Look, let’s be real for a second. If you’ve been playing Clash of Clans for a decade like some of us, the daily grind of upgrading walls is basically a part-time job you don't get paid for. But then the first of the month rolls around. Everything changes. The Clash of Clans Clan War League (CWL) is the only time the game actually feels high-stakes anymore. It isn't just a regular war; it's a seven-day marathon of stress, glory, and usually one person in the clan who forgets to attack and ruins the promotion chances for everyone else.
It’s been around since 2018, and honestly, Supercell hasn't changed the core loop much because it works. You get eight clans. You get seven days. You get one shot per day. That’s it. No cleanup attacks. No "fixing" a teammate's 49% one-star. It’s brutal, and that’s why it’s the peak of the game’s competitive cycle.
How the Clash of Clans Clan War League Actually Functions
Most people think CWL is just a bigger version of standard wars. They're wrong. Standard wars use a complex war weight system involving your defensive levels and troop strengths to find a "fair" match. CWL doesn't care about your feelings or your level 10 Town Hall. It’s strictly ladder-based. If your clan is in Crystal I, you fight other clans in Crystal I. Period.
This is why you’ll see "mismatches" all the time. You might be a fresh Town Hall 12 staring down a fully maxed Town Hall 16 because that clan just happened to drop a league or is climbing back up. It feels unfair, sure, but that’s the nature of a league system. You are where you are because of your wins, not your base weight.
The Seven-Day Format
Each war lasts 24 hours. You have a preparation day for the first war, and then it’s a rolling cycle. While you’re fighting War 1, you’re prepping for War 2. It’s exhausting for Clan Leaders. They have to manage rosters, fill defensive Clan Castles, and yell at people on Discord to get their hits in before the timer runs out.
The rosters are usually 15vs15 or 30vs30. Most serious clans prefer 15vs15 because it's easier to coordinate and ensure every single person is an elite attacker. In the higher tiers, like Champion League, you don't even have the option for 30vs30. It’s 15vs15 only. That's where the real pros live.
The Medal Economy: Why You’re Actually Here
Let’s talk about League Medals. They are the most valuable currency in the game. Forget gems. Forget Raid Medals. League Medals let you buy Hammers.
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Hammers are broken. They instantly finish an upgrade and cost zero resources. If you’re trying to max out a Town Hall 16, a Hammer of Fighting or a Hammer of Building saves you 14+ days of time and nearly 20 million in resources. You only get these by performing well in the Clash of Clans Clan War League.
The math is simple. If you win your wars and your clan gets promoted, you get more medals. If you personally get at least eight stars across the week, you get 100% of the possible medal reward for your league. If you only get one or two stars? You’re getting a fraction of that. This creates a weird tension where people want to hit lower bases just to secure their stars, even if it’s not what’s best for the clan’s overall score.
Bonus Medals are the Ultimate Clan Drama
After the seven days are up, the Clan Leader gets a "bonus" pool of medals to hand out. The game gives you a base number of bonuses, plus one extra for every war win. This is where friendships die. Does the leader give them to the top performers? The people who hit the hardest bases? Or the co-leaders who did all the work filling CCs? Most clans have a strict policy now—usually based on "stars gained" or "triple rate"—just to avoid the inevitable whining in the chat.
Strategy: It Isn't About the Triple
In a normal war, you’re fishing for three stars. In the Clash of Clans Clan War League, a two-star is actually a decent result, especially if you're hitting up against a higher Town Hall.
Since you only get one attack, the risk of a "fail" (a zero or one-star) is catastrophic. If you go for a risky triple and end up with 48% zero stars, you’ve basically handed the win to the other clan. Most high-level clans play it safe with "high-percentage two-star" strategies like Blizzard or Super Archer Blimps. Secure the Town Hall, get the 50%, and move on.
The "Hit Down" Strategy
One of the most common ways to win CWL is a coordinated "hit down." This is where your top players hit slightly lower bases to guaranteed triples, and your bottom players "hit up" just to grab a two-star on the enemy's top bases. It’s mathematically sound. Two two-stars (4 stars total) is better than one three-star and one one-star (4 stars total, but with lower percentage).
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Percentage is the tie-breaker. You’ll see wars won by 0.1% total destruction. That’s the difference between a Queen Ability used correctly and a Queen walking into a Single-Target Inferno.
Common Misconceptions About League Placement
People think that if they add a bunch of high-level players right before CWL starts, they’ll get an easier matchup. Nope. Once you’re in a league, the game doesn't care who you bring. You can bring 15 Town Hall 16s into a Gold League war, and you will absolutely steamroll everyone, but you won't get better rewards until you actually climb the ladder.
Another big mistake? Upgrading Heroes during CWL.
Don't do it. Just don't.
Unless you’re using a Book of Heroes, having even one Hero down makes you a liability. In some clans, if you show up to a Clash of Clans Clan War League match without your Archer Queen, you'll be kicked before the war even ends. It’s that serious because every star counts toward promotion or demotion.
The Champion League Grind
Once you hit Champion I, the game changes. You aren't just playing for medals anymore; you’re playing for a spot in the World Championship qualifiers. This is where the "pro" side of Clash of Clans lives. The bases are insane. The layouts are specifically designed to bait common troops like Edrags or Root Riders.
At this level, "Ring Bases" are common. They look easy. They aren't. They’re designed to make your troops circle the outside while the Town Hall's Giga Inferno melts everything in the core. If you aren't pathing your troops with surgical precision, you're going to have a bad time.
Why 2024 and 2025 Changed the Meta
With the introduction of Hero Equipment and Ore, the stakes for winning wars skyrocketed. You need those wins to get the Ore required to level up things like the Eternal Tome or the Frozen Arrow. Before, you just needed to win for the medals. Now, you need the wins for the literal power of your units.
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The "Root Rider" meta also shifted things. For a while, CWL was just a spam-fest. But Supercell has been tweaking the defenses—Multi-Archer Towers and Ricochet Cannons—to make those "braindead" strategies less effective. You actually have to think again. It’s a relief, honestly.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Season
If you want to actually succeed in the Clash of Clans Clan War League, you need to stop playing it like a regular war. Here is the blueprint for a successful week:
- Audit Your Roster Early: Don't wait until the search button is live. Confirm who is "In" and "Out" 48 hours early. Anyone with a Hero on upgrade is an automatic "Out."
- The "Two-Star Floor": Instruct your lower-tier players to never, ever go for a three-star if it risks a zero-star. Use a Flame Flinger or a Baby Dragon to pick off percentage points from the edges.
- Clan Castle Variety: Don't just put Super Minions in every CC. Mix it up. Put an Ice Golem and a Lava Hound in one to stall. Put Triple Ice Golems in another. If the enemy sees the same troops every war, they’ll adjust.
- Scout the Enemy's Win Streak: Look at the war log of the clan you're facing. If they’ve won 10 in a row, they’re likely coordinated on Discord. Treat them with respect. If they’re on a losing streak, they might be falling apart internally—use that to play more aggressively.
- Save Your Ores: Use the medals you win to buy Ore if you're a high-level player, or Hammers if you're still grinding Town Hall levels.
The CWL is a test of endurance more than skill. Anyone can get a lucky triple once. Doing it seven days in a row, while managing a clan of 30+ people and dealing with the inevitable drama of someone attacking the wrong target? That’s the real game.
Make sure your Clan Capital is also being farmed during the off-weeks. The Raid Medals can buy Research Potions which, when stacked with CWL Hammers, can shave months off your laboratory time. It’s all about the synergy of the different game modes.
Stop treating it like a chore and start treating it like the tournament it is. If you aren't nervous when you press that "Attack" button, you probably aren't in a high enough league yet. Find a clan that pushes you, get your eight stars, and spend those medals wisely. The next Town Hall update is always right around the corner.