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Clash Royale tips from reigning Red Bull M.E.O. champion ThunderStruck
The Clash Royale League pro and Red Bull M.E.O. Season 1 champion dishes on top decks and training practices.
Liam ‘ThunderStruck’ McCarron's elite play at the Red Bull M.E.O. (Mobile Esports Open) Season 1 Finals helped him seize the Clash Royale crown, propelling his pro career onward and upward to a roster spot with NRG Esports in the Clash Royale League.
With Red Bull M.E.O. Season 2 currently in full swing, it's someone else's turn to topple the international competition and claim the Clash Royale title. And whether you're planning to compete in the tournament or just want to up your everyday game, ThunderStruck was gracious enough to share a few of his top Clash Royale tips.
1. Go with Goblin Cage
New cards have the ability to completely shake up the competitive meta, and that's exactly what Goblin Cage did. Introduced early this summer, the card drops an unnerving wooden box into the arena, and after it takes a few hits, a giant Goblin warrior pops out and begins brawling. It's been a competitive favourite of late, says ThunderStruck.
"Currently, the meta is full of Goblin Cage," he affirms. "Supercell recently buffed Goblin Cage, and in my opinion, they over-buffed it. It currently has the highest win rate of any cards in Grand Challenges, so if I was to recommend the building blocks to building a deck, I would say to start with Goblin Cage and work out from there."
2. Go against Goblin Cage
On the other hand, if so many potential competitors are already using Goblin Cage, why copy them? You might be better suited coming up with a deck that counters that popular option, giving you the ability to shut down the trendy pick. ThunderStruck recommends a Lava Clone deck, which is centered around the powerful Lava Hound and Clone cards.
"The Goblin Cage, while it has really high damage, is not able to damage air units," he says. "Using decks with lots of air cards, such as Lava Clone or Lava Miner, the Goblin Cage isn't very useful." While some players might consider Lava Clone to be a low-skill deck, ThunderStruck says he's a big fan – maybe "because it's just so annoying to play against."
Play your cards right
© Daniel Sommer/Red Bull Content Pool
3. Royal Giant is always viable
Not keen on experimenting with (or against) Goblin Cage? Looking for something more tried-and-true? Look around for examples of the Royal Giant deck. The Royal Giant card itself is key to this deck and is sometimes flanked by Bowler and Ice Wizard, although there are many options for filling out your lineup. Try a few combinations and see what works best for you.
"Royal Giant has been tier-one meta for the past eight months, and it's always been viable and always been played by levels across the board," says ThunderStruck.
4. "Friendly" competition
Friendly Battles may not earn you any rewards, but ThunderStruck says they can be a great way to practice your strategies and work on improving your overall game. Whether against pals or clanmates, this is an ideal place to workshop decks.
"I'd say the best way for players to improve would just be Friendly Battles. If you're able to focus on Friendly Battles, then that's how I would recommend players improving," he says. "Other ways players like to improve is top-tier ladder, but anything besides top-tier isn't that good practice, because it's not the same as tournament levels. Grand Challenges used to be a good way to practice, but I feel like over time the level of Grand Challenges have not really gotten to the level that Friendly Battles and top-tier ladder can give."
5. For M.E.O. contenders
ThunderStruck also had a parting bit of advice for this year's crop of Red Bull M.E.O. challengers: seek out other motivated players at your skill level and develop mutually beneficial practice routines. You'll want reliable competition that you can count on to push you to new heights. And who knows? Maybe you'll face off for real on the road to M.E.O.
"Contact hard-working players like yourself and then create a practice schedule, and try to practice with as many professional players as you can, as much as you can," he suggests. "Just keep on doing that. That's what I did, and I know plenty of other players that have had success doing the same."
