Why Elixir Pump Fundamentally Breaks Clash Royale

In Clash Royale, each player generates elixir at the same rate, one every 2.8 seconds, and it mostly comes down to who utilizes it better. However, one card would break this natural flow. The elixir collector, also known as the elixir pump, collector was not a card that would deal any damage or fight [music] for you. It was an investment. You pay an upfront cost, and if the card survives for its full intended duration, you get all your elixir back and then some. On the surface, this card sounds so boring. You might wonder how I can possibly talk about something this simple for 40 minutes, but don't be quick to judge. Elixir Collector has been very influential in [music] the past. Because of its uniqueness, Supercell has had to change this card in ways other cards would never or could never be balanced. So, let's go back and see how Elixir Collector was at the beginning, cover the balance changes it's received, and explain how it ended up where it is today. Elixir Collector is an OG42 card, so it's been in Clash Royale since the very beginning. This building was actually originally from Clash of Clans. In that game, it generates elixir in your home village to use for training troops before battles and certain upgrades, but it was never used to attack villages or act as any sort of defense. They were usually something you wanted to protect to prevent raiders from taking your unclaimed elixir or just use as a distraction. So, it being involved in live battles like this was kind of weird. Pump was a five elixir card with a lifetime of 70 seconds, generating elixir every 9.95 seconds. If damage was dealt to the pump, however, that would affect its lifetime, [music] and as a result, it would generate less total elixir. If it was left alone, it would generate a total of six, which is one more than what it cost. [music] But hold on. If the pump is generating an elixir every 9.95 seconds, and the lifetime is 70, shouldn't it generate seven elixir, not six? The answer to that is yes. It was intended to generate seven elixir. So, [music] why didn't it? Well, that was because of its deploy time. Most cards have a deploy time of 1 second, and Collector was no exception. But [music] the problem was was that the lifetime started ticking down instantly from the second it was placed before the