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[Review] Analysis of HOT vs BAD in IBL in Infinity Kingdom

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Article Publish : 07/12/2026 15:46

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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 344’s Hot Crew(HOT) and Server 417’s Bad Intentions(BAD).

💠Table of Contents

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

💠Overview

HOT and BAD both had strong campaigns in Season 8, finishing 7th and 25th respectively, and have established themselves as highly competitive IBL teams. They entered this matchup undefeated at 3–0, with both alliances consistently fielding more than 35 players each week, setting the stage for one of the week's premier matches. While BAD has continued to improve, HOT's deeper tournament pedigree and superior finish last season make them the slight favorite heading into the contest.

💠Starting Positions and Talents

HOT

Started with 32 players and ended with 40
13 Attack talents
15 Defense talents
4 Support talents

BAD

Started with 29 players and ended with 40
18 Attack talents
11 Defense talents
0 Support talent

💠Tower 1

HOT sent 10 players to Tower 1 while BAD committed 7. HOT's positioning was also superior, with four players occupying the valuable spots directly adjacent to the tower, whereas several BAD players were positioned farther away from the objective. Combined with their numerical advantage, HOT should have little trouble establishing early control of Tower 1 unless BAD can quickly eliminate HOT's front-line players.

💠Tower 4

HOT sent 12 players to Tower 4 while BAD committed 8, with both teams having one overlapping relocation. BAD attempted an ambitious blocking strategy, positioning three players to contest six of HOT's relocations. However, those blockers lacked favorable spawn locations and were unlikely to win the relocation races, meaning they would probably be blocked themselves. Aside from one overlapping relocation, HOT's positioning was nearly flawless, giving them excellent coverage around the tower. Combined with their numbers advantage, HOT should be heavily favored to secure Tower 4.

💠Central Tower

Both teams committed 8 players to the Central Tower, making it the most evenly matched objective on the map. With neither side holding a numerical advantage, the fight would likely be decided by the quality of their rallies, target selection, and execution in individual engagements. Whichever alliance coordinated attacks more effectively and converted kills into positional control would have the inside track to securing the most important objective.

💠Altars

HOT didn’t send anyone to either altar. BAD sent one player to the Moon Altar.

💠Home Towers

Both teams stationed three guards at their respective home towers.

💠Play-by-Play

At Tower 1, HOT immediately gained the upper hand by destroying one BAD relocation and quickly zeroing an isolated defender. They began sieging the tower while using rallies to eliminate another BAD player. HOT nearly captured the objective before BAD interrupted the siege at roughly three-quarters completion. In hindsight, HOT would have been better served committing fully to the capture before turning their attention to the remaining defenders. Even so, HOT quickly eliminated the rest of BAD's players and secured Tower 1 at the 8-minute mark. They also did an excellent job blocking incoming reinforcements, preventing BAD from reestablishing a foothold. Rather than continuing to funnel players back into the lost objective, BAD would have been better off redirecting those reinforcements from spawn to the Central Tower, where the next decisive battle was about to unfold.

At Tower 4, HOT executed a near-perfect opening by blocking three BAD relocations and destroying another, immediately creating a massive numbers advantage around the objective. They quickly zeroed the closest BAD defender before destroying the relocations of two more incoming reinforcements. With the area firmly under control, HOT began sieging the tower and captured it at the 6-minute mark before cleaning up the remaining defenders. BAD continued trying to reinforce the objective, but HOT repeatedly relocated next to the incoming players, preventing them from completing their relocations and effectively shutting down any chance of reclaiming the tower.

In the center, neither team was able to make meaningful progress during the opening minutes. Both HOT and BAD did an excellent job coordinating rallies and garrisoning threatened teammates, preventing either side from gaining an early edge. As the battle dragged on, reinforcements poured in from BAD's spawn and HOT's outer towers, keeping the fight evenly matched. Players continued falling on both sides and fresh reinforcements kept arriving, but neither alliance could gain any meaningful ground as the brutal slugfest continued.

The pressure was entirely on BAD to make something happen. After losing both outer towers and failing to capture the Central Tower, HOT was quickly building a commanding early lead. At the 20-minute mark, several BAD players began relocating to HOT's home tower, where four defenders were stationed. Five invaders eventually established a foothold, forcing HOT to send a few more players to contain the attack. However, with their spawn only a short distance away, HOT could rapidly replenish their defenders even after losing a few around the tower. They gradually wore down the invaders and eventually crushed the siege. Meanwhile, the brutal battle in the center continued, but BAD still could not secure the objective. By denying BAD a second tower for the remainder of the match, HOT comfortably rode the steady point advantage from their outer towers to victory.

💠Summary

HOT defeated BAD 100,000 to 33,300, with Dinoghost earning MVP. HOT dominated both outer towers, although they were a little slow to convert their overwhelming early advantages into captures. From there, their rotations were excellent. In the Central Tower, they coordinated rallies and garrisons effectively, refusing to give BAD any ground while recognizing they did not need to capture the objective themselves. Their goal was simply to keep BAD occupied, and they executed that plan perfectly. Across the map, HOT consistently blocked and destroyed incoming relocations, preventing BAD from establishing any momentum. BAD may have been better served conceding one outer tower entirely to overload the other, but instead they spread themselves too thin. With the victory, HOT improved to 4–0, while BAD fell to 3–1.