A sneak golem in the pocket. There’s nothing we can do; a defensive goblin barrel proves useless. The golem pushes through our defenses. Tower down, game over. This is an outcome that students are all too familiar with. Now, some may be wondering what game you are even talking about? That would be Clash Royale. 

Clash Royale is something that most students are all too familiar with at MECA, as it has taken the campus by storm. 

It is a fast-paced, multiplayer, card-based mobile game that revolves around three “towers” that each player has to defend. As well as attempting to take the other opponents’ towers. Each player gets to choose eight cards to use in their battle deck out of the 125 that are currently in the game Clash Royale Cards. Many students can be found playing the game made by Supercell during their breaks and even during class. 

When each “card” is placed, it deploys a troop, a single or group of characters that target the towers. Each troop has unique abilities and an elixir cost. Elixir is the “currency” that allows you to deploy cards and use different abilities on some cards. You gain one elixir every second. 

The game starts with three minutes on the clock. Within those minutes, players must attack and defend each other’s towers. If the game continues, then another minute is added, and the game becomes sudden death, and the amount of elixir is doubled.

The first one to take all three towers wins. If time expires, then the one who did the most damage to the tower wins. 

A player may also win by taking the middle tower, known as  the“King’s Tower,” and considered to be the most important.

The basic premise of the game is to manage one’s elixir and cards better than the other player in order to overwhelm them and take down their towers. Each player can create a deck with different strategies and play styles to their liking.

Some MECA students and even staff are in love with the game. Sophomore Kyle Cao loves the competitive nature of the game, such as the stakes of winning or losing trophies, and the new arenas you can unlock.

Cao said, ”I think it’s like chess, it simulates your brain, it makes you strategize, and tech building is like team building.”

So far, Cao has earned 10,215 trophies and has achieved the Lumberlove Cabin, arena 25, which is considered one of the more difficult arenas. He believes that Clash brings MECA students together.

Cao said, “It’s about the friends and the community you build in the clan, and all the clan wars you do.”  

Another MECA sophomore, Lily Erazo, said, “My favorite part of the game [is] the fact that I get to beat [people from higher arenas].” She likes the challenge and opportunities to meet new people while also getting the chance for bragging rights, which she teases her friends about.  

Juan Franco, a sophomore at MECA, is also a big fan of the game. He personally loves the “Mini P.E.K.K.A” card considering it to be “GOATED,” an internet term meaning Greatest of All Time. However, Franco does wish that Clash Royale would limit “pay to win,” referring to purchases that can be made to gain better cards. 

Michael Soto, a junior here at MECA, agrees with Franco on the “pay-to-win.” 

“I don’t like Clash Royale because I used to play before, and every time I play, I always go up against players who have better troop cards than me, and that is because they pay for it,” said Soto. “In other words, this game is a pay-to-win, which is unfair for players like me, who don’t usually spend money.” 

Soto’s most disliked card is the Giant because of its slow speed, which makes it vulnerable to attacks. The Giant card is valued at five Elixir, which comes with different abilities and powers. It only targets towers and destroys other structures in the game, as it attacks with moderate damage with each hit it deals. Due to the slow movement and attack speed, it can be easily overshadowed by other cards, such as the Golem Card, which can be unlocked at level 14, whereas the Giant Card is unlocked at the beginning level of the game. 

Whether you love or hate the game, you can’t deny its rise to popularity. Clash Royale is here to stay 1v1?? Hop on Clash!!!