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First, let me say that I make no claim to be some kind of expert or know what is technically "best," I just want to share what I have observed after using all dragon war attacks for some months now. I don't really intend to write this as some kind of step by step guide for a couple reasons: first, I don't really have the free time to go that in-depth; second, you can learn just as much, if not more, by simply watching replays or YouTube videos.
Second, because each base is more or less unique you will have to use your intelligence and judgement rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. The concerns I'm addressing apply to all war bases, but I will focus mainly on TH8 because anything lower is almost always straightforward to 3 star with dragons.
Also, I'm posting this at bedtime, so please forgive any typos.
We want them to move towards the center of the base we are attacking, so we need to make sure that the next closest building is in that direction. I do this by
1) using my Barbarian King and one or two dragons to take out outlier buildings
2) carefully picking my start point
3) deploying in a line across the width of the base.
The line formation is particularly important because if the nearest building is to the side (away from the core) then dragons have a tendency to go that direction and make a circle/lap around the edge of the base. The objective thus becomes getting your line to advance relatively evenly so there are no rouge squadrons splitting off to attack a builder hut while their buddies wilt under a barrage of air defense rockets.
Chevron bases are often the easiest to attack because the narrow design reduces the chances that your dragons will split up and circle around the core. With this type of base I typically attack from one of the "ends" (the south, in this particular picture). This means my dragons will be closer together and moving along a pretty narrow path. Often there will be army camps or barracks etc. outside the walls and to the sides, which I use my Barbarian King and/or my cc dragon to lop off before deploying the main force.
These are a little trickier. If you attacked from only one side (say, Northeast) the base widens in the middle compared to your original deployment line, wich almost always leads to splitting. However, by attacking from two adjacent (e.g. Northeast and Southeast) arms of the "plus" your forces will be converging in the center rather than diverging, giving you a better concentration of force against the core.
These are often considered anti-dragon bases, and I haven't done much with them, but here's my plan. Plop BK in one corner, CC in an adjacent corner, one or two dragons in each of the others, then deploy on the edges between the dragons. The plan being to destroy the corners and more or less turn it into a spread out "Plus" type base.
I attack from behind or beside the sweeper if possible.
2) Dragons are kinda slow. If they are trying to fly into a headwind it only gets worse, which means more time getting shot, and less time to get all those pesky corner buildings once we destroy the real base.
I attack from behind or beside the sweeper if possible.
3) In the sweeper's effect, your dragons attack, get blown back, have to re-acquire a target (which could be a new target now that they are in a new location!), fly to it, then attack again. TL;DR sweeper decreases attack speed and therefore DPS.
I attack from behind or beside the sweeper if possible.
This turned out longer than I expected, thanks for reading! I hope this is helpful to someone! I intended this as a sort of toolbox, meant to help you make your own tactical decisions. May your dragons always be scaly and fire-breathing!
Second, because each base is more or less unique you will have to use your intelligence and judgement rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. The concerns I'm addressing apply to all war bases, but I will focus mainly on TH8 because anything lower is almost always straightforward to 3 star with dragons.
Also, I'm posting this at bedtime, so please forgive any typos.
The General Idea
Dragons prioritize units (cc troops, skeletons, and heroes) that are attacking nearby allies first. Then they just go after whatever they see as closest. They tend to be wayward beasts, and many times given what appears to be a 50/50 chance of going for a valuable target like the air defense, they will instead go for the useless and time consuming storage right next to it.We want them to move towards the center of the base we are attacking, so we need to make sure that the next closest building is in that direction. I do this by
1) using my Barbarian King and one or two dragons to take out outlier buildings
2) carefully picking my start point
3) deploying in a line across the width of the base.
The line formation is particularly important because if the nearest building is to the side (away from the core) then dragons have a tendency to go that direction and make a circle/lap around the edge of the base. The objective thus becomes getting your line to advance relatively evenly so there are no rouge squadrons splitting off to attack a builder hut while their buddies wilt under a barrage of air defense rockets.
Base Shapes
(I made these terms up)Chevron
Chevron bases are often the easiest to attack because the narrow design reduces the chances that your dragons will split up and circle around the core. With this type of base I typically attack from one of the "ends" (the south, in this particular picture). This means my dragons will be closer together and moving along a pretty narrow path. Often there will be army camps or barracks etc. outside the walls and to the sides, which I use my Barbarian King and/or my cc dragon to lop off before deploying the main force.
Square/Rectangular
You know the ones, 90 degree angles, super boring looking, probably with a rushed Town Hall. These are also pretty straightforward since it's just a matter of deciding on which of the four sides to start. See the Buildings section below and use your best judgement; like I said there is no one-size-fits-all. Generally I'll attack either the side with 2 air defenses or the side with the sweeper if they have one. Again, use Barbarian King and/or a dragon to pick off outlying buildings.Plus Sign (+)
These are a little trickier. If you attacked from only one side (say, Northeast) the base widens in the middle compared to your original deployment line, wich almost always leads to splitting. However, by attacking from two adjacent (e.g. Northeast and Southeast) arms of the "plus" your forces will be converging in the center rather than diverging, giving you a better concentration of force against the core.
Hashtag/Pound Symbol/Tic-Tac-Toe (#)
These are often considered anti-dragon bases, and I haven't done much with them, but here's my plan. Plop BK in one corner, CC in an adjacent corner, one or two dragons in each of the others, then deploy on the edges between the dragons. The plan being to destroy the corners and more or less turn it into a spread out "Plus" type base.
Round/Amorphous/Blob
In my experience these are the hardest bases to attack due to the high likelihood of dragons splitting off and trying to make a lap around instead of going into the core. This is especially true if there is a gap between the core and the outer ring of defensive buildings. I prefer to leave these for people with good ground attacks, but in a pinch I would treat it like a square base but DO NOT kill off too many outlying buildings in the beginning. Instead, treat them as part of the "Square" (make your line a little extra wide to include them) and weight the corners of your line a bit with an extra dragon or two so you finish the outsides a bit ahead of the middle and hopefully everything converges inward.Buildings
The good news: walls don't matter! The bad news: dragons can't tell an air defense from a storage from a builder hut.Storages
Storages have lots of HP and therefore take lots of time to kill. If not taken into account, that can mean your line advances unevenly and splits. I often put an extra dragon one the ends of my lines because most people put storages on the corners of their base.Air Defenses
Pretty obviously the biggest threat. Eliminate with extreme prejudice as quickly as possible. That almost always means attacking from the side with the MOST air defenses so you get to burninate them sooner and they spend less time rocketing you.Air Sweeper
1) We spent all this time and energy planning and deploying our nice battle formation, and we don't want it disrupted!I attack from behind or beside the sweeper if possible.
2) Dragons are kinda slow. If they are trying to fly into a headwind it only gets worse, which means more time getting shot, and less time to get all those pesky corner buildings once we destroy the real base.
I attack from behind or beside the sweeper if possible.
3) In the sweeper's effect, your dragons attack, get blown back, have to re-acquire a target (which could be a new target now that they are in a new location!), fly to it, then attack again. TL;DR sweeper decreases attack speed and therefore DPS.
I attack from behind or beside the sweeper if possible.
Clan Castle
Honestly I don't really worry about it much. Your dragons can pretty much handle whatever is inside. I factor it as similar to an archer tower in my mental calculations.Spells
Three real options: all rage spells, two rage one heal, or all lightning spells. I prefer two rage one heal because it gives good control over the attack speed with the rages, and I'd rather have a heal for a bunch of dragons at the same time as a rage rather than save a third rage for what few dragons aren't dead or a bit too spread out after the first two are used.Lightning Spell
If you bring lightning spells, you are going to use all of them on one of the air defenses to destroy it quickly. I would then, as the achievement says, unleash the beasts on the side with the remaining air defenses in the hope of taking out the main threats in the first few seconds of the battle. With this strategy, you have no control over your dragons once they're out, so you better be certain of your initial formation! As I said, I like rage/heal, but I've seen Nandox and others do great work with lightning.Rage Spell
The biggest thing to keep in mind with the rage spell is that it makes dragons move THROUGH (out of) the area you drop it faster, NOT INTO the area. If one part of your formation is close to a valuable target and another part is lagging behind rage the part that is lagging, NOT the part that is ahead Raging the part that is ahead only gets them a little more ahead and leads to splitting. Also, rage spell is not a dragon magnet. Drop it where the dragons are/are going, not where you wish they were.Heal Spell
Raged dragons do 60% more damage than regular dragons (depending on the level of your spell), but living dragons do 100% more damage than dead ones. I often use a heal and a rage on whichever part of my line is getting the worst of the battle.This turned out longer than I expected, thanks for reading! I hope this is helpful to someone! I intended this as a sort of toolbox, meant to help you make your own tactical decisions. May your dragons always be scaly and fire-breathing!
