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Risk World Championships 2025 S1 – Round 5 (US Midwest, Zombie Apocalypse)#

Round 5 dropped us into US Midwest under full Zombie Apocalypse rules, complete with Fog of War, progressive cards and no alliances. But the real twist? The sixth player was the zombie AI, and this one hit hard.

Tournament Results Table#

Round Map Placement Result Video
R5 US Midwest 4th 6 Points Watch Here

Zombies don’t grant bounty points — but they can steal placements if you’re eliminated before them. I survived long enough to outlast most human players, but the undead got me in the end.

🎥 Watch the Full Match Here:#

Match Settings#

  • Map: US Midwest
  • Mode: Zombie Apocalypse
  • Cards: Progressive
  • Fog of War: On
  • Alliances: Off
  • Blizzards: Off
  • Portals: Off
  • Placement: Manual
  • Bots: Zombie AI (Expert Difficulty)

Game Breakdown#

Opening – Fog, Bonuses, and Early Spread#

I started bottom right and had a strong opening position — or so I thought. Tempted by early +4 and +3 bonuses, I pushed hard for control, but it quickly backfired.

  • The Fog of War meant I couldn’t see how strong everyone was, especially as I was largely concentrated in just a few areas.
  • I wasted multiple turns and armies hitting zombies in attempt to manage territory instead of stacking aggressively or scouting.
  • I missed a key opportunity to line up on Blue and go for a clean elimination.

By trying to do too much, I became overexposed. I was too easy of a target.

Mid-Game – Zombie Mayhem#

Zombies continued to be problematic, but my bonus stabilized. At this point I was just building up, getting my card each turn, and preparing to take on blue.

My visibility was poor, so I could only watch on blind as other players were eliminated.

Elimination – The Hiding Game Fails#

Being consolidated to one region, I failed totally at hiding. What was worse, is that I was neatly positioned between blue and purple, so no matter which way it went, I was in trouble.

I had cards to redeem next turn, and I was lining up a kill on blue. Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity, and was eliminated before I got the chance.

Endgame – The Slowest Zombie Cleanup Ever#

Watching the endgame unfold was… painful.

  • The final player clearly didn’t know how to clean up zombies efficiently.
  • They kept overextending and forgetting to leave troops behind.
  • Took nearly 10 minutes to finish cleanup, one slow stack at a time.

Fortunately, I've fast-forwarded it for the video. 😅

Final Thoughts & Lessons Learned#

  • Bonuses are bait — especially in Fog + Zombie mode.
  • Line up for kills, not control — visibility is key, and hesitation costs momentum.
  • Hide smart — one badly placed stack can ruin your game if it’s visible to the wrong player.

I placed Fourth, just behind the zombies, and walked away with 6 points — not a disaster, but short of what I needed. With 51 total points, I now need at least 8 more in Round 6 to have a good chance of Round 7 qualification. Round 8 (top 48) looks unlikely, short of a miracle.

📌 Next up: Round 6.