Dutchy

Hello speedrunning and community map enthusiasts,
Since the ingame speedrunning rankings only track official campaign maps and rPvE map of the month, @Emmaerzeh and I decided to create a forum post to track the speedrunning records for community maps as well. Since there are a lot of community maps out there, of which some are not suited for speedrunning or have other issues, we picked a few maps which we deemed worthy of a ranking. This list might be expanded in the future.
Have fun speedrunning! 🙂
The Rankings
1-Player maps
Icedessert
1. 10:01.6 - Metagross31
2. -
3. -
King's Ridge v.0.8
1. -
2. -
3. -
Nyxia
1. 9:50.2 - Wanky
2. -
3. -
Rogans Schatz
1. 26:00.1 - Wanky
2. -
3. -

Warrior on the mountain
1. -
2. -
3. -

City of Tears
1. 11:13.3 - Metagross31
2. 14:45.1 - Wanky
3. -

Aeglos Fortress
1. -
2. -
3. -
2-Player maps
Army of Darkness
1. 32:03.4 - Bini Inibitor, Metagross31
2. -
3. -
The Conquest
1. 21:22.6 - Kapo, Metagross31
2. -
3. -
Simple Land
4-Player maps
The mortals 2020
1. -
2. -
3. -
Twisted Legends - 1.00 Final Release
1. -
2. -
3. -
How to get your time listed
In order to get your time listed in the rankings, you first have to make sure that your run follows all the rules (see below). In order to get your time verified, you have to send a replay of the run to me either via Discord (Metagross31#1103) or via DM in the forums (@Metagross31). I will not share any replays for the rankings without explicit permission of the runners.
You may also feel free to also post your times publicly as responses to this post to share them with everyone else. However, the rankings will only be updated once I verified that the time is legit.
Rules
Every run for the rankings has to be performed on expert difficulty. Whenever there are multiple versions of a map available, you have to use the one that explicitly matches the name in the rankings. If the version of a map is updated, the rankings for that map might be reset. There are no restrictions on deck building and gameplay, other than those employed by the maps themselves. If a replay is not watchable or desyncs when watched on the same patch the run was performed on, the replay is not valid. Any modifications to maps or replay files are strictly prohibited.

I would like to point out that you should send the entries to @Kapo and NOT post them in this tread. 

I would like to point out that you should send the entries to @Kapo and NOT post them in this tread. 

Hey Xanthe, Awesome deck for just playing a few days! 
 
As you only started playing a few days, I will split my tips in two parts, the first part will be focused on Campaign maps (CPvE), and the second part on Random PvE (RPvE).  
This deck is pretty solid for most standard and advanced maps. I would recommend to add a Mine to make the Tier 1 easier. Tier 2 seems overloaded in units (4 is a lot). maybe you could consider replacing one of them with either a building like Rioter's Retreat or a spell like Bandit Minefield. In Tier 3, two Soulhunters seems like overkill. Often an army of Magma hurlers + Unity + Blood Healing should clear every reasonable obstacle. You could think about adding a tower like Necroblaster or spells like Frenetic Assault. The units you have in Tier 4 are of great variety. I would recommend to some spells like Bloodthirst, Earthshaker, or Cluster Explosion. You are lacking some form of void return. In CPvE this is not mandatory, but it will speed up how fast you can replay your units and spells. For this deck there are two options. The first is Shrine of War that returns void whenever you kill enemy units and the second option is Furnace of Flesh + Cultist Masters which returns void when your crawlers die. 
For RPvE, it is basically the same advice but without the towers. a few units and a lot of spells + sustain + void return. Below I will put a few of my bandit RPvE decks for inspiration. 




 

Thank you for the tips, i made some changes right away like took away the second soulhunter and added unity. also added Rioters retreat instead of fire stalkers
I need to play more to get more cards and bfps to afford buying other cards.

Let's all create some great events together!

Let's all create some great events together!

3020 me is back, me still numbers

Thank you for your constructive feedback.
I am unsure if you are aware, but the whole team only consists of volunteers that instead of playing the game spend their free time  working on the game so the others can play it.
As for the "no new content", we are a small team and we are consistently pushing out new content. The speed of this is highly depended on how many people are willing to help us out. See our open applications. 
A sneak peak behind the scenes, but this month we got more new members on the forum than any month in the past 6 months. So I would not say we are on a slow decay, but more on a steady forward 😄 
I am curious what game plan you are referring to.
Well, none is forcing you to play. Its up to you how you spend your time. But we spend our time on something we love, which is this game. 

For those that want to join the balance discord: https://discord.gg/gxBKQnMMwV

Yea they are really lackluster 😞 They are on our radar though: taken from the Balance Discord: 

"We have some changes planned for all 4 elemental crystals. Part of those changes will be allowing them to affect allies as well as units of their respective element. So Ice Crystal will work on all friendly Frost units as well as all friendly units with a Frost affinity."
- Windhunter

Then.. don't play?
Replies like this honestly baffles me. You literally create a new account to complain about a game you don't want to play? Crushing the motivation of the team of volunteers who work their asses off to provide entertainment for others? Our content is arguably faster than during the end of EA times, and we don't get paid or have the source code. Constructive feedback is always welcome, but basicly saying ''everything you do is shit'' is not going to help anyone. 
I'm glad we had the survey, which gave insights in thousands of players, to see you are the rare exception with a mindset like this. 
 

Hello Skylords, Skyladies and other Skybeings; and welcome to CCC #7 – the seventh Crappy Community Contest!
 
THE CONTEST HAS ENDED.
To see the winners, CLICK HERE. If you are just here to grab the booster code, there you go:  CCC7-IDEA-SWEL-COME
 
What are “Crappy Community Contests”?
CCC's are meant to be small-scale contests with weird challenges, hopefully luring you away from well-trodden paths. They are small-scale on the organizers side too: there will be no stream, video or event announcing the winners. What's special about these contests is a participation price for the whole Skylords community.
 
What, when, where, how?

Every once in a while, a non-gameplay event appears... this is one of them:
Contest-ception

Skylords Reborn has loads of places to see, and so much we could do.
Only our imagination is the limit.

This challenge is to submit an idea for
a contest using the given template.
While, of course, people that want to do a contest can always come up with some new ideas themselves, I am sure that there are a multitude of cool ideas out there that just don't get the chance to be discussed or considered - so I’m hoping to bundle that into a contest. You are allowed to enter with up to three different ideas.
The only limitation placed on the ideas is that it must be a GAMEPLAY contest - so something like CCC#3 (Screenshot contest) is not permitted. Your entry must use the following template to be an eligible submission:
You may provide additional material (e.g. screenshots), but you don't have to. This is a search for ideas, not for fully polished content. By entering, you are giving permission to use your idea by everybody who wants to use it, be it as an official or community contest. Your entries will be judged by a three-person jury that will select Gold and Silver Tier entries. If you submit multiple times, you will receive only the highest tier prize.
The contest has started with the release of this post – submit your entry through Discord (DM to Kapo#0116) or the Skylords Forum (DM to @Kapo) until 05.08.2022 23:59 CEST  (= 9 days time total). As already said, you may submit up to three entries.
 
Inspiration and tips
Some information about previous contests and experience:
 
 
What's the price pool?
Since this is not just a Crappy Contest, but a Crappy Community Contest, you may help with your participation to earn a price for the whole Community. If we reach more than 20 participants (unique players, not entries), we will unlock a Mini-Booster code for the entire Skylords Community. So tell your fellow Skylords to submit and idea – it's an occasion to contribute to future events, and it raises our chances to hand out a code for everybody. 
Of course, the best ideas will get prices too, split up into Gold and Silver tier winners.
Gold Tier                          2 Boosters (limited to a maximum of 10 Gold tier winners)
Silver Tier                        1 Booster (limited to a maximum of 15 Silver tier winners)

Secret Special Price                Mana Wing Promo
Weird Special Price                Juice Tank (x5)
For participation, there is a random chance to win one of the following cards:
Random Draws          Lyrish Knight Promo, Avatar of Frost, Abyssal Warder (R), Gravity Surge (B), Santa Claus (x2), Easter Egg, Disenchant (P), Inferno (x4), Wildfire (x3), Frenetic Assault (G) (x4), Hurricane (x3), Parasite (x3), Revenge (x3), Embalmers Shrine (x5)
Also, to spread some love towards beginners, there will be a Newcomer Card Pool again. By participating, players of Bronze or Silver Rank will automatically receive an assortment of card(s) sponsored by @Lightbarrier. Of course, you may also win other random draws additionally if you are lucky. The Newbie Card Pool contains the following cards:
 

Depending on the number of entries, you may receive one or more of those cards, since Lightbarrier gave multiple copies of each of the named cards.
 
Sponsors
If one or more mighty Skylord(s) decides to sponsor this event, please contact me. I would be more than happy to beef up or expand the prize pool beyond the 10th place, add additional random draws, special bounties or any other upgrades to the prize pool. 
The following prices have been sponsored so far:
Skylords Team          General Boosters (up to x35), Community Booster Code
@Kapo                Mana Wing Promo
@Lightbarrier       Newcomer Card Pool, Disenchant (P), Inferno (x4), Wildfire (x3), Frenetic Assault (G) (x4), Hurricane (x3), Parasite (x3), Revenge (x3), Embalmers Shrine (x5)
@Donaar             Avatar of Frost, Abyssal Warder (R), Gravity Surge (B), Juice Tank (x5)
@gam3over         Lyrish Knight Promo, Santa Claus (x2), Easter Egg
@Sucks                   Sunderer, Lyrish Knight, Werebeast, Twilight Hag, Offering, Unity, Root Nexus
@DanTheMan      Rogan Kayle Promo
 

Conclusion
Skylords Reborn is a community project, so we as a community should be involved in the way we can - this is an opportunity for it. Related unpopular opinion: if you do not contribute, you lose the right to complain about future contests.
Good luck, I hope you enjoy spinning some ideas, and I'm hyped for what our hive mind will come up with!
Kapo
     
Future Events - get involved!
If you are interested in helping with these (or better) kinds of events for the community, or want to host one yourself, don't be afraid and simply reach out! Contact our beloved Event Managers @Minashigo Hiko and/or @Metagross31 on the forums or discord. They are happy to assist you with upcoming events and with sponsoring your prize pool!
If you especially like this small-scale-format, and you have an idea for it, you may also contact me directly to discuss your idea and host your own Crappy Community Contest.

Thank you for your constructive feedback.
I am unsure if you are aware, but the whole team only consists of volunteers that instead of playing the game spend their free time  working on the game so the others can play it.
As for the "no new content", we are a small team and we are consistently pushing out new content. The speed of this is highly depended on how many people are willing to help us out. See our open applications. 
A sneak peak behind the scenes, but this month we got more new members on the forum than any month in the past 6 months. So I would not say we are on a slow decay, but more on a steady forward 😄 
I am curious what game plan you are referring to.
Well, none is forcing you to play. Its up to you how you spend your time. But we spend our time on something we love, which is this game. 

Hey everyone
Since there is an achievement where you need to complete Oracle with Pure fire, I thought I would upload an video on how to do this. Mainly since Oracle is notorious for being a difficult and tedious map.
Enjoy 😄
https://youtu.be/uV1PSVBMknQ
 

PvE Map Modifiers LET'S GOOO. This is a feature I want so much that I might learn C++ just for this.
Reading the requirements on the staff position posts really makes one appreciate all the hard work that has been put into the project. thanks to the whole team for all their contributions up until now!

@Prajoss great video! Was a pleasure watching the runs and you were well prepared. Very good 😄 

@Prajoss great video! Was a pleasure watching the runs and you were well prepared. Very good 😄 

Awesome event, can't wait to watch the stream later today!

What's stopping you from just not building them though? 👀
 
With unity and nature support its perfectly fine for anything really.

Why does Wheel of Gifts suck... – that's what the title suggests. Now, give me a moment to explain why many in the community share this viewpoint.
Let's start with the fact that this card has a bit of a bad reputation, and not for the right reasons. In the early days, there was a bug that allowed stacking the same buff multiple times. Combined with the ease of using Lost Spirit Ships, any map became super easy. This was especially true for Random PvE maps. Since the Skylords Reborn team revived the game, this bug is fixed, but the notion that this card is "good" still sticks around, especially among casual or older players.
Now, let's understand what the card does before jumping to the present.
Wheel of Gifts is a Tier 3 Shrine with a rare rarity. When you build it, you get to pick one of three global buffs. The first one boosts your and your allies' units, making them deal 20% more damage. The second one lets you and your allies take 20% less damage. The third buff heals every friendly unit, yours and your allies', for 3% of their total health every 4 seconds. If you build three of these buildings, you can have all three buffs active simultaneously.

On paper, these buffs sound very impressive. This is even further enhanced when considering that the buffs are “free”. You pay 180 power upfront, and you get a global buff. However, this plays perfectly into why it is not as great or efficient as most people think.
Since this card is mainly used in Random PvE matches, this topic will mainly focus on that area. In Random PvE you have to kill all enemies within a certain time alone, or with a group of two or four players. This time limit is part of the difficulty for the higher-difficulty maps, especially in four-player maps. These maps are also where Wheel of Gifts is commonly found. The idea behind this card is to buff up all friendly units in the game, including those of your teammates. It's a great deal because, for just 180 power, about 20 Tier 4 units can deal 20% more damage. Spending another 180 power makes these units also take 20% less damage. Imagine adding a third building that makes all friendly units heal for a percentage of their total health – it would be even better!
Spending 540 power on building three Wheel of Gifts might not be the best move in Random PvE. For the same amount of power, you could build two Gemeyes, enough to handle earlier camps. With the strict time limits in Random PvE, investing in Wheel of Gifts can slow down your progress on the map. Here's why building them right after getting Tier 3 or Tier 4 is not a great idea:
- You use up 540 power on a building that doesn't directly help you clear the map.
- At this point in the game, there aren't enough friendly units to make the buff worthwhile.
- Many spells can handle earlier camps by themselves (Maelstrom, Frenetic Assault, Cluster Explosion).
- Your teammate has to defend and attack on their own for the first few minutes/camps, while you are stacking Wheels.
- The buffs don't stack with other external buffs, like Unholy Hero.
- Building Wheel of Gifts right after Tier 3 denies you two power wells and leaves your partner alone to capture the Tier 4 camp.
On the topic of buffs. Often Wheel of Gifts is played in a single-unit deck, like Batariel or Bloodhorn. Because of the high initial investment, it is just not worth the effort to place them down.  Besides that, single-unit decks can not utilize the buffs from the Wheel of Gifts as they do not stack with other external buffs. (For more information on a Batariel deck, click the link at the bottom.)
Now, you might be wondering if Wheel of Gifts has a place in Random PvE. It does! In the last rows of a Random PvE map, you often have excess power that's hard to use. This is the perfect time to set up Wheel of Gifts for that extra boost needed to tackle the toughest camps.
Also, in scenarios without a timer and plenty of power, Wheel of Gifts can be a decent card to buff up your army. 
 
 

Can't wait to see what the top time is and what their strategy was to get there! Will be a great learning moment for sure!

First off, play whatever is fun for you. 
If you only want a replacement for WoG, I would recommend Thunderstorm. Since the deck is already very unit heavy, Thunderstorm might be a nice addition. 
--------------------------------------------------
If you want advice for the whole deck, please continue reading. If you don't want further advice, ignore the part below 🙂 
So a disclaimer, this is my opinion and based on what is fun for me and on what I saw other people play. This does not necessarily mean the best options.
Tier 1:

- Shaman bounds power and he isn't really the brightest in the room, so opting to leave him out of your deck could be a great idea. Whenever you need a heal, Surge of Light is always there when you need it, and also scales excellently into the higher tiers, which Shaman does not. Since you already have Surge of Light, a direct replacement could be Dryad B.
- Can't go wrong with Windweavers.
- Can't go wrong with Surge of Light.
- Ensnaring Roots could be replaced with Hurricane in some maps, but that is mainly up to your own preference.
 
Tier 2:
- Fire Stalker, amazing card. I have used this card A LOT and still do. Very reliable and can be very helpful in almost every campaign map. Less efficient in rpve though and would not recommend him there.
- Vileblood can be your "tank" when engaging a camp in rpve or in a campaign map. Very good option, especially if you can keep it alive long enough to use its transformation ability in Tier 4. 
- Rogan Kayle seems a bit odd to me in this deck. I do get the idea that Rogan can stay with your Fire Stalkers to allow them to do more damage. He can use his ability henever units get too close. However, I would prefer a Lava Field over a Rogan any day of the week since a Lava field does not bound power, and can knock back enemies and heavily damage them, if not kill them.
- Curse of Oink, one of, if not THE best card in the game.
- Breeding grounds is Breeding Grounds, I would leave home without it if I run a Nature orb in Tier 1 or Tier 2. Just a very efficient card. Just don't forget to destroy it after you summon your army to gain some void back. Its no shame to rebuild it if for whatever reason you lose your army, or want Tier 3/4 units later on.
 
Tier 3:
- Wheel of Gifts, see commend above, I would replace it with Thunderstorm.
- Twilight Bombard. I have personally never used this card. However, its main function is to defend from a long range, which does not have many application in most campaign maps, and has really no place in rpve. Since I will be cutting your only t4 ground unit, I will replace Twilight Bombard with Abomination. Its stats are just insane and it over-performs every time I play it in a deck. 
- Amii Monument. A game breaking card. Its up to you if you want to run this card. No shame if you do of course, but if you have such a good Tier 3, see explanation at Deepcoil Worm, it would be sad to just skip all that awesomeness. If you wish to replace Amii Monument, I would consider Twilight Pestilence. 50% less damage on your Twilight units + damaging your opponents (and Giant Wyrm), great deal 😄
- Thornbark. This card seems very out of place for me, especially after the changes it got 2 patches ago to function more as a battery unit. Since you do not need 2 Nature orbs anymore as you replaced the WoG, I would recommend to replace Thornbark with Unity B. You do not need the green one as your deck already has enough heals. 
- Deepcoil Worm. I love worms, I would keep it in for the fun factor. However, an army of stone hurlers + Unity + Thunderstorm, nothing can stop that. Deepcoil Worm will collect dust in this deck. You could think about replacing it with Shrine or War since you run way more spells now.
- Equilibrium G, good option, no comment on this. 
 
Tier 4:
- Primeval Watcher, I have a special place in my heart for this card. He is just so cool. Recommend 100% to play him for the fun factor. However, just like Deepcoil Worm I would replace it in a serious deck. You lack a "clean up " spell on Tier 4. I hate it to wait for my units to kill every S and M unit in every camp, that is why I recommend Cluster Explosion R. It does everything you would want from a fire Tier 4 card.
- Skycatcher is a great card and often overshadowed by Giant Wyrm. Good card and fits the theme of the deck, keep it in.
_ Giant Wyrm, great card.
- Regrowth, best aoe heal spell, no further comment. 
 
Hopefully this was helpful. If not, it was fun to take your deck apart one card at the time 😛 

Don't be too harsh on the deck 

Why does Wheel of Gifts suck... – that's what the title suggests. Now, give me a moment to explain why many in the community share this viewpoint.
Let's start with the fact that this card has a bit of a bad reputation, and not for the right reasons. In the early days, there was a bug that allowed stacking the same buff multiple times. Combined with the ease of using Lost Spirit Ships, any map became super easy. This was especially true for Random PvE maps. Since the Skylords Reborn team revived the game, this bug is fixed, but the notion that this card is "good" still sticks around, especially among casual or older players.
Now, let's understand what the card does before jumping to the present.
Wheel of Gifts is a Tier 3 Shrine with a rare rarity. When you build it, you get to pick one of three global buffs. The first one boosts your and your allies' units, making them deal 20% more damage. The second one lets you and your allies take 20% less damage. The third buff heals every friendly unit, yours and your allies', for 3% of their total health every 4 seconds. If you build three of these buildings, you can have all three buffs active simultaneously.

On paper, these buffs sound very impressive. This is even further enhanced when considering that the buffs are “free”. You pay 180 power upfront, and you get a global buff. However, this plays perfectly into why it is not as great or efficient as most people think.
Since this card is mainly used in Random PvE matches, this topic will mainly focus on that area. In Random PvE you have to kill all enemies within a certain time alone, or with a group of two or four players. This time limit is part of the difficulty for the higher-difficulty maps, especially in four-player maps. These maps are also where Wheel of Gifts is commonly found. The idea behind this card is to buff up all friendly units in the game, including those of your teammates. It's a great deal because, for just 180 power, about 20 Tier 4 units can deal 20% more damage. Spending another 180 power makes these units also take 20% less damage. Imagine adding a third building that makes all friendly units heal for a percentage of their total health – it would be even better!
Spending 540 power on building three Wheel of Gifts might not be the best move in Random PvE. For the same amount of power, you could build two Gemeyes, enough to handle earlier camps. With the strict time limits in Random PvE, investing in Wheel of Gifts can slow down your progress on the map. Here's why building them right after getting Tier 3 or Tier 4 is not a great idea:
- You use up 540 power on a building that doesn't directly help you clear the map.
- At this point in the game, there aren't enough friendly units to make the buff worthwhile.
- Many spells can handle earlier camps by themselves (Maelstrom, Frenetic Assault, Cluster Explosion).
- Your teammate has to defend and attack on their own for the first few minutes/camps, while you are stacking Wheels.
- The buffs don't stack with other external buffs, like Unholy Hero.
- Building Wheel of Gifts right after Tier 3 denies you two power wells and leaves your partner alone to capture the Tier 4 camp.
On the topic of buffs. Often Wheel of Gifts is played in a single-unit deck, like Batariel or Bloodhorn. Because of the high initial investment, it is just not worth the effort to place them down.  Besides that, single-unit decks can not utilize the buffs from the Wheel of Gifts as they do not stack with other external buffs. (For more information on a Batariel deck, click the link at the bottom.)
Now, you might be wondering if Wheel of Gifts has a place in Random PvE. It does! In the last rows of a Random PvE map, you often have excess power that's hard to use. This is the perfect time to set up Wheel of Gifts for that extra boost needed to tackle the toughest camps.
Also, in scenarios without a timer and plenty of power, Wheel of Gifts can be a decent card to buff up your army.