I totally agree that skill is a major factor in raiding. I would never refute that. But I believe you are downplaying how much luck is involved. I assure you, if the board does not want you to win… there isn’t diddly squat you can do about it.
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I don’t argue that there are layouts when you can’t do anything. But the question is: How many layouts out of a hundred “doesn’t want me to win”. There were threads here about dozens of lost raids. Is it all about layouts? I doubt it was. So the measure of skill is a percentage of lost raids. I think we can assume that in long term all players have similar frequency of bad layouts.
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Exactly this. In fact, I’m planning to put together a little introductory tutorial on how to do this over the weekend since it seems like it would be greatly useful for many players.
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Awesome. Looking forward to seeing it. Too many people blame the boards.
If it was 100% luck not skill, playing with the autopilot on would be just as effective as a human. But it’s not.
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There are two. @Blaaarggle_Blaa has a 3 part series called Raiding in the Top 1000, and there is another by @Offbase2 called Raid Tips for the Casual Player, which is linked above.
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Thank you. I was lazy. 
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Hmm… I am not sure where this is going. I am simply stating the fact that luck is a major factor in the game. And I agree with you that skill is also a major factor in raiding as well. Of course losing raids is not just pure bad luck… it is a multi faceted problem. But skill is not the “be all end all”… because if it was then Zero would be Chuck Norris and simply steam roll everyone.
I’d say if F2P it’s 25% luck, 50% grind, 25% strategy.
If you’re a P2P it’s 50% money, 12.5% luck, 25% grind, 12.5% strategy.
… approximately speaking of course 
I think there’s a lot of grind in there for both F2P and P2W. I’ve heard both groups complain about bad boards, how long something took, and how difficult it was to obtain the necessary ascension materials to level a particular hero.
I think some look longingly over that fence, assuming the grass is greener, but I think the green is all a matter of opinion and degree. 
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Getting heroes is luck. Using them is mostly strategy as a result of time invested in learning.
If you want to have fun, learn, play then it’s:
For raiding - it’s strategy 80% and luck with board 20%. Yes, you need to accept that really bad board is really rare, but your mind will play tricks with you. I can beat 90% of my opponents, just not maybe from the first try, but if I change my approach, I usually win in 2nd try, rarely I need third, and like 2x a week I just can’t do it because their combo I just can’t overcome.
For wars - participation 50%, strategy (+coordination) 40%, luck 10% - smashing together and cheering is main ingredient for having fun
For titan - strategy 30%, luck with board (to create high damage) 30%, and 30% participation of whole team to smack that titan
For events - strategy 30%, luck with board 30%, hero strength 30% (because some part you just can’t do with items only)
Numbers are roughly, but main point is that game isn’t about luck. Acquiring and levelling heroes is. But that’s not the whole game. This are not pokemons and ‘you have to collect them all’
If you want to be in top 100, then it start to really matter how levelled your heroes are.
Under 2000 trophies it just doesn’t matter. I can’t say for higher, I ain’t there yet, but I think it works for up to around 2400.
Base for strategy is - color stacking, learning in which order to kill your opponent in raids, wars and the events, learn how to use your hero skills and when (depending on the opponent), learning which item to use and when, learn how to setup def and that ai goes from the left and many other things.
Yes, you may manage something with brute force by maxing your rainbow team or going over the map with items.
Or you may have more fun by learning how to smack in raids team which is 200-500 stronger than yours, with mix of A/B/C graded heroes by Anchor’s table.
You don’t need maxed As to enjoy this game, or to win in many situations (which are not aiming for top 100 in the events or on the leaderboard).
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You don’t need to be using a full team of maxed 5* to get into the top 10 either. I managed that last night for the first time with 2 maxed 4* and 3 maxed 5*. The key isn’t raw power, it’s how you put the heroes together, which is strategy rather than luck.
Note that I generally don’t go nearly that high - I had a good run with raiding, which does show that luck was involved as well as strategy. Both contribute to my successes.
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To anyone still unconvinced - take this challenge
https://forum.smallgiantgames.com/t/new-challenge-one-man-army-women-also-welcome/35279/14
Can you match @SuuriKoira or @NPNKY?
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To be honest, a single hero attach requires more luck than any other, because you need a very good board that can’t be compensated by a lineup.
Lol. There is that. But you must be very, very economical with tiles of your colour of choice, pick the correct hero, fire your special at the most efficient point, etc.
Don’t do yourself down!
@RedPython if you are beating 90% of your opponents then u must be top 5 at least. Because 90% to me is an unbelievable win rate in absolutely anything in life!
First, I said ‘in my trophy range’ and that’s around 1900 for now (and the experience was the same from the 0 cups).
Second I said ‘in 3 tries’. People usually try, lose, and go away. I usually don’t, I see it as a challenge to adjust and see if with some different strategy I can beat them, and often, I can. Also, I don’t care that much about cups, they’ll come and go.
Third, I didn’t say that I have 90% win of all raids I do. I say that I beat 90% of my opponents.
Also, I usually don’t re-roll (except when I’m hunting iron, then I aim for someone who has bigger amount of iron), and I do all revenges. Because I’m curious if I can beat their team if they beat mine.
I see raids as great training practice for wars. And great practice for skills in general, because you don’t have items there.
Actually, I’m too bad with using items that I realised that the best item for me is the revive scroll, because in the events I won’t notice that my heroes are close to death and to remember in time that I can save them with health potions.
When I was weaker, kashhrek tanks were hard. Now it’s aeron tanks. When I grow stronger there will be someone else problematic, I’m sure. I don’t see that as a problem, just as a proof how I’m getting better and how my heroes grow stronger.
I was just illustrating how strategy makes difference, and no, I’m not top 5, I don’t even have any maxed 4/5 star hero. Although now I have to change that, my boss is nudging me into doing that and I still claim that’s just waste of resources for me now
And that’s the point - I don’t need to have maxed top A heroes to have fun in the game and to be proud of my skills (in some power range of defence).
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Cracking statement @redpython.
I love a good raid… like almost every competition, you prepare the best you can and see what the opponent and the game can throw at you!
I can see that your passionate about the game and it’s a nice story but there are a few things you r saying that I am a bit skeptical of.
First. Where are u getting your figures from? Your experience or actual evidence? Where do u even begin to logically quantify luck, strategy, alliance and hero strength into percentages out of 100 for different modes of the game?
Two. It is my honest belief you are downplaying the luck involved in this game.
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Acquiring good heroes that synergise well is all about luck. This is a major component of the game since it determines your lineup, strategy and options for offensive/defensive raids and story missions. And SG has done this especially well since there is a lot of luck involved to acquire any hero 4* or higher for both F2P and P2W. This is relevant because when your hitting platinum and higher… your 3* heroes are going to need some help with teams consisting of strong 4’s and 5’s.
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Strengthening these heroes is also based on luck. You and I both know that for some people it has been a nightmare. Ascension items as u know are based on luck from loot and also ascension packs paid with gems. (The ones that say you will get at least 2 of the following ascension items)
- I do concede that hero and team strength (after lineup has been considered) can be compensated to an extent with skill for offensive raiding. But cups are determined by your defensive teams as well. I know first hand that I can beat players with +300 team power on offense but on defence team power plays a much bigger role in my opinion. This is obviously because u have absolutely no control over what happens after u decide lineup and configuration. So, the harder they hit and the more durable they are is very important.
- The tiles are random. You can do whatever you like to mitigate negative outcomes but in the end the board decides. That’s just the nature of the beast.
RedPython, I just believe you are seriously understating the amount of luck involved in raiding and the game overall. The one thing I do agree with you is that skill is absolutely necessary to be good at raiding and the game in general. But luck is a major factor in this game whether you like it or not because if it wasn’t then ZERO would faceroll everyone and there wouldn’t be diddly squat anyone could do about it.
Mate, this only my opinion. Happy to be proven wrong on good evidence.
@Scruff I’ve read all reviews and see that some agree and some disagree, but you hit the notes on the right places. I decided to keep quiet for a while and train yet again to see if anything change, but its back to the same thing. Where one expects to get 4* heroes at higher/bigger camps, I’m constantly stuck at 3* heroes and isn’t the game all about heroes? To level up and get stronger? You know, I’ve seen this all over the world, as a contractor, if someone were to build up his/her business, they made use of small individuals/contractors to let their business grow. Once all big and mighty, they get big spenders along the way and focus all their energy towards the big contractors and let down the smaller contractors. So which is the same case here, accept if you look at it from a gaming view, if one wants to progress, you make the effort and time to progress and spend a little to succeed, since others is also in the game, why should you and I not also go for the top? Even if rules say this and that, the main focus on doing ANYTHING in the game is to get better, not stuck or even out the whole time. But being let down constantly is making the game not interesting, but boring. Since upgrading training camps and epic coins promises no guarantee of spectacular heroes, then why is it made available? I think they should change it to “Lottery camp 5,6,7” etc, or " Lucky Lottery Coin", since there is no guarantee.
I may be frustrated and people may think I’m a little punk to give such input about the game, but it just feels that there is so much promises/hopes on progressing better with upgraded camps and such, but the let down is so much every time when training finishes after two days and one of the 20 characters(that you get every single time)out of 200+ to choose from, shows up like a “blessing in the sky”. Its just a joke and shame
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