Season 3: Chapter 314. The Bigger Picture (1)
The advantages and disadvantages of a map often depended on interpretation, but some maps were undeniably designed to favor specific civilizations. Rocky Ravines was one such map. With 80% of its terrain consisting of mountainous regions, any civilization with mountain-related advantages gained a significant edge.
“This map, Rocky Ravines, is one of the most challenging mountain maps in Civil Empire!”
The casters looked visibly excited.
“Typically, too many mountainous terrains could actually be a disadvantage for bow-oriented civilizations like Joseon. But this season, Joseon has recorded impressive win rates on mountain maps!”
For Joseon, mountain maps were historically a mixed blessing. Their increased movement speed on mountain terrain was useful, but obstacles often made it harder to effectively utilize archers. However, this season, Joseon has found ways to overcome this challenge.
“With Almond leading the team, Joseon’s players have trained extensively with curve shots. Mountain maps are no longer a major hurdle for them!”
Their practice in hitting targets hidden behind obstacles had paid off, making mountain maps far less problematic for their first string archers.
“Now, as we’re talking, the game has started! Rome is at 12 o’clock in blue and Joseon is at 6 o’clock in red!”
The game began with blue and red markers moving rapidly across the screen.
“The distance between the two bases is relatively short. It’s almost a straight line. This could lead to an early showdown from Joseon.”
“On the other hand, Rome might be preparing to counter such an early strategy.”
“That’s right. Many experts predicted that this final would feature Joseon’s aggressive playstyle against Rome’s defensive tactics. The setup for this second game certainly fits that narrative.”
The map, dotted with sheer cliffs and towering peaks, was unforgiving. Civilizations without bonuses to mountain movement like Rome were severely restricted.
“Rome will likely find it challenging to initiate the offense on this map.”
“Even their second era cavalry units, which Rome is famous for, won’t be effective here. That’s why their scouts are moving cautiously in large groups.”
Rome deployed scout teams in groups of ten, a notably defensive move compared to the standard five man scouting parties.
“Why are they doing this?”
“They don’t expect to gain much in the early game, so they’ve grouped up to ambush any lone scouts they encounter.”
While this approach halved the scouting efficiency, the increased numbers ensured superior combat strength during encounters.
“In contrast, Joseon is gathering map information much faster.”
Though smaller in numbers, Joseon's scouts split into two or three man units when necessary and shared the gathered information efficiently.
“Joseon must be thrilled! Even if they encounter Rome’s large scout parties, they can just run away!”
“Oh, because they’re faster!?”
“Exactly! Rome’s larger numbers don’t mean much if they can’t catch Joseon’s scouts!”
“So, how can Rome counter this?”
“They’d need to set up ambushes, but that’s difficult to execute effectively without sufficient map information.”
To set up an ambush, the ambushing side needed better knowledge of the terrain. Currently, Joseon held the upper hand in this regard. Yet Rome stuck to their ten man scout teams and remained near specific terrain features in what seemed like a defensive posture. They appeared to be gambling on an early opportunity to gain an advantage.
“Rome seems overly focused on securing an early-game lead.”
OrangeKing tilted his head at Anto’s unusual strategy.
“Exactly. To give up this much scouting coverage... it’s strange.”
On a map like the Rocky Ravines, terrain knowledge was critical. Battles could easily turn against a player without understanding where slopes, vantage points, and line-of-sight advantages were located. Yet Anto focused his scouting efforts almost exclusively near his base, refusing to spread out his forces.
“Is he just gambling on getting lucky?”
The caster speculated that Anto was taking an extreme risk and betting everything on an early-game gain.
“That could be it. Maybe Anto believes an early advantage is the only way to compete with Joseon on this map.”
Sometimes, players trapped in an unfavorable situation resorted to risky gambits, unaware that such desperation often stemmed from their disadvantaged position. However, this was Anto. Such reckless moves seemed out of character.
“No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t make sense.”
OrangeKing couldn’t comment much.
‘What is it?’
OrangeKing couldn’t make sense of Anto’s strategy.
***
‘This map...’
Cookie recalled his earlier discussions with the think tank team.
“We’re aiming to assassinate their priests.”
The plan to target Rome’s priests was the cornerstone of Chi-Seung’s strategy to defeat Rome. Others would have dismissed it as obvious if a novice team suggested this. Everyone knew priests were critical to Rome’s strategy, but their conversations delved into the specifics. They had identified a unique way to execute the strategy and backed it with evidence.
‘Even Anto won’t see this coming.’
The plan relied on exploiting a narrow, unexpected angle. Even if Rome prioritized protecting their priests, they couldn’t guard against what lay outside their perception.
‘If they don’t know, they’ll suffer for it.’
Whether in the game or in real war, knowledge was power.
Cookie issued commands to maximize scouting efficiency.
[Retreat on Contact]
He instructed every scout to flee upon encountering the enemy.
[Focus on High Cliffs Near Enemy Base]
Cookie directed scouts to specific high-ground vantage points near Rome’s base. The teams split into smaller units of three or two, gradually revealing more of the map.
Though they occasionally ran into Rome’s scouts, Joseon’s faster movement speed allowed them to escape easily. Other scouts quickly returned to fill the gaps, ensuring consistent map coverage.
Then—
“!?”
Ping!
An alert signaled that one of Joseon’s scout teams was under attack.
‘Huh?’
Checking the signal’s source, Cookie saw that approximately twenty Roman scouts surrounded a group of seven to eight Joseon scouts.
‘How are there so many here...?’
The sheer numerical difference was staggering.
‘And why couldn’t they escape?’
Despite their speed advantage, Joseon’s scouts had been trapped by overwhelming numbers.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Cookie stared in stunned silence.
‘...’
Rome concentrated its forces in this one area, deploying just enough soldiers to cover the terrain and prevent any escape. If this gambit failed, Anto would suffer significant losses. However, it worked.
‘Anto is gambling like this...?’
Cookie felt bewildered by the pure gamble.
‘What is this?’
Some would question why Cookie fell for such a predictable tactic, but they didn’t understand the complexity involved.
‘This shouldn’t even be possible.’
The precise timing, positioning, and commitment of resources required to execute this move were extraordinary. No, Anto could secure such positioning if he willingly staked everything on this spot.
If one grabbed a passerby and asked them to bet half their fortune on whether to retreat or push forward, what would they say? They’d say that was insane. Right now, Anto had made that bet and succeeded.
Did this even make sense? Did Anto simply get lucky? Or had he been so cornered that he had no choice but to rely on luck? If it was neither of those, then...
***
“Joseon’s scouts have been wiped out. This is a strong start for Rome.”
With a 20-to-7 advantage, Rome decisively crushed Joseon’s scouts.
“Rome turned their risky move into a big return!”
“A high-risk, low-reward strategy... they made it work. Since it didn’t fail, it’s all gains for Rome!”
The viewers felt stunned.
— What just happened?
— How did that even work?
— Cookie’s form is completely off today.
— Seriously, why fall for such a basic trick?
OrangeKing saw things differently.
‘Wait a minute... Does Anto know what Cookie wants to do?’
Rome’s movements made it seem almost as if they had predicted Cookie’s every intention.
“Another mistake in scouting? Rome is pulling further ahead!”
Joseon’s forces suffered yet another minor loss, further boosting Rome’s momentum.
“This is looking great for Rome. They’ve gained control of key hunting grounds and can now leverage their ten and twenty man scouting groups efficiently.”
Rome continued to gain advantages on a map where they didn’t have any.
“Is this deja vu from the first game? Joseon has the favorable map, but Rome is dominating the early game!”
High-level play sometimes flipped expectations even in games where teams had clear advantages. OrangeKing realized he was witnessing such an instance.
‘Rome knows what Joseon is trying to do. I don’t know what Joseon’s ultimate goal is, but Rome is clearly predicting their moves.’
In truth, it wasn’t merely just prediction. Rome wasn’t simply reading Joseon’s movements. They were controlling them.
The same thing happened twice. Moreover, as someone watching the entire battlefield, OrangeKing felt certain of it. The preceding movements looked too systematic and smooth. Someone trembling in anxiety and throwing out desperate gambles wouldn’t make these types of plays.
Rome was predicting Joseon’s movements. The real question was on what basis were they making such predictions?
‘What exactly does Joseon want?’
OrangeKing analyzed the situation more closely.
“Hmm... Joseon is scouting aggressively toward Rome’s main base right now. Usually, there’s no need for such proactive scouting at this stage. Securing hunting grounds should be the priority.”
Although subtle, Joseon was noticeably more assertive in scouting around Rome’s main base.
“Oh, that’s right. Why would they take such an approach?”
“Maybe it’s a might as well see it sort of thing... Or they could just look briefly and retreat using their superior movement speed as they usually would...”
This was a mountainous terrain. In the early game, Rome’s forces had no way of catching up if Joseon’s troops decided to retreat. Scouting wasn’t supposed to be a high-risk mission.
“The problem is that Rome knows exactly which path Joseon is taking, don’t they?”
— ??
— No way.
— They know where they’re coming from?
— What?!
— Huh?
The viewers expressed confusion at OrangeKing’s comment. It wasn’t just one or two troops. Two hundred units moved in perfect sync during the scouting phase in Civil Empire. Predicting all their movements was incomprehensible.
Furthermore, Rome’s current playstyle aimed to pressure Joseon’s soldiers by surrounding them with a force several times larger. To predict such moves would require anticipating them not just seconds in advance, but almost thirty seconds ahead of time. Could that even be possible?
“Otherwise, there’s no way Cookie would have fallen for this twice and Anto wouldn’t keep making these gambles!”
— Wow, is that for real?
— Then it makes sense.
— Seems like blind luck to me.
— ?
— If you don’t know, just watch LOL
— How could they know that? LOL
At that moment, OrangeKing saw it.
‘Huh?’
Something that could only be seen on the battlefield from above and from the minimap’s perspective.
‘Are they being herded?’
Rome wasn’t predicting Joseon’s movements. Joseon was moving exactly as Rome wanted.
[Retreat on Contact]
This command had set the trap.