GoTWiC [AoH] S6R1 "Next time"

A new season has arrived, and with it, new expectations. After a great finish to last season, Stanko set himself an even bigger goal. It was no longer enough for him that his team would win the Glory and fight for first place. He also wanted to prove himself individually, as a player who would consistently finish among the best. His first major goal was to finish the season in the top 3 for elimination points.

However, what was even more important to him was the team's success. He wanted the Glory, first place, and, perhaps most importantly of all, a chance to get revenge on the man who had stopped him once before, Papa Schultz.

Stanko entered the new season with a well-coordinated team. The players already knew how to work with each other and believed they could compete for the very top. However, even before the match began, it was clear that they didn't have an easy task ahead of them. Both houses had very strong leaders, and among them was Papa Schultz, the man who had managed to defeat Stanko in their previous KvK encounter.

Stanko hadn't forgotten that defeat. As he prepared for the new match, only one thought was running through his mind: “This time it won't be the same. This time, I have to be the one to come out on top.” The season had been long, but the first match already held a special meaning for him.

As soon as the match began, everyone sent troops toward the Strongholds, wanting to capture the structures as quickly as possible and start scoring points. Stanko's team opted for infantry camps, as did the Targeryans, while the Starks tried to counter them.

The start looked promising. They managed to capture the neighboring clan, and Stanko immediately felt that this could be their day. Excitedly, he began to command: “EXCELLENT! WE'VE MANAGED TO TAKE THE NEIGHBORING CLAN! EVERYONE, SEND TROOPS SO WE CAN CAP IT! WE'VE GOTTEN A GREAT START ON THE MATCH!”

At that moment, it seemed like everything was going according to plan. However, Stanko didn't yet know that this very initial decision would later cost them dearly.

As in the previous match, Stanko wanted to focus as much as possible on the Warriors, because he knew their extra strength would be needed as the fight developed. But the opponents quickly started to attack, so there was no more time to calmly develop a strategy.

Stanko had to react to their every move, while simultaneously trying to maintain the advantage they had built up at the very beginning. The problem arose when they started falling behind in points because they were too focused on building camps in the neighboring clan, while the NPCs were attacking them very quickly. Stanko immediately recognized this as an opportunity and changed his plan. “Focus on two Dragonpits! We have to get as many points as possible!” he demanded of his team, knowing that every point was important to them now.

His decision paid off. They managed to close the gap and get back in the opponents' faces. The match was once again up for grabs, and then a structure appeared that could change the entire course of the battle, Glory. Stanko knew how important it was. If they managed to capture it, they could get back into the fight for first place. Stanko knew that Schultz was a strong infantryman who would easily get him, so he told Joker that he had to be the one to attack, but just in case, Stanko would also send troops. Everyone moved toward it, but this time Schultz was faster. Papa Schultz was the first to capture Glory.

Stanko just stared at the screen for a few seconds. The man who had already beaten him once was now standing in his way again. “Not again...” he thought to himself. He didn't want to go through the same scenario again. He didn't want to watch Schultz take the victory one more time. But there was no time for emotions. He had to make a decision.

“DOUBLE RALLY ON GLORY! NOW! WE HAVE TO KNOCK OUT SCHULTZ!”

Two rallies flew towards Glory. Stanko watched the fight carefully, waiting for the result. The first attack wasn't enough. The second one failed as well.

Schultz remained on Glory. Stanko knew the situation was much worse than he wanted to admit. His two rallies hadn't come close to knocking him out. And then the last possibility crossed his mind.

“If they can't knock him out... I have to.”

Stanko was a spearman and couldn't attack Glory the same way his teammates could, but he was willing to take the risk. He knew what the attack would mean. If it succeeded, it might change the entire course of the match. If it failed, he would lose even more time and troops. Still, he didn't want to give up. He prepared for the solo attack and paused for a moment. He looked at the results of the previous two rallies. They weren't even close to winning.

At that moment, he had to decide whether to let his emotions lead him into another risky move or to think like a leader. “If I attack now just because I want revenge, I could lose even more. This isn't about pride anymore. We have to take every possible point.” Stanko abandoned the solo attack.

It was perhaps the toughest moment of the entire match. For the first time, he had to accept that Glory was probably no longer theirs. And along with Glory, the chance for first place began to disappear. Still, he didn't want to give up. If they couldn't beat Schultz on Glory, they had to find another way to stay in the fight.

Then Stanko cut in: "FORGET GLORY! ATTACK OTHER IMPORTANT BUILDINGS! WE NEED EVERY POINT!"

As the team score looked worse and worse, Stanko knew he could at least still fulfill what he had promised himself.

From that moment on, he fought for every single point. He constantly sent troops on attacks, tried to defend buildings his opponents were attacking, and looked for every way to improve the score.

At the same time, his elimination points started to grow, which was very important to him because of his individual goal. As the team's score looked worse and worse, Stanko knew that he could at least still fulfill what he had promised himself.

But there was no peace there either. The Targeryans caught up with them, and it soon became clear they no longer had a realistic chance of winning first place. Stanko kept fighting, but the outcome was merciless.

Their initial advantage had turned into a problem. They had spent too much time and resources on camps in the neighboring clan, while their opponents focused on what would earn more important points. Stanko realized the mistake, but by then it was too late to fully correct it.

When it became clear they no longer had a chance for second place either, the disappointment was huge.

The team had entered the match with great motivation and the belief they could take first place, and now they were finishing far from their goal. Stanko tried to turn the situation around until the very end, but it wasn't enough this time. Papa Schultz was just too strong again.

After the match, Stanko looked at the results and saw something that gave him reason for satisfaction. He finished first in elimination points, thus achieving his first major individual goal, a top-3 finish.

Still, he couldn't be completely satisfied. “I achieved what I set out to do... but I didn't come here just for an individual result. I came for Glory. I came for first place. And I came for revenge.”

Schultz took the win from him again, but this time, Stanko didn't want to see that loss as the end. He knew the season had just begun. One match doesn't decide an entire season, and the mistakes they made could be corrected. They would have more chances to fight for Glory, more chances to finish in first place, and, most importantly, more chances to face Schultz again.

As he finished the match, Stanko was already thinking about the next encounter. “Alright. You won this time. But the season is long. Next time I won't make this mistake again.” He had already achieved his first goal, he was among the best individually. But one goal still remained out of reach.

To beat Papa Schultz.

And perhaps that very defeat was what he needed to realize just how difficult it would be to achieve everything he had set out to do at the beginning of the season. This wasn't the end of his story, but just the first chapter. And for Stank, one thing was certain, the next time Schultz appeared across from him, this match would no longer be just another fight for Glory. It would be the rematch he had been waiting for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C--uIhc0IO8