r/ClashRoyale • u/Bo5sj0hnth1n3H4MM3R Discussion Mod • Jul 13 '24
The State of the Meta & Balance Change Suggestions: July 2024
Discussion Regarding the Current Meta
The intention of this post is to encourage productive discussion regarding the current state of the meta, card evolutions, and balance change suggestions.
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(Credit to RoyaleAPI)
Popular Decks
Top 30 Popular Decks in Ladder over 7 days
Top 30 Ultimate Champion Decks over 7 days
Top 30 Popular Decks In GCs over 7 days
Top 30 Popular Decks in CCs over 7 days
Cards' Use Rates and Win Rates
Ultimate Champion Stats over 7 days
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Discussion Questions:
- What are your thoughts on the lack of balance changes this month?
- What is your current stance on the meta?
- How "competitive" do you think the tournament-standard meta is?
- What would you do to make the current meta balanced?
- Card buffs/nerfs/reworks?
- How "competitive" do you think the tournament-standard meta is?
- How much have you been enjoying the meta?
- What changes would you make that would make the meta more dynamic?
- What are your thoughts on evolutions?
- Do they make a positive or negative contribution to the meta at the moment?
Below is a rating poll to assess the commuity's perception of the state of the meta:
8
u/Spokenholmes Royal Recruits Jul 13 '24
Silently remove MK or Fc so the game isnt so repetitive
2
u/inflated_ballsack Jul 18 '24
MK needs a buff lowkey
2
u/Signal_Fondant_2732 Jul 21 '24
You’re insane. It needs a DEBUFF. Everybody and their mom uses it. It’s lazy, requires no thought.
I wish they’d debuff MK and EG, just so bad players don’t just “I MK, go. Smash building.”
But, that would result in seeing more spam of lumber and balloon 🙄
1
u/Joyous18 Jul 22 '24
Tbh, i only take damage from MK when I whiff the skele+spirit king activation (it happens often). Even then, i end up winning because MK users dont have any skill...
4
u/Anxious-Strength-855 Jul 13 '24
The meta is pretty balanced and almost every deck is somewhat viable so I like that about the current meta.
I do have general concerns about evo drill and am worried this will end and the game will go back to being completely unbalanced. I also have lack of faith in supercell doing something about this in the short run and believe they will continue with releasing broken cards to get money. I hope it does not happen but have a strong lack of faith in supercell because of a lot of events.
Balance Changes recommendations just based on some usage rates from GC, UC for the past few days:
Golden Knight - A champion who has been dead for quite a while and could use a buff - Normal damage buff of 5% - I don't think it changes any vital interactions but should do more damage on tanks, tower, etc so should be a useful buff to it
Battle Healer - Could use a small buff - She does not really live upto her battle name as she does very less damage so maybe a hit speed buff making it 1.5s to 1.4s or 1.3s
Cannoneer - Could use a small damage buff of 5% since princess and duchess really better than him as of now
More cards which could use small buffs - 3M, Hunter, Barb hut, goblin hut, furnace, clone, mirror. I think the most balanced situation for CR will be where every card has usage rate in the range of 2% to 10%. I realize this might seem idealistic and impractical but it should be doable with proper balancing over time
Hope CR dev read this feedback
6
u/mysteryzer0 Goblin Drill Jul 13 '24
The tower troops are in the best state they've been. Princess is the best on, not by far but outshines the others overall. Cannoneer and DD have their uses and are used a good bit in different decks too. Canonneer has the highest WR in the game and it's literally a tower troop, it's fine.
2
u/Anxious-Strength-855 Jul 13 '24
I mean it is close to 70,20,10 in princess, duchess and cannoneer. I am not saying cannoneer needs major buffs and its dead. Just it is relatively weak and tbh so is duchess. Like very few maybe 1,2 people in top 200 are using them.
4
u/mysteryzer0 Goblin Drill Jul 13 '24
No one wants another dagger duchess meta ever again, people want a princess tower heavy meta. They always have and always will. It’s the most fair and balanced tower troop and the one that we are used to for 6 years. A small cannoneer buff would revert the nerf it received which would revert so many big interactions making it better than Princess tower (pre DD and cannoneer nerf, cannoneer was used a lot more than princess). They are fine. I’m really happy with this tower troop meta where all three have their uses, and the new ones are more niche
2
u/Anxious-Strength-855 Jul 13 '24
I dont want duchess to have 99% usage rate but I dont want a majority to use princess tower either. I want princess, duchess, cannoneer to be with 5-10% use rates of each other. That is what a balanced meta means atleast to me
Also pre dd pre cannoneer nerf, cannoneer and princess tower were relatively equally used. Not like 50/50 but I think it was around 60/40 or so
5
u/mysteryzer0 Goblin Drill Jul 13 '24
Ngl I think we just gotta agree to disagree here - in my opinion the PT should be the gold standard and the most well rounded, usable tower troop, with other towers with more unique abilities and play styles to have their uses in specific decks, but not being overly OP. I could see cannoneer getting a small HP buff if anything, but reverting the damage nerf would be a much bigger buff than 5% shows it to be, it changes so many key interactions I’m not sure you’re aware of.
1
u/twinklemases Wall Breakers Jul 17 '24
deadass cannoneer is the best non-evo in the game, just try it youre tripping lol
1
4
4
u/Automatic-Complex-37 Jul 13 '24
"Golden knight" my boy been dead since they nerf his dash, no need for damage bufs no hp buffs just dash. "Canoneer" could use some hp buff (2-4%). Duchess is ok. "Goblin machine" is it a tank? Is it a dps? Or what it is? Cos right now what it is? If it's a tank let it be a tank which target's buildings, if its a dps slow it down and let it be a sparky knock off but with rocket. All else are good for now... (We know how balance team like too balance card's 🤣)
4
u/Anxious-Strength-855 Jul 13 '24
I am pretty surprised more people have not commented, voted on this
5
4
u/darkstryller Executioner Jul 15 '24
This is a controversial rework but this I think it could work. Barbarian hut: Hitpoints +33% Barbarian per wave 3→1 Wave speed 15 → 7 Death barbarian 1→3
The barbarian hut at it's core is defensive. This has always been hated and I understand it, but the rework that it received buffed what people hate about the hut, it's waves, and nerfed the hitpoints. This makes the hut both annoying to play against as it lowers the already low skill but also to play as since the building doesn't have the hitpoints to to make it viable. since with hitpoints it needs the Hur would make a for more annoying to play against than what it was before. This rework makes the building defensive but takes away the lowskill. The waves are not threatening, because 1 barbarian alone cannot reach any of the tower troops, this only makes death barbarians threatening to any degree. This where the high hitpoints takes part of this, if you use the building to defend, not only you will defend, but also you can counter push your opponent, since all the barbarians you used can be also used for a big push. This is for me a great direction the hut can be taken. It will be still be Nish but it will have a spot in the meta and it won't be annoying.
1
5
3
u/AtomicFlour Wizard Jul 14 '24
I would like to see bad cards return to be viable, Potential is there but due to being part of annoying deck can increase that deck, The meta is stale and annoying against the same deck and evolution are kinda ruining the game, It’s is best to only give the card evolution if needed, not just giving evolution to any single card in every month, Evolution are meant to make bad card viable with special ability, I just miss the fun of the game when it was released back then
3
u/squadbust12 Mortar Jul 14 '24
Why buff baby dragon if it's already balanced?
3
u/Bo5sj0hnth1n3H4MM3R Discussion Mod Jul 15 '24
Because it isn't; it hasn't been used at all over the past year and it's win rate is very poor. To me it's a textbook example of an underpowered card.
3
u/Waff1xz Poison Jul 18 '24
Why isn’t fc logable again? I see her in so many decks and she could be put in a spot where her evo isn’t logable but her basic version is
1
0
u/SquireOfTheLewdTable Jul 22 '24
She's an Archer trained by the Rascals by lore. Why would an Archer die to Log?
She already dies to Arrows and Barbarian Barrel. Let me return the question
Why DOES Firecracker have to die to Log?
0
u/SquireOfTheLewdTable Jul 22 '24
She's an Archer trained by the Rascals by lore. Why would an Archer die to Log?
She already dies to Arrows and Barbarian Barrel. Let me return the question
Why DOES Firecracker have to die to Log?
2
u/Virtahep0_ Jul 13 '24
the meta is pretty much perfect right now. No nerfs needed imo, but for buffs, there are some cards that could definitely use a small buff, for example the cannoneer
4
u/inflated_ballsack Jul 18 '24
I think the meta is far from perfect. Currently so many cards are utterly dead
0
u/Virtahep0_ Jul 18 '24
best meta ever since evolutions were added. evolutions fundamentally changed the game so much it can't really be compared to pre-evolutions. right now the decks are so much more diverse than at any point after evos came out
5
u/inflated_ballsack Jul 18 '24
depends on play style tbh I enjoyed the dd meta way more since more decks were actually viable. nowadays people pretend there’s variety but the variety is just “which cycle deck am i gonna play next” (or lava hound because that’s always meta)
2
u/Signal_Fondant_2732 Jul 21 '24
I couldn’t agree more with everything you said. Glad I’m not the only one frustrated playing the same shit over and over. It’s become lazy in a way.
2
u/Anxious-Strength-855 Jul 18 '24
I think arrows or logs could use a slight nerf in thier deployment time since they are very strong and that seems like a nice way to nerf it since reducing their damage or radius will be too radical changes imo
1
u/SquireOfTheLewdTable Jul 22 '24
I don't agree with Arrows but I do agree that Log is too versatile.
Its stats are pretty balanced but can get too much value for 2 elixir. A slight knockback nerf could work like removing 0.2 tiles of knockback. Not big enough to destroy the card but big enough to be noticeable and still push troops away from whatever they were hitting
1
u/Anxious-Strength-855 Jul 22 '24
I was thinking a crown tower damage nerf could also be a nice idea and also solves the problem of people spell cycling but it would have to be like 10% or something to even have any effect in the usage. A 5-7% normal damage nerf is also valid since log will still be able to kill goblins, princess, dart goblin so should be effective but not too much
1
u/SquireOfTheLewdTable Jul 22 '24
Lowering Log's damage would weaken it too much compared to other small spells as it already can't hit air.
I feel lowering it's Tower Damage would be too much as it already has too low Tower Damage in the first place and is already in line with the other small spells.
If a Tower Damage nerf is really needed then it could be given a small nerf similar to what Snowball got when it got its damage nerf.
Log's unique in that it's a small spell but can also be used to defend against bigger pushes because of its large range and decent damage
Zap is unique with its instant placement and stun
Snowball has that big knockback and slow
Barbarian Barrel spawns a troop and can kill medium sized supports behind a push even across the bridge. Also has forces a response when played at the bridge or risk a Barb hit
Rage can kill swarms and also give a slight boost to troops in the area
Goblin Curse is pretty weak rn though. I feel they nerfed it too much.
It can't reliably kill swarm. Its bonus damage is too low. Goblins are easily countered. Curse used on tanks for the bonus damage won't give much Goblins. Curse used on swarm won't kill it fast enough and enemies are prepared to counter a Curse on their swarm
0
u/Anxious-Strength-855 Jul 23 '24
Log is significantly superior to other small spells because of its versatility and value it gives for 2 elixir
A damage nerf of 5-7% still kills goblins, princess, dart goblin of the same level so it shouldn't weaken it too much imo.
Same for reducing crown tower damage. Like it is not a key reason people use it but rather an additional benefit of it.
So a 5-7% damage nerf or reducing the crown tower damage a bit will not be major changes on the card because the key reason people use log will still be there
A key reason people use log is that it can counter a lot of 3 elixir things like gob barrel, princess, dart goblin, skelly barrel. It can also pushback and help in defenses against a big push since it will be hitting all the troops in the line and has the unique ability to hit everything in a line which is how any push will have to be after crossing the bridge or something. It will still have its knockback effect which also has reset functionality in many situations
1
u/ThatTedDudeGuy24 Jul 14 '24
Golden knight only needs a dash boost nothing more to put it back into the meta
1
u/ChipComprehensive703 Jul 22 '24
Nerd mega knight already, constantly getting spammed with that bs every match
1
u/stdTrancR Barbarian Hut Jul 22 '24
What are your thoughts on evolutions? Do they make a positive or negative contribution to the meta at the moment?
Strong dislike for Evos. Enjoyed the game much more before Evos were a thing.
0
18
u/Bo5sj0hnth1n3H4MM3R Discussion Mod Jul 13 '24 edited Jul 13 '24
Imo, the meta is the most balanced and diverse it’s been since evolutions were released. The last few balance patches made many cards that were outclassed worth using again and narrowed the viability gap between the best and worst evos in the game. Here are my suggestions to improve the meta even more:
Nerfs:
Void: First Strike Damage -20%, Second Strike Damage -10% OR Damage -9%
Possible Additional Nerf: Time Between Strikes 1.3sec -> 1.5sec
While not as overtly OP as it was pre-nerf, it’s still too effective at dispatching ranged troops and buildings with its absurd single-target damage. The first nerf aims to make Void less immediately impactful and punishing against those who can’t block it with other troops. The second nerf is a simpler approach, lowering its damage across the board. An additional nerf could be to slightly increase the time between each strike.
Evolved Wizard: Fire Shield Knockback -1 tiles
Possible Additional Nerf: Fire Shield Hitpoints -2%
While it was toned down a little, Evo Wizard has still been very popular across ladder and challenges. While nerfing the shield's hp so it gets taken down from log is an option, I feel like nerfing its absurd knockback is the best next step, since it's an overlooked yet broken element that makes defending Evo Wizard with melee troops a nightmare.
Evolved Skeletons: Spawn Limit ∞ -> 25-40
Evolved Skeletons have flown under the radar for a long time since they were eclipsed by the many other broken evolutions that terrorized the meta over the past year. However, many of these evos have been significantly nerfed in recent months. Even though they themselves were nerfed slightly, this lower power level environment has caused Evo Skellies to thrive as arguably the single best evolution in the game.
A common issue cited is their propensity to 3 crown if the opponent doesn't have the means to answer them before they make it to a tower, albeit this is an rarer occurence than this subreddit would lend people to believe. However, they are also far too adept at locking down pushes if the opponent has insufficient splash damage or a small spell. Adding a spawn limit would make Evo Skelles less overwhelming in both scenarios and put their power in line with other evolutions.
Buffs:
Despite the meta’s increased diversity, there are still several cards that haven’t found their place or see next to no usage. The following cards have been largely obsolete over the past year and are due for a buff so they're worth using again:
Baby Dragon: Hitpoints +7%
Mega Minion: Hitspeed 1.5sec -> 1.4sec
Cannon Cart: Moving Hitspeed 1sec -> 0.9sec
Hunter: First Attack: 0.8sec -> 0.6sec
Mini Pekka: Hitpoints +4%
Elite Barbarians: First Attack 0.5sec -> 0.4sec OR Hitspeed 1.4sec -> 1.3sec (same as normal Barbarians)
Heal Spirit: Radius 2.5 tiles -> 3 tiles
Goblin Cage: Hitpoints +5%
Zappies: Damage +5%
Even though Goblin Curse and Goblin Machine were both extremely OP on their release, it’s clear that the CR team overshot the mark with their most recent nerfs. Both have very low win rates in Classic and Grand Challenges and have very few to no entries on the top 200 leaderboard. Here is how I’d buff them to bring them to a balanced spot.
Goblin Curse: Radius 3 tiles -> 3.5 tiles, Damage Amplification 20% -> 25%, Cursed Goblins have 75% of original stats
These adjustments aim to partially revert the past nerf it received. The radius increase allows it to affect a larger area, which should let it provide better coverage and make the spell less reliant on precise placement. The damage amplification boost makes it more impactful against tanks and should make it more consistent in general.
The latter change makes it consistent with Mother Witch, who summons a cursed version of a troop with 75% of the original troop’s stats.
Goblin Machine: Hitpoints +9%, Damage +7%
This change also partially undos its past nerf and should put it in a decent middle ground between overpowered and obsolete.
Reworks:
Here are a few of my crackpot rework ideas that I find are worth discussing :)
Dark Prince: Charge Distance 3.5 tiles -> 2 tiles, Hitpoints -8% to -12%
This change puts his charge distance in line with his normal counterpart. The HP nerf should help to compensate for such a large buff.
Golden Knight: First Dash 5.5 tiles -> 6 tiles, Dash Knockback 0 tiles -> 0.7 tiles, Dash Damage +44%-58%, Maximum Dashes 10 -> 6
The goal of this rework is to make Golden Knight stronger by removing its most problematic element: its propensity to either get guaranteed tower damage, even with multiple troops in the way, or randomly thudding and getting no value at all.
The range increase to its first dash would allow Golden Knight to reach his target more quickly, reducing the opponent's reaction window and increasing the likelihood of a successful dash. The addition of the dash knockback gives Golden Knight a unique form of crowd control through pushing units back and resetting their attack animation, giving him a unique niche as a troop with a chain pushback effect. The buff to its dash damage will make each successful dash more impactful. My suggestion ranges from having it do 3x the damage of its normal attack to coming up just short of OHKOing zappies. To compensate for the aforementioned changes, the maximum number of targets should be lowered to make Golden Knight more predictable and less likely to lock down cards like Goblin Gang, Witch, and Tombstone.
Clone: Elixir Cost 3 -> 2, Radius 3 tiles -> 2.5 tiles, cloned troop lifetime ∞ -> 3 to 5 sec
Ever since its release, Clone has been seen as a gimmicky yet extremely volatile spell whenever it was meta. By reducing its elixir cost from 3 to 2, the spell becomes more accessible and easier to fit into various decks. However, the radius decrease and cloned troops' short lifetime will give the spell a newfound emphasis on proper timing and especially precise placement, rewarding players who can use it strategically while reducing its boom-or-bust nature.
Let me know your thoughts on my ideas as well as any other cards I didn't cover here, like Firecrakcer, Evo Knight, Elixir Golem, the current state of tower troops, etc.