The Iron Age I Tournament Chronicle — Episode 1: In the Heat of Battle
Hello, everyone! I’m Amine, also known as Amininano, and I’m a Contributor at Metaguild. Additionally, I have the privilege of leading the Metaguild Mithraeum team. Today, I’d like to delve into the fascinating tactics and strategies that have left a lasting impression on me as a relatively new Leader in this tournament.
The Iron Age I Tournament commenced on July 31st, and as we gather here on September 11th, it’s been a remarkable journey of 42 days since the tournament’s inception. As we approach what could be considered the latter stages of this engaging competition, I’d like to take this opportunity to share my observations and analyses.
To provide you with a comprehensive overview of how this tournament unfolded, I’ll be breaking down the tactics and movements of each zone individually, commencing with the southern regions.
Demi Yonder Zone
In this zone, there are a total of 26 Settlements, with the majority, 21, being controlled by TombStone & Degen, leaving only 5 in the hands of Ordengg. This significant numerical advantage clearly tilts the balance in favor of TombStone & Degen. The task of neutralizing these five potential threats doesn’t seem insurmountable, especially considering the geographical positioning of Demi Yonder zone, which lies at the far southern end of the map, making it quite distant from Ordengg’s other settlements.
However, TombStone & Degen do face a unique challenge in this zone — managing toxicity. Toxicity levels increase when harvesting resources and decrease when investing resources in buildings, upgrading structures, or hiring armies. Given the anticipated short duration of fights in this zone, managing toxicity could become increasingly challenging as the tournament progresses. Nevertheless, the skillful players on TombStone & Degen seem well-prepared to handle this obstacle, showcasing their tactical prowess.
As evident from the impending summoning of the Cultists in just 28 hours, the players are faced with the need to halt weapon production due to its associated high toxicity (where 1 weapon equals 8 toxicity).
As the utility of expending weapons on hiring army units diminishes over time, players are forced to confront the toxicity issue through various means. One notable approach is to assemble a formidable army unit in preparation for the impending battle against the Cultists at the moment of their summoning.
Indeed, the tasks within this zone are far from completion. Beyond their defensive and strategic efforts, these players are also orchestrating the deployment of backdoor army units, a testament to their commitment to the alliance’s success. These units are sent to flank the enemy and provide crucial support to zones that are situated at a considerable distance.
To facilitate these long-distance maneuvers and ensure swift movement, these players have meticulously prepared vast food treasuries. This allows them to traverse extensive hex distances in the shortest possible time while conserving their food resources by recruiting Archers and Horses for their armies.
As you can see, this single zone within the grand scope of the tournament has already seen a multitude of strategic developments and actions, all taking place within a competition boasting a significant and enticing reward pool, including a staggering 80,800 xDAI!
I hope you’re looking forward to the upcoming zone; let’s continue our journey! 😊
Whispering Woods & Death Pass Zones
The majority of battles in these two zones unfolded concurrently, making it more convenient to analyze them together. During the height of these battles, Whispering Woods housed 24 settlements, while Death Pass had 25. Among these settlements, a significant 35 were under the control of TombStone & Degen, with Ordengg claiming ownership of 14.
Despite being outnumbered, Ordengg’s resilience was remarkable as they held their ground for an impressive 34 days across these two zones. Their valiant defense only came to an end when their last two settlements, Mechonoid and Skaro, fell victim to plundering once the battles concluded, leaving Ordengg with no remaining armies.
Let’s transition to the next zone.
Dark Moor Zone
In this particular zone, Ordengg has secured nine settlements out of a total of 27. Unfortunately, seven of these settlements, situated in the Northwest and South, have already been lost. However, two of their settlements in the Northeast remain standing, namely.
TRUSTVILLE and ADEN
A monumental battle is on the brink of erupting in this zone.
Thousands of army units are being strategically mobilized by TombStone & Degen in preparation for the impending and decisive clashes. Meanwhile, Ordengg is diligently fortifying their last surviving settlements with formidable armies, poised to defend them with all their might.
As evident, the final two settlements held by Ordengg are responsible for a substantial 28% of the toxicity in this zone. This highlights the critical significance of eliminating enemy settlements within the zone. Doing so not only aids in asserting control but also facilitates the maintenance of a favorable toxicity level, thereby reducing the frequency of summoned cultists.
Now, let’s turn our attention to Metaguild’s two primary zones: Glacial Highland and Dead Land.
In the initial stages of the game, Glacial Highlands featured a total of 24 settlements, with 15 under the control of Ordengg, 7 belonging to Metaguild, and 2 claimed by TombStone. Similarly, Dead Land hosted 25 settlements, with 14 owned by Ordengg, 8 by Metaguild, and 3 by Tombstone & Degen.
Analyzing these statistics, it’s apparent that Ordengg had a more favorable distribution of settlements in these two zones, giving them a competitive edge. However, despite the odds, we put forth our best efforts and successfully became the first to plunder an Ordengg settlement in Glacial Highlands.
Unfortunately, following that pivotal moment, we found it increasingly challenging to keep pace with Ordengg. Their expansion in the GH zone began to outnumber us, and we faced the dilemma of balancing both offensive and defensive strategies simultaneously.
However, our battle was far from over. In fact, it was just the beginning. As soon as we discerned that Ordengg had experienced setbacks in other zones, prompting them to shift their focus towards us, we initiated an extensive defensive strategy. This compelled us to prioritize the construction of massive fortresses, aimed at buying us as much time as possible for our comeback plan of remarkable magnitude.
On Day 26, we put forth our utmost efforts to elevate the toxicity levels in the Glacial Highland Zone. However, during the last week preceding the summoning of the Cultists, Ordengg proved to be successful in reducing the toxicity from 8000 to 0. As the Leader, it became evident that we needed to explore alternative strategies to disrupt Ordengg’s economy, as our initial plan of increasing toxicity in the GH zone had failed.
Yet, in the days leading up to the Cultists’ arrival, a realization dawned upon us. Our original plan, though not entirely successful in terms of toxicity, had an unintended consequence. It forced our adversaries to deplete their resources primarily in the GH zone, leaving them with insufficient reserves to safeguard their secondary main zone, Dead Land. Thus, we made a strategic decision not to contribute to decreasing the toxicity in Dead Land, deliberately aiming to impact Ordengg’s economy. As events unfolded, this decision bore fruit.
A staggering 8930 Cultists were summoned on Dead Land, rendering 14 Orden settlements, which had made significant progress and captured numerous hexes, almost worthless due to the crippling 89.3% reduction in production caused by the Cultists summoning.
On Day 42, a notable and intriguing development unfolded within the Glacial Highland zone. Several Ordengg Settlements, recognizing the impending arrival of the anticipated 10,000 cultists and the ensuing disruption to zone stability, initiated an unconventional strategy. They began sieging their own settlements in a meticulously orchestrated manner. This strategic move aimed to preemptively secure their valuable resources and wealth, as it had become apparent that the zone’s productivity would soon plummet due to the imminent cultist threat, possibly reaching a 100% slowdown.
In their calculated preparations, these Ordengg Settlements strategically positioned their armies at the onset of the path leading to the impending monumental clash. By doing so, they ensured that they would consistently be at the forefront, plundering their own settlements before the arrival of TombStone & Degen’s forces. This clever maneuver not only safeguarded their assets but also provided a means to maximize their returns on investment during the final stages of these arduous battles.
In the wake of this development, the inevitability of our allies from TombStone & Degen arriving from other zones to provide crucial support, eradicate the remaining Ordengg settlements, and free our besieged territories became indisputable.
Let’s now discuss the last zone.
Jade Vales Zone
This zone took a markedly different course compared to the others. Within the first 14 days, it had already amassed 5376 Cultists, resulting in a significant slowdown in production. Unfortunately, this was also the sole zone where our allies, Chamomile, were settling in.
The situation in this zone grew increasingly complex, with 9 out of 24 settlements belonging to Ordengg. They had committed most of their resources to battles in other zones, resulting in an exceedingly high toxicity level here. Additionally, this zone witnessed relatively fewer battles, further complicating the situation.
Sadly, as Metaguild, we found ourselves unable to provide assistance to our ally, Chamomile. We were simultaneously dealing with our own challenges, and our economy was severely constrained.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that conflicts arose between Chamomile and TombStone, leading to the dissolution of the alliance for their own reasons. This unfortunate turn of events meant that Chamomile had a challenging start and had to navigate the remainder of the tournament on their own.
📝 Author’s Note: This is my first attempt at storytelling, and while I’ve put my best effort into it, there may be some mistakes or inaccuracies. My intention is purely to share my experiences and insights from the tournament, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading. Please feel free to share your thoughts and thank you for your understanding and support! 😊 See you in Episode 2!
About Mithraeum
Mithraeum is a pure on-chain grand strategy game with a strong emphasis on players’ social interactions. The game immerses you in the atmosphere of historical eras, great battles, extensive sieges, and alliances within one global map. You start as a Mithraeum ruler, an owner of a settlement, and from then on, your every decision can alter the dynamics of the game. Develop the settlement into a strong economic power, trade resources on the market, create a powerful army and raid other settlements. And finally, convert economic and military instruments into powerful political influence to impose your will upon others.
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About Metaguild
Metaguild is the first and largest hardcore gaming collective. We invest in games to secure guild positions and facilitate our players’ success. At Metaguild, we take the best from traditional gaming, and speedrun to the next level: games with open economies backed by blockchain.
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