Guide to arenas 6-8. Here’s how I did it (3-5-2 & 3-4-3 formation, usage, tips, advice, corners, roles, etc)
I was inspired to share my own tactics after reading this post from u/LeFloridaMan. It's a great read and I recommend it! I also got to one win away from Arena 9 with none of my players above level 7, but resolved to wait until they were all at least level 8 to go for promotion. I'm almost there so I feel that now is a good time to share. My strategy earned me a 66.7% win rate in arena 8. I'm not at all claiming that this is the best or only way, but here’s how I did it. Also gonna say I've never spent money or used facebook friends.
Overview:
I started using 3-5-2 in arena 6 and it has served me very well through arena 8. The whole idea is to exploit space as much as possible to limit opportunities for your opponent to tackle. This in turn gives you more time to pick the right passes and be more lethal on attack. 3-5-2 and 3-4-3 are perfect for this as most other formations have a narrow midfield, which usually means your wide players are free.
Formations:
I set up my team like this in 3-5-2:
- Sweeper
- Explorer-Protector-Explorer
- Menace-Engine-Commander-Producer
- Hammer
- Speedster-Intruder
And in 3-4-3:
- Sweeper
- Explorer-Protector-Explorer
- Menace-Engine-Commander-Producer
- Speedster-Hammer-Infiltrator
Defense:
Sweeper GK is important as a 3 man defense can leave you open to counters a lot. Not a huge difference but I really appreciate him sprinting out to intercept over-hit balls.
Explorers are for pace as people tend to use speedy players out wide.
Protector has more height than guard and generally tries more attacking passes out wide, which is key for this formation.
CDM:
Engine and Commander as CM/CDM are there for transition and as the first line of defense. Both players have the 'marking' trait, which is very useful considering you only have 3 back. (For this reason Architect is bad in my opinion.) Commander is great at winning headers on both attack and defense and has great reactions of you anticipate a pass to be hit near him. Engine is used more as a defender than attacker and has a good combination of speed and response to punish players who pass around the midfield too much or cover when explorers bomb forward.
Out Wide:
The key to the entire formation! I generally use either two producers or one producer and one menace. Producers are great because they don'r dribble, have huge passing range, and have high 'skill' allowing them to curve passes around defenders. I always have at least one. One can be changed for a Menace if you prefer more varied options - the Menace has much longer passing range at the expense of some 'skill'/curve, but he does have the running trait so he gets into the box on attack.
You always want to find these guys in space to start the attack. Moving the ball from the middle to out wide as quickly as possible will give them the most time and space to work.
CAM/CF:
Hammer time. He sits in the middle of attack and has 2 main jobs.
In build-up: He will never dribble and always play safe passes - you can bounce the ball of him to draw defenders in to free up space out wide.
On attack: He is lethal from any distance and on headers. Perfect target man to aim to when he's open.
Forwards:
Speedster and Intruder are the 2 fastest players and are the perfect focal point of the attack. Once you play it out wide to your Producers these 2 will usually run forward into space. Deep balls from Producers are ideal because it gives these two enough time to run in behind and leave slower defenders behind. Most of the goals will come from them.
Strategy - Defense:
Most important rule is to never ever defend with your back 3 if you can help it. In the middle of the pitch I try to use my producers as much as possible as my other players have the marking trait. I then use my Engine or Commander if no Producers are close. I only use my Protector if my opponent is about to play an obvious pass into the middle and Explorers when there is an obvious pass out wide.
If your explorers are out-sped out wide I generally let the opposition Speedster run and focus on closing space for a pass across the box - I pull my opposite explorer to close the space. Generally the angle is too tight for them to shoot so cutting off the pass is key.
Strategy - Attack:
Already spoken about it but it is very simple: Play out wide > Play forward. Try to find your Producers as quickly as possible and if the Speedster or Intruder are running, try to find them. If they have a run into goal play it in front of them. If they have a run into the corners, try and hit it as close to the corner flag so you win a corner if their defenders catch up.
If you do not have a free pass to the two attackers, don't gamble. You have three options: 1) Play the pass backwards or inside to the Commander/Engine who will usually play a 1-2 back or switch to the other Producer on the other wing. 2) Switch play directly to the other Producer on the other wing. 3) Play all the way back to the keeper and restart - you have a 100% chance of keeping possession.
Corners:
Producers take the corners. When the Commander is on the back post, hit it really long to him and have him head back across the goal to the Hammer to score (usually a 95% chance to score). When the Commander is on the near post, hit the Hammer in the middle of the goal (usually a 70% chance to score).
Penalties:
I generally shoot left. I play my Commander as right CDM, so I do this to make sure he's always on the back post for corners if the keeper saves. I also generally shoot left when my Speedster/Intruder is in a head on 1v1 for this reason.
Free Kicks:
Producers take these. High power is good, but crazy high 'skill'/curve is ideal for bending around walls.
Mindset:
I try to analyse what went wrong when I lose and what I did well when I win. This has helped me identify over time that my strategy works well against 3-1-2-1-3 for example, because they are narrow and therefore give my producers space. You'll notice little things that can help improve your game this way.
It also helps in game if I notice a player has a certain habit. For example, if they always play to the wing on goal-kicks I know to tackle with a nearby player. If they play with slow buildup in the midfield, I know to be cautious and not bring players out of position.
Promotion:
General rule of thumb for me is to only push for promotion out of arena 6 when all your players a level 6. Same for arena 7 and 8. When my players are all 8 I'll go for arena 9.
Gems :
Spend most on tournaments and some on players in the item store. Never on boxes. I've never spent money on the game so the highest bang for buck is key. Winning tournaments gives you the biggest boost with the least gems spent. Spending 1-6 gems on 1-3 cards for your players in the store is also good because the gem to card ratio is 1:1 - 2:1. Spending on boxes is bad value - even the diamond package is about a 3-1 ratio and is too expensive to be worth it.
Emojis:
Not important to win but I like to be a nice person. No shushing/kissing/angry face. Only handshake, happy face, thumbs up, etc.
Conclusion:
Like I said at the start, this strategy works for me but is by no means the only way to play. I think in general its just good to go into each game with a plan and try to dictate (eg Producers>Speedsters) rather than winging it and having to react (eg who is open now? who do I pass to?). Its also key to play into space because your opponent can do nothing if they never have the ball.
Hope you find this valuable! Really hoping that more people come forward with their strategies to share with the community. This subreddit helped a lot when I started out so it's always good to pay it forward.
Also feel free to ask questions or critique! How would you improve/beat this strategy?
Posted Mar 22, 2019, 1:19 AM UTC · edited