Here’s the situation…
My chest slots are full. It will be six and a half more hours before one opens. I’ll have to wait sixteen more hours before I can start unlocking my crown chest again. And, I’m sitting at my all-time high trophy count.
There is almost no upside to hitting “battle” button right now. My trophy count is already at the upper limit for my current deck configuration. I’ll make no progress towards finding and upgrading cards. I should just take a break, go lay in a hammock and read a book.
Wrong, it’s Friendly Battle time!
1. There is no downside to Friendly Battles. You could go on a horrific losing streak and you won’t lose a single trophy. We all know you’re going to have horrific losing streaks so have them in friendly battles and hone your skills for the fights that count.
2. Unless you’re at the very top of the clan, Friendly Battles are the only place you’re going to encounter higher level cards. Because of the trophy count based matching used for regular battles, your opponents will always have similar cards to your own. Want to get some practice countering a Princess? Challenge the top players in your own clan.
3. Maybe your trophy count has topped out because your deck is a little stale. Start swapping in new cards and testing them in Friendly Battles. Or, blow your deck up completely and try something new. Friendly Battles are a safe place to work those things out and it’s the only place you can get advice back from your opponent.
4. When you Friendly Battle regularly, you will probably find another player or two on a similar level with a compatible schedule. You need those people to show you how your deck will perform when you start regular battles again. As you continue your Friendly Battles, you will start encoding offensive and defensive strategies in your brain so they become automatic. That practice is doubly beneficial to the clan because iron is sharpening iron and two clan members are becoming stronger players.
5. Last but not least, Friendly Battles build camaraderie. Most casual, mobile games are more fun when there is an element of social interaction. Embrace it. Battle your clan mates. Talk some smack. Sometimes having bragging rights inside your own clan is more rewarding than pushing trophies.