Shadowmagic's Troop Guide (VIP)

Shadowmagic's Troop Guide
Introduction
Some details in this guide are taken for granted so I will not be explaining them in the text
itself. If there are any questions though, I'll add the explanation in a footnote to help the newbies.
I'll be using a number of 21.000 available farm slots as reference in all setups. 1 My apologies for
all language-related errors.
A village's defense can be understood by breaking down each unit's strengths and
weaknesses and adding all units' specific values back together in order to calculate an oversight
of the entire army's strengths and weaknesses. On tribalwars, each unit has a defensive value
against each type of attack:
General Defense (GD) which is the defensive strength of a unit vs. axes;
Cavalry Defense (CD) which is the defensive strength of a unit vs. LC and HC;
Archer Defense (AD) which is the defensive strength of a unit vs. archer units.
A good defense has a balanced defensive strength, which means it has no weakness vs any of
the offensive types:
General Attack (GA) which is the offensive strength of Axes (and swords/spears);
Cavalry Attack (CA) which is the offensive strength of LC and HC;
Archer Attack (AA) which is the offensive strength of MA (and archers).
Note that each unit has 3 different kinds of defense, and only 1 type of offense. This
means that a mixture of defensive units should aim to be a balanced defense versus all 3 types of
attacks as to avoid any weaknesses. Building just one type of defensive unit is foolish and should
NEVER be done.
Nukes
To understand the workings of a nuke, we need to talk about perfect nukes in a perfect
world before we can move on to the real situation. A perfect nuke would consist of only one type
of unit aimed at the weakness of a defense. This weakness does not only depend on the units
present in the defending village, it is influenced also by the simple fact that the attacking units
vary in strength, something most people tend to forget. To illustrate this, some numbers:
Axe
Strength
Farm slots
Relative strength
LC
40
1
40
MA.
130
4
32,5
120
5
24
It's pretty easy to calculate that one farm slot of light cavalry is only 81,3% of the strength
of an axe farm slot, and that one farm slot of mounted archer is a mere 60% of the strength of an
axe farm slot. This is also illustrated by the total strength of a nuke consisting of 20k villagers (1k
has been used up by rams):
1 To get 21.000 available farm slots, you need to be economical in the building up of your
village. For example, both market and workshop take up a lot of farm space so you shouldn't
max out these buildings. Barracks and Stable on the other hand need to be at the max level.

Strength
Ratio
800000
650000
480000
20000 Axe:
5000 LC:
4000 MA:
1,000
0,813
0,600
The attacker gets to choose what defense to fight, because the defending army behaves
like 1 huge unit with 3 defensive values. When deciding on what kind of nuke to send at a village,
it is necessary to understand that you should pick according to these defensive values. A low
value for AD however does NOT always invite you to send an MA nuke. You should calculate the
relative defensive ratio of AD against GD/CD and only send MA when the strength of AD drops
below 60% of the GD value and below 74% of the CD value. This might sound a little confusing
so here is an example of a pretty popular defense, swords/archers. Since this part of the guide
focuses on offense only, I will not go to deep lengths to analyse the defense in itself. 10,500
swords and 10,500 archers give the following numbers:
GD: 1050000
CD: 577500
AD: 472500
TD: 2100000
This is the most popular defense in many worlds because most people stress the Total
Defense value, so you'll find it in many villages out there. We're still talking about perfect nukes
though, so we have an Axe nuke, an LC nuke and an MA nuke at the ready. What nuke to pick?
I've asked this question often and everyone chooses to send the MA nuke. This is absolutely NOT
the right choice, as the AD value is only 82% of the CD value. The GD value is of course way too
high to consider an axe nuke. As an MA nuke should only be considered when the AD drops
below 74% of the CD value, the right choice in this case is to send the 5k LC and get it over with.
Let's head for the simulator and check our choice by smashing some nukes against the walls:
Attacker
Units:
Losses:
0
0
0
0
Defender
Units:
Losses:
0 10500
0 7268
Attacker
Units:
Losses:
0
0
Defender
Units:
Losses:
0 10500
0 6231
Attacker
Units:
Losses:
0
0
Defender
Units:
Losses:
0 10500
0 6084
0
0
0
0
0 5000
0 5000
0
0
0
0
219
219
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 10500
0 7268
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 4000
0 4000
0
0
219
219
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 10500
0 6231
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 3000
0 3000
0
0
0
0
219
219
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 8000
0 8000
0
0
0
0
0 10500
0 6084
0
0
As you can see in the examples above, a pure LC nuke is the best offense against a

sword/archer setup. Might be a good idea for those 10% stable bonus villages out there. As
Mounted Archers are hardly ever needed, just 1 pure MA village per 50 villages you own should
be enough. There are some people out there with a pure defense so if you ever run into those, a
pure nuke will be a blessing. You'll need LC nukes more than anything else (because of the
popularity of the sword/archer defense), so some pure LC villages per 50 villages you own are a
good investment. Axe nukes are very useful against the spear/hc 4:1 ratio. Bullshit, you say? HC
slaughter axes, you say? Let's find out using the simulator again, the hc/spear setup has the
same value for all defense types (see also below under the defense section), which means that
it's weakest against the strongest offensive unit, the axe.
Attacker
Units:
Losses:
0
0
0 20000
0 18079
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
219
198
0
0
0
0
0
0
Defender
Units:
Losses:
8000
8000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 2000
0 2000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Attacker
Units:
Losses:
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 5000
0 5000
0
0
0
0
219
219
0
0
0
0
0
0
Defender
Units:
Losses:
8000
6483
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 2000
0 1621
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Attacker
Units:
Losses:
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 4000
0 4000
0
0
219
219
0
0
0
0
0
0
Defender
Units:
Losses:
8000
4115
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 2000
0 1029
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Attacker
Units:
Losses:
0
0
0 8000
0 8000
0
0
0 3000
0 3000
0
0
0
0
219
219
0
0
0
0
0
0
Defender
Units:
Losses:
8000
7400
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 2000
0 1850
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
I hope this proves the point that full nukes are better than mixed nukes. Pure > Mixed, but
it's necessary to mix because of the build time of a nuke. An LC nuke takes 11 days to build, an
Axe nuke takes 24 days to build, while an MA nuke takes 13 days. Very time consuming to rebuild
those nukes every time you hit something with them, so it's better to go for a mixed nuke which is
a little weaker, but rebuilds faster. The good thing about offense is that it rebuilds quickly. The
Pure > Mixed theory still works for mixed nukes, so you need to keep in mind that the purer you
keep your nukes, the stronger they will be. This is why axe/lc/ma is absolutely NOT done. Mixing
= weakening, and MA has a slower build time than LC anyway, while it's also weaker in absolute
terms. Why weaken your nukes by both mixing AND adding weaker units? Total madness, and
still 95% of the people out there do it.
Another thing to keep in mind is balance. I've used the common 8000 axes/3000 LC

setup for the purpose of having a realistic example, but when you compare the respective general
and cavalry offensive strength, you'll find that the CD is higher than the GD.2 It would be better to
balance the strength of both types in order to gain flexibility. If you bump into a defense with a
higher CD, your GA will deal most of the damage. If you bump into a defense with a higher GD,
your CA will do the talking. A better setup would be: 8800 axes & 2800 LC, which results in
352000 GA and 364000 CA. I've kept the CA value a little higher than the GA value because of
the enormous GD value of one of the most common defences, the above-mentioned
sword/archer setup. Don't forget to build about 220 rams for all nukes, of course.
We can summarize the above as follows: per 50 villages you own, build 1 MA nuke, 2-5
LC nukes, 2 axe nukes and 10 to 20 regular nukes (8800 axe, 2800 LC, 220 rams) depending on
your personal playing style. Rely on scoutings wherever possible so you can send in the right
nuke for the right job. This kind of information is invaluable and you can't do without a couple of
full scout villages in times of frantic warfare. Scout away and share all information with your
tribemates.
Defense
Now that we have a basic understanding of the strengths and workings of a nuke, we can
try and find a way to neutralize the threat of both pure nukes aimed at a weakness in our defense
and mixed nukes. There's been a lot of discussion about the value of fast building, quick and
flexible defense in the form of spear/hc villages with a 4:1 ratio versus sturdy, slow moving
infantry defences so I have tried to find a balance between strength, build speed, movement
speed and type balance. The usual defensive systems on the later worlds are: swords/archers
1:1 ratio, spears/swords/archers 1:1:1 ratio, spears/swords 1:1 ratio, and spears/HC 4:1 ratio. My
own ratio, the so-called Berry Defense, is based on the GD/CD/AD values of the Optimum
defense. This optimal defense is the best defense possible in a perfect world and has a CD value
of 0,813*GD and an AD value of 0,6*GD. Yes, these percentages are the same as the relative
strengths of axes, lc and ma. Let's compare the common defense systems.
Swords/Archers 1:1 Ratio

10.500 swords, 10.500 archers
Total GD: 1050000
Total CD: 577500
Total AD: 472500
Build Time Barracks: 31,23 days
Build Time Stables: 0 days.
Wood Needed: 1365000
Clay Needed: 630000
Iron Needed: 1365000
Spears/Swords/Archers 1:1:1 Ratio

7.000 spears, 7.000 swords, 7.000 archers
Total GD: 805000
2 GA: 320000, CA: 390000, AA: 0.

Total CD: 700000
Total AD: 455000
Build Time Barracks: 27,3 days.
Clay Needed: 630000
Iron Needed: 980000
Spears/Swords 1:1 Ratio

10.500 spears, 10.500 swords
Total GD: 682500
Total CD: 630000
Total AD: 630000
Wood Needed: 840000
Clay Needed: 630000
Iron Needed: 840000
Spears/HC 4:1 Ratio

8.000 spears, 2000 HC with 1.000 farm slots to spare
Total GD: 520000
Total CD: 520000
Total AD: 520000
Build Time Stables: 8,68 days.
Wood Needed: 800000
Clay Needed: 540000
Optimum
6567 spears, 8235 swords and 6176 archers
Total GD: 819055
Total CD: 666080
Total AD: 491620
Clay Needed: 629340
To compare these figures, we will need to keep in mind that a unit's strength lies not only
in its GD/CD/AD figures, but also build speed, resource costs and movement speed. As most
guides accurately remind us, sometimes it is better to sacrifice some strength to gain more
speed. The speedier your support, the more troops you can gather. Total Defense values however
are NOT really an important factor in your defense. If you're sceptical about this, please bear in
mind that the stunning 2,3 million Total Defense of an 21.000 sword defense gets annihilated by a
small LC nuke. I think this proves my point. After some calculations I found that I could keep the
general balance of the Optimum, throw out the swords to speed up the build speed (stable kicks
in) and movement speed (swords are the slowest unit). I've allowed the CD to improve in order to
counter possible mixed nukes, but kept the GD a little higher because of the relative strength of
axes.
Berry Defense
6250 spears, 6250 archers and 1250 HC with 1.000 farm slots to spare (here cats)
Total GD: 668750
Total CD: 637500
Total AD: 393750
Build Time Stables: 5,21 days.
Clay Needed: 612500
Defense Types
sw /ar
sp/sw /ar
sp/sw
GD
sp/hc
CD
AD
Optimum
Berry
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
As you can see, swords/archers focuses too much on GD, thereby weakening the CD.
Certainly NOT the best defense. Spear/sword/archer on the other hand is pretty balanced, with
very high GD and CD values and an acceptable AD value. Spear/sword is terrible, with an AD
value which keeps the GD and CD values down. Same goes for spear/hc which is the worst

defense possible with the same values for all defense types. Optimum is the best defense
possible. Berry is balanced with relatively low total defense value but no real weaknesses.
Resources Needed
sw /ar
sp/sw /ar
sp/sw
Wood
Clay
Iron
sp/hc
Optimum
Berry
0
200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000 1400000 1600000
The resources needed are balanced with the sword/archer setup, the spear/sword setup
and the berry defense. Other setups will require you to ship resources while minting coins.
Build Speed
sw /ar
sp/sw /ar
sp/sw
Days
sp/hc
Optimum
Berry
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Sword/archer has the longest build time, one of over 30 days in total. Fail.
Spear/sword/archer, spear/sword and optimum also take ages to build because these defense
systems only use the barracks. If you have a barracks bonus village, you could consider building
either such a defense there or an axe nuke. Personally, I'd go for the axe nuke. Spear/hc has the

quickest build time with an astonishing build of almost 9 days. Berry goes for an acceptable build
time of a little over 15 days.
Resources/Day
sw /ar
sp/sw /ar
sp/sw
Wood/Day
Clay/Day
Iron/Day
sp/hc
Optimum
Berry
0
20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 140000 160000
The spear/hc setup of course requires constant shipping of resources or else the
estimated build time of 9 days will not be met, as this graph shows. Balanced systems are
sword/archer, spear/sword and berry.
Units Movement Speed
Spears
Sw ords
Fields/hour
Archers
Heavy Cavalry
0,0 0,5 1,0 1,5 2,0 2,5 3,0 3,5 4,0 4,5 5,0 5,5 6,0 6,5 7,0 7,5 8,0 8,5
This is a chart everyone should be familiar with, but if you aren't, it's easy. Swords are
obviously the slowest units, and HC are the fastest units. The hc/spear fans usually point out the
incredible speed of its defense, thereby allowing you to extract more troops from the surroundings
when you need immediate support. All defensive systems utilizing swords fail to do this, which is
another reason why I chose not to build any swords. Berry is as fast as hc/spear but has a much
better balance and is the perfect mix between a sturdy and a fast defense. Another point the
hc/spear fans are crazy about is the flexibility of the HC, it can even be used as an offensive unit

in crisis situations, while employed with catapults they can take down rally points and farms. The
berry defense has the same ability, although with a little less HC available for balance.
All in all, if you're looking for the best infantry setup, it's the spear/sword/archer defense
that usually ends up in 2nd or 3rd place. If you're looking for the best speedy defense, it's the
berry defense. It'll give you an advantage over both people who don't know what they're doing
and people who're doing everything right.

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