hi guys. i played am from years ago. then i played tr on and off. despite never breaking 4.5k land, i will summarise the solo server's different dynamic as compared with other servers, and add my own thoughts about this one-of-a-kind battlefield. i am a thinker kind of person, so i enjoy thinking about stuff and discussing it, even if i get a couple of flames.

first off, we'll start with the rules of the solo server:
mages are named only by their colour
no messages/arrows can be sent
no allies
no guilds

mages are named only by their colour
no messages/arrows can be sent

this prevent you from being beaten for using a stupid/attention-attracting mage name. no messages and arrows hinders coordination and negotiation, but at the top ranks it does not completely stop it. at the top of the solo rankings, some mages may know who the others are, and can contact them on other servers or on the forum to negotiate a mutually profitable NAP(non-aggression pact). this type of thing isn't prohibited in the decalogue, but it's not useful anywhere except at the top ranks, where there are few people who want to attack you.

this 'anonymity' factor brought along by the hiding of mage names brings something new to the table, it can make your mage harder to track, if your trackers are not completely focused on killing you for revenge or for fun.

having an exceptionally high number or low number or forts makes you easier to track, and makes you stand out in the rankings page. being easily trackable brings the disadvantage of people knowing your stack, assignments, heroes(especially if you don't switch much). they could attack you more times, because they know what to expect each time. thus, it might be more prudent to keep to a common range of forts, between 10-20.

there is a method of keeping track of your targets if you want to farm them. pillage or attack them at least once every 72 hours, and you can keep track of that mage from your chronicle terra, click on the mage on see how much power he has, then find him in the rankings.

no allies
no guilds

another defining aspect of solo. no official cooperation between mages. the lack of allies levels the playing field in that aspect for those who can't find good allies.

having no guilds means no guild wars. mages are unlikely to be casting many offensive spells on each other. so everyone around is either focused on landgrabbing or whoring(or hate warring). lots of attacks are made between 2.5k and 4.5k land, and 75% of mages are in D most times.

also, having no guilds or official allies to protect anyone, no rules of engagement apply, so multi-attacking is a strategic option. the problems of multi-attacking are possibly inspiring hate in the target mage, who then wants to hunt you or hurt you very badly. because most mages are already attacked many times, it's not easy to multi-attack a mage more than a few times before he goes into D. because people who random landgrab are usually at higher power ranks and land, it's often pointless to seek counters, and the multi-attack goes unpunished. it's just more efficient to prey on smaller targets to get your land back. random multi-pillaging is also commonplace in solo, for money, items or fun. this makes spending your gold(instead of hoarding it) more important.

metagame aspects of the solo server

1. there are no whites, because they are too vulnerable to greens.
2. lack of whites makes black more prevalent, without worrying so much about holy damage other than SoL.
3. there are fewer blues than the other colours, especially in at the top rankings.
4. there are less than 500 players. less than 250 players are actually actively trying to climb, so you may fight the same mages much more often, especially if you only target one or two colours.

off to uni now. feel free to comment, add on, flame or point out errors.

please consider posting this in the wiki guides section!