Block

A block is, loosely defined, a group of alliances that have allied eachother and represent a large minority (or even majority) of the firepower available to competing alliances and blocks. Blocking is generally viewed negatively, though for varying reasons. Some people claim it harms the game by making it tedious, while others view it as taking focus away from the game and turning it into a popularity contest. Blocks have usually been blamed for stagnation, because they are often hard to disolve once the opposition has been destroyed.