Perhaps biased because I was in TeamPlayers but here goes:

Cubs was the most powerful...When I perceived Cubs started letting Kane make the meta decisions (and THAT was crazy for me to watch) then Kane was.

The fact that Kane managed to get everyone in DNS (pissed off or not) to let him be the "LEADER" is flabbergasting. GG Kane. It's impressive, bar none. That's a **** ton of conflicting ego's all to fall in line for the most part in organizing what should have been pure chaos? (not that he was perfect...there definitely was chaos ex: the PFC handling...but even then where did all the districts go? That's right...)

I think Mavado was the alliance leader, but when HS attacked EoN. it was Cubs who sent the messages to Kujo. When OH attacked and subsequently learned that their flaylock spam was insufficient...it was Cubs who negotiated them coming into EoN.

AE leadership (Kujo indisputably made HS go, but AE was a different animal. Soul and others stepped up and he wasn't the only one steering that ship.

I think Sha was a super powerful leader. I think Mavado was a very powerful leader. Back in the day I think Quick was a very powerful leader.

I never knew the Zitro's extensively. I only met them after the fact and only squadded with them a handful of times while they played. But my perception is that they managed to keep a bunch of leaders like PDiggy22 together and satisfied. To keep that many leaders and ego's and for it to function? That's some charisma.

I think for all my issues with his decision making Radar kept his family together for the most part, and a powerful family it is/was. No one can deny the bonds that tied people like Blitz and Tibs and Guy.

When I was forming FA I wanted FA to be between the sizes of TP (small) and AE (larger). I wanted the drive I felt in TP. The expectation that TP embodied. Cubs expected us to show up...and we did. Someone once said "I don't get how you guys can be there every time with such consistency" we literally had like like 10 10 who rotated about 4-5 positions but the same 10 were here every single night in our prime.

I remember beating in SyN in the tourney and Mavado being disappointed his best guys chose not to log in. I remember certain TP members refusing to log on for the tourney final for w/e reason and realizing it just wasn't the same.

I saw people who formed communities that were so amazingly loyal and inspired loyalty.

I'm so grateful for loyalty from people like Skeletor, Ken, Himiko, and so many others like Lags and Devin.

In a game that so often watches droves leave STB or KEQ or so may other places...sticking around and forgiving and being humble and growing and being willing to accept imperfect people (especially me) has been such a blessing.

Look at RND man. Look at the loyalty leaders like Dubbs inspire. I was never a leader man. I got on dust and had no idea that this game could afford you these types of opportunities if you have the time and will to make it so.

it's a fascinating game.

It's still surreal sometimes. Like here's a prime comment for me to get trolled about so feel free I'm giving it to you free but think

Sure there are others who are much more qualified to be CPM instead of myself, but the fact that I managed to get like 150 people to vote for me among a few other people who absolutely could have been great CPM's (looking at Pokey particularly) and that's just the ones that the system counted if you know how it works.

It's actually very humbling. And weird.

Because of how intimately i've always relied on others to help me make decisions (Himiko and Black Art at first, Ken and people like Xero, and then people like Skeletor and Lags and Devin still later) I don't think I qualify as being particularly powerful. The only time I felt powerful as a leader was when in my absence **** went to pieces and then I'd come back and feel like the ship got righted and we'd start acting like ourselves again.

Thankfully though those days have passed.

Loyalty is the most sought after thing in dust. If you can maintain a competitive mindset and yet never consider leaving when your clan gets **** on...welcome to the club. TP did it, AE did it, FA did it, OH did it..and others before PC was released.

It's the ones that ragequit when they start losing that are dissatisfying.

And inasmuch as leadership is tied to keeping their troops around when **** gets hard...props to those leaders.

Just my thoughts.

Really interesting topic Silver!

Depending on which situations you're talking about, I attribute Kane to making certain things happen, not Kujo.

Please do, Im all ears.

I think Kane deserves more credit personally because I remember reading in the chats so often how Cubs would come in and Kane would smooth his concerns out.

It was just FLABBERGASTING. Inexplicable.

This was the guy that stubbornly said something...and it was done. over. No more questions.

And here was Kane just setting the goals and ironing out the details like Cubs was a child.
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Eve support was a HUGE factor in our decision making at the time. Probably priority #1. While Kane did make the AE contract decision on his own, the ultimate goal was to obtain support of our own at some point in the (hopefully near) future. I give Kane a lot of credit: There was a very real chance that we could have been annihilated immediately at that point and he was able to turn it into initiative (There are other people to thank and reasons why things had to be done in a certain way, but I prefer to not get too deep into them).

Ultimately however, the core of the organization followed Cubs and it was up to Kane to convince Cubs for anything really to happen... Even after Cubs quit playing. Nobody else had the respect as a player/FC/manager. I always tried to tread as lightly around the players as possible. No one wants to hear the MD speed build guy try to tell them what to do.

Yeah, AE was always 1337

But I've always truly wondered who would've prevailed in an AE vs. imps fight.

They were both dominant during two different times along DUST's development.

But if you've been around DUST long enough and remember each, experienced each, then who do you think would have won?

I had the chance to play against them when they were trying to push STB out the first time. We beat a team they sent out in one of the matches. Lo' and behold, the bat signal got sent out and the next match was against their A team. If I was doing the roster for them, I might have replaced 1-2 guys (If the criteria was "Pure Talent"). 10-12 of them had TAC ARs... It was a sight to see. Came down to one tick of armor(It appeared to both sides that imps had no armor left, couldn't have been any closer). The biggest takeaway was that their most talented team almost lost to a ringer squad. Admittedly, it was a pretty talented ringer squad, but if I made the cut, then it was certainly no all-star team... Maybe half an all-star team. We were missing Kono(Who was a big part of our earlier win), but did have quite a few 'best in class' players.

Point being: most of the teams that still play now-a-day would probably wipe the floor with imps as they existed then. They were operationally exceptional and above average in small group tactics, but relied on those advantages too heavily and never developed much strategic depth.

I had the chance to play against them when they were trying to push STB out the first time. We beat a team they sent out in one of the matches. Lo' and behold, the bat signal got sent out and the next match was against their A team. If I was doing the roster for them, I might have replaced 1-2 guys (If the criteria was "Pure Talent"). 10-12 of them had TAC ARs... It was a sight to see. Came down to one tick of armor(It appeared to both sides that imps had no armor left, couldn't have been any closer). The biggest takeaway was that their most talented team almost lost to a ringer squad. Admittedly, it was a pretty talented ringer squad, but if I made the cut, then it was certainly no all-star team... Maybe half an all-star team. We were missing Kono(Who was a big part of our earlier win), but did have quite a few 'best in class' players.

Point being: most of the teams that still play now-a-day would probably wipe the floor with imps as they existed then. They were operationally exceptional and above average in small group tactics, but relied on those advantages too heavily and never developed much strategic depth.

I remember that fight and the two biggest contributors in that match. Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane kept the slayers on edge in the compound. And Ted Nugget trapped two imps in the pin under C. lol. Sat his tank on the ramp. I think there is footage of this on youtube somewhere.