So, here's the plan for tomorrow's 105.21
I'm going to use the 105.21 in tomorrow's clan war against this max TH8 opponent. I will be attacking with:
10 x Level 3 Dragons
2 x Level 5 Heal Spell
1 x Level 5 Rage Spell
Clan Castle: 5 x Level 6 Balloons
This base seems set up well for the 105, except for the onerous Barb King placement right in the thick of things. I think there is a 70% this will make the raid more difficult, and about a 30% he runs towards the back AD and draws my main attack deeper - helping perhaps. We will see tomorrow.
I like the overall layout. I'm worried if the teslas are as leveled up as the rest of the base my drags might get worn down by point defenses before they can 3 star. I'm somewhat worried that my drags will miss a peripheral defense and blow my loon's pathing. I'm worried about the BK, as previously mentioned, and otherwise I'm ready to rock this plan out and see how it goes.
I'll post a video afterwards.
Below is the attack plan:
http://i.imgur.com/9avbI6R.png
No plan survives first contact with the enemy...
Well, unfortunately, it was an EPIC fail. Here is the anatomy of the disaster, at its roots, before the attack even started...
As the seconds ticked down to the war start, brimming with anticipation for my first 105, I contemplated my detailed plan and asked myself, "Mustard, what are you going to do with your Barb King?" It was at this point that the Good Idea Fairy alighted on my shoulder with her sparkly wand, and whispered seductively in my ear, "Drop him on the cut at 12 O'clock, to help keep those dragons on track." It sounded perfect! I gave her an affirmative wink, she smiled back, and "POOF!" she vanished in a cloud of pixie dust.
So, there in the beginning of my attack, I dropped my BK at around 12 to help the cut dragon clean up. I dropped everything else as planned, and prepared to march to 3-star glory. Then, as the CC emerged, I noticed they were on a decidedly northward tack towards my BK and the surviving cut dragon at 12. The rest of my main attack dragons, finishing with the second layer, converged on the CC troops scattered well away from the balmy nourishment of my Level 5 heal spells. By this time, I was experiencing that throat-tightening, teeth grinding moment one feels when they realize an important attack has gone badly wrong, and that caused me to pause for a few seconds as I recalculated a last-ditch route to redemption. It was not to be. I quickly blasted down my CC loons and my rage. I slightly misplaced the loons and they headed in the wrong direction, but I'm not sure it would have mattered at all. Then I dropped a well placed rage spell, in a place where there were no units. I was near the bottom of a terminal cascade of miscalculations that turned a powerhouse attack into an impotent and embarrassing start to the war.
But, I am no masochist, so I have already forgiven myself and put this up on the drawing board for constructive criticism and consideration. The video is attached. Here are my lessons from this 105 Disaster:
1. Be careful that your cutting units (dragons or BK) do not risk aggro-ing the CC and drawing them outside of the attack line you planned everything on. In my opinion, this was the fatal error in my attack. The rest looks bad, but the terminal cascade began with the main attack detouring to the 12 to attack the wayward CC troops.
2. As Wry said, timing is critical. If I would have dropped my CC better, and they would have headed to the core, I nonetheless did it too late. Even if the dragons had stayed on course, I'm not sure the late loon release wouldn't have limited the attack to a 1 or 2 star. Until it becomes more instinctual, I think the time to think about the CC drop is immediately after the first heal goes down.
3. With maxed air defenses, teslas, arch towers, etc., this base left absolutely no room for error. I really wanted to try this tactic, and I'm glad I did. It's a valid tactic - but I think this emphasizes for me that these attacks are far from automatic, and a well executed GoWiWiPe could have 3-starred this also (my TH8 clanmate Sortaricano did just that shortly after this flop) with less downside risk (even if it doesn't go perfectly, it probably still gets 2 stars).
In the future, I am NOT going to practice this attack any more against these supermax TH8s until I've worked out the subtleties on some less than supermax bases. Watch how quickly those dragons evaporate in the few seconds after they reroute out of the circle of life (heal). I am, however, convinced of the value of these strategies as great tools in the TH8 toolbox. As disappointed as I am about the attack, I do like the fact that we are again thinking about dragon attacks with some of the same technical and tactical precision normally left to golem led strategies. After all, my first GoWiPe was about as poorly executed, but with study, practice, and patience, that has become a staple attack option vs. stacked 8s and good for 2 stars against most TH9s.
Let me know what you see, in addition to my own comments, and what might have been done better or worse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz5_...ature=youtu.be
~Colonel Mustard
Unstated Rules of Dragon Attacks -- Don't Use Ground till CC is dead
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CMustard
1. Be careful that your cutting units (dragons or BK) do not risk aggro-ing the CC and drawing them outside of the attack line you planned everything on. In my opinion, this was the fatal error in my attack. The rest looks bad, but the terminal cascade began with the main attack detouring to the 12 to attack the wayward CC troops.
Man, how many times have I seen the CC having one ground unit which never gets pulled out of the middle and then, as the Drags move in, they sense (7-8 tiles away no less) this ground unit and zoom over. Might be worthy of a quick "WARNING" youtube video. LOL.
You do win an award CMustard -- first time I have seen that done by a valk. Usually people are sticking one witch in TH8 but seeing your result from valk+4 wiz+1 archer -- I might try that a little.
Again, the rule to watch -- DONT DROP GROUND UNLESS YOU PLAN TO KILL THE CC OR HAVE
It turns out, she IS good for something...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wryhorn
You do win an award CMustard -- first time I have seen that done by a valk. Usually people are sticking one witch in TH8 but seeing your result from valk+4 wiz+1 archer -- I might try that a little.
If you want to make such a video, please feel free to abuse me in the making of it if you need an example.
We are a smallish clan (usually 15v15 or 20v20 wars), and we've only got a few players who can make witches, so recently we started experimenting with valkyries in the WCs. I have to say, I have never seen any one WC unit cause so many problems with opponent attacks as the valkyrie - and up to now I have thought it was one of the least user-friendly units in the game.
Their AI is great versus ground attacks, because they run into the spot where they maximize their splash damage. Their damage is high enough to destroy most high damage units in one swing. They run as fast as hogs, and they are a relatively high HP unit (900 at the base level, I believe 1200 or so maxed).
In one recent war, we put 3 in the WC of one of our TH10s. He was attacked twice - once GoWiWi and again with a Hog/wiz/witch/hero army. Both attacks looked pretty organized at the start. In the first instance, the attacker lost about half his L6 wiz to the valks and his attack failed after he tried to use lightning to kill what he assumed was a wiz/arch WC. The hogs, likewise, were eviscerated by the 3 valks and left the second attacker with a naked witch/wiz/hero mix that also failed.
Of course, drags are excellent at killing CC, but at least the high HP of the valkyrie means they have to work for it an extra few seconds.
In this clasher's opinion, it turns out she is good for something after all... I'm even considering spending some DE to upgrade them.
Valk's are hot -- but not as hot as witches
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CMustard
If you want to make such a video, please feel free to abuse me in the making of it if you need an example.
O.k. Consider me motivated. LOL.
Oh, and I thought about the valk more as a CC option to mess w/ dragons over witches. Here is the issue. The valk needs to be triggered AND THEN not move to have max impact. Usually whatever triggered it keeps alive long enough for the valk to move to the edge (away from where they really mess w/ drags). Thats what makes witches/skeletons so awesome at it. They trigger due to air (witches shoot up) and spawn some skeletons BUT the skeletons sit there as, if you haven't dropped ground, there is nothing to do. Wallah, Dragon magnet to CC. Very interesting tactic. I'm going to have to do a base design playing w/ that concept.
105 Might Work on this Entry TH9 Base -- BUT
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xaero1317
This war I am teamed up against a TH9 that has 4 ADs but they are only lvl 5. I have this at my disposal:
LVL 3 Drags
LVL 3 Rage
LVL 4 Heal
LVL 6 Balloons in CC
Is this a feasible attack? I plan to drop on the southeast side to bring the CC troops down across the front ADs
Attachment 80768
Xaero, the 105 from SE might work BUT you are attacking it where its strong (4 ADs). Its weak to ground (as a TH9) as the xbows aren't up yet. So, there is a better way (I think). I am going to put up a new tactics video this a.m. (or try) that talks to in. In the interim, here is a thumbnail:
- Trigger, Drag, Distract, Circle kill the CC (do as you usually do)
- Attack line is 430, do a mini GoWipe from there -- 1 Golem, 1 Pekka, King,wizards drive the 430 line. Goal is to get to get them to mid and have them blow the clustered ADs there.
- As the AD's in mid go down, release 1 balloon on the line they were protecting (snipers) targeting the air/ground shooting defenses on edge
- Spells are heal rage for mid crew
If you time it right your mid crew might survive long enough to break out as the snipers reduce edge fire.
