No sense in sugar-coating it, this past weekend we got pwned, curb-stomped, hard-countered, and rather humiliated in the Alliance Tournament. We lost on Saturday within the first two minutes and on Sunday in about the same amount of time. Over three months of hard work, 13,000 Plex, and about 60b isk gone in just two matches. (The isk is mostly not gone by the way, just sitting in my hangar in Jita) We were evaporated and we lost our first two matches - something we've only done once before waaaaaay back in our first AT appearance. After a long streak of finishing in the Top 16, including an 11th place finish, we barely survived long enough for two of our pilots to boundary.
So what happened?
Hindsight is always a bitch. If we switched our comps around we'd have had a better chance in each fight. But we didn't want to bring our Flagship out in the first match. Which, in hindsight, made us kind of predictable in our second match. We made good and thoughtful bans, but we missed some key indicators from the other team's bans. We flew non-meta comps because we thought they were strong, when we would have been better served with our more in-meta choices. We had a great team this year, but half of them had never flown in an AT before. So this was kind of a re-building year. But, it's like that every year.
Like I said, hindsight is a bitch. Because none of those things are excuses. I honestly don't have any excuses. We practiced hard, we came together as a team, and we got kicked out rather convincingly. Which is not what any of us wanted to happen, least of all me. I personally don't believe for a single second that our losses are indicative of our team's abilities, or our potential. If I am angry it is only because our team didn't get the chance to show how good they truly are. And that does make me rather angry. It was a lost opportunity.
The important thing is this, the team is positive and looking forward to next time. Hopefully we'll have even less turnover next year and an even more experienced team to field. We'll go back to the drawing board and learn from the experience. And come back even stronger and better prepared next time.
I don't know what else to say. I've been killed 2,487 times in Eve and I haven't quit yet. And I'm going to keep coming back to the Alliance Tournament every year because I love it, I want to win it, and I enjoy flying with my Alliance family.
"You guys have one of the most rock solid and awesome attitudes of any group in the game and we love you for it. I look forward to seeing you next year!" - CCP Aurora
We got knocked down this weekend. Knocked down hard. Now it's time to get back up, dust off our jackets, and get back to work. Onward & Upward.
PS: An Alliance is only as good as the people flying in it. A Band Apart is a unique, family oriented* group of mature players who like to play Eve together like a game. We have fun. We fly together even when apart. We host some of the biggest events in all of New Eden, our last FFA was record-breaking. And we compete in the Alliance Tournament every year, often even winning a bunch of matches. But win or lose, we stick together. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, then why not join us? We'd love to have you flying with us. And who knows, you might just become the reason we win the next AT? It could happen.
*When I say "family-oriented" I don't mean we have child care services or paid maternity leave. I mean we operate like a family should, with respect for each other. Just thought I should clarify that one.