Advice needed - at a Clash crossroads

When the update came out, I didn't like it. Had no luck looting, but I changed my attack style and found a way that works for me, and I'm having fun, playing just an hour or so a day with boosted elixir barracks.

Over the past 3 days I've been able to loot enough to upgrade 17,000,000 worth of defenses and 10,000,000 elixir things. This does include all collectors being gemmed, which earns a million a day, so that's been a big help.

With a couple more attacks, or just letting my collectors collect overnight, I'll have enough to max out one dark barrack and upgrade the second one to witch level, plus max out witches (75,000 dark) in the lab.

Unfortunately, I have no available builders and 12 days left on a troop in the lab. So, I'm unsure what to do and looking for input.

I consider Clash to be entertainment and don't have a problem buying gems. I've never gemmed loot, but I do gem barracks and sometimes time. In this case, I kind of want to gem the lab & 2 builders so I can upgrade my barracks. I'm pretty much out of gems and could buy some.

I'm nervous what will happen after the 1 gem collectors disappears...will looting stink again? I've been getting a lot from gemmed collectors when I attack. I like the game a lot and have put 8 months into it. I'm a newer TH9 and wonder if I'll have the desire to see upgrading my base all the way through. I'll max everything before going to 10. I know some say it's okay to rush, but I won't do it. There's so many walls for SO much loot, but using both elixir and gold is nice. So many levels for heroes...then if I go to TH10, I have to do it all over.

I'm also unhappy with SC's lack of communication and really think general loot needs to be improved through better league bonuses or something else that doesn't take it from those being attacked. I also feel like SC sees average players like me as second class players, but average players like me buy gems too, just not in such large amounts as those with maxed bases.

I think the desire to gem as much as I have been will disappear once I get all troops unlocked and will be able to use them...I'm anxious to try out hounds for laloon attacks and GoWiWi and others with witches. I think I'd be okay letting things go at it's natural pace with a few barrack boosts thrown in on the weekend for fun in spare time.

I'd like to hear what others think...especially those who made the push (grind?) through TH9. What did you do to keep the game fun?

I recommend keeping a builder free so you can dump loot into walls. That way you never have to wait for builders and can time everything better. Of course, progression is a little slower, but hey, walls and heroes take forever anyway.

But a real chief would gem the f*ck outta the game - cause thats the way its meant to be played.

You need to have 1 builder free and work on walls with him . Never have all tied up, you can put that free builder to work when another builder is under 24 hours from completing . That short period of less then a day is the only time I had all builders working when I was at your level.