Welcome to the first weekly report! As the title says, today I want to talk about what tempo advantage is, using or gaining tempo advantage in attacks, and how your decision making plays a role. Before we dive fully into that, however, here is the link the the first War Recap video as promised!
Video: War Recap: GoWiVaBo and GoVaHo
Also, here's another great video I found from a small youtuber on how to Queen Walk. I liked the video because it gave thorough, bullet pointed explanations that can definitely teach you solid fundamentals for your own Queen Walks and GoBoVa's which is a cool meta attack. Check out the link.
Video: How to GoBoVaWi + Archer Queen Walk at TH9
Video: War Recap: GoWiVaBo and GoVaHo
Also, here's another great video I found from a small youtuber on how to Queen Walk. I liked the video because it gave thorough, bullet pointed explanations that can definitely teach you solid fundamentals for your own Queen Walks and GoBoVa's which is a cool meta attack. Check out the link.
Video: How to GoBoVaWi + Archer Queen Walk at TH9
With that, let's jump right into tempo!
The easiest way to understand Tempo is to think about how it is used in chess. This is how Wikipedia explains it:
The easiest way to understand Tempo is to think about how it is used in chess. This is how Wikipedia explains it:
"In chess, tempo refers to a 'turn' or single move. When a player achieves a desired result in one fewer move, the player 'gains a tempo;' and conversely when a player takes one more move than necessary, the player 'loses a tempo'. Similarly, when a player forces their opponent to make moves not according to their initial plan, one 'gains tempo' because the opponent wastes moves. A move that gains a tempo is often called a move 'with tempo.'"
So how does this apply to Clash of Clans? It comes down to how you are making choices, and the mindset you need to have to become a better attacker. These choices can start as early as choosing army compositions and how you scout to mid-attack decisions like where to drop spells. To say it simply, you have to make the best use of limited resources, and today I want to discuss how the idea of tempo can help.
One important idea to keep in mind while reading this article is that theoretically there is always at least a single, or possibly a set of, best case scenarios or optimal decisions and that not using one of them is a suboptimal move. This means you would technically need another "move" to reach the same result which, by definition, results in a loss of tempo. Therefore, any move you make that is not considered optimal will results in a tempo loss. This is because there is no possibility of a stalemate while attacking in Clash of Clans; unlike in chess where an equal trade would be considered a tempo neutral move. Any sort of stalemate or stalling during an attack is beneficial for the defender and is therefore a loss of tempo for you as the attacker. So just remember that while reading through each individual point.
One important idea to keep in mind while reading this article is that theoretically there is always at least a single, or possibly a set of, best case scenarios or optimal decisions and that not using one of them is a suboptimal move. This means you would technically need another "move" to reach the same result which, by definition, results in a loss of tempo. Therefore, any move you make that is not considered optimal will results in a tempo loss. This is because there is no possibility of a stalemate while attacking in Clash of Clans; unlike in chess where an equal trade would be considered a tempo neutral move. Any sort of stalemate or stalling during an attack is beneficial for the defender and is therefore a loss of tempo for you as the attacker. So just remember that while reading through each individual point.
Before the Attack
While not technically a tempo gaining activity, decisions made prior to the attack create pseudo tempo advantage, or rather, they set you up for better tempo gaining opportunities during the actual attack.
1. Choosing your Troops
The very first opportunity to set up good tempo for yourself is to choose the right attack and army composition. Choosing the right composition is always base specific, and the best attacks always tailor their armies specifically for each base. When training an army, ask yourself these questions
Here's an example. Let's say you are a TH9 doing a Cold Blooded Goho and you want to use a couple hogs to lure to start your attack. Maybe instead of two hogs, you could use one giant and keep that extra hog for the real attack. Or maybe the clan castle is exposed and a couple barbarians would do the trick. In that case, you just gained 8 slots to use for other troops. And what about your kill squad--do you really need wizards and clan castle bowlers? Maybe your heroes are low leveled and you need the extra firepower to support them, or conversely, maybe you have beefy heroes and the 810 extra DPS from 6 more max hog riders would really help your main attack phase. Of course, this is all hypothetical but I think you all get the idea. Make sure each troop has a specific purpose!
While this article won't dive into a full explanation of what to look for when scouting, it's important to know that even with perfect deployment your attack could fail if you choose the wrong army, troops, or spells. So set yourself up for success and make sure to scout thoroughly in war!
- Why am I using this troop? What is it's purpose?
- Could I accomplish the goal using less troop space?
- What could I use instead?
Here's an example. Let's say you are a TH9 doing a Cold Blooded Goho and you want to use a couple hogs to lure to start your attack. Maybe instead of two hogs, you could use one giant and keep that extra hog for the real attack. Or maybe the clan castle is exposed and a couple barbarians would do the trick. In that case, you just gained 8 slots to use for other troops. And what about your kill squad--do you really need wizards and clan castle bowlers? Maybe your heroes are low leveled and you need the extra firepower to support them, or conversely, maybe you have beefy heroes and the 810 extra DPS from 6 more max hog riders would really help your main attack phase. Of course, this is all hypothetical but I think you all get the idea. Make sure each troop has a specific purpose!
While this article won't dive into a full explanation of what to look for when scouting, it's important to know that even with perfect deployment your attack could fail if you choose the wrong army, troops, or spells. So set yourself up for success and make sure to scout thoroughly in war!
2. Choosing your Spells
With your troops in mind, you have to decide what spells will best support your attack. Just like with troops, each spell should has a precise purpose and should correlate with your troop choices. So you should think about the same questions when deciding what spells to use:
This is a problem I see a lot with multi-faceted attacks like Cold Blooded, Shattered, Queen Walks, etc. Let's say you're a TH10 doing a Cold Blooded GoLaLoon. You can't decided if you should use a Jump or Earthquake spells to help your kill squad take out the defending Archer Queen, but you also want to use a Rage. Since a your strike team is only about 1/4 to 1/3 of you total troop space, you probably shouldn't be devoting 6 of 12 spell slots to them--so quakes are probably not an option. Maybe you can just use a Rage and some wall breakers instead to open the compartment and still get the DPS bonus while saving yourself a spell. In that situation you just saved 2-4 spell slots at the cost of troop space for the wall breakers.
Of course, that is another important decision to consider--should I commit extra troops to a target and save a spell or should I save troops and commit more spells? Again, that is something to comes down to your personal experience and the attack.
- Why am I using this spell? What is it's purpose?
- Could I accomplish the goal using less spell slots?
- What could I use instead?
This is a problem I see a lot with multi-faceted attacks like Cold Blooded, Shattered, Queen Walks, etc. Let's say you're a TH10 doing a Cold Blooded GoLaLoon. You can't decided if you should use a Jump or Earthquake spells to help your kill squad take out the defending Archer Queen, but you also want to use a Rage. Since a your strike team is only about 1/4 to 1/3 of you total troop space, you probably shouldn't be devoting 6 of 12 spell slots to them--so quakes are probably not an option. Maybe you can just use a Rage and some wall breakers instead to open the compartment and still get the DPS bonus while saving yourself a spell. In that situation you just saved 2-4 spell slots at the cost of troop space for the wall breakers.
Of course, that is another important decision to consider--should I commit extra troops to a target and save a spell or should I save troops and commit more spells? Again, that is something to comes down to your personal experience and the attack.
3. What Spells for What Troops?
Now that you've decided how many spells you can afford to use for each segment of your attack, it comes to the actual decision about what spells will help your main attack force more. The decision usually is between Rage or Heal, with Freeze, and then Jump and Earthquakes, as the next most common. To make the right decision, however, it is important to consider tempo. Let's start with Rage and Heal first.
Rage Spells
Rage allows the attacker's troops to deal more damage and move faster. That part is obvious. It gives you tempo by allowing you to deal damage faster than you should be able to. So, it would follow that for best results you want target the group of troops that have the highest DPS to maximize this tempo advantage. Rage is best with Wizards for the most straightforward purposes, followed closely by Valkyries and Heroes. However, it should be noted that the using the Barbarian King's ability does not stack with Rage so, for best results, try and wait until the Rage ends before using your King's ability.
Rage Spells
Rage allows the attacker's troops to deal more damage and move faster. That part is obvious. It gives you tempo by allowing you to deal damage faster than you should be able to. So, it would follow that for best results you want target the group of troops that have the highest DPS to maximize this tempo advantage. Rage is best with Wizards for the most straightforward purposes, followed closely by Valkyries and Heroes. However, it should be noted that the using the Barbarian King's ability does not stack with Rage so, for best results, try and wait until the Rage ends before using your King's ability.
It also helps slow troops cover large distances much faster, but this is really only a good tempo play with Balloons since they can fly straight over other buildings and gain the most from this increased movement speed while still being a high DPS troop. This is different than, say, using Rage with Giants or Golems since both of those units do very little damage and would waste any increased movement speed by still taking a long time to destroy a defense. On the flip side, using Rage on Hog Riders would greatly boost their DPS, however, since they hop walls they will quickly leave the spell's radius resulting in a loss of tempo. Here is a quick reference table for different plays with Rage spells. Keep in mind that there are always exceptions to these rules and I'm sure there will be some case where you only have three Witches left and dropping that Rage on them helps you finish the raid. So just use these rules for general planning and theory practice when designing armies. |
Heal Spells
Heal spells are useful because they keep your troops alive for longer. This gives you tempo by essentially negating the effectiveness of the defenses. Of course, just like with Rage spells you want to target a large group of units--more units gives more tempo advantage. Heal spells work best with high health units that can't be killed in one shot. The longer troops stay inside the Heal spell, the more utility and tempo you are creating. This is why troops that have what I refer to as a "Pack Mentality" often work the best with Heal spells.
Heal spells are useful because they keep your troops alive for longer. This gives you tempo by essentially negating the effectiveness of the defenses. Of course, just like with Rage spells you want to target a large group of units--more units gives more tempo advantage. Heal spells work best with high health units that can't be killed in one shot. The longer troops stay inside the Heal spell, the more utility and tempo you are creating. This is why troops that have what I refer to as a "Pack Mentality" often work the best with Heal spells.
Pack Mentality troops are units like Giants, Hog Riders, Valkyries, Bowlers, or even Balloons that really want to stick together in large groups due to their AI or their optimal strategies. One thing that is important to realize is that there is not a maximum amount of healing that a spell gives out. Heal spells always last for 12 seconds no matter what, and they pulse out waves of health every 0.3 seconds for a total of 40 pulses. This is why they should always be used for pack troops instead of high troop space troops like Pekkas or Dragons. To explain this I'll just do a quick breakdown below this paragraph using 40 troop space of Dragons, Valkyries, and Hog Riders respectively to prove my point Finally, to the left there is another quick reference table complete with an explanation for why or why not you shouldn't use them. |
During the Attack
Now that you've set yourself up for the best tempo gaining opportunities, it's time to see how tempo really works and how it can impact your mid-attack decision making.
1. Spell Timing
One thing I really try to stress to my clan is that, theoretically, the earlier you use spells the more useful they are. If we accept that, in general, the farther into an attack you are the fewer troops you have left alive, then using spells sooner rather than later will have a bigger impact since more troops will still be alive to benefit from it. Let's use Rage spells as an example. The sooner they are used leads to a bigger boost in DPS than if you were to wait, since more troops will have died during that time you waited. To explain in more detail, here are some basic graphs I made.
Using that Rage spell earlier in the raid increases a higher rate of DPS since more troops are alive. This allows those troops to destroy more turrets faster, which in turn leads to less defensive damage output, and, therefore, more troops left alive. This is a prime example of tempo advantage. Each time a spell is used this cycle grows in severity and your tempo continues to grow. By using spells sooner, your tempo builds up sooner and you end up snowballing that advantage into a 3 star. Notice how the space between the lines gets bigger and bigger over time. |
However, if you take the same scenario but instead use that same Rage spell later, you still go through the same tempo gaining cycle. The key difference this time though is that since you started later, you have fewer troops left alive so that spells provides a smaller tempo advantage. Which, in turn, does create the same loop as before but this time your tempo advantage starts off much smaller and builds at a much slower rate. Notice how the gap between the lines is much smaller than the previous scenario, representing much less advantage. |
This theory works for pretty much all spells except for but Jump, Clone, and Skeleton to a somewhat lesser degree. This is the reason why if you are using Lightning spells for an air attack that you should use them before deploying troops since it lowers the overall defensive output of the base. The same goes for Earthquakes--use them right away so that more troops can benefit from the openings they created. In general, if more troops will benefit by using the spell sooner, do so. This will help you create tempo over time and create a favorable gap in damage output.
2. Spell Placement
Spell placement is pretty straightforward. In order to capture the greatest amount of troops, you have to try to predict exactly where your troops are going. This can be solved with extra scouting for troops like Hog Riders or Balloons where their pathing is very reliable depending on how precise your deployment is. Usually for them it comes down to knowing what turrets they will path to next. By dropping the spell exactly where your troops are going you ensure maximum coverage time and therefore create a huge tempo advantage for yourself.
For troops without any direct AI funneling it's much harder to make that prediction. This situation especially comes up when troops are stuck in the core and they split up and are attempting multiple exits. If you drop your spell at this point the chances are very low that you will have chosen correctly. So what I tell people in my clan is that you should wait the extra few seconds until those choose settle on a direction and then lead them towards that path with the spell. That way you'll never run into a situation where you totally miss with a spell. I promise the couple extra troops that die while you wait to drop the spell will be much less costly than totally whiffing with a spell.
For troops without any direct AI funneling it's much harder to make that prediction. This situation especially comes up when troops are stuck in the core and they split up and are attempting multiple exits. If you drop your spell at this point the chances are very low that you will have chosen correctly. So what I tell people in my clan is that you should wait the extra few seconds until those choose settle on a direction and then lead them towards that path with the spell. That way you'll never run into a situation where you totally miss with a spell. I promise the couple extra troops that die while you wait to drop the spell will be much less costly than totally whiffing with a spell.
Conclusion
While tempo theory can be confusing at times, it can also be a really great tool for determining what choices are optimal or at least how to make the best of the attack you're using. This advanced technique practice can really help put your attack game over the top and these small changes are often what ends up being the difference between a high 2 Star and a solid 3 Star.
I hope you all enjoyed this article! As always, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at [email protected]. I have some exciting news also! Mephistopheles and I have just record our very first podcast episode so stay on the look out for that!
Stay spooky everyone!
-Skeletor
I hope you all enjoyed this article! As always, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at [email protected]. I have some exciting news also! Mephistopheles and I have just record our very first podcast episode so stay on the look out for that!
Stay spooky everyone!
-Skeletor