HOG & BALLOON PRACTICE

Since hogs and balloons are half price and take half as long to train for a limited time, now would be a good time to practice with war armies that feature these troops.  These are predominantly TH9 strategies, though they can also be modified to work at TH8 and 10 as well.


HoGoWiWi

At TH9, mass hog attacks are not nearly as effective as they were at TH8--even with the extra spell, army camp space, Archer Queen, and max hogs, it's difficult to 3 star even a low level TH9 with mass hogs the way you could with level 4 hogs at TH8. This does not mean, however, that hogs can't play a featured role in TH9 attacks...it just means that you have to start using more combo attacks. With hogs, the most common combo is Golem/Witch/Wizard. When used well, this combo strategy can often result in 3 star attacks.

There are 3 basic types of HoGoWiWi, which is mainly centered around how many hogs are in your army, but can also be looked at in terms of how many golems you're using (1, 2, or 3). Since a single golem with a small contingent of wizards and witches is often not enough, especially on higher level bases, and bases where the heroes are deep in the base, and a 3 golem attack is essentially GoWiWi with hogs support (and covered in the TH9 war army post), I'm going to focus on 2 golem attacks, which typically use around 18-26 hogs, and may give a better shot at 3 stars than the other strategies.

Composition: 2 Golems, 3 Witches, 6 Wallbreakers, 8 Wizards, 22 Hogs (assuming 30 spot cc)

*You may want to play with dropping 2 hogs for 2 extra wizards and one more wallbreaker, or even dropping 4 hogs for 2 more wizards and a 4th witch. Conversely, going down to 2 witches can get you either 3 more wizards or 2 more hogs, or dropping down to 2 witches, 4 wallbreakers and 7 wizards will get you 26 hogs. The initial composition is fairly ideal though, so start there and see how it works.

Spells: Usually 3 heal and 1 jump, though 4 heal, or 2 heal 1 rage 1 jump can also work depending on your army composition and the base.

Strategy and Tips: 

* The main goal of the GoWiWi portion is to try and engage both heroes if possible, and trigger and kill the enemy cc. If you have to pick a hero, target the Archer Queen first. Trying to set off possible giant bombs with your golems is also helpful. Start with golems about 8 spaces apart along 1 side, followed by a row of wizards behind, and witches immediately behind that, but spread tighter in the center of the attack.

* The AQ can also be deployed immediately with the witches.

* If you want your golems to stay spread out instead of turning and funneling into the base, sometimes it's best to let your troops break through the first wall before deploying wallbreakers. This will also let your wallbreakers go deeper into the base.

*Typically the Barb King should not be deployed until you have cleared distracting buildings and have a path into the base.

* Luring is not necessary, though a rage spell can be helpful when the enemy cc approaches. Be careful not to rage your wizards and witches into a giant bomb though.

*You may also need your jump spell at this stage, particularly if the enemy Queen or CC troops are firing from behind a wall.

* Hogs can be deployed on 1 or both sides of the GoWiWi force. The idea is to release the hogs while the golems are still distracting defenses, and take out defenses on one or both sides of your GoWiWi attack.

* If a significant group of troops wanders around one side, or your golem turns around and leaves a group of troops exposed, drop hogs in this area ahead of the exposed troops to soak up damage and take out nearby defense.

* Heal hogs as necessary, trying to pick potential giant bomb spots.

*It may be beneficial to hold a couple wizards and a few barbs or archers if you made any for cleanup, but when this strategy is used properly, at least some of the wizards, and hopefully all of the witches and the Archer Queen should live through the initial assault, and be free to start cleaning up the base without getting shot, while the hogs run ahead and take out the rest of the defense.

LavaLoon and GoLavaLoon

Air attacks can often be the most effective way to 3 star a TH9. Using a small squad, typically with at least 1 golem, 4 wizards, and 2 wallbreakers to take out at least 1 air defense and the archer queen, and also taking out the enemy cc before launching an attack with 3 lava hounds and at least 12 balloons is the most consistent way to use this attack. More on this in the TH9 war army post. Immediately below.