Are you bored? I can definitely relate. Browsing through the App Store can be a bit repetitive, I just want something to play! A few months ago, I decided to try Clash Royale. It also has been featured in our Best Android Strategy Games list.
I uninstalled. For what reason? I don’t know. The best reason why? Did not fully understand the in-game mechanics or why it was fun. Fast forward today, I have fallen into the Clash Royale addiction.
This game is increasingly becoming one of my most favorite games. It is a tower defense card game, where you spawn units onto your board to attack the enemy towers and defend your own towers. There are two main modes when starting; Battle and 2v2.
Battle mode is a PVP, ranked arena against a player of similar Trophies. You can think of trophies as a number that represents how skilled a player is. The more trophies a player has, the higher ranked that player will be. Battles are ranked, therefore, a win rewards positive trophies. But, if you lose, trophies are negated from your trophy total – which can lead to de
In 2v2, match with friends or other players, in a shared tower battle against two other players. After hours of intense 2v2 battles, it is a great way to practice your deck and get the hang of the game – especially if you’ve gone full tilt from losses (will be explained ahead)
Before each battle, you can build up a deck of 8. You start out with a basic deck and as you open chests and win battles, you unlock more cards that consist of champions.
There are 94 different cards to choose from to have in your deck. By default, you are allowed to build decks in three different slots. Each card has a level and you level them by acquiring similar cards through chests or buying them directly from special offers.
During the battle, you will see a purple generation meter called Elixir. Elixir is spent to place cards on the battlefield and act as a resource to use wisely. Each card has a certain amount of Elixir; the higher the card elixir is, the stronger the card should be.
Whereas, a lower Elixer card should be considerably weaker in comparison. Players start the battle with 5 Elixir, with a maximum of 10. Once 2 mins have passed, elixir production increases by 1.
Let’s get back to deck building for a second. When you build up your deck of 8, the game gives the average amount of Elixir it costs to use the deck.
The general idea is having a high Elixir deck, the more resources are required to place decks on the battlefield and therefore, lead to more strategic thinking and resource management.
Having a lower Elixir deck allows you to rapidly control by being able to place units on the battlefield quicker – which in theory, allowing you to control more of the battlefield depending on your deck.
Don’t Get Titled – You’ve Been Warned!
Warning: If you are a competitive gamer, playing Clash Royale – you suffer from chronic tilting and loose streaking.
In Battle, there are Arena’s you progress through as you accumulate Trophies, which features a new map and cards to find. I love this type of PVP as each arena gives me a different taste of gameplay, cards, and strategy, as well as something to look forward.
There are times where I’d do go on win streaks and felt very good with my deck. Suddenly, I’d suffer a 5+ loose streak and de-rank. This will force you to understand counters and meta cards. I figured out quickly which cards were good and bad.
But, no matter what you do, there will always be a counter to your deck. This is the beauty of Clash Royale – but also a sin. There were several times where opponents simply had the “perfect” counter to my deck. This is unavoidable, something I had to come to close grips with before I cracked my iPhone screen in tilting rage. (I go more in detail below)
But don’t worry, you are not the only player that suffers through this. In fact, after lurking on Twitch streams, I’ve
Before any 5k+ trophy players come and say GET GOOD……I AM GETTING GOOD.
What Is The META PLEASE?
After a few win’s and loses, I started getting curious about the meta. I watched 15+ hours binging to Clash Roayle Youtube videos of popular players and influencers. I was shocked at the popularity.
The great thing about Clash Royale, you can experiment and test your deck to create your own strategy. I play 2v2 to test out each deck and how well it can defend and attack my opponents.
Luckily, there is a big community that will give you deck ideas and how to counter enemy decks. With all the information, I was able to get to 1k+ trophies and push the ladder. If you want to know the best decks to use, check out the video below.
A Supercell Conspiracy?
If you went on a few losing streaks, sometimes you have to wonder if the game is intentionally trying to get you to lose. After researching, there are hundreds of players accusing SuperCell matchmaking algorithm is forcing players to go on losing streaks by purposefully matching them with decks that counter them.
I call this the Clash Royale Conspiracy.
Whether true or not, there appears that this conspiracy holds at least some merit and not just bad players complaining. For example, let’s say you build the best possible deck, which helped you win streak 5-times in a row. Suddenly, each matchup after your win streak, there is a near “perfect” counter to your deck – losing nearly 80% of your trophies. This can be extremely frustrating.
In defense of SuperCell, each arena you progress through, players will naturally develop counters. This is just how competitive games work. As your trophy count increases, there will be players of similar trophies and therefore, will have a similar set of skills.
There is a detailed video below explaining the matchmaking algorithm. But, you decide if it is rigged or not.
Is Clash Royale Worth Your Time?
Absolute! The game is fun and challenging. Once you understand how decks work, which decks are powerful and how to position them properly while managing your Elixir resources – you will find Clash Royale to be one of the most addictive strategy games in the App store. If you haven’t tried it out, we highly recommend you try it out and give it a go!
As I get better, expect some deck strategy guides and other guides.
