Of you attack their troops, their troops go down to less than 20%. Yes you can steal, but as soon as the spies also go down to less than 20%, it makes the target dtw.
also - lower troops means the target is losing less gold per hit. you don't have to take them below 20% to make the strip more difficult.
When is the best time to use pots? Do you extra bonus if you use on E.B or just War and the bar items
You get a bonus for using items on specific bars of epic battles, but you should also keep maximum defense items and attack for war.