For the dedicated 'Free-to-Play' (F2P) user, reaching the top of the leaderboards requires immense patience and an absolute mastery of the game's internal economy.

Every single gold coin and green gem must be managed with the precision of a corporate accountant.

Managing the Ultimate Bottleneck

Upgrading a single card to the maximum level requires hundreds of thousands of gold coins, an amount that takes weeks of daily play to accumulate.

If you switch decks constantly and try to level up thirty different cards, you will end up with thirty mediocre, mid-level cards that are completely useless against maxed opponents.

• Farm them relentlessly.
• If you must change decks, try to pick a new deck that shares at least 3 or 4 cards with your old deck.
• They are simply too expensive and rare for F2P players to rely on.

The Smart Use of Premium Currency

You must resist this temptation entirely; speeding up a silver chest for 18 gems is the absolute worst financial decision you can make in the game.

If you are a highly skilled player, the rewards from winning ten or twelve matches in a Grand Challenge vastly exceed the value of buying a chest directly from the shop.

The Marathon of F2P

You will lose games to players who simply bought better stats, and it will be infuriating.

The dedicated F2P player will always outlast the impatient whale.