How to survive without being vollied

It seemed perfectly normal to me that I had to earn all of this cash by my self, but I eventually found out (albeit to late for me to be vollied) that being vollied was central to most new players' experience. For the unlucky few who just never get vollied, or for those of you who wish to make your way to greatness without a starting boost, I have prepared a guide to help you along your way.

Step 1: Build style
It is important to decide what build type you want to use (eg. Attack focus, Spy attack focus etc.) early on, so you do not waste precious cash on changing buildings from one type to the next.

Step 2: Clan
Joining a clan and participating in epic battles is very important for growth. Find a clan doing weaker epic battles and join them. If the other players are weak too, which is preferable to ensure you get your fair share of action, it is unlikely you will be vollied. If there are very powerful members, tell them you do not wish to be vollied if you want to proceed to grow on your own.

Step 3: Allies
You may have already heard people talking about the advantages to having allies. They give you a bonus to your stats, but more importantly, get you extra cash from attacking in the epic battles. It is usually a good idea to save cash for a while and buy a more expensive ally so you get a better bonus.

Step 4: Making friends
While this may seem like a mediocre side-objective, having friends will be important to you. Due to your stunted growth caused by not being vollied, you will naturally be more prone to attacks and steals etc. Having friends to help you if someone is trying to take all of your precious gold will prevent your growth from being slowed.

I hope you find this guide of some use. This is my first attempt at a guide so all feedback, good and bad is welcome.
Sincerely, El-Gobbo

 

Thanks hopefully making guides will help me learn more as well.