Hi all, thought it about time I gave my take on the server so far. As always with me I try to be reasonably unbiased, but it's very opinionated. Essentially if I think you're dreadful, I'll give impersonal reasons as to why :P
N.E
1st. R.D 4.5/5
Starting with what promises to be the most dull quad on the server, R.D essentially already own the quad having faced little to no opposition for it. Word is that R.D are basically perennial U.K alliance fox pretending they're something else, though they've apparently got a few old hands from HATE in there too. Fox themselves are a relatively experienced WW alliance, they're not often held in the highest esteem but they have won a server before in fairness to them so it wouldn't be a bad thing to have a decent number of Fox in there for the experience. MFH feel they were betrayed by fox last time out though, and with them certainly buying that R.D are essentially fox it could mean we see some conflict between them in the later stages of the server. Looking at R.D specifically on this server, you have a two wing alliance with both wings consistently performing in the raiding stats and simming away quite nicely as well. We can see from - particularly the larger wing's - occupation of the top spot for Population that they're settling and simming up well, don't underestimate the importance of population in these stages, better villages produce better armies after all, and sim to artes is a pretty established play nowadays. If they keep their firm grip on the NE without significant challengers they'll be comfortable simming up arte hammers and likely to pick up well assuming the morning is well organised. Overall RD have very quickly taken control of the North East and its hard to see any real competition on the horizon for them. Their start here should see them pretty comfortably to arte release day where they can do well. Taking all into account, I make RD the alliance to beat at this stage.
2nd. Negan 1/5
A rummage in the bottom of the NE barrel will reveal to you the very much forgettable Negan. Formerly known as DAMN this alliance seems to have a few more recruits than their previous incarnation that dissolved a couple of weeks ago. The most interesting thing about Negan is that their name seems to come from the IGN of one of their leaders 'I am Negan' so the whole thing could be a minor league ego trip. Stats are pretty mediocre though due to a lack of other alliances on the server they manage to hit the low end of the top 10s. On the plus side they do have a positive raid income so can't all be getting raided by RD. Their best hope is really some kind of disastrous implosion of RD presenting a power vacuum in the NE they could step in to. That low possibility aside the best they could do is grab a couple of small artes that they cling on to for dear life so people try bigger alliances with more artes for easier targets. Then if they survive feeding one of the significant alliances WW's.
Quick summary:
RD are pretty comfortable in the NE with no significant challengers to their dominance. NE looks to be pretty dull for the foreseeable, though we could occasionally check in to see if Negan still exist.
S.E
1st. C2E 2/5
Basically the SE wing of imperium with a new name but the all of the original mediocrity. Yes, they are the biggest alliance in their quad, fair play to them. On the other hand they're pretty poor in every area and are basically average incarnate. On the plus side since changing from imperium to C2 they seem to have downsized a little and trimmed some fat so the average quality may slowly increase. The ideal for this lot really is that they ditch a few more members and convince Candy to join their side, if they can pull that off they'll shoot up in the rankings and their leaders will have demonstrated some competency and ambition that was pretty lacking in imperium. To be fair, they're nothing special at the moment but goodness is within reach for them if they can pull off the coup acquisition of candy. Overall they are the largest alliance in their quad, but that really seems down to a lack of players/other alliances as opposed to having anything much about them.
2nd. Candy 1.5/5
The concentrated squash that could combine with the bland water of c2e to make a juicy SE alliance. They have more pop than the 3x larger THOR II and the highest average of any alliance on the server shows that their 8 members are prospering and building up pretty well. Their raid score is impressive for such a small group and has them above the likes of MFH, NMS and both of the C2 wings. This does however suggest a lack of defensive players in their small group which appears to be largely just a few raiders banded together. I would expect that later into the server they'll look to work with the c2e players in some form or another to get access to defense. Whether they merge or candy poach from c2 there doesn't seem to be many alternatives. Overall they're a good little alliance of raiders but will have to grow to become anything really significant.
Quick summary:
C2E + Candy would make for a pretty good alliance that could easily ditch c2w as a confed to stand on their own holding a similar position of strength to that of RD over in the North.
SW
1st. Thor 3/5
Biggest boys in the SW, I think they're supposed to be SW? They do have a pretty large number of villages in the north too though which makes me question it. Anyways, comparatively to the rest of the server Thor are a pretty good alliance hitting solid scores in all areas. I have to question the point of Thor II though - a distinctly mediocre wing who if anything are dragging the main alliance down. Well that and a recruitment policy that will take players from all quads of the map. The number of NW players in thor puts them at odds with the NW alliance who won't take kindly to the encroachment into an already busy quad, if they do well at arte release they'll make themselves a major target for those alliances in NW, especially if they decide they don't want a fight amongst each other at that time. Should this situation arise Thor could be caught between fighting MFH above them and C2 from the south putting them in a really unenviable spot with quite a few enemies to handle.They'll certainly be relying on the longevity of their alliance with NMS and the hope that NMS can control the NW over MFH. Add to that that they're a new alliance that could be lacking in experience and strong leadership Thor could easily be pushed to their limit. It may be a controversial opinion but I've said it before and will say it again, I really don't fancy these guys to do well this server. A chaotic recruitment policy doesn't show much leadership and they could find their players in other quads in particular will be swift to jump ship if they come under pressure from the top alliances in those quads. Overall Thor look good on the outside but could prove to be internally unstable later on in the server, I would certainly consider them outsiders for the round.
2nd. C2W 2/5
More or less the same as C2E without a candy to potentially recruit and spice up their blandness. They could well end up relying on their western partner for support when they fall into conflict with Thor, particularly given C2E's lack of competition in their own quad. Together they could be more than a match for Thor, particularly with support from the candy players so they could make a big splash yet.
Quick Summary:
Thor are the dominant party over in the SW at present but they don't look unassailable. If the C2 alliances step up and fight they could take Thor down a peg or two, particularly if the NW alliance attack Thor from their side too. The quad could be pretty interesting with Thor and the lesser C2 vying for control, we just have to hope they'll continue to be separate and not end up confedding up with each other.
NW
1st. NMS 3/5
NMS have been around for longer than most of us I expect, if you don't know much of their history they used to be on the servers back a long time ago when you'd have thousands of players and quite a few more alliances vying for power than we have nowadays. Their wars with alliances like TC and many others were epic. They also have at least one server win on their record on a server that had on it the likes of Hate at the height of their power. NMS are truly a legendary alliance on the UK servers deserving of a lot of respect, they've been there and done all there is to do. All of that said though, this particular incarnation does seem to be one of the lesser ones of the old alliance. They've secured confeds early with alliances that one could easily argue NMS would benefit more from conflict with, whether it be striking at Thor for Artes or just raiding the unimpressive sins right now. On the other hand if Thor proves to be better than expected the combined force of NMS and Thor could be a real threat to everyone else on the server and make them the biggest competition for RD. If NMS can use their experience and influence Thor to make certain decisions and work in a way that benefits them their savvy could do them massive favours, particularly as NMS alone does seem to have less quality to them than RD and would struggle against them without support. Essentially NMS seem to have tied their fate to that of Thor, if thor can't handle c2 over in the south and NMS are left largely to fight their own battles in the north it could be a tough old server for them and they may eventually find themselves needing support from their neighbours MFH instead of the southerners in the end.
2nd. MFH 2.5/5
Another returning alliance who've been around a while now, MFH have more of a reputation as kingmakers who support larger alliances than as WW contenders in their own right. Though after the issues between them and fox that could be changing as they seem to have recruited a few more members than usual and are almost certainly going to be far more reluctant to partner with any other alliances. Their core is built of players who know each other and have played together previously giving them some internal stability that some of the other alliances may lack and this could certainly make them an attractive home for NW players that look to move alliance or are currently unaffiliated. MFH have on several occasions demonstrated resilience and impacted servers in quads that hold larger alliances so expect them to have a say in the outcome of this server at some point too. 3rd highest average population, 3 of the top 10 pop players on the server but some pretty unimpressive raid numbers suggest that this mid sized alliance is focusing more on building up strong villages than raiding and attacking and this stage which could prove wise in the busiest quad on the server in which many farms are shared with NMS, sins and Thor as well which would make it pretty difficult for an alliance of their size to match the top raiders anyway. On the other hand it could suggest they're focusing more on simming than building troops and could be exposed if they come under pressure. Overall MFH are a good, solid alliance with a reputation for longevity, it'll be interesting to see if they end up teaming with anyone with a view to endgame in the mid stages of the server of if they decide to go it alone and WW, or indeed go alone and anti-ww. Whatever they end up doing they're one of the alliances to watch as always.
3rd. Sins 1/5
Their leader has a well earned reputation for creating poor alliances that just about hold on until at least the mid server. They've similar quality to Negan in the NE and its hard to see them making any real impact, though they could have usable amounts of defence to support NMS should there be conflict between them and MFH anytime soon.
Quick summary:
NW is the busiest quad with three alliances of its own plus a chunk of Thor in there as well, hopefully we'll see some quad conflict here between the various factions. Though it could be difficult for MFH if thor, sins and NMS as confeds work together to hit them.
N.E
1st. R.D 4.5/5
Starting with what promises to be the most dull quad on the server, R.D essentially already own the quad having faced little to no opposition for it. Word is that R.D are basically perennial U.K alliance fox pretending they're something else, though they've apparently got a few old hands from HATE in there too. Fox themselves are a relatively experienced WW alliance, they're not often held in the highest esteem but they have won a server before in fairness to them so it wouldn't be a bad thing to have a decent number of Fox in there for the experience. MFH feel they were betrayed by fox last time out though, and with them certainly buying that R.D are essentially fox it could mean we see some conflict between them in the later stages of the server. Looking at R.D specifically on this server, you have a two wing alliance with both wings consistently performing in the raiding stats and simming away quite nicely as well. We can see from - particularly the larger wing's - occupation of the top spot for Population that they're settling and simming up well, don't underestimate the importance of population in these stages, better villages produce better armies after all, and sim to artes is a pretty established play nowadays. If they keep their firm grip on the NE without significant challengers they'll be comfortable simming up arte hammers and likely to pick up well assuming the morning is well organised. Overall RD have very quickly taken control of the North East and its hard to see any real competition on the horizon for them. Their start here should see them pretty comfortably to arte release day where they can do well. Taking all into account, I make RD the alliance to beat at this stage.
2nd. Negan 1/5
A rummage in the bottom of the NE barrel will reveal to you the very much forgettable Negan. Formerly known as DAMN this alliance seems to have a few more recruits than their previous incarnation that dissolved a couple of weeks ago. The most interesting thing about Negan is that their name seems to come from the IGN of one of their leaders 'I am Negan' so the whole thing could be a minor league ego trip. Stats are pretty mediocre though due to a lack of other alliances on the server they manage to hit the low end of the top 10s. On the plus side they do have a positive raid income so can't all be getting raided by RD. Their best hope is really some kind of disastrous implosion of RD presenting a power vacuum in the NE they could step in to. That low possibility aside the best they could do is grab a couple of small artes that they cling on to for dear life so people try bigger alliances with more artes for easier targets. Then if they survive feeding one of the significant alliances WW's.
Quick summary:
RD are pretty comfortable in the NE with no significant challengers to their dominance. NE looks to be pretty dull for the foreseeable, though we could occasionally check in to see if Negan still exist.
S.E
1st. C2E 2/5
Basically the SE wing of imperium with a new name but the all of the original mediocrity. Yes, they are the biggest alliance in their quad, fair play to them. On the other hand they're pretty poor in every area and are basically average incarnate. On the plus side since changing from imperium to C2 they seem to have downsized a little and trimmed some fat so the average quality may slowly increase. The ideal for this lot really is that they ditch a few more members and convince Candy to join their side, if they can pull that off they'll shoot up in the rankings and their leaders will have demonstrated some competency and ambition that was pretty lacking in imperium. To be fair, they're nothing special at the moment but goodness is within reach for them if they can pull off the coup acquisition of candy. Overall they are the largest alliance in their quad, but that really seems down to a lack of players/other alliances as opposed to having anything much about them.
2nd. Candy 1.5/5
The concentrated squash that could combine with the bland water of c2e to make a juicy SE alliance. They have more pop than the 3x larger THOR II and the highest average of any alliance on the server shows that their 8 members are prospering and building up pretty well. Their raid score is impressive for such a small group and has them above the likes of MFH, NMS and both of the C2 wings. This does however suggest a lack of defensive players in their small group which appears to be largely just a few raiders banded together. I would expect that later into the server they'll look to work with the c2e players in some form or another to get access to defense. Whether they merge or candy poach from c2 there doesn't seem to be many alternatives. Overall they're a good little alliance of raiders but will have to grow to become anything really significant.
Quick summary:
C2E + Candy would make for a pretty good alliance that could easily ditch c2w as a confed to stand on their own holding a similar position of strength to that of RD over in the North.
SW
1st. Thor 3/5
Biggest boys in the SW, I think they're supposed to be SW? They do have a pretty large number of villages in the north too though which makes me question it. Anyways, comparatively to the rest of the server Thor are a pretty good alliance hitting solid scores in all areas. I have to question the point of Thor II though - a distinctly mediocre wing who if anything are dragging the main alliance down. Well that and a recruitment policy that will take players from all quads of the map. The number of NW players in thor puts them at odds with the NW alliance who won't take kindly to the encroachment into an already busy quad, if they do well at arte release they'll make themselves a major target for those alliances in NW, especially if they decide they don't want a fight amongst each other at that time. Should this situation arise Thor could be caught between fighting MFH above them and C2 from the south putting them in a really unenviable spot with quite a few enemies to handle.They'll certainly be relying on the longevity of their alliance with NMS and the hope that NMS can control the NW over MFH. Add to that that they're a new alliance that could be lacking in experience and strong leadership Thor could easily be pushed to their limit. It may be a controversial opinion but I've said it before and will say it again, I really don't fancy these guys to do well this server. A chaotic recruitment policy doesn't show much leadership and they could find their players in other quads in particular will be swift to jump ship if they come under pressure from the top alliances in those quads. Overall Thor look good on the outside but could prove to be internally unstable later on in the server, I would certainly consider them outsiders for the round.
2nd. C2W 2/5
More or less the same as C2E without a candy to potentially recruit and spice up their blandness. They could well end up relying on their western partner for support when they fall into conflict with Thor, particularly given C2E's lack of competition in their own quad. Together they could be more than a match for Thor, particularly with support from the candy players so they could make a big splash yet.
Quick Summary:
Thor are the dominant party over in the SW at present but they don't look unassailable. If the C2 alliances step up and fight they could take Thor down a peg or two, particularly if the NW alliance attack Thor from their side too. The quad could be pretty interesting with Thor and the lesser C2 vying for control, we just have to hope they'll continue to be separate and not end up confedding up with each other.
NW
1st. NMS 3/5
NMS have been around for longer than most of us I expect, if you don't know much of their history they used to be on the servers back a long time ago when you'd have thousands of players and quite a few more alliances vying for power than we have nowadays. Their wars with alliances like TC and many others were epic. They also have at least one server win on their record on a server that had on it the likes of Hate at the height of their power. NMS are truly a legendary alliance on the UK servers deserving of a lot of respect, they've been there and done all there is to do. All of that said though, this particular incarnation does seem to be one of the lesser ones of the old alliance. They've secured confeds early with alliances that one could easily argue NMS would benefit more from conflict with, whether it be striking at Thor for Artes or just raiding the unimpressive sins right now. On the other hand if Thor proves to be better than expected the combined force of NMS and Thor could be a real threat to everyone else on the server and make them the biggest competition for RD. If NMS can use their experience and influence Thor to make certain decisions and work in a way that benefits them their savvy could do them massive favours, particularly as NMS alone does seem to have less quality to them than RD and would struggle against them without support. Essentially NMS seem to have tied their fate to that of Thor, if thor can't handle c2 over in the south and NMS are left largely to fight their own battles in the north it could be a tough old server for them and they may eventually find themselves needing support from their neighbours MFH instead of the southerners in the end.
2nd. MFH 2.5/5
Another returning alliance who've been around a while now, MFH have more of a reputation as kingmakers who support larger alliances than as WW contenders in their own right. Though after the issues between them and fox that could be changing as they seem to have recruited a few more members than usual and are almost certainly going to be far more reluctant to partner with any other alliances. Their core is built of players who know each other and have played together previously giving them some internal stability that some of the other alliances may lack and this could certainly make them an attractive home for NW players that look to move alliance or are currently unaffiliated. MFH have on several occasions demonstrated resilience and impacted servers in quads that hold larger alliances so expect them to have a say in the outcome of this server at some point too. 3rd highest average population, 3 of the top 10 pop players on the server but some pretty unimpressive raid numbers suggest that this mid sized alliance is focusing more on building up strong villages than raiding and attacking and this stage which could prove wise in the busiest quad on the server in which many farms are shared with NMS, sins and Thor as well which would make it pretty difficult for an alliance of their size to match the top raiders anyway. On the other hand it could suggest they're focusing more on simming than building troops and could be exposed if they come under pressure. Overall MFH are a good, solid alliance with a reputation for longevity, it'll be interesting to see if they end up teaming with anyone with a view to endgame in the mid stages of the server of if they decide to go it alone and WW, or indeed go alone and anti-ww. Whatever they end up doing they're one of the alliances to watch as always.
3rd. Sins 1/5
Their leader has a well earned reputation for creating poor alliances that just about hold on until at least the mid server. They've similar quality to Negan in the NE and its hard to see them making any real impact, though they could have usable amounts of defence to support NMS should there be conflict between them and MFH anytime soon.
Quick summary:
NW is the busiest quad with three alliances of its own plus a chunk of Thor in there as well, hopefully we'll see some quad conflict here between the various factions. Though it could be difficult for MFH if thor, sins and NMS as confeds work together to hit them.