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[Review] Analysis of AoW vs BUNS in IBL in Infinity Kingdom

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Article Publish : 11/02/2026 13:25

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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 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 championship matchup between Server 38’s Art of War (AoW) and Server 73’s Snugglebunnies (BUNS).

💠Table of Contents

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

💠Overview

AoW finished the first phase of the IBL tournament with an undefeated 7–0 record before cruising through the early playoff rounds with victories over XGV, VW, and KoV. They then received two byes in the Top 16 against their farm alliances, SPS and Ascendants of Asgard, before narrowly defeating ARC in a hard-fought semifinal to secure their place in the grand finals. Meanwhile, BUNS completed the first phase with a 3–0 record and advanced through the playoffs with victories over OF, SJ, and NG+. Their momentum continued into the Top 16, where they delivered three dominant performances against RH, HOT, and HK to earn their spot in the championship match. AoW entered the finals with an undefeated record, championship experience, and a history of executing well under pressure, while BUNS arrived with significant momentum after repeatedly overcoming strong opponents. With both teams fielding near-full rosters and possessing enough individual strength to win fights, the championship should come down to opening allocation, relocation control, and which side can turn small positional advantages into sustained control of the Central Tower.

💠Starting Positions and Talents

BUNS

Started with 29 players and ended with 30
17 Attack talents
9 Defense talents
3 Support talents

AoW

Started with 28 players and ended with 30
12 Attack talents
11 Defense talents
5 Support talents

Attendance was essentially equal, with BUNS beginning with only one additional player and both teams eventually reaching the full 30-player limit. BUNS leaned more aggressively into Attack talents, while AoW brought a more balanced composition with additional Defense and Support. This suggested different priorities: BUNS was better configured to apply early pressure and eliminate isolated opponents, while AoW’s heavier defensive and support investment should help them sustain contested positions, reinforce teammates through garrisons, and survive longer battles around the Central Tower. With virtually no attendance difference, the match would be decided by execution rather than roster size.

💠Tower 1

At Tower 1, BUNS committed 10 players while AoW opted to concede the objective entirely, choosing instead to concentrate its forces on Tower 4 and the Central Tower. With no opposition in the area, BUNS should have little difficulty capturing Tower 1 and securing an early source of points. However, committing all 10 players to an uncontested objective would be an inefficient use of manpower. Once BUNS realized AoW had no intention of contesting the tower, they needed to cancel several relocations and redirect those players toward the Central Tower as quickly as possible. AoW’s decision to abandon Tower 1 was therefore a calculated trade: they willingly surrendered one outer objective in exchange for creating stronger local numbers at the two objectives they considered more important.

💠Tower 4

At Tower 4, AoW committed six players while BUNS opted to concede the objective entirely. With Tower 4 located closer to AoW’s spawn, BUNS would have been at a positional disadvantage, as AoW could use favorable edge spawns to block or destroy incoming relocations before the fight even began. Rather than risk losing players to failed relocations and wasting valuable time, BUNS chose to concentrate its manpower on Tower 1 and the Central Tower. This was a sensible strategic decision, but it also gave AoW an important efficiency advantage: because Tower 4 naturally favored their side, AoW could secure the objective with fewer players and dedicate a larger portion of its roster to the center. That difference in positional efficiency would become one of the most important factors in the opening phase.

💠Central Tower

At the Central Tower, AoW committed 22 players while BUNS sent 18, giving AoW a four-player advantage at the most important objective. Both teams contested two key corner relocation spots, with each side attempting to secure favorable positions and deny their opponents access to the surrounding area. Winning these relocation races could significantly influence the opening exchanges, because every blocked relocation would further increase the local numbers advantage and reduce the losing side’s ability to garrison teammates or launch coordinated rallies. AoW already began with the larger force, so winning even one of those contested positions would place BUNS under immediate pressure. For BUNS, successfully defending both relocations was therefore essential if they wanted to prevent AoW from snowballing its initial advantage into complete positional control.

💠Altars

Neither team sent anyone to either altar, showing that both sides prioritized the major opening objectives rather than spreading players across lower-value areas. Given BUNS’ heavy commitment to the Central Tower and AoW’s decision to overload the center while efficiently securing Tower 4, ignoring the altars was a reasonable choice for both teams during the opening phase.

💠Home Towers

AoW opted to leave its home tower completely undefended during the opening minutes, recognizing that BUNS would not be able to launch an invasion immediately. This allowed AoW to maximize its manpower at the contested objectives rather than waste players guarding a tower that was not yet under threat. Meanwhile, BUNS stationed one player at its home tower as a precaution against potential invasions. Both approaches were reasonable, but AoW’s was more efficient during the opening because it freed one additional player for the Central Tower. The risk was that AoW would need to recognize the moment an invasion became possible and rotate a defender back before BUNS could exploit the empty objective.

💠Play-by-Play

At Tower 1, BUNS canceled five of their 10 relocations after realizing AoW had no intention of contesting the objective. This was an excellent adjustment, as it allowed those five players to relocate elsewhere much earlier rather than wasting valuable time at an uncontested tower. The remaining five BUNS players immediately began sieging and captured Tower 1 without resistance just a few minutes into the match. By redistributing half their forces, BUNS secured an early source of points while preserving additional manpower for the much more important Central Tower battle.

The reverse was true for AoW at Tower 4, where all six players completed their relocations after encountering no opposition from BUNS. With the objective uncontested, AoW immediately began sieging and captured the tower just a few minutes into the match. Unlike BUNS at Tower 1, AoW did not cancel any relocations to reinforce the Central Tower. This was less efficient from a manpower perspective, although the mistake was partially mitigated by AoW already having a significant opening numbers advantage in the center. Even so, canceling two or three relocations could have strengthened that advantage further and reduced the risk of BUNS mounting an early comeback.

At the Central Tower, AoW won both contested relocation races and destroyed two additional BUNS relocations, turning an initial four-player advantage into an even larger local mismatch before the main fighting began. AoW immediately capitalized by zeroing one BUNS player on the top side and another on the bottom, while BUNS struggled to mount an equally effective response. AoW continued applying pressure on the top side, eliminating additional BUNS players and denying them any meaningful foothold around the objective. With more surviving players and better positional control, AoW gradually pushed BUNS into a corner and surrounded the Central Tower. This allowed them to begin sieging with minimal resistance and capture the objective at the 12-minute mark. The decisive factor was not simply AoW’s original four-player advantage, but their ability to compound it through relocation denial and coordinated target selection until BUNS could no longer contest the area effectively.

Twelve minutes into the match, BUNS attempted to teleport a couple of players to Tower 4, where four AoW players were stationed on defense. This prompted AoW to respond by teleporting one additional player and initiating three relocations to reinforce the tower. However, the four defenders quickly zeroed both BUNS invaders, shutting down the attempted takeover before it could gain momentum. Meanwhile, BUNS continued pressuring the Central Tower and gradually reclaimed territory around the objective. Their persistence nearly paid off as they came within less than a second of completing the siege, only for AoW to interrupt the capture at the final possible moment. That interruption was arguably the defining defensive play of the match. Had BUNS completed the capture, they would have controlled both Tower 1 and the Central Tower and significantly changed the scoring pressure on AoW. Instead, AoW preserved the center, maintained its scoring advantage, and forced BUNS to continue attacking from behind for the remainder of the battle.

💠Summary

AoW won the match decisively with 100,000 points to BUNS’ 55,100, securing their second consecutive IBL championship. The decisive difference came from the opening allocation and the way AoW converted positional advantages into control of the Central Tower. Tower 4 naturally favored AoW’s spawn, allowing them to secure that objective with only six players while committing 22 to the center. BUNS made the correct adjustment at Tower 1 by canceling half of its relocations, but they still entered the Central Tower fight at a numbers disadvantage and then lost both contested relocation races, allowing AoW to snowball that advantage even further. AoW followed with superior target selection and relocation denial, systematically clearing BUNS from the area and capturing the most valuable objective. BUNS’ later Tower 4 invasion failed to create meaningful pressure, while their near-capture of the Central Tower represented their best opportunity to change the outcome. AoW’s last-second interruption preserved the objective and effectively sealed the championship. Ultimately, AoW won because they used spawn geometry, manpower allocation, relocation control, and defensive execution more effectively at the moments that mattered most. BUNS finishes the season as the runner-up after an impressive playoff run, while AoW secures another championship and reinforces its position as the tournament’s most consistent alliance.