It's been a while since my lower arena guide last year and I've decided to make a new one for infinity areana. I've actually been inspired by a lot of negativity on this sub about the usual bad AI and overpowered Infinity arena teams and I want to share my view on how it can all be overcome. It may shock many but I think the game is surprisingly fair in terms of player behaviour.

As mentioned in my last guide, I'm not claiming that my way is the best or only way to play. It is just what works well for me.

Credentials:

I have had two accounts on this game over the last 2 years. After deleting my facebook, I lost the first account with 30 gold medals and a 64% winning record over 6,325 games.

My current account has 41 gold medals and a 69.6% winning record after 3,894 games. I got to Arena 10+ (now Infinity Arena) in 357 games and to the Arena 10+ max of 3,799 (pre-infinity) in 1,477 games with a mostly level 7 team.

I have never had any facebook guest players and have only paid USD 4.99 for one season pass. All of my success is from figuring out strategies for the game rather than boosting my squad.

##Full album of my Score Match history and line-ups.

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Strategy Overview:

Formation:

As many infinity arena players will know, 5-3-2 is the meta. There are two good reasons for this: 1) with the ball, possession is key and the 5-3-2 promotes buildup and creative flexibility; and 2) without the ball, counters are lethal so 5 at the back reduces this threat. The wing-backs and CM's are the most important players as they give this creativity and solidity respectively.

######1) With The Ball When you have the ball your opponent can't score. If they can't score you can't lose. It sounds simple enough, but executing isn't always straightforward. For example, it is always worth playing a safer pass that keeps possession vs a high risk high reward option. The aim isn't to score as quickly as possible, it's to score before turning over the ball. Recycling can give you a better angle of attack for the next opportunity. The added benefit of several passes is that the more you connect, the more your opponent is likely to pull their defenders out of position as they chase the ball.

For this reason, I like to play with defenders and midfielders who don't dribble and have conservative and predictable passing. I always know where my commander is likely to pass the ball for example.

######2) Without The Ball In my opinion, the most dangerous moments are counter attacks. One pass to a speedster can easily result in a goal or a corner. You do not want to be caught out with your defenders out of position.

For this reason, I play with a Protector as an anchor because he does not have the running trait. I also never 'pull' a player out of position to chase and only activate a tackler when the opposition gets into dangerous positions. I'll go more in depth in the defending section below.

5-3-2 Line-Up:

• Stopper
• Producer - Explorer - Protector - Explorer - Producer
• Commander - Bulldozer/Hammer - Commander
• Speedster/Jet - Voyager

Defense

Stopper is the best keeper. If your defensive line is solid, you won't need him charging out to sweep.

Explorers are there for pace to prevent counters and to pressure passes out wide. Your opponent can't score a header with their hammer if they can't cross the ball. These guys aim to stop crosses before they happen. When in possession though, try to avoid passing to them as they love to dribble in dangerous areas.

Protector is the anchor of the defense. I also like the guard, but the protector has more height. He generally attempts more attacking passes out wide to the producers, which is key for this formation. His passing is super predictable, which can help you launch an attack up the left or right wing.

Producers/Marksmen are my MVP's. They sit as wingbacks, but their roles are far more attacking than defensive. Use their incredible 'power' and 'skill' stats, their tendency never to dribble, and their attacking passing behavior to launch through balls and crosses up to the forwards from everywhere on the pitch.

Midfield

Commanders are my other MVPs for three reasons - their height, response, and the fact that they are super conservative in possession. Height helps on corners and cross field passes. Response is vital as they serve as the first line of defense and close down opposition quickly. Conservative in possession helps massively as they will play predictable 1-2's with your producers and are good options if the producers don't have a good crossing option.

Hammer/Bulldozer is great for long shots, corners, and his predictability with safe passing options.

Attack

Speedster/Jet is pretty self explanatory. His pace is great when paired with the producer's ability to play balls from very deep.

Voyager is my surprise ace. He has great pace and response meaning he can immediately press when I lose the ball. He also has decent height and will dribble closer to the goal than the speedster for easier shooting angles.

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Playing the Game:

Defending:

The most important phase of the game - if you mess up on attack you will get more chances; if you mess up on defense you lose a goal. I generally always pressure first with my commanders, especially against short passes in their midfield as their high response can close space quick. I don't pressure/tackle with any of my back 5 unless the opposition has a chance to play in behind/break through the lines. Pulling one player out of position makes huge exploitable gaps in your defense.

It's also good to think about your aim: protecting the goal is way more important than getting the ball back ASAP. If your opponent has it in a non-dangerous position, don't pull a player out of your defensive structure. If they rely on crosses and headers for example, allow them to dribble inside and protect the wings.

Attacking:

As mentioned above, the strategy is to use your producer's creative talents. Play out wide > Play forward. Try to find your Producers as quickly as possible and if the Speedster or Voyager are running, try to play it in front of them.

If you don't have an easy pass to the two attackers, don't gamble. You have three options: 1) Pass inside to the Commander for a 1-2 back; 2) Switch play directly to the other Producer on the other wing; or 3) Play all the way back to the defense/keeper and restart.

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Mindset

Improving as a Player:

The first idea you have to get out of your mind ASAP is that the game is biased or random. When you load up a match your players will always act the same predictable way. (Yes, there may be fairness issues with matchmaking, pay to win, etc., but these you cannot control.) When your player makes a bad run or when you don't have any passes open, don't get upset at the game. Remember that you put yourself in that position! Try to analyse what went wrong and don't play similar passes in similar situations again.

Conversely, remember what went well when you won. Notice when your player has a certain habit or always plays the same type of pass and use that to your advantage. For example, if you pass short from a keeper slightly to the left/right of a protector they will always turn to play a long pass to the left/right wing - great for starting attacks. Learn what runs your players make on corners. Learn where to place passes near opposition defenders to win freekicks.

Try not to get frustrated at your opponent or the game because it behaves the same way for everyone. Knowing this teaches you how to use your players to their maximum potential, and allowed me to reach max stars (before infinity arena) with a 59.5% win-rate with a team full of level 7's. Proof in album above.

I'd also say on a personal level how funny it is reading last year's post. What worked for me back then definitely isn't as good as the strategies I use now. I'm always trying to 'solve' the game and am constantly trying to improve.

Arena Limbo:

If you are stuck being too good for one arena but struggling in the next one, the above section is even more important. Focus on winning (and not losing) rather than scoring - park the bus when you go 1-0 up if you have to. Focus on what will work rather than what has worked - if playing with a hammer up top works for you when facing level 8/9 defenders but not against level 10, don't play your hammer up top. Focus on improving yourself rather than wishing you had higher ranked players.

I was stuck between 10 and infinity for a while. Rising up infinity didn't come from suddenly upgrading my players - it game from cracking many small mental barriers.

Tournaments:

Speaking of ranking up your players though, the best way to improve them is to play tournaments. Buying packages in the store is a bad return (2,000 gems for diamond pack with 774 cards) vs playing in tournaments where you can win several thousand cards for ~200 gems.

Miscellaneous Common Mistakes:

• Don't only evaluate players based on stats. Many players play intruders at the back, which I consider to be a huge mistake because they: play attacking passes in dangerous situations, love to dribble, love to make runs forward out of position, and don't have the marking trait. He's got a high speed stat - so what? He'll get you into trouble more than he'll get you out of it.
• Don't under-value the response stat. Your commander will chase down a short pass much faster than a speedster.
• Don't ignore your keeper when under pressure. He's the ultimate 'reset' move when you don't have any options open.
• A facebook player won't fix your problems instantly. You are the most important part of your team - you are likely to be underwhelmed if you expect a new player to improve your winning percentage significantly without learning how to properly use them.

A Note on Negativity:

As mentioned at the top, I was inspired to make this guide after seeing so many frustrated users post about how unfair the game is in one way or another. It isn't perfect, but deflecting the blame off yourself makes it really hard to improve. It takes time to improve. In that time you will have losing streaks, face overpowered users, concede bullshit goals, and receive a fair number of shush emojis. You can't control a lot of this, but you can control your reaction to those challenges.

If you find that you're getting tilted and are on a losing streak, don't keep playing. (I have sudoku on my phone for this exact situation!)

In an ideal world I'd love for this sub to be a common ground for people wanting to improve together. I'd love for negative posts about how BS everything is to be things of the past. A guy can dream....

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Questions:

Please ask them - happy to answer anything about anything! :)

What are some strategies that have worked well for you guys?

What do you think about the state of this sub in terms of negativity? Can it be improved?