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[Review] Analysis of ARC vs HK in IBL in Infinity Kingdom

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Article Publish : 09/14/2026 07:36

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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 57’s The Arcane(ARC) and Server 209’s Hungry Kitties(HK).

💠Table of Contents

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

💠Overview

ARC enters this matchup after finishing the Points Phase with a 7–1 record, with their only loss coming against AoW, before demolishing HMB in the opening round of the playoffs. HK went 4–0 during the Points Phase after opting to skip four matches and then crushed WAFL in the first round to set up this showdown with ARC. Both teams are legitimate finals contenders, with HK reaching the championship match last season while ARC has advanced further in every other tournament.

💠Starting Positions and Talents

ARC

Started with 30 players and ended with 30
18 Attack talents
9 Defense talents
3 Support talents

Started with 27 players and ended with 30
18 Attack talents
9 Defense talents
1 Support talent

💠Tower 1

ARC sent eight players to Tower 1, while HK committed ten. ARC conceded a significant amount of space on the top side of the objective, with most of their players clustered to the right of the tower. HK used a more traditional formation, positioning two players beside the tower on each side, although there were still a few gaps between their relocations. With both the numbers advantage and significantly more control of the surrounding area, HK should have the upper hand at Tower 1. ARC could have positioned its relocations better, but with Tower 1 not being their primary objective, losing the opening battle here would not be a major concern.

💠Tower 4

ARC sent six players to Tower 4, although two of their relocations overlapped. HK completely conceded the objective and opted not to send anyone to contest it. Once ARC recognized the concession, one of the overlapping players should have immediately canceled their relocation, and ARC could have redirected another player as well to reinforce a more contested objective elsewhere on the map.

💠Central Tower

Both teams committed 14 players to the Central Tower, making it the clear focal point of the opening battle. Both sides used fairly standard relocation formations, although HK controlled a larger area around the objective while ARC had a couple of players positioned farther back in the third row. With equal numbers, positioning and reinforcement speed will be critical in determining who establishes control. Whichever team loses Tower 1 should immediately rotate those players toward the Central Tower, as the additional reinforcements could quickly swing this battle.

💠Altars

Neither team sent anyone to either altar.

💠Home Towers

ARC stationed two guards at their home tower. HK had three at theirs.

💠Play-by-Play

At Tower 1, HK dealt massive amounts of damage while ARC struggled to return any meaningful pressure. HK quickly zeroed two ARC players and captured the tower just five minutes into the match, leaving ARC heavily outnumbered with little chance of retaking the objective. At that point, ARC should have immediately abandoned Tower 1 and relocated those players to reinforce the Central Tower. Instead, one player attempted to return but had their relocation blocked by HK, while others wasted relocations simply repositioning around an already lost objective. HK eventually zeroed the remaining ARC players, turning Tower 1 into a decisive early victory.

At Tower 4, ARC canceled one relocation while the remaining five players secured the uncontested objective just four minutes into the match. With HK completely conceding the tower, ARC faced no resistance and immediately repositioned its players around the objective after the capture to establish control of the surrounding area.

At the Central Tower, the battle initially favored HK, who drew first blood by zeroing an ARC player before eliminating another on the top side of the objective. HK continued receiving reinforcements while successfully blocking incoming ARC relocations, but ARC responded by zeroing its first HK player on the bottom side. The momentum began to shift when HK players started relocating closer to ARC without enough support around them, allowing ARC to pick them off one by one as additional reinforcements arrived from the backline. HK eventually lost complete control of the bottom side, while ARC’s rallies on the left side of the tower also began producing results. Once ARC established the numbers advantage around the objective, they captured the crucial Central Tower at the 15-minute mark, and HK’s remaining players began flying shortly afterward.

Ten minutes into the match, HK teleported one player to ARC’s home tower, where only a single guard was defending without a garrison. HK zeroed the guard relatively quickly, and although ARC relocated another player to defend, she also failed to garrison herself and was left vulnerable. HK then teleported two more players into the area as ARC’s respawned guard returned to block a relocation and additional ARC members arrived to reinforce. HK maintained the pressure, destroying several relocations coming from ARC’s spawn and zeroing two more defenders as more HK players surrounded the objective and kept ARC at arm’s length. HK eventually stole the home tower at the 19-minute mark, but ARC had already accumulated roughly a 4,000-point lead. It would still take HK more than ten minutes to erase that deficit, and with an enemy home tower notoriously difficult to hold, ARC remained in a strong position despite losing the objective.

By the time HK stole ARC’s home tower, ARC had already secured the Central Tower and surrounded the objective, giving them the freedom to overload the defense of their home tower. ARC gradually chipped away at HK’s forces, removing them from the area one by one while continuously reinforcing with their own players. It took more than ten minutes and roughly a third of ARC’s forces to finally recapture the tower, but HK was still several hundred points behind when it fell. With the window at ARC’s home tower closed, HK shifted its attention toward Tower 4, but ARC was prepared for the attack. HK had expended most of its teleports during the home-tower invasion, while ARC’s defenders could reinforce their home tower without using teleports, preserving them for the defense of Tower 4. By the 38-minute mark, ARC had built a 7,000-point lead, and without control of the Central Tower, HK simply did not have enough time or point generation to overcome the deficit.

💠Summary

ARC defeated HK 95,400 to 79,100, with John earning MVP for ARC. HK initially had the upper hand at the Central Tower, but poor relocations repeatedly isolated players from their teammates, leading to unnecessary deaths and ultimately costing them control of the area. Once ARC secured the Central Tower, they established an early lead that HK was never able to overcome. HK would have been better off continuing to hammer the Central Tower or shifting its pressure toward Tower 4 rather than investing so many resources into ARC’s home tower. Tower 4 would have been easier for HK to reinforce and considerably more difficult for ARC to defend, especially over an extended fight. ARC advances to face AWG, while HK drops into the Silver Bracket to face one of the other teams eliminated from the Gold Bracket.