The 49th Ancient Citadel of Raven 2 is looming. This round’s data is heavily influenced by the server transfers that took place between June 10th and 16th. The previous match on June 13th saw quite a few guilds packing their bags or simply vanishing into thin air once the dust settled. Meanwhile, the latest world pairings have been announced: Lux vs. Vita, Nox vs. Kerum, and Mare vs. Solar. Each bracket is packed with familiar heavyweights and alliances, and the 49th Ancient Citadel is set to revolve entirely around these power players.

Groups 1 and 2 bring together the Lux and Vita worlds. Lux is now home to RoyalDanaekkeo, the guild with the highest points in Raven 2’s Ancient Citadel history. They are currently flexing their muscles alongside the Royal and Royal2 alliances. There are other challengers, such as the Musin and Mugunghwa alliances, but it’s the Metus server—housing both RoyalDanaekkeo and the Musin alliance’s Musinunmotmallyeo—that looks particularly fearsome.

Over in Vita, the oneteam alliance on the Metus server is the one to watch. With guilds like AEGlS, AEGIS, AEGIS2, and AEGIS3 all participating in the last event, they are almost certain to show up for the next one.

While the spotlight is on the Royal and oneteam alliances, a direct clash between their heavy hitters is unlikely. Lux-Metus falls into Group 2, while Vita-Metus sits in Group 1. It’s more likely that the secondary Royal and Mugunghwa guilds, along with solo acts like ChilmukvBulmyeol, will be the ones tangling with oneteam.

The second chart suggests Group 3 will be the real battlefield, as the Hi alliance from Nox locks horns with the Pumoanim alliance from Kerum. Hi is fielding Valentine and Hi; Valentine currently sits at 8th in the Ancient Citadel points rankings with a record of '7 / 7 / 1 / 2'. Their comrade, Gzone, is also a force to be reckoned with—ranking 5th overall with '8 / 6 / 2 / 0' points—and is expected to dominate Group 4.

Back to Group 3, all eyes are on the Kerum world, where the Nangman and No-ppa-keu guilds are looking to make their mark. No-ppa-keu holds the 6th spot with '8 / 1 / 1 / 1', while Nangman sits at 10th with '6 / 1 / 1 / 1'. Nangman has just cracked the top 10, so they’ll be hungry for more points to climb higher. It’s going to be a scrap worth watching.

Groups 5 and 6 are the stage for the Mare and Solar worlds. Mare has seen some movement with various groups like NEO, AURA, Villain, and Jikjangin-eun-eonjena-pigonhae. While the departure of RoyalDanaekkeo might have taken some wind out of their sails, it’s hardly a knockout blow. Smaller, independent guilds like Ajeongdang, Hwangdang, and Hwakkaesu frequently jump into the fray, keeping things unpredictable.

In the Solar world, the sudden activity of the VCº clan is fascinating. Following the last Ancient Citadel, the Rangtebe guild from the Nox world—having secured three victories—decided to move servers. We’ve since spotted Rangtebeº on the Solar world, along with Rangtebeºº. Meanwhile, the Mors server has seen the arrival of Teberangº, Teberang1, and Teberang2. Except for Rangtebeºº, which belongs to the Rokkugeo alliance, all these guilds are part of the same VCº alliance.

To summarise, it’s highly probable that the Raon alliance will represent Group 5, while the VCº alliance will dominate Group 6. Their operational areas are neatly divided, and any guild hoping to make an impact in these groups should keep those names in mind.