With the newest addition of March Size Increase Research, "#1 Most Requested Feature", comes some changes to your play style. You might find out your predictions on how to move forward are already correct, but in case you are unsure, I'll break it down for you.
The new March Research consists of the following:
As for now you can only Research to Level 9. With completion through Level 9, you will be able to send a max (solo) War March of 490,500 with a 50% March Increase, and Rally size of 2,645,000.
While we aren’t exactly sure what the ultimate increase in these Marches will be (as they are not released in Beta yet either), changes are coming to the way we play Game of War regardless. Below are some of the effects of the new increased March Sizes.
Previously, Game of War released Gathering March Size Increase, making it possible to send 600k troops to a single Resource tile. Many players have utilized this to their advantage: 600K T4 on a tile with a Hero can make a pretty good tile trap. While this strategy was never perfect, it did give a slight advantage to the tile player if their attacker did not have March Size Increase on, or their Hero in the attack March.
The new March increases evens this field a little. Obviously an increase of 375,000 to 490,500 is fairly significant, and it makes an even bigger difference when a Hero is added to the March. Be aware that the troop differential isn’t quite as big as it was and you may lose more troops than you had previously. If you like to hit tiles (and, honestly, who doesn’t?) my advice would be…Core up and go for it! It's very rare that someone else would be burning cores on a tile.
A solo trap is typically an account up to about 500M power that is geared to draw hits from single attackers. While there are many strategies available for this, the end goal is the same: to eat an attacking T4 solo March.
An increase of 115,500 Troops will make a huge difference. Many solo trap accounts have dialed in their account set up to perfectly eat a March of 375,000 T4 Troops, but 490,500 will require the solo trap to have more Troops.
If you are a solo trap, it is time to make some adjustments. Recognize that an extra 115k troops behind what is most likely a Cored Hero can cause some serious damage. This is a 31% increase in March size.
To adjust your trap account you must think about two factors, one being Gear stats, and the other being Troops. If you plan on taking hits from the enemies with the SAME Gear stats as always, then all you need to adjust is your Troop count. The other option is to increase your own gear stats and then you won't need to train as many more Troops.
If you are adjusting your trap account to be able to handle only an increased march size, then you should increase your T4 Troop count by at least 2.5x the increased March Size. For simple math, if the March Size coming at you increased by 100k T4 Troops, then you need to add 250k T4 Troops to be successful as you were before. If your trap consists of T2 and T3 you will need far more than only 2.5x as many Troops.
Warning: Increasing your T1 Troop count could trigger the nerf.
A generally theory that we aren't necessarily sure is true yet, is that you could simply increase your trap's Troop count in the same ratio of Troops by 31%.
Additionally, you should consider increasing both Trap count and available Hospital Beds (if you use them), either through Research or by destroying something else to make room for more Hospitals.
Rally Traps are accounts set to draw Rallies, as the name implies. The 270k (10.3% increase) Troop increase will certainly make a bigger impact than before. To put it in perspective, think of it in reverse, if the March had 270k less troops, how much weaker would it hit your Stronghold? Now add that difference on top of the how Rallies hit your trap now.
Follow the same theory of advice given above for solo traps.
I think we can all agree that the days of being safe at over 3.5B are gone. There are many that would consider a Stronghold in the 4B to 5B power range a good target even with the old max Rally March of 2,375,000 if they are in the right gear.
For anyone under 10B power, I would recommend not falling asleep in Research Gear. Always make sure you are upgrading your Gear (you can use the Hero Gear Tool to help) and embedding Gems. Great gear makes a world of difference in battle.
It is advantageous to have a separate Set of Gear for Defense, with appropriate Gems. The foundational rules of Stronghold Defense are:
These are the best ways to protect your investment. If you can’t afford a Shield, I’m sure there is probably someone in your Alliance that is willing to help out.
Larger War and Empire Marches mean more opportunity for destruction! Check to see what Gear the defender has. Send full Marches, and use Cores. There are not too many Regular Gear Sets that can compare with Core Sets. So generally, you can hit with Cores without too much fear of losing your Hero (unless you get really unlucky).
Catching a single March in the Wonder is a great opportunity for some potentially easy points, especially if it’s a single Troop type. With an increased War March, you can even hit a reinforced Wonder and win with the right Gear and appropriate troops.
Furthermore, many players will be behind the curve in adjusting to the increased March sizes, so put on a 50% March Increase Boost, add some Attack and Defense Debuff Boosts, and do some solos!
I have seen individual players solo (and burn) Strongholds up to 1.5B power when wearing strong Cores. If you are conservative by nature, like me, this might seem like a stretch… but with these new March Sizes it will be possible to solo higher ones.
Remember that it’s a game! You could score big and look like a BOSS, or lose your Hero and look like a bonehead. If you lose your Hero throw up a shield, eat some Hemlock, and take a six hour break!
Whatever you've considered “too big” of a target is changing, and will continue to change. In the last Kill Event, I saw an 8B power player in war Gear burn on three consecutive hits before shielding! I have both seen and been a part of the zeroing of multiple 4B players in war Gear. The guy below 5B that logs out in Research Gear is almost a dream come true now.
I am both dreading and looking forward to the ultimate March increases for defense and offense, respectively.
Attacking and Defending the Wonder is something of an art form. The guys that do it regularly have an orthodox approach to it.
To compete in all Wonder battle moving forward you will likely need to have the March Research to compete with your opponents. Also you cannot transfer Kingship to someone else if they do not have as high of March Size Increase as you do.
Strategy article contributed by CREED XS
