Providence Fight Club: The Spectre of Ivy League H6-CX8 15.3.2015

H6-CX8 system, Providence region. On the night of the 15th of March, Providence Bloc forces clashed violently with forces of both Ivy League and Spectre Fleet, in a destructive three-way battle that left many wrecks on the 9UY4-H gate.

The battle began when an Ivy League fleet of mixed Armor Cruisers, some 60 pilots large entered the Providence region and made its way towards the 9UY4-H system. It was quickly intercepted by a 140 pilot strong Providence Bloc Drone Battleship\Battlecruiser fleet, which caught them on the 9UY4-H gate in the H6-CX8 system.

The two forces started brawling on the gate when a third fleet, belonging to the NPSI community Spectre Fleet entered the system as well. The Spectre Fleet force was mainly Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruisers, almost 60 pilots big.

The Isthars entered the system through the 9UY4-H system, straight into the brawl, and quickly burned away from the gate, anchoring at range from the two groups and dropping sentry drones of their own.

While Providence Bloc focused their attention on the Ivy League force, Spectre Fleet focused their attention on the Providence Bloc fleet. Quickly, Providence Bloc found itself unable to sustain the incoming Ishtars' damage, losing Battleship after Battleship. 

After a few bruising minutes, and with the Ivy League force completely decimated, Providence Bloc turned its full attention on the Spectre Fleet Ishtars. By this time, Spectre Fleet suffered only minor losses, but chose to disengage, as Providence Bloc kept re-shipping and reinforcing, thus choosing instead to momentarily retreat. 

An attempt was made later in the 9UY4-H system to continue the fighting, but after a short exchange on the station, Spectre Fleet decided to completely withdraw, signaling the end of large scale
hostilities in the region for that day.

Battle report of the H6-CX8 system can be found here.

View of the Battle from Spectre Fleet's Perspective

All in all, 113 ships were destroyed in the fighting, with a total of 18 Bil ISK of damages suffered by the three parties. Time Dilation seemed to not factor at all in the fighting, with the system's local hosting no more than 300 pilots at the peak of fighting. The entire course of the battle took only 30 minutes from start to finish.

If anything, the battle proved once more how effective the Ishtar doctrine is, and how overpowered it still is, compared to the other fleet compositions of EVE Online. 

Special thanks for Apex Aubaris, of Hoover Inc(dot), Pandemic Legion, for granting an interview.

News: HERO Coalition Fleet Destroyed in V-3YG7

V-3YG7 system, Catch region. On the 14th of March, at 18:00 EVE Standard Time, a HERO Coalition fleet was annihilated en route to capture the FAT-6P system.

The HERO Coalition fleet, a Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet of around 190 pilots strong, un-docked from the GE-8JV station, HERO Coalition's staging system, and warped to the V-3YG7 Gate, in order to travel down the pipe and reach the FAT-6P system, which HERO Coalition has been attempting to conquer from Northern Coalition(dot).

Pandemic Legion, though, was aware of the fleet's goal and had Interdictors prepared in advance. Once the Tengu fleet jumped through the V-3YG7 gate, the Interdictors jumped after them, launching interdiction probes and trapping them on the GE-8JV gate. This allowed Pandemic Legion to catch up to them with a 90 pilot Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet, which bridged into the GE-8JV system and quickly followed through.

The two fleets engaged immediately at close range, with the Tengus attempting to pull range but being webbed down by the Proteus. The Pandemic Legion fleet slowly chipped away at the strength of the HERO Coalition fleet, able to tank the incoming damage. However, due to a miscommunication, Triage Carriers were brought to the field on Pandemic Legion's side.

HERO Coalition attempted to do away with the Triage Carriers, by bringing in 3 Dreadnoughts on top of them. As they were attempting to destroy the Archon Carriers, Pandemic Legion's Interdictors had the Dreadnoughts bubbled and a cynosural beacon was lit, ushering in a Pandemic Legion super-capital wing, of several Titans and Mothership support. 

The newly arrived force quickly dispatched the HERO capitals, while at the same time, the Tengu fleet attempted to de-aggress and jump back into the GE-8JV system. However, their plan was foiled by Pandemic Legion reinforcements, who were waiting for them. The Tengus tried to burn away from the V-3YG7 gate but were quickly bubbled. Only a handful managing to extract and reach the safety of their station.

Pandemic Legion's Titans Clearing HERO Coalition Dreadnoughts on the GE-8JV Gate

Pandemic Legion cleared the field of any remaining hostiles, then proceeded to safely extract its super-capital force, followed quickly by its Proteus fleet.

Battle report for the V-3YG7 system can be found here.

All told, Time Dilation proved to be a non existent factor for the battle. During the fighting, in both systems, the local population did not exceed 400 pilots. HERO Coalition suffered a devastating defeat, losing a large bulk of their Tengus, a loss that is summed not only in ISK, but Skill Points as well. 

221 ships were lost in the fighting, for a sum of 30 Bil ISK in damages, almost all of it done to HERO Coalition.

In the wake of the battle, there have been dissenting voices heard in HERO Coalition about the management of the war, as evident in their Middle Management Meeting. 

Video of the Fighting, from the Perspective of Pandemic Legion's Logistics

Whether HERO Coalition can continue and withstand the pressure applied to it by Pandemic Legion, or is on the verge of collapse, will be seen in the next few weeks as the conflicts continues.

Special thanks to fin1712, of Hover Inc(dot), Pandemic Legion, for the video of the fighting and Helena Shun, of Brave Newbies Inc(dot), Brave Collective, for the screenshot.

Providence Fight Club: Nightmare in V-3YG7 13.3.2015

V-3YG7 system, Catch region. On the night of the 13th of March, Providence Bloc forces met Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition in a decisive battle on the GE-8JV gate, which proved disastrous.

Providence Bloc rolled its Nightmare Battleship fleet, 100 pilots strong, and made its way to GE-8JV system, HERO Coalition's staging system, in order to provoke a fight. HERO Coalition had a 60 pilot Caracal Cruiser fleet roaming at the time, but it declined to engage the Providence fleet on the 3-OKDA gate, jumping into the system instead, followed closely by Providence Bloc.

A short battle ensued in 3-OKDA system, with Providence Bloc melting away the Caracals, who were forced to quickly disengage and warp away, abandoning the field. By this time, Pandemic Legion gathered reports of the fighting, and organized its own fleet, a 90 pilot Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet.

Providence Bloc made its way to the V-3YG7 system, waiting near the GE-8JV gate, possibly for HERO Coalition to form a larger response fleet, when Pandemic Legion bridged into the system and warped on top of Providence Bloc. Fighting erupted immediately, with Providence Bloc managing to annihilate the Logistics wing of the Pandemic Legion fleet, who melted away under the laser fire of the Nightmares.

However, at the same time, the Proteus fleet managed to cling to the Nightmares, spreading points and effectively barring any attempt to escape. The Proteus fleet was able to overcome the Logistics of Providence Bloc, destroying 2 Nightmares before losing its last remaining Logistics. This quickly forced Pandemic Legion to jump in Triage Carriers to replace its Logistics wing.

 Providence Bloc and Pandemic Legion Tangle on the GE-8JV Gate

With the Triage on field, Pandemic Legion was able to tank the incoming damage, and set to the task of destroying Providence Bloc's remaining Nightmares. Providence Bloc, for its part, tried to destroy the Triage Carrier, but was losing ships fast. With a second Triage Carrier on the field and not enough damage, the order to retreat was given. The remnants of the Nightmare fleet made their escape to the B-3QPD system, and then the long track home.

HERO Coalition only showed briefly during the second fight, quickly shooting Providence Bloc's Nightmares before retreating again in a Caracal fleet, estimated at 90 pilots strong.

Battle report for the 3-OKDA system can be found here.
Battle report for the V-3YG7 system can be found here.

Time Dilation was not a noticeable factor in the fight, with local staying at the range of 300 pilots at the peak of fighting in the V-3YG7 system. No complaints were registered by pilots regarding server performances.

All told, Pandemic Legion lost 17 ships, mostly Logistics, While Providence Bloc lost 41 ships, almost half of their fleet. HERO Coalition lost 53 ships, mostly to Providence Bloc, but also some to Pandemic Legion. The death toll summed reaches 111 ships, but for a total ISK damage of 28 Bil ISK, most of it caused to Providence Bloc.

News: Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition Clash in 4M-HGL

4M-HGL system, Catch region. On the 11th of Match, 22:20 EVE Standard Time, Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition clashed in the system over the first Infrastructure Hub reinforcement timer.

Pandemic Legion brought a 70 pilot Tempest Fleet Issue Battleship fleet, with Triage Carrier support, against HERO Coalition's Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, some 140 pilots strong.

The two sides met on the 3-OKDA gate, where Pandemic Legion bridged their fleet, and HERO Coalition was already perched.

Fighting started immediately, with both sides exchanging few losses. HERO Coalition forces kept at a moderate distance from the Pandemic Legion Battleships, able to tank the incoming volleys most times, while unable to break the tank of the Tempest Fleet Issues.

The fight continued this way for almost half an hour, with Pandemic Legion managing to snag a kill here and there, but no decisive fighting occurring, as the two fleets maneuvered around each other. Finally, Pandemic Legion managed to get a good warp in on the Tengu fleet, using both Interdictors and Heavy Interdictors to trap it while spreading points.

With the Tengus trapped, Pandemic Legion's Battleships set to the task of wiping them out, destroying a sizable number before the HERO fleet could retreat. With the HERO fleet in disarray and the field won, Pandemic Legion brought in their Motherships, and sent them to push the Infrastructure Hub into its second reinforcement timer, while the sub-capital fleet remained on standby just in case.

With reports of HERO Coalition re-grouping on the 3GD6-8 gate, the Battleship fleet made its way there, landing just as HERO forces jumped out of system. Giving chase, Pandemic Legion managed to catch more of HERO's fleeing Tengus in the 3GD6-8 system, while the rest of their fleet seemed eager to retreat and not stay and fight.

Pandemic Legion's Fleet en route to Fight HERO Coalition on the 3GD6-8 Gate

After destroying what enemy ships remained on the 4M-HGL gate, Pandemic Legion extracted both its Mothership and sub-capital fleet safely from the system.

Battle report for the 4M-HGL system can be found here.
Battle report for the 3GD6-8 system can be found here.

The battle lasted a whole hour. Time Dilation was not a factor in the fighting, with the system holding no more than 350 pilots at the peak of it, though some pilots have reported slow downs and module lag during the course of fighting. In total, HERO Coalition lost 110 ships in the engagement, for 12 Bil ISK damages, while Pandemic Legion lost only 8, for 1.7 Bil ISK damages in comparison.

This battle continues a worrying trend of HERO Coalition unable to field large enough numbers to defend its systems, considering the overwhelming numerical superiority it holds over Pandemic Legion. 

Criticism has also been levied at Pandemic Legion for its use of Mothership assets, yet it is important to note that in all recent fights, the Mothership fleets were directed at structures only, and came into play after the sub-capital fight was already won.

News: Pandemic Legion Re-Caputres F4R2-Q

F4R2-Q system, Catch region. On the night of the 8th of March, at 23:40 EVE Standard Time, Pandemic Legion forces engaged HERO Coalition over the control of the system, in a battle that proved to be short and one sided.

Pandemic Legion organized a Tempest Fleet Issue Battleship fleet, with Triage Carrier support, some 130 pilots strong, with a WAFFLES(dot) support wing of Svipul Strategic Destroyers, 40 pilots large.

Against them, HERO Coalition assembled a Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, of equal size, with Harpy Assault Frigate wing and an Electronic Warfare wing comprised of Crucifier Frigates. All told, HERO Coalition's force was estimated at around 250 pilots number.

CFC forces were also present in the system, in a Harpy and Claw Interceptor fleets, 120 pilots combined.

Pandemic Legion's Fleet en-route to the F4R2-Q System

The fighting began when Pandemic Legion's fleet entered the F4R2-Q system through the ZXIC-7 gate. HERO Coalition was already in position, with its Tengu fleet perched more than 120 km away from the gate, and its E-war wing spread around the gate at a similar distance. The Pandemic Legion force de-cloaked at once and anchored, volleying off HERO ships. At the same time, WAFFLES(dot) set to the task of clearing the E-war wing. CFC and HERO Harpy fleets, in the meanwhile, were occupied in low level skirmishing around the grid.

After a few minutes, HERO Coalition started to pull range, unable to break any of the mainline ships' tank nor do anything about the Triage Carriers present on field. Losing much of their E-war wing, and being constantly harassed by the CFC Harpies, who changed targets from the HERO Harpy fleet to the Logistics wing of the Tengu fleet. Pandemic Legion took this opportunity and warped its fleet to the station, as it was coming out of reinforce mode.

With the reinforcement timer ticking its last few minutes, and HERO Coalition seemingly unable or not wanting to further engage the Pandemic Legion force, a cynosural beacon was lit by the Pandemic Legion, allowing a Mothership wing to jump into the system.

 Pandemic Legion's Mothership Wing Present on the Station Grid

With the Mothership reinforcements, Pandemic Legion quickly took ownership of the station, as well as destroying the Territorial Claim Unit of HERO Coalition. By this point, HERO Coalition's morale seem to have been broken, and their fleet evacuated the system.

With the station safely in its hands, and a Territorial Claim Unit of its own in the process of activating, Pandemic Legion quickly extracted its Motherships, and then its sub-capital fleet from the system without further incident.

At 8:33 EVE Standard Time, the system of F4R2-Q was officially claimed by Pandemic Legion.

Battle report for the F4R2-Q system can be found here.

The F4R2-Q system housed at the peak of the fighting 630 players, with Time Dilation being unnoticeable. The fighting itself proved to be short, lasting only 36 minutes from start to the loss of the HERO Coalition Territorial Claim Unit, which signaled the end of fighting. 

HERO Coalition lost the majority of ships, 139 in total, for almost 2.5 Bil ISK of damages. On Pandemic Legion's side, almost no ships were lost, except for some support and the WAFFLES(dot) wing, which tangled with the CFC forces, losing 13 ships for 1.7 Bil ISK damages. As for the CFC, who came as a third party to the battle, it lost 32 ships, for nearly 1.5 Bil ISK of damages.

With Pandemic Legion continuing its operations in Catch, one can only guess which system will be targeted next, and whether HERO Coalition can muster enough force and resolve to re-create some of the victories it was able to pull in the previous clash between the two entities.

Providence Fight Club: V-3YG7 8.3.2015

V-3YG7 system, Catch region. On the the evening of the 8th of March, Providence Bloc forces engaged a Pandemic Legion's fleet, in what quickly became a bloody exchange between the two entities.

The fighting started after Pandemic Legion's forces, who were roaming the Catch region, received reports of Providence Bloc's fleet making its way towards HERO Coalition's staging system of GE-8JV. The force was reported at a 100 pilots strong, mainly in Naga Battlecruisers. 

The Pandemic Legion fleet at the time was a small Machariel Battleship gang. Realizing it could not take on Providence Bloc with its current numbers, a call was made for reinforcements, and in a few minutes, the fleet's size swelled to 50 pilots.

With their forces bolstered, Pandemic Legion made its way to intercept the incoming Providence Bloc force, finally catching up to it in the V-3YG7 system, on the GE-8JV gate. Providence Bloc's fleet was positioned above the gate, while Pandemic Legion's forces remained close to it.

The fight started when the Naga fleet warped down to the GE-8JV gate. Hesitating, thinking the Providence Bloc fleet was attempting to retreat, Pandemic Legion's ships maintained their position around the gate, which turned to be a mistake. Quickly, the Naga fleet opened fire on the dis-organized Pandemic Legion's fleet.

As the first Machariel was volleyed off, Pandemic Legion's force quickly regained its composure and anchored up, burning away from the gate and the Naga fleet while returning fire. After a few harrowing minutes of intense volleys, with both sides exchanging losses, it seems Pandemic Legion came out on top, as its fleet finally managed to hold repairs, preventing any more losses.

Providence Bloc's fleet, on the other hand, was in complete shambles, losing ship after ship, with most of its Nagas decimated. While Pandemic Legion was clearing the field of the remaining Providence Bloc ships, A HERO Coalition Harpy Assault Frigate fleet entered the fray, some 80 pilots strong.

The Harpy fleet warped around the battlefield for a while, attempting to land close to the Pandemic Legion Logistics wing, but to no avail. With Providence Bloc's fleet retreating, Pandemic Legion turned its attention to the Harpy fleet. After a couple of warp ins, it finally managed to land on top of the Harpies. Interdiction probes quickly trapped most of the fleet, allowing the Machariels to use their smartbombs to destroy the helpless Frigates. 

With their entire Logistics wing annihilated as well as a fair number of their mainline ships, the HERO Coalition fleet bid a hasty retreat, allowing Pandemic Legion to claim the field.

Battle Report for the V-3YG7 system can be found here.

In total, 163 ships were destroyed in the engagement, for 11 Bil ISK of damages, with Pandemic Legion losing 13 ships, for a total of 5 Bil ISK, Providence Bloc losing 72 ships for an equal value, and HERO Coalition losing 72 ships for 1 Bil ISK of damages. During the fight no Time Dilation was recorded, though local numbers remain unknown, presumed, at the peak of fighting at 300-400 pilots.

Providence Fight Club: GE-8JV 3.3.2015

GE-8JV system, Catch region. On the evening of the 3rd of March, Providence Bloc forces collided violently with HERO Coalition's, in a bloody engagement that saw many ships destroyed.

The battle started when Providence Bloc's fleet, a 114 pilot strong Phantasm Cruiser fleet, entered the GE-8JV system through the V-3YG7 gate, where Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition forces were skirmishing. With the arrival of Providence Bloc, both forces disengaged, while HERO Coalition promised to return with a better fleet.

This proved true, as a few minutes later, while Providence Bloc forces were setting on the V-3YG7 gate, a HERO Coalition Moa Cruiser fleet warped at range, some 120-140 pilots strong.

Providence Bloc's fleet burned straight into the Moas, and the two fleets started exchanging fire, keeping close range to each other. Quickly, ships on both sides were volleyed off, and the fighting became an intense exchange of ships. However, as the fighting continued, Providence Bloc's position worsened, as the HERO fleet managed to pull range and kite their enemies, who kept burning in regardless.

After mounting losses, with HERO Coalition continuously re-shipping and applying pressure on them, Providence Bloc decided to concede the field, trying to beat a hasty retreat by warping to the sun, and then hoping to warp back to the V-3YG7 gate. However, the HERO Coalition Moa fleet was not ready to give up, and chased the Providence Bloc fleet there.

Unknown to Providence Bloc, an interdiction probe managed to intersect the warp path of the fleet, allowing the HERO Coalition force to land on top of it. As the remaining ships scrambled to warp back to the V-3YG7 gate, HERO Coalition managed to nab a few more stragglers. 

At this point, Providence Bloc's fleet exited the system, allowed to retreat by HERO Coalition forces, who made no attempt to pursue.

Battle report for the GE-8JV system can be found here.

The Battle from HERO Coalition's Perspective

The Battle from Providence Bloc's Perspective

All in all, 176 ships were lost in the exchange, with Providence Bloc taking the burnt of the ISK damage, 11.38 Bil, while HERO Coalition suffered only 1.6 Bil in return. Local reached its peak of 425 pilots, with Time Dilation not being noticeable in the fight, spiking momentarily to the region of 10-20% before quickly subsiding. The entire fight lasted half an hour in total.

Both parties agreed that it was a pleasant exchange, and though Providence Bloc lost, in the end, the fight was enjoyable throughout for both sides.

Special thanks to Jin'taan, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance and Mangraa Dementia, of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance for interview and materials.