Matchmaking in Grand Arena is Busted for Free to Play… Or Is It? 1.5 Mil vs 6 Mil GP 

I DEFINITELY think this NEEDS to be a series. It shows mid game players a practical farming strategy and counters to run up GAC!

Seriously. Many people in my guild agree. Although this matchmaking system pushes you to try harder in GA, it eventually rewards consecutive victories by pitting you against opponents with millions of GP higher than yours. It's challenging for a while, until it becomes almost uniwinnable. This is one of the things that make me like the old system better. Sure, the rewards were worse but the gamemode wasn't nearly as "sweaty" as it is now.

Busted is the understatement of the century. Today, as a 750k GP player, I matched up against someone with 5.5M GP. Literally 7 times my GP, and the only situation where I win is that he doesn't attack. Not much skill in this "skill based matchmaking"

Good morning grand admiral. You are absolutely correct..the system is busted beyond belief. I'm a returning player with 2.5 mill GP with few relics and no GL's and every single event I am in put against 5+ mill accounts with multiple GL's. There is no joy in playing the game if you realistically don't stand a chance.

In EP v Traya matches, I like to bring in a Nihilus of my own, get him to the bare minimum where he won't die from one basic, and load him with tenacity. You can feel safe using all the AoEs you want without worrying about an unkillable Nihilus. A high tenacity Thrawn also helps if they stick Vader on the team, since you can't stun him or reduce his turn meter.

I agree, yesterday I had to fight someone with 6.5 mil gp with 2 gls while I'm at 1.8 mil gp with 0 gl. I can handle people who have a million gp on me but I just gave up.

I’m in chromium two with less than 3 million gp, and literally everyone I face has 5 million or more. I have fought only two people in the same range of gp as me.

TL;DR: I think CG should add a GP limit to the matchmaking, so it is still skill based but you can’t be paired with someone with a large GP gap. I’ve been really hating these high GP matchups. Its just not fun when you can’t even make a dent with your best team. However, I did notice that often times the reason I get paired up with them is their low skill, and that low skill comes from the fact that they don’t do anything. With the new defense setup it looks like they set a reasonable defense, but then they don’t attack. So, if I just get the 10 first attack banners, then I win. But it’s not fun. I want to fight someone who I can actually clear at least a couple quadrants, and ideally one who will attack back. I think that CG should add a GP gap limit to their skill based matchmaking (so it would be Skill Based Matchmaking, but you can’t get matched with someone with more a than 1-2 million GP difference (IDK what the limit should be, but I’d think maybe 1 million)).

Working as intended.

BIG TIP: revisit how you use your Geos. The Playbook has a wonderful overview of this, but properly played your Spy should easily have been able to yeet KRU. His own buffs stack, so you can essentially have unlimited dmg with him, provided enough time. You also only want to use Soldier's basic since it grants TM and only call him to assist. Some basic tricks turn them into Monstars

I actually wrote to them a week ago about this. I have 2.7 mil and haven’t played in a while and i’m fighting people with 5mil + and they just gave me a bog standard answer of “thank you for letting us know. We’ll see how we can improve it”. Glad its mot just me thx for making a vid ahnald

Yeah, It’s absolutely broken. I’m matched against people with multiple teams relic 4+ while I only have one team which is gear 12. This makes Grand Arena super annoying as I can’t actually play it with people around my gear level!!

I’ve been free to play for a little over four years now. I still remember “FLIP THE CHAIR” during the C-3PO event XD. I have SEE, Darth Malak, and about to get the negotiator. What I would say is that I was paired against someone with SLK and 2.2 million more GP. Yet I still won. It’s not busted. Just mod right, examine your opponents roster, then strategize. Personally I don’t mind the GP gaps because it makes me a better player. Anyways, love ya Grand Admiral. You’re the reason I’ve stuck around the game and for that, Thank you.

I had 2M GP a few weeks ago and I had 6M GP Enemys every time. Sometimes it was really close but mostly I only won 'cause my enemy didn't play. Now, I'm facing better enemys almost every time but the gap isn't as big as a few weeks ago...

It’s finally caught up to me. After being pretty competitive punching-up in K3, and getting destroyed 0-3 in my 1 and only round in K2, I’m back to K3…and seems like I never left K2. It’s strange. More GP than me by like 2 mil across the group. Staring 0-2 after today.

9:00 I had a similar Bugs vs K-2S0 actually. Because his unique zeta gave him 1% max protection every time he was hit. And my GA opponenet had relic 6 Rogue one, and it paid off for them, because I had to come in with a cleanup squad because I just barely ran out of time on killing K-2S0 14:40 your cleanup against Kylo, I don't know if you chose Cad Bane for the stun or not, but he also reduces the targets protection by 25% if they are already debuffed, which makes Kylo easier to kill!

Traya's ability to inflict Healing Immunity states the target has to be buffed, so after Isolate was applied this would seem impossible.

2:58 That's SION number 1! Back to the bacta tank with you, until you are well enough to see clearly, Admiral! :3

Ahnald you gotta use Palp's second special, keeps the TM train rolling and does max health damage. THe health steal will keep your team alive

This was crazy on stream, I felt a strange sense of joy and achievement on your behalf

0:42 bro really wanted to do Sith Triumvirate

My matchmaking is also crap! Love you Ahnald san!

I've found myself running out of teams while my opponent full clears the last few grand arenas

I’m constantly getting out into brackets with 6 people who have 4million+, and then me and another person with 2mil

Talk about a David versus Goliath match! Great job, Admiral. Get well soon.

Watched it live: Epic. Watched the replay: Epic. It sure is great to be in the Empire today!

I started my first gac like 3 weeks ago, I haven’t been able to win a single cycle cause i fight ppl with 4 mil gp while I’m out here not even having 1 mil lol, this game’s wild

I experience this almost every time too, but luckily my roster is very GAC focused and SLKR can normally beat whatever top team they have. I’m 3.2 million and I face at least 6 million GP accounts every time, normally more like 7 million

It is 100% broken, I’m f2p myself with 5.8mil with 2 gls (been playing for a long time) and is constantly paired with people 1.5-2 mil above me, some with 4-5 gls unlocked

The fun is ruined when you get steamrolled 3 rounds in a row in GAC by someone who has triple your GP.

I love to see the free to play business!

The Command & Conquer games were so good! LLTE!

This is happening to me right now! My GAC opponent has 4.1 million more power and 3 more GLs than me. I've just got 4 mil and 2 GLs. Not a chance in hell. No hard feelings though, cheers GrandMasterMooche!

my last GA was like that,about a 2m discrepancy between me and the opponent,I had zero chance.

GAMECHANGER- next time you have trouble with kylo unmasked try mace windu… no joke he his shatterpoint decreases max health until kylo has like 100 health. I ran out of teams against him and I used a random team with low lvl jengo thinking his healjng immunity would do it, but instead it was mace that won the battle for me

i have 2 million gp no GL and like 6 gear 13 characters and i fought someone with 8 million yesterday :/ it's really fun to see your opponent have DR JKR SLKR and geos all gear 13 on front wall when you're nowhere near getting your first gl yourself thanks CG!!!

I always get matched with people with nearly double my GP, I’ve been stuck in bronzium for so long and I can’t do anything about it

2.4 million power, and I'm facing people that are over 5 million.

I literally versed someone with two more million gp than I do. I have 3 mil and zero GL’s. They had two GL’s and half there characters relic 5.

Just got into Aurodium on my nearly 4 mill GP account with 1 GL, and I'm up against a brutal challenge with opponents who have Kenobis + multiple other GLs, sometimes 3 or 4. I also don't have enough fleets to really balance defense and offense, I either have to go all offense or all defense with my fleets. Definitely more sweaty, but I'm still making far more crystals than I would have in the old system win or lose, so I'll take it.

My alt also had a crazy match where my 9M main was just as close to the opp in GP as my 1.6M alt. Crazy. Could say he doesn’t actually play and that’s how we got matched but he was in the winner bracket and did play

At this juncture, I’ve all but given up. Constantly facing people with 3-5mgp advantage rosters isn’t fun, skilled, or balanced. I can’t win and do not understand why I keep facing these accounts. It’s ridiculous.

I have more GP than my opponents but they have more relics or higher relics. Because I have so many credits and training droids, as soon as I unlock a new character I immediately level them up to 85.

I was on the other side of this problem last week. I'm a 5 mil gp, my opponent was barely over 1 million. Easy win, but I looked at his roster. He'd rushed SEE whereas I have no GL but a fairly well rounded roster.

And I hate the ones that only sets 1 tricked out ship and no other defenses and clear your whole board and wins

I face the same struggle with my 2.8 million GP having to deal with 4 to 6 millions GP all the time 😂 But thanks to your video I know the game well enough to win most of the time!!

I think the biggest issue is before I took gac seriously I would level up characters I liked and gave them gear just because. And now I am punished for that because my GP is higher than it should be

I definitely agree. I’m in Carbonite 5 right at the bottom. Yet there’s 1 Mil players and Even a 3 Million Player I’ve seen in one of my games. Never went against them luckily.

Those are the moments where I realise...I'm just plainly bad at this game...I loose many battles just because I have no idea what I'm doing. Thanks for those videos...think those tricks can advance my tactical level of playing

That’s why their should be a true above kyber so people can start filling in new theirs not stuck at the top

Glad to see CG got the matchmaking dialed in what a joke i thought the avg 1 mil im punching up to was bad thats a rough matchup grand admiral

Oh yeah! Im currently 2.8m gp and closing on SEE but this weeks matchups are 6-7m gp with 2-5 gls. My roster just isnt deep enough to have a chance

I keep getting roasted in my f2p but people with way more GP then me

That's how it is more me, I have 2.2 Million GP but this time around in Grand Arena both my opponents so far have been in the 6+ million GP and it has been a bad time,.but I see this more and more now

Ever since they reworked GAC, all of my opponents are a minimum of 2 mil more gp. They must know I follow the Grand Admiral and still mow them down. Today's opponent has 2 more GLs than me, and good tier speed mods. I will take it to the evil space wizards though. LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!!!

I can top that. 4.6m gp difference. I myself have SLKR and barely a 7* negotiator 5* malevolence 6* FO fleet. My opponent has SLKR, SEE, JML, JMK and the executor. Like maul said on Malachor.... What fun!

I've lost my last 6 or so GA rounds because a GAS or SLKR is on defense that I automatically can't beat. The matchmaking needs serious work

I’m at 3.88 mil GP and I’m currently consistently going against people with 6.5 mil or higher into the 7’s. I’ve managed to win a few by barely scraping by and outmodding them. If they don’t change GAC, then work out modding your enemies and you’ll hold more defenses.

farm boy luke elad plus kylo ren gives the tenacity you need to avoid those nasty stuns

I have no GL's yet and was fighting against a 6 GL opponent. He placed all 6 GL's on defense. Had to pull out my GL counters for barely a win. I still had no fun playing that round despite the victory.

Dang but it's great to be in the empire today!

I have a GP of just slightly less then 770K GP and I'm facing off a person with a GP of 4.5 Million. I got ahsoka tano to gear lvl 12 like a week ago and no one else is gear lvl 12 and this guy has like 30 relic teared guys. What a fun and balanced game

DEFINETLY, i haven't really attacked any of my grand arena because I have a difference of 3 mill gp, and its freaking bronzium like what

Last week I got put against a player with not only SEE (which I almost defeated 1st try) but also the legend himself, Kenobi, while I had 2.2 mill GP but no GLs and at that moment the only relics I had were Hunter and Tech at R5 and Echo at I think R3, I managed to leave SEE alone with BB but didn't manage to get through it with any other of my teams, and the other wall had Kenobi so I didn't even bother trying

I bet that 4.5 mil is bigger than most peoples' rosters

Yeah. I’m 1.2 mil and my opponents have consistently been 4+ mil. I kinda preferred having crystals in squad arena…

Yeah Ahnold that is like every GAC when you are F2P. But thanks to You and The Imperial Troppers i beat higer GP oponents.

I remember I never ever bother with GA as a free-to-play player. I haven’t played in two years now and I can say if I returned I would certainly not consider it either, not much has changed.

Another reason why I quit and just watch other people play through this misery. Thank you admiral for dedication.

Nice, my current enemy is 7.1 million gp and has 2 GL. While i am 1.4million

yea, the systems real busted. i’m around 4.5 mil gp, but i keep getting placed against people around 1-2 mil at times, pretty garbo

My current matchup is: Me 4.3m and 1 GL vs Opp… 6.9m gp and 3 GLs. This is pretty common in Arodium II. I set a very hard defense, have a couple left over for offense. Sometimes my opponent gets tripped up, and I’m able to win. Mostly they have more firepower and I take the L. It’s not really fun, but the crystals are okay.

7.6mil against 11mil for me today

i have 2.9 mil gp and i’m only paired up against players that have 5+ mil gp and surprisingly i still win thanks to all of your tips and strategies oh wise one

I am 100% FtP now, I did spend a small fortune in the years past. I’m in Kyber 2, and I am always battling people with better rosters, but I don’t have problems being competitive. There seem to be a bunch of people with really good rosters that don’t know how to play. recycled accounts idk.

Im a 2.5 million GP with no Galactic legend just recently Won my grand arena up against a 3.4 million who has a galactic legend. I had to do a solo with my CLS, won by 1 banner.

im 2.5 mil GP and only get matched against 5 mil+. i literally cant remember the last time i had a winnable GA

I’m a 1.8mil and my whole GA opponents all have a GL and are 4-7mil… I’m in the bottom league

Also, anyone who wants to join a guild, The Galactic Voids are open.

Hey Ahnald, I just wanna point something out I've seen you do a couple times. FOX stacks his health, thus dmg, faster with special, not basic. You always pull it off anyways, but what else could we expect from the GA. LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE

My grand arena matchup rn is against a 6.7 million gp guy and I have 2.7 million gp. Fix your game CG!!

i was there live. hope the other guy wasnt trolling, that was one of the juciest punchups ive seen in goh.

Heres an idea. Mix up the 2 different gac matchmaking styles. Make it so you face off against similar skill in your gp area. That way me, a 3.3 mill gp account only face off against those in the 3.0 to say like 3.9 mill. My current possible gac opponents all have 1. Over a million gp more than me. 2. 1 or more gls(compared to my none) and there's one guy with 7 million gp with 3 gls. No one can tell me this is fair.

The thing with big accounts that drop far down is they end up on a small map where most their account is useless anyhow.

I lose GA because one battle meanwhile my opponents will lose 7 battles and still win cause they have that many extra squads to throw in their millions of more gp

I'm 1.2 Mil, Started levelling up in November. Ever since my second GAC it has not been fun constantly getting put with people at 4mil.

star wars galaxy heroes are the star 7 and galaxy heroes nice good next

Last grand arena, I won a match by 1 banner and this time, if he doesn't attack, I will win 10-0. He has 4 times my barely 1 million GP.

New upLoad let’s go🎉

Totally agreed , im 7,2mln GP 100% f2p with 4 GLs and 7* Executor, and every round i play against ppl with higher GP than me in range of 1to 2,5mln GP gap, with all the legends , higher relics and so on :) So yes MM for f2p is pure shit.

I’m 3.1 GP with no GL’s and I keep getting matched with players with 5+ GP and they have a few GL’s

Yep im 2.7m GP boosting unnecesary stuff, so probably 700k i dont use and i get paired with 5.2m. Thing is my roster is pretty sick, 2 squads people can never take down, always inside the best 100 on squad arena. But still man they have 15 relic toons, i just have 6 at most. Im able to beat some of them cuz i fixed my squads: imp troopers, G12 CLS, double R4 on BH, G12 Sith Empire.

I just got deleted in my last GAC round. 1,7M vs 5,5M with JML & GAS. Seems balanced, especially in carbonite division. I can't wait to see what the matchmaking is going to be in higher divisions.

i have been playing since 6 months after this game came out. and i am free to play. G.A.C. is definitely broken. I do get matched up against people with less g.p. than I have. but they have a galactic legend or many. where as I don't have 1 yet. so I loose because a no g.l. holding ftp is matched against someone who is very clearly a, new to the game. b, a pay to play whale. and c, that 1 g.l. team on defence keeps me from clearing a whole section. usually one of the front territories. so I loose out on banners because of 1 area I can't clear. and a second I can't even access. this game mode isn't even trying to hide how broken/unfair it is. especially when the match is against someone with a relic 9 lord vader. I wish I was making that up. I thought about not unlocking any g.l.s. out of protest. but that wouldn't accomplish anything. and I am not about to spend money so I can loose at a higher teir. tldr. G.A.C. is a dumpster fire. if you want a good star wars game, fallen order, or force unleashed. or just a root canal would be more enjoyable.

It baffles me that they don't have a system that finds the closest GP to Skill Rating ratio for matchups.

I've only just hit 1m GP and am regularly getting put up against 2-5m GP players with multiple relic 3-7 characters. Even the most active officers in my guild are regularly getting boned by matchmaking, but because half the high-level or paying players don't attack we end up winning and getting placed higher and higher. I really wish they would just make matchmaking based on GP...

I am a 2m pg and i lose vs a 6.5m pg i dont think thats fair And yes the matchmaking is busted

Yeah, as a F2P I'm 2.5Mil with 10 relic toons and no GL's, my opponent today has 6.5Mil with 61 relic toons with the GL's :) So very balanced.

Thx Admiral. You are the voice of swgoh players.. Keep it up….

I have 1.3 million and almost everytime I go in GAC I go against enemies with over 5 million