Clash Royale (ios/android)

[chronovore]

That's me, every day. I am pretty convinced that I am not good at the game, but it is so well designed that I'm still enjoying my current games. It's also nice when I run into a friendly player who emotes in a sportsmanlike manner.

[Huff]

I've never really used defensive towers, and had reasonable success against them and in this new patch with a poison/low cost push deck

[chronovore]

I'll have to peek at your deck when I next log in. I am running into lots of people running "my" Giant/Witch deck who can play it better than I can.  :'(

[chronovore]

Lots of people still running Giant/Witch in Arena 4, but I've traded out to Giant/Baby Dragon/Barbarians. I was also having crazy luck with a Balloon-centered deck with an average elixir of 3.1, so I cycled my hand faster than most opponents. That balloon is a hard hitting MF if I can feint someone into overcommitting resources on the opposite track.

Still convinced I'm going to be in Arena 3 or 4 permanently, but still having fun.

[Stoney Mason]

At higher arenas the meta has shifted to Royal Giants after the buff in the last patch. Of course I don't have one.   

[ToxicAdam]

Yea, I watch a lot of matches with RG in it and the tactics used are hard as hell to defend. 

If the opponent gets a slight elixir advantage he can just set up an RG and support troops and melt your tower away. Kind of like the old OP Xbow.

Lots of people still running Giant/Witch in Arena 4, but I've traded out to Giant/Baby Dragon/Barbarians. I was also having crazy luck with a Balloon-centered deck with an average elixir of 3.1, so I cycled my hand faster than most opponents. That balloon is a hard hitting MF if I can feint someone into overcommitting resources on the opposite track.

Still convinced I'm going to be in Arena 3 or 4 permanently, but still having fun.

I ran across an opponent one time that ran Balloon and Mirror. He would get me to overextend on one lane and then drop double Balloon on the second lane. It's a helpless feeling!

[chronovore]

Yea, I watch a lot of matches with RG in it and the tactics used are hard as hell to defend. 

If the opponent gets a slight elixir advantage he can just set up an RG and support troops and melt your tower away. Kind of like the old OP Xbow.

Lots of people still running Giant/Witch in Arena 4, but I've traded out to Giant/Baby Dragon/Barbarians. I was also having crazy luck with a Balloon-centered deck with an average elixir of 3.1, so I cycled my hand faster than most opponents. That balloon is a hard hitting MF if I can feint someone into overcommitting resources on the opposite track.

Still convinced I'm going to be in Arena 3 or 4 permanently, but still having fun.

I ran across an opponent one time that ran Balloon and Mirror. He would get me to overextend on one lane and then drop double Balloon on the second lane. It's a helpless feeling!

I've not even played at a level where Mirror yet appears.

The Hog Rider is my current bane. The Knight is easy to counter, but the Hog Rider just DGAF about anything between him and the tower.

[Cerveza mas fina]

Just use some cheap 2 elixir zerg unit on it.

[chronovore]

Just use some cheap 2 elixir zerg unit on it.

I do, I do. I just have to get past the temptation to throw 2-elixir skeletons or goblins at something else JUST PRIOR to the Hog Rider showing up. I need more restraint in my play style, honestly.

[Stoney Mason]

Cannon is the anti-hog defensive unit.

[ToxicAdam]

Yea, on hog rushes I will drop cannon in the middle (but close enough to draw his attention) and then either a Musketeer or Skeleton Mob on it's backside (far enough where they won't get frozen). You can then counter attack with the Skeleton Mob or Musketeer and do some tower damage.

[Stoney Mason]

Balance Changes Coming (5/18)

Note: These changes are not live yet! They're coming on 5/18.

In this round of balance changes we’re monitoring the Royal Giant, taking the edge off Freeze and giving the new cards some love!

We were a bit too cautious with the numbers for the new cards, so we’re looking to give them a boost and encourage everyone to give them a go! Sparky is looking quite good overall - her use rates and win rates are healthy - but she’s certainly a card that can take people by surprise and feel overpowered. Once you’ve figured her out, however, she’s not so scary.
Royal Giant: Damage decreased by 4%
He’s great again! Maybe a little bit too great. We don’t want to tone down him down too much, as his use rates and win rates don’t suggest he’s overpowered. A small damage reduction should reign him in a bit, and we’ll continue to keep an eye on him.

Freeze: Duration decreased by 1sec
Hog+Freeze can be a devastating combo when pulled off correctly and is highly used at all levels. We don’t want to deter offensive gameplay, so instead of adjusting the Hog Rider, we wanted to first see how a change to Freeze would shake things up.

Furnace: Elixir cost decreased to 4 (from 5), hitpoints decreased by 14% and lifetime decreased to 40sec (from 50sec)
The Furnace has a very low use rate so we decided a small re-work was in order. A lower Elixir cost, combined with decreased hitpoints and lifetime for balance, should make it a viable choice.

Fire Spirits: Area Damage radius increased by 25%
Their damage is good, but they don’t always hit everything you’d like them to. This change should make them more reliable.

Guards: Hitpoints and damage increased by 8%
Low use rates across the board. The ruthless bone brothers could do with some more hitpoints and damage to make them truly ruthless.

Miner: Hitpoints increased by 6%
The Miner is a really fun card and people are still figuring out the best uses for him. He’s in pretty good shape overall, but a few more hitpoints should help him find his place in the Arena.

Lava Hound: Hitpoints increased by 3%
Lava Pups: Hitpoints increased by 9%
As an 7 Elixir Legendary Card we don’t think the Lava Hound is impressive enough yet. In particular, his “second phase” when the Pups pop out could do with a boost to make him a more enticing choice.

Elixir Collector: Hitpoints decreased by 9%
Use rate at the top is incredibly high - the most used card, in fact - making the Elixir Collector seem like too much of a compulsory choice (evidently our last change wasn’t enough). We don’t want any card to feel like a such an obvious choice, so we’re shaving some more hitpoints off.

Knight: Hitpoints increased by 10%
The Knight is a great well-rounded basic troop, but his simple functionality can be overlooked by the snazzier cards you unlock later on, and as a result his use rates are very low overall. We’d like to see more of this mini-tank in the Arena.

Bomber: Damage increased by 10%
Bomber is currently an underrepresented basic troop which offers so much in the early to mid game. More damage should help him to compete at the top also.

Cannon: Hitpoints decreased by 5%
With the Royal Giant’s meteoric rise in fame, the Cannon has remained very popular, despite our last round of balance changes, and is the second most used card at the top. We’d like to take a few more hitpoints away and make it less of an obvious inclusion in so many decks.

Tesla: Hitpoints increased by 5%
Tesla doesn’t currently stack up as a compelling choice next to the Cannon - a combination of this small boost and the Cannon’s hitpoint decrease should make choosing between the two a more interesting decision.

Golem & Golemite: Hitpoints increased by 5%
The Golem’s use rate is relatively low, in part due to the popularity of direct counters such as the Minion Horde, and also because the new Tournament Rules and max card levels decreased the relative strength of Epic Cards. A small hitpoint boost should help the Golem become more viable.

Witch: Damage increased by 10%
The Witch is an excellent early game pusher, but doesn’t get much playtime in the higher Arenas. More damage, plus the Skeleton boost below will hopefully make her an interesting choice at more levels of play.

Skeletons (affects Tombstone, Skeleton Army, Witch, Skeletons): Hitpoints and damage increased by 5%
More bones in the Arena equals more fun.

Tombstone: Hitpoints increased by 10%
Tombstone has fallen out of favor, but because it’s such a staple counter for the Prince in the early game, we’d like to see it as a more viable choice again. Additionally, this change should make it a possible alternative to the Cannon or Tesla in some decks.

Card Upgrade XP: Fixed for Epic and Legendary Cards
XP gained for upgrading Epic and Legendary Cards will be in line with the equivalent levels of Common and Rare Cards.

[CajoleJuice]

I've apparently been running the worst cards. I have Bomber, Witch, and Tombstone in my deck currently. Can't wait for those buffs!

[chronovore]

Stoney, headers being parented to the previous item's body text is killing me. Here's an edit if you feel like copy-pasting:

Balance Changes Coming (5/18)

Note: These changes are not live yet! They're coming on 5/18.

In this round of balance changes we’re monitoring the Royal Giant, taking the edge off Freeze and giving the new cards some love!

We were a bit too cautious with the numbers for the new cards, so we’re looking to give them a boost and encourage everyone to give them a go! Sparky is looking quite good overall - her use rates and win rates are healthy - but she’s certainly a card that can take people by surprise and feel overpowered. Once you’ve figured her out, however, she’s not so scary.
Royal Giant: Damage decreased by 4%
He’s great again! Maybe a little bit too great. We don’t want to tone down him down too much, as his use rates and win rates don’t suggest he’s overpowered. A small damage reduction should reign him in a bit, and we’ll continue to keep an eye on him.

Freeze: Duration decreased by 1sec
Hog+Freeze can be a devastating combo when pulled off correctly and is highly used at all levels. We don’t want to deter offensive gameplay, so instead of adjusting the Hog Rider, we wanted to first see how a change to Freeze would shake things up.

Furnace: Elixir cost decreased to 4 (from 5), hitpoints decreased by 14% and lifetime decreased to 40sec (from 50sec)
The Furnace has a very low use rate so we decided a small re-work was in order. A lower Elixir cost, combined with decreased hitpoints and lifetime for balance, should make it a viable choice.

Fire Spirits: Area Damage radius increased by 25%
Their damage is good, but they don’t always hit everything you’d like them to. This change should make them more reliable.

Guards: Hitpoints and damage increased by 8%
Low use rates across the board. The ruthless bone brothers could do with some more hitpoints and damage to make them truly ruthless.

Miner: Hitpoints increased by 6%
The Miner is a really fun card and people are still figuring out the best uses for him. He’s in pretty good shape overall, but a few more hitpoints should help him find his place in the Arena.

Lava Hound: Hitpoints increased by 3%
Lava Pups: Hitpoints increased by 9%
As an 7 Elixir Legendary Card we don’t think the Lava Hound is impressive enough yet. In particular, his “second phase” when the Pups pop out could do with a boost to make him a more enticing choice.

Elixir Collector: Hitpoints decreased by 9%
Use rate at the top is incredibly high - the most used card, in fact - making the Elixir Collector seem like too much of a compulsory choice (evidently our last change wasn’t enough). We don’t want any card to feel like a such an obvious choice, so we’re shaving some more hitpoints off.

Knight: Hitpoints increased by 10%
The Knight is a great well-rounded basic troop, but his simple functionality can be overlooked by the snazzier cards you unlock later on, and as a result his use rates are very low overall. We’d like to see more of this mini-tank in the Arena.

Bomber: Damage increased by 10%
Bomber is currently an underrepresented basic troop which offers so much in the early to mid game. More damage should help him to compete at the top also.

Cannon: Hitpoints decreased by 5%
With the Royal Giant’s meteoric rise in fame, the Cannon has remained very popular, despite our last round of balance changes, and is the second most used card at the top. We’d like to take a few more hitpoints away and make it less of an obvious inclusion in so many decks.

Tesla: Hitpoints increased by 5%
Tesla doesn’t currently stack up as a compelling choice next to the Cannon - a combination of this small boost and the Cannon’s hitpoint decrease should make choosing between the two a more interesting decision.

Golem & Golemite: Hitpoints increased by 5%
The Golem’s use rate is relatively low, in part due to the popularity of direct counters such as the Minion Horde, and also because the new Tournament Rules and max card levels decreased the relative strength of Epic Cards. A small hitpoint boost should help the Golem become more viable.

Witch: Damage increased by 10%
The Witch is an excellent early game pusher, but doesn’t get much playtime in the higher Arenas. More damage, plus the Skeleton boost below will hopefully make her an interesting choice at more levels of play.

Skeletons (affects Tombstone, Skeleton Army, Witch, Skeletons): Hitpoints and damage increased by 5%
More bones in the Arena equals more fun.

Tombstone: Hitpoints increased by 10%
Tombstone has fallen out of favor, but because it’s such a staple counter for the Prince in the early game, we’d like to see it as a more viable choice again. Additionally, this change should make it a possible alternative to the Cannon or Tesla in some decks.

Card Upgrade XP: Fixed for Epic and Legendary Cards
XP gained for upgrading Epic and Legendary Cards will be in line with the equivalent levels of Common and Rare Cards.

[Stoney Mason]

thanks chrono

I've apparently been running the worst cards. I have Bomber, Witch, and Tombstone in my deck currently. Can't wait for those buffs!

I think the issue was those cards weren't scaling up. They were great in lower arenas but nobody used them in higher arenas because there were now better options.

[CajoleJuice]

thanks chrono

I've apparently been running the worst cards. I have Bomber, Witch, and Tombstone in my deck currently. Can't wait for those buffs!

I think the issue was those cards weren't scaling up. They were great in lower arenas but nobody used them in higher arenas because there were now better options.

Hmm, I'm Arena 5, which I guess is mid-tier?

[Stoney Mason]

I use to roll with a witch in most of my decks but at some point the musketeer or the wizard felt like better choices. Hopefully the buff makes her more viable.

I'm stuck at the Gate of Arena 7. I'm good enough to be at the cusp of arena 7 but I can't crack into it and start winning the chests there that I need.


2000 is my like hard cap at the moment. The instant I play anybody around that rank I always lose. But a lot of those people have stuff like royal giants and such which they pushed into arena 7 to get.

[Stoney Mason]

Switched to a new clan.

Winter is Here.

#L98U2Q2

for any members who were in the old clan and want to join.

[chronovore]

Switched to a new clan.

Winter is Here.

#L98U2Q2

for any members who were in the old clan and want to join.

See you there soon. I'm going to wait until the bore clan clears out just a little more before bailing.

[Huff]

Yal haven't quit yet? Impressive

[chronovore]

Yal haven't quit yet? Impressive

Probably the best f2p mobile game around. I'm still hooked.

[Stoney Mason]

I totally see why people could get burned out on the grind but I still really enjoy the game myself.

[chronovore]

I totally see why people could get burned out on the grind but I still really enjoy the game myself.

Exactly. I would have a hard time grinding, but I actually enjoy the game. Good thing, because apparently I suck at it.