“Eriu, Rally on You!”
“Copy. Send Molo, Clare and t7 Infantry and Artillery to Capacity.”
“In!”
“In!”
“Copy. Rein received.”
“Incoming!”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”
Look familiar? We have all seen this dialog in our Alliance Chats. For a Trap, it is the most anticipated and sought after moments we have in the game. The thrill of seeing the notification pop-up that a rally has been set. The butterflies forming as you begin your final checks. The heart-pounding seconds as we wait for the rally to hit as it seems to be slowly approaching no matter how quickly the attacker speeds it… And then… BAM! The excitement and giddy elation as you stare at the report, “Hero Captured”!
We discussed building a trap base in my previous article. Now, let’s discuss ways to use it. Everyone wants the thrill and sheer glee of capping that hero and seeing your point totals shoot through the roof. Let’s use this bad boy!
Setting the Stage
“Don’t port next to CP, no one is gonna hit you.”
-Hadouken (MFKR)
Part of Trapping is playing a part or a role. I mentioned previously, a trap is “… an account that is deceptive in appearance.” So the first thing you can do is make yourself look weak or like a brand new player. You can do this by trying some of the following:
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Select a Map Location A good place for traps to position themselves is towards the edge of the war zone, closer to other players, but still strategically visible. Porting near a hive is often an ideal location.
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Appear Offline Seasoned target hunters look for several things when trying to find an ideal target. One thing all hunters look for first is whether or not a target is online. A few ways to help this illusion are as follows:
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NO TALKING This should go without saying but you can’t appear offline when you are chatting it up with the Enemy in Region Chat.
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Delete ALL Contacts other than Your Own Alliance People will use your contact light as an indication of whether you are a good target at the moment.
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Do NOT Click Help That’s right… Seasoned hunters know to check for help. If the helps number goes up on your Profile Page, on to the next target they go.
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Do NOT Work on Your Base You have to avoid anything that would change your power level. This includes research, building and troop training. Do not level heroes.
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Dress For the Occasion We are trying to look like a newbie, right? Ooooh! We just had the BEST Raid Boss event EVER! I did so fantastically, I had to go celebrate, but WHOOPS! I was in such a hurry I forgot to change gear and check my shield. Try dressing in the appropriate gear from the previous event. *Although a lot of gear is only a marginal difference in the outcome, we are going for the appearance of being offline and unprepared here. I do suggest if being caught unaware could actually happen to you, skill your hero for defense as well. This will buy you some extra time to get back on the game.
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Change Your Name and Appearance Especially if you are well known, changing your player name, base name, avatar, adornment and profile scroll line is crucial. If your heroes have name changes, change them back to the generic names of Riggs, Xira, Ronin, and Talia. (Some like to label Riggs as No Hero when using Riggs for defense to confuse the opponent. Look carefully at reports for experience earned.)
“A technique I use involves missiles. You can target yourself with a missile and set yourself on fire. It is also fun to have a missile prepared and launch right after an attack so the attacker thinks they burned you..” -Banana (BAFA)
“…avoiding the debate as to whether or not to kill heroes as a part of your stats, I believe the focal point of trapping is to appear much weaker than you are, and seem like you have no clue about the game. That being said, I found that R1 or R2 (Rank 1 or Rank 2) bases are more likely to be hit than an R3 or R4 base. Even a detail like that always crosses an attacker’s mind. R1s or R2s always seems like the #$t players in a team (no offense)…” – lordholgi (O+G)
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble
Now that the stage is set, we wait. Yes, wait. Unfortunately waiting is the bane of every trapper’s existence, but a necessary action (or inaction as the case may be). Some like the “hit me because I’m stupid” approach. Some try to bait others to hit in a variety of methods. Remember there are many, many ways to trap.
“Fishing: Port in the general vicinity of a potential target(s) and send out multiple TROOP ONLY deployments. Attack lower level bases, making sure the deployment(s) cross over your target(s) Command Center. This will create deployment lines that lead the target(s) back to your trap.
Side Note- Use this method to further bait your target(s) into attacking your trap by the method described next.
Commander Collecting: The collection of multiple (5+) low-level commanders of an opposing region or alliance as bait to attack your trap works well.” -Chrisshank
“I scout… A lot. I might get a message or hit back. If I get a message, I play dumb. It seems to work because a lot of the guys in the game have a different outlook on women. I switch up my banners so I look like I have no clue as to what event I’m doing, or how they’re supposed to be used. I’ll change my hero and put them on, too.
*A side note, don’t switch your banners back to defense until AFTER they’ve scouted and are about to hit.“ -xTRISx (BAB)
Suddenly, THERE IT IS!! The rally pop up! You squeal with delight, (ok, maybe not if you’re a guy, but I do) and quickly go to access your target. This is where trapping experience is handy. Ask yourself the following questions when accessing your attacker, whether it be a solo attack or a rally attack:
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What is the Attackers Command Center (cc) Level? Know your account and what you can handle. Hopefully, you have tested with members of your alliance or region previously and have a general idea of what you can handle and how you can achieve your goal.
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What is the Power Level? If you know hero total power levels, what is left is troop power, buildings, and knowledge. Buildings and knowledge will add to the power of an attack, so often a very high power level can indicate a very powerful attack.
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What Gear is the Attacker Wearing? This will also give you a good indication of how hard the hit will be.
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What Hero is the Attacker Sending? For example, currently Riggs has a higher march capacity, so you know that more than likely a large march is headed your way in that case. Keep in mind you can see exactly what is coming at you by scouting your attacker. Look in the WAR RALLIED section of the scout report. (Do not scout if trying to seem offline.)
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What Alliance is the Attacker From? Although this is NOT a solid, 100% indicator of what may be coming, (you have gems in small alliances and the “not so bright” in large ones, as well) larger, more well-known alliances often have better strategy communication. Because of this, they are often built more stoutly.
*Please Keep In Mind These are BASIC and GENERAL Guidelines. Each Attack, Player, and his or her technique is different.
After accessing your attacker, you will decide if you need reinforcements, what the reinforcements will be if you do, what boosts you will need, what possible troop change, if you need contraband (core) gear, or even if you will need to change gear at all. If requesting reinforcements from your alliance, be SPECIFIC with the squad and troop types you would like. You can’t expect your alliance to guess at what your base is like or what it needs.
Pay attention to the details, because your attacker will, too.
It’s Time to Dance
The rally is counting down, you have accessed your target and you called for the reinforcements you needed. Now is the time I go through “the checklist”. To make it easier on myself, I go clockwise around my city view and prepare:
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Glimpse at what hero I have I may or may not be changing that hero. I may or may not be changing the gear. At this moment I am only cataloging what is there.
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Serum Lab If I need a serum for this attack, is the correct one being used? Do I need to change it?
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Wall Are my Wall Vehicles Equipped?
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Squad Command Is the Correct Squad Equipped? Is the Squad Fully healed? Are Squad Skills Set?
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Monument Are my banners equipped? If I need them for this defense, are they active?
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Boosts Check your boost list for any pertinent boosts for your defense.
Once I’ve done this quick check (it should only take about 10-15 seconds), I go to my World View and watch. I look to see who has ported in and I wait for the rally to begin. This will help access the chance for solos and other possibilities. The moment my screen turns red and I see that tank pop up, I quickly go back to my City View and Click on my hero. This is when I switchgear or hero if necessary. This skill comes with time and practice. You can judge a little at the speed you saw the rally start and the number of pop-ups telling you the rally was sped up. Try not to change gear too early if you are going with that tactic. You don’t want anyone to see the switch.
Once the rally hits, I do not look at the report first. After switching hero or gear I immediately go to Squad Command while the rally is still marching, and heal squad the moment the attack (or secret solo attack before the rally) hits if needed. Then I instant heal my troops with gold.
If I switched hero or gear, I switch back to what it was when the attacker set. If no more attacks are inbound I can check my report then. A few more things can happen at this moment. You can release the hero immediately if you capped. Some people love to play the “try sending your hero this time. You almost won!” trick. They don’t get a report so if you are fast enough it can be difficult for them to tell if they did or not.
Worst-case scenario you have them second-guessing themselves which often makes people want to try again. You can also continue to pretend you are not on by NOT healing, depending on your results. You can hold the hero and wait to see if a bigger fish may come with a rescue rally. Some trappers like to burn on purpose the first hit.
Sometimes giving up a little can be greatly beneficial by gaining so much more in the next attempt by your frustrated attacker. Remember to use what tricks you can. That is part of the beauty of trapping. So many choices are yours to command. YOU decide the tempo of the battle.
In Conclusion
Although this article barely scratches the surface of the multitude of techniques you can use while trapping, I hope many of you will be able to use it as inspiration and a springboard for your own outstanding ideas.
I would like to extend a very special thank you to the following players for their assistance forming this article from discussions to field testing:
Hadouken (MFKR) Banana (BAFA) lordholgi (O+G)
Chrisshank (L00N) xTRISx (BAB) Goober (SeFi)
Indah2o (KIll) Reezy147 (BBAN) Bruce Wang (KIll)
If you would like more personalized suggestions for trapping, join us at WWR Command on Line or Discord. We’ll be there!
