Alright a lot has happened in the past week. For anyone living under a rock, lets recap real quick. Noobmeup was ousted and It Burns When We Grep is dead the only remaining accounts in there are VMed ones from the hurricane or quitting. Instead two alliances have been formed in Burn's place. There's a Cream for That and Noobs R' Us. The former is relevant, the latter is just a death waiting room, think of a retirement home in Florida. Most of us saw that coming, what nobody saw coming was Noob reclaiming the *Head*Hunter* account and ghosting it to spite the player he gifted to. This has caused a top 12 shake up that will probably be felt for the coming weeks and likely have redrawn the battle lines. So without further ado, here we go...
1) Zero Fox Gone- Still the top dog of Lato winning its major wars and pushing the lines up front. Expect ZFG to hold its own for much of the server. At this point the best bet to win here is either a mass coalition or wait for inactivity to take its toll. Swim.
Notable Wins: It Burns When We Grep, ThePlague (round 1), Havoc.
2) W.A.R.- The runner up on Lato, also winning all of its major wars with the exception of ZFG, which it trails slightly by 9. The same story for these guys really, they're pretty far ahead of #3 on the list in all categories and I genuinely can't see them being popped without a coalition or a fall in activity. Swim.
Notable Wins: ThePlague, Havoc.
3) Devil Dogs- These guys have benefited from mergers and seem to be getting their affairs in order. They sit about where you'd expect at 4th in ABP and soon to pass up Burns for 3rd. Their current wars seem to be DOMINATORS (17-0, DD), Drunken Kamikaze (4-7, DK), BLACK ZONE CRUSADE (3-6 BZC), And Misery (2-3, Misery). For the most part they seem to be holding their own against stiff competition. But they need to find a core front to win on if they want to thrive. Float for now.
Notable Wins:
4) Sanctimonious- I know a few of their players. They're solid players. But overall it seems more like this alliance got here through merging, rim play, and because others fell. To their credit, they have crushed The Divergent 53-0 so far. But I feel they have yet to face a major challenge just yet therefore I can't put a lot of faith in them. Float then sink.
Notable Wins:
5) BLACK ZONE CRUSADE- Well Noob called them out and they responded, after sluggish start they clawed their way to a big lead vs IBWWG. They now sit at 5th in the world and probably the current third or fourth best alliance in the world as a whole. Swim.
Notable Wins: It Burns When We Grep.
6) There's a Cream for That- The not so new new kid on the block. As explained earlier, this is the rebel alliance from IBWWG. This alliance comes with less dead weight. They suffered an early set back with Shir0e getting ghosted by their former founder and were lacking in the numbers department and seem to have immediately addressed the lack of core they would have for this action by merging in the best of Venomous. It can be assumed they'll regroup in O35 and push back into O45. I think for now 6th is a fairly good number for them as they probably are around the 6th best on the server in terms of talent. I expect these guys to return to the top 5 in time. Swim.
Notable Wins: Venomous.
7) Destruction- They seem to be a northern rim alliance. With cities in O63,O53, O54, and O64. they seem to be at war with their top 12 counter parts, Masked Profanity (0-15, MP) and Club 53/Downstairs Club 53 (11-8, Destruction). Personally I could see them lasting and beating out Club 53. But I don't see them really beating Mask Profanity barring some sort of major melt down. This seems a proper rim, middle of the pack alliance. They could float for the server between 7 and 12 if they play smart. But that will require not continuing to get shut out by MP. Which knowing MP is entirely possible for that to happen to them. Float.
Notable Wins:
8) Masked Profanity- We've arrived at arguably the 3rd or 4th best alliance in Lato. They're small and elite, just the way they like it. It does look like they might have a pact with ThePlague (I could be wrong). They seem to have helped beat down Out of Chaos and are currently blowing out Destruction. They're also going back and forth with ZFG in each other's cores for a 6-5 lead over ZFG. Expect the score to stay close here when these two juggernauts duke it out for real in time. Swim.
Notable Wins:
9) Drunken Kamikaze- Another small and elite alliance well cored in south O55 and north O56. They currently fighting Minions Elite (62-1, DK), Devil Dogs (7-4, DK), and Zero Fox Gone (6-16, ZFG). Overall these guys seem to be making their point clear. They're tough, they're organized, and they're probably sticking around. Swim.
Notable Wins:
10) Minions Elite- A former top 5 alliance quickly toppling down the ladder. Their two main wars are Zero Fox Gone (4-152, ZFG) and Drunken Kamikaze (1-62, DK). They're also starting to have players jump ship. With results like that, its only a matter of time before the end comes. Sink.
Notable Wins:
11) Club 53/Downstairs Club 53- A split off of Havoc. These guys seem to have regrouped in O53 and are making their stand there for now. I think they last as long as it takes for someone to enter O53. Float then sink.
Notable Wins:
12) Barbie Dolls- Another benefactor of the Burns fall. These guys have risen into the top 12 as the latest new comer. They currently seem to be feeding. But have some solid players in this alliance. Their only major war appears to be W.A.R. which they tail 0-7. Float.
Notable Wins:
Dark Horses: Misery seems to be a rising dark horse edging out a top 5 alliance slightly (very slightly) in a low score war and sitting at 17th in points but 13th in attacking battle points. I could see these guys making an appearance in the top 12 in time. Maybe even a top 5 appearance if they can continue to build a lead on Devil Dogs.
Come Back Story: ThePlague seems to have regrouped in O65 and risen from a fallen alliance all the way back to 13th in the world. They currently are beating down Out of Chaos in a must win war for O65. Their ABP isn't great and they'll probably only last until their first major challenge. But I figured it was worth crediting their perseverance none the less.