Clan strategy for Clan Wars
I've posted this for my clan but I'm not getting a lot of feedback. A few seem not so keen on the strategy and I'm not sure why. A mutiny is in the works I can feel it! :p What are you're thoughts?
What is the Half & Half attack strategy?
The Half & Half attack strategy is having the bottom half of the clan attack in the first 12hrs of war and the top half of the clan attack in the last 12hrs of war.
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Why do we attack bottom half first top half last in CW?
There are a number of reasons but the main principle is to give the opportunity for lower members to get the most stars they possibly can before higher members attack. It increases the number of targets and ultimately the total number of potential stars that are available to the entire clan.
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How does this help us?
Look at it this way. Let’s say it was a free for all from the start (Code Green). We may have high members attacking low members for easy 3stars, members attacking higher members for loot or just for a hard challenge. Now there’s 4hrs left in the war and we’re down by 10. Our bottom half has attacks left but they have no targets because higher members have already attacked them. Our top half has no attacks left because they were busy attacking “easy” 3 star targets and high loot targets for minimal stars early on in the Clan War.
Having the bottom half attack first gives us a real good idea of what is left, how the war is progressing and what is needed in order to win the war. Same scenario but our top half held off for the first 12hrs. They see the war is close so now instead of going after harder TH10 targets for a risky 1 star they might be able to get 1-3 guaranteed additional stars off of the remaining easier targets. This can definitely work to our advantage as some wars are very close.
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Waiting can also give a false sense of security to our enemies.
Using the half & half strategy does mean without a doubt that prior to the 12hr mark we will most likely be showing fewer stars than the enemy. Opposing clans may observe this and make the mistake of sniping for loot or going after harder targets (just for fun) as they think they may have won. Any wasted attack from the enemy is one less attack we have to worry about and less potential stars added to their total.
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Flaws?
Of course there are flaws in this strategy, just like every other strategy.
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But we need to attack right away to boost moral!
Unfortunately moral doesn’t change the ability, skill and defenses of our opponents. It doesn’t make us stronger or smarter attackers. There will be opponents that are out of our league and using ANY strategy simple won’t work. Not all members get easy targets not all Clan Wars are “fair” or "equal". Moral doesn’t win wars; strategy, troops and skill win wars.
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We are losing so this strategy doesn't work why do we use it?
As much as I would like to say we have to potential to win every Clan War sometimes the fate and outcome of the war is already decided before any attack is even made. Bottom line, it's not the strategy that fails its the matching system. We can expect the matching system for CW to become more fair as future updates are made to the game. Boris and myself will try to give the Code Green sooner if we feel the match-up is uneven to keep players from waiting.
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It’s not fair I want stars and I want loot!
We all want to walk away from a Clan War with a pile of loot. Some of us want to walk away with 6 stars to complete our achievements faster and have bragging rights. We have to remember that loot and personal goals are always secondary, without victory there is no loot. Sometimes you have to step aside and let our lower members have first crack at attacking to ensure each and every attack is used and counts for something. And sometimes you have to bite the bullet and attack someone well below your ability after the 12hr mark just to ensure we get the most possible stars.
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I can’t attack in the first/last 12hrs I’ll be busy/sleeping/working/away
Then by all means attack! Get it in when you can; an early attack is better than no attack at all.
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We are losing I don’t want to waste my attack and resources.
Well that has little to do with this strategy but you should be attacking every war win or lose, it's great practice and shows you are interested in CW. Remember with the Half & Half strategy we will always show less stars than the enemy at the 12hr mark so don't give up and try your best.
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I don’t think I can get any stars these guys are tough, I have no targets!
You can still be useful. Seek out and ask someone if you can drop a few troops for them to expose traps, teslas and triggers on targets that they want to attack.
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We look like weaklings to the enemy
Remember that this is strategy, who cares what they think as long as you understand what we are doing and what we are trying to achieve by running the Half & Half.
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It doesn’t matter when we attack we will win or we won’t
Not necessarily true. Since Clan Wars has started we’ve had close wars, not so close wars and huge spreads. The idea is to reduce our losses when the war is close and maximize the amount of stars we get to ensure we finish strong with loot in our pockets. Please follow the Half & Half attack strategy whenever you can.
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Is strategy the only thing that will win wars?
Your base layout for CW also has a dramatic effect on the the outcome of the war. y00n has posted many great anti-hog & anti-lure layouts on this page. These layouts have been proven every war as being effective in reducing the amount of stars an enemy can get on your base. Not all are original but all are proven so please use them instead of having them used against you.
The troops you donate help tremendously and max level troops are what will help the most. There are combinations of troops that work better than others. For example a CC full of wizards might not be as effective as a CC with 2 wizards and 17 archers. Pay attention to what is needed and check with the clan as to what donations and combination of donations are required for CW.
Your participation in chat during CW can get you great ideas & suggestions on opponents you might be eyeing up. Communication is key.
You compliance with the Half & Half strategy is essential. If you are attacking out of turn and sniping stars from lower members before the bottom half has had a chance to attack you've essentially wasted 2 attacks, yours and one of your clan-mates. Give them a chance to attack, your abilities might be better spent on a harder target.
Observe what works and what doesn't. What troops and deployment strategies do effective players use? Take note and watch replays we've had the same enemy attacked 7+ times with multiple failures. Stop and think to yourself "Will I win this war based on my abilities and what I know about the target I've selected?". If you are unsure maybe you should look for another target.
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You are on the right track...
This works for us in clan wars however we don't restrict our top half from using ONE attack early in the war if they want to. This one attack must be against a like ranked opponent, no cherry picking for stars.
Many of our top, most active players hold both of their attacks in reserve, we call them the clean up crew. The cleanup crew spends the first few hours of the war giving advice and clan castle troops to the lower level players. They hold their attacks for the last three hours of the war. The idea here is, if we are losing, we want the opponents to think they have it in the bag so they begin wasting attacks on one star attacks on high level bases for loot bonus. We once pulled out a win where we got 18 stars in the last hour of the war and won by 3. Our opponents wasted at least a dozen attacks on bases that already had three stars, farming for loot bonus.
Those who are lower level are asked to use both attacks right away and get as many stars as they can. In addition we have a couple high level players who will use one attack in the first hour if they know they can 3 star a base near or above their ranking. We call this the shock crew. The idea is to get as many stars in the first hour of the war to make the other clan lose interest. We want our opponents to think "Why waste resources on a war attack if we're already losing 40-10 after the first hour? Their top guys haven't even attacked yet!".
This strategy has been very successful for us so far...
