WeLiveForWar - Clan Rules

General Rules

1. No cheating.  Not ever.  Cheating will result in an instant ban.  If you are not sure, ask, but tools such as XMOD are considered cheating!

2. No swearing.  We have junior clan members.  One warning is all you will get, and repeat offenders will be banned.

3. No IRL.  This is a game and we are our Chief / Base names.

4. Donate what is asked for.  Prank donations are not appreciated and repeat offenders will be kicked.  Asking for "anything" or similar really does mean "anything" and low level troops are fine to donate. In war, only TH9+ to donate to attacking CC.

5. Read all of the WeLiveForWar posts on this blog before nominating yourself for war.  Click on the label to filter all WeLiveForWar posts.

War Setup

1. War bases must have something in the corners.  It doesn't matter if they are Storages, Builder Huts or Teslas, something needs to be in the corners.

2. Do not donate for war base defence unless requested.  Deefooty and Morgrim will get this sorted out.

During War

1. Use your 2 attacks.

2. DO NOT attack without a Clan Castle, and only donate max troops.

3. TH8 and below must be 3-starred.  Less than 3 stars means another clan member needs to clean that base and it is a wasted attack.  That being said, if you did your best and honestly thought you could 3-star but didn't, no sweat.  We only want people to try.

4. Hit one base lower than your number in war for your first attack (in other words, one lower than your mirror).  This gives a greater chance of 3 stars.  Double-check in chat to confirm your second attack. 

5. Hit for loot only when all TH8 and lower are 3-starred.

And remember, have fun!!

WE LIVE FOR WAR

Clash of Clans Strategy - The Dragon Raid (Post 3/3)

This is the final post in the "How to use Dragons" series.  In this post we explore the 'how to attack' part of Dragon raiding.

Now that you have understood how dragons work and the theory behind the raid, it is time to put that into action.  Base selection is normally the key for any kind of raid, but the dragon is so OP that you *almost* don't have to worry about whether to drag a base or not, but you still need to be able to read the base design - and break it down so you can hit it the right way.  Even a bad base design can hold you to a single star if you hit it the wrong way!

So, how do you select the right way to hit a base?

Remember the basic rules:

1. Where are the Air Defences?
2. Where is the Air Sweeper and what level are they?
3. Where is the Clan Castle?
4. Where are the Storages?
5. Dragons are pack animals.  Release them too slowly and they will die, one at a time.  Correctly funnelled (as per the suggestions below) and they will live and wreck havoc!
6. Hit the side with the Air Defence early (not the side that has the Air Defence that you killed). You will need as many dragons as possible being alive and well while the Air Defences are taken out.

Here are a few examples to show different base types that we have encountered in different wars:

Standard configuration for many TH7 and TH8 Air Defences

With the 3 x Air Defences in this configuration, make sure you NEVER take out the middle Air Defence.  Always take out one of the sides.  Here, with the raid coming from the left, the right hand Air Defence has been removed with either 3 x Lightning, or 1 x Quake + 1 x Lightning.

Take care with the Sweeper.  It is well placed here, and your Dragons will be buffeted by it, and your loons even more so.  If you have been able to sneak along a Haste or Rage spell, use it once the Sweeper starts blowing, or once you engage the CC troops.  If not, hold the loons a little longer than usual.

You can see that the drags are released on the outside first, working in.  Lil B made sure of this by levelling the top 3 buildings early.  This will create the funnel for the main part of the attack.  Once the first two have engaged with the first of the buildings, drop the rest of the pack from outside to the centre.

If you have a Barbarian King, drop it near an Archer Tower as the dragons get close so it will hit the BK first, not the dragons.  He is there to tank for the dragons, and for clean-up if he is still alive.

Nonetheless, this should be a 3-star with relative ease.

Deep Set Air Defence

This base has protected its Air Defences with Storages, which is one of the key points to defending against Dragon raids.  That being said, he could probably have done it better!

By taking out the highest level Air Defence, it will give you clear access to the lower/right-most Air Defence.  The Loons are dropped at the wall once the Dragons pass it.  The goal is for the Loons to take out both Air Defences as they won't be distracted by the Storages.

If you remember from previous posts, Dragons get distracted by anything, but will focus on the Clan Castle troops as a priority.  Use this to your advantage.  As the Clan Castle troop(s) are released, they will draw your troops towards the Air Defences, reinforcing your Dragon Funnel.

Another pretty certain 3-star raid.

Begging to be "Dragged"

Realistically, this base is asking to be smashed by dragons.  The rear Air Defence is the target for your spells.

Once this is down, everything is in the attacker's favour.

The Sweeper won't cause any trouble for the left-hand hitting attack, and the position of the Clan Castle will draw the attack to the middle, helping confirm the funnel.

Because the Air Defences are spread pretty widely, make sure your dragon wall will encompass them both.

Another 3 stars.

Over time, I'll post some of the best, and the worst, of dragon raids.  It will show the power of the Sweeper as well as the effective use of the Dragon Funnel.

Have fun and Clash Hard!

Morgrim

Clash of Clans Strategy - The Fearsome Dragon Army (Post 2/3)

This army is strong and mighty and can wreak incredible damage on your opponent...if you do it right.  Dragons are pack animals, use them that way.

If you haven't seen it, go back and have a look at my post on "funnelling dragons" by clicking on this link.  This will give you the background to the army you need to put together to make a successful dragon attack.

Now, it is on to the composition of your army.

Town Hall 7

Clan Castle
Get your Clan Castle to 20 Spaces then take:

- 4 max Loons or
- 1 Dragon

If the Loons are not max level, don't take them and take the Dragon instead.

Army
- 10 Dragons

Spells
3 x Lightning


Town Hall 8

Clan Castle
Get your Clan Castle to 25 Spaces then take:

- 5 max(only) Loons or
- 1 Dragon and either a max Loon or a Wizard and an Archer
- 1 Quake if not, then a Haste

Army
- 10 Dragons

Spells
1 x Quake (hope for one in your CC and then take a Haste)
2 x Lightning

Town Hall 9

Clan Castle
Get your Clan Castle to 30 Spaces then take:

- 6 max(only) Loons or
- 1 Dragon and 2 Loons or
- 1 Dragon and any random troops
- 1 Quake if not, then a Haste

Army
- 11 Dragons or
- 10 Dragons + 4 max Loons

Spells
1 x Quake (hope for one in your CC and then take a Haste)
2 x Lightning

Town Hall 10

- why are you using Dragons?  They probably won't work for you against your opponents...or...
- if you are hitting down, use the same as TH9 with 5 other CC spaces being filled by a Loon and take another Dragon in your army.

Remember, as a general rule for dragon raids, Clan Castle troops are not strike resources, but rather form part of the final push behind the main attack.

Have fun and Clash Hard!

Morgrim

WeLiveForWar - Our War Strategy

We need to get more organised if we are going to seriously head for Level 10 and the great bonuses that come with that.  In order to do that, we need to create a strategy that will give us the greatest
likelihood of success.

We have tried a few different approaches so far, but the best one is pretty simple, and is used by a number of high level Clans.  We'll call it "Bottoms Up!"

When we launch a fight for war, we follow a simple process:

Preparation Day

1. Leader and Co-Leaders will fill all Clan Castles.  If you want something specific for your defence, please make sure it is listed.  You can do this by clicking on the Request button and entering your text there.

2. 3-star attacks are the key to winning a war.  Figure out who the highest player is that you can 3-star and plan your attack.  This may or may not be your opposite.  If you are not sure how to attack, just ask - plenty of people will give you feedback on possible approaches.

3. If you are in the bottom 3rd of the Clan, train your troops, req for cc troops and be ready when the war starts.

War Day

1. The bottom 3rd of the Clan needs to hit in the first 3 hrs, preferably as close to the start of the war as possible as people will be waiting to donate.

2. The idea is the easiest stars are at the bottom, so get them first leaving the top 3rd of the Clan to work on the harder fights, instead of having to hit down because a Base has been left.

3. Once the bottom 3rd have hit, the middle 3rd need to take their fight and use their 2nd fights to clean down if needed.  Both fights need to be completed before the final 3 hrs.

4. Lastly, the top 3rd hits in an attempt to get the most possible stars from the harder bases.

5. If you are unable to make it at your allocated time, please let the Leader or Co-Leaders know when you will be able to hit.

What is the thinking here?

The reason for taking this approach is pretty straightforward.  It gives the donators a time to be there to donate, with troops trained, but it also means the donators can hit at the end and they aren't trying to gem barracks training troops to donate with.

If we work together in this way, it will give us the greatest chance for ongoing success.

Have fun and destroy!

Deefooty and Morgrim

Clash of Clans Strategy - Mass Dragons Theory (Post 1/3)

This post isn't about how to attack, but rather the thinking behind an attack.  This post is the first in a series of 5 posts.  This post will help you size up an enemy...what to look for in their base design etc.  It will also help you understand the beasts you are trying to unleash on your opponent in a way to maximise his pain.

Attacking strategies for different TH levels will be in subsequent posts.

Using mass dragons is a very expensive attack, and is often reserved for war.  As a result, many wars see lots of dragons, but few show successful dragon attacks.

In order to help address this, the following Dragon Funnel theory is presented to help inexperienced dragon fighters control their dragons to make sure of a 2-Star raid, and preferably a 3-star raid.

In order to execute a solid all-dragon attack, it is important to size up your enemy first and make sure the attack is implemented according to the specific base layout.  11 dragons are powerful, but they can all be brought down after gaining only one star (or zero stars!) if the attack goes badly.

When you attack with that much firepower, you have to ask - what can possibly go wrong?  The main thing that causes a dragon attack to fail is distraction.  Dragons are basically large brawling beasts that are distracted by *anything*!!  

In order:

1. Things that move...Clan Castle troops, Heroes or Skeletons.
2. Whatever building is closest, unless it spots the clan castle troops.  This means that a well designed base will take the dragon on a merry chase around the outside of the base in order to allow its air defence to pick off the attacking monsters, or it will surround key buildings like the Town Hall or Air Defences with high hit point buildings like Storages.  That way the dragons get stuck trying to destroy these building while they are slowly getting killed.

Knowing this, it is important to understand that tactic and construct your attack to allow for and work with this distraction approach, so as to effectively counter it.

It is all in the planning and the opening dragon drop.

When looking to decide the best way to take on a base, there are some base design implications to consider:

1. What level is the Town Hall and how advanced is it?
2. Where is the Clan Castle and is it near the Town Hall?
3. Where are the Air Defenses and what level are they?
4. Where are the Air Sweepers and which way do they face?
5. Where are the Gold and Elixir storages?

Now, I am paranoid about Clan Castle troops, as a good team in the defending Clan Castle can just annihilate your attacking troops.  In fact, the defensive Clan Castle troops are the highest damage per second (dps) defensive unit on the field.

That said, this is one of the few times that I would suggest this is not that important for a dragon attack - believe it or not.  The amount of power that your dragon attack possesses should allow you to steam roll anything that might be hiding in the Clan Castle.

So, let's work through these items one at a time:

The Town Hall

This is the most important consideration.  This will tell you if you should proceed with the attack at all.

If it is TH9 or above, do not proceed with the attack unless it is a rushed base with lousy defences.  Any decent TH9 or above should be able to repel an all dragon attack to prevent a 3-star, and quite possibly even a 2-star result.  Remember, if you take on a TH9 or above, you are taking a risky approach, and you had better have high level (> Level 3) dragons!

Even TH8 should give you cause to think...if it is an advanced TH8, one with well developed anti-air defences, then you should really consider whether you want to proceed with the attack, as it could be very risky.  Usually for experienced dragon raiders only.

That said, a rushed higher-level base or less than a mid-TH8 should be a 3-star finish every time.

The Clan Castle

This consideration is to help with determining the direction for the start of the attack.

If the Clan Castle is on the outside in the middle, that is the side to attack from.  If it is on the outside near a corner, then hit either side of that corner.

If the Clan Castle is in the centre, and if you have level 2 or higher dragons, attack with the Town Hall in between the attack front and the Clan Castle.  This will mean when the Clan Castle troops pop out, they will draw your dragons (once they sense them) towards the defence troops and the Town Hall.

If you only have Level 1 drags, attack with the Clan Castle between you and the Town Hall so you get to hit the defensive troops while your troops are still strong and healthy.

The Air Defence

These are incredibly important as they are some of the only defences that can really hurt the mass dragon attack, although Archer Towers are not much fun.  The Air Defences will typically either be centrally located, protecting the Town Hall, or they will be scattered around the base.

The most important thing to note is the level of the Air Defences and their range.  When scouting the enemy base, check at what point the Air Defence will start hitting your dragons...especially if they are driving straight at the Town Hall, which is the primary goal of the attack.  

This is usually the point at which the healing spell is required if you have one.  And yes, one earthquake and 2 level 5 Lightning spells will destroy a level 6 AD.

The Air Sweeper
Now this one is very interesting.  Underestimate this defence at your peril!  Check this video to see how a single Air Sweeper nearly kept a Dragon raid to zero stars!

Find them.  Figure out which way they are pointing, and try to use them to your advantage.  There are two basic strategies for dealing with the Air Sweeper.

1. Fly into the back of them.  It completely eliminates their effectiveness and you can take them out without any impact.
2. Fly to the side of them and have them push you towards an Air Defence or other target building.  Knowing your Dragons will be distracted, if you fly the right angles, you can actually get them to help you take out the key parts of the base.

If you are lucky, you may find a Sweeper and an Air Defence close to each other.  In this instance, you may be able to take both out with the same strike.  If that is the case, go for it, but always make sure that you are slightly close to the Air Defence as that *must* go down.  The Sweeper is just a bonus.

.

Just remember, unless you have a very good strategic reason to, don't fly directly into them!

The Storages
These buildings are a massive problem for a dragon, as it sees them and just like any other distraction, it tries to destroy them. The problem is, they have lots of hit points and can distract a dragon for a long time.  I have seen an Air Defence surrounded by Storages, and the Air Defence just wrecked the Mass Dragon attack while they all tried to burn down the storages and completely ignored the Air Defence.

FAQ
Q: Shouldn't I take a kill squad for the Clan Castle troops?
A: No, not really.  It will take up a slot from a dragon, and a bunch of dragons together will make short work of any Clan Castle troops.

Q: Will 3 Lightning spells kill any Air Defence?
A: Normally yes, depending on the level of your spell and the level of the Air Defence.  The best way to tell is to look at the hit points on the Air Defence and then multiple the damage of your spell by 3 and see how you go.

If you have any more question, please leave them as a comment and I'll add them (with recognition) to this post.

Have fun and keep on Clash-ing!

Morgrim

Best Town Hall 6 Farming/Hybrid Base

Hey everyone, I'm back today to give you a layout of what I think is the best Town Hall 6 Farming/Hybrid base designed by myself.

The actual base layout looks, in some ways, like a sort of spiral. It has the Town Hall centralized and surrounded, in the core, by some important defensive structures such as mortars, air defense and the Clan Castle.

I placed the mortars on opposite sides of the base in order to maximize the range in which troops will be hit by them. The clan castle and air defense are then placed opposite each other as the clan castle is often filled with archers or wizards who will also provide air defense. The air sweeper is placed on the outside to assist in getting air troops off the Town Hall.

Surrounding the core are all 4 storages on opposite sides of each other (gold opposite gold).
These storages are spread out enough that the attacker will need to spend little troops on all areas or attempt a 3 star to get all the loot.

The gold storages are both protected by a wizard tower as gold is the more important resource compared to elixir and are therefore slightly better protected.

The surrounding archer towers and cannons are to provide good DPS (damage per second) to troops before and after they reach the walls and to help take down stronger troops such as giants. The archer towers and cannons (when going round the outside), alternate to provide more air coverage.

Finally, there is the funneling. Funneling is basically where you make enemy troops go where you want them. Since giants target defenses, instead of going for walls, the giants, no matter where placed (I think), will go for the defenses with the one wall gap. All of these though, have spring traps which will fling a few giants and some even have sets of bombs to weaken them even further.

I am very happy with this base and it has performed very well when I used it as a Town Hall 6. Keeping your trophies and resources safe (especially now that the Town Hall is partially a storage!).

Hope you all enjoyed and I hope this base gives you some success. If it does, be sure to let me know in the comments and yes, feel free to copy this base if you'd like.

Thanks!
- Deefooty

Clash of Clans: The Archer Queen Ability - I Can't Wait!

When I first got my Barbarian King, I thought it was great.  He was a real tank and did solid damage, even if he did tend to wander from time to time.  Then I got my Archer Queen - Wow.

Now that I have been using her for a while, it is clear that her strength is her damage and her distance.  With a Healer on her shoulder, she can take out Air Defence before they can reach the healer.  It is great!

I have been playing a "Hero and Healer" strategy, with each Hero supported by two Healers.  They stay alive a long time and, supported with the right ground troops and a Jump spell and they are a LOT of fun.

In fact, the "Hero and Healer" strategy, when used entirely on the Archer Queen can be incredibly powerful, even right up to TH10.  Don't get scared now!  Some people will use as many as 10 Healers on their Queen just to keep her alive, she is such a powerful unit when in play.

...just don't forget, she only targets the 'nearest' building, so some archers or minions to take out the distractions (extra support buildings) can be an excellent support for her.

Then, when I get attacked and see the Archer Queen ability summoned, I can't wait to get mine to that level.  It looks great and is super effective.

Still, for now I have been working hard and I have her up to Level 4.  It won't be long now.  I'll let you know what I think once I have given her what she needs to get stronger, sneakier and more powerful.

It's gonna be great!

Game hard.

Morgrim

Clash of Clans: The Archer Queen

Well, I have kept it up.  I have maintained a very high presence in Clash of Clans and have powered through to Town Hall 9.  It is an interesting game at many levels and as I get higher, it is clear that the finer elements of the game become more important...but more about that in another post.

.

Town Hall 9 is a significant achievement for a number of reasons, not least of which is the change in appearance of the Town Hall. Up to this level, the Town Halls have always had a similar look, however the look for level 9 is unlike any other.  The strange thing is, they only have this design for Town Hall 9.  Town Hall 10 is very different again, so it is an interesting design choice.

But the other main achievement is the introduction of the second Hero - the Archer Queen.

She might not have the burly strength of the Barbarian King, but she packs a mean punch.

Just like the other Hero, at Level 5 she gives me a special attack. She turns invisible and summons some fellow archers to distract the defences.  I have seen this used against me, and combined with her range and increased damage during this ability, it is pretty powerful.

Actually, a point on her range...she can take out targets from a long way away.  This is particularly useful when you pair her with two Healers. She is able to take out the air defence from a such a distance that the Healers don't get hit at all.  Very, very useful.

When I first wrote about the Barbarian King, I was concerned with getting 12,500 Dark Elixir...well, the Archer Queen starts at 22,500!  Anyone farming for Dark Elixir will realise this is no mean feat.  That said, with two Heroes fighting for you, it does come a lot quicker than it used to.

Anyway, that is it for now...time to work on Level 2!

Game hard.

Morgrim

Clash of Clans: Barbarian King Ability - Finally!

A little while ago I posted that I had earned my Barbarian King, and I was lamenting how hard it would be to get the Dark Elixir required to upgrade him.  I thought it would be a real struggle, and do you know what?  IT WAS!!!

Going through it is much more traumatic than looking back at it, where it didn't seem that hard at all.  Still, it is interesting how that relative perspective does change.

Each level required more and more Dark Elixir, but it was never truly out of reach, it just seemed that way sometimes...until, keeping the game alive manually ('cause I hate cheating), I got what I needed and the final upgrade to Level 5 was underway.

I was excited when I realised it wasn't long before he was awake again.  I had to take him through his paces in a real fight - and he didn't disappoint.  I had barbarians in my Clan Castle and let them loose to follow the big guy into the heat of battle.  A few hits to the Health Bar and BOOM!  Ability.  Rage.  Barbarian Rage.

It was awesome.  He wrecked.  It was worth it.

I don't know what that Dark Elixir does to him, but he certainly seems to enjoy it, and I enjoy the impact when it comes to a street fight.

So what next?

I know.  My Valkyries.  I know, I know...lots of people hate them 'cause they cost too much Dark Elixir. Still, for me, they have nearly 1000 Hit Points, they are fast, and they do excellent damage (and they look good doing it!).  They even position themselves to damage two buildings at once...and there isn't much better you can have in your Clan Castle.

Yeah, they are expensive, but they are a great asset to my attacking force.

Game hard.

Morgrim

Clash of Clans: The Crystal League - Finally!

Hi all,

I just thought I'd drop by and share a realisation that I had the other day.  I am mid level 60s and I've been ramping up the Wizards and Healers, now that I have Level 5 Wiz, Archers and Giants.  Picking the right fight made for an easy win.  My trophy count was rising rapidly, but I still needed more cash to upgrade my defences and to keep that Research Center chugging away upgrading my army.

So, there I was, rapidly rising in the Trophy stakes from a lowly Gold Level 2 to a CRYSTAL LEVEL 3! Whoohoo! There is my new achievement and 250 gems, thanks very much.

But you know what?  It was started to get harder to find the right base to attack.  My minimum criteria of 200K Gold and 200K Elixir was starting to become more difficult to find.

I didn't really notice that much at first, but once I hit 2000 trophies, it was becoming really very obvious!  I had just marvelled at maxing out my 4M Gold and 4M Elixir only days earlier, but after spending those hard earned amounts, it was becoming a feat impossible to repeat!

And then I noticed something else.

No longer would the bad guys lie in wait and let me build my new army and quest again.  No, this time they were there, hiding around the camp, until we came home.  With my Barbarian King settling down for a hard earned nap, and my clan castle not always stocked to the brim...they were coming...from all over the planet, they were coming for me!

It was literally within minutes of finishing a fight when the first wave of attacks came through.  I know, I was sitting there like a big fat turkey, but as one who was very unused to feeling like this, it was quite shock!

Fortunately, my defence worked reasonably well and I kept them down under 40% with only moderate losses.  Time to get some more Clan Castle troops and reset some traps!

Then came the next attack - and the next!

It was mad.  Every 10 mins another attack came through until my base, alone and defenceless finally fell...and it fell hard.

I checked my Gold and Elixir levels and was stunned to see how much they had been reduced by those attacks.  And from that point onwards, every time I ran out of shield - there they were again, the bad guys, ready to pounce!

It was then that I realised I needed a new tactic.

It seems that shields are actually useful at this level - at least until you can get your defences maxed and even then...

Let's just say, I soon realised it was good to lose a fight by a very small margin, with minimum loot losses, then take the 12hr shield!

So, the Crystal League - pleasure and pain...it is where the real Clash of Clans challenge starts.

...more later...

Morgrim

Clash of Clans: The Barbarian King

You know, I don't have a lot of time for gaming, but Blaze convinced me to start playing Clash of Clans.  I knew it would be a problem as it is the kind of game I enjoy.

Well, now it is a couple of months in and I have finally got him. My Barbarian King is alive!  You need a Level 7 Town Hall, a Dark Elixir Drill and Dark Elixir Storage.  You then need 10,000 Dark Elixir.  Once you have them all, you can build your Barbarian King's stone.

Doesn't he look good?

Apparently he is heavily dosed up on Dark Elixir, but it hasn't hurt his swordplay! He really does make a huge difference in attacks, although I haven't seen him in defence yet.

Something I didn't know - at Level 5 he gives me a special attack. Something about releasing Skeletons to help him in his battle, so that will be worth seeing!  Trouble is, at 12,500 Dark Elixir for the first upgrade to Level 2, I can see this might take a while!

When attacking people, it is good to check out what is on offer.  It if isn't at least 100K+ for both Elixir and Gold, I don't bother and now I have a new measure to check - how much Dark Elixir can I steal? It is good to see that some people have more than 1,000 Dark Elixir available, but I am not yet strong enough to seriously gain that kind of advantage.  Still, getting 200-300 per attack is pretty helpful.  I'm sure this will get easier with time.

Anyway, that is it for now...I'll let you know when I get that upgrade!

Game hard, and don't forget to live the real world too.

Morgrim