Can we talk?
From time to time, we get a flood of messages on the forum saying that the BB isn’t fair, matchmaking is a disaster, BH4 is always going up against BH5 who is always up against BH6....
Although it seems like things are a bit lopsided, in reality it’s just not so. Let me explain.
The BB is a PvP (Player vs Player) game. Unlike day-mode Clash, BB trophies establish player rankings along largely offensive lines. Although your game’s ability to defend is important to winning matches, it’s really your attacking skills that determine how you rank. Stronger attackers naturally accumulate more wins and are therefore higher in the trophy ranking system.
This system is self regulating; certain “sweet spots” exist where each Builder Hall (BH) level can live and thrive. Ideally, the closer you get to the top of your BH’s trophy bracket, the more developed your game is overall and the more likely you are to be plotting your move to the next level. Right now, the brackets seem to be running....
BH4 - up to 1500
BH5 - up to 2500
BH6 - up to 3500
BH7 - 3500 and up
Even within the top level BH, there are sub-brackets.
3500-4000 - Entry Level BH7 players, stronger BH6 players
4000-4500 - Typical BH7 players
4500-5000 - Stronger BH7 players
5000+ - Exceptional BH7 players, primarily those who spend heavily on the game
These brackets are somewhat in flux, especially when a new BH level is released, and there will always be players who live outside the brackets because they’re either really good attackers or they’re just not so hot at attacking. Although there’s really no penalty for rushing your game, some players will rush to BH levels faster than their attacking skills develop while others prefer a slower, near-max approach. This sets up the occasional underdog match.
If you’re the underdog, that usually means you are at the top of your BH level’s trophy range and should consider upgrading. It may also mean that your opponent is still getting his Clash creds and needs more practice. In any case, it isn’t really an unfair match - you’re both at roughly the same level as an overall reflection of your game.
When a new BH level is released, things go haywire. Lots of players upgrade, even though they’re at low trophy levels, and there are more underdog matches. This is a temporary meta - in no time at all, these new, higher level, players will clear the lower trophy levels and gameplay will return to normal, but with one caveat...the new, higher BH level will take over the leaderboards and push yesterday’s leaders down in the ranks. (That’s when those sweet spots I mentioned earlier find themselves in rapid flux.)
Short of establishing hard-coded brackets by BH level, there’s no way to design a system that keeps BHx only battling BHx while never seeing BHx+1. PvP game designers have a choice - set arbitrary limits on growth, or use a more challenging, self-regulating ranking system like the one deployed in the CoC BB game.
Players will also sometimes find themselves in a free fall; no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to break a losing streak. This phenomenon is not unique to the CoC BB; it happens in every PvP game. Your best bet is to just take a break for a few hours (or even overnight) and try again later. Gameplay varies widely, depending upon the make up of players online at any given time. (For example: Weekends and evenings have a bigger draw so they’re often more competitive.)
In summary, as you play, try not to think of matches as being unfair so much as being an overall equivalency that is generally balanced. No matchmaking system is perfect; most matches will have one player who is a little better than the other - but that’s a good thing as it means you’re more likely to get a decisive outcome. And since we don’t lose any resources along the way, losses have minimal impact on your progress in the game. Besides...come on...it’s REALLY fun to throttle someone who’s at a higher level than you, right?
Originally Posted by HCD1992
