TH8 for Dummies [A Guide for War]
Coming into town hall 8, for most of us, is where we're only JUST starting to know what we're doing. However, TH8 is probably one of the most difficult town halls, because of all the new doors it opens. There is more I've learned as a TH8 than as a the and the combined.
I aim to go over the various attacking strategies pertaining to war.
Dragons/DragLoon
Dragons is probably the easiest method of an attack as a th8.
I say that because 1 upgrade and you have a max war army composition, granted trading a drag for 4 LV5 loons in your army comp will help greatly, but isn't necessary.
Dragons can three star a great majority of the bases:
Using lightning is still a viable option, but I only recommend this when the remaining ADs are easily accessible by the dragons. Otherwise, using rage spells is an easy fix for centralized ADs. I've also seen two rage spells and a heal spell, but I'm not sure of the mechanics of that composition, so I won't get into it.
Tips and Tricks:
-Fan out your dragons. Don't deploy ALL of your dragons into a single death dot. You want them to be spread out along a single wall, BUT not too far spread out!!
-Funnel your dragons. If you don't already know what this is, it is when you deploy the outside dragons of your line first so that those outside buildings go down before the middle buildings. This creates a funnel that the dragons will follow into the base rather than having a few dragons go around the outside of the base and a few go into the middle.
-When using your rage spells, try to deploy them in front of your dragons so that the edge barely activates the dragons so that while the dragons move into the base, they are also moving into the rest of the rage spell.
-Try to have your rage spells cover as many defenses/storages as you can; Most importantly, The Air Defenses and the Archer towers, since they are the biggest threat to your dragons' longevity.
-Make sure that every rage spell is covering an AD, or you defeat the point of brining rage spells over lightning spells.
-Using "Back Door Loons" is a technique where you deploy loons on the opposite side of the base to take out an AD that is a little too close to the edge. This tends to work well while putting your (lv6 CC loons) under the influence of a rage spell, but can work very well on more vulnerable ADs when using the lightning technique.
-Never try to kill 2 ADs with three lightning spells. With recent AD buffs, it won't work, or isn't worth the risk of it failing.
What you'd look for in a base:
Though dragons don't require a specific bas design for them to be particularly ineffective, it certainly helps to stay away from the more spread out base designs. This is because there are other attacking methods that can easily take out those kinds of bases; That, and spread out means that the SLOW dragons have farther to travel under fire of the long ranged air defenses and archer towers.
Despite that, dragons are more of a catch-all strategy that can be used against nearly ANY base design. It is neither strong nor weak against any particular design.
Hogs
Hogs are likely one of the best attacks to use against a Th8 that has already been hit.
I like to use it to clean up failed attacks, because a failed dragon attack will reveal the tesla locations, and due to a lack of spaces that Bbs can be hidden, it will also reveal Big Bomb locations. It is also quite uncommon for a TH8 to place double BBs unless their clan is rather organized as far as maintaining their members' bases.
Fact is: if you know where the traps are, and if you can avoid or negate the traps, then Hogs are your best bet.
Tips and Tricks:
-Always Lure the enemy CC. If you don't their CC troops WILL KILL your ENTIRE hog army. Thankfully, using hogs to lure is an easy fix.
-Since you should really only be using Hogs on a base that has already been hit, you should undoubtably already know what's in their CC. So plan appropriately.
ie. Don't bring witches to kill a dragon.
-Place heals preemptively and ahead of the projected path you expect your hogs to travel. That way, your heal can work on your hogs as long as possible. If you place the heal so that your hogs are in the middle of it as it drops, your hogs will move out of the healing ring before it disappears.
-Place Healing Spells over BB locations so that when the hogs trigger it, the heal is already working on getting their health back to full.
-Try to cover as many defenses as you can with your heal spells. That's because hogs target defenses, so if you cover other defenses, you know the hogs will eventually and inevitably find their way under the heal spell.
-If there is space for a BB between where you deploy your hogs and the hogs' first defense target, then you should ALWAYS send in a test hog to check that space for a BB, UNLESS you know for CERTAIN where all the BB locations are ahead of time.
-While luring the enemy CC, be sure to try to take out a Wizard Tower or a Mortar as you do it. The less defenses (particularly splash) you have to worry about, the better. And if that defensive tower eliminate a route your hogs would have to take over a BB, or potential BB, location, All The Better.
-Make sure to bring troops to clean up the rest of the enemy base. Your King and remaining Hogs will just not do it. I generally like using Witches in the CC or Wizards. If you know the enemy CC will have ground troops inside, then I recommend using witches, because the skeletons will keep the witches relatively safe while killing the CC, AND they will be re-spawned to help clean up the base after the CC is long gone.
-Remember that the wizards are used to CLEAN UP the base after the defenses are gone or while the majority of the defenses are gone, so try to spread them out as much as you can to cover more distance as fast as you can. Be mindful that while you're deploying them and if the enemy bases' defenses haven't been completely killed by the Hogs yet, to ensure that your wiz are out of the defenses' range.
-Although you can deploy your Hogs in a single cluster, two lines, or as a wall of hogs, keep in mind that there is a gereal rule of effectiveness versus quantity of hogs. If 5 hogs can destroy a cannon in one hit, then 30 hogs won't kill the cannon any faster; HOWEVER, remember that not all of your hogs will survive, so brining extras to replace those that fall is necessary. I generally like to ensure there be 10-15 in each group. And you also need to take into account the heal spells and their locations that will need to be preemptively planned out.
-Planning your attack has never been more important in a hog attack. You cannot simply go through the motions like you would using a dragon attack. It takes strategizing.
What you'd look for in a base:
-Close/tight bases with many compartments are ideal for this kind of attack. Since walls don't hinder hogs, they'll jump over one to the next with relative ease. This close nit design style is also ideal, because it generally doesn't allow many locations for traps to be placed in between defenses.
-Bases that you know for certain or have a very good idea where the BB locations are, are ideal for hog attacks, since the biggest threat to a Hog raid (besides the CC troops) are those BBs. If there are no locations for double BBs, then there is a safe bet that your Hogs will survive the raid without a hitch.
Hogs are best used as a second attack.
GoWiPe/GoWiVa
GoWiPe and GoWiVa are possibly one of the strongest attacking style that are available to a the, but at the high price of expensive and difficult to attain troops.
Where Dragons and Hogs fail, these Golem-style raids will certainly pick up the stars. I say this, because GoWiPe can generally take the bases that dragons and Hogs are more vulnerable to. Not only that, but you don't need a "mine sweeper" to reveal traps and such for your attack and can be used first thing. The only downfall is that it takes more skill to use than a Hog or Dragon attack, because of all the variables you need to account for.
Tips and Tricks:
-When deploying your army, your golems are the tanks, your wizards are the support, and your Pekkas/Valkyries are the driving force of the attack.
-Use your heal spell on your Wizards (and Valkyries), NOT your Golems; and try to avoid healing your Pekkas unless they are taking heavy damages from enemy teslas, which would be the ONLY exception.
-While using your rage spells, try to cover as many troops as you can, more specifically your Pekkas/Valkyries and Wizards!
-DO NOT deploy your Pekkas too early or they will "Bounce"- they will move into the base for a second before getting pulled outside to the surrounding building that weren't previously cleared out before you deployed them. Pekkas also don't generally do too well against small CC troops such as archers or witch skeletons.
-Be sure to deploy your spells ahead of your troops so that they will maximize the efficiency of the spell, but not while sacrificing the amount of troops the spell effects.
-The troops getting into the core is the goal of the attack. Coincidentally, when the troops get into the core, you should be sure to drops a rage spell on them so that it clears out as fast as possible.
-Try to think about how many splash defenses you can eliminate in you initial push into the base before choosing where you send your troops in.
-Try to save 2-4 Wizards for the end half of the raid so that you can safely deploy them behind a tank while they can help clean up the base without the danger of being targeted.
What you'd look for in a base:
-GoWiPe and GoWiVa are particularly effective on bases where there are fewer compartments. You'd basically look for the opposite of a good Hogging base. Spread open and vulnerable is a GoWiPe Strong suite.
-Large compartments are ideal.
-Open wall segments on the outside of the base that would allow a golem to move from outer defense to outer defense.
GoWiPe, although being designed for TH9+ as a two star method is a three star method at TH8 and doesn't have a bad time to use it: Early in war, later in war, it doesn't matter.
Attacking Guides
I've told you what and when to use these TH8 war attacking methods. Now, it's time to teach you how to effectively use these methods!
Although there are Plenty of other guides out there, I can clump them all in one place!
Dragon/Dragloon
We will first go over a Mass Dragon attack.
Army Composition:
-As the name suggests, you use a mass of dragons.
x10 dragons
Clan Castle:
-another dragon can be put into the CC, but you can also put some max level loons into the CC, because the loons will head toward defenses rather than everything which is VERY important in killing the biggest threats to the dragon raid: the ADs.
x1 Dragon + Filler
or
x5 Loons
Strategy:
- A simple as it can be, you simply send in the dragons and watch them mow over the base.
Of 'course,the details help: You Must funnel your dragons. You do this by deploying the side dragons to take out outer structures leaving the middle structures leading the rest of the dragons into the middle of the base instead of elating them fly around the base.
You should also try to find the fastest route to the Air Defenses. That means the closer the better, and the less storages the dragons get stuck on, the better.
Next is the more effective Dragloon attack.
Army Composition:
-Apart from having a mainly dragon army, you replace one or more of them with Lv5 Loons. This way, you have more Loons to work with in order to get to those deep Air Defenses better.
x8/9 Dragons
The rest are lv5 Loons
Clan Castle:
-The clan castle will ALWAYS have lv6 Loons inside it. That is because the lv6 loons are zoo much more powerful that even the lv5 loons and are an extremely powerful boost to taking out those deep ADs.
x5 Lv6 Loons
Strategies:
*Normal Strategy
-Like the Mass Dragon Strategy, you need to funnel your dragons. That way what the Loons don't take out, the dragons will mop up!
You must first look at the "pathing" the loons will take to get into the core where the ADs are undoubtably placed.
Pathing: is the route you expect the CC and Lv5 Loons will take from Defense to the next closest Defense until they reach the intended target (ADs) or until they get shot down!
The Shortest path, the better!
When you send in your normal loons and your CC loons, you'd generally send each group into a different AD; However, if they are all grouped up together, you can easily send them all together.
Step 1:
-Send the dragons in via the funneling method.
Step 2:
-When the Dragons attract the fire of the majority of the air targeting defenses (particularly the ADs), THEN you'll send in your loons.
*Back Door Loons strategy
- The back door loons will target an AD on the opposite side of the base that would ordinarily be difficult to get to simply via using dragons. You'd, in this case, send your dragons and perhaps a few loons on one side of the base, and send the majority of your loons into the other side of the base to take out the last AD.
Step 1:
-Send in your dragons via the funneling technique.
Step 2:
-Send in any chosen amount of loons with your dragons when they target your dragons.
Step 3:
-Send in the "back door loons" at the back of the base.
*Lightning Strategy
-Here, you train x3 lightning spells in order to destroy a single AD in order to lessen the threat to your drag group. It also makes for less targets for your Loons to aim for.
Spell Composition:
x3 Lightning Spells
Step 1:
-Send in your dragon army toward the two closest ADs, as you'd normally do.
Step 2:
-When your fingers are waiting on the dragons and/or Loons to go to work, you drop all three spells onto the farthest OR highest level AD.
*Rage Spell Strategy
-Here, you'd use rage spells to power your dragons/loons through defenses and storages.
Step 1:
-Send in your dragons as you'd normally do.
Step 2:
-Use your rages to speed your wall of dragons into the base and/or over ADs.
Step 3:
-(If you're using the back door method) You'd use one of your rage spells to speed your "back door loons" into the last AD.
Step 4:
-(If you're not using the back door loons method) You'd use your third and last rage spell on the core of the base in order to speed your loons ahead of the dragons (or the rest of your dragons) into the last AD.
Hogs
To be used ONLY when you Know where the Giant Bombs are located.
*Wizard Version
-The wizard version is when you know there are air troops in the enemy CC (Mainly a Dragon).
Army Composition:
x8 Archers
x8 Wizards
x32 Hogs
Spell Composition:
x3 Heal Spells
CC Composition:
x6 Wizards
x1 Archer
Step 1:
-You MUST ALWAYS draw the CC! Step one will AWLAYS be to draw the CC. This can be done with 2-3 hogs depending on the defenses the hogs would be up against and depending on how deep they'd have to travel to get to the CC. IF there is no way for your hogs to get to the CC range without going through a defense, you may need more or less hogs to lure the CC. REMEMBER! If you aren't able to lure the CC, you cannot continue onto the next steps. That, and it may not actually be the right base for you to hit!
You may also find it good to replace 1/2 hogs with giants if it will lure the cc better. Remember that giants have more hit points than hogs and can withstand more fire before dying.
Step 2:
-Deal with the CC troops. This can be done against a dragon by using an archer to anchor the dragon to an open section of the base. You then spread your archers in an arc around the dragon as a buffer between the dragon and the wiz. Send in 4-5 wizards behind the archers to deal the real damage to the dragon.
Step 3:
-When the dragon/enemy cc troops are dead, you can send in your hogs now. Remember to throw down a heal spell ahead of your hogs' prospected path (remember pathing above?). Use th heal spell as the hogs are nearing half health and/or before they near a possible or known BB(Big Bomb/Giant Bomb) location.
Step 4:
- When the majority of the defenses are killed by the hogs, you can start cleaning up ASAP! Deploy the rest of your wizards and CC troops where defenses are already down and unable to kill your wizards.
*Witch Version
-Just like the Wizard version, except that it is more adept to dealing with ground troops in the enemy CC.
Army Composition:
x2 Archer
x3 Barbarians
x5 Wizards
x35 Hogs
Spell Composition:
x3 heal Spells
CC Composition:
x2 Witches
x1 Archers
Step 1:
-LURE the CC. This time though, while dealing with the enemy CC troops, you use an archer as an anchor to pull the troops to an open corner of the base. You will then deploy the three barbarians as a buffer before the enemy CC is even at the corner. The witches in the CC will then be deployed behind the barbarians as far away as possible behind the barbarians. That way they have time to spawn their skellies safely. You can also deploy a wizard or two to help kill the CC, but it shouldn't be necessary.
Step 2:
-After the CC is engaging the Witches' skellies, it is safe to deploy the Hogs. Like the above strategy, you will apply the healing spells like above.
Step 3:
-Clean up will be similar, although with less wizards, but the respawning skellies will prove to be an effective enough clean-up method.
GoWiPe/GoWiVa
GoWiPe is the most strategy and detail oriented attack a TH8 can learn. In fact, you may not even fully understand the strategy until after you upgrade to TH9. Thankfully, you can learn all you need to by reading in depth strategies such as what you can find on YouTube. And Hopefully, the above tips can help you to do better with GoWiPe as well!
You can find an in depth guide to GoWiVa (Valkyries) by clicking the link HERE.
Army Composition:
-Though it may vary based upon personal preference, Here is my own personal Recommendation.
x2 Golems
x2 Pekkas
x7/9 Wall Breakers
Rest are Wizards
Clan Castle Composition:
-It is highly recommended that you ask for a higher level Pekka (Lv5 ideally), but you can also have wizards in the CC if your selection of Pekkas aren't ideal.
x1 Pekka
Spell Composition:
-Some people use two rages, but I highly prefer the below composition.
x2 Heal Spells
x1 Rage Spell
Step 1:
- Deploy your Golems as tanks. Separate them so that they cover as many defenses as possible.
Step 2:
-Deploy all but 2-4 Wizards behind your Golems to clear away the outer buildings I like to call "foliage".
Step 3:
-Deploy WBs in order to allow your golems and Wizards into the base to start clearing away more buildings that are on the way to the Core where the Town Hall and other important defense structures are located.
Step 4:
-When the CC comes out to meet the golems/wizards, deploy a healing spell and rage spell to take them out. -Or you can lure the CC before hand if you choose. You may also bring a lighting spell, but I cannot say I've ever seen that happen just because of the effectiveness of the heal-rage combo, because it deals with not only the enemy CC troops and surrounding structures at the same time. You should also try to drop the rage as close to on top of the core as you can.
-It is also important to know that by the time you encounter the CC troops, your Pekkas may already be deployed on o their way to the core.
Step 5:
-When there are no, or very little, surrounding defenses or "foliage" to distract your troops, deploy your Pekkas. It's HIGLY recommended that you deploy one at a time, in case they head off into the wrong direction. Your CC Pekka (highest level Pekka) should be deployed last to ensure it has the highest chances of heading to the Core.
Step 6:
-Drop your last healing spell on the biggest group of wizards (and Pekkas if they happen to be with the wizards).
Step 7:
-Deploy the last of your wizards behind a tank after the core is down and the attack is starting to slow down.
Remember to Check out my GoWiVa Guide to learn my personal Favorite attacking method as a TH8! And I wish you ALL Good Luck in using all of these methods!
