Skeletal scytheman

Defensive Melee Special

A reliable defender against close combat if you take it as part of a balanced defense and not as a standalone solution. A defense of 165 is good, although with later event units you will encounter higher numbers, so don't expect miracles. If you are a new player and receive it from an event, take it; it will serve you well in sword defense and save other defenders. Just always supplement it with defense against ranged units.

14Attack

165Melee defense

66Ranged defense

28Speed

3Food upkeep

The Skeleton Reaper is purely a defensive infantry unit for walls and is a solid choice for close combat defense. Its defense against swords and axes of 165 is its only reason for existence; this value underpins its entire usefulness. An attack of 14 automatically disqualifies it from offense, so consider it exclusively as a defender.

How to use it

It belongs only in the defense of the castle or on targets you are defending, nowhere else. It works great as long as the opponent is sending melee waves at you, significantly increasing the losses of the attacker. The catch is that its defense against ranged units is only 66, so it cannot hold the walls by itself. Once the attacker switches to archers and artillery, the Reaper barely holds a third of what it can against swords. Also, keep in mind that it consumes 3 food, which is not insignificant for regular defensive infantry, and with full walls, this will add up in your supplies, so keep track of the numbers.

What to combine it with

This is the only thing you need to remember: the Reaper only covers half of the defense, with a poor 66 against ranged units, so you should always mix it with a unit strong against ranged units. In practice, a ratio of about half and half works well depending on what the opponent is sending, supplemented with defensive tools on the walls that will raise melee defense even higher. By itself, as a mono-defense, it only holds against a purely sword army, which almost no one sends today. I won't repeat this thesis in the rest of the sections; it's a basic deployment rule.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Never take it for an attack; with an attack of 14 in an enemy castle, it just dies and causes no losses to the opponent. Don't rely on it as the sole defender; a purely Reaper wall can be broken by a clever attacker with ranged waves due to that sixty-six. And don't look for it in regular barracks; it is not produced for resources; it is a special unit from special offers or events.

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