Elixir

Summary

 * Elixir is used when cards are placed down.
 * The player begins a battle with 5 Elixir. However, this is normally seen as starting with 6 or 7 Elixir as it starts to produce as soon as the timer starts, which is during the battle intro.
 * The player can only hold a maximum of 10 Elixir during battle.
 * During the battle, once 2 minutes have passed, each player receives 1 extra Elixir, and Elixir production is doubled for the duration of the game. If both players have the same number of crowns by the end of the double Elixir period, an additional minute (or 3 minutes in Tournaments, Clan Battles, and Challenges) of overtime will be added, with the double Elixir production.
 * Elixir is produced gradually throughout the battle at a rate of 1 Elixir every 2.8 seconds and 1.4 Elixir in Double Elixir time.
 * In Clan Battles, Elixir production is 15% slower than normal, and during the Double Elixir and overtime period, the Elixir production is 30% slower than normal. This is about 3.3 seconds per Elixir in normal and 2 seconds in double Elixir.

Profit and Loss
Elixir level is just as important as other game mechanics like card placement and having a balanced deck.
 * Elixir is considered 'profited' when the player spends less Elixir than the opponent and the Elixir level grows beyond the opponent's. Gaining an Elixir profit by making a play is known as a "positive Elixir trade".
 * Elixir is considered 'lost' when the player's Elixir dips below the opposing player's. Making the opponent gain an Elixir profit by making a play is known as a 'negative Elixir trade'.
 * The only way to increase Elixir production is with the Elixir Collector. It costs 6 Elixir and will produce 8 Elixir, so the player will gain a profit of 2 Elixir (if mirrored they will get only a profit of 1 Elixir). If attacked by a spell or other card, you may not profit as much, but it is usually also a drain on your opponent's Elixir.
 * When the player has more Elixir than the opponent, the player can often attack and defend much easier.
 * It's very hard to defend lots of troops/high hitpoint troops with low Elixir.
 * It's also hard to attack since the other player can easily defend with lots of Elixir.
 * To gain Elixir, defend with cards that cost less than the opponent's attacking card. Common examples are Skeleton Armies defending Giants and Arrows defending Minion Hordes. Both net a 2 Elixir profit.
 * It's also very important not to maximize on Elixir, as the player is unable to generate more Elixir.
 * This is especially true at the beginning of the game. If the players max at 10 Elixir excessively, they are wasting Elixir that could be gained if a card is deployed. However, it is imperative to not rush decisions and make unnecessary placements. It's OK to max at 10 Elixir if the opponent is also maxing at 10 Elixir.
 * If the player has 10 Elixir, deploy a troop at the back of the arena. This will help the player gain some Elixir over time to support the unit placed and create a push.
 * Waiting to max your Elixir at the start of the game can be used to your advantage, however. You can wait for an opponent to start a push and then counter it in some way with your 10 Elixir (and maybe gain Elixir Advantage) and then create a counterpush.
 * In battle, players should never leave themselves with 0 Elixir. If an opponent initiates a strong offensive push, a defending player with 0 Elixir may possibly lose a Crown Tower and open themselves to a 3 crown defeat.

Trivia

 * If a player does not use the Elixir Collector, never wastes any Elixir, and the battle does not go into overtime, over the course of the 3 minute battle, they will have received about 91.7 elixir in total. Again assuming that the player does not use the Elixir Collector or wastes any Elixir, if the battle lasts for 1 minute into overtime, the player will receive about 134.6 elixir over the 4 minutes of battle. If the battle lasts through 3 minutes of overtime, the player will receive about 220.3 elixir in total over the 6 minutes.
 * The Elixir used to accumulate in the background while resetting back to 10 just before reaching 11 when the elixir bar was full, so the two players' Elixir would always differ by a whole number. However, it no longer accumulates like this as of the Tournaments Update, now immediately going back to a whole number when a troop is dropped at 10 Elixir.
 * In the Double Elixir Challenge, players start with 0 Elixir instead of 5, but Elixir regenerates two times faster throughout the whole game.

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