The second day of EVE Online‘s Alliance Tournament XI saw a quarter of the competitors knocked out of the competition and only another quarter able to claim they remain undefeated.
The day also saw tactical trends continue from the previous day, with many fleets favouring the newly re-balanced space potato Gallente Dominix battleship. We saw more tactical use of the recently introduced micro-jump drive module which allows ships to instantly warp 100km (a risky prospect in a 250km wide arena).
Here are some more screen-captures exploring some of the highlights and trying to explain some of the basics of EVE’s ship-to-ship combat. Whilst none of these competitors are out of the competition quite yet, the losers of each of these matches have been relegated to the longer, tougher path to the final.
The still undefeated teams are emboldened in the match titles.
Match #33: Circle-Of-Two vs. YOUR VOTES DON’T COUNT
1. Despite the prevalence of the Dominix, the first of Your Votes Don’t Count‘s trio of Navy Issue editions (seen here piloted by Ryu Chaos) has been stripped of shield and armour, it’s structure is failing and it’s about to explode. The flickering red beams of energy destabilizers and the space distorting effect of a speed-reducing stasis webifier can be seen surrounding the doomed battleship as Circle-of-Two‘s hulking Machariel faction battleship (in the foreground) prepares to deliver the killing blow.
2. Although Circle-of-Two gained an early 27-6 advantage, Your Votes Don’t Count made sure their shots did count and clawed their way back to a well-deserved victory. With most of the larger battleships on both sides destroyed, here we see t011phr33‘s Hawk assault frigate unleashing a hail of rockets at an enemy Celestis cruiser in the final minute of the match.
Match #34: Curatores Veritatis Alliance vs. The R0nin
3. Curatores Veritatis Alliance, the oldest active player alliance and roleplaying Amarr loyalists, mobilise their fleet to take on The R0nin. Here we see two Sacrilege heavy assault cruisers escorted by the smaller Talwar destroyers, the only non-Amarr ships on the CVA team (presumably piloted by expendable Minmatar slaves).
4. A cautious match sees no losses to either side for the first half of the match, before the tide turns in Curatores Veritatis Alliance‘s favour in the closing minutes. Here we see a CVA Legion strategic cruiser evading lumbering The R0nin Kronos and Megathron battleships as Kufik‘s Ishkur assault frigate explodes in the distance.
5. Despite seemingly being on the ropes after losing several ships, the surgical destruction of Curatores Veritatis Alliance‘s vital Oneiros logistics cruiser heralded an impressive comeback from The R0nin, who eventually emerged victorious. Here Rams‘ Megathron battleship receives support from armour repair drones as barrages of missiles streak in from all sides.
Match #35: Sleeper Social Club vs. Verge of Collapse
6. Sleeper Social Club threw everything they had at the Oneiros logistics cruiser of reigning champions Verge of Collapse, but their ships fell so quickly, the focused fire delivered in this shot by a Sleipnir command battlecruiser and a Caracal missile cruiser weren’t enough to prevent the rout, especially with flights of repair drones helping to mitigate incoming damage.
Match #36: Rote Kapelle vs. The Fourth District
7. Demion Samanel, the last surviving pilot of The Fourth District team, desperately fights for survival in his Legion strategic cruiser against Bob Shatfoes‘ Armageddon battleship and almost the entire Rote Kapelle fleet (well, those who weren’t looting the field). He didn’t succeed. Participating Rote Kapelle pilot, prolific blogger and EVE politician, Ripard Teg has more to tell at Jester’s Trek.
Match #37: Late Night Alliance vs. Clockwork Pineapple
8. The battle of the battleships was won by Late Night Alliance as their Vindicator duo out-fought Clockwork Pineapple’s Armageddons despite the loss of LNA‘s entire support fleet. Here we see Gene Hawking‘s Damnation command battlecruiser ambushed by Bahamut420‘s energy draining Bhaalgorn battleship as grimreaper1980‘s Vindicator prepares to deliver another destructive volley.
Match #38: RAZOR Alliance vs. Test Alliance Please Ignore
9. Above the planetary rings of a distant gas giant, a trio of Razor Alliance Scorpion battleships pound missile salvoes down upon a Test Alliance Please Ignore Kronos marauder battleship. Meanwhile, CCP Fozzie tries to figure out how to discreetly unknot his tangled fingers without CCP Dolan noticing his predicament.
Match #39: Transmission Lost vs. Nulli Secunda
10. With each side fielding a trio of missile-spewing Scorpion Navy Issues, this match became an ordnance-trading slug-fest between the fearsome-looking battleships. Transmission Lost‘s addition of a Golem marauder battleship over Nulli Secunda‘s more mobile but less sturdy Caracal cruiser wing may ultimately have tipped the balance, but for the neutral, it was a spectacular battle nonetheless.
Match #40: Exiled Ones vs. Exodus.
11. Having played a role in the destruction of the first Exiled Ones Vindicator battleship, Gaianae‘s Damnation command battlecruiser eyes Janikra‘s distant Vindicator as the Exodus. Dominix battleships prepare to unleash their drone swarm in pursuit of another enemy scalp.
Match #41: Shadow Cartel vs DarkSide.
12. An evenly balanced match between Shadow Cartel and DarkSide. saw each team field three Dominix battleships. The early support fleet clash saw DarkSide. emerge with the tactical advantage as they managed to despatch Palamon‘s Oneiros logistics cruiser in exchange for acceptable small ship losses, significantly reducing Shadow Cartel‘s ability to repair subsequent incoming damage. Here we see Bilaz of DarkSide.‘s Malediction interceptor frigate target-painted (the red light effect) to make the small, rapid craft slightly easier to hit.
Match #42: Darkness of Despair vs. M.I.F
13. M.I.F pilot HAKXER in his Huginn combat recon cruiser, and a Sleipnir command battlecruiser, go evasive in the opening minutes of their match against Darkness of Despair as a swarm of Dominix-born drones approaches.
14. In the face of unavoidable defeat, the last surviving M.I.F pilot, Svaaarog, does the noble thing and flies his almost uncatchable high-speed Maulus frigate across the arena threshold known as “The Edge of Glory”, where instant ship destruction is the expected result. His capsule can be seen floating outside the combat zone.
Match #43: Ministry of Inappropriate Footwork vs. The G0dfathers
15. Preparing to deliver his payload of torpedoes, Solid Shield‘s Manticore stealth bomber target-paints a distant Sabre destroyer piloted by Mirkonix of The G0dfathers.
16. The electromagnetic discharge of incoming EM missiles savages the shields of a Proteus belonging to Ministry of Inappropriate Footwork.
Match #44: HYDRA RELOADED vs. End of Life
17. The HYDRA RELOADED Punisher frigate of xo3e applies energy destabilisation to General Vachot‘s tackled Kronos marauder battleship in their one-sided victory over End of Life.
18. The end of End of Life sees their last ship standing, quadra Athonille‘s Damnation command ship battlecruiser, besieged by an undamaged and rampant HYDRA RELOADED fleet.
Match #45: No Holes Barred vs. Red vs Blue
19. A first tournament sighting of the limited edition Jovian-designed Gnosis battlecruiser, of which Red vs Blue boldly fielded three in their match against No Holes Barred. The (presumably) wormhole-dwelling opponents managed to destroy two of the rare ships with their setup built around a trio of Brutix Navy Issues, but Red vs Blue emerged vicorious nonetheless.
Match #46: W-Space vs. The Initiative.
20. One of The Initiative.’s Armageddon battleships, piloted by Masterkon, takes an early pounding from W-Space‘s missiles as the gap between the two fleets is closed down.
21. The Armageddon traded for W-Space‘s entire frigate wing, Bel Isar orbits the beleaguered opposition in a Vengeance assault frigate as The Initiative. throws everything they have at RealDa‘s Tengu strategic cruiser, as it is suspected of playing a key logistical role in the W-Space setup.
22. The Tengu is finally vanquished, but the incessant missile barrages from the cap-transferring W-Space Scorpion Navy Issue battleships and supporting Golem marauder meant it was at the cost of another The Initiative. Armageddon battleship. Meanwhile, Bel Isar‘s Vengeance assault frigate is identified as a threat and comes under attack. The nailbiting conclusion to what ultimately became a victory to The Initiative. was so tense, it got commentator CCP Dolan out of his seat.
Match #47: Confederation of xXPIZZAXx vs. Agony Empire
23. Zamolxiss‘ Megathron Navy Issue battleship spars with Ugly Eric‘s Sleipnir command ship battlecruiser in a match between Confederation of xXPIZZAXx and Agony Empire which was slow to come to the boil but ultimately delivered Agony Empire comfortably through to the next round.
Match #48: Pandemic Legion vs. Drunk ‘n’ Disorderly
24. The initial clash between three-times Alliance Tournament champions Pandemic Legion and Drunk ‘n’ Disorderly saw the underdogs dealth a bloody nose as they were quickly stripped of their frigate support, at which point Drunk ‘n’ Disorderly made a sober and ordered tactical withdrawal to lick their wounds and consider their options.
25. With their entire fleet intact and a comfortable points advantage (especially after sniping Drunk ‘n’ Disorderly‘s inquisitive Algos destroyers), Pandemic Legion were content to hold a tight defensive position. After all, the onus was on the now under-strength opposition to make a move.
26. A bold but clumsy charge more characteristic of their name saw a Drunk ‘n’ Disorderly Dominix battleship, piloted by S810 Jr, charge into Pandemic Legion‘s defensive sphere. Surviving the initial onslaught, S810 Jr triggering his area-of-effect smartbomb in the desperate hope of destroying the enemy’s small and vulnerable swarm of deployable drones.
27. Unfortunately for Drunk ‘n’ Disorderly, their brave last roll of the dice failed and Pandemic Legion obliterated their remining ships without breaking a sweat.
Next: The Vanquished: Alliance Tournament XI Day Two in Pictures (Part Two)
For more information on how to get involved in EVE Online’s Alliance Tournament XI, read All the EVE Alliance Tournament XI Viewing Resources You Need (Popcorn and Beer Not Included).
Published: Jul 22, 2013 11:38 am