You know, throughout my life, I've experienced many harsh metas. From overbearing top tier character in Smash Bros, to stupidly powerful weapons in Call of Duty, I am no stranger to facing the same thing continuously.

But I am a human. We all have limits. We all have breaking points.

This game has a meta so tight, so strict, that it is impossible to try anything different to win. Not difficult, not very challenging, impossible. The data (haha, get it?) doesn't lie; in the top parts of ladder, most players use a strict selection of a few cards, with even most of their decks being completely identical. This would be bad enough on its own, but even casual game modes like 2v2 and event modes are starting to become infected with meta-focused decks.

Yes, I get that players can play a game however they want. I know there will be players who will always strive to win, even in casual game modes. But the frequency as of recently has gotten so unbearably high that it's almost difficult to justify casual game modes as being casual when it's not uncommon for opponents to try as hard as ranked players.

As for my main point:

WHAT THE F---ing F--- IS THE POINT OF HAVING OVER 100 CARDS IN A GAME IF HALF OF THE CARDS ARE ALMOST F---ing UNUSABLE!?!?!?!?

Seriously, think about this for a good second. Think about the cards you normally see in any given match.

And then try to think of anything else. Does any other cards come to mind?

Please, enlighten me. When was the last time that these cards below were decently relevant, or the last time you saw anyone seriously try to use these cards:

• Cannon Cart
• Minions
• Minion Horde
• Royal Delivery
• Skeleton Dragons
• Skeleton Barrel
• Night Witch
• Bomber
• Archers
• Tesla
• Heal Spirit
• Furnace
• Wizard
• Barbarian Hut
• Mirror
• Three Musketeers
• Skeleton Army
• Clone
• Witch
• Bowler
• Electro Dragon
• X-Bow
• Giant Skeleton
• Ice Wizard
• Ram Rider
• Sparky
• Freeze
• Goblin Drill
• Guards
• Elixir Pump
• Goblin Cage
• Elixir Golem
• Battle Healer
• Royal Recruits
• Giant Snowball
• Fire Spirit

I don't know about you, but I have never ever seen these cards used by nearly anybody for the past few months. That's nearly half of the card roster at this point.

I thought the whole point of Clash Royale was to experiment with cards, find new synergies, and create new decks. Where the hell did the whole "experimentation and exploration" aspect of Clash Royale go? Was there even one in the first place?

Back in the day, it didn't feel like torture to try something new and different. Sure, it would be more of a struggle, but you could still have some success and fun with it. Nowadays however, the gap between what cards can be relevant and what cards cannot is so vast and strict that anything which is not meta struggles to be fun. When players are not only failing with non-meta decks, but also just not having fun with them at all, it only discourages people to even think about trying anything out of the norm.

And for those who say "if you want to avoid meta decks, just play casual event modes or 2v2", it's far too late. Even 2v2 is overrun with the meta as if every part of the game has to be competitive. Just last night, I was playing 2v2 with my friend and we encountered multiple opponents in a row that were both using Firecracker, regular or evolved.

THIS. IS. NOT. FUN.

It's torture. Plain and simple.

Playing against the same goddamn cards and the same goddamn decks over and over again gets so repetitive to the point where I feel absolutely no gratification or satisfaction for beating them. I don't feel happiness anymore, just disgust and annoyance. When a meta has become so toxic to the point where even winning no longer feels fun, that's a true breaking point.

I've been through too many games like this and I cannot risk my mental health believing that this game's meta can somehow turn around. So many things would have to change, and considering the most recent lackluster quantity of balance changes, I don't have high hopes.