The Iron Bank has sent a notice. Will you read it?
It is with considerable pleasure that we congratulate kingdoms 829 and 834 for making it this far in our War of the 8 Kingdoms Tournament. It has been incredible to watch how each kingdom came together to crush their opponents and fight for the grand prize!
As old friends and foes came together to defeat a common enemy, we sought to highlight these brave participants. A raven was sent last week with a questionnaire, asking each kingdom to speak for themselves and their winning teams.
We received far more responses back than we could fit in a single post, but among them were several standouts and common sentiments that we have collected below!
Many responders were rightfully tight-lipped about their war strategies, lest they be revealed to their enemies ahead of this weekend’s championship battle! Fear not, any sensitive, tactical information has been kept secret and will not be revealed today.
With that said, let us jump into a special spotlight on our finalists- Kingdoms 829 and 834!
Kingdom 829
What better place to begin than numerically, with Kingdom 829.
From far and wide, players submitted their opinions towards our questionnaire. T1’s, T2, T3 and T4s alike. Even nomads who had decided to stay neutral submitted claims!
When asked : Why is 829 the best? These Lieges had some notable quotes.
“ We have a long history of players and teams. Ghost, Beast, and Lgnds have been around since their original kingdoms. Even Zion I believe. The amount of strength and overall knowledge is unlike any other kingdom, and I have played in others. Good people as well, I would say for the most part. Yet, to have that many teams still around after 4 years, and kicking ass speaks for itself.”
– T1 of BEA5T, LyonsDen
“A Kingdom ravaged with internal politics and strife, where savagery is commonplace. We murder and pillage, kin betraying kin. However when usurpers land upon our shores we will battle to protect our right to annihilate one another and let no Kingdom put that asunder. It is known.”
– T2 of HAPPY, Obåjån
“Not saying we are, but we’ll fight to prove it{.]”
-T3 of NOFKZ, THΣ HΣF
“Our high level of activity and competition forces us to get better each week. When we unite, we show how truly terrifying our kingdom is! ”
-T4 of GHOUL, SAVAGE LIFE
When we asked the kingdom “ What has been your favorite part of the Tourney?” a large number of players chose
Fighting a Common Enemy
As their top choice.
“ It’s been great having a huge goal [that] progresses over the summer. There’s no real satisfaction in competing in our kingdom anymore so this has been a great way for people to regain interest.“
-T3 of DE4TH, Vęrdąndı
“ Late nights with my peeps in VC, rolling rallies, defending, laughing our butts off to no end ”
-T2 of YETNY, ʟ ᴀ ʙ ᴇ ᴛ ᴇ
When we asked “ Which kingdom has been the hardest to go up against so far?” an overwhelming number of players from 829 choose
805
as their most difficult foe yet.
From these reports we received some descriptions of the previous battles, and the complex challenges that came along with them!
“Riding the bombs set by MUTNY and BLAME. And trying to kick them out of sops”
-T2 of TITAN, ᵇᵘˡˡᵈᵒᵍ
“1173 because they were a newer kingdom that had to employ different tactics. The seat battle ended so swiftly that some on the 805 end got bored due to lack of activity. They tried some hit and move tactics and aimed at weaker targets to keep. Eventually, they were overwhelmed but it was a good challenge to see something different. It was also interesting to see them be given additional buffs to help their stats draw more even to an older merged kingdom. Many of us started in the first 100 servers and beta groups. So we’ve had a lot of time to grow our strength.“
-T4 of GH0ST, Momoshikiツ
“805 had a[ ]lot of top end keeps but we had more keeps and it was really close between us .. I [believe] 805 would have beaten anyone else that[‘]s not us (829)[.]”
-T4 of KNWHR , NΘτ λΣΓΣ
Last but not least, the messenger brought us some notable Lords, Lady’s and Liege’s to highlight. Answering the question:
Who was the most valuable players in your allegiance or kingdom?
Note: Titles are based on where a player was when we created the document.
T1 of BEA5T, LyonsDen
Testimonials
“We had several [teams] work together…[and] he did a great job coordinating…”
“He speaks to everyone like an equal… plays for his team, and doesn’t stop. Will sacrifice his army and his resources for the common goals.”
“Has amazing power [and] great leadership skills… [He] keeps the morale of everyone engaged and isn’t out to just destroy. He encourages everyone to have fun as well!”
T1 of GH0ST, ŦĦɆ KɌȺɎ ŦWƗNS
Testimonials
“Always on to defend and do their best. A very good strategist, [and] never buckles when challenged. Amazing character… Keep, and works harder than almost [any] leader I’ve known.”
“…Pushes people to be better. [He’s also] designed a bot in discord to show your progress in pvp stats.”
“[He’s the] leader of Ghost who dominates 829 and yet is still respectful of competing allegiances so we end up winning. Together.”
“[The] Biggest and baddest.”
T1 of TITAN, House Darkowl
Testimonials
“He conquered KL in 805. Pretty significant feat.”
“He is our T1 in Titan and he just guided our alliance and [perfectly] motivated us.”
“ Inspirational leader and strategist! “
T1 of G0DZ, DAENERYS GUARD
Testimonials
“He understands a strong alliance of active players is needed to fill solid rallies and tries to gather those who are scattered.”
“He [fought] against 15 keeps!”
“They know how to bring in the heat and they can defend [their] seat by themselves if needed . He needs to be rallied to be kicked, even that doesn’t work most of the time.”
T2 of CULT, KHツ
Testimonials
“KH (Dark) is probably one of the smartest players in GOTC. He is not only a main anchor of our defense team he is absolutely fully at attention for when to switch to offense. Not to mention- he is the least dramatic- you will not see him coming – but you’ll know when you’ve been hit. “
“Very active, strong account, positive attitude.”
“He’s just unbeatable”
T2 of EPIC, BúBBà
Testimonial
” Bubba isn’t a high level keep but developed research and growth to have amazing stats. So, a player with T11 or T10 troops battle with him; they get their troops killed while his T8 and T9 are wounded. He’s our best strategic nod player and semi-trap per his stats. ”
T3 of CULT, ɢɪʟʟʏSᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ
Testimonials
“She’s the best! Very helpful player.”
“She is extremely active, has great leadership skills, organizes so much, and stays up the whole time. . .”
T4 of TITAN, Deliryan
Testimonial
“ A smart player and great at setting rallies in time with march time to SoP’s. Great at reading between the lines on battle reports if they are visible…”
T4 of BEA5T, LORD GUIMI
Testimonial
“Always a team player! Guimi is busy scouting and taking over seats to give titles and supports his team by joining rallies. Even though Guimi does not speak the dominant language of the group, he communicates game spirit through translators in game and in discord. He is such a pleasure to have on our team!”
These are only a few examples of the Testimonials that stood out to us here at the Iron Bank.
However, as you reach the end of this message, we leave you with a couple of words from Liege Momoshiki in 829 as you head into the weekend.
“ 829 excels because we play hard. We push each other each week with some of the strongest keeps in the game battling it out. From single combat to rallies, there [is] nearly nothing we haven’t seen. We all have an unwavering desire to be the absolute best allegiance and destroy our opponents. When KvK comes around, we turn this wrath and fury on usurper kingdoms. We often don’t even coordinate and still dominate opposing kingdoms. When we put differences and past transgressions aside and unite under the flag of 829, there is often little other kingdoms can do.”
– Momoshikiツ of GH0ST
Kingdom 834
Now onto our highlights from Kingdom 834!
When asked : Why is 834 the best? These Lieges had some notable quotes.
“ Our Kingdom is a force to reckon with! The strategic planning and organizational development of working together under the umbrella of an advanced, seasoned Kingdom, allows 834 to sustain a goal of getting the job done correctly! We fight as one and we don’t take no for an answer! “
-T1 of WZRDS, Quɛɛn Мσяliy
“ Despite all the previous differences, we have managed to put all our egos aside and work together as I’ve never experienced before.”
-T2 of BGHUB, BårBårinå
“The compassion and camaraderie that the players and teams exhibit but also the vicious brutality that we inflict week in and week out on each other. ”
-T3 of MAMA, Thumperz
“Against all odds and past grievances our kingdom[s] . . .excellent leadership managed to join forces ( this has never worked out before ) and Mercs, FKit and HGWTZ are working together . . .with great success. We really enjoy this tournament and it has blown a new life into the game. Kingdom 834 is now a United force And we are going to show everyone what we are made of! https://youtu.be/M4Lv9PPrLQI“
-T4 of MERCS, PHOξЙłЖ
When we asked the kingdom “ What has been your favorite part of the Tourney?” a large number of players chose
Building Kingdom Spirit
As their top choice.
“ Building kingdom spirit has been #1. Working with people we usually fight has been great and different.”
-T3 of FKIT, ƤɨṆƘɨΣ ƤɨΣ
“I love . . .no matter how big or small you are you can actively participate in hunting keeps and claiming [SoPs.] [D]own to the team work[.] [W]hen the whole kingdom comes together for a common cause [it] is fantastic”
— T3 of UNDED, ZBonnie
When we asked “ Which kingdom has been the hardest to go up against so far?” an overwhelming number of players from 834 choose
828
as their most difficult foe yet.
From these reports we received some descriptions of the previous battles, and the complex challenges that came along with them!
“ They are much older than us so they’ve had more time to strengthen. We had to really dig in and consistently apply the pressure. Even when it looked like we were losing, it took tooooooo much. Too costly to win “
-T2 of TURTL, ƬHΣ QÜΣΣƝ
“Our own demons. We had never competed together so once we got all of the egos set aside, it was really fun to work together.”
-T3 of FKIT, M1 ABRAMS TANK
“832 was a much more active kingdom, who joined together as we had. It was a very close fight to the bitter end. At times there were less than 20 million points between us. They would be first, then we’d be first, then they’d be first again. It took most of our kingdom pulling an all-nighter, basically fighting non-stop from start to finish to win by a very close margin.”
-T4 of LINNY, Angel of Avalon
Last but not least, our scribes noted several Lords, Ladies and Lieges to who received accolades from their teammates when answering the question:
Who was the most valuable players in your allegiance or kingdom?
Note: Titles are based on where a player was when we created the document.
T1 of VACAY, GODzïlla
Testimonials
“Befitting a leader.”
“Defends and attacks [everything]”
“Hard to beat[.]”
T3 of FKIT, SER VALØR
Testimonials
“Ser Valør has been an amazing leader and a huge source of [morale] for our team, FK!T. He loves his team and he will never stop fighting for what he believes in. He is one of the reasons why FK!T has been successful for so long and a huge contributor [to] our success in the last two rounds of KvK. Going against 828, Valør stayed up the entire time and coordinated with the other allegiances of our kingdom at every point.”
“As the War Commander for the team I was part of, he was constantly online, coordinating with the other Allies and setting strategic goals and making changes as needed to hit our targets.”
“I choose Ser Valor as the MVP from my allegiance because without him, I don’t believe we have the same synergy as a kingdom. My allegiance, FKIT, of which I am a member of Leadership, represents the second strongest team in 834. . .And while as a leadership group, we always intended to work together as a kingdom, the energy and commitment that Ser Valor brought to the table for FKIT is second to none. He was most active in planning and discussion and spent the majority of the KvK period [helping] to organize and command the offensive effort of 834. This is in large part to do with his personal growth and ability to now see a larger picture and put certain things behind him. I know that Leadership in FKIT, not just myself is grateful for his commitment to this team and his willingness to fill a void when called upon.”
“Ser Valor is a great leader who applies different tactics to meet every situation in game. His strategies on offense AND defense always get the job done.”
“He did an awesome job motivating everyone to continue to fight even when we were tired. He did an amazing job.”
T3 of MERCS, Pιρҽ αɳԃ Eʅʅ
Testimonials
“I believe Pipelayer on my team (Mercs) was the [MVP] in terms of diplomacy and getting the cooperation of many teams we thought we didn’t stand a chance of working with.”
“I’m going to have to go with Pipelayer (or The Great Unifier as he is currently known). He was instrumental in getting the kingdom to fight as a whole. It was not an easy task given how much we have fought and bled against one another.”
“Pipe is thoughtful in his execution of a plan and has a deep understanding of tactical gameplay.”
T3 of BGHUB, Åśtûrïç
Testimonials
” He played a strong role in the Kingdom-wide restructuring and planning, and although he was not the greatest hitter himself, his coordination was critical.”
“Because he’s Asturic, obviously.”
T3 of DINOS, -Jello-
Testimonials
“He always inserts fun in the game when things get tense. He has a way [o]f turning a hot situation into something funny. He [is] just an all around great and funny guy.”
“He’s the meanest of mean”
T3 of NINJA, DФGS ФF ЩДЯ
Testimonials
“Half our alliance in Fury was kicked out or removed. Fishbaity[DФGS ФF ЩДЯ] made sure we all stayed together as much as he could find us a new alliance to go too. He has stayed up many nights teaching, mentoring, giving “gifts” to those who didn’t have any[]more to give. Researching so that he could mentor, growing so he could help protect & defend. ”
“He fought and rallied sops for hours and is always there to help everyone”
T4 of F4MLY, CaVaLeiRo NeGro
Testimonials
“He’s the most fierce but very caring and passionate player who will always be willing to help his teammates and other players in different allegiances. “
“Most active, caring and most helpful player in our allegiance”
These are only a few examples of the Testimonials that stood out to us here at the Iron Bank.
However, as you reach the end of this message, we leave you with a couple of words from Liege’s Quɛɛn Мσяliy & ZBonnie in 829 as you head into the weekend.
“Our Kingdom is a force to reckon with! The strategic planning and organizational development of working together under the umbrella of an advanced, seasoned Kingdom, allows 834 to sustain a goal of getting the job done correctly! We fight as one and we don’t take no for an answer!”
-Quɛɛn Мσяliy of WZRDS
We [are] solid, we have strength , courage and honour, When it’s time to come together we do[.] We all come together to battle and defend our kingdom from our smallest keeps to our biggest[,] no one is left behind we all have our[…]part and have all made our kingdom the greatest kingdom of them all .”
-ZBonnie of UNDED
Honorable Mention
This was the most commonly voiced response across both kingdoms
Me
Testimonials
“Where do I begin?“
“I’m all I have right now.“
“I tied up the river and backed the ocean down“
“Me! I’m alone! Because I wouldn’t be here.“
Last Tourney, Final Rewards
Schedule
The third and final round of the War of the Eight Kingdoms tournament will commence at 5pm ET on July 22nd.
Rewards
Kingdoms who have won 2 weeks in a row will battle one last time and the victor will be crowned Grand Champion! The other 6 kingdoms will also be paired once more based on their Victory/Defeat record and fight in a final Consolation Match.
If your Kingdom is Victorious, you will receive a 20% reduction buff on Keystone & Valyrian Stone for the duration of the next week’s Varys’s Riddle (Overall Power) event – 7/29 at 9pm ET until 8/1 at 2am ET
If your Kingdom is Defeated, you will receive a 5% reduction buff on Keystone & Valyrian Stone for the duration of the next week’s Varys’s Riddle (Overall Power) event – 7/29 – 8/1
To event participants on the final winning kingdom, an additional, exclusive reward will be granted- The Tully March Pawn.
***Please note: Tully Pawn Shards will be sent via a separate in-game message later in August to allow our clerks at the Iron Bank time to categorize the participants and ship the rewards from Braavos to your keeps in Westeros!
We thank you for your patience.
As the final round progresses, join the #tournament channel in our official Discord to discuss the competition with the community!
If you need a recap of what’s transpired the past two rounds, take a look at our recent War Report, found in the pinned messages of the channel.
Thanks everyone for this fantastic Tourney, and thank you for playing Game of Thrones: Conquest!