GoVaHo is a strong attack and is popular at Town Hall 8, 9, and 10. The reason this attack works so well is because, if executed properly, it gets you the best of Valkyries and the best of Hog Riders with very little downside after you've gotten good practice with the attack.
The general idea is that you use a Cold Blooded or Shattered GoWiVa to destroy any critical points of the base which could be: the Town Hall and/or core, possible bomb spots, the Archer Queen or both heroes if possible, and their clan castle troops. Valkyries are perfect for this since their hyperactive AI always makes them target Heroes and defensive CC troops, and their high health makes giant bombs not very effective against them. Those critical points usually make life hard for Hog Riders, so after your Valkyries take them out you can let your hogs run wild across the back end up the base. Typically this means either surgical or two finger deployment for the Hog Riders (see the GoHo guide for more detail on hog rider deployment methods).
Hopefully this guide helps explain the theory and execution methods of this attack so you can start using it in war. One of the trickiest parts of this attack is that sometimes this attack is Valkyrie heavy and is more like a GoWiVa with some hogs, and sometimes it's more like a GoHo with some Valkyries; meaning that your army composition might change drastically from base to base. The compositions below should be used as a baseline for standard GoVaHo.
For ease of purpose in order to write this guide, all the same tactics and rules apply to using Balloons if you are opting for GoVaLo. Since the tactics are virtually identical, simply replace each instance of "Ho" with "Lo" and Hog Riders with Balloons throughout the guide--the principle is the same. The main reason you would want to use Balloons instead of Hog Riders is if there is a compartment or section on one end of the base that has only ground defenses, like a grouping of Cannons, Bomb Towers, or X-Bows set to ground, that is easily exploitable with Balloons. I personally would not opt to bring in Haste spells for this, but I have seen it done--it just probably isn't the best version of the strategy if you are facing someone at a respective max town hall level.
The general idea is that you use a Cold Blooded or Shattered GoWiVa to destroy any critical points of the base which could be: the Town Hall and/or core, possible bomb spots, the Archer Queen or both heroes if possible, and their clan castle troops. Valkyries are perfect for this since their hyperactive AI always makes them target Heroes and defensive CC troops, and their high health makes giant bombs not very effective against them. Those critical points usually make life hard for Hog Riders, so after your Valkyries take them out you can let your hogs run wild across the back end up the base. Typically this means either surgical or two finger deployment for the Hog Riders (see the GoHo guide for more detail on hog rider deployment methods).
Hopefully this guide helps explain the theory and execution methods of this attack so you can start using it in war. One of the trickiest parts of this attack is that sometimes this attack is Valkyrie heavy and is more like a GoWiVa with some hogs, and sometimes it's more like a GoHo with some Valkyries; meaning that your army composition might change drastically from base to base. The compositions below should be used as a baseline for standard GoVaHo.
For ease of purpose in order to write this guide, all the same tactics and rules apply to using Balloons if you are opting for GoVaLo. Since the tactics are virtually identical, simply replace each instance of "Ho" with "Lo" and Hog Riders with Balloons throughout the guide--the principle is the same. The main reason you would want to use Balloons instead of Hog Riders is if there is a compartment or section on one end of the base that has only ground defenses, like a grouping of Cannons, Bomb Towers, or X-Bows set to ground, that is easily exploitable with Balloons. I personally would not opt to bring in Haste spells for this, but I have seen it done--it just probably isn't the best version of the strategy if you are facing someone at a respective max town hall level.
Video Breakdown
Pros of GoVaHo
1) You get the best of Valkyries and the best of Hog Riders
2) Got much better now that Hog Riders are no longer extra weak to Giant Bombs
3) Almost always gets at least 2 Stars, with high 3 Star potential
Cons of GoWiPe
1) You also get the worst of both Valkyries and Hog Riders (Spring Traps & Giant Bombs)
2) Multifaceted attack that takes scouting and practice
3) Timing and deployment are very tricky
1) You get the best of Valkyries and the best of Hog Riders
2) Got much better now that Hog Riders are no longer extra weak to Giant Bombs
3) Almost always gets at least 2 Stars, with high 3 Star potential
Cons of GoWiPe
1) You also get the worst of both Valkyries and Hog Riders (Spring Traps & Giant Bombs)
2) Multifaceted attack that takes scouting and practice
3) Timing and deployment are very tricky
Here's the Breakdown: Army Compositions
Note: Varies greatly by base!!
1) Shattered GoVaHo
Town Hall 10
+Golems: 2
+Wizards: 9-11
+Valkyries: 12
+Hog Riders: 8
+Wall Breakers: 0-4
+Clan Castle: 7 Hog Riders
+Spells:
1) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Freeze, 3 Earthquake, CC Earthquake
2) 2 Rage, 2 Heal, 3 Earthquake, CC Earthquake
3) 2 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Poison, CC Poison
Town Hall 9
+Golems: 2
+Wizards: 7-9
+Valkyries: 8-10
+Hog Riders: 8
+Wall Breakers: 0-4
+Clan Castle: 6 Hog Riders
+Spells:
1) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 3 Earthquakes, CC Earthquake
2) 2 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Poison, CC Poison
3) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Jump, 1 Poison, CC Poison
Town Hall 8
+Golems: 2
+Wizards: 6-8
+Valkyries: 7-9
+Hog Riders: 8
+Wall Breakers: 0-4
+Clan Castle: 5 Hog Riders
+Spells:
1) 1 Rage, 1 Heal, 3 Earthquake, CC Earthquake
2) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Poison, CC Poison
2) Cold Blooded GoVaHo
-if you want to opt for higher damage output, only use one golem
-use the extra slots for extra Hog Riders or Valkyries depending on the base
-although used less often than Shattered GoVaHo, it is still totally viable
--->especially good on big ring bases, or bases with large open compartments
Note: Varies greatly by base!!
1) Shattered GoVaHo
Town Hall 10
+Golems: 2
+Wizards: 9-11
+Valkyries: 12
+Hog Riders: 8
+Wall Breakers: 0-4
+Clan Castle: 7 Hog Riders
+Spells:
1) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Freeze, 3 Earthquake, CC Earthquake
2) 2 Rage, 2 Heal, 3 Earthquake, CC Earthquake
3) 2 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Poison, CC Poison
Town Hall 9
+Golems: 2
+Wizards: 7-9
+Valkyries: 8-10
+Hog Riders: 8
+Wall Breakers: 0-4
+Clan Castle: 6 Hog Riders
+Spells:
1) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 3 Earthquakes, CC Earthquake
2) 2 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Poison, CC Poison
3) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Jump, 1 Poison, CC Poison
Town Hall 8
+Golems: 2
+Wizards: 6-8
+Valkyries: 7-9
+Hog Riders: 8
+Wall Breakers: 0-4
+Clan Castle: 5 Hog Riders
+Spells:
1) 1 Rage, 1 Heal, 3 Earthquake, CC Earthquake
2) 1 Rage, 2 Heal, 1 Poison, CC Poison
2) Cold Blooded GoVaHo
-if you want to opt for higher damage output, only use one golem
-use the extra slots for extra Hog Riders or Valkyries depending on the base
-although used less often than Shattered GoVaHo, it is still totally viable
--->especially good on big ring bases, or bases with large open compartments
The Attack Strategy
1) Choosing a spot to Earthquake
-if you aren't using quakes, (not required, wall breakers work great), skip to step 3
-if you are using quakes, it's important that you scout before you start your attack
-There are two major things to consider when picking a spot to use your quakes on
-Both are equally important. Just using quakes on a dense base isn't good enough if your spot is bad.
1. How much of the base will it open up?
-for more information on Earthquake spells, check out the guide under the "General Strategy" tab
-if you aren't using quakes, (not required, wall breakers work great), skip to step 3
-if you are using quakes, it's important that you scout before you start your attack
-There are two major things to consider when picking a spot to use your quakes on
-Both are equally important. Just using quakes on a dense base isn't good enough if your spot is bad.
1. How much of the base will it open up?
- Try to think about it by percentage of the whole base, not by number of compartments
- Also consider the pathing element of attacking-->Where will this quake spot lead my troops?
- Wizard Range = buildings within 3 tiles of the are opened up by quakes
- Your quake spot might open up 75% of the base, but if half the buildings aren't in Wizard Range then you should probably reconsider your spot
-for more information on Earthquake spells, check out the guide under the "General Strategy" tab
2) Drop Earthquakes and/or Draw out Clan Troops
-after you've chosen your quake spot
-use your earthquakes to open up the base
-make sure to open up the core as your primary target
-use wall breakers on the outside if you need to
-if possible, quake open from the core to the outer walls of the Town Hall compartment
--->quaking from the outside to the core is the best case scenario
-the area traced in red is the total area opened up by your quake spells
-in general, this is the area the GoWiVa phase of your attack is responsible for
-the yellow line includes all buildings within wizard range of the red area
--->I find this is a helpful way to measure how effective your quake spot was
--->also a very helpful factor in deciding between different spots to drop earthquakes
-if this doesn't make total sense, please check out the Earthquake guide
3) Drop the Golems
-drop them far enough apart to draw fire from every turret in range
-make sure the golems have a pretty direct path of defenses that will lead them across the base
-DO NOT drop the golems too close together
4) Clear the path
-if not using quakes, use wall breakers to open up the walls
-it's also common that your quakes don't reach all the way outside from the core, just use wall breakers to bust into the now wide open inner part of the base.
-make sure to drop them one at a time. Never hold down your finger
-be cautious of mortars! wait until the mortar shell hits and then quickly drop 2-3 wall breakers at the back of each golem
-if your initial wall breakers don't bust open the outer wall, drop more IMMEDIATELY! Your attack is paramount to those golems breaking the wall
-as a general rule of thumb for all attacks using golems--the better your golems move through a base, the higher the success rate of your attack will be. Same for giants
-try to save wall breakers for inner walls if at all possible
5) Send in the Wizards!
-wizards should be deployed in two waves
--->wave #1: drop about 1/3 of your wizards (behind golems) to destroy outer buildings.
-these are funneling wizards to direct your valkyries
-they will will spread out and destroy other nearby outer buildings
--->wave #2: drop the rest of your wizards in the same place as wave #1.
-if done correctly, these wizards will now target inner layer buildings and quickly catch up to and follow the golems
-drop any remaining wizards with your heroes
6) Release the Valkyries!
-at this point, the wizards should've taken out the outer defenses
-you should be about one more layer away from the core
-drop your valkyries one at a time with quick tapping
-this is to ensure the valkyries go right for the center
-note: you NEED your valkyries to attack the core. this is crucial!!!
--->if facing an island base
-if your first valkyrie doesn't go inside the base, adjust so that the next one does!
7) Heroes
-closely follow up your valkyries with your heroes
-make sure to drop your barb king first so he is targeted first
-wait a few second, then drop your archer queen
-just like the valkyries, your heroes should target inside the base
-if done correctly, these wizards will now target inner layer buildings and quickly catch up to and follow the golems
-drop any remaining wizards with your heroes
6) Release the Valkyries!
-at this point, the wizards should've taken out the outer defenses
-you should be about one more layer away from the core
-drop your valkyries one at a time with quick tapping
-this is to ensure the valkyries go right for the center
-note: you NEED your valkyries to attack the core. this is crucial!!!
--->if facing an island base
-if your first valkyrie doesn't go inside the base, adjust so that the next one does!
7) Heroes
-closely follow up your valkyries with your heroes
-make sure to drop your barb king first so he is targeted first
-wait a few second, then drop your archer queen
-just like the valkyries, your heroes should target inside the base
8) Drop the RAGE!
-the rage should be used to kill clan castle troops and enemy heroes
-the spell should be mostly inside the outer wall to increase effectiveness
-make sure to lead your troops with the rage
-the rage should stretch from just inside the outer wall all the way the core
-drop the spell where your troops WILL BE, not where they are currently
-the more rage you can put in the core, the better
9) In the Core
-Once your valkyries are in the core, drop a heal spell
-your heal spell should cover the whole core, if possible
-if you cover the whole core, you won't miss your troops
-if attacking infernos, this is when you would use them
--->remember to do what you can to target infernos quickly
--->use a rage against them if you need to
-the valkyries should have caught the tail end of that rage and are now attacking either the buildings just outside the core of the base, or the actual walls to get to the core
-it's important to get this rage spell as close to the Town Hall as possible and just enough on the troops to help them bust through the wall
-if everything has gone to plan up until now you should have anywhere from 25%-40%
9) In the Core
-Once your valkyries are in the core, drop a heal spell
-your heal spell should cover the whole core, if possible
-if you cover the whole core, you won't miss your troops
-if attacking infernos, this is when you would use them
--->remember to do what you can to target infernos quickly
--->use a rage against them if you need to
-the valkyries should have caught the tail end of that rage and are now attacking either the buildings just outside the core of the base, or the actual walls to get to the core
-it's important to get this rage spell as close to the Town Hall as possible and just enough on the troops to help them bust through the wall
-if everything has gone to plan up until now you should have anywhere from 25%-40%
10) Send in the Cavalry!
-you can either use surgical deployment, or one to two streams
-typically the surgical method is used because you can use less hogs overall
Surgical Hogs:
-Super effective if used properly but does require the most practice
-you can use a giant to take a section's turret fire, then drop 2 to 4 hogs to take out a compartment
--->you have to plan how many hogs per compartment very precisely!
-drop a heal spell where these hog groups will meet the rest of the army
-repeat this process for each compartment
-this method is great for getting around double giant bombs and compact anti-2 star bases
-this is the preferred method for GoVaHo because it's more precise and uses less hog riders
-most effective against spread out bases, or smaller compartments
Streams:
-effective if there are larger compartments that your Valkyries won't get to
-this method is used more often when you are using more Hog Riders than Valkyries
--->aka when the attack is more GoHo then GoWiVa
-again, it's important to have your streams converge with your GoWiVa
-you usually only have 1 heal per stream, so use them wisely!
11) Leaving the Core
-after the town hall is taken out, consider using your remaining heal or rage spell
-make sure to wait until your troops choose a direction before dropping your next spell
-if you drop your spell too early, you risk missing your troops altogether if they change direction
-use spells sooner rather than later
-remember, more troops enraged means faster destruction which keeps more troops alive for longer
-if you can save your hero abilities
-meanwhile, your hogs should be doing work on their own as a separate faction of the attack
12) Drop the second Heal
-your hogs should at some point merge with some other faction of your army
-where they converge is the critical area you should use your last heal
-this is important since you're basically splitting your spells between two different attacks
-notice below how I get all of the hogs and some of the King and Valkyries with the heal
-planning where your troops will converge is a really important aspect of planning a GoVaHo
13) Ending the Attack
-At this point you just gotta rely on proper execution to let your troops clean up
-save your hero abilities for the "critical point"
--->meaning you're almost out of troops and they're all attacking a storage or wall, etc.
--->using your hero abilities, one or both, will push through this critical point
14) Cleaning Up
-if you've done all this right, you should still have your hero abilities available
-there are usually one or two tricky spots left after leaving the core
-use your BK to bust through a final wall and your AQ to burst down a final storage or set of turrets
-you should hopefully have 4 to 8 Hog Riders left to help with cleanup
-plus both heroes, a couple wizards, and maybe even a Valkyrie will make cleanup a snap
-plus both heroes, a couple wizards, and maybe even a Valkyrie will make cleanup a snap
So there you have it, the structure and theory of how to execute GoVaHo. This is definitely a skill intensive attack and requires practice! Since there are many different aspects to this attack, and since the army composition will vary based on the base. So just to give you more aspects of this attack, here is the best tutorial video I could find that demonstrates several different aspects and versions of the attack. The video is a little dated at this point, but the attack really hasn't changed. In fact, the attack has improved greatly since this video came out since Valkyries got the huge speed increase and Hog Riders lost their weakness to giant bombs. All things considered this is a great overall attack that very few bases can withstand.
Let me know if this guide helped! Leave a comment if you have any questions
-Skeletor
Let me know if this guide helped! Leave a comment if you have any questions
-Skeletor