Thorsten Brickhouse
Blog entry by Thorsten Brickhouse
While developers write the code, balance the stats, and design the arenas, they do not dictate how the game is actually played.
This article explores how the community discovers, popularizes, and eventually counters the dominant strategies of the day.
How Decks Go Viral
If a professional player uses an incredibly bizarre, off-meta deck to win a major tournament on Sunday, millions of players will be using it on Monday.
They provide detailed guides on exact placements, spell timings, and how to handle bad matchups, effectively training an entire army of copycats.
- Follow the top players on Twitter and YouTube.
- Don't just copy a pro deck blindly.
- Pro decks are built for high-level play.
The Counter-Meta Evolution
Players dive into the card pool, searching for obscure, underused units that specifically hard-counter the dominant strategy.
Once the ladder is flooded with defensive buildings, the Hog Rider players will switch to heavy 'Golem' decks to crush the buildings, shifting the meta once again.
| Cycle Stage | Community Action |
|---|---|
| The Immune Response | Smart players build decks specifically to counter the dominant deck, farming easy wins off the unoriginal copycats |
| Phase 4: The Shift | The original deck's win rate plummets; players abandon it for the new counter-deck; the cycle begins anew |
A Collaborative Game
While they rely on raw statistical data for balance, the vocal outcry of the community heavily influences the urgency of specific patches.
Be an active part of the community; share your weird deck ideas, post your replays, and discuss strategies.
Here's more info on tower rush have a look at the page.