Epic Assault

Sometimes in Halo 3 matchmaking, you’ll feel out-coordinated, out-matched, out-BR’d. The enemy team pours out on your poorly constructed defense like the endless flood of a backed up toilet, plants the bomb in the heart of the base you have spent yourself defending, and vigorously clicks in on the left thumb-stick while standing above your corpse.

Sometimes, when your team is scattered, when the enemy has all but won, you just want them to finish you off and end the game. You have given up all hope of victory, and want only to end the agony of a drawn-out defeat.

This was one of those games. This was Neutral Assault on Rat’s Nest.

First, let’s meet the players:

The well-intentioned Team HBO:

Senor Leche
petetheduck
Znite
Penguin Ninjoid
armoredrampage7
With random matchmaking dudes:
Mr ON3 sH0t
Dmarcan88

The steel-toothed Random Matchmaking Blue Team:
itz ILLUMINATI
mot 4r(1)
Batman is a 50
SKAZB0T
Reymasterchief
mot 4r(2)
mot 4r

The previous game had been a laggy, yet victorious round of CTF on Rat’s Nest, resulting in a 3-0 win for Team HBO. “Rat’s Nest again?” we thought. “We have this,” we thought.

Team HBO arrived at the bomb spawn first. Unfortunately, in our haste to be awesome, our warthogs didn’t have any passengers, so the bomb remained unclaimed for a time. That time ended when a blue player sporting active camouflage took the bomb and headed straight for our base. With Team HBO scattered, the blues had an easy time scoring just one minute into the game.

That is a lot of blues in the red base

While Team HBO scrambled to reassemble, the blues had already picked up a fresh bomb and were headed back to our base. The second bomb was armed one minute, thirty seconds into the game, but Team HBO prevailed and managed to disarm it.

In a lapse of teamwork…

…the bomb was promptly delivered to the blue team…

…who armed it again at about three minutes into the game, gaining a second point.

This time, Team HBO arrived at the bomb spawn in force and initiated a lengthy battle with the blues.

The bomb changed hands many times, not making it particularly close to either base over the course of several minutes. Then something unusual happened; Znite, bomb in hand, dropped a grav-lift on the center bridge and was pushed through the upper framework, reaching the top of the bridge.

He maintained his position as the battle raged below. Even the blue team’s sniper didn’t spot him, in plain sight. It took a full two minutes before the blues caught on and recovered the bomb, heading for our base.

This is literally the point in the game where I gave up; in anticipation of the enemy charging our base with the bomb, I had set up a warthog in the road and boarded the turret, aiming directly at the plant point in our base. I was ready to ambush the enemy with a ‘hog full of fury as soon as they emerged from the hall behind our base.

Then random matchmaking dude Dmarcan88 gets in the drivers seat of the warthog and begins to drive to the middle of the map JUST as the blue bomb carrier came into view. As he drove me away, I felt that the driver had just sealed our fate. Our team was already scattered, and now a significant element in what very possibly might have been our final defense was being driven away. Game over.

After reaching the middle of the map, he turns around and drives back to our base. As we make the final turn, I expected the worse. Instead, I had a pleasant surprise:

Team HBO had reassembled. In perfect sync, our warthogs cruised across the map.

Our assault on the blue base was firm. It was determined. It prevailed: Team HBO scores its first point at 9:38.

Being one of the first to die in the assault on blue base, I was in position to grab the bomb when it respawn. Heading directly for the blue base, Team HBO scored a second point at 10:28.

The game was tied, our faith restored. It was on.

How dedicated were we now? Dedicated enough to drive off a cliff after the bomb, apparently.

In the few minutes that followed, the blues armed the bomb again, but Team HBO managed to defuse it. Then, all at once, the blues assembled. They brought some serious firepower. This was going to be the end.

Znite’s decision to block the lower entrance to our base with a warthog may have been the deciding factor, as it broke up the blue’s solid assault and enabled us to engage them one-by-one.

Recovering the bomb, Mr ON3 sH0t and Znite led our assault. In perfect sync, they dropped a bubble shield and a regenerator in the heart of the blue base.

It was finished.

Team HBO wins, 3-2.