Machine Gun

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> Machine Gun
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> Machine Gun
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> ### Mana Cost
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> 6
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> ### Type
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> Building
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> ### Release Date
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> 5 April 2023
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> ***"Fast attack speed. Very long distance."***
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Machine Gun is a 6 Mana card. It is a single-target high hitpoint building with very long range and moderate damage output.

## Strategy

* A Machine Gun placed near the river should never be ignored as it can single-handedly destroy a Tower.
* Placing the Machine Gun one tile away from the river in front of the Tower will maximize its attacking range and make enemy melee troops have to walk onto the player's side. They will be chipped down more quickly as they will walk in range of the player's own Tower. The Machine Gun can also be staggered one tile to the left or right, but any more will cause the Tower to be out of the Machine Gun's attacking range.
* A Machine Gun is a powerful defensive building due to its extremely long range and ability to take out large numbers of weak troops such as Fauns, Stone Fauns, and Skeletons. When defending, the Machine Gun can be placed behind or between the player's Towers as it will be well protected but still able to engage attacking enemy troops from afar.
* It can also be used offensively due to its range, being able to out-range the Towers. Note that the Mortar can also out-range Towers, but its significantly lower damage per second and lower overall damage over its lifetime makes it less threatening.
* The Rocket is a decent counter to the Machine Gun since they both cost 6 Mana and the spell can inflict massive damage to it, on top of also harming nearby enemy troops. However, this does not prevent the Machine Gun from inflicting some damage so try to deploy a distraction card beforehand.
* Building targeting troops like the Brute and Super Ape are some of the most effective Machine Gun counters as only other buildings will distract them, allowing them to pummel the Machine Gun directly. Air troops are also a good alternative as it cannot hit air. Lastly, ranged troops placed at their maximum attacking range will be difficult for the Machine Gun player to deal with as their units will not be able to immediately engage your defender.
* Cheap tanks or just tanks in general that deal moderately high damage per second like the Swordsman can be a great Mana-efficient counter to a lone Machine Gun.
	+ However, air troops in turn will not be able to distract the Machine Gun, so be sure to have appropriate ground troops to tank for the Machine Gun.
	+ Most ranged troops lack a large amount of health, so consider backing them up with a cheap tank to allow them to continue taking down the Machine Gun.
	+ The Cannon Wheel and the General have both the range and hitpoints to contest a Machine Gun. The General is particularly effective as it targets buildings and will have over half its health left to counterpush, demanding further response.
	+ The Dark Knight and Viking can easily decimate both the Machine Gun and almost anything used to support it.
* A Machine Gun takes 3.5 seconds to deploy, giving the defender ample time to place cards to distract the Machine Gun and prevent it from locking onto their Towers, as well as deal with its supporting troops. With sufficient cards, this can then be turned into a punishing counterpush. Placing the distraction unit at the last second is usually the most effective way to distract the Machine Gun as the opponent won't be able to react to the unit and eliminate it before the Machine Gun finishes deploying.
* It is advised to place a tank for the Machine Gun so it does not take the brunt of an attack and can carry on chipping away at the Tower. Cheap tanks such as Explorer are the most versatile as the Machine Gun has a hefty 6 Mana cost. More frail troops should still be placed behind or beside the Machine Gun, as they will otherwise die too quickly to gain any value. The exception to this are frail troops that are designed to be a distraction, such as Skeletons.
* Casting Madness on a Machine Gun will increase its hit speed, rapidly inflicting damage to the targeted unit or Tower, and will also boost the player's troops supporting the Machine Gun. Note that this costs 8 Mana, which is very risky to play and can be easily countered by a tank for a positive Elixir trade.
* When facing a Machine Gun, the player should always try to go for the first crown and then the 2-1 victory. If they take down a Tower, it will be very difficult for their opponent to take down the Tower that is opposite to their destroyed Tower. This is because of the extra terrain that is given to a player after destroying a Tower, allowing them to place troops directly on top of the Machine Gun.
* Having an area damage spell in hand when attacking with the Machine Gun is very effective, as it can allow the player to defeat low or moderate hitpoint troops nearly instantly, allowing it to lock onto a Tower.
* Conversely, having an area damage spell in hand when defending against a Machine Gun is also effective. Due to the Machine Gun's high Mana cost, the units played alongside it are often of low Mana cost and have low to moderate hitpoints, allowing the player to reap a large amount of spell value.

## History

2023

* The Machine Gun card was released with Boom Arena's game launch on 4/5/2023.
* On 6/30/2023, Machine Gun's range was buffed from 11.5 tiles to 11.9 tiles.

## Trivia

* It's the Boom Arena equivalent to the X-Bow. Its hitpoints, damage and damage per second are between level 11 and level 12 of the equivalent.
* This card is one of the only two cards in the game to have a deploy time that isn't 1 second. The other is Mortar, and they're both buildings with an equally long deploy time.
* It has the highest attack rate of all cards.