CCS: Stuck on the Outside Looking In

I recently realized I've gotten a bit fat, and when I say "a bit", that's probably an understatement. And while following my account buff progression, I was just short of a few things. One more war badge upgraded to red and one more piece of gear upgraded to red would have finished my Kingsguard accessory.

So I said I would probably fix both of these things during the next CCS.

Well, "the next CCS" is finally here and it's time to get some more upgrades done. Except... the timing for this slot is not ideal. Waking up before 7AM on a weekend to play CCS doesn't sound like much fun, and if we weren't in the middle of the AC season and I didn't need these two items right now, I would probably have stayed out of this one and enjoyed my beauty sleep.

Alas, I want those sweet rewards, so I guess it's time to set an alarm for 7AM. I don't even wake up at this time during the week when I go to work, lol.

Surprisingly enough, I wake up naturally a few minutes before my alarm and take a quick look at the map to see who I'll be supporting this lovely morning.

It looks like NBe have already taken the City of Glory and they have a strong presence on the map.

But when I check out the rest of the map... there isn't much to be found there. Only a few groups of players, and it doesn't look like NBe has much competition around...

Needless to say, the City of Glory is being rallied by players who want their rewards, so I guess the best way forward is to support NBe. I've played CCS with them in the past, so this shouldn't be a problem. Right?

So I say goodbye to my First Men Treasures and leave N0X to join the holders. NBe has space, they know me, let's go get some Battle Diamonds!

But before I'm even accepted, NBe loses center?

To whom?

Are there other whales on the map?

For a split second I think I see a WxD tag, but that changes quickly and a few holders swap ownership.

NBe gets it back and Barbarosa steps inside while the rallies continue to hammer down on the City of Glory.

But so far, I still haven't been accepted into the alliance.🙄

Almost 15 minutes have passed and I'm just sitting there watching everything unfold before my eyes without being able to do anything.

And shortly after, NBe rotates ToK inside.

I think they realized they don't have much competition this round and want to fix the rankings early.

On a side note, it's funny how some players are attacking from outside the map.😅

I wish I knew what they did, because I want to try it next time, lol.

The ranks look pretty settled by now and I suspect NBe will keep ToK inside for the rest of the match.

But I still haven't been accepted, and as time passes, I have exactly 0 kills.😔

There seems to be some competition forming on the bottom side of the map, with IXA and IlI getting some decent rallies up.

And I have to watch as eliminations are being scored left and right while I'm just sitting there waiting for NBe to accept me so I can help them defend, lol. Like they need my help defending on this map.😅

But the city isn't even half full, so they have plenty of room for me. It's not like I'd be taking anyone's spot. There's room in the alliance and there's room in the City of Glory.

So what gives? Why aren't they accepting me?

As the game approaches the midpoint, I think I understand why they don't want more players defending.

There is barely anyone left to attack by now, and most of them probably haven't scored their eliminations yet.😱

And before I even finish that thought, I notice a shell alliance, NFe, with some NBe members inside.

That kind of confirms what I'm thinking. They are splitting into two alliances so they can kill each other's troops for the points.

Ok... that works for me.😅Kills are kills. It doesn't matter which NBe shell alliance I'm under. I apply to their shell alliance and figure that wherever they need more people, that's where I'll get my points from.

It's not like they're in any danger of losing this CCS, so it's all fine in the end.

Except... As we transition into the second half of the game, I'm still not accepted in either alliance. Woopsie!😫

A little thought starts forming in the back of my mind as the shell alliance is abandoned and only the main NBe remains.

I have a feeling they've already gotten all the individual points they wanted and are basically going to sleep through the rest of the game.

But that leaves me in a rather delicate situation... The match is slowing down and I haven't done anything yet.

And while I contemplate my remaining options, I take some time to upgrade a few commanders and improve my army size, as I'm starting to accept that this CCS could potentially turn out really bad for me.

And it doesn't take long to get the final nail in my CCS coffin, as the official rejection comes through.

They have all their points. They don't need me for anything. Right in the feels!

What to do, what to do? There isn't much going on on the map anyway. Most everyone who wanted some action is probably done and out of troops by now.

But just as all hope seems to be lost, a glimmer of hope shines upon the battlefield. I see my friend on the map!

He wasn't awake when I joined, but now that he's here, maybe he has a plan?

The rankings are good for NBe, so they won't try any swaps now, and almost everyone else has stopped the rallies.

My only hope is either to solo mid or rally with Hotep. But he's Cav and ToK is Spear... So this would be a disaster for both of us.

And since I don't feel like donating troops to NBe after they looked the other way while I applied to "help" them, I'm left with only two choices.

Either swallow my pride and get some Bravery Tokens🙂... Or simply walk away🙃

And since I can't get Battle Diamonds from Bravery Tokens, and waking up at 7AM seems to have been for absolutely nothing, I'm a bit bitter and decide to end my crusade on the spot and head back to bed.

It's almost 8AM. I can still salvage this morning and clock in a few more hours of sleep.

If nothing good came out of my match, at least I can get something out of my Saturday morning.

As I move out, I take one last look at the map to see if there was any other choice to be made.

But the situation is already starting to thin out, so I'm happy to close the game and not give it a second thought.

CCS is usually a preferred method of choice to lose fat in a controlled manner, similar to GB. And I've never had issues finding an alliance to host me. But apparently today was the day.😶

It would have been great to get those upgrades, especially mid AC season, but things don't always go the way I want.

And since GB is almost three months away, my upgrades will probably have to wait one more month for the next CCS.

Or maybe I can do something in KvK? Who knows...

And those are probably my last thoughts as I fall asleep again, pretending this whole thing was just a fraction of a dream.

At least I get to wake up later to a lovely Saturday morning.

If nothing else happened, I guess I'll take the sleep😅