Tales From Observer Mode: Take Two

Again, blast from the past here. This match and the previous one took place an undisclosed amount of time ago because I neglected to create a timestamp when I jotted them down. And to post them once I'd fleshed them out. But I'm dragging them out of the cupboard as part of my ongoing efforts to clear out my backlog and start a new year of blogging fresh. Anyhow, after watching [MoJ] go down like a punk in the first round in the previous battle, I just had to check out how they'd respond in the next.

#19 Ministers of Justice [MoJ] vs #41 I Academy I [iAi]

Druid Isle

[MoJ]

• A/E - AoD w/ Shock, Ox-stuff
• W/Rt - Backbreaker hammer w/ FGJ
• A/W - Shadow Prison w/ Black stuff
• R/Mo - Crip Shot
• E/Me - BSurge Air w/ wards
• Mo/A - ZB split Monk
• Mo/R - LoD
• Mo/E - SoD

Fresh off their defeat, the Ministers switch to a more split happy build (That we've seen before) for a split friendly map. Plan is simple. Pair of Sins form a recall sandwich of gourmet flavor around my boy Chuckles, who's on the split as a ZB Monk and no doubt getting kharmic retribution for all those times in the BWEs he chewed me out about missing heals or sucking Monking (Which, no, he really didn't. Instead, he polished my knob and did everything he could to keep me happy since I was a damn fine Monkey back in those days - thankfully you didn't have to do things like catch quarter second spikes yet - and those were the bedrock of any team. I just like yanking his chain and spreading outrageous rumors about him, that's all.). While the flagstand team features Augie on a lockdown hammer guy, a snaring Ranger, and a warder Mes around the standard backline. It's a pretty nice build, all told, and on Druid's it should be a pain to handle.

[iAi]

• W/A - Axe
• W/E - Axe
• P/Me - Defensive Anthem w/ Mirror
• R/Mo - Crip Shot
• Me/Rt - ? w/ Diversion, Power Drain, Power Leak, Inspired Enchant, Shame, hardrez
• Mo/P - LoD
• Mo/E - RC
• Rt/E - Weapon of Remedy Resto Rit

Balanced team again. Something tells me [MoJ] picked the map here. They went with an RC Prot Monk instead of the typical SoD, I'm a bit surprised by that one. I thought SoD was, like, standard issue these days. I watched that Mes for a good three minutes straight and did not see an elite once. I'm guessing it was a wrong call, something totally unsuited to this map, although I can really figure out what. Hex Eater would be my first choice but [MoJ] was using enough debuffs that they should have had an opportunity to zap a few. Anyhow, it's a fairly typical time capsule balanced build, otherwise. Two Warriors, a Paragon using its shouts for outrageous e-management to pull off something like spamming around Mirror of Disenchantment. A Crip Shot Ranger and, boy, never thought I'd see that again - I half expect them to be packing Distortion, just for old time's sake. This Mesmer is a bit atypical but someone who can shutdown enemy casters and make life hard for the opposing frontliners is standard issue. And a Resto Rit as runner.

Forget about the [iAi] backline and it's exactly the same game plan as [NLS] ran in crushing [MoJ]. While [MoJ] has, in fact, completely switched gears. The real difference here is the map which really plays to the strategic strengths of the Ministers.


Okay, okay, so I have a bit of a fetish with [MoJ]. Still, this match took place immediately after their loss to [NLS] and it's always interesting to see how a team responds. Has anyone ragequit? Did they blow up their build? Did they just chalk it up to bad luck and are rolling the die again? With a veteran team like [MoJ] the answer is they picked themselves up, switched builds because of the map, and went right back to being damned hard to beat. But I'm getting ahead of myself, rezzing in now.

Right off the bat, [MoJ] gets off to a good stat. Pushing to the flag stand, dropping the seed, and then into the Academy's base. No deaths yet, but Academy NPCs are falling fast and the Merchants are going to get an early morale boost.

[MoJ] is taking a pounding but their Monks are being awesome. Still no deaths yet, about 4 in, but the outer NPCs for [iAi] are gone. This is just setting the stage for [MoJ]. Even if they get pushed back now, they've got a straight shot to the Lord for future splits.

Six minutes in, no casualties on either side yet. The fighting has never left [iAi]'s base. Knights have been pulled.

First blood goes to the Academy, killing off one of the Sins shortly before the 7 minute mark. [iAi] took a death or two as well, but now the Ministers are pulling out. The Academy's down to an Archer, a Knight, and the Bodyguard.

A lone Sin from [MoJ] tries to slip in and spike out the Bodyguard but comes down with a case of the deads.

Man, Chuck likes to spam Guardian.

Now about 14 in. [MoJ]s Ranger is trying to slip into the Guild Lord area now. But the fightings too close for him to make it. The Academy, by the way, haven't even made it to the flagstand path for all their pushing.

It's mop-up time now. The only thing in doubt is what the clock's going to say.

Oh, now, with about fifteen seconds to VoD and half their team dead, [iAi] decides to split, going for the last minute gank. That's about fifteen minutes too late, if you ask me. It's not working as the Ministers have it sniffed out and have four back to defend. Some nice bodyblocking on the vine bridges, though.

That wasn't exactly a thrilling match, but it was a sight to see. [MoJ] just methodically took [iAi] apart.