The previous 'Raven 2' Ancient Citadel took place right in the middle of the server transfer season. As you might expect, the leaderboard landscape was completely reshuffled once the dust settled. However, the upcoming 39th Ancient Citadel is a different beast entirely. With server transfers now firmly in the rearview mirror, we are looking at a much more stable environment. This time around, the 'heavyweight' alliances are making their presence felt. Every group features familiar guild names that any seasoned 'Raven 2' player will recognize. Let’s break down the brackets.

Analysis of the 39th Ancient Citadel Guild Participants

Groups 1 and 2: Solar World holds the upper hand

First up, we have Groups 1 and 2, featuring the Lux and Solar worlds. It’s a safe bet that Solar World will be the one claiming the flag of victory this time. Since the server transfers back in late January, the number of powerhouse guilds in Lux has dwindled significantly. Among the participants of the 38th Ancient Citadel still standing, only 'Honor's silencevimmortality' and 'Dolor's MAXIMUM' remain, likely serving as the standard-bearers for Lux.

Solar, on the other hand, is home to the 'Myth Alliance,' a force to be reckoned with in 'Raven 2'. One interesting variable is the guild 'Animal Crossing,' which has been a regular in various content. Our data shows them aligned with heavyweights like 'Myth Red' and 'Myth Dark.' It’s a bit murky whether this is a full merger or just a tactical pact—some guilds sporting 'Myth' in their names aren't in the official alliance, and the 'Animal Crossing' branch remains its own entity. At the very least, sharing guild icons suggests they are on friendly terms, which is a start.

Groups 3 to 5: A battleground in the making

Nox, Kerum, and Mare have been grouped together for this match-up. Since all three worlds are packed with strong guilds, Groups 3 to 5 are shaping up to be a tight affair. Starting with Nox, the 'Royal Alliance,' 'Our Alliance 2,' and 'Musin' catch the eye. The Royal Alliance counts 'RoyalMine' and 'I-Musin-I' among its ranks, while 'Our Alliance 2' features 'Valentine' and 'KingGod'.

To make matters more confusing, there are several 'Musin' variations: 'I-Musin-I', 'Musin-I', 'Musin-II', and 'Musin-III'. 'I-Musin-I' is tied to the Royal Alliance, while 'Musin-II' flies the flag for the Musin alliance. The other two are independent. Given they all share the same pink flag and lion guild icon, it’s highly likely that the Royal Alliance and Musin are working in lockstep—or perhaps all three are in a grand coalition. There’s plenty to chew on here.

For Mare, we expect the 'No-Show,' 'Wise,' and 'Workers are always tired' alliances to be the core players. 'Wise' falls under the Royal umbrella, while 'Workers are always tired' includes guilds like 'Clock-out' and 'Clock-in'. The Mors server is particularly noteworthy, as we’ve confirmed the presence of 'Romancev' and 'No-Back.' It’s been ages since 'No-Back' appeared on our radar. With 'No-Back 2' not being part of the No-Show alliance, it’ll be fascinating to see how they navigate the competition.

Groups 6 and 7: The clash of TOP vs. Oz

The final group pits the Vita and Terra worlds against each other. Both share a commonality: they are dominated by world-spanning powerhouse alliances. Vita has 'TOP,' while Terra is under the influence of 'Oz.' Vita seems to hold the advantage in scale, thanks to allies like 'TOP1,' 'Top2,' and the 'Suspicious Alliance.' Of course, raw combat power and guild size don’t guarantee a win in the Ancient Citadel. With the bidding rules becoming more intricate, the strategy has shifted. It will be a sight to behold to see which side executes their plan better.

Thrilling match-ups on the horizon

The most intriguing bracket for the 39th Ancient Citadel has to be Group 4, where the likes of 'Dolor,' 'Salus,' and 'Honor' from Nox clash with those same names from the Mare world. The defining trait of Nox, Kerum, and Mare right now is the strategic placement of 'Royal' guilds. Group 4 is likely to see heavy participation from 'RoyalMine,' 'RoyalM,' 'RoyalZ,' and 'RoyalH.'Whether this scattering of Royal guilds across multiple worlds and servers is a stroke of tactical genius remains to be seen. We’ll be watching closely to see how it impacts the Ancient Citadel.

PVP Ranking Status

It’s been a while, but the 'Raven 2' PVP rankings are finally showing some life. This week, we saw high-KDA rankers emerging from the Solar and Mare worlds. For Solar, the Mors and Metus servers were the true battlegrounds. In Mors, it was a three-way scrap between 'PING,' 'KittyLand,' and 'GoodLuck,' while Metus saw 'Pentagon' clashing with 'RELOAD.' Notably, 'ChessKing' and 'BanyaRemix' from Pentagon racked up over 100 kills, really turning up the heat on the charts.

While Mare has fewer PVP rankers than Solar, their stats are significantly higher compared to other servers. Most of the multi-kill rankers are concentrated in Salus and Honor, with the top spot currently held by 'DontSayWords' with 29 kills, 11 assists, and 2 deaths. The 'Wise' alliance seems to be dominating the PVP scene. Conversely, some other worlds have seen a noticeable drop in PVP activity, suggesting that those looking for a fight have congregated in specific worlds.