Elphi'sAcademy
Understanding PvP: Rock, Paper, Scissors, and the Expanded Elphi System
A beginner-friendly explanation of troop counters, target choice, and why the correct march is more important than simply sending your strongest march.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the basic troop-counter cycle in Evony.
- Choose an appropriate march for the troop type you expect to hit.
- Recognize when the simple counter chart stops being enough and battlefield context takes over.
Why This Matters
Most new players are taught a tiny chart: ground beats ranged, ranged beats mounted, mounted beats ground. That is a useful beginning, but it is not the whole game. Players get into trouble when they treat the chart as a magic spell instead of a target-selection tool.
PvP is not won because one troop type has a permanent universal advantage. It is won by matching your march to the largest valuable portion of the target, understanding what your troops can reach, and knowing whether your layers will survive long enough to do their jobs.
The first lesson is therefore not 'build one powerful march.' It is 'send the right tool into the right problem.'
How Evony Actually Works
Ground troops are built to survive and close distance. Their HP and defensive value allow them to absorb damage while moving toward ranged targets.
Ranged troops attack from distance and are especially effective when mounted troops must cross open space to reach them.
Mounted troops are fast and can reach ground troops quickly, often inflicting heavy damage before slower troops complete their work.
Siege operates through range, tier, and target-selection interactions that do not fit neatly into the three-part cycle. Siege is best treated as a specialist system rather than a fourth hand in rock-paper-scissors.
The expanded Elphi system also considers troop volume, tier, range, speed, buffs, debuffs, reinforcement, defending layers, and whether the march is a solo attack or rally. The counter relationship tells you where to begin, not where to stop thinking.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- Scout whenever the game mode and situation allow it. Identify which troop type represents the most valuable or most dangerous portion of the target.
- If the target is ranged-heavy, begin by considering ground. Confirm that your ground march has enough HP, defense, march size, and layers to survive the approach.
- If the target is mounted-heavy, begin by considering ranged. Confirm that your ranged troops can attack effectively before the mounted troops reach them.
- If the target is ground-heavy, begin by considering mounted. Confirm that the target is not hiding an archer-heavy reinforcement or trap shape that will punish cavalry.
- If the target is siege-heavy, do not guess. Determine the siege tiers, likely range interaction, target layers, and whether a siege-specific rally is appropriate.
- For mixed keeps, choose the march that removes the section of the defense most important to the next attack. In coordinated play, one march may not be expected to clear the entire keep.
- After the attack, read the report. Check which layers dealt damage, which layers died before contributing, and whether your chosen counter actually reached its intended target.
Optimization by Spending Style
Free-to-Play
Build one reliable primary PvP march first, but choose targets that match it. Smart selection produces more points than repeatedly sending an expensive march into its counter.
Low Coiner
Develop a second march that covers the weakness of your first. Avoid buying four incomplete march projects when two well-built tools cover most realistic targets.
Heavy Coiner
Use multiple specialized marches and rally sequences. The advantage is not merely owning every troop type; it is using them in an order that dismantles the target.
Common Mistakes
- Sending ranged at every target because ranged is the account's largest buff.
- Assuming a counter march automatically wins regardless of troop numbers and buffs.
- Ignoring reinforcement and treating the original scout as permanent.
- Using siege without understanding range and tier interaction.
- Changing march presets after every loss without first determining whether the target was appropriate.
Elphi's Recommendations
Memorize the basic cycle, then immediately learn its limits.
Choose targets with intention. A strong march used badly is still a bad attack.
Use reports to confirm the logic instead of treating the counter chart as proof.
Quick Reference Checklist
- Scout or obtain target information
- Identify dominant troop type
- Choose the counter march
- Check reinforcement risk
- Confirm layers and preset
- Read the report after impact