PVP LB can be done with 1T, as many have said. It has changed, when they did the last patch. They probably explained it.
In general, to get optimum gold, the T3 battle will mostly be against players that guilds have conducted LT. If that’s you, then you will get so many of the same matches, and less gold. Those above you, pay out around 2.4k, those around you 1.8-2K.
Prior to the most recent change, T1 would usually pay no more than 20 or so points. Often you would find lower level players here for a few hundred gold. You still get the odd one or two.
T2 always gets around 58 now and T1, 20-50, depending on what crops up.
Now the problem with PvP imho, is at T3 there is almost no wiggle room to actually play anything other than experienced in using, successful teams. I’ve always been one for making teams, heading it into PvP getting a fair amount of wins, some losses and been okay, not seeking perfection, but learning teams, nuances and so forth.
Now, experimenting against the way the PVP system is setup, means loads of losses and immense frustration. So running things like for example with new Mythics, becomes frustrating as they get blown away by double empowereds, being frozen at the start of the game, deathmarked later, hit for 110 True Damage (which is the optimum L&D/Weaver combo this week) by turn 2 and so on.
So I can see why looking at the numbers, a conclusion could be made as to how it is not possible to go 1K undefeated.
The answer is doing lower tier wins for 50 or 58 points.
Now what I do with PvP and it started 2 weeks back, was stop experimenting with teams vs T2/3. So this week, I foolishly loaded a couple of testing Shabanu teams after I’d lost a few using a few test options, trying to make a few things work. The result was a nightmare on Monday, maybe 25 losses in first 180 fights. So I went back to the strategy of a combination of teams for your opponent. If I see a T2 match that I don’t need to swap, I take it for a loss of 8 points and maybe 1.5K gold or so less. If I see T3 my options work vs, I’ll just move to one of those. 90% is always T3, but only for optimum. I always skip Lust though, the one time I didn’t this week, Lust’s one exploding gem pre my turn had filled L&D and given Weaver 17/20.
So now in my first 7 slots, I’ve a rotation of 7 different teams that each cope with varying things.
For example, for any L&D team I run a couple of combos setup to stop the Hero.
For tank teams, I roll out Stonehammer, i.e eat that webspinner…
For general Rope Darts and other strong freeze based, I run a no freeze ZG team or a strong loop with freeze and early board control.
For webspinner minus sister superior, I’ll use another tank/skull team, with Daemons, so maybe Wrath/Obsidius/Glaive.
For Skeleton Key, stick spellblock in last slot and run a team that takes brown away or uses it, hello Tina.
For Gobtruffle, freeze on death, with Mab or FF King - etc
And if I do that PvP is fine. I’ll still lose a few to random, like on Monday all members of my team died to 1 Deathmark due to Rising Shadows.
If I don’t, PvP is a completely horrid experience.
I doubled my win streak 2 weeks ago, and 90% was T3, but I took the time to optimise for opponents. Now I’ve gone even further with that.
Finally you can thank the Devs for the power creep with L&D/Weaver. An empowered to purple converter working with a purple storm to half starting hero and mythic, that both use the same colour. If both get full early, and L&D casts on turn 1, then you have no possibility of stopping 110 True Damage by turn 2 other than to not let them go again. Maybe they should actually look at the game now and again…
That power creep pre kingdom power levels and medals on Weaver has gone from a max of 34-37 (with 10% bonus) True Damage to 62 True Damage (might be higher if someone managed to get max renown and a 3rd magic kingdom to 15) .