#26130
KOTM events are a big draw for heroes to participate in. Fifteen people who enter a battle in a division will win something, and who doesn't like to win. I know I do, but it isn't always easy to be one of those lucky souls who walks away with a prize.
Tonight, I found discovered something that tastes even better than winning. Vengeance. Taking the cake is nice, but when you get to smash and grind that frosting-covered morsel into someone's face and shout, "Take that!!!" as you capture it out from underneath them, well, that's a special kind of delicious.
Especially after someone has done the same exact thing to you.
There are a few things you have to understand to get the true drift of my tale. During KOTM events there are all sorts of different battles. An average match, where you go toe to toe with your opponent. Duels, which is kind of like fighting with a hand tied behind your back. Brawls are similar, but the rope isn't tied quite as tightly, and then Chronos. Those are the fights nobody really likes because they take forever and if you aren't there from the get-go, you probably aren't going to win.
I try to compete in as many of these as I possibly can, and for my level score and division, I do alright. I'm a bit more powerful than those in Division 6 most of the time, so being in Division 5 has been where most of my matches have been lately. Divisions are always shifting. You can't count on being in the top bracket of participants every time, as the bar that determines who can get in rises and falls, but if you pay attention, it isn't hard to calculate where the sweet spot might be.
Currently, in Division 5, it is somewhere between being ranked as Level 21-30. If you are above 21, you might find yourself forced up into Division 4. There are a bunch of better equipped and solidly trained combatants that will clean your clock if you go up against them, sort of like a Flyweight weight going up against a Bantamweight. A skilled enough Flyweight might occasionally win, but the odds are in the higher combatant's favor.
With any fight, the prize is a big consideration for how hard I'm willing to fight. Standard KOTM challenges offer decent rewards, but winning the gold prize can actually be somewhat detrimental to a combatant as it forces them up into the next highest division for the next few matches. This is important because if you go up in division when a primo, top-notch prize is offered, a fighter has less of a chance of winning because you're caught in the upper division.
I hate to admit it, but you want to succeed, sometimes you need hold back so you don't lose out on your best opportunities. I typically don't go all out in a KOTM fight unless it is one sponsored by one of the Avatars. Those fights are better worth going for the gold.
This all leads into my story. I was fighting a few days ago in a KOTM fight titled Physical Euphemism (Don't ask me, I don't know why they pick the names they do) and held the top rank for much of my time there. Unfortunately, I got complacent and wasn't paying attention at the right time and some joker named Flame of War of the Bomb Squad came in and robbed me of a tournament challenge I'd held top position within for most of the day. Flame of War won MY Gold and I walked out with a Bronze. It sucked, but it was my own fault for not keeping my head in the game. Live and learn, right?
The next tournament was a Mental Contest, sponsored by the Avatar of the Mind. I joined the KOTM event, realizing that I most likely wasn't going to capture the gold for this event either. The level cap was higher, allowing combatants ranked up to level 40 fight in Division 5. Quickly, NOMAD of SUFFERING stepped in and took the top position. I swung at him a few times, testing myself against him with my abilities and tactics. Those SUFFERING league members are pretty strong competitors. Losing to him repeatedly, I doubted my chances but still paid attention to what was going on.
Eventually, I saw that Flame of War stole the top rank from NOMAD. He was doing to NOMAD what he just did to me last KOTM event. I decided turnabout was fair play. I bided my time and watched more intently. NOMAD eventually recaptured the lead rank and I feared my chance was lost yet again.
Then, in the final minutes of the KOTM event, while the clock was ticking down to the final moments, I saw that Flame of War made his move and once again retook the top spot. What did I have to lose? Nothing. I challenged Flame of War, and he defeated my. I rethought my approach, varying my gear output to better counter his build. I stepped up once again and went for the fences.
And I WON!!!
The final moments ticked away. I watched and waited for a new challenge to come in and dethrone me from my precarious perch. With effort, Flame of War could defeat me and NOMAD could flex once and send me back to the lower tier. But no challenge was issued. No rematch asked for. And as the bell rang out, I had secured my Gold victory, earning a boon from the Avatar of the Mind out from the waiting hands of two skilled opponents.
And getting that win was GLORIOUS!!! I'd recaptured a bit of my lost faith in myself, stolen by the Flame of War when he took my spot in the Physical challenge. I wanted to take my new prize and wave it in his face, shouting "Ha-Ha-Ha-ha-ha." Not the most ladylike thing to do but sometimes you just feel what you feel.
Then, after winning the Mental Contest event, I stepped to the screen to see what new offering might be announced. We had just been offered two Avatar challenges, so I expected a standard event. My jaw dropped open as I could only whisper to myself "That's just FUBAR!"
Of the Avatar KOTM events, Supernatural and Elemental challenges are the rarest and highly sought after. Wouldn't you just know that the next challenge offered, that I would now fight in Division 4, would be an Elemental Constable??? I would have been in prime position for that event had I remained in Division 5, being at the maximum level rating allowed.
Two steps forward and one step back. Story of my life.
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