Best Of

Why play a Connected Cell?  Because I want an anomaly badge?  No, not really.  I already have it.  Because the travel was cheap?  A bit (but not really when you factor in a place to stay and hiring a car).  Because I love fielding and like to “win”?  This. Quite a bit!

When a Connected Cell was announced in South West Ireland, the Resistance looked well placed to grab all 15 points with many fields in the most populous area of the cell dominating the cell scoring.  I wondered just how much of a difference I could make.  I decided to find out and took the plunge, booking a flight, hotel and car.

To really move the dial, it was never going to be enough to smash Resistance fields.  I was going to have to throw some fields and ideally some big ones over the City of Cork. With more Resistance than Enlightened agents active in the area, it was looking like it might be a bit of an ask.

Having spent Friday evening getting my bearings in the town of Cobh, I started the next day bright and early scoping out the local area.  Travelling northwards, I popped up a small layered field between the Labbacallee wedge tomb, Doneraile Court (North Cork’s real-life Downton Abbey!) and Mass Rock (an outdoor location for church services by a river).  My first MU in the cell came in at 4k MU. 

I then went to Fota Wildlife park, and spent a few hours with the animals and Machina, then the rest of the day wandering about taking down Resistance fields.  On my travels, I visited Haulbowline island.  Not an obvious approach as it felt like a dead end at a military installation, but turning right led to a car park and a pleasant walk with views across the bay.  Would be gorgeous on a sunny day, but not quite so much on a drizzly March afternoon!

On my way back to the hotel, I threw another small layered set of fields between Roche’s point, Cobh and an Old Castle Entrance for another 8k MU.  

On Sunday, I farmed some keys and then went to Kinsale for lunch.  Having forgotten that it was Mothering Sunday, I found the town was pretty busy, but I managed to nab a bar table at Fishy Fishy and had a rather lovely lunch followed by some more Machina smashing.  I’d planned out a layered field while eating and busily picked up keys as I went.  After a dash back up the road, I linked from Bandon to Kinsale, and then sat at the other anchor portal until just before checkpoint to throw a nine layered field.  It lasted barely 10 minutes, but was another 16.5k MU on the board.

Having thrown a few more small fields before heading back to the hotel for a short break, I prepared for the evening’s fielding.  It had taken a few re-draws, but I had a plan to link Crosshaven, a church in Inishcarra and Rathcormac.  Heading out in the evening, I started just after midnight, aiming for the 3am checkpoint. Bish, bash, bosh… clearing was completed in double quick time and the baseline thrown.  Then it was the long nervy drive to the north anchor.  Thanks to @TLSF for keeping watch over me on night time manoeuvres.  A three layered field went up in just over two hours, providing a princely 240k MU, and lasted through the 3am checkpoint

My final day dawned bright with a hint of sunshine, although it ended in pouring rain.  It was a mixed rest and work day, but I took the opportunity to drive out to the famous south west coast and meandered my way back, knocking out some Resistance fields as I went.

Thanks to the local agents who welcomed me and didn’t get too upset when I messed with their portals.

With fields thrown by the local Enlightened team, and their efforts in taking out Resistance fields, the scores ended 4.5 ENL to 10.5 RES.  A great result considering where we started.

And the stats… well, I drove over 1200 km, built over 270k MU, increased my pioneer score by over 400 (and I never made it into the centre of the City of Cork), And the one you can’t measure with scanner stats… fun.  It was the best fun, and I visited some great places.  It’s time to move…

#EnlightenedFTW