A level ten player facing a level twelve player starts the match at a massive mathematical disadvantage before a single card is even played.
Therefore, understanding exactly how to efficiently generate account experience points (XP) is vital for long-term survival on the ladder.
However, the ratio of gold spent to experience gained changes drastically depending on the level of the upgrade.
Conversely, upgrading a card to the absolute maximum level costs massive amounts of gold for a relatively small XP return.
This is a massive progression error; donating provides both gold and crucial experience points instantly.
You are essentially converting cards you will never use into base hitpoints and currency.
In close matches, the winner is often decided by a tower surviving with less than fifty hitpoints.
Furthermore, higher level towers deal more damage per shot, altering crucial interactions against enemy swarms.