------------------------- The First Clash -----------------------------------------------------

When the horn sounded, the gates to the both Outposts, Mother, and Warrior opened. The waiting ended instantly. Racers launched their marches, rushing toward buildings. The struggle for area control had begun and every second of the race could've easily determine the outcome of the match.

Alex didn't bother to race this time but was observing and ready to reinforce at his best.

All 4 initial buildings were taken by [N0X], it was a magnificent start! Chrystal, a known Noxian racer gracefully like a butterfly captured a close Targaryen Outpost. Since it is a very close building - swap was incoming fast, gladly with low possibility of a snipe from [KIK] side.

Grogu's horses ran as if they were drunk on adrenalin and captured Warrior with followed by a smooth swap with Lord Strandli - I won't fail. Were his words of appreciation for assigning him into the building.

Next swap was incoming in the far Outpost, initially Belore captured it yet [N0X] needed him fully focused on shot calling instead of looking out for a building. Thus the Outpost changed holders with DYW.

With 3 out of 4 buildings being flawlessly swapped - the fourth one was a struggle for Noxians as they were running out of bubble time. Being a supreme commander Belore decided to give away the Mother to opponent for a while. Call it a mind trick to let them have some faith before crushing all the hopes. Чудик darted in and took an ownership of Mother in his hands.

First rally wave was up and it successfully brought Mother back home to [N0X].

------------------------------------------------------ Ports of Doom ------------------------------------------------------

Five minutes passing fast and easy, so just about time for both Ports to open their Watergates.

The racers were running towards both ports but only 2 won the race, Grogu and Kryptic Mind securing the Ports. Slow march was incoming for far Port and you could hear Belore repeating "3, 2, 1 speed it in, speed it in" as [N0X] were doing yet another swap. Vergo became a new holder.

The hard swap was incoming on the close port and many reinforcements were sent back home due to coming too early! And they dare saying being punctual is great! Belore took this port on his duties.

[KIK] didn't show great numbers, neither a good performance. They did make a few attempts to break through. Their main focus was the Lannister Port defended by mighty Vergo, and while some of their rallies managed to kill a bit of the reinforcements, [KIK] simply didn't have enough fire power to seriously threaten Noxian holders. The port remained firmly under [N0X] control.

------------------------------------------------- Race for the Throne --------------------------------------------------

Casterly Rock, the enormous building, was waiting to share a place at it's Throne, but invited only one Lord on it's Throne. Whoever takes it will get a huge advantage!

Every racer from each always wants to swim in the spotlight of "I did it!", yet only one actually did. Kryptic Mind darted in and after a flawless swap, Balrum was inside to lock it down for the rest of eternity.

------------------------------------------------------ Despair Begins -----------------------------------------------------

As the battle continued, [KIK] kept sending rallies at different buildings, but none really gained much ground. Their hopes weren't crushed yet, even though the match wasn't looking like [KIK] could turn it on in their favor.

The only thing [KIK] strategy could be is to farm elimination and slowly shift hope toward the mine. Perhaps with one strongest and single holder they might get to 20k points? Anyway mines were now their best chance to earn points. And unfortunately for them, repeated attacks had already torn apart much of [KIK] hive, leaving them unable to properly contest the races, thus both mines were quickly claimed by [N0X].

From that point onward, the battlefield was painted entirely blue. Every building remained under [N0X] control no matter how many efforts did KIK made - no meaningful changes but farming eliminations occurred for the rest of the match. Their hopes were shattered just like [N0X]'s was in the beginning of the match.

When the final horn sounded, the result could hardly have been better for [N0X]. Noxians finished with more than 120k points and a clear 5x points difference with their opponent. While the battle never turned into a close contest, it was still a valuable round. Every member had a chance to sharpen their coordination, practice their roles, and prepare for the tougher challenges waiting ahead. As for Alex - he observed the processes of [N0X], the racing and came up with ideas how to become better.. Next match will show whether he got a grip!

The next three rounds are expected to be far more demanding. Can [N0X] keep their momentum going and earn another trip to Ultimate Conquest, or will the road finally become too steep? Only time will tell.

Until the next battle, see you on the battlefield.

-------------------------------------------------------------------- Authors Afterword ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Compared to [N0X] - [KIK] had a huge disadvantage from the very start: 10M points alliance score difference, which meant [KIK] accounts were not on the same level as [N0X] is. Most of [KIK] might not even unlocked t5 troops and those have a huge impact on the battlefield.

Fighting a stronger opponent for [KIK] was a great limit testing of their abilities. No chances to pressure any building nor winning races can hit hard. [KIK] coordination didn't seem to be on point during the whole match and thus they had a lack of rallies and momentum that [N0X] took advantage of.

It was Noxians third match so they finally got a grasp on new racing. Many first captures even hurt them and amde lose a whole building at the beginning! Yet overall all the won races gave an opportunity to train swaps of all kind.

=================================== The End ====================================

Remember that in GoTWiC you are not only playing the game, sometimes you kik the people around you! →_→

AlexHarret