http://i.imgur.com/ha9hkro.jpgValks are getting a buff, read my thread to be ahead of the game when Valkyries rise out of obscurity!
Valkyries Makeover - For the new thread go here http://forum.supercell.net/showthrea...Valkyrie+Guide
Video: http://supr.cl/ValkyrieSneakPeek
1) AI makeover
-She now intentionally targets multiple buildings. Meaning if 4 buildings are touching, she will attack at that point. This is huge
2) Some sort of healing ability, possible similar to warriors in boom beach. Not much is known about this one but if you watch the video from Daddy on youtube closely enough there is some sort of minor healing going on.
Jump Spell Makeover
http://supr.cl/NewJumpSpell
Now units respond to an active jump spell, check the vid. Big plus for valkyrie
Valkyrie
Pros -
-can makes heros and CC troops look like a minor issue, sometimes even a welcomed problem
-Basically she is a mini PEKKA with no weakness to Teslas and splash damage
-Once breaking into the core, she can seriously tear things apart due to her splash damage (taking out 2 teslas at a time for example)
-Handles infernos in either mode well. There about the perfect housing space side to soak up damage from discos or to be less than super effective in single target.
Cons -
-Seriously high in DE cost (If you bring 10 into battle its 1,600 DE, 15 and its already 2000)
-Ridiculous training time - been only able to use her as an overnight build
-Very slow attack speed, tends to stand in front of target for a painfully long period of time
-High housing space requirement, can't bring a lot of her into battle
-AI isn't the best (combined with housing space, this is a problem)
-Really needs a 5th level at Th10, they don't tank well enough
Clan Wars Note: Valkyries should be considered a clan castle donation. If a base has strong air defenses, a pair of Valkyries may be devastating to a hog or giant attack. You shouldn't put in more than 2, because of the fact they do not attack air but 1 or 2 can be very effective against a ground attack. They also take a lightening spell to the face pretty well.
Valkyrie Tactics
The Lure
Probably the best tactic for the Valkyrie because its unique to this particular unit. This involves using the clan castle troops or heros to draw your Valkyries into the core of a base.
To work ideally you need the Archer Queen to be positioned directly behind your intended target. Her long range makes her ideal for this maneuver and with the clan castle you never know what you're going to actually get. Draw out the units not apart of your lure and eliminate, then initiate the attack directly opposite the lure. The other option is to lead your attack with a golem, so that it draws the attention of the CC, not your Valkyries.
Either trigger the lure from the opposite side of your attack or wait for the lure to come within triggering range. Once this happens the Queen or CC troops will move in to eliminate your troops. At this point drop a jump spell to allow the Valkyries to basically sprint to their intended target, drop a rage spell at an appropriate location (at the site of the lure). As a Th10, I often then freeze the area around the lure to allow for 8 seconds of destruction - add 1 rage.
This works best with low level queens because of her range. Anything less than 20 is going to work. Higher than that and you may either need a well calculated freeze after the trigger or a different strategy. With CC troops you'll want to be careful as witches and wizards are common. A lightning spell can weaken CC troops but wizards can do significant damage with only 1 attack (and with the delay in the Valyries attack that is a problem). Witches may be chew up quickly by Valkyries but if they have enough time to spawn skeletons they still possess the ability to delay your units long enough for surrounding defenses to do significant damage. For Th10 the Freeze spell is a great option to make sure the Valkyries get the job done.
Major Compositions
Valkyrie/Healer
Description: Valks are decent tanks and like giants work well with healers. Unfortunately the AI of both units is problematic. It seems best to go all melee or use flying support units. I've used wizards but if the healers start giving them attention instead of the Valkyries you run into problems. Golems are bad in this mix because healers can get latched onto them instead of your valks (since Golems are very likely to follow a different path than your Valkyries). Not sure if its a good idea to mix the jump spell into these combinations as healers do best sitting back, behind the line of fire. As a Th10, I've had trouble really getting a good feel for the strategy due to the difficulty of using healers vs other Th10 players.
Its important when using these tactics to clear a way for the Valkyries so that they do not circle the base. Their AI is the same as a barbarian or a PEKKA. Also selecting bases where they move as a group is important if the healers are focusing on the Valkyries. Open style bases can be problematic because Valkyrie will split up. If wizards come out of the CC you can be in a world of hurt (again they need to only get off 1 attack to ruin your raid)
Example Comps:
Giants & Valkyries/Healer: 6 Valkyries, 12 Giants, 3 Healers, 13 Wizards, 15 Wallbreakers (Suggested Spells, 1 Heal & Jump, 2 Rage and a Freeze)
Valkyrie & Dragons: 15 Valkyrie, 2-3 Healers, 2-3 Dragons, 20 Wallbreakers - Freeze and Rage
Mass Valk/Healer: 5 Healers, rest Valkyries minus wallbreakers - spell combinations vary
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1Mi7QMbKTk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY2nvlwkfTY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOBX...wAe3M-NHWB281w
Valkyrie & Jump - AKA the Blitz
Description: Of the three broad strategies listed this is the one I feel is most unique to the Valkyrie. Basically with her movement speed and relatively decent attack she makes an ideal candidate for the jump spell and probably the only unit in the game that makes it seem like a solid spell.
This is the tactic where making use of your enemy troops as a lure is ideal but you have to be very tactical about it. If you bring any wallbreakers they should just be for an easily destroyed outter wall. If not luring the CC its best to lead with a golem to draw the fire. Opening with Golems, Wizards and Witches is a good idea to neutralize major threats. Deploy a few Valkyries at this point as needed, once the enemy troops lock onto that Golem mass deploy and drop the jump spell. This should allow your Valkyries to make a beeline for said troops and make short work of them. Freeze spells are great in these scenerios and if not a heal or two is probably best for insurance. You can also reserve a freeze for said troops, though this is also best calculated so that you get a high priority defense and those troops at the same time.
Despite being a Tank class unit, its best to spread the Valkyries out in this maneuver, as splash damage can really do a number on your forces. So laying 2 jump spells initially might be best. Wizards in the CC are the absolute bane, as if they even get one attack off you could easily loss 8 Valkyries in 1 shot.
Golems, Witches, and Wizards are the best compliments to this strategy. Golems are excellent distractions, Witches provide allot of fodder and Wizards have very high DPS.
Example Comps:
Mass Valkyries: 2 Golems, 20 Valkyries, 5 Wizards/1 Witch & 2 Wizards - 2 Witches in the CC with Wizards - 2-3 jump, 1-2 Rage, 1-2 Freeze
Mass Valkyries 2 (no Golem): 20 Valkyries, 20 Wizards, 3 Jump Spells, 1 heal, 1 rage (Th9 possibility, Golems are important vs Th10 due to the DPS of the defenses at that level)
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcSZ4JVokWA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-HI3mD-NVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-JoruLcIrU
Breaching the Core
Description: This isn't a strategy in and of itself, its more of a compliment to existing ones. The nuts and bolts of this tactic is to keep 8-10 Valkyrie in the wings and to deploy them once a path has been cleared. Most people do not know this but Valkyrie are actually quite devastating in the tightly packed core of a base. Perhaps the longest standing use of Valkyries, which is used in high level play, is opening with a GoWiWi attack, and then deploying 10 Valkyrie with heros to take out the core. This same maneuver can be used with giant/healer.
As I stated earlier, this really isn't a "Valkyrie" composition so much as an effective role Valkyrie can play. I used Giant/Valkyrie/Healer/Wizard extensively when my spell factory was upgrading and it proved very successful Vs strong Th9 bases (without spells).
Example Comps:
GoWiWi & Valkyries: 10 Valkyries, 10 Wizards, 1 Golem, 4 Witches, 16 Wallbreakers, 10 barbarians, 2 Rage, 2 Freeze, 1 lightening - Note the videos featured a goelm in the CC
Giant/Valkyrie/Healer: 12 Giants, 8 Valkyrie, 3 Healers, 20 Wallbreakers, 10 Wizards, 4 Archers - throw in a mix of spells
Mixed Tactics with Valkyrie: 12 Giants, 10 Barbarians, 14 Archers, 8 Valkyrie, 10 Wizards, 16 Wallbreakers - heal and rage spells (effective Th9 and below)
Youtube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlYPlSOEqKI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=508Q0P8GIFk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwj2C7K3jYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf5B...wAe3M-NHWB281w
Troop/Spell Synergy
Archers/Barbarians - The Valkyrie can join the mix easy enough but works best for CC troops or attacking compact compartments. Giants tend to tank a bit better due to AI
Wizards - together very powerful, there high combined DPS and splash is a force to reckon with
PEKKA - not sure mine are lvl 1 but should be good for there spring trap immunity
Goblins - no, not good together
Balloons - AI of the Valk is a poor match however this is one I plan to revisit
Golem and Giants - these actually work well together, these units stay in front and make a good first wave with Valks coming in play to deal with CC troops and destroying the core as a second or third wave
Dragons - if you want healers, then they provide good support. However, than all traps are an issue. Dragons are also slow and prone to AD fire, which at higher level is an issue with using a mixed combination.
Minions - similar to above but the DE cost gets high, also they do not trigger seeking air mines
Witches - Provides great distracting fire but racks up the DE cost and training time
Hogs - not bad for CC troops and clean-up but racks up more DE and uses the same barracks.
Healers - I will always have trouble getting over the variability in healer performance but after a few more test runs, if not bringing a Golem to a high level base you best have some healers. Vs Th10 Valkyries just don't have the Hp to take too much heat and without healers will get shot down pretty fast. I've run a few tests with a glut of freeze spells and it helps allot. There solid verses Th9 but I still have to run a few tests to see if I can make it work vs Th10
Spells
Heal - good if you can keep the valks together
Rage - raging valks destroy!
Jump - probably the only unit outside of witches that makes this spell seem good, lvl 1 is fine
Freeze - If willing to pile on spells, Freeze + Rage with Valks and Wizards makes quick work of buildings in those 8 seconds. Also Freeze on CC troops is fairly effective with Valkyries since Valkyries can destroy CC and buildings at the same time, only thing is that it doesn't take many attacks from high level wizards to ruin your day.
Overall
I've come a long ways in developing Valkyrie strategies. The one I am still working on is the Valkyrie/Healer strategies. They're a powerful combination but at my current Th level of 10, healers are definitely a liability. The jump spell promises the most unique strategy that does work but mastering the use of a lure within that strategy is difficult. Valkyrie can be prone to attacking everything but what you want them to. There use as a special unit to take on the core is a solid strategy, if only Valkyrie trained after and where cheaper it could be a staple strategy.
Suggestions for the Unit - removed
Additions Comments (4.0)
If the changes SC is taking about area going to take effect like I think they will all my peeps out there with level 4 valks are gonna want to read this thread. For clan wars and trophy pushing she is going to be a serious contender. There are some unknows right now but even with just the AI change and the healing ability that is somehow in effect all of these tactics will be much more effective. Tho I really hope they address her training time, even if they don't mixed tactics might be a very good push farming combo for late Th9.
