Background Information

This update happened on May 18th.  In this post you will see what Supercell changed and my thoughts right below each  thing that has been changed.  These guide are to help you understand what the update consisted of and what a legends league player thinks about them.  Lets get started.

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.

My Thoughts- I think that a Royal Giant nerfed was well needed as it became the most common strategy in the game.  You will almost never see 3 decks that do not have Royal Giant in it at 3000 plus trophies.  Although I think 4% is pretty low, it still nerfs the Royal Giant quite a bit.  It makes the royale giant have to take one more shot to destroy the crown tower now.  This 4% nerf can be the difference in winning and losing in some situations.  I think an 8% nerf would have served a better perpose as it would make the royale giant great at countering defenses, but a little harder when using it just to attack the crown tower at a long distance.

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.

My Thoughts- I get why they nerfed the freeze spell and not the hog rider.  The hog rider by itself can’t really get much damage onto the tower as long as it is countered by some sort of troop.  Even one elixir skeletons will do a good job against the hog.  In this sense, the hog rider is not the problem.  Also, the freeze spell isn’t entirely offensive.  Because it can be used as a defensive card, Supercell might have nerfed it to deter from defensive game play.  Also, by nerfing the freeze you do an “unintentional” nerf to all strategies that use the freeze.  Some of these more common strategies are the balloon and freeze combo as well as the hog and freeze combo.

Furnace: Elixir cost decreased to 4 (from 5), hit points 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 hit points and lifetime for balance, should make it a viable choice.

My Thoughts- This rework makes the furnace more appealing to me.  I love when cards get a decrease in elixir instead of a health point or damage buff because I am more willing to try in.  Making the furnace one elixir cheaper makes it less of a commitment.  When this first came out I thought hut spammers will be in heaven but it turns out that this cards is a hut spam killer, even though it is basically a spawner.  The decrease in time from 50 seconds to 40 seconds is needed in order to balance out the elixir change.

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.

My Thoughts- I haven’t experienced the radius problem with fire spirits but if they even miss one barbarian in a group, that is unacceptable.  Increasing the splash damage radius will help ensure the destruction of every barbarian.  I think this buff will help the furnace be a more viable card too.

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

My Thoughts- I didn’t think the Gaurds needed a buff as they are extremely strong against any troop that does high damage because of their shield.  I think that it is underused because people haven’t discovered their potential yet.

Miner: Hit points 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 hit points should help him find his place in the Arena.

My Thoughts- I didn’t think the miner needed a buff but this will definitely make people start to want to use him.  This card is great for chipping of a few hundred hit points per spawn if the enemy doesn’t counter or see the miner.

Lava Hound: Hit points increased by 3%
Lava Pups: Hit points 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.

My Thoughts- This is a much needed buff.  For 7 elixir, the Lava Hound is basically crap and lets the opponent rush you on the opposite or same side.  With 3 elixir to spend on defense, playing the Lava Hound is like throwing one of your towers away.  This buff I think is a little to small but may convince a few people to switch to the hound.

Elixir Collector: Hit points 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 hit points off.

My Thoughts- I don’t agree at all with this update.  There was already a 20% nerf to this card and it is already pretty weak.  By nefing this card, Supercell is making it less offense base as the elixir collector would help give a little more force in your attack.

Knight: Hit points 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.

My Thoughts- I think that this will still be used less because the Knight isn’t a very good card.  It is basically a miner that can’t go anywhere on the map.  I think that this card is still bad because at high levels, people use tanks, not semi tanks.  Also, the miner is basically a better alternative to the knight.  However, this may make the knight usefull at lower levels where semi tanks are still used.

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.

My Thoughts- I actually thought that the bomber is a very underrated card.  It can destroy a whole group of barbarians by itself.  I guess the only draw back to the bomber is that their are better options, like the dark prince or Valkyrie. This buff will still not make me user bomber because it doesn’t have synergy with my deck.

Cannon: Hit points 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 hit points away and make it less of an obvious inclusion in so many decks.

My Thoughts- I don’t think it is nessesary to nerf the cannon again because it is already so weak.  It is one of the only cards that give an elixer positive trade against the hog and is helped to combat the Royal Giant.  This nerf will definitely inadvertently buff the Hog Rider and Royal Giant.

Tesla: Hit points 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 hit point decrease should make choosing between the two a more interesting decision.

My Thoughts- I think that this is a game changer for cannon users.  I think the tesla is a better option for defense now since it is receiving buffs, and not constant nerfs.  Additionally, the tesla can hit air troops, something the cannon is unable to do.

Golem & Golemite: Hit points 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 hit point boost should help the Golem become more viable.

My Thoughts- I think that this buff is needed for the golem.  I rarely see the golem being used in legendary arena and this buff may persuade some players to start using him again.  I am also starting to see a decrease in pekka players, so the pekka may be buffed next update.  Saying that, I still see many pekka users in legendary arena.

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.

My Thoughts- I think this buff will actually bring back the witch to a usable degree.  Along with her damage increase, the skeleton buff will also make her a formidable enemy.  She will be able to take down swarm troops like barbarians and minions a lot faster without taking damage because her skeletons will be tanking for her.

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

My Thoughts- I do not thik this buff will really change any troops except the witch. The skeletons are so low in damage and hit points that this buff is very insignificant.  However, with the witch also getting a buff she may become the new “OP” card if combined with the Royal Giant.

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.

My Thoughts- I think this upgrade is great for the tombstone.  I never saw a tombstone up in legendary arena but this update may make the tombstone card more viable instead of the cannon or tesla.  Now, I think that this card will be very effective against pekkas, princes, hog riders, and to an extent, balloons.

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.

My Thoughts- I honestly will not experience this much but having the epic and legendary card upgrade experience fair is always good for a game.  This will help make progress to be as fast or slow as intended.