Ruralfriend's Urban Rivals Blog

I think it is very important to get off on the right foot when you're starting out, so that the positive experience will keep you hooked on the game, like it did for me and many others.

Anyways, to start with, visit the website at http://www.urban-rivals.com or at http://www.urban-rivals.com/?sponsor=1860712 if you want me to sponsor you. In any case, register an account and after you fill out the basic information, you'll be given the choice of 3 starter decks: Action, Cool, or Danger.

The Action deck gives you the following 4 La Junta cards and 4 Sentinel cards (at level 1, however):

Of those three, the edge definitely goes to the Action deck, and it would be my recommendation because the Sentinel bonus is very useful, and the cards in general are of a higher tier than the other two decks. Another option would be Danger, but it's really a distant second; the only thing going for it, really, is the strong Montana bonus. Finally, my third choice would be Cool, because all of its cards are significantly underpowered and you'll find yourself building an entirely new deck rather quickly.

Next, I would strongly recommend for you to read the game rules, if you don't know them already. Simpy move your mouse over 'The Game' in the top menu, then select 'Game Rules'. They should only take a minute or two to read, and you'll be much better off once you know the basics. You can also browse the other menus at top, but there's really not much to explore for the moment.

Thirdly, there's no better way to learn than with basic application, so practice, practice, practice! Click on 'Play!' on the side-menu to the left, then join the room 'Welcome to Town'. Once you're in the room, wait for a while and you should receive a challenge from another player (or you can click on the crossed swords near the bottom to 'Quick Challenge' other players). Once you accept the challenge, here's where reading the game rules from step 2 should help you out. Here are some basic words of advice, however: it's almost always good to put at least one pill on each of your guys, and be willing to pill a lot (i.e. around 6 pills) to win a round (usually for cards with lots of damage) - many more general tips for battle will follow in subsequent posts.

Once you've finished the match, you should see you've earned clintz (the currency in the game), and your characters and account have gained some experience. Eventually, as you play more and more matches, your account and your characters will level up. When your account levels up, you gain free Leader cards at every 5 levels (see 'The Game' -> 'Game Rules'->'The Leaders' for details) and they should strengthen your deck; they also unlock various rooms and game features. When your characters level up, however, it is them that become stronger - their base power and damage stats often increase and they might also gain an ability. By the time you're level 5 and you've received the leader Timber, add him to your deck, and start selling your weakest card. Look above to see the cards at their max levels and decide which one you want to get rid of. Then, go to 'My Collection' in the top menu, then 'My Collection'. Begin by clicking on the picture of your weakest card: it should bring you to a page with the card's prices at various levels. With those prices in mind, go back to the 'My Collection' page and click on 'Sell this character' under your weakest card. Then, select 'Public' and enter a competitive price to the ones you memorized. Click on 'Okay' and your card should be on sale! You are able to sell only one card on 'Public' every day, unless you buy credits at 'My Collection' -> 'The Shop', in which case there is no limit. However, you can also sell your cards to 'Kate' at a set price and instantly receive clintz (you will never get full value, however).

After you've sold a card for some clintz, it's time to start purchasing new ones! (See my posts below for detailed analysis on cheap, good cards in all the different clans. ) Go to 'My Collection'->'The Market' and start browsing. I would advise you not to buy the cheapest cards available, as they are often not very powerful. Instead, be patient and save up for cards that are long-term investments. If you're lacking clintz, you should just go back to the battle rooms and play some more matches.

Once you reach level 7, you can now enter the 'Fights Type 1' room and begin making much more clintz. There are tournaments at every other hour (e.g 12h00, 2h00, 4h00,etc. or 1h00, 3h00, 5h00, etc. depending on your time zone) and just by participating in one match during tournament time, you gain an easy 50 clintz. Don't worry about losing, as you'll be going up against much stronger opposition than in the beginner rooms - just don't quit matches. You earn negative battle points for that, while you gain a small amount of positive points even for losing (you need positive points to get the 50 clintz). Hence, try to take part in as many tournaments as you can - even if it's only 1 match per 2 hours - to gain 50 clintz.

At level 10, you will receive the leader Vansaar, who really has no battle potential, but is used to level up other cards; two leaders also cancel each other's abilities out in the same hand, so you shouldn't put two in the same deck. Join the 'Lost Warehouse' room with all your cards that haven't reached max level yet and get them to their highest levels. You will receive much more experience by playing in this room and your wins/draws/losses don't count on your record; however, you receive very little clintz. When you buy cards later on from the Market or Shop, use the fully-levelled Vansaar to make the levelling process even easier.

Once you reach level 15, Hugo will be yours. He is one of the better leaders in the game and should bring your deck to another level. At this point, you might start thinking about playing in the ELO or Survivor Rooms. In the ELO Rooms, begin by aiming to get over 1000 ELO in five matches or more. It's a good idea to shoot for that on Saturday, as once you get over that hump you can exit the room; the next hump is at the faraway 1200 ELO, and you shouldn't attempt it for the moment, especially at the risk of falling under 1000. Your ELO value naturally calibrates to 1000 ELO when you don't play for long enough, and you need 1001 to 1200 ELO to receive 2 credits (which you can use at the Shop) and 150 clintz. Hence, playing on Saturday will not make you susceptible to the calibration, as ELO resets every Sunday night. Don't worry if you weren't able to get to 1000 ELO at the beginning; just try again next week, because everyone will restart at 1000 ELO then. In Survivor rooms, do NOT attempt Type 2, as the cards you'll face in there will be advanced. Instead, see how long a streak you can build in the Survivor Type ELO room; try mixing up your deck for better results. During non-tournament hours, the Survivor rooms are a decent place to make some clintz, and are certainly better than regular rooms for that purpose.

Finally, you should have a good grasp of the game by now and I leave it to you to discover the other aspects in the game. Joining a guild is certainly a great experience (mine is always accepting! http://www.urban-rivals.com/guild/?id_guild=600674 ) and you should start aiming for other accomplishments, as well: get ~125 battle points in daily tournaments to be in the top 1/3 (you get 50 clintz + 1 credit), aim for 1200 ELO, and, of course, start building your collection of cards. Obviously, the ultimate prize is to win the ELO tournament, but let's just say it's a long and hard journey to that one...

Before all else, good luck and have fun - I hope to see you in-game! :)