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Castle units fared very well against the Conflux forces
Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Armageddon Arena. Witnessed today was the titanic clash of our newest competitor, Pasis and his army of Conflux warriors against the best of the eight races in Heroes of Might & Magic III. Did the veterans of races old show the empire that Conflux sucks? Or, perhaps the planeswalker and his minions planeswalked away with bragging rites.

Confluxion Junction
First, let's delve into the sordid history of these elemental creatures called the Conflux. Returning from previous retirement, Sprites comprise the typical army grunt. While not particularly sturdy, their offensive spark zaps a healthy hit of hurt on defenseless enemies. Due to their flamboyance, or perhaps their well-endowed physique, most armies seem unnaturally attracted to destroying Sprites above more potent threats in the vicinity.

First Aid tents only prolonged the inevitable for these feeble foes
We looked for a strong performance from the Air and Storm Elementals, and we weren't disappointed. Too much. Weighing in at around twice the weight the cost of their peers, these gutsy whirlwinds don't dazzle anyone with their fighting style. However, they seem to stick around considerably longer than expected during intense combat, often to the very end.

Water and Ice Elementals possess a rare skill among their brethren: they're equally unimpressive in both ranged and melee combat. When probed further for causes of this ineffectiveness during battle, we were treated to a spray of cold icy water in reply. Fortunately, a lack of mobility on the part of the offended water elemental gave us room to escape.

Opponent creatures maintain a sick (and lethal) fascination with Sprites
Marginally beefier than their icy fellows, Fire and Energy Elementals are a tad more nimble for a nominal increase in cost. They pride themselves on assisting their comrades with Protection from Fire, though anonymous sources in the ranks confessed scant use of this inherent benefit during full-scale warfare. The energy elemental's flying ability offsets its mediocre speed rating.

Through folds of mud caked across its entire body, the Earth Elemental and its beefier cousin the Magma Elemental move like butterflies (tied to tortoises), but sting like two-ton bees. In battle, these lumbering elementals face stiff challenge from ranged creatures and the dastardly magic concoctions of enemy heroes.

From mere impression, one would look upon Psychic and Magic Elementals as poorly dressed anorexic specters. Wrong. Opponent after opponent felt the drawing sting of psychic blasts from these prides of the Conflux armies, reacting far too late to offer up more than a feeble defense. At a fraction of the cost of their peers, magic elementals rival the tenacious Phoenix in raw combat ability and damage absorption, and their ability to devastate all surrounding opponents makes for excellent crowd control.

Good matchups make the difference between victory and defeat
Finally, we showcase the return of the Firebird and Phoenix. Long considered legendary fables, the recent arrival of these golden birds heralds in a new threat to dragons and devils and archangels alike. At or below half the cost of any top rated unit in the land, a pack of Phoenixes guarantees to overwhelm any equal-costing troop. Refusing to die until they've died once before, from the ashes of defeat in battle come new Phoenixes to ignite into flames the dashed hopes of enemies facing them.

And they're off…
Enough cordiality and pleasantry. The time has come to recap the incredible saga that took place today between Conflux and the best armies each race conjured. For newcomers to the Arena, the tournament divides into three distinct competitions. First, in the Full Army Presentation, Conflux warriors face off against an equally valued and balanced enemy force in a five-match set. Second, the Early Game presentation pits weaker units against equally weak enemy formations in a three game stretch. Finally, in a Duel contest promising to shake the rafters with intensity and terrifying pyrotechnics, top ranked Phoenixes endure single combat against an equally-valued stack of the enemy's top ranked creature for another three round battle. After a short break and a commercial intermission to allow the unionized wandering Rogues to pilfer through the losing army's pockets, battle begins anew with the next slated enemy race.

Looks like someone just failed a breathlyzer test
Entering the Arena, our first challengers seemed apprehensive, and in short order demonstrated why. From uptown Necropolis, the undead shared a fate worse than death, as Conflux blitzed to a commanding 5-0 win in Full Army matches. Early Game results showed superior Confluxian abilities in a 3-0 blanking, and Ghost Dragons proved little more than a shadow boxing target for the Phoenixes in Duel. Slow movement and a frustrating incapacity to defend against persistent missile volleys undid the usually calm undead, meaning their unveiling of the Necromancer's Dance remains on hold until Battle of the Bands IV.

Fortress forces shriveled under the pressure of Conflux creatures. Once again, Pasis and his army took five straight Full Army matches and all three Early Game matches. Against weak mobile creatures, and while remembering not to bunch up near the Chaos Hydra and its multi-headed attack capabilities, Conflux used their impressive speed to keep their enemies on the defense. The Phoenixes started slowly against the Chaos Hydras in the top-ranked duel, but went on to win with three solid performances.

The Magic Elemental demolishes three nearby opponents
Foul denizens of the Dungeon poured into the Arena. Ominous as they were, Conflux forces relied on special tactics to thwart the powerful offensive and ranged capabilities facing them. Despite switching coverage to allow the Magic Elementals to overpower weaker groups of Harpies and Evil Eyes, Dungeon forces handed Conflux their first defeat but lost overall, 4-1. In all five matches, only the top-ranked Phoenix and the magic elementals survived the clash of equally equipped armies. Early Game results exposed a definitive advantage in the Conflux creatures against much weaker counterparts. Phoenixes regained their dominance in handily eradicating Black Dragons three straight times.

Narrow victories, awesome defeats
Visibly shaken from their narrow victory, the Conflux army regrouped in silence while the Stronghold creatures shuffled in, fully intent on crushing these strangers. Phoenixes withstood strong resistance in taking all three matches in the Duel against vile Behemoths. Pasis masterfully crafted a brilliant defensive strategy of baiting ranged units with Sprites while rushing his Magic Elementals into crowds of mid-range units to inflict maximum damage. The five costly victories were overshadowed by a devastating defeat in the Early Game matches as Stronghold creatures took two of three. Witnesses blamed the lack of countering range attacks, and suggested a racial mix in future battles of this nature and composition.

Phoenixes are never really, quite sincerely dead... at least the first time they die
Conflux returned to winning ways early in the next conflict against heavily favored Tower forces. Five solid victories against helpless golems and Naga queens pointed to a pending blowout, amplified further by the crushing devastation of Titans by the Phoenixes. The battle ended on a sour note, however, as Tower units handed their Conflux enemy three straight convincing defeats in the Early Game competition. Without a doubt, we learned the merits of avoiding Tower forces until the top echelon of Conflux forces can be mustered.

Gold dragons keyed several Rampart victories in the next Arena War. When inflicting maximum damage, the dragons overcame even the mighty Phoenixes. Still, the overall results of battle gave Conflux forces another five-game Full Army sweep, though they lost one of three in Early Game competition. Replays showed just how close these two races were, as the slightest variance in army strength meant the difference between victory and defeat.

Inferno creatures matched up well statistically in Full Army competition, but failed to properly coordinate attacks in five straight defeats. Exceptional speed was pivotal in crushing much of the Infernal army before it could react. Fascinated with Sprites, many of the evil creatures ignored more threatening targets in suicidal attacks against the winged ones. Conflux went winless in three attempts in Early Game battle, but Phoenix forces found no difficulty in extinguishing rival Arch Devils despite equally speedy attacks.

Come back next week
Spectators grew silent as ranks of Crusaders and Archangels filed proudly into the Arena for the marquee match-up of the day against Castle creatures. Not a breath was exhaled as the proud Knight's trained army mastered victory in three of five matches. The ringing of steel swords fell strangely silent in Early Game matches, though, when Conflux stormed back to take three ferociously fought battles. Silence fell across the Arena when the fearsome Archangels fell for a third time to the molten breath of the Phoenixes. It was over, Conflux had proven impressive in its superiority over the entire gauntlet of opposing races.

As stunned patrons dispersed from the Arena, we caught up with Pasis as he reanimated his lost units before heading to Mana Hut for the victory celebration. He offered this advice for budding Planeswalkers. First, realize that Conflux forces own an edge in almost any battle with a foe of equal cost. Expect to strike first and fast against enemy races. When committing powerful Magic Elementals and Phoenixes into battle, position them where their area attacks cause damage to multiple creatures. MVP for the Battle of the Bands emphatically goes to Magic Elementals, whose adjacency attacks and durability scatters armies in disarray. Never forget that the intangibles drastically affect combat, so beef up those heroes and horde the artifacts. When facing Tower or Castle forces, team up with other races to leverage strengths and fill gaps in abilities. Most important of all, exploit the cost-efficient higher level Conflux units against their peers. This is Auz, reporting to you from Armageddon Arena, saying thanks for joining us

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Page Updated Mon Feb 28, 2000 8:25pm EST