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

💠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 constructs marches and skill builds using a fixed set of available skills. At different stages of the tournament, more Immortals and skills become available, but every player has access to the same options. Castle skins and Lord Talents do not affect the faster-paced battles of IBL, while relocation and marching speeds are also increased. The event is one of the most entertaining in Infinity Kingdom, with players often spectating matches almost like a sporting event. In this article, I’m going to take a closer look at the matchup between Server 56’s Hakuna Matata (HMB) and Server 209’s Hung

💠Table of Contents

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

💠Overview

HMB entered the playoffs with a 6–1 record, with their only loss coming against AoW. They were dominated by ARC in the opening round before defeating WAFL in the Silver Bracket, but attendance issues have plagued them throughout the season. HK finished the Points Phase undefeated at 4–0 and also defeated WAFL before narrowly losing to ARC, dropping them into this elimination matchup against HMB. HK reached the IBL finals last season and remains a formidable opponent. Combined with their stronger attendance, that gives HK the advantage heading into this match.

💠Starting Positions and Talents

HMB

• Started with 20 players and ended with 27
• 14 Attack talents
• 4 Defense talents
• 2 Support talents

HK

• Started with 26 players and ended with 30
• 17 Attack talents
• 8 Defense talents
• 1 Support talent

Both teams heavily favored Attack talents and invested very little into Support. HK, however, brought twice as many Defense talents and began the match with six more players. HMB’s attendance eventually improved from 20 to 27, but joining late is much less valuable than having those players available during the opening relocations, when teams establish control of the three most important early objectives. That initial attendance disadvantage made efficient player allocation especially important for HMB.

💠Tower 1

HMB sent just three players to Tower 1, while HK committed ten with one overlapping relocation. Given HMB’s attendance disadvantage, they would have been better off conceding Tower 1 entirely and concentrating their limited forces on two of the three opening objectives instead of spreading themselves too thin. With more than three times as many players in the area, HK should have little difficulty establishing complete control and securing Tower 1.

💠Tower 4

HMB sent seven players to Tower 4, while HK elected to concede the objective as the bottom-sided team. Tower 4 naturally favors the top-sided team because of its proximity to their spawn, which would have given HMB opportunities to reach contested spots first and block multiple HK relocations had they chosen to contest it. Once HMB realized HK was giving up the tower entirely, however, they should have canceled at least three relocations and redirected those players toward the more heavily contested objectives. Keeping seven players at an uncontested tower unnecessarily weakened HMB elsewhere on the map.

💠Central Tower

HMB sent five players to the Central Tower, while HK committed ten, giving HK a massive numbers advantage at the most important opening objective. HMB needed to redirect at least all three players from Tower 1 to the center, while Tower 4 certainly did not require seven players if HMB planned to use its positional advantage to secure it. With better allocation, HMB could have approached HK’s numbers at the Central Tower while still maintaining control of Tower 4. Instead, HK should have little difficulty winning the center and forcing HMB to play from behind early.

💠Altars

Neither team sent anyone to either altar, showing that both sides prioritized early tower control rather than spreading players across lower-value objectives. Given the importance of the Central Tower and the side towers during the opening phase, this was a reasonable decision for both teams.

💠Home Towers

Both teams stationed one player at their home tower. This was a reasonable starting precaution because it prevented either side from immediately exploiting a completely undefended objective, but one defender alone would not be enough against a coordinated rotation. Both teams still needed to watch the map closely and reinforce quickly once enemy players began moving toward their home side.

💠Play-by-Play

At Tower 1, HK immediately began sieging the objective and deleted all three HMB players within a matter of minutes. With little resistance remaining, HK captured the tower just four minutes into the match. One HMB latecomer attempted to relocate to Tower 1 after the objective was already lost, but HK easily destroyed the relocation, forcing him to spend another three minutes waiting in spawn. With Tower 1 effectively doomed, he should have relocated directly to the Central Tower instead, where HMB desperately needed additional numbers.

At Tower 4, HMB completed all seven relocations and captured the objective without any resistance from HK. Given that HMB knew they were heavily outnumbered at the Central Tower, faced no opposition at Tower 4, and already had lower overall attendance, they should have canceled at least three of those relocations. Doing so would have allowed those players to relocate again around the three-minute mark and reinforce the center much earlier. Instead, completing every relocation meant they had to wait until roughly seven minutes into the match before they could even consider moving elsewhere. In IBL, where the opening minutes can determine control of the entire map, that wasted time was extremely costly.

In the center, HMB managed to destroy one HK relocation, but HK immediately began launching rallies and quickly zeroed its first target. With HMB so severely outnumbered, they spent much of the battle simply garrisoning and trying to survive rather than applying any offensive pressure. HK steadily advanced toward HMB’s position, and HMB failed to stop the incoming relocations, allowing HK to surround them within minutes. Even as HMB sent additional reinforcements to the center, players were being zeroed faster than replacements could arrive. HK eventually pushed HMB completely away from the tower and captured the crucial objective at the 11-minute mark, establishing an early lead.

The opening allocation was especially costly because HMB effectively committed ten players to Tower 1 and Tower 4 while HK concentrated twenty players between Tower 1 and the Central Tower. HK correctly placed its largest forces at the two objectives it intended to contest, while HMB spread its smaller roster across all three. By the time HMB began correcting its allocation, HK had already converted that advantage into control of two major objectives.

Five minutes into the match, one HK player rotated from Tower 1 toward HMB’s home tower, where three guards were defending. HMB had multiple opportunities to stop the invasion by relocating closer to destroy or block the incoming relocation, but failed to react. HK then destroyed several relocations coming from HMB’s spawn because nearby defenders failed to garrison their teammates. Despite eventually outnumbering the lone invader 5–1, HMB failed to organize rallies and remove him before additional HK players began teleporting into the area. HK quickly destroyed several more HMB relocations and eventually stole the home tower at the 23-minute mark. By then, HK had already built an 11,000-point lead, and gaining control of a fourth tower made HMB’s comeback considerably more difficult. HMB eventually lost Tower 4 as well, completing HK’s control of the map.

💠Summary

HK defeated HMB 100,000 to 36,750, with Aadhi earning MVP. HMB’s biggest problem was their opening allocation, as they committed too many players to Towers 1 and 4 and never gave themselves a realistic chance of contesting the Central Tower. Their seven-player commitment to an uncontested Tower 4 was especially costly because several of those players could have been redirected toward the center much earlier.

After losing the Central Tower, HMB’s rotations compounded the problem. They needed to quickly pressure another objective or reorganize around the center, but instead continued losing ground near their own home tower and were unable to remove a lone HK invader before reinforcements arrived. The match showed how damaging inefficient player allocation can be in IBL, especially when starting with an attendance disadvantage. HK did a much better job concentrating its forces around the objectives it intended to contest and converted that early advantage into complete map control. HMB is eliminated from the tournament, while HK advances to face ICE for a spot in the next phase.

What matchup do you want to see next? Let me know in the comments below!

💠Related Links

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