Th 8.5 is a myth!

[Azrial]

Thus starts the cirle of life

I just went to TH8.5 and I can't 3 star my opponent and I am getting tougher matchups in 2 wars. TH8.5 doesn't work.
A few weeks later
I got xbows... followed by Supercell matchmaking is broken. I am getting matched up with TH9 with lvl 15 queen and mine is only lvl 2. I am getting 3 starred all the time. This sucks. Better upgrade my defenses so I don't get 3 starred.
A few months later.
This game sucks. I can't 3 star anyone. My defenses are maxed with the exception of heroes and walls. I can't learn goho or laloon against my mirror because the bases are too tough. Matchmaking is broken. Supercell fix this now!
A few months later.
I really wish I hadn't done xbows and worked on offense. For those of you going to TH9 don't get xbows...

Which is then followed by some newbie saying TH8.5 doesn't work.

Thus completing the circle of life.

I love it

[SpiderPig]

Just went to 8.5. Opted out of war as my spell factory, as well as lab, cc, and an army camp are under construction (afforded the army camp thanks to extra elixir in my cc). I'll report how it works in about 4-5 days.

[ratpack2000]

Thus starts the cirle of life

I just went to TH8.5 and I can't 3 star my opponent and I am getting tougher matchups in 2 wars. TH8.5 doesn't work.
A few weeks later
I got xbows... followed by Supercell matchmaking is broken. I am getting matched up with TH9 with lvl 15 queen and mine is only lvl 2. I am getting 3 starred all the time. This sucks. Better upgrade my defenses so I don't get 3 starred.
A few months later.
This game sucks. I can't 3 star anyone. My defenses are maxed with the exception of heroes and walls. I can't learn goho or laloon against my mirror because the bases are too tough. Matchmaking is broken. Supercell fix this now!
A few months later.
I really wish I hadn't done xbows and worked on offense. For those of you going to TH9 don't get xbows...

Which is then followed by some newbie saying TH8.5 doesn't work.

Thus completing the circle of life.

This is pretty much the story of my time at TH9.
I built and upgraded Xbows long before 8.5 was widely known about and struggled in wars from the word go

It didnt take me long to realise that my TH8 troops were not going to get the job done and by the time I researched and found the reason why, it was already too late as one Xbow was at 3 and the other at 2

As the number 2 in my clan (and our top 3 all did exactly the same thing) it meant that our clan went through a long period of really bad war perfomance which we have turned around, now that our troops, spells and heroes are starting to catch up with our defences

And all of our transitioning TH8s are holding back on their defences whilst getting their offense upgraded (There are other things you can put the builders on), not because we told them to, but instead because the problem was there for everyone to see when we were losing war after war, after war and the solution is ridiculously simple

And the answer isnt to stay 8.5 forever, its to stay as long as it takes so that your goto TH9 war strategy is at TH9 levels, thus allowing you to take on TH9 bases WITH TH9 troops

So OP, I am trying to advise as someone who was in your position and just want to tell you the experience that you will likely face. I know, because I lived it

And I have a base that defends straight barch to minimal resource loss with no CC and empty Xbows. You dont need Xbows to stop barch, a good base design will do that for you
Other farming comps are tougher but Xbows dont do much against a good GiBarch attacker

[Turnarcades]

It's a terrible strategy as it only works if you stay put, don't upgrade anything and the rest of your clan are doing it too. Which begs the question to these so-called 'serious war clans', why bother winning wars to prove how strong you are, when you're not upgrading or getting any stronger and having to manipulate the matching to stomp on weaker bases? 😆
Said it before and I'll say it again, man up and get good at hitting whoever the game throws at you, lightweights. If you can overcome stronger opponents or at least put up strong fights, then you can call yourself a war clan. I go to war to prove my worth over opponents with the strength to take me out to show how strong I've become.

[ratpack2000]

It's a terrible strategy as it only works if you stay put, don't upgrade anything and the rest of your clan are doing it too. Which begs the question to these so-called 'serious war clans', why bother winning wars to prove how strong you are, when you're not upgrading or getting any stronger and having to manipulate the matching to stomp on weaker bases? ��
Said it before and I'll say it again, man up and get good at hitting whoever the game throws at you, lightweights. If you can overcome stronger opponents or at least put up strong fights, then you can call yourself a war clan. I go to war to prove my worth over opponents with the strength to take me out to show how strong I've become.

Theres a difference between using 8.5 as a stop-gap whilst getting war troops upgraded and just straight gaming the matchmaking system by not upgrading any defences ever

You are putting people that delay building their Xbows by a month to get their loons to 6 and hounds to 2 in the same category as people with defenceless bases or level 3 inferno towers and TH8 level defences

And as someone who did the whole Xbow thing, whilst I admire your "take what they throw at you" attitude, you cannot 3 star a well designed mid-level TH9 with TH8 troops. I was forced to try countless times so I know where the limitations are quite well ;-)

[thebuch4]

Fwiw, my clan has like 4 maxed TH8s in the last couple wars and the opposing clans have just given us two more 9s to "compensate" for their weaker 8's, which obviously really screws us over.. Fortunately they were GOWIPE mirror noobs so we won anyway, but the point is matchmaking will never give a perfectly fair draw and your mirror could easily be a 9 with a queen and an xbows as an 8 as well.

[Boisblancboy]

Here is another point of view. What's wrong with doing the TH8.5 strategy until you get some of your th9 troops researched? Then start upgrading defenses? I'm not saying I want to stay at a th8.5 forever cause that's just a waste of the game if you ask me. But by keeping the lab busy and builder busy on non-defensive structures your not falling behind just simple allocating upgrading in a different order. As I see it your still going to get to the "finish line" at the same time just took a different path. But if it helps a little bit in war, why not?

Is is my thinking off?

[Ragetastic]

Th8.5 is only practical if you are at the bottom of the war roster. Otherwise, you're gimping yourself and your clan.

Th8.5 is better suited for secondary accounts. For both donation and to sub in as the bottom guy in a mid th9 and up clan.

[Skydvr74]

Here is another point of view. What's wrong with doing the TH8.5 strategy until you get some of your th9 troops researched? Then start upgrading defenses? I'm not saying I want to stay at a th8.5 forever cause that's just a waste of the game if you ask me. But by keeping the lab busy and builder busy on non-defensive structures your not falling behind just simple allocating upgrading in a different order. As I see it your still going to get to the "finish line" at the same time just took a different path. But if it helps a little bit in war, why not?

Is is my thinking off?

This is the way TH8.5 is supposed to work. Spend the time getting offense strength up and then start building defense. The problem most players encounter is they get impatient and build xbows too soon. There is no reason you shouldn't progress to TH9, but do it in a way that helps you and not your opponents. Th9 is a big transition; new troops and new attack strategies take time to learn. There is no reason you should force yourself to matchup against stronger opponents prematurely.

[Mandagar]

Thus starts the cirle of life

I just went to TH8.5 and I can't 3 star my opponent and I am getting tougher matchups in 2 wars. TH8.5 doesn't work.
A few weeks later
I got xbows... followed by Supercell matchmaking is broken. I am getting matched up with TH9 with lvl 15 queen and mine is only lvl 2. I am getting 3 starred all the time. This sucks. Better upgrade my defenses so I don't get 3 starred.
A few months later.
This game sucks. I can't 3 star anyone. My defenses are maxed with the exception of heroes and walls. I can't learn goho or laloon against my mirror because the bases are too tough. Matchmaking is broken. Supercell fix this now!
A few months later.
I really wish I hadn't done xbows and worked on offense. For those of you going to TH9 don't get xbows...

Which is then followed by some newbie saying TH8.5 doesn't work.

Thus completing the circle of life.

Hehe - very good post

/MAndagar